Tony Jones Denies Original Sin: Kevin DeYoung, coauthor of Why We're Not Emergent, has some interesting reflections on Tony Jones' recent denial of original sin.
Interview with William Young: Listen to this interview done with the author of the popular Christian fiction book, The Shack. You might find it startling to know which Christian doctrine Mr. Young denies.
Collision: Watch pastor/theologian Doug Wilson debate the truth of Christianity against world-renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens.
The Truth About Angels & Demons: Compiled by Westminster Theological Seminary, this helpful website divides fact from fiction in Dan Brown's sequel to the popular Da Vinci Code, entitled Angels & Demons.
Does Global Christianity Equal American Christianity?: In his recent work, The New Shape of World Christianity, historian Mark Noll carefully answers the question, "How has American Christianity shaped Christianity around the globe.
Monday Morning Resources
Where to Start Reading: Monergism.com has 40 suggestions of where you should start reading. Reading levels range from beginner to advanced. Rest assured, these books are "theologically sound and devotionally enriching.
Top Commentaries on Every Book of the Bible: Thanks goes out to Keith Mathison from Ligonier Ministries who put together this list of the top 5 commentaries on every book of the Bible.
Codex Sinaiticus Project: This is awesome! Codex Sinaiticus was handwritten over 1600 years ago and "contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament." The Codex Sinaiticus Project has made available the entire manuscript in digital form. Check it out for yourself.
Basic Christian Doctrine: Here is a great resource if you are looking to brush up on your basic theology. Be sure to bookmark this page and come back to it when you have questions about theology.
On Disciplined Reading: John Burkett at Between the Times blog has a 5 part blog series on how to maintain disciplined reading. This is definitely worth your time if you are wanting to learn how to keep up with your Christian studies.
Top Commentaries on Every Book of the Bible: Thanks goes out to Keith Mathison from Ligonier Ministries who put together this list of the top 5 commentaries on every book of the Bible.
Codex Sinaiticus Project: This is awesome! Codex Sinaiticus was handwritten over 1600 years ago and "contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament." The Codex Sinaiticus Project has made available the entire manuscript in digital form. Check it out for yourself.
Basic Christian Doctrine: Here is a great resource if you are looking to brush up on your basic theology. Be sure to bookmark this page and come back to it when you have questions about theology.
On Disciplined Reading: John Burkett at Between the Times blog has a 5 part blog series on how to maintain disciplined reading. This is definitely worth your time if you are wanting to learn how to keep up with your Christian studies.
Resources on Suffering
Death Is Not Dying by Rachel Barkley: Rachel Barkley, at the young age of 37, has gone on to be with her Lord and Savior. This is her testimony of God's grace and goodness to her in the midst of life-ending cancer.
Theology of Suffering and Suffering for the Sake of... by Joni Eareckson Tada: Besides Jesus Christ, there is no other person I can think of who gives me hope in suffering like Mrs. Tada. Her unwavering testimony of God's goodness to her in the aftermath of a diving accident that left her a quadriplegic helps prepare me for my own suffering. These messages are of her testimony and her theology of suffering. If you know little of nothing of Joni, read her bio.
Making Sense of Suffering by D.A. Carson: For thorough, biblical, theological, and pastoral insights into suffering and how to make sense of it, these four messages (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, & Part 4) are most highly recommended. There are few people who can carefully tread the murky waters of suffering. Don Carson is one of them.
An Interview with Terry Stauffer: Terry Stauffer pastors Edson Baptist church in Edson, Alberta. On September 28, 2008, his precious daughter was murdered soon after she left for a short walk. Tim Challies has taken the time to interview Pastor Stauffer about what has sustained him through his daughter's death.
Suffering with a Smile by Tullian Tchividjian: Seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it? Or just plain sadistic. But, "the Gospel makes it possible to suffer with a smile because in Christ, all that we need we have.
Theology of Suffering and Suffering for the Sake of... by Joni Eareckson Tada: Besides Jesus Christ, there is no other person I can think of who gives me hope in suffering like Mrs. Tada. Her unwavering testimony of God's goodness to her in the aftermath of a diving accident that left her a quadriplegic helps prepare me for my own suffering. These messages are of her testimony and her theology of suffering. If you know little of nothing of Joni, read her bio.
Making Sense of Suffering by D.A. Carson: For thorough, biblical, theological, and pastoral insights into suffering and how to make sense of it, these four messages (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, & Part 4) are most highly recommended. There are few people who can carefully tread the murky waters of suffering. Don Carson is one of them.
