Posts Tagged ‘Atonement’
God and man and perichoresis – You should know the first; you think you know the second; what about the third?
January 22, 2013 | 
Author These are the slide packs for SysTheo test next week. We spent the entire first semester studying God because Tozer says that all problems and subjects and doctrines rely fully on the Doctrine of Who God Is. To quote,
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. … Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech. …”
and again,
“The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God.”
and finally,
“All the problems of heaven and earth, though they were to confront us together and at once, would be nothing compared with the overwhelming problem of God: That He is; what He is like; and what we as moral beings must do about Him…”
. . . Based on that truth, He must be studied before considering all of the other doctrines. We did that and now we look at the rest of Theology. The seam though is a concept called Perichoresis. This is the idea that is much analogous to the Analogy of Being and General Revelation. In relation to the nature of the Incarnation, Church father, Gregory of Nyssa says that we ought not to be too surprised by the Incarnation (I will explain why this is in another post soon and will put a link here) because, quote
“Deity is in everything, penetrating it, embracing it, and seated in it” (Great Catechism 25)
This is not to be confused with pantheism, rather that God, expressing all creation out of Himself (He spoke and there was – not made from things which were visible [Heb. 11:3]) made a universe that look sand works like Him – the Triune Godhead, 3-in-1. In God there is Unity and Diversity. In Creation there is Unity and Diversity. As He is, so are we.
PRACTICE STUDY GUIDE: SYSTHEO MID-Q3EXAMguide2
So, some slides: Check it!
Anthropology
Also, for those of you that need “crazzzzzy” rap-music to help you learn a catechism on the atonement . . . here you go!
Posted in Cary Christian School, Lessons Repository | 
Tags: Anthropology, Atonement, Church Fathers, Gregory of Nyssa, Perichoresis, Shai Linne, Trinity | 
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Do Children go to Heaven when they die? Yes!
Good conversation that I have had twice in the last two days with students – good conversations. Here is a slidepack that used with a class that I taught. Notice that I mention John MacArthur’s Safe in the Arms of God. This would be a good book to read on the subject. He has a lot more points than I.
Do children go to heaven when they die? Yes!
An analogy of sin and Christ
When I was a boy, we lived in a rural part of Alabama. We had a creek behind our home and it had countless joys for young boys in it: crawdads (crawfish), cool rocks, snakes, water and mud – lot’s of mud. We spent a many a summer day in that creek and in the evening, as we were being called in for dinner a common scene took place:
Rob approaches the sliding-glass door at the rear of the house bearing the filthy joy of creek-playing hedonism
Dad: “Stop right there! You are not setting foot in this house until you clean up.”
Rob starts to attempt wiping off the mud – only there is mud on his hands and on every part of his body. Only smearing and deeper staining is occurring.
Dad: furrowed-brow looks
Rob: “This isn’t working.”
What Rob needs is an outside source – something clean that can take the filth from him. Rob needs a clean towel and his brother to spray him with a water hose. Without a clean source to take the stains away, there is no hope.
Truly on this side of the analogy AND the sliding glass doors, the fried chicken has never tasted so good.
Thank you, Jesus.
Posted in "Ruminations", One as Another | Tags: analogy, Atonement, Jesus Christ, salvation, The Gospel | No Comments »
A great point from my Greek brother
The comments that I receive, I think, could be missed and this is sad. The dialog that many choose to have with me is such a joy to my life.
My brother, Dimitrios responded to my post about the Sacrifice for Sins in the future Millennial Kingdom with an excursus on the Blood of Christ. Here is a quote:
In the NT, Pilate “took water and washed his hands saying ‘I am innocent of this Man’s blood.” (Matt. 27:24) But he wasn’t. That is a prime example of man-made religion. It is external for others to see; it has “the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion…but are of no value against fleshly indulgence” (Col. 2:23); it does nothing to “cleanse your conscience from dead works” (Heb. 9:14) Ironically, ALL the people answered Pilate and said, “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matt. 27:25) Wow, what irony! The blood that they were demanding was the saving precious gift of God’s only Son. It was supposed to forgive them of all their sins, “for without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”. (Heb. 9:22) Yet, they and all their offspring, and their offspring until this day are guilty of killing God. They have Blood on them, on their hands. The evidence is in. The weapons have been tested and its His Blood on them. They are guilty of sin against God. However, the redeemed, the reconciled, the atoned for (=made one with!!!) are wearing His Blood unto salvation. How can it be? The Blood both judges and saves? Yes!
You need to read the entire post here.
Thanks, Dim, for another scrape of the iron.