2010-01-03

Hays further interacts with Romanist Kimel, asking why, if the Gospel is essentially, sacramental, nobody belabours that point in the NT. He also observes that no matter the theological education and time, some people will never direct attention to the most important thing. Instead, they are always sizing up the decor on the boat rather than addressing the issue of whether they’re even on the right boat. What matters is not understanding Luther’s doctrine of justification, but Paul’s. To avoid works-righteousness we must understand how self-examination functions: “There is a world of difference between a person trusting his own state of mind or attainments for salvation and a person paying attention to his own states of mind as evidence that he has been and is converted.” He does not trust himself; he finds in himself important evidence that He genuinely trusts Christ, just as the birth certificate evidences birth on a certain date. And how can a Romanist find comfort in baptism, since there are baptized Catholics in hell by their own reckoning? The Judaizers anchored the gospel in circumcision, and all Rome does is substitute one form of ritual justification for another. Faith in a gracious disposition, however, is no ‘work’. Missing the boat

Philosophers William Lane Craig and Michael Tooley are set to debate the question “Is God real?” on March 24, 2010, at the University of North Carolina Charlotte at 7:00 p.m.  The debate is being hosted by Ratio Christi Student Apologetics Alliance, a ministry of Southern Evangelical Seminary. Upcoming Debate- William Lane Craig vs. Michael Tooley

T-fan, responding to the charge that Augustinian/Calvinistic predestination is Gnostic, points out that while there may be superficial similarities between the saved pneumatikoi (an idea in certain forms of Gnosticism) and the ‘spiritual’ (pneumatos in Romans), and the somatikoi and the ‘carnal’, and it may even be that one is derived from the other, the mere presence of such superficial similarities (such as that between the fatalistic aspects of some Gnosticism and the predestination of Scripture/Augustinianism/Calvinism) does not prove derivation or dependence. Eastern Orthodox Confusing Augustine with Gnostics

T-fan responds to a Romanist who suggests that Scripture is insufficient to interpret Scripture. Not every part of Scripture requires further interpretation, as some parts are plain, and others more obscure. It is reasonable that those more obscure parts are interpreted by what is clear, rather than conversely. T-fan then cites a number of Patristic sources over Magisterium More Sufficient than Scripture- (Part 1)

Hays, noting the emphasis on sola fide and the contextual application of Paul’s anathemas in debates over Galatians, writes that Paul shows that divine deliverance of revelation is of paramount importance to him (Gal. 1:11-12; 15-17), and that this means that it is essential that we understand Paul on his own terms. This is why exegesis is so important – the real gospel is revealed, and what we preach is only as good as its divine origin. Tradition is no substitute because what we preach must directly conform to the primitive revelation. The revelation of the Gospel

Hays further interacts with Romanists over the issue of sola fide. i) Works are justificatory in the Jacobean sense of “works” and “justification,” but this doesn’t mean we can substitute Jacobean for Pauline usage, as if these are interchangeable terms and concepts. ii) A dichotomy between ‘initial’ and ‘final’ justification must be argued, not assumed. iii) The issue of whether baptism is a work in NT theology is not the same as the issue of whether it functions as a work in Catholic theology – the former could be false, even if baptism is acting as a ‘Pauline work’ in Romanism. And remember that merit is central in Catholic theology. iv) If, for example, baptism (or communion) is simply meant to function as a token of salvation, or some aspect thereof (i.e. forgiveness), then we’d still have “salvation-like” passages, for that’s the nature of symbolic predication. We don’t need to give ‘salvation-like’ passages ‘different import’ in this case. When Jesus calls Himself a vine, the botanical metaphor is itself ineffective; the real-world counterpart is what matters. Also, if the benefits of a ritual can be enjoyed prior to the ritual, like the OT placeholders, then that undercuts the sacramental view, since such an approach treats them as symbolic placeholders for the actual reality. v) Part of responsible exegesis is to practice studied ignorance. Even if you happen to know more than the text indicates, you shouldn’t normally intrude that extraneous viewpoint into the narrative viewpoint. You need to move within the referential world of the narrative. vi) The Catholic assumes that OT passages foreshadow the institution of a new ceremony, rather than foreshadowing the event which the ceremony signifies. But why would we make that assumption? vii) Why assume a Romanist sacramental understanding of the concept of rebirth – what if it’s not a ceremony, but the immediate action of the Spirit, of which baptism is a picture? Born from above

Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions are compiled into a New Year’s Prayer, by Trevin Wax. “Fill my heart with such love that I would never do anything out of a spirit of revenge, nor lose my temper with those around me.” http://trevinwax.com/2010/01/03/a-prayer-for-the-new-year-adapted-from-jonathan-edwards-resolutions/

Here’s a brief description of the DNA-repair systems. Two proteins have been found that act like molecular tailors on bad DNA. Without this system, the results would be fatal. No word yet on how this evolved. http://creationsafaris.com/crev201001.htm#20100103a

Evolutions have been found exaggerating: “Mutations are the raw material of evolution.” Experiments were done on a plant – but there were no beneficial mutations observed, such as those that might help it evolve into a better plant. Rather, they found it was a degenerate sibling of a more fit cousin that can live for years instead of months. Evolutionists Caught in the Act – of Exaggerating

Phil Johnson posts some audio: A Primer on Postmodernism