An Interview with Terry Stauffer: Terry Stauffer pastors Edson Baptist church in Edson, Alberta. On September 28, 2008, his precious daughter was murdered soon after she left for a short walk. Tim Challies has taken the time to interview Pastor Stauffer about what has sustained him through his daughter's death.
Suffering with a Smile by Tullian Tchividjian: Seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it? Or just plain sadistic. But, "the Gospel makes it possible to suffer with a smile because in Christ, all that we need we have.
To Panama City Beach We Come
From August 1 - 8, Misha, my family, I will be traveling to Panama City Beach, FL where we will relax on the beach, read many good books, eat some good seafood, and enjoy each other's fellowship. Vacation has been a long time coming... While I am gone, I have compiled a series of posts that will hopefully aid you in finding some good Christian resources on a variety of topics such as the Gospel, suffering, Christian living, theology, and more. Enjoy!
Isaiah 61: Good News to the Poor
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor..." - Isaiah 61:1
Throughout chapter 61, Isaiah sets out seven purposes of the anointing of the coming Messiah. They are listed as reference below.
Who Are the Poor?
We must be careful when we answer this question because the implications are huge. Were Isaiah in Isaiah 61 and Jesus in Luke 4 referring to the literal poor only? Was the Messiah only to bring good news to people who made X amount of dollars or less? Can no good news come to those who have been blessed financially in this life? These are weighty questions that require a biblical answer. Though God does providentially provide for the poor and even command his people to care for the poor among us (Matthew 25:31-46), it would be theologically inaccurate to say that the Messiah only brings the good news to the literal poor. For if this were true, all that we would have to do to receive the good news is relinquish our wealth and live among the literal poor. Though uncomfortable, it would be a small cost for this good news.
Instead, Jesus offers us his translation of what it means to be poor. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). Jesus takes the word, "poor", and goes ten feet deeper. Just as the literal poor have no wealth of their own on which they can stand before a wealthy world, the spiritual poor have no merit of their own on which they can stand before a holy God. The man of poor spirit is acutely aware of his own sin separates him from his Creator. The poor in spirit recognizes he can offer nothing to God and is justly condemned in His sight. This is to whom the good news comes the poor in spirit.
What Is the Good News?
Knowing who the poor are, the good news must follow. Being poor is bad news. A poor man knows there is nothing he can do to can wealth before God. He knows all his efforts are futile, for he could gather a thousand pearls and lay them before the throne of the King, and upon hitting the ground before His feet they would turn to dust. Our initial disposition towards God is one of just condemnation for our damnable sin. Obviously, this is bad news. So what would good news look like?
Good news would be if God were to give us a head start to spiritual wealthiness. But, in the end, we could never attain it. Good news would be if God were to say that there were a way that we could earn our standing before God. But there would not be enough good deeds in the world to cover over sinning against our sovereign Lord. Good news would be if God were to just forgive all our sins and let us start over again. But leave it to our sinful selves to need forgiveness all over again. All of these scenarios are good news to the poor. But it is not what the Messiah is to bring.
What Can We Learn From "Bring"?
Words can carry such meaning. Bring, in this context, is one such word. There are poor out there, and we are them. There is good news out there, and Christ and his gospel is it. But how does the good news get to the poor? Listen. The poor cannot set out on a three month journey to obtain the good news. The poor cannot manipulate the system and steal the good news for himself. The poor cannot buy the good news with all the money he can gather. No. The good news must be brought to us. The moment you neglect the word, "bring", you stumble back into spiritual poverty. Why? Because the good news is that Jesus Christ brings salvation to the poor in spirit. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. It must be brought to us!
Praise God for sending His Son to us, his poor and blessed children.
Throughout chapter 61, Isaiah sets out seven purposes of the anointing of the coming Messiah. They are listed as reference below.
- To bring good news to the poor.
- To bind up the brokenhearted.
- To proclaim liberty to the captives.
- To open the prison to those who are bound (or to open the eyes of those who are blind).
- To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of the Lord's wrath.
- To comfort all who mourn.
- To grant various gifts to those who mourn in Zion.
- What can we learn from the verb, "bring", in this context?
- What is the "good news"?
- Who are the "poor"?
Who Are the Poor?
