#but really she is singing to all humans of the continent and therefore the entire audience
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the short stories are actually really provocative and profound, heartrending and disturbing and thought-provoking and funny all at the same time and in such a short amount of space.
but i feel like when n*tflix touched them, they were the first victim of a withering away and soul sapping for me, in which i couldn't bear to be around the kinds of discussions and jokes and everything which were coming up at that time as fundamental misunderstandings of them so it just became very painful and very banal because they were all, in essence, forgotten.
however, that damage is not irreversable.
particularly in the case of a good adaptation, the musical, i have begun to remember all of why i love the short stories so much, just how good and painful to my heart they are, as well as thinking more deeply about some aspects which i had not previously considered or paid a lot of attention to (in lieu of other things which excited me more).
i think the biggest strength of a "good" adaptation and a "good" fandom is that they make you realize things you hadn't, interested in parts that weren't your 'favorite,' and generally expanding your mind and love of the source material. in contrast, a "bad" adaptation or "bad" fandom is that which makes you wish to forget and eventually end up forgetting your love and leaving it behind yourself. "good" is to remember, "bad" is to forget.
#txt#the witcher books#the witcher musical#what i mean here is that sometimes there are things you KNOW but you don't think deeply about and you don't consider the ramifications of#for instance i knew that the waters of brokilon erased your memories to make you a dryad but did i care all that much? not really#because i was so focused on geralt and ciri's relationship that the waters were just something i didn't want to happen to ciri#but hearing braenn's song from the musical made my jaw drop with emotion and horror realizing how impactful that experience would be#similarly ciri's song about the nature in brokilon made me realize that her wonder at all of these beauties is something so rare and#impossible in every single other part of the world because brokilon is The Last Place.#literally no other child - no other HUMAN - will ever see these sights she saw. and she's singing to geralt that she wishes he could see it#but really she is singing to all humans of the continent and therefore the entire audience#because also ciri is such a character as that she is innocent and believes in goodness and justice at this point#such as when she says that calanthe says elves and dryads are good and when she asks yennefer about drawing too much Power#so she's singing: i wish the world could be beautiful and i wish humans were not so cruel (the message of the song not her intention)#i won't even mention what waters of brokilon (song) brings to the table in terms of character understanding rn bc i'm procrastinating#ALSO THE STORY OF THE CAT AND THE FOX....... JAZZY TUNE.... GERALT DAD MOMENTS.... CIRI DANCING.... OK#twn critical#um and considering i just named three sword of destiny songs. the n*tflix series did NOT EVEN HAVE SWORD OF DESTINY.
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Devotional Hours Within the Bible
by J.R. Miller
The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey."
The particular teaching of this parable is not the same as that of the parable of the virgins. That was the duty of preparation ; this is the duty of working - using one's powers and capacities. Every one of us has received a talent or talents, some portion of our Lord's goods. The Master has gone away, leaving us to use whatever of His, He has entrusted to us until He returns. Then we shall have to give account to Him. It is not a voluntary matter with us, nor is it a matter of indifference, whether we will be Christ's servants or not. Christ is the rightful Lord of every man. Declining to accept Him and to enter His service - does not exempt anyone from the responsibility.
"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them." Perhaps we do not realize how entirely Christ has entrusted His affairs and His interests in this world, to His followers. This puts a serious responsibility on us. If the gospel is to get to men - then we must proclaim it. If the work of the Church is to be done - then we must do it. The only hands Christ has for work in this world - are our hands. If the sorrowing are to receive comfort - then we must give it. If the world is to see the beauty, the gentleness, the patience, the compassion, the helpfulness of God - then we must be the interpreters of these Divine affections. Christ has delivered His goods to us.
We notice also that in the distribution of talents the same is not given to all. "To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability." Each person received what he was able to care for. This principle is observed in all Divine endowments. No one has duties allotted to him, which he has not the ability to perform. Nothing impossible is ever asked of any person. Men differ in their ability to manage their Lord's affairs, and the talents given into their hands vary accordingly. The merchant does not take the man with capacity only for lifting heavy bales - and put him in the counting-room. When a woman wants a fine dress made, she does not give the costly materials to a washer woman, a hairdresser, or to a teacher of German or music - but to a skillful dressmaker. Our Master gives each particular disciple, the duties he has ability to do. We need never say, therefore, that we cannot do the things that seem to be required of us. We can do whatever we are given by our Master to do. He makes no mistakes in the allotment of tasks.
The story then tells what the servants did with their share of their master's goods. "The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more." This man used faithfully what had been put into his hands, and the result was that it was doubled - his five talents became ten. He used his gifts - traded with them, and in the trading came the increase.
This is the Divine law in all life. God gives one a gift of music - but it is only in its possibilities as yet. It must be cultivated, developed, disciplined, or it never will become of any practical value. Love must be exercised, if it is to grow. It is only a capacity at first. The same is true of all human powers, whether of body, mind or heart. The trouble with too many people, is that they are indolent and do nothing with their natural gifts, and then these gifts never increase. Talents that are exercised, put to work, traded with - always multiply. "The hand of the diligent makes rich" (Proverbs 10:4). The boy who is so shy and diffident that he can scarcely speak a work in public, by using his small abilities, becomes a great orator, able to sway a vast multitude. The girl, whose voice is sweet but undeveloped, puts her talents to use, and by and by sings so as to thrill countless hearts.
The man with the two talents was faithful, too. "So also, the one with the two talents gained two more." Not many of us would claim, that we have five talents. This is the distinction of only a few. And many of us would not be quite willing to say we have only one talent. That would seem to put us low in the scale. Perhaps, however, some of us would admit that we have about two talents. It is the great middle class that does most for the world.
It would not do for all to be great - to be five-talented. If all the soldiers were fit for generals, who would make up the rank and file? If all Church members were eloquent preachers, who would do the countless little, quite services that need to be done? If all men and women were great poets, who would write the prose? There is need for far more common people than great brilliant ones. One Niagara is enough for a continent - but there is need for thousands of little springs and rivulets. A few great men are enough for a generation - but there is work for millions of common folks. So this diversity of gifts, is part of the Divine plan. The world needs more people of average ability, than it needs of the extraordinary sort, and so we are sure always of being in good company. Lincoln said God must love the common people, for He made so many of them. People who are very great must feel lonesome, for there are so very few of them.
In the case of this two - talented servant, as with that of the five-talented, it was diligent work that redeemed the mediocre man from the obscurity of the commonplace, and gave him distinction. Presently he had four talents. The practical lesson in all the parable, is the using of our gifts, that, if we really have only two talents, we should not vex ourselves - but should go to work with what we have, and it will grow by and by into something worthy. William Dawson speaks in one of his sermons, of the commonness and pitiableness of "contented insignificance."
The talents were not given to the servants; they were only committed to them to be used. Then there would be an accounting. "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them." There is an important suggestion in this "long time." We are given plenty of time to make use of our talents. It takes time to learn to work well and to develop and train our faculties to their best. Even if we have buried our talents for a season, there is ample time to dig them up and try to put them to better use. We owe far more than we can tell, to God's patience in waiting so long for us. But we must never forget that the Lord will come - and we shall have to reckon with Him for whatever of His we have.
The character of the reward should be noticed. The successful man was not give a year's vacation that he might take a long rest. He was not given an easier position where he would have less care and less work. The reward for doing his work well - was more work! Because he had done well with the little that had been entrusted to him - more was put into his hands. That is the way of honorable promotion among men - not rest and luxury - but a higher position with harder work, increased burden. "Joy" is promised, too, "the joy of your Lord," the joy which comes of serving, of doing the Lord's work. The deepest joy experienced in this world - is the joy which comes of serving.
But one of the servants had failed to do his best with his talent. "Then the man who had received the one talent came." The story of the one-talented man is pathetic, and yet it has its startling lesson. If only he, too, had been faithful, doing his best with his little gift - he also would have multiplied his talent. Many who have done the most for the world - had only one talent to begin with. The discovery that we have only one talent, never should discourage us. We should accept what we have, however small it may be, and set about making the most of it and doing the most with it. The last thing to do with our gift or ability - is to despair about it and then hide it away.
The gifts that are not used - are lost. "Take therefore the talent away from him." In all life it is the same - faculties unused are lost, become extinct. Natural eyes would lose the power of sight - if one lived in darkness continually, and never used them. The eye that is never turned toward God, by and by loses even the power to look toward God. The capacity for believing, which never believes, at length ceases to be able to believe. "Capacity is extirpated by disuse ." The lesson comes with tremendous force to the young. If they will not use the abilities which God has bestowed upon them - these powers will be taken away from them.
#Devotional Hours Within the Bible#J.R. Miller#The Parable of the Talents#Matthew 25:14-30#August 9#2021
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Merry Christmas, @laumeidelfin!
I tried to incorporate as many of your likes as I could, and I hope I succeeded! Happy Holidays!
Read on AO3
*****
Catching little words (wouldn't know where to start)
Stiles is seven when he discovers that he has magic.
His mother is equal parts delighted and terrified. Delighted, because she comes from a long line of Polish witches, secretly having hoped that some of her talent will show in her son, and terrified, because it means that her son is in danger.
Emissaries are rare and thought after, she tells him. Any pack would be stronger with one, and an alpha taking an emissary as his mate is the easiest way to ensure that power stays with them. So Claudia warns him to be careful, to never reveal his secret, not wanting her son to be liked for only his ability and have his choice in partner taken away from him.
She teaches him in secret, introducing him to spells and potions, and making sure he has the tools to hide himself.
Sometimes, she talks of the Hale pack too, of how she has started a tentative friendship with Talia, and that maybe they can be trusted, and Stiles starts paying attention to them whenever he sees them, thinking that it might be nice to have friends he could share secrets with.
But then his mum gets sick, and the fire happens, and suddenly, Stiles is on his own.
Of course, he still has his dad, and while he knows about his wife and son’s abilities, he is only human, and they never talk about the supernatural much.
So Stiles practises alone, with the help of his mum’s books and an online community that he has found through his grandma in Poland, and though it is not the same as having someone by his side, he learns a lot and his magic gets stronger every day.
