Theology

Rule of Faith – Irenaeus

/ lucas kelly / Leave a comment

“. . . this faith: in one God, the Father Almighty, who made the heaven and the earth and the seas and all the things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who was made flesh for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who made known through the prophets the plan of salvation, and the coming, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the bodily ascension into heaven of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and his future appearing from heaven in the glory of the Father to sum up all things and to raise anew all flesh of the whole human race . . .”

-St. Irenaeus

Christ is Risen Indeed!

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Christ is Risen: The world below lies desolate
Christ is Risen: The spirits of evil are fallen
Christ is Risen: The angels of God are rejoicing
Christ is Risen: The tombs of the dead are empty
Christ is Risen indeed from the dead,
the first of the sleepers,
Glory and power are his forever and ever

-St. Hippolytus (AD 190-236)

 

Jonathan Edwards’ Seventh Resolution

/ lucas kelly / 1 Comment

“7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.”

-Jonathan Edwards

 

At my school, Sequitur Classical Tutorial, we just finished reading Everyman, a mediaeval morality play. The main plot of the story follows: God summons Death to bring to him Everyman, the main character of the story. Upon meeting Death and realizing his intentions, Everyman begs Death to let him have more time, for he is not ready to give a reckoning of his life, but to no avail. Yet finally, Everyman persuades Death to let him try and bring others along with him on his journey to God. Everyman first goes to Fellowship, who promises to give his life for Everyman, yet recants when it comes down to it. Likewise, Cousin and Kin, and Goods (possesions) react similarly: they promise great things, yet change their minds ultimately. In the end, only Good Deeds and Knowledge accompany Everyman on his journey to give a reckoning.

The moral of the story is two-fold. First, it seems to be rather obvious that the underlying message of the play is that we ought to live a life that would be ready to give a reckoning to God at any moment, as Jonathan Edwards Seventh Resolution states. The second moral can be expressed in this stanza from the play’s script: “O all thing faileth, save God alone; Beauty, Strength, and Discretion; for when Death bloweth his blast, they all run from me fast.” (Everyman) God is the only constant thing we have, and he should be regarded above all else, for all else dwindles away in the end.

 

Lucas

 

 

Protestants vs. Catholics

/ lucas kelly / 1 Comment

When Christians of opposing theologies condemn those who disagree with them on particular issues as heretics, I get irked. For instance, the Strange Fire Conference condemning the Charismatics, and many Protestants condemning Roman Catholics troubles me.  The latter will be the focus of this post, due to a recent post on challies.com, condemning Pope Francis as a false teacher of a false church: “[Pope Francis] is the head of a false church that is opposed to the true gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone… Rome remains fully committed to a gospel that cannot and will not save a single soul”

I am not Roman Catholic. I have said this before, and I will say it again. Honestly, I disagree with a large majority of Catholic theologies. Yet, I acknowledge Rome to be a valid – yet incorrect – denomination of Christianity. A faithful Catholic is just as much Christian as a faithful Protestant or a faithful Eastern Orthodox Christian, and nothing really makes me more upset than to see a Christian condemning other Christians.

Vatican

The Vatican

The main reason that Protestants today condemn Catholics as heretics is their doctrine of justification by faith + works, a doctrine which I absolutely disagree with. I believe that humans are totally incapable if meriting salvation in any form or fashion other than faith. Faith alone saves. (Rom. 3:28).

Yet I do not believe in a God who sentences those who have faults in their theology to eternal damnation: I tend to be Calvinist, but I do not believe that God condemns faithful Arminians; I tend to be Continuationist, but I do not believe God condemns faithful Cessationist; I believe in Sola Fide (by faith alone), yet I do not believe that God condemns those faithful Catholics who believe in faith + works, etc.. As N.T.Wright said,  “We are not justified by faith by believing in justification by faith. We are justified by faith by believing in the gospel itself — in other words that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead.” Catholics affirm this, along with the Trinity, Christ’s full deity, full humanity, death, resurrection, and his atonement for our sins. These must be affirmed to be an orthodox Christian. Outside of these essentials, one ought not to condemn another for heresy. One ought not to assume that they are right therefore have the power and ability to condemn those who are wrong. That’s God’s place, and God’s alone.

