God talk

  01 05 2021  This photo was taken in 1966 and it is the year I was born.   In this writing I will be talking about the conscience.  Every human being is a natural person.  you can be a Christian but you are still a natural person.  You might be from the East or the West but you are still a natural person.  As natural persons we share the same type of traits.  Today I will be working on the Old Testament teachings through Herman Bavinck's eyes.  I have also been reading Shannon lee's Book 'Be water my Friend'.  From what I read Bruce Lee took his conscience very seriously indeed.  We should also take our consciences very seriously.  Bruce Lee came to this conclusion through reason.  I came to the conclusion through Scripture. By the way Shannon Lee said that Kung Fu means hard work.  So let us do some kung fu and learn from Herman Bavinck and Bruce Lee on this very important subject. I took this picture from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee Bruce Lee took

Bavinck asks the question in chapter 5 of his ethics page 169,” Why is there relatively little mention of the conscience among the Greeks and Romans when it is such a universal human phenomenon?” Bavinck made two points here. 1.          Socrates and Plato linked ethics to the polis (city); “For the Greek, the norms for morality, for the good, were objectively present in the laws of the polis and were not specified by the acting subject in their conscience.” Page 169 2.        “Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were intellectualists; this meant that they sought the starting point and standard for conduct in human reason rather than in the conscience” page 169. Before moving on to how Alexander the Great fits in this; At one time for the ancient Greek keeping the laws of the city state are what made a good person.   Or that using logic and thinking moves the will to do actions that are right or wrong.   Making one’s own decisions seems to be on the backburner.   As we know from hist

  18 04 2021 Bavinck looks first at the conscience through the lense of the Fall.   After the Fall for Bavinck Adam was in the same situation as an ‘unregenerate Christian’.   So Adam died spiritually but he still had some vestiges that were passed down some families.   He writes ‘But that knowledge of God that Adam still retained he did pass on; it remained pure in a few families and was thus salvific since the promise of Genesis 3:1 was also passed on along with it.1 In this way the pure worship of God continued in the families of Abel, Seth, Enoch, and so forth. Even Melchizedek and Job apparently drew their true knowledge of God from the well of tradition.’ Reformed Ethics page 167. Anyhow before looking at the next sections let us reflect on these people that Bavinck has mentioned. Abel Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by God 4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering;