While doing laundry, recorded so I can laugh at myself two years from now (like I currently do for my old bboying clips). Wow acne.

Different views of atonement... they exist...

One should actually consider themselves blessed if they simply assume the Bible teaches Jesus taking the wrath of the Father on himself on our behalf. It has come to my attention that there is an increasing (re)interest in the view that this view of atonement, that is, penal substitution, is not a Biblical view.

It’s true that before the Reformation the fledgling church primarily viewed the events at Calvary as some sort of ransom paid to the devil to buy us back (versus the more contemporary Evangelical emphasis on Christ paying the debt owed to God incurred by our moral disobedience). This “ransom view” of atonement has been formulated by Gustaf Aulen for the modern context titled “Christus Victor,” or Christ the Victor, typically emphasized by more liberal or charismatic groups. The view underscores the power of Christ over the devil, the destructive effects of sin, and overall redemption within the fallen world - things I’m all gungho about.

However, it becomes worrisome when one denies the reconciliation that took place on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Romans 3:24-25, Hebrews 2:17-18, Galatians 3:13, Matthew 26:28, John 10:11-15). For every proof text I supply, there’ll be some argument in opposition, so I simply urge readers to investigate these views and come to a conclusion themselves. I have a bias for J.I. Packer’s argument for penal substitution, so I recommend that reading.

Mom perusing through my Facebook

“You definitely got fatter in LA. This is very good.”

“Where is Daphne Kim? Did that Jessica girl like the book you gave her?”

“In that video, you cannot be dancing in the street. Police are so strict nowadays and-… (insert long rant on criminal public policy).”

“Waiwai, you are a woman on your Facebook? I think a lot of guys will get the wrong idea. Whatever you want.”

On listening to sermons

I think another mark of sanctification is getting excited when the truth is preached faithfully and, well, truthfully during a sermon. No matter how dry the sermon might be delivered, something inside you screams “Amen!” when dat scripture is getting explained correctly. Because at some point during your walk, you realize there are false teachers out there, and quite a few of them! So we praise the LORD that we are given ears to hear him and no one else (John 10:4-5). 1 Corinthians 13:6 cannot have it any other way.

The point of prayer

is not only to bend our knees but bend our wills.

Badly wanting to change the past is ultimately sin

An interesting Asian drama series-esque scenario played in my mind during Spring Break. Guy and girl are lovers but the girl dies of terminable disease. The cure is found some years later and the guy is given the chance to bring it back into the past. But just how far back? He finds himself having to repeat his life starting from 3rd grade. He is careful to recreate every scene and interaction the way he remembers - while comically avoiding some regrettable pitfalls! Maybe salvaging a relationship with estranged parents or setting a better example for friends of his.

Anyways, it’s pretty romantic. The whole time he is filled with the hope of the fated encounter with the girl, making sure to muster the correct amount of confidence and coyishness upon first contact. The rest of the script is arbitrary. The time is nigh and perhaps the girl doesn’t show up, the camera now shooting through scenes where the sum total of his changes to the past causes an impossibility in intersection. Or maybe they meet: she’s on a hospital bed while he, now an MD, can administer the dosage of cure reserved specifically for her. aw.

Not really important. But I think it highlights a desire a lot of people feel, which can get out of hand and consume oneself. Can we trust God with irreversible actions? How can we when he ordains really really hard trials on his children?

It’s all about that Jesus. The greatest evil ever permitted was the killing of a sinless God-man. Not only killed, Jesus infinitely felt the pain of loneliness while he hung on the cross by being disconnected from the once-tethered Godhead, let alone suffer the Father’s full wrath for the sins of the elect (Hebrews 4:15, John 17:5, 1 Peter 2:24). The result of such a disaster: a new hope and glory for man to finally meet his maker in an embrace rather than deserved punishment (John 17:24).

We can trust God in our suffering. I will close with an encouraging passage from Tim Keller’s King’s Cross:

“The resurrection means we can look forward with hope to the day our suffering will be gone. But it even means that we can look forward with hope to the day our suffering will be glorious. When Jesus shows the disciples his hands and his feet, he is showing them his scars.