Therefore, when Scott gets bitten, Stiles knows a lot more about it than he should, but of course he can’t let that on, and pretends to be clueless, gently steering Scott in the right direction, who is fortunately too preoccupied with his situation to notice anything.
And then Derek Hale is back in town and Stiles has a revelation:
He is most definitely attracted to men too, and it seems that Derek is exactly his type, and isn’t that slightly worrying?
He remembers his mum telling him about the Hales, and what a wonderful pack they are, hoping that one day they can trust them, and Stiles desperately wants too.
Of course, everything turns out to be a little more complicated, with Derek being accused of murder, and Stiles hiding him, and Scott falling in love with a hunter of all things.
But the more he gets to know Derek, the more he realises that his mum has been right. He is a wonderful alpha, even under the circumstances that have made him one, and under his gruff exterior, he cares deeply, and he is thoughtful and smart and altogether amazing, and Stiles is aware that he is falling for him, not that he would ever admit that.
They keep expanding the pack slowly, with Erica and Boyd and Isaac, even Lydia and Jackson belonging somehow, maybe more so than Scott these days, who only stops by occasionally, too busy mooning over Allison to notice much else.
And Stiles never thought he’d say that, but it doesn’t feel like they’re best friends anymore. That title now goes to Erica, who is smart and fun and has so much in common with him, and he’s really glad they found her.
He considers telling her, he really does, but then maybe she’d tell Derek, because he is her alpha after all, and Stiles really doesn’t want him to find out.
It’s not that he doesn’t trust Derek, of course he does, he’s put his life in his hands more times than he can count, and saved Derek’s in turn, but that’s not what this is about.
He knows that Derek would do just about anything for his pack, and having an emissary would severely strengthen theirs, but he cannot bear the thought of Derek choosing him just for his powers. And he can imagine that Derek would, sacrificing his happiness for the good of the pack, and Stiles cannot let him do that. As much as he wants to be with him, he does not want him like that, Derek only being with him because of his magic, and not because he actually wants him. And since that will never happen, Stiles knows that he hasn’t gotten much else going for him, why would Derek, strong, amazing, wonderful Derek, even look twice at him, he keeps quiet, keeps pretending to be just human, even when it’s hard sometimes.
It’s not only that he feels like he’s betraying his friends more and more, it also gets more difficult to come up with excuses as to why he knows certain things, or why some research doesn’t take him much time at all, and saying “the internet” only gets him so far. Especially Lydia keeps looking at him thoughtfully, but fortunately, she hasn’t said anything yet.
Then Derek gets the message that Cora is in Mexico, and he goes to spend time with her, saying that the pack will be fine without him for a bit, that there’s no immediate threat, and that Stiles can take care of them. He actually winks at him when he says that, and Stiles thinks about it for days.
Of course Erica teases him about it approximately two seconds after Derek has left.
“So, you’re the pack mum now?”, she sing-songs, grinning widely, and Stiles flushes.
He tries to pretend that he finds that idea embarrassing, but in truth, he’d of course like nothing more than to be Derek’s partner and take care of the pack at his side.
He sighs. “That’s not what he meant.”
Erica must hear his dejected tone, because she throws an arm around her shoulder and gets more serious. “Ah come on, we all think you’re awesome, and everyone knows you’re pretty much keeping the pack together!”
If only. Stiles shrugs. “Would you let it go?”
“But..”
“Erica, please?” He really doesn’t want to talk about it.
“Of course.” She hugs him a little closer and suggests to watch cartoons, but Stiles knows that she’s concerned, but he figures that as long as she doesn’t tell Derek, he can handle that.
When Derek gets back a few weeks later, he’s even more beautiful than before, not that Stiles thought that that was possible. It’s just that there’s a confidence about him now that wasn’t there before, and Stiles feels himself falling a little deeper.
Cora has come with him, to see the pack, and Stiles finds himself liking her a lot. She fits with the pack seamlessly and brings out a playful side in Derek that they hadn’t seen before.
Just when he thinks that Derek couldn’t get any more attractive, he discovers that he speaks Spanish.
They’re in the kitchen, and Derek says something to Cora, and she grins and replies, and then Lydia chimes in, because genius that she is, of course she speaks the language, and Stiles is aware that he’s staring, but he can’t help himself, because how did he not know this, and why is it so hot?
Derek turns to him, noticing that he’s quiet. “¿Pasa algo, cielo?“
„Huh?“ Stiles blinks, still too caught up in Derek speaking Spanish, and Derek actually blushes at that.
“Oh sorry. I was just asking if something is wrong?”, he explains, and Cora smirks at that, while Lydia just looks smug, and Stiles feels like he’s missing something.
He vows to learn Spanish after that.
He never gets to it, because they get news that another pack will be visiting. Apparently, they’re from Canada, on the way through, and want to meet.
Everyone is understandably nervous, and Stiles tries his best to calm them down, without giving away that he has of course asked his magic community about any information they have, and confirmed that they’re a good pack, widely liked across the continent.
When they arrive, everyone is introduced, because Derek insisted that they need to make a good impression, and Melinda, the alpha, seems slightly amused, but pleased, until Stiles is introduced as human. Her eyebrows shoot up and her nostrils flare, and he gets the impression that she knows, panicking instantly.
She doesn’t say anything though, but the glances she keep shooting him do nothing to settle his fears.
All in all, their stay goes over well, until it’s time for them to leave.
“I have a proposition”, Melinda starts, and Derek nods for her to go ahead.
“You need to strengthen your pack, that much is obvious. I’d be willing to give you Katarina, or Ben, or both even.” She pauses, and Stiles is entirely sure it’s for effect, and he sees Derek frowning, picking up on it aswell.
“In exchange for Stiles”, she finishes then, and there’s an immediately flurry of activity.
Erica and Boyd both throw their arms around him, Derek’s frown deepens considerably, Lydia and Isaac both step in front of Stiles, and even Jackson tenses next to them.
Only Scott looks contemplative. “That’s not the worst idea”, he says then, and everyone stares at him.
Stiles feels his heart drop. While it’s true that they’re not as close as they used to be, he would have never imagined something like that.
“What?”, Derek manages, sounding furious, and Scott shrugs.
“She’s right. We do need more power. And Stiles is just human.”
Erica’s arm tightens around him, and Lydia looks like she wants to strangle Scott, but it’s Derek who finally addresses Melinda.
“Thanks for your offer”, he starts, sounding anything but grateful. “But no. Firstly, I don’t understand how you can just offer up your pack members like that. Secondly, I don’t give mine away. Even if Stiles is just human, he’s important, and we need him. I need him.”
Stiles’ heart flutters at that, and Erica shoots him a look, them nervously turns back to Melinda, afraid that they have ruined their good relations now.
But the alpha is smiling. “Very good answer, Derek. You’ve confirmed that you’re a great alpha. Caring for all of your pack is important. We should stay in touch.”
She looks directly at Stiles when she says that, and has the nerve to wink at him, and he’s positive now that she knows.
And sure enough, she texts him a few days later. “They have no idea, do they?”
“How did you?”, he replies, curious and terrified.
“I can smell it. Magic makes you different”, is what he gets back, confirming his fears.
Before he has chance to reply, another text comes through: “You should tell them. Derek at least. It’s obvious that you can trust him.”
Stiles sighs. “I know. It’s more complicated than that, though.”
“I see.” And Stiles has the feeling that she really does. “Let me know if I can help.”
And just like that, Stiles has added another person in the know, and since at least the pack knows about her, he can pass off some of the information he gets from his community as having it from Melinda.
A few weeks later, they are, unsurprisingly with the way things are going, in a fight for their lives with a flock of very aggressive harpies.
Stiles only knows a little about them, and there’s no time to research with how fast they attack.
Him and Derek get separated from the others early into the fight, somewhere in the woods, and there are four harpies still advancing on them, and Stiles can see how exhausted Derek is, his healing not quite strong enough to keep up with his injuries, but he still firmly places himself in front of Stiles, and he knows that this is it.
Derek has little chance of winning this on his own, and even if it does, it would cost him greatly, and Stiles does not want to see him hurt any more.
Taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes and summons his magic. He has never used it in a fight before, but he knows that to protect Derek, he can do anything.
When he opens his eyes, the air is charged with electricity, and Stiles focuses, striking the harpies with lightning.
They fall to the ground, probably dead, but Stiles doesn’t go to check because Derek whirls around to face him, wide-eyed.
“You have magic?”, he manages, sounding strangled, and Stiles really can’t blame him.
“Surprise?”, he tries, going for light and missing by miles.
Derek blinks, and slowly steps closer, and Stiles finally notices that his side is still bleeding, and rushes forward. He figures that since he’s already revealed himself, helping Derek is the least he can do. He gently channels his magic to support Derek’s healing powers, and he gasps at the feeling.
“You’re… That’s why you smell different! I always thought it was...” He breaks off, and is he blushing? That can’t be right.
Stiles withdraws his hands, now that Derek is no longer bleeding, and nods slowly, remembering what Melinda told him.
Derek’s thoughts must have gone in the same direction, because he frowns. “Melinda knows?”
Stiles nods again, and Derek’s frown deepens. “So that’s why she wanted you. You should have gone with her then.”
“What?” Stiles is sure his heart is breaking at that. He always thought that if he ever revealed his magic, it would make Derek want to keep him, not send him away.
“Since obviously you don’t trust me”, Derek elaborates, sounding hurt and a little angry, and as difficult as this conversation is going to be, Stiles can’t have him think that.
“Of course I trust you”, he says firmly. “I didn’t tell you because, well, I didn’t want you to feel like you had to be with me because of my magic.”
“What?” Derek is still frowning, and Stiles sighs.
“We all know that that’s exactly the stupid, self-sacrificing thing you’d do. Emissaries strengthen the pack, even more so as mates to the alpha, and you’d do anything for the pack. I didn’t want to put you in that position.” He doesn’t say that the pain of knowing that Derek only wants him for his powers would kill him, because this is painful enough as it is.
“You think I’d ask you to be my mate because you have magic?”, Derek asks, and Stiles didn’t think that his heart could break more, but it does. Derek sounds absolutely disgusted by the idea, and Stiles doesn’t know how to handle the pain. He knew that Derek could never want him, but having it confirmed like that is almost too much.
