Omniscient GOD | ACBC Exam Question #8

8.       State briefly the biblical basis for, and formulate the doctrine of, God’s omniscience. Relate this doctrine to the teaching of “open theism.”

God is omniscient, which means all-knowing.  It’s beyond our human minds to comprehend what that really means, but A.W. Tozer described it well when he wrote;

“God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters, all mind and every mind, all spirit and all spirits, all being and every being, all creaturehood and all creatures, every plurality and all pluralities, all law and every law, all relations, all causes, all thoughts, all mysteries, all enigmas, all feeling, all desires, every unuttered secret, all thrones and dominions, all personalities, all things visible and invisible in heaven and in earth, motion, space, time, life death, good, evil, heaven and hell. 

Because God knows all things perfectly, He knows nothing better than any other thing, but all things equally well.  He never anything, He is never surprised, never amazed.  He never wonders about anything nor (except when drawing men out for their own good) does He seek information or ask questions.”¹

                Is that not awe inspiring?  What an incredible God He is.  Scripture tells of God’s vast knowledge unlimited by time.  On a personal individual basis God knows us more intimately than we do ourselves, and the whole of our lives is an open book before Him.  Psalm 139:16 says; “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Open theism suggests that there are limitations to the knowledge of God.  This doctrine came about because people could not resolve that humanity could have free-will if God already knew the outcome of all things.  So, theologians have come up with this concept that; “God does not exercise meticulous control of the universe but leaves it "open" for humans to make significant choices (free will) that impact their relationships with God and others. A corollary of this is that God has not predetermined the future. Open Theists further believe that this would imply that God does not know the future exhaustively. Proponents affirm that God is omniscient, but deny that this means that God knows everything that will happen.”²

                Open theism is a humanistic attempt to validate human freedom of choice, and as a result diminishes God’s majesty, sovereignty, and brings into question the veracity of many other attributes of God.  It’s pathetic, erroneous, and extremely dangerous; a doctrine that must be refuted.

I accept that it’s hard to understand how I make my own choices from the minute to the life altering; and at the very same time God is all-knowing and therefore would have complete foreknowledge of any and all of my choices all at once.  This is true.  He knows, I don’t.  He has an eternal vantage point that I do not.  He created us as free-will being so that worship is genuine, not forced robotics, but sincere.  It is humbling, and so amazing to me that God knew His creation would rebel, God knew His Son would need to die, God knew and yet He created, He allows sin, and loves enough to redeem.  That is my omniscient God who is beyond my understanding, and yet I am okay with that, I am actually comforted by the fact that He is bigger, more infinite and divine than my logic can make reasonable.  I will not cheapen who He is.  I will bow, I will worship, and I will be in awe of Him.          

¹ “The Knowledge of the Holy” A.W Tozer, page 62-63
² www.theopedia.com/Open_theism

In Loving Memory

Opa Arie Nugteren 

1928-2014

  Gone from this earth now, but present with the LORD.  Your faith in Christ made heaven your certain eternal home.  We cherish the memories of times we shared, and look forward to the day we'll see you again.  Knowing Jesus means death is not good-bye, but a "See you again!".  Rejoicing with you Opa that you are enjoying heaven's splendor and our Saviour face-to face.     

Attributes of GOD | ACBC Exam Question #7

1.       List and develop five attributes of God and how they relate to the believer’s life and counseling.

God is true; meaning “being in accordance with the actual; conforming to reality or fact; not false, real; not deceitful, faithful.”¹ “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)  The foundation for us to become believers is faith in God as true, and in counseling this must be believed by the counselee also.  It’s the foundation that God and His Word are truth that gives us a framework on which to build our lives.   

God is holy; meaning “separation from all that is common, or unclean.  In respect to God, holiness means not only that He is separate from all that is unclean and evil but also that He is positively pure and thus distinct from all others.”² God’s holiness ought to clearly confront us with our own sin, and drive us to Jesus, the only solution.  Holiness becomes our standard for living; “…but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Peter 1:15).  