Why is this important? Because now that they understand the scars, the sight and memory of them will increase the glory and joy of the rest of their lives. Seeing Jesus Christ with his scars reminds them of what he did for them - that the scars they thought had ruined their lives actually saved their lives. Remembering those scars will help many of them endure their own crucifixion.

On [the Day of the Lord] the same thing will happen to your own hurts and sadness. You will find that the worst things that have ever happened to you will in the end only enhance your eternal delight. … The joy of your glory will be that much greater for every scar you bear.”

Our God is awesome, can’t wait to see him!

Knowing God, Chapter 20: Thou Our Guide

A summary of this chapter from J.I. Packer’s book, provided by good study guide publishers right in my crib of Ellicott City, MD!

It is one thing to know what God has called you to do and quite another thing to actually do it. Many of us say if we only knew what God wanted we would do it. Would we; or is that a convenient excuse to avoid dealing with what we already know we need to be doing and aren’t? I have some seminal advice: do what you know to do and when you run out of those challenges then you can tell me that you wish God would tell what you are supposed to do.

Gah school again

Passing friend on Locust:

“Hey Willis!”

“Hey! I’m good!” (overanticipates “How are you?”)

I will now flee from face-to-face conversation over the next week.

Spring Break 2012 @the west coast

Gems of Van Til

Dude, this Wikipedia page on Cornelius Van Til is so edifying whatttt. Started reading up on him after Josep sent me his apologetics material. I will now paraphrase the Wikipedia article… oh 21st century educational standards, thou art so low.

1. “How do you argue with someone who has a different worldview?” Van Til concluded that there is no neutral ground on which Christians and non-Christians could agree, where the approach in philosophical issues epistemologically differs too greatly in interpretation between the camps (one holding the Bible as an authority, one dismissive of it). This was very contrary to the apologetics methods of his contemporaries.
2. Going further, he reduced the non-Christians worldview into absurdity. They contradict their own presuppositions. How can you say you say murder is wrong when you don’t credit an absolute truth?
3. The trinity is essential in Christian philosophy. It solves the problem of universals. John Frame: Pure unity with no particularity is a blank, and pure particularity with no unity is chaos. Blank and chaos are meaningless in themselves and impossible to relate to one another. As such, unbelieving worldviews always reduce to unintelligible nonsense. This is, essentially, Van Til’s critique of secular philosophy (and its influence on Christian philosophy).

Boss.

Calvinists need more friends..

me:

Father Ed

I need to confess my sins

Edward:

bahaha

continue.

me:

:)

YOOO

MY SOLUS CHRISTUS SHIRT CAME IN TODAY

5solas baby

Edward:

hahaha

congratulations my son

me:

shutup, you're catholic

you don't know anything about the solas

Edward:

hahahaha

that's so messed up!

TT

me:

but tru fax

imma reform you son

willis used sola scriptura attack!!

Edward:

hahahaha

such a weiiiiiiiird combination of theology... and pokemon...

me:

yo mang

spiritual warfare

for asians

Edward:

hahahaha

Father Edward deflects attack with "stubborn heart"

me:

snaps

Edward:

(use the holy spirit attack willis! the holy spirit attack!)

me:

oh

oh

oh

but

I'm arminian

you must make the choice bro

Edward:

what???!

me:

unfortunately my theology is too weak to cause any change

Edward:

just use it man! use it!

me:

willis has evolved into calvinist

learned new skill, monergistic irresistable grace

willis used holy spirit on father edward

Edward:

IT"S SUPER EFFECTIVE!!!!!!

me:

OHHHHH

Edward:

Father Edward faints.

me:

....

Edward:

hahahaha

i mean

Father Edward has CONVERTED!

or...

me:

yayayayay

Edward:

reformed!

hahaha

whooooo

What's this??

He's evolviong!

Father Edward has evolved into... REVEREND EDWARD!

I love you mommy<333

Free Veritas Forum event tonight!

Oxford mathematician and Penn Law professor have intelligent dialogue about God.

7:30PM, IRVINE AUDITORIUM.

