Author and Perfecter

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
(Read by Max McLean. Provided by Zondervan.)

Why the lack of knowledge? (2)

Interesting how when you ponder on a subject, suddenly "the whole world" does the same thing.
I listened to Biblical Ignorance, the most recent broadcast from White Horse Inn. I think it complements my own thoughts very well (or vice versa :) ).

2 Peter
1:1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (ESV)

The sermon in my church yesterday was dedicated to this very subject, using these above verses.
I am in accord with many from the Reformed camp, who value studies and exegesis, not denying spirituality, but standing firmly in the Word. Unfortunately, the label 'Protestantism' is glued on far too many faces today, and for an unbeliever or for a nominal Christian from Rome this label means too little or too much, depending on what we put the emphasis. To be a Protestant today is nothing more than not acknowledging papacy, which is far too watered a definition for a Biblical Christianity, the one I cling to.

After some reading and some more listening I realize that this spiritual battle is raging around us. And however much frustrated we become because of the miserable state of many denominations, it is not up to us to inflict a change on them. We may only kindly point our "John 3:16-only" brothers to the Scriptures and pray for their growth in knowledge, not forgetting our own one, but ultimately - God will take care of His plan and its realization, for His own Glory.

In a poem

I was very glad and felt honored to read this poem:

Blogs A to Z.

If you look at the verses on grace, you will understand, why :)

Thank you, Kevin.

Why the lack of knowledge? (1)

The latest "Dividing Line" is about dialoguing with Roman Catholics. And about some converts to Rome.
It makes me sad to listen about people who make decisions of life and death importance based on their ignorance. Every time I hear about another chap crossing the Tiber I wonder how much MEAT he used to 'eat' in his church.
Hats off for James White for his consistent efforts in fighting apostasy, cults and heresy.
Go and listen to this program.

Wherever I turn, I hear the same thing - to find a good reformed church is almost like winning a lottery ticket with a high prize. This is not a good simile, because God knows what He is doing and I believe He is putting the good churches precisely where they are needed, but the fact is the fact.
Looking for a sound doctrinal preaching and teaching may prove tedious and hopeless at times. Not everywhere, but in many places. I talked to a pastor of a reformed church in Poland (well, almost reformed, as he informed me). They are not many in this church. But they are bold enough to publish a magazine, a very good one, which then is almost impossible to find a distributor for - because its message is not tolerant enough and not politically correct enough. You may imagine that this kind of literature is not welcome in the country of late pope.
Lately I was thinking of contributing to a development of a local Christian bookstore, in a way of buying some books. Pretty much at the same time I listened to Gene Cook's comedy program on the Free Will Christian Bookstore (from the Narrow Mind's archives). But the reality was pretty much equal to the comical contents of Gene's prank.
Just go and take a look at the type of books they sell. Well, there was one with John Piper, not BY him, but no systematic theology, no John MacArthur, no R.C. Sproul... Who would need that, right?
Good old Amazon will have to do for me.
Tomorrow: the biblical view on the knowledge of God and doctrine.

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

Text: Henry Van Dyke
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven; Arr. by Edward Hodges

1. Joyful, joyful, we adore thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flowers before thee,
opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day!

2. All thy works with joy surround thee,
earth and heaven reflect thy rays,
stars and angels sing around thee,
center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
flowery meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird and flowing fountain,
call us to rejoice in thee.

3. Thou art giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blest,
well-spring of the joy of living,
ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our brother,
all who live in love are thine;
teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the joy divine.

4. Mortals, join the mighty chorus
which the morning stars began;
love divine is reigning o'er us,
binding all within its span.
Ever singing, march we onward,
victors in the midst of strife;
joyful music leads us sunward,
in the triumph song of life.

From Hymnsite