We must be careful when we answer this question because the implications are huge. Were Isaiah in Isaiah 61 and Jesus in Luke 4 referring to the literal poor only? Was the Messiah only to bring good news to people who made X amount of dollars or less? Can no good news come to those who have been blessed financially in this life? These are weighty questions that require a biblical answer. Though God does providentially provide for the poor and even command his people to care for the poor among us (Matthew 25:31-46), it would be theologically inaccurate to say that the Messiah only brings the good news to the literal poor. For if this were true, all that we would have to do to receive the good news is relinquish our wealth and live among the literal poor. Though uncomfortable, it would be a small cost for this good news.
Instead, Jesus offers us his translation of what it means to be poor. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). Jesus takes the word, "poor", and goes ten feet deeper. Just as the literal poor have no wealth of their own on which they can stand before a wealthy world, the spiritual poor have no merit of their own on which they can stand before a holy God. The man of poor spirit is acutely aware of his own sin separates him from his Creator. The poor in spirit recognizes he can offer nothing to God and is justly condemned in His sight. This is to whom the good news comes the poor in spirit.
What Is the Good News?
Knowing who the poor are, the good news must follow. Being poor is bad news. A poor man knows there is nothing he can do to can wealth before God. He knows all his efforts are futile, for he could gather a thousand pearls and lay them before the throne of the King, and upon hitting the ground before His feet they would turn to dust. Our initial disposition towards God is one of just condemnation for our damnable sin. Obviously, this is bad news. So what would good news look like?
Good news would be if God were to give us a head start to spiritual wealthiness. But, in the end, we could never attain it. Good news would be if God were to say that there were a way that we could earn our standing before God. But there would not be enough good deeds in the world to cover over sinning against our sovereign Lord. Good news would be if God were to just forgive all our sins and let us start over again. But leave it to our sinful selves to need forgiveness all over again. All of these scenarios are good news to the poor. But it is not what the Messiah is to bring.
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9).Our Messiah humbled himself by coming down from his heavenly dwelling to dwell with men as the God-man. He lived the sinless life we were supposed to live. And then, when the time was right, he took our sin - all our sin - upon his shoulders and surrendered himself to death on a cross. Our Messiah and our sin were nailed to a tree. All this for one reason. So that when we come to our Messiah in faith, he can say to us, "Here. This is my righteousness, bought for you with my blood. Give me your sin. It has already been paid for. You are not only forgiven, but also righteous." He became poor so that we might become rich.
What Can We Learn From "Bring"?
Words can carry such meaning. Bring, in this context, is one such word. There are poor out there, and we are them. There is good news out there, and Christ and his gospel is it. But how does the good news get to the poor? Listen. The poor cannot set out on a three month journey to obtain the good news. The poor cannot manipulate the system and steal the good news for himself. The poor cannot buy the good news with all the money he can gather. No. The good news must be brought to us. The moment you neglect the word, "bring", you stumble back into spiritual poverty. Why? Because the good news is that Jesus Christ brings salvation to the poor in spirit. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. It must be brought to us!
Praise God for sending His Son to us, his poor and blessed children.
Theology of Suffering by Joni Eareckson Tada
If you have never heard of Joni Eareckson Tada, here is an introduction. Mrs. Tada is a quadriplegic who broke her neck diving into a lake at the age of 17. There is no other living example of how to respond in and think rightly about suffering and its relationship with God. So please meet Joni Eareckson Tada.
P.S. You might want to bring a box of Kleenex.
P.S. You might want to bring a box of Kleenex.
How Do You Make a World Wide Difference?
I thank God for John Piper. He continually reminds me to not waste my life, but to make it count for the cause of Christ.
You Never Let Go by David Crowder
In joy and pain, sun and rain, Christ never lets go. No matter the trial, never forget that.
When clouds veil sun
And disaster comes
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rise
And hope takes flight
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Ever faithful
Ever true
You I know
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go
When clouds brought rain
And disaster came
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rose
And hope had flown
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Overflows
Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, my soul
Fills hope
Perfect love that never lets go
Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, what love, oh, what love
In joy and pain
In sun and rain
You?re the same
Oh, You never let go
When clouds veil sun
And disaster comes
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rise
And hope takes flight
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Ever faithful
Ever true
You I know
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go
When clouds brought rain
And disaster came
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rose
And hope had flown
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Overflows
Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, my soul
Fills hope
Perfect love that never lets go
Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, what love, oh, what love
In joy and pain
In sun and rain
You?re the same
Oh, You never let go
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)