Not wanting Derek to see the tears that are threatening to fall, he turns around, but Derek quickly grabs his wrist.
“Stiles, cielo, wait! What I meant was, I’d be honoured to be your mate.”
“What?” Stiles whips back around, sure that he can’t have heard that right.
Derek looks a little sheepish, and he’s definitely blushing now, but his voice is firm when he says: “I don’t care about the magic. I mean, it’s fantastic and amazing and all that, but I always thought you are fantastic and amazing. You’re so smart and kind and funny, and you keep the pack together, and you make me want to be better, and could never hope for a better mate, a better partner, but obviously you don’t want that, and that’s okay. I just need you to know how amazing you are.”
Stiles just stares at him for a moment, overwhelmed, is heart beating frantically, the tears now falling freely, then he shakes his head.
“Derek, I’ve been in love with you for ages! Of course I want to be your mate. There’s nothing I want more.”
Now it’s Derek’s turn to look overwhelmed, then he chuckles, stepping closer and lightly placing his hands on Stiles hips. “Guess we’re idiots?”
“Yeah.” Stiles grins, then leans up to finally kiss Derek, who responds immediately, pulling him even closer, and it feels like fireworks, and rainbows, and coming home all at once.
When Derek starts kissing down his neck and whispers “mi cielo”, Stiles pulls back though.
“You’ve said that before. What does that mean?”, he questions, and that adorable blush spreads over Derek’s cheeks again.
“It’s an endearment. Literally my sky. Because you’re my everything. And also...” He leans in again, a glint in his eyes that makes Stiles feel hot all over, and places a gentle kiss just behind his ear. “Because I would love to trace all your constellations.” Every word is punctuated with a kiss, and when Derek whispers “Te amo, mi cielo”, Stiles doesn’t need to know Spanish to understand what that means.
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For Terrasen
Well, I attempted to write a heartbreaker but I’m not sure if it will break your heart or just anger you. Maybe both? Who knows!
Thanks to @iamthebonecarver for being my beta reader! Send me prompts!
Excerpt:
Brumen nodded. “I do not think she would have done such a thing willingly.”
“No, she wouldn’t have,” Rowan rasped, clenching his fists. “Did you see her? See which way they headed?” Brumen shook his head.
“I think the Aelin you knew is gone, Rowan. I don’t think there is a shred of humanity left in her.”
It had been twenty years since Rowan’s ‘wife’ had died. For thirty-two years, Lysandra had played the part of Aelin Ashryver Galathynius perfectly. She had fooled everyone; not a single soul outside their trusted court knew of the deception.
And the act had taken its toll on everyone. Aedion was a changed man, hardened by the secrets they all kept from their people. Lysandra wore a mask of happiness, but would break down each night in Aedion’s arms.
“For the good of Terrasen,” Rowan would remind them. “For Aelin.”
When it became too much for her to bear, they staged the queen’s death. The court played the part perfectly, mourning as if Aelin was truly gone. Lysandra had finally given up hope of ever seeing Aelin alive again, as had Aedion. The two of them truly grieved the loss of their friend.
But Rowan… He refused to give up hope. He barely slept, ate, or did anything apart from his courtly duties as king and hunt for his wife. He could never search for more than a few weeks at a time, however, lest people start asking questions. The façade of his queen’s death had to be maintained at all costs.
But he knew, in the very marrow of his bones, that his Fireheart lived.
So he followed rumors of Maeve’s schemes to the edges of the continent, but always ended up chasing a trail of smoke. Of course, no one else knew that she held the true queen as her prisoner. Rowan was certain that she would never let Aelin out of her sight, and therefore finding Maeve meant finding his mate. And he knew that was part of Maeve’s plan. Allow herself to be seen, force him to investigate dead end after dead end for years, wear him down, and strike.
But how could he not follow up on every possible lead regarding his wife? It was torture, seeing her face each day for so many years but knowing that it wasn’t really her, knowing that she was being held captive by his former master, forced to do unspeakable things.
He played along, chasing Maeve’s trail of lies, praying that one day it wouldn’t be a rumor he was following.
***********
The Bogdano jungle was sweltering. Thick, unforgiving foliage made his progress slow, even with adrenaline pumping through his system. Flies swarmed around Rowan’s head, the buzzing of their wings threatening to drive him to the brink of insanity. He swatted them away with a sweat soaked arm, taking a small swig from the canteen he carried.
He had been slicing and fighting his way through the jungle for three days. A Terrasen merchant had told Rowan he’d seen Maeve’s entourage in the Deserted Lands, leaving a trail of wildfire in it’s wake. Rowan laughed at him, accusing him of telling tales. But he insisted, saying he had seen it with his own eyes: a golden-haired beauty with fire dancing at her fingertips, controlled by Maeve.
Immediately, Rowan flew to the merchant’s crossroads at the entrance of the Singing Sands, inquiring after the Fae queen. A guard had sent him back in the direction of the jungle, giving him an extra canteen of water and words of luck.
Just after high noon, Rowan stumbled into a clearing. He blinked against the harsh sunlight streaming through the gaps in the charred canopy, taking in the scene around him.
The ground was black. Trees and grass had been burned away in a perfect circle, some 30 paces wide. Odd, that such a densely wooded area would not ignite instantly, creating a raging inferno that would destroy miles of jungle. But then again, Rowan knew this wasn’t caused by any rogue wildfire.
It was Aelin.
Smoke rose from the chimney of a small mud hut, situated just outside the sooty ring of earth. The smell of roasting meat caused his stomach to rumble, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since entering the jungle.
Conscious of his intimidating appearance, he softened his face and ran a hand through his dyed brown hair before walking towards the quaint hut. The hair was a precaution against unwanted eyes, as was smearing mud over most of his tattoos. He was met halfway by a tall, thin man who wore a slew of colored feathers around his throat.
“Welcome,” he said, muddy brown eyes crinkling as he smiled and spread his arms wide in greeting, “My name is Brumen, and this is my home. What brings a Fae warrior here?”
Rowan stiffened, immediately on his guard. Over the years, he had gotten better at blending in. But he usually hid in crowds, or kept to the shadows.
Here, he could do neither. “I’m searching for someone.”
The man tilted his head to the side, considering, “Many pass through here looking for rest, most of whom do not wish to be found. Come inside, you must be hungry.” The man turned away, taking the roast bird off the fire. Impatiently, he gestured for Rowan to follow him inside.
The hut was much larger than it had appeared from the outside. A large wooden table was surrounded by six chairs, and was the centerpiece of the main room. He could see two doorways draped with tattered cloth, probably leading to bedrooms. Sniffing, Rowan detected garlic and a few spices, along with the scent of roasted meat.
“Come, sit.” The stranger set two plates at the table, carving the roast and heaping half of it onto a plate for Rowan. He slid into a seat, cautiously picking at the roast, only eating after the man did. He regarded Rowan with unrestrained curiosity, as if putting together the pieces of a puzzle.
A glimmer of recognition flashed in Brumen’s eyes. “You seek Aelin of the Wildfire.”
Time stopped. How had he known? He had been so careful to hide his appearance, guarding his missions from anyone outside the court. No one had ever recognized him before.
Blood roared in his ears as he set down his fork. “What do you know of her.” Brumen let out a sharp breath, peering past Rowan to the entryway.
“She did that-“ he jutted his chin in the direction of the clearing- “to my village. Leveled it to the ground- save for this single hut. As I’m sure you have already guessed.
“My people were sleeping when they came. I was gone, off hunting by myself. When I came home… Not a single person remained alive.”
Rowan’s face went slack. “Maeve forced her to, then?” His Fireheart would never harm innocents, never in a thousand years.
Brumen nodded. “I do not think she would have done such a thing willingly.”
“No, she wouldn’t have,” Rowan rasped, clenching his fists. “Did you see her? See which way they headed?” Brumen shook his head.
“I think the Aelin you knew is gone, Rowan. I don’t think there is a shred of humanity left in her.”
He knew he should deny it. But he had seen what Maeve liked to do to her pets. Drain them completely, make them watch while they are forced to become what they fear most. And for Aelin, that was to become a monster. His tattooed jaw clenched, fighting to keep his emotions in check.
“I must find her. I can’t let that bitch control her forever.” His eyes snapped to Brumen, his resolve taking on a fiery intensity. Aelin was his mate. He would know if she were gone, he would have been able to feel it. The thread connecting their souls had become dusty with disuse, but it wasn’t frayed entirely.
He knew what he had to do. Aelin wouldn’t want to live, knowing what she had been forced to do. Rowan wouldn’t be able to console her, nor would he deny her wishes.
Brumen read the grief on Rowan’s face and handed him a satchel of supplies, as if he knew Rowan would ask for them. “Best of luck, prince. I pray I am wrong, but I know you will do what needs to be done.”
Rowan nodded. “I will.”
He would go on, as he had the past fifty-two years, knowing that he gave Aelin this one last gift. He would continue her legacy through himself.
For Terrasen.
For Aelin.
#rowaelin#rowan whitethorn#aelin ashryver#aelin ashryver galathynius#rowaelin fanfiction#throne of glass#tog#crown of midnight#heir of fire#queen of shadows#empire of storms#empire of storms fanfiction#throne of glass fanfiction#aedion ashryver#lysandra#my writing
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Overanalyzing The Little Mermaid
So I watched The Little Mermaid tonight/last night(it’s late af while writing this). It was as enjoyable as ever, great music, pretty animation, the priest with a boner - a lovely time.
But Lefou, I’ve been thinking - about King Triton, about his philosophy of humans being savage in comparison to merpeople, how the civilization of merpeople is set up, how much power he has, and how much power Ursula briefly acquired as a result; and what would’ve happened if she hadn’t been stabbed by a giant sailboat.