Stuff Bboys...Wished Girls Said

God chooses solidarity of feelings

Interesting point J.I. Packer raises as I speculate the correctness of the claim. In the same way that God chose to limit his omniscience and capabilities for the purposes of his redemptive history in the person of Jesus (Matthew 24:36, Philippians 2:7), in some immanent sense he also chooses to make his happiness dependent on our happiness.

We look at verses such as the following:

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. (Ephesians 4:30-31)

Of course, we affirm the completeness and security God has within himself for he never needed us in the first place (John 17:24, Psalm 115:3). But the act of choosing, and thus in some sense sacrificing, his emotions for our sake is pretty astounding. Think of someone you love. You are only ever completely happy when that person is happy as well.

We might hear preachers tell us to somehow get over our depression by looking at how happy our God is (Philippians 4:4, Hebrews 12:2). And what truth! However, an additional motivation I’ve found is that I know I am serving my God quite directly by finding joy in him, and that makes him extra happy. The feedback is completely positive. When I am reluctant to emotionally invest in people due to painful past hurts, I look to my God and the cost he exacted on himself to make me his friend!

Mill halo, finallyyy

Jesus can be a hardbutt

Shallow inspection of his character will never do. Time to examine the heart of Christ.

Jesus correcting opponents:

1. Often did it quite publicly and humiliatingly. (Matthew 15:1-20)
2. Straight-up calling false teachers wrong. (Luke 11:37-53)
3. Name-calling, sometimes semi-racistly. (Matthew 7:6, Matthew 7:15, Matthew 23:33, Luke 13:32)
4. Compared people. (Matthew 8:5-13)
5. Called BS on seemingly good excuses. (Matthew 8:18-22)
6. Had an outright physical tamper tantrum. (Matthew 21:12-13)

Jesus correcting his elect:

1. His authority was important to him and at times needed to let others know. He calls his gosh darn mom "woman." (John 2:3-5)
2. Compared people. (Luke 10:41-42, John 21:22)
3. Used people's deaths to preach his agenda. Dude's mad cold. (Luke 13:1-5)
4. Embarrassment and condescension. (Matthew 18:1-5)

So would these actions be necessarily applicable to us? Not to disappoint Word of Faith adherents, but I think "no."

Here is a holy God among sinners that all deserve to be teared limb-from-limb for their constant disobedience. But instead, he delivers relatively light rebukes. And take note at how customized each one is; our God is so loving and personal. In contrast, as laypeople, our duty is to expunge the huge planks in our eyes as we gently restore our fellow sinning kindred. LORD, we worship you for your faithful mercies and discipline!

"Willis, the friendly Christian hipster"

Curtis Lee along with cohorts Sam and Ernest have been giving me a run for my money as of late. Exhibit A and Exhibit B have instated both a record label and fan club among the trio, but they plan to go global by way of meme-ing it up:





Sigh.

Clockwise barrels and babymills

Learning maneuvers quite quickly..

Swipes, mills to headspin

We love God for what he says about himself

It is a great irony to me that Calvinists are stereotyped as logic-driven. For forty years my experience has been the opposite. The Calvinists I have known (English Puritans, Edwards, Newton, Spurgeon, Packer, Sproul) are not logic driven, but Bible-driven. It’s the challengers who bring their logic to the Bible and nullify text after text. Branches are lopped off by “logic,” not exegesis.

Who are the great enjoyers of paradox today? Who are the pastors and theologians who grab both horns of every biblical dilemma and swear to the God-Man: I will never let go of either.

Not the Calvinism-critics that I meet. They read of divine love, and say that predestination cannot be. They read of human choice and say the divine rule of all our steps cannot be. They read of human resistance, and say that irresistible grace cannot be. Who is logic-driven?

For forty years Calvinism has been, for me, a vision of life that embraces mystery more than any vision I know. It is not logic-driven. It is driven by a vision of the ineffable, galactic vastness of God’s Word.

— John Piper

A mark of sanctification

I am now deliberately searching for the radio edits of hiphop songs for my Grooveshark playlists.

What.

the heck.

is wrong with me..

Just had a dream within a dream

In the second level of dreaming, I’m watching CCTV4 cooking programming in my living room, but from my periphery I spot my ex-girlfriend with a katana. I am not fearful - for the LORD my God is with me - annddd my house apparently has an electric fence. I text her to say that the Zhang office is closed, it’s a federal holiday.

