The ESV Study Bible

So I picked up the ESV Study Bible sunday. I'm very excited about it. It's huge, lots of maps, etc.. It also gives me free access to an online copy complete with Study Notes, my own Personal Notes and it even has Naration! Pretty sweet!

Anyway, highly recommending the ESV Study Bible right now. You should check it out.

The ESV Study Bible

"..heirs according to promise."

So, the Men's Bible Study is no more, but Elise and I are picking up where we'd left off. Last week we went through, in short, everything that the Men's Study had covered. This week, we pressed on from Galatians 3:15-29.

Paul talks about some really cool stuff here, as he is laying out the difference between The Law and The Promise to Abraham..


He starts out by Identifying what a Promise is in Galatians 3:15. A promise is finite. You can't change it, or add to it. Once a promise is made, you are bound to it or it is broken. We all know, God never breaks promises. So we have to believe that The Promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 still stands.


"I will bless (save) those who bless (honor) you, and him who dishonors you, I will curse (condemn)."

I believe the Lord is explaining to Abraham the Promise of Salvation through Jesus Christ.


Paul continues in Galatians 3:16 to explain that The Promise to Abraham was made for his offspring (singular, one offspring), not offsprings. This offspring was his distant grandchild, Jesus Christ. And in Galatians 3:17-18 he breaks it down for us. Salvation comes to us through The Promise to Abraham. The Law, which was given 430 years later, cannot add to, or take away from the original Promise because that would break the promise and God never breaks a promise.


So why do we even have the commandments? Why do the Jews have so many rules if they are already saved?

Galatians 3:19-20 explains that even though we had a promise of Salvation, until Jesus came, died and rose on the 3rd day, we were still in bondage to our sin. And this was told to us by an "intermediary" (the Spirit of Christ) through Angels. This is a hint to the Trinity concept of 3 Gods in One. And so, God provided us with a "Guardian" or guideline to live by, The Law.

"Is The Law then contrary to the promises of God?" Galatians 3:21-28 then begins to break everything down for us and lay it out so that we can understand the difference between The Law and The Promise to Abraham.

The Law tells us what not to do. It defines sin, but it does not save us. There is no "Thou shalt do this and be saved" law. It is entirely condemning. Paul says it holds us captive, imprisoned until The Promise to Abraham is fulfilled. Following the law is not where Salvation comes from.

The Promise to Abraham tells us that God will save us (through Jesus Christ). And by believing in the Promise (Jesus) we can be saved when the Promise if fulfilled (Jesus is born, dies, and risen).

This is how Abraham was saved and how all Jews would find Salvation until Jesus came. Others also, could then convert to Judaism, Obey the Law and Believe in The Promise to Abraham and be saved. Obeying The Law was required to be a Jew. Believing The Promise to Abraham was required for Salvation.

Once Christ came, he was the Perfect Sacrifice to Remove our sin, unlike the imperfect sacrifices of the Jews which only covered it up. The Law is no longer required. (Keep in mind, this is not a license to sin. We are still commanded by Jesus to Love God and Love our Neighbor, which really envelopes The Law and then some in two simple commands.)

Infact, Paul takes it one step further and says that they are no longer Jews. We are no longer Americans. We're not Slaves or Free, Men or Women. We are Christians, all one in Christ Jesus.

Finally Paul concludes by explaining that Abrahams Heirs were in fact not determined by bloodline. God doesn't save through Genetics. God saves through Faith by a Promise. And All of us who belong to Christ by faith in Him, are the true descendants of Abraham's Inheritance, according to the promise that was given.

We are Saved through Faith by Grace.

"The Happening" & What's Happening..

So, I saw "The Happening" last Friday evening.. it was terrible. The acting was poor, the plot was pathetic and the content was disturbing. The basic premise (I'm going to spoil it for you) is that because Mankind has become such a threat to the Earth, all the world's plants, you know, trees, grass, flowers, etc.., have rapidly evolved a new defence mechanism. Whenever large groups of people are around, they release a toxin to the air which causes all the normally sane people to decide to kill themselves in grusome, horrible ways.

So, the effects were really pretty cheesy, gross, but cheesy, and the plot was pathetic, but I did learn something interesting about myself.

I got really depressed. It reminded me of darker times in my own life and my own thoughts of suicide and death and I was completely unprepaired for it. I was distant and dispondant for days.

I had no idea it would affect me like it did. I wish I'd never watched it. My sister and her friends came over and decided to watch it. I tried to talk her out of it. I even lied to her about having not returned it yet, in hopes she wouldn't go rent it on her own.. she did. I had to go hide in my room to escape it, and trying to fall asleep, I realized I could still hear it through the floor and I ended up turning on my iPod to muffle out the sounds.

I felt pretty childish, but I don't know, I just couldn't handle it. It was a difficult weekend..

