St. Paul's Anglican Church, Portland, Maine

  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • Contact Us
  • Services
  • Directions
  • Rector's Desk
  • Photos
  • History
  • Related Links
  • Lenten Food For Thought
  • Faith in Action

Jesus Did All Things Well

9/4/2022

1 Comment

 
Jesus Does Everything Well
31 Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. 33 So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly. 36 He ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it.
37 They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (CSB)

Why does Mark (and Mark alone) give us this miracle?
            The important thing, of course, is that one Gospel writer does record this miracle. Doubtless Jesus worked many miraculous “signs and wonders” not recorded in the Gospels. But this one does echo both Old Testament prophecy and the response Jesus gives to John the Baptist when John, in prison, starts to wonder whether Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah.

John the Baptist’s Doubt
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matt 11:2-6, ESV)

Why would that answer be meaningful to John the Baptist?
Isiaih 35: 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. (ESV)

Jesus’s miracles do at least 4 things:
  1. Show his pity and mercy on those suffering, his compassion
  2. Show his divine ability and power
  3. Show his divine authority, validate his truth
  4. Fulfill prophecy 
Jesus’s Miracles are performed in various ways. 
  1. Sometimes by his words (e.g., calming the storm),
  2. Sometimes at a distance (e.g., the Centurion’s servant),
  3. Sometimes by touch (e.g., the raising of the widow’s son, the woman with the hemorrhage),
  4. Sometimes with mud or spit (e.g., the man born blind, or this miracle).
What’s the point for us?

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (Jn 3:1-2)
The miracle accounts help us to have confidence that Jesus is indeed divine, the son of God, a teacher with authority, and the one (and only one) who can save us by his own perfect righteousness applied to you and to me.

Jesus does what only God could do:
The Lord said to him [Moses], “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person deaf or mute, seeing or blind? I it not I, the Lord”? (Ex 4:11, CSB)

And this makes all the difference. Why is it so important that Jesus worked miracles, especially the greatest miracle of his Resurrection? A noted scholar on miracles of Jesus, Prof. Habermas explains,[1]
​

Like other examples of religious or political faith, the disciples believed and followed their leader's teachings. But unlike all others, the disciples had more than just their beliefs - they had seen the resurrected Jesus. This is a critical distinction; Their faith was true precisely because of the resurrection…. unlike the world faiths, which rest on certain beliefs being true, the disciples had both heard unique teachings and seen the resurrected Jesus. Jesus was the only founder of a major world religion who had miracles reported of him in reliable sources within a few decades. But most of all he confirmed his message by rising from the dead.


[1] Gary R. Habermas, “Is The Transformation of Jesus’ Disciples Different From Other Religious Transformations?” in If God Made the Universe, Who Made God? (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2012), 173.
1 Comment

Jesus Weeps for Jerusalem

8/17/2022

0 Comments

 
The Humanity of Jesus – Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem

Luke's Gospel records Jesus weeping and lamenting over Jerusalem (Lk 13:34, 1:41-48). Jesus also wept at the tomb of his close friend Lazarus (Jn 11:35). These glimpses of Jesus's humanity bring us to the issue of his dual nature, that is very God and very man, in one person of the Trinity, the divine logos. How could that be? This question embroiled the early church in controversy and heresy with such views as Arianism, that Jesus was a human creature of God not divine, or the opposite heresy of Docetism, that Christ was divine and only seemed or appeared human to us. It is not surprising that intelligent and sincere people could disagree on these matters as the concept of the two natures of Jesus united in one son of God is not just hard to grasp, but perhaps ultimately a mystery of faith in the sense we cannot ever fully grasp it because we are not God.

Here is a condensed history of the early Christological views:

Council of Nicaea (AD 324) -- called by Emperor Constantine to consider and, if possible, settle the ARIAN heresy. It gave the church the first great ecumenical creed.

First Council of Constantinople (AD 381) -- called by Emperor Theodosius the Great to correct errors of APOLLINARIANISM (Jesus had only a divine mind) and MACEDONIANISM (Jesus had a different nature from that of the Father).

The Council of Ephesus (AD 431) -- was presided over by Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, and was called to deal with NESTORIANISM (Jesus had two separate natures).

The Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) -- three bishops and two presbyters presided. They were representatives of Leo of Rome. The Council condemned EUTYCHIANISM (Jesus had only one nature) and gave the church the creedal statement on Christology which has stood the test of the centuries. The Chalcedonian statement has largely become the orthodox creed of Protestantism.

Second Council of Constantinople (AD 680) -- was called by the Emperor Constantine Pogonatus and was directed against MONOTHELITISM (Jesus had only a divine will).

