Temporal Suffering
By J. Michael Strawn
Temporal suffering. PART 1: The inherent greatness & majesty of God & the Christ.
#1. “…the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God (& Christ)… Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”, Luke 19:37-40. “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples. But Jesus answered, I tell you, if these become silent, these stones will cry out! #2. If men in Time & Materiality do not praise & honor God & the Christ, then, even inanimate stones will somehow voice, by default, the extraordinary nature of THE SPIRITUAL REALITY. #3. Historical Conditions notwithstanding. Jesus was wading into the gullet of the monster in order to fulfill the REVEALED WILL OF GOD. There was going to be great suffering for Him. #4. The Lord Jesus was going to be THE EXEMPLAR & EPITOME OF REDEMPTIVE SUFFERING. Messiah was to suffer great cruelty, so that others might live in relation to the God of the universe, in spite of their many sins! #5. How remarkable it was for a King who represents the Lord Himself in TIME & MATERIALITY to suffer in such horror. He came into this world to enlighten us all about that greater world beyond the reach of the central nervous system. The source of all that there is. #6. His mind was hard as steel toward the authority of the word of God & He was tender toward those in need & those suffering! We have to say HE CARED! #7. Jesus sacrificed His temporal future, which is known by our experience, so, literally, He sacrificed His experience on earth & He made that sacrifice and got something more important to Him: HUMAN PERSONAL SALVATION, #8. Accordingly, all we have to offer up to God is our individual PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. He doesn’t need our money, land or other holdings, He owns all of that anyway! It is our EXPERIENCE THAT WE OFTEN VALUE MOST HIGHLY. And that concern for PERSONAL EXPERIENCE is the source of many of our fears. #.9. It was Satan’s focus on Job in Job 3 & 3.; it was the principal interest for the majority of Israelites at Kadesh Barnea, Numbers 13, 14. #10. Jesus, in His days on earth was the executor of the will of God in TIME & MATERIALITY. Great suffering unto death was fundamentally involved & so it is for us as well! But we must learn how to suffer in faith & Jesus is our leader through all of that! So it’s onward & upward! Even in the worst of times!
Temporal Suffering. PART 2: SUFFERING, THE HOST OF SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH.
#1. “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!”, 2 Corinthians 12:7. #2. The suffering of Paul was arranged by the Almighty. It was a preventative factor to keep the apostle from the sin of SELF-EXALTATION. #3. The Lord arranged Paul’s external circumstances to conform to the greater purposes of God! #3. “Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me”, 2 Corinthians 12:8. #4. The apostle hated the experience of that “…thorn in the flesh…”. It must have been inconvenient at the least, painful & inhibiting at best! But the Lord’s will had intervened in just that way. #5. “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness,’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me”, 2 Corinthians 12:9. #6. The change of attitude was remarkable! The apostle moved the disagreeable nature of the “torment”—>to an attitude of “glad(ness). Why? Or how?. There was something about suffering that the writer had yet to learn. #7. That is that SUPERNATURAL POWER IS PERFECTED IN HUMAN WEAKNESS. There is no explanation for such a dynamic effect as that! Wherein Paul’s personal weakness had been turned into perhaps one of his greatest advantages! #8. All this seems quite illogical, but it is not. What does “perfected” mean in this context? To be very frank, SUFFERING is a very mysterious phenomenon to me. Which is why one needs to wrestle with it! #9. The apostle reports to the reader that the purpose of the power of God achieves its full functioning in the lives of those who are possessed of personal human weakness. #10. In consequence, suffering is the host of developing SPIRITUAL STRENGTH.
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 3: THE REVEALED REPRESENTATION OF PERSONAL SUFFERING.
#1. “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong”, 2 Corinthians 12:10. #2. At first the apostle found his suffering to be most objectionable, but after sufficient struggle, the same man in the greater light of REVEALED MEANING FOUND his suffering a source contentment! #3. Paul came to recognize the larger significance of his circumstance. To call it refinement is a bit of an understatement. #4. All the injustice that he suffered, the inherent limitations of his affliction & the pain that came with it, was a source of satisfaction because of its implications & its SPIRITUAL OUTCOMES. #5. He determined to endure & be content with those PERSONAL CONDITIONS, in part because he was doing this for Christ’s sake. His sacrifice was an investment in a future marked by the will of God & by PERSONAL INTENSIFICATION OF SPIRITUAL STRENGTH. #6. Perhaps the bottom line being: “…the power of Christ may dwell in me”. The suffering of this man represented a union of the human & the DIVINE. Paul had not been abandoned by God, not in the least! #7. He was, in fact, transcending his own flesh & historical conditions. