Sunday, December 21, 2008

Christmas Time!

We took these on our webcam before going to see A Christmas Carol on friday night, performed in a playhouse in downtown Louisville. It was awesome! The best performance of the play that we've ever seen.

These are the only Christmas pictures that we've taken so far, since we don't have any batteries for our camera (due to laziness, not money). Some are pretty good, others not so good.
Hopefully we'll have some better pictures to post after Christmas and New Years!

Merry Christmas!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Paradox of Christmas - Part 2

In Part 1 of this post, I defined the paradox of Christmas, which is the incarnation of Christ - that one man was both fully man and fully God. I also defined a paradox - a statement which seems contradictory but in reality is not. In these posts, I'm bringing up some of the Bible's paradoxes, using the paradox of Christmas, which all Christians believe, as a precedent.

In the previous post, I mentioned the paradox of evil - that the Bible portrays the devil as bringing about evil, but God as ultimately in control of the devil's actions. Furthermore, God is perfectly good and righteous.

Another paradox in the Bible is regarding sanctification. Simply speaking, "Sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration, and it extends to the whole man." (http://www.refbible.com/)

Christians are saved, or justified before God, by grace (Eph 2:8-9). That is to say, salvation is God's work. Once we are saved, our hearts are changed, and our lives reflect this change of heart. Here's the paradox - throughout the Bible, God both commands us to live in a certain way, and also declares that he will cause us to live in that way.

"work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who
works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." -Phi. 2:12-13

Paul doesn't say "work for your salvation", that would be counter to all of his other writings. Rather, he's telling us to struggle in the fight for holiness. But notice what he says immediately aftewards - it is God who does this work in us.

Here's another example.

"Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer
stubborn." - Isaiah 10:16

"And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your
offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live." - Isaiah 30:6
God commands the very thing which he promises to do.

As John Piper says, we must make categories in our brains for these things. We do it, God does it - both are true, since we cannot deny Scripture. But we also know that God does whatever he pleases (Ps 115:3). His purposes preempt ours, even when we genuinely purpose to do something. Any strength that we have is his strength, and he has purposed to give it.

It would be an error to say, "I have no role in my sanctification, only God does it." It would also be an error to say, "God has saved me, but left me to myself to pursue holiness." God works in my to bring holiness, so I must pursue holiness. The paradox of Christmas helps us to hold on tightly to both of these truths.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Chicken Feet!


We managed to avoid eating chicken feet for 2 years while living in China. Last night we ate dinner with our Chinese neighbors, and guess what we had? Chicken feet! It turns out chicken feet are a lot cheaper in the U.S. than in China.

The verdict? The taste isn't bad at all. There's not a whole lot of meat, as you might guess. The hardest part is just knowing that you're eating chicken feet.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The Paradox of Christmas: Part 1

The Christmas story gives us a precedent for paradox in the Bible. One person, Jesus, is both fully God and fully man. It took theologians of the early church hundreds of years to agree on this simple conclusion. Why? Because it flies in the face of what we call human reason.

Paradox: a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. (dictionary.com)

The Bible is filled with Paradoxes - things which may seem contradictory but in reality are not. Since the Bible was written by God (1 Tim. 3:16) it only makes sense that much of its contents would be difficult, in a sense, to understand. The more amazing part is that we can understand it at all! God is the ultimate cross-cultural, cross-language missionary.

When the Bible gives us two statements or ideas which appear to be contradictory, the paradox of Christmas ought to give us pause before simply tossing one out in favor of the other. There are many examples, the one I'll mention today is one of the most difficult: God's sovereignty over evil and his righteousness. (His control over all evil acts and his sinless-ness). Here are some examples from Scripture:

1) Job. In Job 1, the devil is given permission to afflict Job. When Job's family dies in 1:13-19 we are to understand that the devil brought this about. But in 1:21, Job says

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
And just in case we think that Job is wrong in attributing his loss to God, the next verse says


In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong
In chapter 2 the devil attacks Job's health, and Job responds in a similar way:

"Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this
Job did not sin with his lips.
2) Paul's thorn. In 2 Corinthians 12, Pauls tells us about his "thorn in the flesh". We can't be sure what this thorn is, but it definately constitutes suffering. In 12:7, Pauls calls his thorn "a messanger from Satan". But in the same verse, he says that the thorn was given "to keep me from being conceited." I don't think that the devil's purpose in sending the thorn was for Job to become more humble. I think it's right to attribute the good purpose of the thorn to God. So the thorn was sent by the devil, and it was sent by God.

What does it mean? It's hard to find language to express this in a way that someone will not find offensive or heretical. But basically, we see that God brings about evil but is not morally responsible for it. Since the Bible is clear that God is holy and righteous (Deut 32:4, Gen. 18:25), it is wrong to attribute sin to him. But because he sovereign (Isa. 46:10, Ps 33:11, Deut 32:39), it is wrong to say that he is not in control of evil and sin.

Hard to wrap your mind around? You're not alone! While many theologians find what they consider satisfactory ways of understanding this notion, it certainly qualifies as a paradox. The paradox of Christmas, of Christ, helps us to stand in the middle of God's sovereignty and righteousness and declare that both are true.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The duty of intelligent men

According to George Orwell,

"We have now sunk to such a depth that the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men"

I love this quotation. I've been thinking a lot lately about the idol of novelty - that is, thinking of something new and original for the sake of its being new and original. In a sense, it takes humility to just keep on repeating what you know to be true and to be satisfied with the unoriginality of it. After all, many of us, myself included, need to hear the same things over and over and over again.

Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me?There is no Rock; I know not any. - Isaiah 44:8

Thursday, December 4, 2008

God's will for our lives

We were reading 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 in the car last Sunday, and both were struck by verse 3:

"For this is the will of God, your holiness"


Anything about the will of God in Scripture always catches our attention. I think this is because at our age and stage in life we're very concerned with what God's will is for us. However, while we tend to think of God's will in terms of future location, occupation, and ministry, Paul steers us toward understanding God's will as primarily concerning the heart and what flow from it. This is something we know but always forget. We are amazingly forgetful when it comes to biblical truth!

1 Thessalonians has more to say about God's will for our lives - 5:16-18 says
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"
Again, God's will for us has to do primarily with what flows from the heart. So every morning when I pray and ask God, "What is your will for me today, and for the future?" I think that God's answer is: "Obey my Word, and with a joyful heart". This truth is liberating for a Christian, because it takes all of the guessing out of the equation. God's Word is rather plain regarding how we are to live day to day. And the truth of the gospel - Christ's death on our behalf (not our works) makes us righteous before God - is the power behind the freedom.

One more note, isn't it incredible that God's design and will for our lives is that we rejoice?!
(Here's a great article about this.)

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Thanksgiving in Virginia Beach



Our first thanksgiving in the states since 2005! It was so great to be with family, and the 60 degree weather was nice too.



Nieces and nephews (Ian's sister's kids): Mary, Andy, Tyler, Lucy

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Would Paul use Pascal's Wager?

Pascal' Wager is a well known argument for belief in God. It was formulated by 17th century mathematician Blaise Pascal in his famous work Pensees. It goes like this:


If you erroneously believe in God, you lose nothing (assuming that death is the absolute end), whereas if you correctly believe in God, you gain everything (eternal bliss). But if you correctly disbelieve in God, you gain nothing (death ends all), whereas if you erroneously disbelieve in God, you lose everything (eternal damnation).

Last year, Time Magazine moderated a debate between Rick Warren (Purpose driven Life) and well known atheist Sam Harris (Letter to a Christian Nation). Warren ended the debate by quoting Pascal's Wager.


My question is, does the New Testament say anything similar to Pascal's Wager? The answer is Yes and No, but mostly No.


Yes. Living life in willful obedience to God's Word makes life go smoother in many respects. If by God's grace the fruit of the Spirit is demonstrated in our lives then we will have fulfilling relationships and healthy marriages. Fleeing from sin enables to to avoid the problems which sin brings about.


No. In 1 Corinthians 15:19 Paul says, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." Paul is talking about the resurrection in this passage, and he's saying that if we're wrong about the resurrection, then we are the most pitiable of people in the world! This is starkly different from Pascal's Wager.


Why Does Paul say this? He gives his answer in 1 Corinthians 11:16-33 - since becoming a Christian, Paul had faced extreme suffering on a regular basis, consistently being upon the edge of death. To have faced such suffering for a lie - which would be the case if Christ was not raised, and if there is no God - would be infinitely foolish and pitiable. In short, Paul was sold out for Christ, willing to stake his entire life on what he knew to be true. This is much more radical than Pascal's Wager.


And why was Paul willing to be sold out for Christ in this radical way? Hebrews 10:34 gives the answer:


For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

This possession is Christ, who is the supreme treasure of every one of his followers.


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Thanksgiving in America!


Tomorrow evening we'll head for Virginia Beach, where we'll spend thanksgiving with family for the first time in 3 years! We can't wait to be there! At the same time, we're so thankful for the many creative ways in which God provided fellowship for us while in China over the past 2 years, especially at holidays. We'll miss our 20+ person thanksgiving dinner crammed into a tiny dorm room. More and more, we understand life as a simultaneous joy in one sphere and longing in another. But in all things, we thank God, who is the giver of all good gifts.




Friday, November 21, 2008

Romans 2 and the moral argument for God

There are a number of typical arguments used to show the existence of God, each of which is centuries old.

There's the argument of cause and effect, which says that if any created thing exists, then there must be an "uncreated creator" who created the first thing.

Another argument points to the order that exists in creation and deduces that there must be an intelligent designer behind this order.

A third argument begins with the reality of a universal moral code. Because humans have an innate sense of what is permissible and what is not, there must therefore be a source to this moral code.

In Romans 2, Paul fleshes out this third argument. His point is not to prove the existence of God; his audience doesn't need convincing of that. Rather, his point is that no one is above God's law, and he leads the reader down a path of reasoning so that they can discover this truth for themselves.

2:1 "Therefore, you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you the judge practice the very same things."

The person who doesn't believe in God has two significant problems to face from this text:

1. Since you judge others, you concede to the reality of moral standards. If there is no God,
then where do these moral standards come from? If there truly is no God, then you have
no basis for judging the moral actions of others.

2. In judging others, you unknowingly admit that immoral actions deserve judgment. When
you see an injustice, there is a tension inside you which wells up into anger and demands
judgment for that injustice. Well what about you? What makes you think that your actions do
not likewise deserve judgment? In order to be consistent with your own claims, you must
either cease to judge (and truly, to cease even to want to judge), or concede that you too are
under judgment.

This argument, combined with love and humility, is especially effective. Not only does it bring a person face to face with the reality of God, but also with their own sin, which is the first step down the path to the gospel.

And for Christians, Romans 2 makes us pause before judging others, even before judging the most wicked and evil acts that we might read about in the news. For we too are subject to moral standards, and our sin is no less offensive to God than anyone else's. Rather, considering the sins of others gives opportunity for repentance and humility, and for thankfulness to God for Jesus Christ.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Thankful for pain

I've been keeping a running tab in my head of all of the reasons why I am thankful to God for allowing my chronic head and ear pain to continue. This December marks 4 years that I've had daily, continual pain, and it's taken me as long to be able to genuinely thank God for his grace not only in spite of the pain, but in it as well. Here are 15 reasons, though I'm sure there are many more.

1) It causes me to yearn for eternity and to dwell on heavenly things. (Rom. 8:18)
2) Keeps me from being numbed into apathy by comfort.
3) Humbles me, in my inability to take away the pain. (2 Cor. 12:7-10, Phil. 2:8)
4) In humbling me, leads to me greater obedience. (Phil. 2:8,12; Heb. 12:11)
5) Constantly reminds me of the reality of death, which all pain points to. (Rom. 8:20-22)
6) Places me in the position to be empowered by God rather than try to rely on my own
strength. (2 Cor. 1:9)
7) Gives me a daily example of the reality of Romans 8:28
8) Affirms that I am a child of God, for he disciplines all his children. (Heb 12:7)
9) Leads me to repentance, as pain is a result of the curse, brought about by sin. (Lk 13:1-5,
Job 36:7-10)
10) Produces endurance, character, and hope. (Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:2-3)
11) Glorifies God by displaying his worth through my peace and joy in the midst of pain. (Rom.
5:3-5, 1 Pet. 4:16)
12) Gives me greater communion with Christ, who suffered much physical pain. (1 Pet. 4:13; 2
Tim. 2:3; Phil. 3:10)
13) According to David (and Luther), affliction enables me to better learn God's Word. (Ps
119:71)
14) Many who know about my headaches pray for me, though they otherwise might not.
15) I’m learning to rely on God in the midst of pain at an early age. I know that as life goes on,
pain only increases. (Lam. 3:27)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Venturing into the cyber world...


We've been contemplating starting a blog for a while, and decided to go ahead and jump in. It's a little scary to have your thoughts posted where anyone can see - makes you type carefully! We hope that this will help our friends and family to feel more up to speed with our daily lives and thoughts. Having moved so many times over the past several years, we loose touch rather easily. We also plan for this to be a means for praising God's grace in our lives, as we share about his faithfulness and goodness to us.
Count on plenty of "random thought" posts as well, particularly regarding things that Ian is studying in seminary. He promises to keep them interesting and to the point :)

Below are some pictures of daily scenes from our life in Louisville. Our world is quite small right now, since we're so close to all of the places where we go most days. So these pictures pretty well sum it up!


Our one-bedroom apartment is on the 2nd floor to the right of the door. Our apartment complex is a historic district.

This is another view of our apartment complex. It's hard to tell from this picture, but the trees are amazing. This has been one of the most spectacular falls we've ever seen



This is the Southern Seminary campus, where Ian spends a lot of time. The campus is small but nicely laid out and really beautiful.



This is us at the Falls of the Ohio state park, just north of Louisville across the bridge.



And this is Louisville, taken from the Indiana side of the Ohio River.

We'll do our best to update the blog regularly, and to be interesting :)

Thanks for visiting!

Ian and Megan