Frankford Synod (AD 794) -- was called by Charlemagne and at it, ADOPTIONISM (God adopted the human Jesus) was condemned.

Our orthodox Christian understanding today rests on the creed agreed upon at Chalcedon, which in its full form reads as follows:
Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

It's important because unless Jesus was fully human, but without sin, his life and death could not atone for the sinful rebellion of mankind. It matters!

The thing to hang onto is that the Bible clearly shows us in the Gospels that Jesus's actions and words demonstrate his humanity, he could weep, he could grieve, he could hunger, he could thirst, he could suffer. Just as clearly scripture shows Jesus's divine authority and capacity, he taught, he made authoritative statements, he rebuked religious leaders, he declared sins forgiven, and he worked signs and wonders, the miracles vouching for his divine attributes.  Theology is important, yes, but we want to avoid outthinking God in the face of truths he has so clearly shown us in his Word.
0 Comments

Why do so many innocent people suffer in such terrible disasters? A traditional explanation of the presence of evil and suffering is that the world is fallen and corrupted because of the first sin of Adam and Eve, disobediently rebelling, through pride,

8/8/2022

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

Do Beetles Have A Conscience?

8/5/2022

0 Comments

 
Do Beetles Have A Conscience?
​

        Why is it, I wonder, that all people in all cultures have a sense of right and wrong, a sense of virtue, of moral obligation or duty? Only human beings have this sense, this conscience. Can the universal fact of human morality result from purely natural, mechanical, or chemical processes that produce such a phenomenon? Or to put it another way, if there is no God, and if this present reality is nothing more than biochemical and mechanical processes at work, would moral obligations make any sense?

          In the Darwinian model of reality, we are animal creatures whose only imperative is to live and reproduce (without purpose or teleology).  Our success in passing along our genes to one generation and to another and another is the only thing that matters. How can this explain the morality felt by all human beings? Where do we get this sense of virtue and our satisfaction from virtuous acts?

            I am briefly suggesting that our best explanation for this is theism. There are four aspects of moral reality to consider: moral facts, moral knowledge, moral transformation, and moral rationality (virtue and happiness fit together).

            What I am suggesting is that we begin by agreeing that people have a moral sense, and that they see things in terms of “right and wrong.” Generally, people respect virtue and are favorable toward virtuous actions. Yes, certain people, from a defective, antisocial personality, don’t see that, or don’t see it in a way most people would consider healthy and moral.  Those are exceptions. But as a rule, people are revulsed by suffering (even animal suffering). They have pity on those in distress, they come to the aid of people in trouble, they believe we ought not to lie, cheat, or steal, and they take their promises seriously.

          Most people do not fall into the cynicism and nihilism of Nietzsche and others like him in the world (remember, Nietzsche went insane). But if this world is it, and if we are nothing better than reptilian, there is no explanation for this. There is no reason for any animal, even the “human animal,” to have morals, to be virtuous, or to subordinate self-interest to any other cause. There would be no rational explanation for Horatius at the Bridge, the soldier who is willing to fall on a hand grenade, the person who risks his life to save a drowning stranger, the family that shares its meager food with others, or, yes, the neighbor who donates a kidney to a dying man. These things are what we mean by moral facts that call for an explanation, which I suggest naturalism cannot provide.

            On the second prong of the thought process, moral knowledge, how do we know anything about morality in the first place? Where does moral knowledge come from?  We have the fact of moral understanding as noted above, things we “know deep down.” We know of no purely naturalistic, biochemical or mechanical process that would produce such knowledge. Yes, our parents, teachers, and others impart these things to us. But if we look back far enough some original human beings first obtained this knowledge that is passed down the generations.  It is hard to see any nontheistic explanation for that.

            What about the process of moral transformation, that is, the sense we all have that we want and need to be better and do better and attain a state of moral uprightness, even moral perfection? Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography writes of his youthful attempt to live a morally perfect life.  He tried.  But soon things intruded. He felt the pull of impulses and desires that warred against his resolve, and he soon concluded he could not do it, at least not of his own will power and strength. I am not perfect and have never met a perfect person, yet I feel the desire to “be good” and more than good. If we are mere biochemical amalgamations there would be no reason for us to care about this. There’s no reason to think beetles care about this.

          But if we are beings made in the image of a creator and sustainer God, that would be a reasonable explanation for the pull of conscience. What we are looking for here is how to make sense of these phenomena. Human beings are valuable because they are made in the image of God, and our sense of right and wrong affirms this consciously or otherwise.