I do want to emphasize a great many differences between Protestants and Rome. Catholics hold to many things, such as Purgatory, Justification by Faith and Works, Papal Infallibility, Inclusivism, Sacramental Grace, praying to saints, prayers for dead, and other things that Protestants disagree with vehemently. My point in writing this is not to say “Oh, Catholics, Protestants, what’s the difference?”  for such is not the case. There are a vast many reasons that we Protestants do not belong in Rome’s fold. My point in writing this is to say, “Guys, call down. We all worship the same God, only in different ways.” So please, recognize that we have differences – because we do – but Protestants, love your Catholic brothers, and Catholics, love your Protestant brothers.

Christians all worship the same God. Do not be so quick to judge, for the judgement shall only fall back on you. (Matt. 7:1-5)

Lucas

Protestants Crossing Themselves

/ lucas kelly / 3 Comments

Oh, how I wish Rome didn’t have a monopoly on making the Sign of the Holy Cross. How I wish Christians didn’t view making the Cross before/after praying, when partaking of the Eucharist, at Baptism, etc.  as “something Roman Catholics do.” Part of me exclaims “Oh, to heck with what the majority of Christianity thinks! I’m Crossing myself!” Yet my other, more respectful self says, “Lucas, respect the your peers and elder’s beliefs. It isn’t a hill to die on.”

And of course it isn’t. It’s a sign, and merely that. But it represents more than the Cross. Chiefly, it is a reminder that I’ve been baptized. That MATTERS. No matter what one think Baptism “does” – whether it only represents cleansing, or whether it actually does the cleansing – the fact that one has been been baptized matters greatly, and should be remembered. On one certain occasion Martin Luther, the Great Reformer, was being tempted tirelessly by Satan, so he supposedly threw his ink-well across the room at the wall and shouted “I have been baptized! I am a Christian!” To remember one’s baptism, be it credo or paedo, is to remember that they have been marked as one of God’s Fold, they have been set apart.

To Cross oneself is not only to remember baptism, but to remember what has been done and what that implies: Christ died for the whole world, and that should by no means be forgotten at any time. That should have great implications on one’s life. This fact ought to provide fuel for the fight against sin, so to remind oneself of that regularly is healthy.

So, one side of me exclaims emphatically that every Christian should Cross themselves.

But my other, more cautious side says that there is surely a reason that a large portion of Christians don’t make the Sign. Unfortunately, doing something repeatedly, no matter what that is,  typically gets mundane, ritualistic, thoughtless, and taken for granted. Obviously, the same goes for making a hand sign, no matter how great or small its meaning is. This is why many churches, mine included, don’t partake of the Eucharist on a weekly basis. While I feel that the Holy Communion ought to be partaken of weekly, that is for another blog post.

Anyway, unless the vast majority of Protestants change their view of the Sign of the Holy Cross, I would caution those bold protestants out there, saying “Hey! I want to do that too!” to abstain from making the Sign in public (if you want to in private, by all means, go ahead), because when someone sees that sign, they automatically think, “that person is Roman Catholic.” Not that there is anything wrong with Roman Catholics, but there are reasons that we Protestants aren’t Catholic.

 

In Christ,

Lucas.

A Prayer of Repentance

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A Prayer of Repentance
“O Lord our God, good and merciful, I acknowledge all my sins which I

have committed every day of my life, in thought, word and deed; in body

and soul alike. I am heartily sorry that I have ever offended thee, and I

sincerely repent; with tears I humbly pray thee, O Lord: of thy mercy

forgive me all my past transgressions and absolve me from them. I firmly

resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to amend my way of life and to sin

no more; that I may walk in the way of the righteous and offer praise

and glory to the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Amen.”

 

Oh, why do I find myself constantly praying this and similar prayers? Why must I be so depraved? It is wonderful to love a God who forgive me every time I fall, who picks me up and puts me back on my feet to take another step.

Martin Luther on Music

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“Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.”
-Martin Luther

 

Music is truly a gift of God. It can alter moods and talk to you. When I hear songs that I listened to regularly during a sad time of my life, they make me sad. When I hear songs that I listened to regularly during a happy time of my life, they make me happy. Such a wonderful quote by one of my favorite theologians, Martin Luther.

What is Prophesy Today?