I wake up from that level, still in the living room, and realized I “subconsciously” texted her in this level so I’m kinda dealing with the subsequent (excrement)storm. Pretty difficult to explain but I think you get it.

I finally wake up to real life, passed out in my work clothes on the living room couch. Much laughter ensues :D

2011

Summer brought hours of (voluntary) aimless lonely meandering through a dense urban jungle, sleepless nights, emptiness, hospital visits and deteriorating health. Fall semester: cue more hospital visits, dead cat, and dead friends. And the year closes again with parents completely rejecting Jesus.

Slowest year. So. Ridiculously. Heartachingly. Slow. Yet the LORD made it so! I stand encouraged! And still young! LORD, if it is your will, if you still see immaturity in me, you are free to discipline me again and again this coming year so that I may cling tighter onto you! I love you to the uttermost, LORD.

Unlike fictional couple Gordon-Levitt/Deschanel, here is collab music of a real couple.

why pursue truth anyways

It’s a wonder how I’m a stickler for correct theology when it would be bringing to light how much greater the wrath would be for my family, currently vessels prepared for destruction (Romans 9:22). Or is it that I seek to know more of God so others may know more of him too when they talk to me?

… on that note, please talk to me if you have questions (willisz@seas.upenn.edu).

Corporate World 101!

Osama bin Laden and Kim Jong Il

Both died during finals week. Hmm. HMMMMM.

Games Willis Play, #1

Players. 1 v 1, 2, or 3. Increase number of opponents as per skill level.

Background. Unanticipated conversation initiates between you and associate(s) as you walk through campus. Difficulty level gauged by longevity of previous encounter with said opposing party.

Objective. Cultivate cheery atmosphere. Force opposing party into jovial mood for the purposes of making a tactful escape, usually by collective use of winsomeness, animated banter, and/or offhand faux pas.

Current record. Daily average - 3 wins, 2 losses, 0.5 mutual forfeits.

Games Willis Play, #2

Players. 1 v ego.

Background. Game set whilst advancing adjacent to large building windows.

Objective. Correct posture (straighten back, extend legs wotwot) using window reflection within a time window just shy of complete vanity.

Current record. Undefeated record.*

*Scrimmage matches against laptop monitor reflection (the first 2 - 3 seconds where the screen is loading but otherwise black enough to check your hair) not included.

Insecure about praying

Praying aloud in group settings was seriously the bane of my faith up until sometime last year when I learned more about God’s attributes through systematic theology. I really fell in love with Jesus by poring through the doctrines of grace; his necessity and faithfulness was made abundantly clear from studying christophanies within the Old Testament to God’s present soteriological work in our walks. And I would gush about it while praying to the point where someone I wanted to bless didn’t approve of how I prayed. This stumbled me a lot and to this day I feel a wave of hesitance and insecurity as I pray for someone.

As I read more on the topic, I have felt God’s assurance and affirmation through what we see in his word. Tim Keller and John Piper have both written on the prayer in Acts 4:24-31. Things to note in their plea to bring down the Holy Spirit (from our Bible study this week hehe):

• Praying corporately and together. “It is the church gathered, not just the apostles, that pray for God to give boldness and to heal and to do signs and wonders.” People like you and me can pray for crazy stuff.
• It was more absorbed in praise and worship to God than in human requests. “If we want his fullness, we will do well to fill our minds with the truth he has revealed about God in Scripture.” These guys didn’t even ask for protection during persecution!
• With regards to Scripture, declarations from the word guided their prayer. Look! Halfway through the prayer as they meditate on God’s sovereignty, these guys were convicted that even Christ’s death was predestined so that he may be glorified (so how can we not trust God in all things??). We get revelation during prayer; it’s all a process.
• The main point was God’s glory. The requests aimed to make God known to more people.