            Lastly, what about moral rationality, happiness, joy, and peace? That is, does virtue cohere with happiness and fulfillment? Sometimes the “right” thing and the desired thing will come into conflict. We want to steal that cookie, we want to cheat on our taxes, we want to tell a lie to escape shame or punishment, we want to seduce our neighbor’s attractive wife. Leaving aside the possible secular and legal repercussions of following such desires, what would make sense of foregoing giving in to the desire unless it would be our greater happiness, our better satisfaction, at knowing we did the right thing? The ancient philosophers taught that virtue produced satisfaction. From a naturalistic point of view, when the tension arises between caring about ourselves and caring about others, there is no reason not to indulge ourselves. But if there is a God, a good and loving God who assures the ultimate happiness and joy of those who do right, then it makes perfect sense.

            So, the cumulative weight of these moral considerations, I would humbly suggest, really gives us something to think about. It calls for serious reflection on the sources and reasons for our moral imperatives. For me such considerations lead to the conclusion the Christian God who creates us in his image, sustains us and draws us to himself makes the best explanation of these facts.  That in turn leads us to consider what that God says to us about being reconciled to him, in the face of our failure or inability to live up to the moral standards we perceive. The answer, the only answer, is, through faith in Jesus Christ and the sure hope of an eternal future in which we are transformed.

 
0 Comments

​Why are the comfortable words comfortable?

3/20/2022

0 Comments

 
          During our worship service there is a place in the Book of Common Prayer (p. 76) that provides four scripture verses that we call the “comfortable words.” As the name implies, these words are there to comfort us, to ease our distress, to give us confidence and assurance. Why do we need that? How does a “comfortable word” provide it?

          First comes the statement by Jesus that all are who are heavy laden should come to him and he will give them rest. In context it says this (11:28-30):

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (ESV)

What is Jesus talking about? He is talking to all of us. We are all heavy laden and wearied. By what? Does he mean by our jobs? Our schoolwork? The pressures of life? Illness? No, not those things, but spiritual things.

          We are weighed down by our sense of guilt, inadequacy, insufficient righteousness, and poor performance in the face of the holiness of God and his perfection. How do we know that is our burden? Every human being who has ever lived has felt that burden, however it may be expressed (see, e.g., Rom 1:18-32). Even the pagans understood, perhaps better than people today, that their lives, their conduct, their actions, their behavior, would not be considered righteous under the scrutiny of divine authority. They had no doubt that some thing, some one, some person or persons, some god or gods, ruled over them and had authority over them, and ultimately would hold them accountable. That is why they made sacrifices to whatever deities they worshiped. This is what Paul spoke to when he addressed the philosophers in Athens (Acts 17:22-34, page 926).

This is what John Bunyan wrote about in The Pilgrim’s Progress:

I dreamed, and behold I saw a man [Pilgrim] clothed in rags standing in a certain place, with his face [turned away] from his own house, a book in his hand [the Bible], and a great burden on his back [his sense of guilt]. I looked and saw him open the book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled: and not being able to contain himself any longer, he broke out with a lamentable cry, saying, “What shall I do?”

          In the second comfortable words verse Jesus says is that God loved the world, his creation, so much that he took steps to breach the gulf between us and him caused by mankind’s rebellion. He acted where we were impotent. He forgave us and took the initiative with us and for us by joining with us in a unique and inscrutable way through the incarnation. He so loved the world that he gave his only son, that is he gave something most precious, so that those who place their trust and faith in the son, in Christ Jesus, would not die forever but would have eternal life. There is tremendous power, hope, and joy in those few direct and simple words Jesus spoke.

          And though Archbishop Cranmer gave us these “comfortable words” in 1549 from John 3:16, there are sobering words that follow and that really show us just how wonderful the “comfortable” words are (Jn 3:16-21):

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (ESV)

          And then we have one of the many statements from Saint Paul, in which he tells us the statement he is making is trustworthy and should be embraced by all of us. That statement is that Christ Jesus came to earth not to judge sinners, but to save sinners. The time for judgment will come in the future. But that was not Jesus purpose or function in coming to the earth. As he said when he read from Isaiah he had come to proclaim freedom, liberation from the yoke of the law.       

And finally, what could be more comforting, more “comfortable,” than what John the apostle wrote when he said if we sin, he might as well have said when we sin, we have an advocate with the father. We have a defense attorney when we stand in the dock. And that defense attorney is the perfect advocate, truly the only one who could be our advocate in that circumstance, Jesus Christ the righteous.

