Ray and Laura - Truth

Mis-Answered Prayer

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:31:00 -0700

My family has been so broke. I just needed to find a better job. So I've been praying and others have been praying that I would find the right job.

And God is so good! He gave me a new job. I'm starting Sunday morning.

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Tattoos and the Christian

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:12:00 -0700

The "discussion" of tattoos seems to come up frequently in Christian circles. And often it seems to leave two very divided and opposing sides. Nothing I say is likely to end this highly polarized debate, but perhaps I can point to some truth...

You must not slash your body for a dead person or incise a tattoo on yourself. - Leviticus 19:28

While to some, that seems to settle it, for the sake of constructive and proper discussion, I will gladly continue.
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An Apologetic Whisper

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:00:40 -0700

The church has lost her testimony. She has no longer anything to say to the world. Her once robust shout of assurance has faded away to an apologetic whisper. She who one time went out to declare now goes out to inquire. Her dogmatic declaration has become a respectful suggestion, a word of religious advice, given with the understanding that it is after all only an opinion and not meant to sound bigoted. - A.W. Tozer (1897-1963)

The Parable of 6 Days

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:39:28 -0700

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Gen. 1:1

I decided to put this hemorrhage of my mind in the Truth category because the "story" of creation is often debated. But knowing the Bible is true: Is Genesis 1 a parable or is it literal?
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Present Imperative Active

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:13:00 -0800

Greek's imperative mood is used to issue a command, precisely in the same manner as the English imperative ("Do this or that"). In the active voice, it may indicate a command to do something in the future which involves continuous or repeated action.
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Trust: another dirty word

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:42:59 -0800

In daily life, we trust people for three reasons: because they claim our confidence, because their claims are supported by the testimony of others, and because we can test them for ourselves by our own experience.
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The Key to Believing the Bible

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 21:44:54 -0800

I'm holding a book with a subtitle of the title of this post. It's an attempt to systematically attack everything claiming to be a Bible other than the King James Authorized Version. Unfortunately, that end result does little to actually help a person believe the Bible, so it got me to thinking: What is the key to believing the Bible?
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Faith, and other dirty words

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 15:54:00 -0800

It would seem that my society hates the word faith. Most people don't like to be accused of "believing" in things. They are simply too smart to "believe."

The honest truth is that it's impossible not to believe - not to have faith. I'm not talking about God or religion. I'm talking about your world view.
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Free from Legalism

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:21:54 -0700

Laura brought my attention to this fantastic website (http://www.freefromlegalism.com). I hate legalism. 'Nuff said.

Lie: the Textus Receptus (or KJV) is THE Bible

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 07:43:52 -0700

The Textus Receptus (TR) on which the King James Version (KJV) is based is NOT the collection of majority (or Byzantine) texts. It is actually primarily the work of Desiderius Erasmus. Erasmus used primarily 6 Greek manuscripts to publish the TR in 1516. Of the 6, only one had a text independent of the Byzantine, and he used it very little. He also used the Latin Vulgate to fill in a few gaps (a translation of a translation). None of the various editions of the TR agree with any surviving text-type or manuscript (MSS). The result is a sort of text-type of its own that though similar to the majority text is far from representative.
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Saying too little

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:46:49 -0700

I've never been accused of saying too little. But I'm afraid most of what I've said over the years has been worthless. I've talked about a lot of mediocre movies or TV shows. I've argued about beliefs or convictions. I've smooth-talked a few girls. And that pretty much sums it up.

This past week, I've struggled with saying something that I felt was just about as important as anything I've ever said. I have tried to stop standing up for my convictions. My convictions don't really matter all that much. The truth is so much more important than what I "believe." Standing up for the truth should be easy. And it's certainly straightforward, but that doesn't mean it doesn't take any less courage. Especially when the person fighting the truth is supposed to be of like faith.

Even a little dirt muddies the water. So isn't one lie among a lot of truth still too important to let slide?

Unprofitable servant

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:09:00 -0700

In every path of life, let us all strive to attain the mind of Christ. Let us assist one another, neither envying those who surpass us, nor despising those who may lag behind. And if anyone should excel another, let him beware lest he be like the Pharisee in the Gospel, who recounted his good deeds to God; rather let him follow the teaching of Christ, and say, I am an unprofitable servant. No one more truly has faith than he who distrusts himself. No one is really farther from true religion than he who thinks himself most religious.

Erasmus - The life and character of Erasmus (pg 195) - A.R. Pennington

Several years ago, I remember learning this principle for the first time. At the time, I thought rather highly of myself, or so I remember. I remember thinking I had attained some kind of status in knowing more than even my elders. I thought I was a scholar. I was but an unprofitable servant.