I’m with Tozer in desiring daily experience of praising Thy glory so that we are accustomed to the glory when we enter Thy heaven to dwell with Thee there.

from the confessions of our faith

So here’s a truth that hits home for all of us. We all die. It is irreversible. You can only act like it doesn’t matter to you for so long. From the Heidelberg Catechism, we know the purpose of death for the believer:

42. Q. Since Christ has died for us, why do we still have to die?

A. Our death is not a payment for our sins, but it puts an end to sin and is an entrance into eternal life.[1]

[1] John 5:24; Phil. 1:21-23; I Thess. 5:9, 10.

This hinges on a belief that Christ died for you so that you may be satisfied. You cannot deny your times of emptiness. Whether it manifests in desperate need for attention or exceeding disappointment at failures made by ourselves or friends, our hearts without Jesus are unsatisfied.

God does not force the decision. It is entirely your choice to accept this free gift or not.

I suck at loving people

It’s not even one of those fake humility things where I’m downplaying my awesomeness. How do you know if you’re a pretty good friend of mine? We share blessing experiences together but over time I’ve neglected you and taken you for granted. You would then confront me about it and I offer my feeble apologies. This will occur perhaps multiple times.

Quick exegesis on 2 Corinthians 6:3-12:

• (verse 3) Unable to genuinely love people is a stumbling block that really hurts people, learned both from friends and cg members.
• (verse 6) Purity. Understanding. Patience. Kindness. Sincerity. These things are super foreign to me.
• (verse 12) I withhold affection as only prideful people do.

Atm, very unconcerned about the theological integrity of this post. So much so I used NIV in writing this. It’s all about that ridiculous heart for the Gospel.

Open invitation to Jeff Lee's memorial worship service tonight @7PM, Bodek Lounge

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less"

Martin Luther defined sin as “mankind turned inward.” And sadly, the way many of us think about sanctification is terribly narcissistic. We spend too much time thinking about how we’re doing, if we’re growing, whether we’re doing it right or not. We spend too much time pondering our failure and brooding over our spiritual successes. In short, we spend way too much time thinking about ourselves and what we need to do and far too little time thinking about Jesus and what he’s already done. And what I’ve discovered is that the more I focus on my need to get better the worse I actually get–I become neurotic and self-absorbed. Preoccupation with my performance over Christ’s performance for me makes me increasingly self-centered and morbidly introspective. This is the opposite of how the Bible describes what it means to be sanctified. Sanctification is forgetting about yourself.

Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on “how he was doing.” Anytime our natural fixture on self is rattled, shaken, turned from itself to that Man’s blood, to that Man’s cross, the devil runs!

When we stop narcissistically focusing on our need to get better that is what it means to get better. When we stop obsessing over our need to improve, that is what it means to improve!

— Tullian Tchividjian of The Gospel Coalition

How I can become more gospel-centered

That is, make applicable the riches of God’s grace through Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection for pathetic sinners like me:

• Take the entire Bible seriously to enhance the sweetness of the gospel message. To my shame, I have not read through the Old Testament.
• Preach the gospel to both believers and nonbelievers.
• Repent. Repent. Repent.
• Have a contagious, constant astonishment of the gospel.
• Be known to give grace; be a person skeptics and seekers would like to talk to.
• Love the person of Jesus more than doctrinal implications.

Remixed Calvinism

It sometimes feels like Calvinists first invoke the five points, then apologize for invoking the five points, then explain how the five points don’t really mean what they seem to mean and aren’t really saying what they seem to be saying. This can’t possibly be the best way to introduce people to what we believe.

Funny but true. Greg Forster offers another version of TULIP which references the three persons of God and the mechanism of salvation:

• State of man before salvation: wholly defiled
• Work of the Father in salvation: unconditional choice
• Work of the Son in salvation: personal salvation
• Work of the Spirit in salvation: supernatural transformation
• State of man after salvation: in faith, perseverance

Das cool.

What church should I attend?

From Pastor John of Good News Church I attended this summer:

1) Don't base your choice on comfort. Ever thought that, perhaps, as a sinner what you consider comfortable God may consider uncomfortable?

2) Risk-benefit analysis is ill-advised. A good church will always cost you by asking you to give yourself in committed service. In that way, it is blessing you (ref. Beatitudes).