Let’s start with how powerful King Triton is - he’s described as “king of the ocean”. Only problem is that there’s five of them - so which one is he king of? And are there other merkings, presiding over the other five oceans? Let’s just assume “yes” for the sake of this, and figure out which ocean Triton rules over. One of the lyrics of the song “Poor Unfortunate Souls” is “Come winds of the Caspian Sea”. Now, the Caspian Sea is inland, and obviously not an ocean. The closest ocean to the Caspian Sea is the Arctic Ocean, with the Atlantic as a close second - based on the climate of Prince Eric’s kingdom, however, the ocean bordering it is probably the Atlantic. But I just realized two seconds ago while writing this that the palace/kingdom is called “Atlantica”, meaning all the detective work I did on where the Caspian Sea is in relation to the oceans was completely unnecessary.
So, King Triton is ruler of the Atlantic Ocean. Meaning among merkings, he’s pretty damn powerful - the Atlantic Ocean,covering approximately 20 percent of the Earth’s surface, is the second largest ocean in the world, meaning he’s actually the second most powerful merking.
Now that we have an idea of how much power King Triton possesses, let’s move on to his thoughts of humans: he considers them, savage, barbaric, etc. You know who else thinks this way? Sebastian, who probably got this viewpoint, at least in part, from Triton - he seems to agree with everything Triton says, instead of forming his own opinions. Shortly before the musical number “Under the Sea”, Sebastian states that “the human world...it’s a mess”. He then bursts into song about how everything in the Atlantic is perfect and how “Up on the shore they work all day/Out in the sun they slave away/While we devotin'/Full time to floatin' “. OK...so does nobody really work in Atlantica? Because otherwise, how does the monarchy work? How do things not collapse into chaos? Who grows food, because I seriously doubt naturally grown stuff is enough to feed an entire kingdom - that many people requires farms. What about taxes, architecture, infrastructure, textiles, tons of other things I can’t be bothered to think of - don’t tell me nobody fucking works in Atlantica, Sebastian, because if that was true, there wouldn’t be a fucking Atlantica to sing about. Of course, it’s possible that he’s just exaggerating, but you can never be too sure. But I digress - where do you think Sebastian got the idea that the surface is a shithole where everyone slaves away all day from? King Triton, where he gets the rest of his opinions from.
Let’s get back to Sebastian again. “The human world...it’s a mess”, specifically. What sort of mess do you think he means? Well, what else but motherfucking war? Because holy shit do we humans love our fucking wars, with the tons of war gods and war books and “the good war hallowing a cause” or whatever the fuck Nietzsche said. So, if the merworld is not a “mess”, does this mean there’s no wars? I call bullshit - it is literally impossible when you have kings as powerful as the merkings. Their kingdoms are absolutely massive, yes, but bigger is always better. Of course, there’s probably treaties and such in place to “prevent” wars, but really, it’s not like treaties would stop an extremely ambitious, powerful merking from conquering if he wanted to. Kind of like real life.
Of course, it’s not like Triton or Sebastian views it like this, exactly. If confronted with this, they’d probably be like “Yeah, but humans are waaaay worse than we are!” or something along those lines. Because they’re biased against the human race.
Which all leads into this: what if Ursula did not die? Let’s say Prince Eric drowned or hit his head, got vaporized, or whatever - he’s dead, and therefore can’t kill Ursula. For starters, Ariel would die, getting zapped by Ursula. Then Ursula would rule Atlantica with an iron fist - but really, do you think she’d be happy with that? No, because it’s never enough power. She’d go after the other five merkingdoms. Some she’d annex peacefully, probably the small ones like the Arctic Ocean or Southern/Antarctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean, however, would be more problematic - it would require more direct warfare. The Indian Ocean would probably buddy up with the Pacific, as well - or maybe it would chill with Ursula. But let’s just say Ursula eventually manages to conquer all the merkingdoms. What happens next? Conquer the humans, of course! Again, enough power is never enough power, so dominating the land is the next logical step. But she might not succeed. She could cause powerful storms and fuck up the shores, but when has that ever stopped us? Never. Hurricane hits, topples everything, we rebuild in the same spot. Of course, if it happens enough, we (might) give up, but then we’ll just move inland. What then? I don’t think she could flood the continents, so she might take some troops and give them legs so they can take the war on land - they’d be at a big disadvantage, though, never having walked before. I also imagine fighting underwater is completely different from on land - they almost certainly don’t have firearms, and that would wreck their shit. So while it might be possible for Ursula to conquer the whole planet, she would have a fuck ton of trouble with humans.
Also, it all would be King Triton’s fault because he traded himself for Ariel, even though he almost certainly knew the consequences of doing so.
And I have no idea where I;m going with this, I just started typinh anf it;s past midnight, and I am DONE.
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Sunday sermon
SUNDAY SERMON 12-24-17
Romans 5:19
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Sunday sermon https://youtu.be/L0nDDREYzJk
https://vimeo.com/249165905
ON VIDEO-
.Another gas station story
.Einstein’s phone number
.U2
.Logos
.2 creations
.Both accomplished by God’s WORD
.2 trees in the garden
.Law and Grace
.Word made flesh
.Get back to the garden
.Theodicy
.Adam and Jesus
.The bride’s
.Picture of redemption
.The candle story [Church Unlimited]
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
OTHER VIDEOS-
Bobby n Jimmy D https://youtu.be/3zqzZ85XAHg
When the saints go marching in https://vimeo.com/249027342
Acts 12 http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/111185848
Galatians 4 http://dai.ly/x6ceo08
Plymouth Rock https://flic.kr/p/ES9TYY
Acts 3 alamodome https://youtu.be/j0Pd7DI6TNU
Just a Box https://vimeo.com/249200743
NEW- Today I talked about the 2 creations- how in Genesis we see God made all things ‘in the beginning’ -
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the things he has planned for us- were also ‘from the beginning’ -
66 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: Isaiah
At this Christmas season we sing about the Word made flesh-
John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
And it is thru this Word- Jesus- that God has also created a ‘new Creation’ -
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
In the garden man ate from the forbidden tree-
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil-
And because of this sin- he no longer had access to the Tree of Life.
Genesis 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
It would take the incarnate word to bring man back to the garden- back to the presence of God.
We read a sort of strange verse in the writings of Paul-
13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
1st Tim. 2
To some- it seems anti woman.
But what Paul is telling us is when Adam ate- he knew what he was doing.
He knowingly walked away for the presence of God- so he could be with his Bride.
Eve already ate- and Adam saw the writing on the wall.
He had a choice- and he chose to be with the bride.
Jesus went to the Cross- knowing that he would be separated from the presence of God- he did this in obedience-
Philippians 2:8
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Why?
He did if for the Bride- us-
Jesus hung on ‘the tree’ for us-
Galatians 3:13
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
He delivered man from the law- the tree of the knowledge of good and evil- which could never redeem man.
Romans 3:20
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
And he brought us back to the garden- he allowed us to be new creations in him.
Yes- the Word became flesh and dwelt among us- and it is thru this word that we have life today.
PAST POSTS- [My past teachings that relate to today’s post- Sunday Sermon]
https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/
https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/
https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/
https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-corinthians/
https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-johns-gospel/
https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/12/28/kings-16/
https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/
EPHESIANS- LINKS
https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/30/ephesians-1/
https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/12/13/ephesians-2/
GENESIS
(1389) THIS IS A LARGE WORK I HAVE CALLED YOU INTO, DON’T BE OVERWHELMED BY IT- Jesus to his men, message version. The other day I read some stuff from a fairly conservative blog site [Christian post] and was surprised to see that one of the blogs they recommended had a scientist espouse a sort of theistic evolutionary view. He spoke about ‘human like beings’ who lived before man and had no souls and all, he also gave a version of Noah’s flood that said it was possible that meteors might have impacted the ocean and caused a regional flood. The man is smart and gave many fine examples and stuff, I just felt like he was off the mark. Over the years of looking at the various views among believers I have noticed that often times we can believe that biblical accounts happened, but we have a tendency to want to reduce them down to size. The God of deism has no problem with a God who is ‘hands off’- that is they view God from a perspective that says ‘yes, he started things at the beginning, but it took billions of years for things to form’. Sort of like God could have created the first living cell, but in no way could he have actually formed a complete man in one lump sum! In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean there is this huge ridge, a possible crevice that broke up during the shifting of the Tectonic Plates when the continents first separated. Some scientists believe this happened when the planet spread apart in the distant past. Now, it is perfectly plausible to theorize that if this event happened in a short time [like a year] instead of a long time over many thousands of years, that this breaking up of the floor of the ocean might very well have created an effect that caused the ocean floor to rise and much of the water in the Atlantic could have ‘spilled out’ and easily covered the entire planet in a short period of time [Gore thinks a little ice melting can do it!]. The biblical account of Noah’s flood tells us that it not only rained for 40 days and nights, but that the ‘fountains of the deep broke open’. The point being there are many plausible ideas on how the earth could have experienced a global flood, much like the account in Genesis gives us. But we have a tendency to want to break things down into small chunks, and then think these ‘small chunks’ are reasonable enough for enlightened man to accept. I am personally an ‘old earth’ adherent, I do not believe the earth is only 6 thousand years old, but at the same time we need to be open to the arguments that both sides of these issues make. To be honest, many of these endeavors are ‘large’ that is God has called the church to engage in all realms of society; science, philosophy, etc. - at times it seems like a huge task, something that can be overwhelming to the average student of the bible, take heart, there are many able believers in all these fields that are doing a superb job. Don’t let ‘science’ tell you that all the facts are on the side of the atheists, that’s just not true.
(1174) Almost finished with Noll’s book [scandal of the evangelical mind] and thought it time to comment. The book was published in 1994 and I realize a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. Noll brings out great points; he shows a fundamental weakness in American evangelicalism because of the way the movement shaped a sort of anit intellectual way/thought pattern of viewing the world and society. He really takes the dispensational wing of the church to task, frankly, I was surprised how willingly he dismantled many of their belief systems. I agree with him on this issue, but was surprised that a very popular book would go this far [and still be nominated book of the year by Christianity today- back in 1994!]. I think an area of weakness in the book is Noll’s ‘over association’ of young earth creationism with the Seventh Day Adventist church, and his repeating of the charge that creationists [and fundamentalists in general] are practicing a form of ‘modern Manichaeism’. He basically links an ‘anti material spirit’ that was seen in the early Christian heretics [Gnosticism, Docetism and Manichaeism] and applies this to the views of creationists and their so called unwillingness to allow the facts from nature speak for themselves. I wrote the note ‘way too much’ a few times when reading the book. I think he’s basically mistaken on this, many early Christian thinkers did hold to a young earth view, and they were the same thinkers who rebuked these cults who rejected the natural world as evil. Overall the book is a worthwhile read, it exposes the weakness of the fundamental/evangelical movement to ‘think Christianly’ about the world and society around them. Too often believers think ‘thinking Christianly’ means introducing bible verses into the conversation, this is not what Noll is speaking about. He shows the fundamental error that arose during the modernist/fundamentalist debates of the 19th/20th centuries, and how this caused the church to accept modes of thinking and learning that were disconnected from the fathers of these movements. For instance, Jonathan Edwards, who is considered to be the greatest homegrown thinker of the American experience, he embraced an acceptance of the natural sciences as a way to learn more about the ways of God. True studies of the earth and universe and things in the world were accepted as a means of God communicating truth to his people thru the ‘book of nature’. Noll shows how the fundamentalist movement came to reject this willingness to look at the natural world and learn from it. Thus his overstated charge of Manichaeism, a group that saw the natural world as evil. A blind spot of Noll is his seeming belief that the majority of all Christians/scientists accepted as fact the old earth views of the Geologic table and the other sciences that arose at the time [like evolutionary theory]. He paints a picture that says ‘see, most believers were open to learning from science back then, but the fundamentalist movement and the rise of creationism side tracked the church’. This is simply not true. Many scientists and Christians did not accept the science of an old earth and the interpretation of the geologic table. Many fathers of the church accepted a young earth view [Noll's creationism] since the beginning of church history. Though Noll quotes saint Augustine in his defense of thinking critically, yet Augustine himself believed in a young earth. He actually believed God made everything in an instant and the 6 days of Genesis 1 were symbolic, that God used the ‘6 day framework’ to show us his creative acts. The point being, Augustine’s spiritualizing of the days of creation did not make him an old earth believer! So there were a few things like this that I take issue with, overall I think every evangelical/protestant believer would benefit from reading the book. Noll’s challenge to the evangelical church to ‘think Christianly in all areas of life’ is a needed rebuke to many in the church. Noll is correct in showing the weakness of the American protestant church and her basic disdain of intellectual learning, thinking that higher learning in and of itself is a bad thing. This has fostered a community of believers that has cut itself off from the basic institutions that effect society as a whole [the research universities being one example]. If Christians shy away from the natural sciences and the reality that even unbelievers have at times revealed to us true things thru these studies, then we are going down a road that will eventually cut our influence off from the broader society at large.
(1149) Just started reading Luke, in chapter one we see the story of the birth’s of John and Jesus. We see the dual ways that God works. In John’s birth the angel appears to his parents and reveals that Elisabeth will get pregnant, though she and her husband are old. She has been unable to have children and they have prayed for kids. God does it thru a miraculous intervention and reveals it thru an angel. The same angel appears to Mary and tells her she will have Jesus, Mary asks ‘how can this be, I know not a man’. It’s almost if she was looking at the miraculous situation of her cousin and the fact that God allowed her to get pregnant, but yet there were natural means that God used. John’s parents did sleep together and God gave them the child; miraculous in that Elisabeth was beyond the age of kids, but also a natural explanation can be seen. So Mary must be thinking ‘now Gabriel, I do realize you are an angel and all, you have a pretty good prophetic track record when it comes to announcing births; but you must understand there is only so much God can do, if you don’t know yet, I’m still A VIRGIN!’ The fact is that both John and Jesus births were considered miraculous, the fact that a natural explanation could be attributed to the process with John, this did not mean that there had to be a natural explanation to all miraculous births! As we just came off a series of posts on creation and science, I want to overview a few things when it comes to the miraculous. First, the act of creation itself is a tremendous miracle that can never be fully explained by naturalistic means. Hebrews says ‘by faith we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God’ there are things that God does, that often can not be explained thru science. Though we try and make a noble effort to use the tool of science to argue for the reality of God, yet we don’t want to fall into the trap of Mary, who thought ‘how can this be?’ It ‘can be’ because God said it can be! God’s creative power causes things to be! There is a danger of skepticism creeping into the ranks when we try and affix a scientific explanation to all the aspects of creation, the fact is the actual act of God bringing things into existence by his spoken word is a mystery that can never be fully explained by science. We can try and understand things as much as possible, like the light from galaxies that are supposed to be 13 billion miles away, if the earth were only 6-10 thousand years old, then we wouldn’t be able to see the galaxies yet. The light wouldn’t have had enough time to travel to our telescopes! Okay, sounds good. But then the young earth creationists will explain that the light from all the super novas that occur [the deaths of stars that put off tremendous light] if the planet were billions of years old, we would be seeing the light from many more of these star deaths than we currently see. The light from these explosions would literally be bombarding the planet at a much higher rate than we now observe. So these are two good arguments made from both sides of the debate. But can we hold God down to these types of natural explanations? How can science fully measure the creative act of God? The appearance of all things from nothing can not be measured in the same way as all other things that currently exist. The divine act of creation was a one time event that can not be repeated. It does not fall under the scientific category of testability, it is in the category of observable past events. We know it occurred, we look at it, but we can’t repeat the process and test the event itself. Some say that at the initial creation God created the light ‘in transit’ he was not limited to the natural speed of light that would need 13 billion years to travel from the furthest galaxies to the planet, he made these things in a truly miraculous way! To be sure there are many other things like this that can be used to defend both sides of the issue, today’s point is in the situation with the miraculous births of John and Jesus, both were considered miracles, but one birth had a natural explanation to it [God used his power to enable the barren womb of Elisabeth to conceive thru natural means of conception] and the other didn’t [Mary was really a virgin, the only way you could explain the event itself was that it was a miracle from God- no natural explanation could suffice]. When it’s all said and done we do our best to understand and love God with our minds and intellect, but there are things that we cant always wrap our minds around, these are the ‘things we understand by faith’.
(1148) THE TOWER OF BABEL- Today I finish the Genesis study that I started a few years ago. Sort of a milestone if you will. In chapter 11 we see the famous story of the Tower of Babel. Man united his efforts, learned how to build things contrary to God's initiative [brick and mortar versus stone] and gave his time and efforts willingly in order to make a name for himself [image building]. Over the years I have observed the church of God go thru various seasons, sometimes I cross paths with good men who are at different levels of the journey [like myself]. One of ‘the levels’ is the realization that ministers/pastors have often unconsciously built towers of Babel when they meant to build Gods church. Babel was an affront to what God wanted. Babel was an edifice that drew your attention to man and his ability to get things done, it shouted ‘look how much I have been able to accomplish, cant you see what I’ve done’! Contrary to mans building plan, God used stones that were honed and fashioned at the quarry before they were brought to the temple site. This represented the reality that though man is used in Gods building program, yet he is simply a stone carrier/placer. He doesn’t actually produce the building materials [brick and mortar]. The Lord stopped the tower of Babel by confusing the languages of men and scattering them throughout the land. The contrast to this chapter is Acts 2, where the Lord supernaturally allowed men of many different languages to once again come together and understand each other. Sort of like Gods divine imprimatur on the new building/tower that he was going to build [the church]. He would allow men once again to take part in this unified effort to build something. But it would be like the prophet said ‘not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord’ [stones versus brick]. On the journey most leaders will eventually see the common mistake that many Protestants have made in allowing the things we have built to bring honor and attention to who we are, what we have been able to do. This mindset of building is exactly what God rebuked at Babel, he did not want man to ‘build a tower unto heaven’ and believe in his own intellect and abilities. Jesus often challenged the mindset of the disciples on the nature of leadership, he built into them a new way of seeing leadership, it would not be a means to become the greatest, the most well known one among the group. It is common today for the leader/pastor of a congregation to unconsciously become the center of attention; this is a mistake that Christians have made by not seriously following the commands of Jesus about leadership in his kingdom. Most leaders will face a time where they will have to die to this addiction that is common among good men, men who mean well. When confronted with this challenge it is a conscious choice that leaders will make that is not easy, it truly will be a Cross to bear. But it’s better than God having to come down and personally stop the building program!
(1147) Lets do a brief overview. Those of you reading these last 10 or so entries from the Genesis Study will see that I taught the chapters 12-50 a few years ago. I had no real reason to have left out the first 11 chapters; it just worked out that way. It gave me some time to look at both sides of the creation debate [young versus old earth]. First, I want to say that I still lean towards old earth myself, but do not consider myself a Progressive Creationist. These brothers view the creation days as long ages, the problem I have with that view is it has God intervening directly and creating life at many different intervals over millions of years. I don’t hold to that. But I do believe it’s possible to have an old earth and a literal reading of the days [I already explained it in these last few posts]. Most of all I want to stress that the bible is not clear when it comes to the age of the earth. The young earth brothers have made a very noble effort from verses that connect the beginning of creation with man [Mark 10:6] or other verses speaking about things from the start [Mark 13:19-20, Luke 11: 50-51]. Too much to do now, but it is a long argument for a young earth. The other word that comes up often is Phenomenological, this word is used to explain the language of scripture that is used when speaking to the common man. Like when the bible speaks of the Sun set and Sun rise, most of us realize that the Sun is not the object that is moving! So to technically argue something that we know is ‘not true’ would be silly. Mark Noll wrote about stuff like this in the popular book ‘Scandal of the Evangelical mind’. So, how much science do we accept? Do we use these arguments to open the door to Evolution and everything else that comes down the pike? Of course not! But we try and stay open to science while at the same time staying true to Gods word. For many years science and philosophy believed in an eternal earth and universe. It wasn’t until the tremendous breakthroughs of the 20th century that the Big bang Theory became accepted science. If you listened to Einstein’s theories at the beginning, they seemed utterly ludicrous! His ideas about time not being fixed, and the relationship between time and space were way out there. Many Christians did not accept his ideas. But there were many atheistic scientists who were more troubled, if Hubble and Einstein were right [they were] that would mean the universe had a starting point [the so called point of singularity] the atheists knew that this would sound the death bell for their belief in atheism. If there was a starting point to time and matter, then there was no way to get around it, you would need an initial starter [Aristotle and Aquinas would be right- prime mover, though they both believed in an eternal universe]. So today the majority view of cosmology is the Big Bang theory, some scientists still argue for the eternal universe, but most believe in the Big Bang. In essence this is an example where science has handed to the theologian one of the greatest weapons to argue for the existence of God. But just like the age of the earth debate, you have believers who challenge Big Bang cosmology. Some are smart and have good reasons to challenge it. When I say I believe in the Big Bang, I am not saying I hold to the various views of evolutionary processes that come along with the theory; things like the stars producing the matter that swirled out over millions/billions of years and formed planets. There are obviously parts of the Big bang theory that are questionable. So scientists try and come up with ideas to make the questions go away. A major problem to the Big bang theory is how can the universe have such a stable balance of temperature all over the place. If everything expanded [that’s really a better word to explain it than explosion] at such a rapid rate, you would not have the stable atmosphere that science shows us. So a professor at M.I.T., Alan Guth, came up with an idea called ‘inflation’ he guessed that at the initial point of singularity, everything first expanded to the size of a basketball and all the matter of the universe was stabilized at this point. Then the massive expansion took place and that’s why you have a steady balance when there shouldn’t be one. To say the least these ideas are very questionable, that’s why some scientists don’t accept the whole theory. But for the most part the accepted truth that all matter did have a beginning point is one of the strongest apologetic arguments that science could have ever given to the church. The point being we as believers need to look at both sides of these issues, the debate between young and old earth creationism has at times lost the Christian mandate to deal charitably with each other. I realize the views held are sincere, and many believe the integrity of Gods word is at stake. But we need to present our views and let the chips fall where they may. I will probably finish this short excursion into Genesis tomorrow, but those of you reading these entries from other parts of the blog besides the ‘Evolution/Cosmology’ section, I would suggest reading the stuff I have written in that section along with these last 10 posts. It will help give you a better idea of where I am coming from.
(1146) SONS AFTER THE FLOOD- In Genesis 9 we read the account of Noah and his sons repopulating the planet. God promises Noah that he will never destroy the earth again [by way of water- what about fire? We’ll get to that in a minute] and we see the beginning of man eating animals for the first time, the institution of the death penalty and civil justice [Romans 13] and the famous promise of the rainbow ‘when ever it rains again you will see my bow in the clouds and know I will not flood the earth again’. Are there natural explanations to things that the bible ascribes to God? Yes. Does that mean the bible is a book of myths and fables that were fake and only meant to give us moral lessons? No [contrary to liberal theology]. The fact that we know every time there is a rainbow in the sky, that there is a natural explanation to it, this does not mean this story is fake. God obviously created a repeatable situation that never occurred before, and he told man it was for a sign. Just because science can ascribe a naturalistic explanation to a thing, this does not mean the thing has no supernatural elements to it. This is also where the theistic evolutionists/progressive creationists make parts of their case. Does the fact that God created something mean that there are no possible natural means for him to work by? They will show you that when David said God formed him in his mothers womb, that obviously ‘God formed’ David in a different way than Adam! When you look at ‘a test tube baby’ do you not see a creation of God? Yes, even though there are obvious natural explanations to the conception and birth [like the rainbow being explained by nature] yet the actual life itself is still a mystery that can only be attributed to God. Also God reassures man not to worry about a total future destruction of the planet, in the last verse of chapter 8 he says as long as the earth remains there will never be another worldwide ceasing of the created order [seedtime and harvest]. How do we square this with the Christian doctrine of ‘the end of the world’? Now, this can get complicated and take more time than I have right now, but lets try and take a quick ride. The famous New Testament verse on the future ‘destruction’ of the planet is found in 2nd Peter 3 [the same chapter that deals with the flood] Peter says the elements will melt with a fervent heat and we await a new heaven and earth. In the gospels Jesus also speaks about ‘the end of the world’ the word for world does not mean the planet, but the age. Just like when the bible says ‘satan is the god of this world’ it speaks of age, not earth. So a careful reading of the ‘end of the world’ verses show us that there will be a future time of cleansing ‘by fire’ that will usher in a new age/order. Preterists [those who believe the future judgment scenarios were speaking of a.d. 70 and the end of the old order of the law] take these verses to mean that God was ending ‘the old order/age of law and bringing in a new age of grace’ I see partial truth to this, but don’t fully accept that there is no future aspect to it. The futurists [dispensationalists] see a destruction of the world and sometimes allow this view to effect their responsibility to the planet and society at large ‘heck, why worry about the environment and future stuff, it’s all coming to an end soon’ type mentality. Some, not all, have this mindset. The Preterists think the Futurists have made a fatal mistake in misreading the verses that should say ‘age’ instead of ‘world’. There are very good points that the Preterists make, though I don’t fully embrace everything they have to say. Overall we see that God wanted to reassure man that he was not going to totally wipe the earth out again like he did in the past. Whether you see the future fire burning up the elements as some sort of nuclear thing [I don’t] or a reference to the glory of Jesus burning up the chaff at his return, the important thing to remember is God wanted man to know that the natural order of day and night would go on, and a new heaven and earth would continue to exist for all eternity. The mindset of ‘don’t give up on the mandate to have dominion and care for the planet’ was being instilled in Noah and his sons. I think it would do the evangelical church some good if we looked more seriously at some of these issues.
(1145) THE FLOOD- Okay, this is a hot topic. First, the flood really happened! Some old earth creationists insist on a local version of it, others say it was worldwide [I’m in the world wide camp]. God tells Noah to embark on a very long building program. He certainly looks like a nut to those around him. Eventually the Ark is finished and Noah and his family get in, they bring 7 of every clean animal and 2 of every ‘unclean’ type. It rains [some say 40 days and nights, others think it rained longer] and the ‘fountains of the deep are opened up’ obviously a reference to some type of Tectonic action. After everything dies, the Ark rests and Noah and his family repopulate the planet. The young earth creationists have good arguments from this story [real event!] some of the old earth brothers tend to trivialize it. Ever since the science of geology gained ground [19th-20th centuries] many have argued for a very old earth based on the geologic table. They look at the different strata of the earth [levels] and say ‘see, these levels took millions of years to develop, you have dinosaurs buried in the lower levels, then other types of animals, birds and then man is rarely found fossilized’ these brothers see a sort of scientific record that backs up the progressive creation view. They say the creation days are ages, and the science shows us deep time. Are there any other explanations for the various fossil levels? Yes. The young earth brothers will make a very good argument that the cataclysmic effect of the flood caused the levels. They say the reason you find dinosaurs and other land animals at lower levels is a result of natural panic and survival during the flood. The slower, heavier animals would die first and get buried first. The birds lasted longer of course; they kept flying to high land until they too died off. Man was the smartest of the bunch, he managed to survive longest, and that’s why you don’t find as many fossils of man as you do other creatures [those who die late would not get covered in sediment and would simply rot!] This argument isn’t that bad, to be honest. There are of course many other things besides this, the point I want to make is if you rule out the biblical record of a world wide flood, then you are leaving out other interpretations of the data. Most young and old earth brothers agree on the actual record [i.e.; we do see things buried at different levels] they simply disagree on the interpretation of the data. Lets do a few practical things here, God had Noah prepare things ahead of time. He also spent some down time in a huge boat with a ‘lot of dung’ [ouch!] Often times on the journey we hit spots that don’t look [or smell] that great. People might even mock us ‘look at that idiot Noah, he’s even got his family believing in this stuff!’ but when it was all said and done he was vindicated. Those who tend to spiritualize the stories of Genesis usually see the first 11 chapters as a mix of symbol and history. The genealogies of chapters 4, 5 and 11 are sometimes seen as not exact [by the way, in the last entry I used Enoch as an example of the ascension, the Enoch who was taken up was the Enoch of chapter 5]. The reasons are various [like the other ancient near east genealogies used 10 generation lists, both chapter 5 and 11 are 10 generation lists]. Some do this in order to fit more time into the biblical record. Jesus, Peter and the writer of Hebrews all speak of Noah and his flood as a real historic event! There should be no reason for believers to doubt or spiritualize these stories away. But we also want to be open to the reality that other cultures had their own tellings of these stories, and that the recording of genealogies does not mean there is no room for an older earth [the genealogies are accurate, but they don’t start right at the beginning of time!]. And let’s finish in a practical way, are you going thru a season of feeling stuck in a big box with a lot of dung? Sometimes the word of the Lord to us is ‘just survive at this time, when the storms over things will look better again’. The Lord used Noah to have an influence on the entire civilization that would re-populate the planet! God will increase your influence if you simply find a way to survive the flood.
(562) John:1[radio # 584] Jesus is called the Word of God, he comes into the earth as the incarnation, the ‘fleshed out’ fulfillment of Gods Word. John the Baptist is asked who he is. The Jewish leaders ask ‘are you that prophet?’ he says ‘no’. What prophet? The one Moses said would come ‘the Lord God will raise up a prophet unto you, like me. Whoever doesn’t listen to him will be destroyed’. We covered this in Deuteronomy. They ask him ‘are you Elijah’ he says ‘no’. John was the fulfillment of the Malachi prophecy that said before the Lord comes he will send Elijah the prophet. Jesus says this about John. Why did John deny it? I am not sure, but it might be because he really didn’t know. Sort of like the thorn in Paul’s side, God allowed things to happen to Paul so he would not get puffed up in pride and side track his mission. Maybe the Lord never let John see how truly effective he was. John does say ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness’ John does see himself thru the prophet Isaiah. I like this. I have personally had many words from Isaiah that I felt the Lord had given me, John saw himself in this book too. John was ‘the voice’ just like Jesus is ‘the Word’ John is ‘the voice’. John was a voice before he was a man. God had predestined John to carry a message before he was born. He had this word in his DNA at birth. His body was simply a carrier, an ‘incarnation’ of the voice that he was to have. God has predestined all of us with a purpose before we were born. Our appearing on the planet is for the sole purpose of carrying out this destiny. You are not here to be happy, have a nice income, go to a nice church. You are here to fulfill Gods will, you can have the other things or not, that is irrelevant. You must first fulfill the mission! John testifies of Christ by the Spirit descending on Jesus. John says ‘I knew him not, but by the Spirit’ John knew Jesus, he was his cousin! But John was only going to recognize the gifts and callings on people. He would follow Paul's admonition ‘know no man after the flesh’. It is incumbent upon us to recognize the gifts in others and to operate accordingly. Don’t make alliances and pacts with people based on friendship and personal affiliations. It’s good to have friends and all, but the Kingdom is built upon recognizing and receiving those who have come with a mandate from God. John saw Jesus in this light. Scripture says ‘the world was made by him, he was in the world, yet they knew him not’ Jesus was creating a divine atmosphere of grace for people to access. They didn’t even know or recognize him, yet this didn’t side track him from his purpose. Understand that God has placed you in a geographical location with a pre planned destiny in mind. God has chosen you to be where you are and for this season. You will fulfill your calling whether people ‘know’ you or not. God requires us to see the gifts in each other, but many will not appreciate what you are doing, do it any way, you have come with a destiny to fulfill, so fulfill it!
