There is great significance to the theme of a new man drawn out in the New Testament. The bringing together of the Jew and Gentile under one body is a proclamation that the Church is Israel. In Romans 11, Paul masterfully demonstrates how the gentiles are grafted into the covenant promises contrary to nature. In line with this theme, Paul teaches that distinctions between Jew and Gentile, ethnicity and social standing are subsumed by the new man’s identity in Christ (Col 3:11). This doesn’t indicate that these distinctions are wiped out in the present age but that they are not categories of eternal significance and we shouldn’t be consumed by them, even while accepting their existence for a time (Eph 6:1-9, 1 Pet 2:18).
Category: Christian Living
Snippets: God Remembers the Faithful who Live Hidden Lives
"For the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs" - George Eliot, Middlemarch
The Bondage of Manmade Holy Days
Today I walked down to the local Walmart to buy some groceries. I was surprised by how packed the parking lot was and as I entered the store, it was bustling with activity. After a few perplexing seconds I remembered that tomorrow is Valentine's day. I saw men and women rushing to grab flowers, stuffed toys and candy. The candy section was crowded and its stocks were almost empty. It was an interesting sight to say the least! As I walked back home after picking up my groceries I reflected on the craze surrounding manmade holy days.
Remarriage is Adultery Part 2: Self Denial
This is not merely a theoretical matter that we can take a live and let live approach on. The apostle Paul in 1 Cor 6:9, says – “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators (pornoi), nor idolaters, nor adulterers (moichoi), nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,“.This is also emphasized in Gal 5:19-21. If we are to believe the Biblical witness that those who remarry after a divorce are living in adultery, then the Biblical warning against such is truly serious. It is not merely a thing indifferent nor is it something that merely has consequences as far as this age goes. Rather, the Bible teaches us that there are eternal consequences for those who willingly refuse to repent of the sin of adultery. Divorce and remarriage have become so widely accepted in Evangelicalism that to speak against it and to call those who are living in adultery to repentance is akin to being branded a cultist. The strange thing is that these views on divorce and remarriage are not an innovation but were simply the view that was held by most of the Church, faithful and apostate for centuries. The church fathers are quite unanimous in their condemnation of divorce and remarriage.
A Biblical Rejection of Christmas
The celebration of Christmas is a widespread practice in the Western world. It is so widespread and socially acceptable that should one state that they do not keep the custom they are likely to be deemed as odd and strange. In Reformed circles in which I tend to run, there is some degree of controversy in the practice. Historically, the Reformed tradition has generally rejected Christmas and the celebration of other holy days. However, in our times the practice has become more prevalent even in Reformed churches. As Christians, it is important for us to consider what the Scriptures have to say about this topic. Given that I have been asked by many why I do not join in the tradition and celebration that is so common across the Western world and is also celebrated to a degree outside the West, I have decided to gather my thoughts on what I believe the Bible teaches and what I have learnt from my studies of the history.
Redemptive Kingdom Structure in the Old Covenant: Part 2
The Abrahamic Covenant placed Abraham and his descendants in constant antithesis with the people of the world. However, broadly speaking God didn’t regulate the day to day activities of Abraham’s life. There was no specific law given to him. Apart from circumcision there were no external cultural requirements. The covenant itself required separation and distinction from the world, but the details of that were less regulated and we see that Abraham and his descendants often fell into sin and temptation as they interacted with the world. What this implies is that the Abrahamic Covenant, foreshadowing the ultimate end of the present created order in the final judgement, doesn't regulate the things that are passing away as they are not being redeemed.
The Abrahamic Covenant and Antithesis
The covenant with Abraham can be contrasted with the Noahic Covenant because it is rather specific. It does not concern all men, rather it specifically concerns Abraham and his descendants. Unlike the Noahic Covenant it is religious in nature and calls for Abraham’s descendants to be distinct from the people around them. This establishes a principle that we have seen already drawn upon prior to Abraham, that God’s people are in antithesis or opposition to the people of the world. They are to be a distinct people and to serve their God. This distinction was to be in both worship and ordinary practice.
Daniel, Nationalism and Lessons for New Covenant Pilgrims
Christian Nationalism is an ideology that is gaining significant traction in Dominionist circles. The ideology seeks a return to the "glory" days of what is called Christendom, wherein "Christian" thought flourished in the West and where laws reflected what is perceived as Biblical influence. This ideology has come to play a seductive role in broad Evangelicalism and is the stepping stone to a return to the days of an apostate society. For indeed a society that claims to be a Christian and yet most of its citizens are unregenerate, is indeed a society of apostates and that does far more damage to the Kingdom of God than any heathen kingdom can. It is in light of this that it would be pertinent to study the life of Daniel, a member of the Old Covenant who lived in exile in Babylon, a situation that is the certain calling for every Christian in the New Covenant era. The study of the life of Daniel and his context as a Jewish exile in Babylon will provide helpful guidance for the Covenant people of today to navigate the world and understand the nature of the covenant peoples' interaction with the world and its systems and the nature of the whole conception of nationalism, a notion that becomes moot when considering the eternal order.
Lia Thomas, Women’s Sports and Christian Investment in the System
Recently a man who deludedly claims to be a woman and calls himself Lia Thomas won a major swimming title [1]. This inability to comprehend and accept what should even be evident from nature shouldn't surprise us. The West has for years tolerated a culture that has increasingly permitted fornication, adultery, divorce, remarriage, exploitation, racial pride, imperialism, mammonism, luxury, abundance and idleness. The consequence of such sinfulness is being handed over to sexual perversions (Ezek 16:49, Rom 1:24). This incident was met with widespread outcry, opposition and mockery from the Christian Right. However, their opposition to this wicked delusion did not come from the perspective of a prophetic voice warning sinners to repent and turn to the Kingdom of God, but rather the perspective of a faction deeply entrenched and invested in this world system. A faction that has completely misunderstood God's purpose for this present evil age, this fallen created order and is convinced that it is their calling to stem the tide of lawlessness in the world (as opposed to the Church).
Worldliness and Dominionism in Christian Homeschooling Movements
There's a popular quote by Voddie Baucham that circulates in Reformed homeschooling circles - "We cannot continue to send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come home as Romans." Taken in and of itself, the quote is spot on and rightly calls out the folly of sending off children to state sponsored schools where they are indoctrinated to become "good" citizens according to the requirement of each nation. However, a general observation of homeschooled children shows that they are just as worldly and likely to apostatize when they leave the nest. There must be something beyond what meets the eye that explains this phenomenon. Ideally, homeschooled children should show a marked difference from their State schooled peers, however, this seldom is the case.
Deo Vicit Mundum 