Without Divisions

"Father Abraham," cried Whitefield. "Whom have you in Heaven? Any Episcopalians?"
"No!"
"Any Presbyterians?"
"No!"
"Any Independents or Seceders, New Sides or Old Sides, any Methodists?"
"No! No! No!"
"Whom do you have there, then, Father Abraham?"
"We don't know those names here! All who are here are Christians–believers in Christ, men who have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of his testimony."
"Oh is this the case?" Then God help me, God help us all, to forget having names and to become Christians in deed and in truth."

George Whitefield and the Great Awakening, John Pollock, p118

Notes on John 10: Apostasy?

"So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
John 10: 24-30

It says that none can be snatched out of the Father's hand. The question is whether one can choose to step out of God's hand, committing apostasy? It's an interesting point which I've been chewing over, and I'm definitely veering towards the answer "no". The verse above not only states "no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand" but "they will never perish". That seems quite an all-encompassing statement. It doesn't say "most will never perish". It says "they". It's all inclusive.

In any case, I just can't fathom how anyone, truly experienced in God's grace, knowledgeable of eternal Hell, with the fear of God instilled, can ever step out of the promise of infinite paradise for the momentary pleasures of this world. Something has to have gone pretty badly wrong. I guess you can argue that's pretty much what Satan did when he rebelled against God. Insane. The origins of Sin via Satan is one of the most mysterious things. How did it originate in a perfect, sinless being?

Calvinism vs Arminianism... meh! (Part 2)

"Only recently the Mission had accepted a number of highly educated and well-gifted young men who were members of the State Church. How, then, were they able to work together with Methodists and Baptists, etc? Mr. Taylor replied that, in our chief aims, we are all one in Christ ... The great work of the mission field, which is a call to us all, overrides theological differences, and our motto remains, "All one in Christ.""
Biography of James Hudson Taylor, p487

Recently attending our early morning prayer meetings at Kings, seeking God for revival, one of the highlights for me was that people from churches all over Eastbourne came and prayed with us. They are our brothers and sisters, and the unity was awesome.

In one sense there's so many theological differences. But in another, it's actually quite remarkable how we almost entirely agree on all the major issues.

Calvinism vs Arminianism... meh!

"If I am asked what is my creed, I reply, "It is Jesus Christ" ... Jesus, who is the sum and substance of the Gospel, who is in Himself all theology, the incarnation of every precious truth, the all-glorious personal embodiment of the way, the truth and the life."
Charles H. Spurgeon

I like that. Although it's definitely good to have opinions and give things careful thought, mind-blowing subjects like predestination should never divide us. Are you a Calvinist or an Armenian? Surely the answer is neither. Neither of those two names are in the Bible. The name "Christ" is though. So maybe that's a good name to be associated with.

Interesting, I recently learnt that Jacobus Arminius was John Calvin's son-in-law, and considered Calvin's teachings to be the greatest outside of the New Testament. So where's the big divide?

Is God outside of Time? (Part 1)

This is one of my more random thoughts. Definitely not a major theological issue. More "sam-ology" than theology, but one which fascinates me.

"With the Lord a day is like a thousand years,
and a thousand years are like a day."
2 Peter 3:8

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End."
Revelation 22:13

"I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done"
Isaiah 46:9-12

"the One ... who inhabits eternity"
Isaiah 57:15

Could it be that God is completely separate from time? Is it possible that He isn't on a timeline; that he views future events with the exact same precision and clarity as He would view present and past events? Here's and illustration of what I mean...


view large

We're on the timeline in 2009. We can make vague predictions about what might happen in the future, but really, we haven't got a clue. We can also remember past events in our lifetime. We have records of history which give us some sort of a view of things that occurred further back.

But if God isn't bound by this timeline, like we are, then maybe He can see any future point in time exactly as He sees the present day. Over 25% of the Bible is prophecy, referring to future events. And the prophecies occur with stunning accuracy.

One view would be that God moulds and shapes events to fulfill His previous prophecies. The other would be that He knew from the beginning the exact unfolding of events. He knew before the creation of the Earth every thought in your head, every inclination of your heart, the movement of every atom in the universe.

This would make a lot of sense for a Sovereign God. He's totally in control, and views everything – past, present and future – with a perfect clarity.