ROMANS 4-7
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/2-11-15-romans-4-7.zip
Video
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/700-galatians.wav?_=1 This is an old radio show I made years ago- thought it fit well with what I’m teaching now- you’ll need to use Internet Explorer browser to hear it.
The apostle Paul quotes a lot of Old Testament scriptures in this letter- I hope to cover some of them on the video- but as you read these chapters- it would be helpful to read Genesis 12- 13- 15-and 17- these are the main chapters Paul uses in the life of Abraham to show Abrahams faith- and how he was justified by faith- before he was circumcised [Gen 15].
He will describe the faith of Abraham by using the story of Abraham and Sarah having a son in their old age [Gen. 17] - and talk about how the heirs of the promise- that Abraham would be ‘heir of the world’ was made to ALL THE SEED- meaning not just to his Jewish brothers who would believe- but also to the Gentiles- who were never granted the ‘right of the covenant’ [circumcision].
Paul explains that Abraham was justified BEFORE he was circumcised- so- he is the father of all the kids- even the Gentile believers who were never circumcised- but had the faith of Abraham.
Now- there’s’ a lot I am trying to cover in this Romans study- for those who watch the videos- you will see that I’m also covering the divisions within Christianity- primarily those that arose out of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. I quote the book of James- and show how James says ‘was not Abraham our father JUSTIFIED BY WORKS when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar’. It’s important to see- that these words JUSTIFIED BY WORKS- are indeed used in our New Testament- in the videos I’m explaining this- but the point I’m making is James uses the account of Abraham- in Genesis 22- and shows us that the progressive work of ‘Justification’ can- and is- applied to the act of Abrahams obedience- and when God saw Abraham DO A JUST THING [a work] James says ‘he was then justified’- the same word used in the initial act of our Justification- seen in Genesis 15- ok- this might be a bit much to take in now- but over time when we get a better grasp on this- I believe it will help to foster unity in the Body of Christ.
James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
James 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
NOTE- As I do this study- I’m copying/pasting an old commentary I wrote years ago- I guess I should read the commentary first- after I penned the above- I read it- I basically covered the same thing- at least I’m consistent!
ROMANS 4: 1-12 Now, Paul will use one of his most frequent arguments to prove that all men, both Jews and Gentiles, need to be justified by faith and not ‘by works’. The most famous singular figure that natural Israel looked to as the ‘identifier’ of them being a special people was ‘Father Abraham’. Paul does a masterful job at showing how Abraham was indeed justified by faith and not by works. The ‘work’ of circumcision came before the law. It would later become synonymous with law keeping [Ten Commandments] and Paul can certainly use it here as implying ‘the whole law’. But to be accurate this work of circumcision was a national identifying factor that Israel looked to as saying ‘we are better than you [Gentiles]’. Paul is showing Israel that God in fact ‘made Abraham righteous’ before he circumcised him! [Gen. 15] And the sign of this righteousness was circumcision. This meaning that Abrahams faith in Gods promise [a purely ‘passive’ act! This is very important to see. Later on as we deal with the famous ‘conversion texts’ we need to keep this in mind] justified him without respect to the law. God simply took Abraham outside and said ‘look at the stars, your children will be this abundant’ and Abraham simply believed this promise to be true. Much like the passive belief of Cornelius house at their conversion [Acts 10]. The simple belief in the promise of Jesus justifies the sinner! Now this fact of Abraham believing and being made righteous, before being circumcised, is proof [according to Paul] that Abraham is the father of ‘many nations’ not just natural Israel. All ethnic groups who HAVE THE SAME FAITH AS ABRAHAM are qualified to be ‘sons of Abraham/ heirs of God’. The fact that Abraham carried this justification along with him as he became circumcised, shows that all Jewish people as well can partake of this ‘righteousness by faith’ if they have the same faith as Abraham had. Jesus did say ‘Abraham rejoiced to see my day’[ John’s gospel]. In Gods promise to Abraham of a future dynasty of children, this included the promised Messiah. So indirectly Abraham’s belief in the promise of being the father of ‘many nations’ included belief in the coming Messiah. So according to Paul, all ethnic groups who have faith in Jesus are justified/made righteous. The very example Israel used to justify ‘ethnic/national pride’ [Father Abraham] was taught in a way that showed the truth of the gospel and how God is no respecter of persons.
(820) ROMANS 4:13-14 ‘Now the promise that Abraham would become the inheritor of the world was not going to be fulfilled thru the law [natural Israel] but thru faith [all who believe, both Jew and Gentile]’. I have spoken on this before [see note at bottom] and will hit on it a little now. The historic church can be defined for the most part as ‘a-millennial’, that is they interpreted the parables on the Kingdom of God and the promise of ‘inheriting the world [which includes the Promised Land]’ as being fulfilled thru the church. That Jesus established Gods kingdom and the church basically fulfills these promises by expanding Christ’s ‘rule’ thru the earth. Some historians saw the 4th century ‘marriage’ of Rome and Christianity as a fulfillment of this. During the 19th and 20th century you had the rise of Dispensationalism, a ‘new/different’ way of interpreting these land promises. Many good men showed the reality of Christ’s literal coming and pointed to a future time where Jesus literally sits on a throne in Jerusalem and rules all nations. These brothers are called ‘Pre-millennial’, they believe that Jesus comes back first [pre] and then establishes his ‘millennial rule’ on earth. The Premillennialists would see the Amillennialists as ‘replacement theologians’. They said that these brothers were taking the actual promises that God made to Israel and ‘replacing’ Israel with the church. In essence they accused the Amillennialists of spiritualizing the promises to Israel and saying the church would be the recipients of the promises. Now, both sides have truth to them, I personally believe the Amillennialists have a lot more truth! But I do see some of the good points that the Premillenialists made. I want you to simply read these verses [Romans 4:13-14, Galatians 3:18] and see for yourself how Paul does teach the reality that the promises to Abraham are to be fulfilled thru the church [spiritual Israel]. This does not mean that there is no future physical return of Jesus. But the body of scripture leans heavily on the Amillinnialists side. [see entry 703] NOTE- To be fair, some historic thinkers held to the Premillennial position. The majority were Amillennial.
(821) ROMANS 4:15-25 ‘For the law worketh wrath, for where there is no law there is no transgression’. I simply want to touch on the concept of ‘wrath’ being a very real part of judgment. One of the ways the gospel ‘saves us’ is by promising a future [and present!] deliverance from wrath. While death ‘reigned’ before the law was given, it wasn’t until the law where you had a clear picture of transgression and atonement. We will deal with this later in Romans. Now Paul once again hits on the theme of Abraham being the ‘spiritual father’ of many nations [all who believe] and how the promises of God to Abraham were to be fulfilled thru this ‘new race of people’ [the church]. Paul is careful to not demean Israel; he couches his terms in a way that says ‘God will fulfill these things thru the circumcision who believes [Jews] and the un-circumcision who believe’ [Gentiles]. I want to stress the very plain language Paul uses to show us that we should not be seeing Gods ‘covenant promises’ thru a natural lens. Christians need to be careful when they support [exalt!] natural Israel in a way that the New Testament doesn’t do. ‘To the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is the faith of Abraham’. Now Paul tells us that when God made promises to Abraham that Abraham believed against hope. When all things looked really bad, he still believed. When he was 100 years old and Sarah around 90, he held to the promise [read my commentaries on Genesis 15-18 and Hebrews 11] and therefore God imputed righteousness to him. How closely are you paying attention to Paul’s free use of Abraham and Genesis? If you carefully read this chapter you see Paul ‘intermingle’ the story of Abraham being ‘made righteous upon initial belief’ [Gen. 15] and the later story of Sarah having Isaac [Gen. 17]. I think Paul was simply using the description of Abrahams faith, as seen in the Gen. 17 [and 22!] accounts of his life, to show the type of faith he initially ‘exercised’ [I don’t like using this term to be honest. God actually imputes faith to the believer at the initial act of regeneration]. The important chapters from Genesis that we all need to have a ‘working knowledge’ of are Chapters 12 [the initial promise], 15 [the oft mentioned ‘imputed righteousness’ verse], 17 [the receiving of the promised seed- Isaac], and 22 [the ultimate act of obedience that Abraham showed in offering up Isaac. This will be described in James epistle as ‘righteousness being fulfilled’. James, who is concerned about ‘works’, will say that when Abraham offered Isaac he was fulfilling the ‘imputed righteousness’ that God gave him earlier. James actually describes this as ‘being justified by works’{James 2:21} and James says ‘the scripture was fulfilled that saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness’… ‘see how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only’. The classic view taken by many confuses the ‘justified’ part with the initial act of justification that Paul centers on. James uses ‘see how he was justified by works’ in a future ‘judicial decree’ sense; that is God having the ongoing ‘freedom’ to continually say ‘good job son, you did well’. The word justification is used in a fluid sense much like salvation. Christians need to be more ‘secure’ in their own assurance to be able to see these truths. When we approach all these seemingly ‘difficult passages’ in a defensive mode, then we never arrive at the actual meaning]. When we see the overall work of God in Abraham’s life we see the purpose of God in ‘declaring people just’ [initially ‘getting saved’]. The purpose is for them to eventually ‘act just’ [obey!] ‘Jesus was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification’ thank God that this process is dependant on the work of the Cross! [see # 758]
(822) Romans 5:1-9 ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God thru our Lord Jesus Christ’. There are certain benefits ‘results’ of being ‘made righteous by faith’, peace being one of them. Paul goes on and says we glory in hope and also trials, because we realize that thru the difficulties we gain experience and patience. Things that are needed for the journey, we can’t substitute talent and motivation and ‘success principles’ for them. We need maturity and God produces it this way. Those who teach otherwise have a ‘self inflicted wound’ their teachings are very immature! That is there was a ‘strain’ of teaching in the church that said ‘we don’t learn thru difficulty and suffering, we learn only thru Gods word!’ [that is reading it]. Those who grasped onto this false idea have produced some of the most unbalanced teaching in the church, stuff that even the younger generation is saying ‘what in the heck are these guys preaching’? If you by pass the difficult road, you will be shallow. Now Paul says ‘God commended his love toward us, that when we were sinners Christ died for us’ ‘being now justified by his death, we shall be saved thru his life’ [saved from wrath thru him]. Once again this theme pops up; ‘since we are justified, made righteous by believing with the heart, we shall be saved [continual, future deliverance] from wrath thru him’. I don’t know if you ever realized what a major theme this is in Romans? The ongoing, future ‘being saved’ is a result of ‘being made righteous’. Later on in chapter 10, when we read that the righteous call for salvation, we need to understand this context. Remember, when the two are linked together in the same verse, it is not saying ‘saved’ in the sense of some sinner’s prayer. It is speaking of the ongoing, promised deliverance [from many things, not just wrath!] to the ‘justified caller’. We have access ‘by faith into this grace wherein we stand’. Wow! That's some good stuff, Jesus ever lives so that those who come to him are ‘being saved’ to the uttermost. This grace we are in is available to us all of the time, are we availing ourselves of it?