          And he doesn’t only defend us, he rescues us because, as John said, he is the propitiation for our sins. Now that’s a big word probably not seen much today except in the Bible. But it is a word pregnant with meaning and power. Some Bible translations call it something other than propitiation, something like sacrifice of redemption. And that’s a good way to put it. God is reconciled to us not by anything we do, or could do, but by the atonement, the propitiation, performed by Christ Jesus the righteous.

          And when we put our faith and trust in Christ Jesus, that sacrifice, that propitiation, is transferred to our side of the ledger and we are redeemed. We are justified. God justifies us, not because of anything we do or possess, but because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The vocabulary of the Bible talks about a declaration by God at the last judgment that we are acquitted because of Jesus (e.g., Rom 2:13, 3:30, pp. 940, 941). 
​       
          So that’s why we call these brief but pithy statements from the Bible comfortable words. Aren’t they comforting, friends, for people like you and me?

 
0 Comments

June 21st, 2021

6/21/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture

​







Saint Paul's Anglican Church has an historic connection to the Armenian community within our city, going back to the early 20th century when many Armenians immigrated to the United States fleeing from genocide. Saint Paul's church welcomed and embraced the Armenian families, beginning a long standing tradition of worship at Saint Paul's by members of that community. In April Father Andrew Faust and Deacon Bryan Dench attended the memorial remembrance at the genocide monument in Portland to offer prayers and spiritual support.
0 Comments

Good Times, Bad Times, for the Apostles

5/16/2021

0 Comments

 
​Saint Paul’s – May 16, 2021 Bad Things/Good Things
 
As we observe the weeks surrounding Jesus’s Passion and Resurrection, we walk with his disciples through an amazing period of ups and downs, despair and reversals, and deep mysteries of our faith.  Seven things stand out.
 
  • ONE The last supper. John’s Gospel provides a record of Jesus’s final actions and teachings with his disciples over the Passover, the night before he died. In the Upper Room Discourse, he tells them, “Let not your hearts be troubled (Jn 14:27).  He instructs them, “I am the way, the truth, and the life… 14:6. In the course of the Upper Room Discourse tells them three times he expects them to love one another (Jn 13:34, 14:32 15:17), a very significant repetition of his command to us.  He assures them the Holy Spirit will come, 14:16-17, 26, and that it is good for them that Jesus will leave them so that the Father and Jesus can send them this Spirit.
  • TWO His Passion and Crucifixion. After their final meal together and after they hear all the profound and amazing things Jesus has to say, his followers then see perhaps the worst day in human history. But in a way could it be said it is the best day in human history? Because it is the day Jesus proclaims, “it is finished.” His once for all atoning work, sufficient for all people, is completed, is accomplished.
  • THREE. In the tomb three days. The disciples cower in that upper room for three dreadful days.  Everything they hoped for has been shattered.  The man they followed and loved for three years has been gruesomely killed and is gone. They fear for their own lives. Can we even imagine how they felt?
  • FOUR – Resurrection, Easter!! Then on the third day they learn their Messiah has risen from the dead. It is overwhelming, incomprehensible, and joyous all at once.  Their mad rollercoaster of emotions and experiences continues.
    • FIVE – 40 days Jesus is with them. They are reunited with Jesus, he walks with them, talks with them, preaches to and teaches many (500 at once one time). Everything is unbelievably good again, fantastic, wonderful.  But, it does not last, as Jesus then ASCENDS  to the Fahter, leaving them yet again (Acts Chapter 1). But it is what he said he would do (Jn 14:28). He had to leave them; he came down he must return. In fact it is to our advantage, as Jesus said, for many reasons. Because the Holy Spirit will come,  Jesus will be our advocate with the Father, and even so Jesus will be with us to the end of the age (Matthew 28). Yes, his return is to our advantage, but imagine how difficult for his disciples at that time to see this.
  • SIX – Jesus sends the apostles sent back to Jerusalem to ….. WAIT! (John 16:7-8). They had been given a specific charge by Jesus to be his witnesses, but at first he sends them back to wait for the Holy Spirit.  Another ten days they are closeted in an upper room, waiting, unsure, in fear.  What must have been going through their minds! They had Jesus, they lost him horribly, then they had him again, and then again they lost him! It is hard to imagine or comprehend what they experienced and how they maintained faith and unity, but they did.
  • SEVEN – Pentecost, the church is born!  After those ten long days the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and they and the whole world were transformed. They set the world on fire. Like them, we wait for the Pentecost, pray for the Holy Spirit, and trust God.
 
John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. 16 1“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.
 
The Work of the Holy Spirit
 
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
 
 
 
0 Comments

February 22nd, 2021

2/22/2021

0 Comments

 
The Temptation of Jesus (Mathew 4:1-11, ESV)

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” [Dt 8:3]

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” [Ps 91, vv. 11 and 12]

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
    and him only shall you serve.’” [Dt 6:16]

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

1. This Gospel gives us a lesson in how to handle difficulty or temptation – Go to the Bible.
a. Jesus gives us the example.
b. This account tells us that Satan is ready to needle us when we’re under pressure.
c. God knows that will happen and he has given us the refuge of his word.
d. To benefit from the bible, we must read it, absorb “every word” not just the words we like, and interpret it honestly so it is consistent.

2. The Devil is persistent. He tries three times here to get Jesus to yield. And he returned later as Jesus neared his passion and crucifixion.

3. The Devil is sly.  He hits points of weakness (hunger, fatigue, anxiety).

4. The Devil is no joke, no funny character with horns and pitchfork.

5. The Devil is a serious enemy.

6. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:5-8.

7. The Devil knows the scriptures and can use them to manipulate.  In this passage he cites Psalm 91, vv. 11 and 12 to Jesus. But he’s dishonest about it.

8. It was his first point of attack, to distort God’s word and suggest it cannot be trusted: “Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” Gen 3:1.

9. “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” Jn 8:44.

10. C. S. Lewis, introduction to The Screwtape Letters:
Now, if by “the Devil” you mean a power opposite to God and, like God, self-existent from all eternity, the answer is certainly No. There is no uncreated being except God. God has no opposite. No being could attain a “perfect badness” opposite to the perfect goodness of God; for when you have taken away every kind of good thing (intelligence, will, memory, energy, and existence itself) there would be none of him left. The proper question is whether I believe in devils. I do. That is to say, I believe in angels, and I believe that some of these, by the abuse of their free will, have become enemies to God and, as a corollary, to us. These we may call devils. They do not differ in nature from good angels, but their nature is depraved.
Devil is the opposite of angel only as Bad Man is the opposite of Good Man. Satan, the leader or dictator of devils, is the opposite, not of God [or Jesus], but of Michael.

11. But here is the good news, Jesus has defeated Satan.

12. “I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jn 16:33

13. “We know that anyone born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.” Jas 5:18

14. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Jas 4:17

15. So, here’s the point,

a. God’s word is our refuge.  God gives it to us to build us up.  It’s our survival manual. Pilot Scott Francis O'Grady in 1990’s.

b. We do need to take the Devil seriously.  He has some limited authority over this world, and we see him in action. His mischief can hurt us.

c. Ultimately, though, we don’t need to be afraid of him, because we have the protection of Jesus, who has overcome. God restrains him and does not allow him to do us any permanent harm.

d. The Lord’s prayer ends, “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil (ponērou) perhaps best understood as “the evil one.”

We must discipline our lives, but we must do so all the year round, and not merely at stated periods. I must discipline myself at all times.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones 
Quoted in Donald S Whitney (2020). (p. 287). Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Revised and Updated Edition. 
0 Comments

Parables Study Is Going Well!

2/4/2021

0 Comments

 
An interesting topic that came up in the context of the parables of the sower and of the wheat and weeds is that issue of the unpardonable sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matt 12:31-32).  Why do some reject the gospel and, apparently, never turn to Christ? We talked about that and perhaps the best succinct statement from one of the study notes said this speaks to flagrant, willful, and persistent rejection of God and his commands. When Jesus was speaking he was talking about those who heard him and turned away. In our present context, “This sin is committed today only by unbelievers who deliberately and unchangeably reject the ministry of the Holy Spirit in calling them to Salvation” (ESV Study Bible note). Resistance to God’s call or periods of sinful thinking or hostility to God can be forgiven.  It is only the unrepentant obstinance of an unbelieving person that, as C. S. Lewis put, can lead God to say to the sinner, “your will be done,” leaving him or her in his or her state of rejection.
 
We also talked about the question why is it not “given” to all to understand the parables and the things of God.  This may be God’s sovereign choice, “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’” Rom. 9:15 (RSV).

0 Comments

The Wedding at Cana

1/25/2021

0 Comments

 
For the Homily on the Wedding at Cana and the first miraculous "sign" of Jesus, preventing the humiliation of a newly married groom by transforming ordinary water into finest wine, see the attached document.

homily_for_january_24_2021.docx 
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Deacon Bryan Dench, AB, JD, MDiv

    Archives

    September 2022
    August 2022
    March 2022
    June 2021
    May 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Thank you for visiting our website!  For more information about St. Paul's, please click the "Contact Us" link above.