God talk

    We have spent a few weeks looking at the Fall and how people are not in their own power able to rebuild their relationship with God.    Before the fall it was beautiful and after the fall darkness fell on to the human race and onto creation.   In the grand scheme of things God became a man in the Person of Jesus Christ.   Being more specific; the God-Man Jesus Christ came into the world and opened the way of salvation for us.   It was a very high price to pay but God paid this price through the atonement. He paid the price, the propitiation for our sins. Although God is a God of love this cannot be decoupled from his justice.   Christians talk about a ‘Holy God.’   According to the Genesis story humanity rebelled against God thus judgement needed to be meted out.   The death of Jesus Christ was the means used to turn away the wrath of God from us and by faith in Christ we can have eternal life. Jesus Christ our Lord took the comp...

  There is a rhyme that says; Sticks and stones May break my bones But words cannot hurt me.   By David Cantelli https://unsplash.com/photos/H3giJcTw__w?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink This is obviously not true. Words are very powerful and whole nations can stand or fall with them.   Trump is a prime example that could have led to a civil war in the USA in the middle of a plague.   I can also say that we have all said things we ought never to have said.   So today we are looking at Bavincks teaching from his ethics in relation to the abuse of words.   (Pages 128-129 Reformed Ethics) So, Bavinck says, “The root of these sins is the vanity or futility of the mind (Eph4:17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, Ephesians 4:17),   the result of being cut loose from life, from the Word, from God’s Logos” ...

  Do you love money? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnZWIbv4cjU I suppose this Elvis song from the 1950’s is a way into the subject of money.   From a localized family point of view many battles take place because of money.   In this song the man is having a hard time and he is being dumped by the lover for another man. How might Herman Bavinck interpret this? On pages 125 to 126 of Bavincks Ethics Bavinck talks about self-love in the form of loving their body and being double minded. There is certainly double mindedness going on in this song and shows how frail the human condition is. In our strength we cannot break away from this condition. Moving on from what was just said; In Western societies Fridays and Saturdays are seen as the nights to have a good time on the town.      One dresses up in their finest attire and go out to drink and have fun with their friends.   A lot of money is spent.   Money is spent even at the expense of thei...