God is merciful; meaning “the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment.”³  “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” Ephesians 2:4,5.  God’s mercy makes it possible to be forgiven, to know Christ.  We deserve God’s wrath, judgement, and hell for our sin, and yet God has given us a way out through faith in Christ we can be redeemed, forgiven, and have eternal life with Him.

God is sovereign; meaning “supreme; preeminent; indisputable, greatest in degree; being above all others in character, importance, excellence.”⁴ Understanding God’s sovereignty requires some clarification because if God is in full control does that impede upon the free will of humanity?  No.  This takes some faith to accept, God is over all that exists, in authority and power, He controls everything, and yet we do freely choose.  He has permitted sin, and evil in the world but He did not design it or desire for humans to sin or pursue evil, but it is permitted and used in His bigger plan.  The characteristic of God being sovereign gives us and counselees hope and peace because we cling to the facts that “….according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11b) and, “The Lord works out everything to its proper end—even the wicked for a day of disaster.” (Proverbs 16:4) 

God is eternal; meaning “God exists endlessly, His existence extends endlessly backward and forward (for our view of time) without any interruption or limitation caused by succession of events.”⁵  “…from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2b)  The eternality of God is a great source of comfort in the life of a believer in our world where nothing lasts forever, and very little can be relied upon fully, there is a God who is always and will forever exist, and we can be certain of that fact.

Who God is in His character is absolutely awesome.  Knowing Him through His Word offers such rich truths to think on; challenging the unbeliever to decision, offering security to believers, and much help for ourselves and those we counsel.  We want Biblical counsel to always point to God.   Discussing who He is and what that means in our day-to day reality and struggles is a powerful and practical way to accomplish that.     

^2,5 “Basic Theology” Charles Ryrie, page 36,37    ^1,3,4 www.dictionary.com

GOD-Three in One | ACBC Exam Question #6

16.       State briefly the biblical basis for, and formulate the doctrine of, the Trinity.

God is three identities; Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit, each member is equally God independently, and yet together they are the One.  This concept is truly a mystery we cannot fully comprehend, but a truth we must know, and then believe by faith.

  From the beginning of Creation we read that all three members of the Trinity were present and actively involved in the process. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…. and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters…Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” (Genesis 1:1-2, 26 my own emphasis added).

The word “trinity” is not used anywhere in Scripture, but the doctrine is communicated in many passages.  In the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19 the disciples were instructed to; “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.  This verse recognizes the three Persons of God, each one having an important role in the life of a believer.  

Each member of the Trinity functions uniquely, and are mentioned in Scripture as accomplishing certain tasks.  In 1 Peter 1:2 we see this clearly; “…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.”  Here God the Father is the elector who knows in advance who will come to know Christ as Saviour, the Holy Spirit has the role of sanctifying a person, and it is all accomplished by the sacrificial blood of Christ that has paid the sin debt of one who believes. 

  At times an analogy can help us picture a truth, enabling us to better understand a concept, though when it comes to comparing God to anything on earth it will always pale in comparison, falling short, as nothing here on earth can aptly capture the majestic phenomenon of God.  However, like an egg has a shell, white, and yolk God is distinctively Three, and yet One at the same time.  Each is different in its substance, function, and appearance, but each is still considered egg weather independently or as a whole unit.

The doctrine of the Trinity should be upheld as truth, and should inspire us a believers to worship this God beyond our understanding for who He is as Three in One.            

Dear Reader~family member, friend, acquaintance or complete stranger,


As the sun rises this beautiful Christmas morn, and I sit by a lit Christmas tree with gift awaiting opening and enjoyment, listening to carols, anticipating a delightful day of festivities and joy-filled celebration.  My heart is thankful to God for all these blessings.  

I want to wish you a Very Merry Christmas, from our home, from our hearts to you, wherever you may be reading this.

Praying your celebrations will be so much more than a feast filled belly, and a pile of gifts.  May you know the most precious gift of all, the first Christmas gift of all time, and the very reason Christmas exists-the Christ child, Jesus.

May He mean more to you than a figurine you pull out if it's box at the holiday season, or a religious figure from history.  Jesus is sooo much more.  