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In other news, it's been an "OK" week since then. Our Men's Bible Study was interesting. There was only 3 of us. We've been dwindling. It was a good time though. We talked about Galatians 3:7-14. It was cool to see how Paul uses the Old Testament to talk to Jewish Christians and point out the truth behind what saves us and who truely are God's children. For it is not our bloodline, but rather our Faith that determines our inheiritence. "Know that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham." (Galatians 3:7 )

So that was cool. We decided also to keep on kicking, even with such small numbers. The three of us are enjoying it and getting alot out of it. Hopefully more will show up eventually.

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Also, Elise and I started up Love & Respect again. Our friends from work are joining us, which is really cool. I had hoped my parents would too, but that's too far out of their comfort zone I guess.

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AND.. we've joined a new Bible Study called The Truth Project. It's all about understanding what it is to be a Christian and showing it with a Christian "World View" by breaking down a lot of the popular world views we are bombarded with through the media and others all our lives. It's pretty cool. I think it's leading to some interesting discussions, anyway, and I'm excited for that.

I think that's all for now.

Updates? What?!

Ok, so, it's time to get serious about some updates around here, yeah?

I'm going to try to do my best to start taking better notes and transferring them to the blog. I'm involved in a Men's Bible Study with some guys here at work on Mondays which has been going awesome. We're ripping Galatians apart.

Also, you may notice, I've added a new feature to the blog. Logos Bible Software's RefTagger! It's pretty much awesome. A simple to apply java code that enhances all of my bible references automatically with tool-tip previews and links to the text itself automatically, and a special button to open your Libronix direct to the passage in your preferred bible (I use ESV).

Check it out! Genesis 6:4-8 (My favorite passage, of course)

Anyway, more updates to come, including a much needed update to my picture, and possibly some neat background graphics if I can figure that out.

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Oh, by the way... http://theclassiccrime.com/.. sweetness. I'm loving their new album. Kind of a Breaking Benjamin, hard-rock-alternative style with engaging lyrics that reflect a lot more maturity than the style usually offers. These aren't your every-day-angry-teenagers. They talk about real issues that grown people face, like addiction and loneliness. My little brother turned me on to them. Best album purchase I've made on iTunes in a long while.

It's been way too long..

Ok, new things:

Men's Bible Study
Chuck Missler - Koinonia House http://www.khouse.org/
New Computer?
Paintball Mess!

Men's Bible Study:

My new friend, Manis, at work has started up a Men's Bible Study at Logos. I'm taking part in it and enjoying it very much.

We're currently working through Galatians. It's a much more indepth book than I thought it would be at first glance. We're going in to week 4 and we're just starting in to verse 6 of chapter 1.

It's full of some incredible revelations about Paul. I'll try to post some of the information/notes soon.




Chuck Missler

Chuck is incredible. A friend of mine had been talking about something called Koinonia House. Sounded suspiciously cultish to me and I avoided it, but my curriosity got the better of me and I was amazed at what an awesome resource it is. Check it out: http://www.khouse.org/ or on iTunes, 66/40 PodCast.

Right now I've just finished his short study on Technology & the Bible for free through his PodCast, and I'm continuing his long study on Genesis that is blowing my ind on a regular basis.

Check out Ezekiel 26 thru 28

Ezekiel is sent to the people of Tyre and addresses the nation Ezekiel 26:17-21

Ezekiel is sent to "The Prince of Tyre" and addresses the ruler of Tyre Ezekiel 28:1-10

Ezekiel is sent to "The King of Tyre" and address Satan?? Holy crap! Ezekiel 28:11-19


I thought Satan was sitting on a hot rock in Hell! Why did I think that? We all think of Lucifer as a pointy-tailed, horned, red, half-goat ugly son of a--- well you know.

Lucifer was the most perfect being ever created. He was beautiful. He appeared to have some great musical talent, possibly leading Worship in Heaven. He was in command of all creation. He was placed by God on "the Mountain of God" and all was at his command.

He became proud of his grand position and his pride lead to bitterness against God. He decided he should be as God is, and his heart was corrupted with sin by his pride.

God cast him from the Mountain of God and set him upon the Earth. Here he ruled, and it is implied other nations existed which he destroyed? I'm kind of confused about it right now, still in the very beginning of this Genesis study PodCast.


Anyway, my mind is blown.

Oh yeah, and then on to computer..

So Elise bought a couple old Logos Computers for about $8. Added a hard drive, it's pretty cool. She's stoked for it. Found out today that the RAM in it is worth about $100. We may just build her a new computer and put that toward it so she can be faster and have upgrade options.

Also, I just made the switch to Vista Home Premium. I'm loving it, actually. I'm planning to sell my Case, MoBo, CPU and RAM to Manis and then I'm going to put the money toward some new parts to build a new gaming rig. I'm stoked for that. Still trying to decide on what I can afford of it.