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The continuation/cessation of Spiritual Gifts may very well be one of the most debated points of theology in the Christian Religion. With the Charismatic Movement’s exponential growth, cessationists have responded with things such as “Strange Fire Convention,” that is, a convention that bashes all things regarding the activity of spiritual gifts, and especially believers charismatic affiliations. I shall examine both sides of the debate and present my case for what I believe.

 

I define myself as a “Piperian Charismatic,” that is, I tend to agree with Pastor John Piper on the activity of the spiritual gifts (you can see his  oppinions on such gifts here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzipsG3-S6A and here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf1cdXdgFxU). I am not charismatic in the Pentacostal sense, meaning I do not think that speaking in tongues is the one and only sign of spiritual baptism and is required for salvation. Personally, I believe that spiritual gifts come in all shapes and sizes, and one Christian does not always have the same gifts as another. So, as you read this, take what I write with a grain of salt, for my biases tend to be quite strong.

 

For the sake of argument, an examination of the continuationist and cessationist arguments should prove helpful, starting with the later.

 

Cessationism is the belief that, with the end of the Apostolic Era, when the last direct apostle of Christ died, the gifts of the Holy spirit ceased, or stopped “working,” and were no more. The reason for this argument is that when the Cannon of Scripture was completed, there was no need for divine revelation any longer. There is no Scripture reference that directly supports this argument, other than 1 Corinthians 13:8, but such should not be a deterrent from adhering from a certain belief. An appeal to silence is a fallacy.

 

Continuationism, on the contrary, is the belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit continue still today, and will not cease until the Second Coming of Christ. Scriptures supporting this belief are such as Acts 2:38-39, 1 Corinthians 13:8-12, and a few others.

 

The largest  cessationist argument is that of Sola Scriptura (by Scripture Alone), which means that Scripture alone is our one and only source of infallible divine authority. The gift most troubling to the cessationist is prophecy, which is most commonly defined as an infallible revelation from God. If this definition is upheld by a continuationist, then they can not simultaneously uphold Sola Scritura. The thing is, this definition is faulty and does not match up with the New Testament. While this may have been the case in the Old Testament, New Covenant prophecy is quite different.  Let’s examine one of the most extensive explanations of the Gifts in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 13.

 

” Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part but when completeness comes,what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 (Italics added for emphasis)

 

So, as we can see, Paul states rather explicitly that New Testament Prophecy is not infallible. It is from God, of course, but it is not equal to Scripture. Surely an infallible prophesy would not be “in part.” Let’s take a look at another passage in Acts:

“After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” Acts 21:10-11

Later, we see that Agabus’ prophecy was not completely true: it had two small mistakes: Paul was not bound by the Jews, rather the Romans, and the Jews did not deliver Paul to the Gentiles, rather the Romans had to rescue him from the Jews. It seems rather obvious that such a prophesy is not infallible, for it is errant. Thus the conclusion can be reached that New Covenant Prophesy is not infallible, but it is rather divine “promptings” or “inspirations.” For example, if I am witnessing to someone, prophesy would be evident if I say words that I didn’t know I knew, or make arguments clearer than I knew I could.  Likewise, another form of prophecy would be an intuition that something is wrong or will go wrong and something must be done about it, etc.

 

More could be said, and I will someday, but for now I hope I have at least stirred your mind a little. Please give your thoughts! 🙂

God Bless!

Lucas.

 

 

 

Racism and Christianity

/ lucas kelly / 5 Comments

Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 

As someone vehemently opposed to racism, I believe that one who actively pursues and acts upon racism can not claim be a Christian. There is no reconciling the Gospel of Christ with any form of racism (i.e. White-supremacy, Neo-nazism, KKKism, Black Panther Partyism, etc.). We see in Numbers 12 Moses being opposed by Aaron and Miriam because he was married to a Cushite woman, that is, an Ethiopian woman. God struck Miriam with leprosy and her hand turned white. If God does not have a problem with and even defends race and race-mixing, neither should we, as Christians, have a problem with such. To do so is to completely contradict the fact that all men are made in God’s image, and that Christ died for all men, Black, White, Asian, Indian, etc.

 

Fighting words? Maybe. But this is something I think is worth fighting for. Yet over all, these are just some thoughts. Feel free to correct me, contradict me, agree with me, etc.