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."  John 1:14 

Jesus is the Son of God, Holy Deity in flesh, among men.  Born of a virgin, fulfill-er of prophesies, the Messiah to save mankind.  He is the embodiment of truth who demonstrated the grace of God by coming to this sin cursed earth, living a sinless life and then dying on the cross undeservedly but willingly to pay for my sin, your sin, the sins of the whole world.  All we need to do is accept the gift.

If you have received by faith that Jesus was in fact the Son of God, and have believed by faith that He paid for your sins and came back to life proving His power over sin and death, then Christmas holds so much meaning.  The day to stop and cherish His gift to us, to worship afresh, to honour the King of Kings who came as a babe to save this world.  

May He be the welcome guest on the throne of your heart and mine today.  Knowing Him changes everything, especially Christmas.  Amid the wrapping paper, lights, lavish meals, family time, and Christmas baking I hope that we cherish more.... the peace, the hope, the joy, the security that is known in Christ alone.  

Merry Christmas!

    

Continuing Revelation and the Sufficiency of Scripture | ACBC Exam question #5

5. Many Christians today speak of continuing revelation.  Relate this concept to inspiration and sufficiency of the Scripture.  Relate this concept to the issue of miracles, prophecy, and tongues.

        “Traditionally, revelation and the Bible have been inseparable.  Contemporary views have driven a wedge between the Bible and revelation with devastating results.  Now revelation need no longer be found only in the Bible, but in the mighty acts of God and in personal encounter.  The existential experience has replaced objective truth as the Word of God.”¹ This concept of continuing revelation is dangerous.  To say that God has spoken to us today, giving our experience of God the authority only Scripture rightfully has is adding to His Word, the Bible, and every person could then claim they've heard various messages from God, causing confusion, licence, and no credible final authority on what is indeed God’s Word.  To suggest that God continues to give us new information is unbiblical.  He clearly stated in Proverbs 30:6, “Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” 

                Miracles, prophecy and tongues had a unique role in God’s plan.  Jesus preformed miracles to authenticate that He was the Messiah, God in the flesh among them (Matt. 9:27-31, 12:9,14, 14:13-21, Mark 1:21-27, 1:40-45, 2:1-12, Luke 8:22-25, 40-56, and many more).  At the onset of the early church tongues were experienced to demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, a new presence of God in believers (Acts 2).  Prophecies were made during Biblical times about historical events, to prove that Jesus was the Messiah (Micah 5:2, Daniel 9:25,26), and future events yet to come.   All Biblical prophesies made and fulfilled prove the Bible is God’s Word as no human could know in advance these events as He does. 

These signs and wonders performed were used by God at certain points in history for His purposes mentioned here.  These forms of God revealing Himself were never meant to become practices of the church, or carried on from those historic events.  1 Corinthians 13:8-10 reads; “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.” 

Because we now have the full Word of God, there is no need for any further revelation from Him.  The Bible ought to be considered the full, and complete, authoritative Word of God. 

¹ “Basic Theology” Charles Ryrie, page 66

ACBC exam #4 | General Revelation and Biblical Authority

Compare and contrast the Bible and it’s authority to general revelation and it’s authority.

General revelation is a term used to refer to how God is revealed through nature, and has made us all with a consciousness of Him.  “Through non-verbal communication, people of all cultures and all languages have the capacity to understand that Almighty God exists in all of His weighty importance.”¹ “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1-2).  Clearly from the Bible we read God intended all that we see in nature surrounding us points to the reality, power, authority, and control of God.  In Romans 1 we read that this knowledge we have from nature makes us consciously responsible, all humanity knows deep down that God exists, and we are accountable to Him.   “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18-20)  God’s revelation from nature is great knowledge, however it has its’ limits.  Later in Romans (10:17) we read; “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” 

Nature testifies of God, but the Bible gives us the knowledge we need unto salvation, and day-to-day sanctified living, which natural revelation is insufficient to accomplish.  Nature and human conscience draw us to His truth, but it is the Bible that gives us the proper knowledge and guidance of understanding our sin nature, God’s gift of grace, His place of holiness and our place of needing a Saviour.    

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)  God’s Word to us is a cherished treasure, incomparable to general revelation, but enhanced by it.  In and through it alone we can conclude; “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)

¹ “Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically” John MacArthur page 42