I was quantifying my worth. I thought I had, say, 500. And those around me (including my elders) had significantly less, say 100. But after learning this principle, it occurred to me: If I have 500, and my brother only 100, am I really any closer to infinity? The truth of mathematics is an obvious no. But the truth of the matter, even more so, is that I cannot weigh my own heart let alone my brother's. What a fool I am to attempt to play judge. I am just an unprofitable servant.

Confrontational Evangalism

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:43:38 -0700

Tell me, I beseech you, what effect this will produce when they observe that our lives contradict our creed, and observe our tyranny, our ambition, our avarice, our rapacity, our lust, our debauchery, our cruelty, and our oppressions? The best way of gaining them would be to show that we are the servants and imitators of Jesus Christ; that we covet neither their lands, nor their money, nor their wives, nor their daughters, but we desire only their salvation, and the glory of Christ. This is the true, pure, and powerful theology which formerly subjected to Jesus Christ the pride of philosophers, and the sceptres of kings.

Erasmus - The life and character of Erasmus (pg 194-195) - A.R. Pennington

Erasmus: the first textual critic

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:35:24 -0700

[Erasmus] had been struggling to devote himself to the study of sacred literature, and that he had been prevented by the want of a better knowledge of Greek from continuing his work on St. Paul's Epistles, he continues: "For nearly these three years past, I have given my mind altogether to Greek literature; and I do not think my labour has been lost."
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An old argument

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:54:00 -0700

You complain of the study of Greek and Hebrew. You say it leads to the neglect of Latin. Was not the New Testament written in Greek? Did not the early Fathers write in Greek? Is truth only to be found in Gothic Latin?
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True Knowledge

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 11:08:00 -0700

What good is truth? Why does it really matter? Why should I care about what's true? Because we're talking about the answers to the test!
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Applied Truth

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 18:07:00 -0700

Look, are you righteous? I mean really. If you have called upon the name of Jesus, then you are made righteous through Him. But are you truly righteous yourself. I know I'm not. Then what are we really arguing about? Who's right and who's wrong. Give me a break. Seriously.
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The Tot Bawt Baw Principle

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 22:43:00 -0700

I love the word discipline. But I hate "doing" it. I should be more disciplined, but I'm really just not. One of my favorite books of all time is Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes. I like the book for it's systematic and Scriptural take on the do's and don't's of Christian manhood. I recognize that we need to be careful not to get caught up in legalism, but personally, I've spent so much time worrying about being legalistic that I've often swung the other way.

You've probably heard me say and you will certainly hear it again, that books (beside the Bible itself) contain opinion and therefore lies. I don't care how Godly or ungodly the author is or was, there is deception in every book and hopefully at least a little truth. From now on, I will call this the Tot Bawt Baw Principle.
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The Blood

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:57:00 -0700

I hesitate to do this, but I must present truth. This is only a crumb of a pie, so take it for what it's worth.

It was recently brought to my attention that the King James Version of the Bible is superior to the New American Standard Bible because it does not omit the word blood in Colossians 1:14. The argument goes to prove that the NASB is altering doctrine. So I wanted to see what was up...
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The proof is in the pudding

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:11:00 -0700

Or more correctly: the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. - 1 Jn. 3:10

Righteousness... I love that word. I'm obsessive compulsive about righteousness. The word isn't used much outside of religious circles, but it should. Righteousness and Wrongeousness. The proof for God is in the righteousness (not morality, not religious zeal, not pride) and wrongeousness. God claims to be wholly (and singularly) righteous. He also gives us the law to show us that we're wrongeous. The law will never define righteousness. It simply sheds light on how much we are wrong. Without God, there is no righteousness. There is simply lawlessness. To deny God is to deny that there is a right or wrong. And I would argue that every atheist I've ever met believes what they do for the latter. You see, the proof of God is in the eating of His righteousness.

Truth

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:42:00 -0700

Faithful Christian, seek the truth, hear the truth, learn the truth, love the truth, speak the truth, adhere to the truth, defend the truth to death; for truth will make you free from sin, the devil, the death of the soul, and finally from eternal death.

-Jan Hus

I love truth. I despise lies. And I accept that most of reality is really illusion. (For example, gravity is only as real as the temporal flesh.)

So needless to say, I struggle greatly when I see anything other than the truth taught as gospel. I have to either bite my tongue when appropriate, or unleash it when defense is more appropriate. I often hear lies about Christianity perpetuated by non-believers. It's often done to justify their actions and opinions. But more times than not, I hear believers spreading even more destructive lies. This is why I hate "Christian" literature. There isn't a single book, save the Bible, that is inerrant. And a book with a single error is a waste of time. (Taking that thought to its logical conclusion, I should stop writing here. But I'm stubborn.)

I've felt the need for quite some time to share truth. This is very difficult for me to do because it's not the same as sharing my beliefs or convictions. What I believe doesn't really matter. Only the truth matters. So let's get to it.
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