Last Thursday I returned to school as a full time student for the first time in 22 years. I must say at the outset that I love being a student almost as much as I love teaching. One of the classes that I am taking is a biology class and it is steeped in evolution.
Now I understand that evolution can be applied in two major senses, micro and macro. Micro evolution is, or evolution on the small scale is demonstrable and in most cases true. An example of micro evolution would be dog breeding. Mate dog A with dog B and get new breed of dog C or get a dog of the same breed as the other two with a specific trait. While on the other hand macro evolution, which has never been demonstrated, is on the large scale; for example, a dinosaur changing into a bird.
After the first class I was conflicted as to what I should do and Saturday morning God provided the answer through a post on the AIG Blog. That article has given me insight into how to attend the class and answer questions without compromising my beliefs.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thoughts on Job
I finished reading Job again a few days ago and I have decided to jot down a few thoughts that I have on the book.
1. God Himself describes Job as a man of “perfect integrity”. (Job 1:8)
2. With perfect integrity comes maxim testing.
3. Job’s testing provided opportunity testing for his wife and friends.
a. Job’s wife became overwhelmed with the details and circumstances of life.
b. Job’s wife failed to function as his helper.
c. Job’s only recorded response to his wife’s inability to orient to God was a rebuke.
d. Job’s friends intended comfort.
e. They became a source of greater testing.
4. Job’s wife and three of his four friends failed their test.
5. In seeking to justify himself to his friends Job lost perspective on his relationship to God.
6. Job’s loss of perspective led to an attitude of “I am righteous, who are You, God, to treat me this way?”
7. God, through the use of Job’s fourth friend and by direct questioning, reoriented Job to a correct creature/Creator perspective.
8. Job was humble enough to repent and confess his sin (Job 42:1-6).
9. Job’s humility was further tested by having to pray for his three friends (Job 42:7-8).
10. Job reaped temporal blessings for passing spiritual testing (Job 42:10-17).
11. Job’s demand for an explanation was never answered.
12. Job’s life was on display before man and angels.
13. Satan’s desire was to destroy Job.
14. Job was under God’s protection and Satan needed permission to approach him.
15. God set limits on what Satan could do.
16. Job’s testing lasted only as long as necessary to accomplish God’s design.
17. Job did not have any written bible or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
18. Job was a gentile.
1. God Himself describes Job as a man of “perfect integrity”. (Job 1:8)
2. With perfect integrity comes maxim testing.
3. Job’s testing provided opportunity testing for his wife and friends.
a. Job’s wife became overwhelmed with the details and circumstances of life.
b. Job’s wife failed to function as his helper.
c. Job’s only recorded response to his wife’s inability to orient to God was a rebuke.
d. Job’s friends intended comfort.
e. They became a source of greater testing.
4. Job’s wife and three of his four friends failed their test.
5. In seeking to justify himself to his friends Job lost perspective on his relationship to God.
6. Job’s loss of perspective led to an attitude of “I am righteous, who are You, God, to treat me this way?”
7. God, through the use of Job’s fourth friend and by direct questioning, reoriented Job to a correct creature/Creator perspective.
8. Job was humble enough to repent and confess his sin (Job 42:1-6).
9. Job’s humility was further tested by having to pray for his three friends (Job 42:7-8).
10. Job reaped temporal blessings for passing spiritual testing (Job 42:10-17).
11. Job’s demand for an explanation was never answered.
12. Job’s life was on display before man and angels.
13. Satan’s desire was to destroy Job.
14. Job was under God’s protection and Satan needed permission to approach him.
15. God set limits on what Satan could do.
16. Job’s testing lasted only as long as necessary to accomplish God’s design.
17. Job did not have any written bible or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
18. Job was a gentile.
How we are to function in Christ.
Justification is the act by which God gets us out of sin (legally). Sanctification is the process by which God gets sin out of us (actually).[1]
"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13)
Once we become believers in Christ God provides us with assets that allow us to function in Christ. The focus of our study will not be on those assets but instead on the function.
1. Faith: this allows us to utilize the assets provided to us.
2. Prayer: allows us to commutate with God and express our understanding of His will. It also allows us to become partakers in the work of other Christians that we may never meet.
3. Bible study: allows for our mind to be renewed.
4. Brotherly love: provides the basis for our interaction with fellow Christians.
These are not all of the areas that we function in, but only the basic ones. As we develop the basic functional areas God will guide us to the specific functional areas for us. An example of a specific functional area would be the spiritual gift that we receive at the moment of salvation.
For teaching on the assets provided to us at salvation I recommend the teaching on Salvation Grace Blessings as taught by Pastor Cliff Beveridge.
[1] Systematic Theology Volume Three, p 217, Dr. Norman Geisler.
"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13)
Once we become believers in Christ God provides us with assets that allow us to function in Christ. The focus of our study will not be on those assets but instead on the function.
1. Faith: this allows us to utilize the assets provided to us.
2. Prayer: allows us to commutate with God and express our understanding of His will. It also allows us to become partakers in the work of other Christians that we may never meet.
3. Bible study: allows for our mind to be renewed.
4. Brotherly love: provides the basis for our interaction with fellow Christians.
These are not all of the areas that we function in, but only the basic ones. As we develop the basic functional areas God will guide us to the specific functional areas for us. An example of a specific functional area would be the spiritual gift that we receive at the moment of salvation.
For teaching on the assets provided to us at salvation I recommend the teaching on Salvation Grace Blessings as taught by Pastor Cliff Beveridge.
[1] Systematic Theology Volume Three, p 217, Dr. Norman Geisler.
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