(823) ROMANS 5:10-21 ‘For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to him by the death of his Son… much more we shall be saved by his life’. Now, some have ‘divided’ the role of Jesus death and resurrection in salvation. I heard a radio preacher teach that all the people who think they are ‘saved’ because Jesus died for them were deceived. He used this verse to say they need to believe in his ‘life’ [resurrection] to ‘be saved by his life’. Well I get the point, but he was missing the meaning of the verse. Why? Because once again we see ‘saved’ as initially ‘getting saved’ while here it is in a continual sense. Paul is saying ‘if God reconciled us [justification] while we were deadly enemies, how much more shall the actual ministry and life of Jesus at Gods right hand do for us!’ The New Testament teachers that we have actually entered into an eternal covenant with God thru his Son. Jesus ‘ever lives’ to make intercession for us [Hebrews]. Therefore he is able to ‘save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him’. The bible teaches an ongoing ‘saving’ relationship that believers have with the Messiah. This ‘relationship’ would not be possible if he were dead. Now we ‘joy in God thru Jesus Christ from whom we have received the atonement’ good stuff! Isaiah says God will meet with those who ‘rejoice and do what is right’. We have both of these ‘abilities’ because of the atonement. The rest of the chapter teaches the Pauline doctrine of original sin. That because Adam sinned, death and sin passed to all men. So likewise the ‘righteousness’ of one man [Jesus- the last Adam] has passed upon all men [those who receive of the abundance of grace and the gift of life]. This is an interesting angle that Paul uses to teach redemption. He shows the reality that there are only 2 ‘federal heads’ of mankind. You are either in the first or last Adam. The ‘righteous act’ is speaking of the Cross [Philippians says Jesus was ‘obedient unto death’. The singular act of obedience that allows this righteousness to pass to all who believe is the Cross. Some have misunderstood this chapter to teach that the obedient life of Christ, his sinless life, saves us. I feel this is a wrong reading of the chapter. The sinless life of Jesus, pre Cross, made him the true candidate to be the substitute for man. He was able to die in our place [obedience unto death] because he was the sinless Son of God. We are now ‘saved by his life’ because he ever lives to make intercession for us]. All who believe in Jesus can now trace their lineage to the ‘last Adam’ [Jesus] and be free from ‘original sin’.
(824) ROMANS 6- Lets talk about baptism. To start off I believe that the baptism spoken about in this chapter is primarily referring to ‘the baptism of the Spirit’, that is the work of the Holy Spirit placing a believer in the Body of Christ. The Catholic and Orthodox [and Reformed!] brothers believe that Paul is speaking about water baptism. The MAJORITY VIEW of Christians today believe this chapter is referring to water baptism. Why? First, the text itself does not indicate either way. You could take this baptism and see it either way! You are not a heretic if you believe in it referring to Spirit or water. You are not a heretic if you believe in Paedo baptism [infant baptism]. ‘What are you saying? Now you lost me.’ Infant baptism developed as a Christian rite over the course of church history. The church struggled with how to ‘dedicate’ new babies to Christ. Though the scriptures give no examples of infant baptism, some felt that the reason was because the scriptures primarily show us the conversion of the first century believers. There really aren’t a whole lot of stories of ‘generations’ of believers passing on the faith to other generations. So some felt that the idea of dedicating babies to the Lord through infant baptism was all right. The examples they used were the circumcision of babies in the Old Testament. Infants were circumcised [a rite that placed you under the terms of the Old Covenant] though they weren’t old enough to really understand what they were doing! This example was carried over into the Christian church and applied to infant baptism. Now, I do not believe in infant baptism. But I can certainly understand this line of reasoning. As Christian theology developed thru the early centuries, particularly thru the patristic period, you had very intellectual scholars grapple with many different themes and ideas. Some that we just studied in chapter 5. Some theologians came to see infant baptism as dealing with original sin. They applied the concept of infant baptism as a rite that washes away original sin. The church did not teach that this meant you did not have to later believe and follow Christ. They simply developed a way of seeing baptism as ‘sanctifying’ the new members of Christian households. This basic belief made it all the way to the Reformation. The Reformers themselves still practiced infant baptism. It was the Anabaptists [re-baptizers] who saw the truth of adult baptism and suffered for it, at the hands of the reformers! Ulrich Zwingli, the Swiss reformer, would have them drowned for their belief. Some Protestants stuck with the infant rite, while others [the Restorationists] would reject it. Today most Evangelicals do not practice infant baptism, the majority of Christians world wide do. Now, the reason I did a little history is because Evangelicals [of which I am one] have a tendency to simply look at other believers who practice this rite as ‘deceived’. Many are unaware of the history I just showed you. The reasons the historic church developed this doctrine are not heretical! They used scripture and tradition to pass it down to future generations. I do not believe or practice infant baptism, many good believers do.
(825) ROMANS 6: 1-11 ‘shall we continue to sin, so grace may abound? God forbid! How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer therein?’ Now begins the ‘actual part’ the result, if you will, of being ‘made righteous by faith’. One of the main accusations against Paul, by the Jewish believers, was that he taught ‘sin a lot, because you are no longer under the law’. Paul spends time defending himself against this accusation thru out the New Testament. Here Paul teaches that the believer has been joined unto Christ [baptized, immersed into him] and this ‘joining’ identifies him with Christ’s death. So how can ‘we, who are dead to sin, live any longer in sin’? Paul’s argument for righteous living comes from the fact that we have died with Christ unto sin. ‘We have died with him, and we have also been raised with him to new life’. In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul says we who were dead in sins have been made alive in Christ. Now, we live a new life, free from sin [practically speaking- not absolute sinless-ness!] because we are identified with Jesus in his new life, we are ‘alive with and in him’. ‘Since we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection’! Jesus died once, and now he lives forever unto God ‘likewise count yourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God thru Jesus Christ our Lord’. Paul’s basis for the transformed life is Grace and being ‘in him’. Paul does not appeal to the law to try and effect holiness in the believer, he appeals to Christ ‘in him you have died to legalistic practices, trying to earn salvation and acceptance; and now because of this new position [placement] you too have died to the old man [lifestyle] and are alive unto God’. Paul obviously did not teach ‘sin hardily’ to the contrary he taught ‘live unto God’.
(834)Romans 6:12-23 ‘Let not sin therefore rule in your mortal body’ if we have died with Jesus, we are ‘dead with him to sin’. If we are risen with Jesus ‘we are alive unto God thru him’ for this reason don’t sin! Paul makes sure his readers understand him, he in no way was teaching a sinful gospel. He encourages the believers to renew their minds to this truth. ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace’ Paul clearly saw the dangers of legalism [living under strict ‘do this, don’t do this’ guidelines] he saw that the law actually quickens the fleshly nature and brings to the surface mans sin. Now, because we are under grace, does this mean we get to keep on sinning? ‘God forbid!’ Paul launches into the explanation of sin and bondage. Remember, sin was in the world before the law. Men were dying ever since Adam sinned. So for Paul, this means even though we are not under the restraints of law, yet the reality of sin, bondage and punishment still exist. Paul says ‘if you yield to sin and allow it to rule you, you will become its slave’. There will be a penalty and price to pay ‘the wages of sin is death’. But because you are identified with Jesus ‘sin shall not have dominion over you… you have been made free from sin’. Paul teaches the victorious Christian life. He does not deny the struggle [next chapter!] but he shows the reality of redemption. He obviously never taught the concept of ‘sin more, so grace can abound’. He understood the dangers of preaching ‘we are not under the law’ but he also understood the reality of ‘being under grace’ he figured it was worth the risk of being misunderstood if he could truly imbed the gospel into the believing community.
VERSES- [Here are the verses that relate to today’s post- Sunday sermon 12-24-17]
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Romans 5:16
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Romans 5:19
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Matthew 5:15
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
1 Corinthians 15:45
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
John 17:24
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Ephesians 1:4
According as he hath chosen us in him before thefoundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
1 Peter 1:20
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Isaiah 66:1
Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
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Acts 7:49
Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
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Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
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Genesis 3:17
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
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Genesis 3:22
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
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Genesis 3:24
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east ofthe garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree oflife.
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Deuteronomy 20:19
When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Proverbs 3:18
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
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Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
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Proverbs 15:4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Revelation 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Revelation 22:2
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Revelation 22:14
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
King James Version (KJV)
1 Peter 1:23
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
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Thanks- John.
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