Neighbor

If I am to love my neighbor, I must hate the ease with which I disregard others.

--Dr. Brian Brock, Lecture at Southern Seminary on Ethics

Unworthiness

"When the sinner is held back from the gospel by a sense of unworthiness, his worthiness is the implied ground of his coming to the gospel–his work–not Christ’s. When the Christian longs for a deeper view of sin, and love to Christ, and forgets, that, when attained, he will have the same need as before of the blood and righteousness of Christ–this is again to put spiritual self in the place of Christ" (Charles Bridges The Christian Ministry 366).

I find my self feeling unworthy. This, however, makes my worthiness the grounds for my coming to Christ. I begin to focus on my insufficiencies and beg for mercy. But God resists the proud–and what could be more arrogant than to think I will ever discipline myself into a worthy state. With a fresh view of my sin and with a disciplined life, my need remains the same as before–the blood and righteousness of Christ. I cannot take the place of the one who took my place. In him alone can I stand before a righteous judge and live. May God continue to teach me about the sufficiencies of Christ.

Legalism

Legalism seems inevitable when preaching regularly calls believers to change or obedience without reference to the enabling and motivating power of the gospel.

To strive for the elimination of sin without grace and the gospel is to play the fool and confirm yourself in sin. Legalism flourishes where the outward sins are dealt with apart from inward matters of the heart and the gospel that alone can change it.

Converse Towards Consistency

A faithful church will need to change the way it does things (the things will likely change little) in order to remain consistent and constant in the midst of an ever changing culture. Be constantly having conversations about worship, etc. because of ever changing culture, etc.

Worldviews - Seven Basic Questions

I am taking an Intro to Philosophy class later this month and have found this book by Sire excellently written and a useful introduction to worldviews. I hope to summarize the chapters/worldviews, following largely his points, for easier access in the future. I also plan to post these summaries as I go. Here is 'where he is going' in the book as he asks these seven 'basic' questions of the major worldviews considered. The worldviews are considered in historical/logical/progressive order by Sire.

Seven Basic Questions:

(1) What is prime reality--the really real?

(2) What is the nature of external reality, that is, the world around us?

(3) What is a human being?

(4) What happens to a person at death?

(5) Why is it possible to know anything at all?

(6) How do we know what is right and wrong?

(7) What is the meaning of human reality?

--James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog (Fourth Ed.), 20.

The Value of Mankind

"God does not love us because we are so valuable; we are valuable because God loves us."

--Helmut Thielicke, Nihilism, 110.

Knowing and Arrogance

Two solid reminders:

Just because I don't know everything,

doesn't mean I don't know anything

and

arrogance is to be uncertain about that which God has spoken.