I recently attended a Microsoft PlayTest which, of course, I can't discuss, but that's where I got Vista, and I also got Project Gothem Racing 4 which I might sell to pay for computer parts.


In other news, on the 8th, I won/ordered a couple parts on eBay for my PaintBall gun. Turned in to a huge pain. First, the guy was unwilling to work with me on a package deal, but that's fine. I ordered parts seperately, which he said he'd send as soon as he recieved payment. Payment was confirmed on the 11th..

17 days and several emails, and even an official complaint through PayPal, he finally responds to me with a BS answer about how he get's so many orders that he missed the $95 I transferred to his account and he claimed that he'd been emailing me the whole time but the emails didn't come through.

Well, he DID reply, finally and he is sending my stuff. I'm excited to be getting it, but it was a big pain. I was annoyed.





Anyway, exciting times. :)



On a side note, Elise is doing well, and she's beautiful as ever. I'm very excited for where our relationship has gone and is going.



-EDIT: Apparently Blogger wont let me use Libronix Hyperlinks. Sorry.-

"I Survived Predistination"

Well, we had our Bible Study.

It went really well but it was very intense and very difficult. Elise does not agree with me on my views about Predestination and while her disagreement really helped further the study and brought us to a much deeper study, but I think it was very difficult not to take it personally when Bryan and I both agreed and she did not. We had a great discussion about it afterward, but I don't care to share that here. That's mine and hers.

I think the final verdict was, Bryan and I have a new, deeper understanding of what we believe is an important doctrinal issue and I find myself very excited for Bible Study. I'm having a blast.

A few point we touched on but did not find a solid answer yet:


1.) Is the Tree of Life a physical tree? (I've just changed my mind on this actually as I'm writing. I believe it is a tree.)

2.) If Adam and Eve had not sinned, would they live forever? We did determine that they would, but we were undecided as to whether that would have been natural life, or life sustained by eating physical fruit from a physical Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.

I personally, don't think the Tree of Life is a physical, tree with bark and branches. I think it refers to a precarnated Jesus or possibly the Holy Spirit. I think it is some aspect of God. I have no scripture or anything to support this, it's just a gut feeling I've always had.

I do think that Adam and Eve, without sin, would live forever. In 1 Enoch, God says that the abomination of Angels breeding with Humans is intolerable because childbirth is a gift for Man who does not live forever, but Angels are immortal and have no need for children to contenue their line.

So, it is my belief that without sin, Adam and Eve would have lived forever and had no children, but when they sinned, God numbered their days but he gave them (or taught them) how to have children thought child baring would come with significant pain to women, and men would have pain and toil to work the earth for food.


Anyway, it was awesome. I brought a printout of the previous post and we covered each scripture in detail and a few extras as conversation moved. I really think God met us there and we had a great time of study. I also noticed how much I sound like my dad when I talk about biblical things, but I don't think I mind that. I'm a little bit proud of it, as I am proud of him.

I think I want to print up some T-Shirts that say "I Survived Predestination" to promote the bible study group. We really need more people. I think that would have made this topic much easier to discuss and much less liek a personal attack. None of us want to attack or judge eachother's beliefs, we're all just searching for the Truth.

Predestination Preview

We'll be Discussing Ephesians 1 at our next bible study. I've been preparing by researching the topic of Predestination from chapter 1, verse 5. Here is some info I've printed out for Monday's discussions:

Predestination

Ephesians 1:3-6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.


Did we choose God or did God choose us? In Exodus, God states to Moses that He chooses who he will show mercy to. Could this mean He also chooses who He will save?


Exodus 33:18-19

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.


Here, Jesus talks in parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. It sounds to me like an account of God calling the Jews as his Chosen, but the Jews did not heed His calls and rejected His Messiah. And so Jesus called to the Gentiles and anyone who would come. All were welcomed. But at the Feast, those who were found unprepared were cast out to a vivid depiction of Hell. “For Many are Called (invited), but Few are Chosen.”

Is this Predestination from the mouth of Jesus?


Matthew 22:1-14

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’


For many are called, but few are chosen.”


And here Christ mentions more than once “The Elect” which seems to refer to those who are saved or chosen to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.


Mark 13:14-23

“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. False christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.


And here, Jesus explains his use of Parable to confuse those who are not chosen? And he explains that all are called, all the ‘Seeds’ are spread, but not all the seeds will grow and produce fruit. Some people will hear and not listen at all (Seeds on the thorns?). Some people will hear, they will believe for a short time, but they will not hold steadfast to God (Seeds on the rocks with no roots) when times get tough. Only those who are chosen will grow and bear fruit.



Luke 8:9-15

And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.


And in John, Jesus is speaking to the Jews. He makes two points:

1.) Whoever believes has eternal life.
2.) No one can come to me (Jesus) unless the Father (God) who sent me (Jesus) draws him.

So, all who believe in Jesus are saved, but those who believe are first drawn (or chosen?) by God?


John 6:41-51

So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”