3) Christ-centered. A good gauge whether the church is not grieving the Holy Spirit is if Christ is the chief priority (John 16:14). Not morals, practical advice, fellowship events, cool worship - other religions have those. Not personalities or movements. Just Christ.

4) Marked with humility. Philippians 2:1-11 not only on an individual level, but does the body care for the church universal and form partnerships? Does it celebrate victories of other bodies or is it absorbed in its own happenings?

Now commit.

describes my conversion to a t

But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

-1 Corinthians 14:24-25

hard truth

From Terry Virgo of The Resurgence:

Being depressed is bad witness. Self-importance dictates that I deserve to be unduly sad.

Remembering that my body and feelings are not mine. Nothing is. Humility dictates that the living Christ be the source of strength and emotion (Philippians 1:18) - and every other source is self-seeking and self-destructive! Voltorb!!

How do you *really* ask for filling of the Spirit? Read the Bible.

Found a better response to when people ask why they should read their Bibles. Credit to P.Chaz and Redeemer Presbyterian for the cool Bible study question:

Many people think that all the church needs is more of the Spirit, but the Bible never pits learning against power, truth against the Spirit.

(Acts 1:3-8) Why do you think Jesus prepares the apostles’ minds before he sends them power? What is the relationship between knowing truth and experiencing the Spirit?

• (Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:16-18) Increasing wisdom and revelation to grasp God’s excellencies empowers the spirit. Think of the Spirit as “fire” and the truth of God’s word as “firewood.”
• (John 4:24, 16:13-14) The nature of the Spirit is one of truth, not necessarily subjective emotion or experience. Above all, the Spirit’s main objective is to glorify Christ.
• (Romans 1:16) The gospel is the power of God. The Spirit’s power does not work apart from the truth.
• (Luke 24:44-49) Correct interpretation of the Bible is important to Jesus, where he opens the minds of the disciples in order to be effective witnesses. Expository preaching!! Christ and his gospel must be preached so that divine love can truly transform people.

This series is gonna be awesome.

Même en rêve

tu as le don pour enflammer chilling fields à chaque coup d’oeil non réciproque. Cependant j’espère sincèrement que tu peux vendre le bateau.

Discipleship season

is now in session.

One hand rollback, pop up, 2 babymills

Moralism produces immorality

When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.

- Charles Spurgeon

Legalism actually leads to immorality, whereas a grace-centered life -> an obedient life. Think about it.

4AM trip to Atlantic City

Well, that was random.

Be sure to watch yesterday’s clip before this one.

Apart From Jesus, Gandhi's In Hell

“Some of you, God hates you."

"‘He hates the sin and not the sinner.’ That’s Ghandi, not Jesus.”

Thank you Pastor Mark for the truth.

Take care, Whiz!

"Those religious people"

When I hear pastors bring up distinctions between the aims of their own ministry and those of “religious people,” I get uneasy. These pastors claim that under “gospel-centered” and “grace-centered” banners that they “got Jesus” and everyone else is so lost. I have seen and continue to see this happen. I was one of these stupid idiots and along the way I badly hurt people I loved.

2 Corinthians 12:9 sufficiency of the lord’s grace not only applies to walking with Jesus but preaching about him. It is sufficient to preach that grace. Lose the divisiveness (James 4:1). If you really want to change/remove the legalists in your congregation, they will be offended by the good news. Any other method is not one of love.

You guys are welcomed to disagree: is it fruitful to make a deprecatory example of non-gospel-centered ministries as legalists? Also as an aside, Anberlin concert was so fun.

Been one of the most spiritually blessing weeks in recent memory, so therefore

Lord, guard my heart and keep me repentant.

My walk with Jesus is like a coupled oscillator

Taking Dynamics and Bifurcations with Dr. Ghrist this semester, and from just today we learned how to model (first-order) social fads and synchronized menstrual cycles among female friends. Joy.

One uncoupled second-order system for a brushless DC motor, seen below, routes itself into chaos.

Compare with a system with coupling, shown below with increasing coupling strength parameters.

I think this is how God aligns my will with his. With time, he allows limit k →∞. Not sure if I’m preaching a synergistic or monergistic theology, but I know he will erase the double-facedness in me. Jesus presents it better:

44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

John 6:44-45

"They can't"

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?

