The exception for being harsh

Proverbs 28:23

Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor
than he who flatters with his tongue.

Proverbs 27:5-6

Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

the unrighteous demonstrates the Righteousness of God.

So this is basically what I learned in my readings today. And I usually don’t post up personal writings like this, but there is something that struck me deep and I thought sharing this might be beneficial.

Romans 3:1-8

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”

But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

brief context:

• Rom 2:25-29 Paul identifies a Jew “who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.” and not a Jew who is one “outwardly”

What is the advantage of being a Jew then? What was the God’s purpose and plan for Israel if Jesus comes along seemingly nullifying the past covenants by establishing the new covenant. Paul says there is great value in being a Jew, because the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. Oracles in greek says Logion, which is a form of the common word Logos, which is normally translated “word” and more specifically identified as “the Word of God” which demonstrates the testimonies and principles of divine reasoning and order. Calvin comments that “oracles” means the covenant which God revealed first to Abraham and to his posterity and law unfolded to the Prophets within this covenant timeline. I note this because although it might seem like excess information, I realized a pretty cool and simple truth which is that the Word of God was given to a select few and it has been passed on from generations to generations to the first coming of Christ as man. This word was also established through the authority of God’s promises and covenants to the prophets of the past and through those promises words were inspired for the telling of a coming Messiah and of the Law for which Israel need be obedient to. The more I read the OT the more the OT history simply, reflects Israel’s response (a rebellious response if I might add) to God’s promises and laws.

The above info comes in full circle then, because it is then realized that Jews were so privileged and fortunate to first have the law in an express form, unlike the Gentiles who knew of the law in heart and morale, but nothing in stone that would assist them from being held accountable to the side of God that is full of Wrath.

Verse 3 states “Does their faithlessness (Jews) nullify the faithfulness of God”? The NASB, which I first read seemed more confusing in that it said, “if some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it”? The double negative action tripped me out. Regardless NASB seems to be a less favorable translation to go to then the ESV because the NASB translated unfaithfulness to unbelief. What I observed from this question presented by Paul is that, Jews never not believed. They had every reason to believe especially in contrast to the modern world. It makes me question how can you NOT believe when you experienced the exodus, when you experienced Canaan, when you experienced the kingdom of David and Solomon, and when you have the testimonies of all the fathers before you. It doesn’t make sense to me that the progeny of whom the covenant was established for, would not believe. This leads me to the obvious conclusion that Israel (Jews) were just utterly UNfaithful.

So the question brought up, in regards to the Jews’ constant disobedience was, does the unfaithfulness of the Jews nullify the faithfulness of God? Paul responds with a vehement “May it never be!” and responds with a rather statement which Paul writes “Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, ‘That You may be justified in Your words, and prevail when You are Judged.’” You are Judged literally means when You are judging or when God is judging. Paul cites Psalm 51:4, which is most likely an account of David being convicted of his sins, both in committing adultery with Bathsheba and planning out the murder of Urijah the Hittite. Paul demonstrates through OT literature that all men are judged in their sins and God is righteous in his judgment. Therefore God always prevails in his judgment because he is justified for his judgment on account that all mankind has sinned against the Lord. In light of citation that Paul used from the Psalms, Paul’s argument demonstrates that the unrighteous gives evidence of God’s righteousness.

Paul continues on with the questions “if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Basically what should our response be in light of knowing that God is indisputably righteous in the midst or mankind’s unrighteousness. “The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He?” Of course not God’s wrath demonstrates that He is righteous. If He had not shown wrath how is God righteous in the midst of an unrighteous world? “If through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?” Just because we are unrighteousness and God is glorified by the echoes of our unrighteousness, it doesn’t mean God allows unrighteousness and sin. In the end, if we are sinners and counted unrighteous God’s glory comes from his wrath and judgment against those who rebelled against the most Holy God. Therefore we as man cannot say “Let us do evil that good may come”?

That is the end of verse 8. As many of you may know the following verses describe who qualifies to be men under judgment. If not, let the word of God remind you.

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

I’m glad that righteousness may be imputed in me through Christ, because I know that without it, God would not be just. Without it, God would not be God.

Love is the Superlative

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:8-13

Prophecy and knowledge will pass away.

Tongues will cease.

But love never fails.

And someday it will be fully realized in heaven.

Don’t waste your life. Fool!

I had an epiphany on eternity after talking to James Hizong. So on my twitter I wrote Today is Yesterday, Tomorrow.

I thought it sounded pretty cliche, but I thought it sounded cool so I googled it up to see who might have made it up. When I googled it nothing popped up. All I saw was Today is yesterday’s tomorrow. But I realized that’s completely different.

“Today is yesterday’s tomorrow” seems to say forget about the past it’s over and done with. You’re living in the now and you can forgive yourself of all the mistakes of your past. Or. If something good happened I guess you can say “time for another great and extraordinary day. TODAY!” For the unredeemed, why not strive for the next day? Might as well eat, drink, and be merry. (Luke 12:19)

but

“Today is yesterday, tomorrow” says to me “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20)

Time passes so quickly. I don’t want to waste it. And from what I know, it seems as though one of the best ways to not waste my life is to rescue people who are wasting theirs.

In the end, God will choose to give mercy to whom he chooses to give mercy. And clemency to whom he chooses to give a shred of clemency. I’m just glad to be a part of it. And to partake in it.

Thoughts on Biblical Hermeneutics

the self-righteous thinks

Applied to biblical study, interpretation becomes not discovering the absolute truths of God’s Word, but winning others over to what the text “means to us” because our system for explaining it is the most internally coherent and satisfying

Walt Russell

The Sweep of the Bible

To understand the Bible, it is essential to grasp the sweep of that history from creation to consummation. It is also crucial to keep in focus the unifying theme of Scripture. The one constant theme unfolding throughout the whole Bible is this: God for His own glory has chosen to create and gather to Himself a group of people to be the subjects of His eternal kingdom to praise, honor, and serve Him forever and through whom He will display His wisdom, power, mercy, grace, and glory. To gather His chosen ones, God must redeem them from sin. The Bible reveals God’s plan for this redemption from its inception in eternity past to its completion in eternity future. Covenants, promises, and epochs are all secondary to the one continuous plan of redemption.

John MacArthur

Simply put (also by John MacArthur)

From predestination to glorification, the Bible is the story of God redeeming His chosen people for the praise of His glory.

Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms, Here I stand!

Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason- I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God… God help me! Here I stand.

The Authority of Scripture from God. The Best Way to End

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but s it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:11