Vocational Dentist

I wanted to give a shout-out to a man who really understands vocation; my dentist. He is a devout Roman Catholic who knows it is his mission in life to live out his vocations as best he can.  He always has a picture of his wife and kids up in the office and talks about how he strives to be the best father and husband he can. He always tries to do the right thing in the right way. He works hard, does his best. He genuinely wants to help people. That is how he serves his neighbor. He is always happy and has a great bedside manner/customer service, even when people are upset.  He apologizes if anything goes wrong and takes responsibility for his staff. He does not charge to fix things that should have lasted longer. And he does all this with a cheerful attitude. That is all good businesses, but also being a good Christian. Patients notice and mention it to him and he is always ready to point to the love of Jesus as the reason. He recognizes that mission is through vocation. We should all live out our vocations as best as possible as he does.

Ephesians 6:10-20 - Spiritual Warfare

v 10. Our strength comes from Jesus (Philippians 4:13). He is our might (Matthew 13:53-54). All of the armor is from God and we receive it in our baptism.

v 11. In the military sense, this means stand your ground to hold the front lines while under attack by the enemy, who is the devil (1 Peter 5:8). Notice that none of the armor mentions protect the back, so there is no provision for retreat. The devil is a schemer, which means he attacks using stealth and deception, not a full on frontal attack (Ephesians 4:14).

v 12. While the enemy leader is the devil, he has a whole army that he sends against us (see previous post on demons). We are in a full-out spiritual war (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

v 13. We need all of the armor of God, not just any part of it.

v 14. Belt of Truth: A belt was defensive because it kept the soldiers loose undergarments from being a hindrance in battle. We are to live in the truth (John 3:21), which means loving the truth and being truthful. Jesus is the truth (John 14:6).

Breastplate of Righteousness: The breastplate protected most of the solider and the vital organs. Our righteousness come from faith in Christ (Philippians 3:9). The devil wants to attack our faith, but Christ's righteousness covers all of us (Isaiah 61:10).

v 15. Shoes of Readiness by the Gospel of Peace: Soldiers continually marched, so good shoes were important. To be ready for battle, or marching or anything else, they needed shoes. The Peace of God guards your hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). Walking by the spirit will keep you from gratifying the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). The gospel is about what Jesus has done for you.

v 16. Shield of Faith: The shield is defensive. The devil wants to attack our faith, so it must be strong to withstand him. This is why we must go to church to get our faith strengthened continually.

v 17. Helmet of Salvation: The helmet protects the brain, which is the most vital organ. It was, therefore, the most often attacked by the enemies' broadswords. Jesus is the source of our salvation (Hebrews 5:9). Jesus being the source of our salvation is the Gospel. Our assurance of the gospel and of our salvation is vital for us and what the devil attacks. When he does this, it is with pride and/or despair, which are the two sides of the devil's sword.

Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God: Lastly, the sword could be used either defensively or offensively. Staying in the word defends us by helping us identify and combat false doctrine, which is the attack of the devil, but it is also our offense (1 Peter 3:15). Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-18). Jesus' words are spirit and life (John 6:63). The two edges of Jesus' sword are law and gospel. Notice that the Word of God is a good defense, with the other things, but it is our only offense.

v 18. Pray, Stay Alert, Persevere. Wearing the armor should be continual. We must always be prepared.

v 19-20. Preaching should be about the Gospel (1 Corinthians 2:2)

Is Baptism Necessary?

I discussed how life is a gift from God and how he formed all people lovingly in the womb in my last post. While God has promised that he saves through Baptism, so we know it always works and can look to it for assurance, He has not said he cannot use other means. Charles Porterfield Krauth, in his great book The Conservative Reformation. This is great news for all who have endured miscarriages.

"The Lutheran Church holds that it is necessary to salvation to be born again of water (baptism) and the Spirit, (John iii. 5, and Augsburg Confession, Art. II. and IX.;) but she holds that this necessity, though absolute as regards the work of the Spirit, is, as regards the outward part of baptism, ordinary, not absolute, or without exception; that the contempt of the sacrament, not the want of it, condemns; and that though God binds us to the means, he does not bind his own mercy by them. From the time of Luther to the present hour, the Lutheran theologians have maintained the salvability and actual salvation of infants dying unbaptized.