And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?

And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

And how are they to preach unless they are sent?

Romans 10:14-15

Optimizing humility

Escaping linear programming for a bit. Been noticing I get annoyed when I sense people striving to take credit for work, and that could only mean that I have the same complex. People with pride quickly suspect pride in others, and humble saints suspect pride in themselves in order to esteem and give thanks to others.

To be prideful is folly (Proverbs 27:2), may the spirit give me a habit of noticing, encouraging, and helping others.

Philippians 2:

Do nothing can I erase ALL selfishness? out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. can I serve friends even more selfish than me? ⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
did not consider equality with God I delude myself in personal sense of justice instead of God’s perfect justice something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! do I wish myself accursed for the sake of lost friends? Romans 9:3

Funny shirts this sister showed me.

Westminster Catechism Rap by Voice feat. Dr. DA Carson

wow.

Also, Lecrae is more theologically sound than most American pastors.

The Law is more useful than Romans 8:3 makes it out to be

Besides civil, didactic, and pedagogical uses, the Law is also most importantly reflective:

The Law reveals a glimpse of the perfect righteousness of Christ.

As we stagger under the lengthy, weighty mass of Scriptural imperatives, breathlessly gasping our own depravity, let us also find the answer to the question “How perfect is Jesus’ righteousness imputed to us?” with "This perfect.” (And more perfect still.)

This is probably what heaven looks&sounds like JUST SAYINN’ WOWOW.

John Calvin is the man

Nothing will more effectively preserve us in a straight and undeviating course in this economy of the crippling yen, euro, and dollar? hahaha than a firm persuasion that all events are in the hand of God.

...

It is wrong to infer from prosperity that God is favorable toward us, and from suffering that God is angry. For God does not consider in chastening the faithful what they deserve but rather what will be useful to them in the future. He fulfills the office of a physician rather than of a judge. Suffering often brings us to the end of our rope, so we will look to God in Christ for our safety.

We must never forget that there is no tribunal so magnificent, no throne so stately, no show of triumph so distinguished, no chariot so elevated, as is the cross on which Christ has subdued death and the Devil. His whole life was nothing but a kind of perpetual cross. The cross of Christ always contains in itself the victory. But like the disciples at Golgotha, we flee the cross—both Christ's and our own. We imagine that somehow we deserve prosperity. But prosperity often inebriates people, so that they take delight in their own vanities. Instead of leading to gratitude, God's indulgent liberality is abused; prosperity easily becomes its own kind of prison that deprives us of God's greatest gifts.

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Our salvation and reconciliation to God in Christ is more important than any present happiness. It is far better for the children of God to be blessed, though mutilated and half-destroyed, than to desire that peace in which they shall fall asleep. Our ultimate security and prosperity is found only in Christ and will be fully realized only in glory.

- from The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God.

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It follows that every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone. For, he was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for our life; so that by him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal. In short oh yeah, REALLLL short John, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune.

For all these things which were to be the weapons of the devil in his battle against us, and the sting of death to pierce us, are turned for us into exercises which we can turn to our profit. If we are able to boast with the apostle, saying, O hell, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? it is because by the Spirit of Christ promised to the elect Ephesians 1:14 baby!!!, we live no longer, but Christ lives in us.

- from a preface to the New Testament in Olivétan's French Bible Translation

Are there any prefaces in your Bible that are this nice??

To my peeps who don't understand the Bible

honestly, I sometimes don't really either.

"Why is homosexuality a sin?" Well, it doesn't really bother me so I'm not quite sure.

"Why should wives submit to the headship of the husband?" Because the Bible said so?

If someone offers "because the Bible says so" as an answer to your question, you are free to write that person off as someone who has no clue what they're talking about. Silver or gold or humanist rationale I do not have, but what I have I give you. And that is an amazing redeemer who has shown himself in human history to fulfill these rules - which were graciously given to me like a father telling his child to not step out into the middle of the road. His perfect record made him the only one suitable sacrifice to clean my record of constant disobedience.

I deserve hell but instead I am getting Jesus. A story about a people deserving wrath but instead are given mercy? That love is on every page of the Bible.