The rest of the doctrine of the Lutheran Church, as a whole, is involved in her confessing, with the Nicene creed, "one baptism for the remission of sins," and that through it the grace of God is offered, that children are to be baptized, and that being thus committed to God, they are graciously received by him. At the same time she rejects the theory of the Anabaptists, that infants unbaptized have salvation because of their personal innocence, and maintains that the nature with which we were born requires a change, which must be wrought by the Spirit of God, before we can enter into heaven (A. C., Art. IX. and II.,) and that infants are saved by the application of Christ's redemptory work, of which Baptism is the ordinary channel."

However, it remains an open question what size/age children (and the rest of us) will be after the resurrection. Biblical justification for this doctrine can be found easily. First of all God Commands it.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. -Matthew 28:19

Secondly, the Bible tells us why it is necessary. Notice, while baptism saves, it is a lack of faith that condemns.

Baptism... now saves you. -1 Peter 3:21

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. -Mark 16:16

While Baptism is the normal means through which the Holy Spirit has promised to work, he is not bound by it. He has not promised to do so, and we have no assurance of it, but He can.

Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
     you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.

On you was I cast from my birth,
     and from my mother's womb you have been my God.
    they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
    he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
    and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
    and my God has become my strength—
-Psalm 22:9-10

Likewise, the opposite is true.

The wicked are estranged from the womb; -Psalm 58:3

Those who believe in decision theology say that Psalm is poetic and cannot be taken literally, but there are other verses as well.

And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him—for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength -Isaiah 49:5

Also, John the Baptizer believed when he was in the womb in Jesus, who was also in the womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, not because she chose to believe, but because God filled her.

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” -Luke 1:39-45

Psalm 139:13-16,19 - (2) It's All About Life

In my previous post, I discussed how to read the Psalms and then applied it to Psalm 139 and how it is all about who God is. After reading it in its proper context and understanding it in such a way, it is acceptable to then ask how it applies to us today.

vv. 13-14. God makes us all in our mothers' womb, so life and person-hood begins at conception. A new life is a loving and wonderful work and praiseworthy blessing from God.

vv. 15-16. An embryo is life and it has all the DNA that God works through to determine who the person will be.

This statement of life being a gift from God by forming in the womb can also be found in Isaiah in verses 44:2, 44:24, 49:5 as well as Job 31:15.

v. 19. The Psalmist  calls men of blood, wicked who should be slayed.  Capital punishment was for murder, so this is clearly talking about murder. After establishing that life and person-hood begins at conception in earlier verses, abortion is murder and wicked.

It is important to note that this verse is not specifically talking about abortion, it is much more general than that, but it is applicable to this specific case.  This is confirmed in Exodus 21:22-23, which says, “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life,"

Psalm 139:1-24 - (1) It's All About God

Many people read the Psalms incorrectly or do not read them at all, but they are actually a treasure trove, if studied and read correctly.  They key is to read them in the context that they are intended to be read in.  There are three levels of contexts.

1. Biblical Context: The Psalms are about Jesus!
1. Acts 2:29-35 explains that the Psalms of David are prophecies about Jesus, not autobiography.
2. Likewise, Jesus Himself explained that the Old Testament was about him (Luke 24:27).
3. As Herman Sasse said, "Always it is from the Cross that everything is understood."
4. If the Psalms apply to me, they are law. If they apply to Jesus, they are Gospel. A proper distinction between law and gospel must be maintained to properly read them.
2. Historical Context: The Psalms are connected to the Old Testament liturgical life and the old covenant in the Levitical world.
3. Immediate Context: The whole Psalm should be examined, not isolated verses, phrases, or words.

Only after reading the Psalms in such a way can we understand them, and only after understanding them as they were meant to be understood can we try to apply them to ourselves or our modern time. Applying this methodology to Psalm 139, we can actually learn a lot about God.

1. This Psalm has all three persons of the trinity
1. God the Father
1. Creator in v. 13. (1 Corinthians 8:6)
2. God the Son
1. The Right Hand of God in v.10 (Luke 22:69, Mark 14:62 Acts 2:32-35, Hebrews 10:12, Ephesians 1:20, 1 Peter 3:22)
2. The Way everlasting in v. 24 (John 14:16). The Psalmist is not saying here that he does not sin, but quite the opposite, that he is asking God to find his sine, get rid of him, and lead him to live a better life. That is repentance.
3. God the Holy Spirit
1. He is present with us in v. 7 (Romans 8:9)
2. Who was it written to and for what?
1. It is stated it was written "to the choirmaster", which shows that it was intended to be used for public worship of the Old Testament Jews in the Nation of Israel. The purpose of Liturgical songs is to learn about God. This Psalm clearly teaches us about God, who he is, what he is like, and what he does.
2. God's enemies, the men of blood, were the other nations around Israel that were continually invading.
3. The Psalmist uses ideas and language to describe God that heathens used to describe their gods. For example, much of this is reminiscent of the all seeing eye of Horus, who sees in the heavens and in Hades, as well as on earth. This was an attempt to show that Yahweh was the true God who had supreme authority, and to refute the ideas of the God's enemies.
3. This Psalm has all five attributes of God.
1. vv.1-6, Omniscient: All Knowing
2. vv.7-12, Omnipresent: All Present
3. vv.13-18, Omnificent: All Creating
4. vv.19-22, Omnipotent: All Powerful
5. vv.23-24, Omnibenevolent: All Loving

Book Review/Summary - Dying to Live (Harold Senkbeil)

The Problem

• We have lost the art of communication in the communication age. We just share information, impersonally. 
• When people worked, there used to be something to show for it, something we made. Now we spend more time working and only have money to show for it. We begin to think the reason we work is only for money.
• People are lonely, disenfranchised and looking for truth, substance, and real relationships.
• We are a dying people in a dying world

Quotes on the Solution

• "The problem isn't the godlessness of our age, but rather the gods of our age."
• "Our predicament is not the situation we are in, but what lives in us."
• "Asking me to try harder is like asking a sick person to feel well."
• "The Old Adam cannot be tamed, reformed, or disciplined. Only killed."
• "We don't need a new attitude, we need a new life"
• "Sin is not a blemish, but bondage and death."
• "When face to face with sin we need forgiveness, not advice"
• "Before we can reform our lives, we need rescue."
• "Christianity is not an idea, but The Reality. Christianity is not a way of life, but Life Itself."

Church as God's Hospital

• The church is God's hospital, where he gives us CPR.
• The Liturgy is breath.
• God's breath out is our breath in and is God's blessing to us that comes first to give us what we need.
• A consequence of that is our breath out, which is our praise and prayer. It is just giving back what he gave us.
• Faith is like lungs.
• You can't breath without it, so you can't worship without it.
• You can have lungs without breath, but that leads to death.  Having faith without ever worshiping also brings death.
• Worship and prayer are the language of life.
• The liturgy seems awkward and foreign to us
• Because we spend so much time in an alien land, living in a dying world.
• However, liturgy is our native tongue, we belong in the liturgy of the church.
• Prayer does not come naturally to us
• We must learn in like we learn to speak as children, through repeating what God has shown us
• Such as the Lord's prayer and the Psalms.
• Prayer is not a means of Grace
• It does not earn us any merit
• It does not bring us forgiveness
• It does not channel God's love to us.
• Prayer does not make us Christian
• Prayer is simply what Christians do
• When we don't feel like worship or praying, we should trust God over our feelings. "God loves us too much to abandon us to our inclinations."

Vocation and Good Works

• Thankfulness alone will not produce a holy life. Christ in us does that.
• Christian vocation is not the end goal of faith, but is an extension of faith.
• Works are not what you must do to be faithful, but what people of faith do.
• There is honor in work, no matter how menial or tedious.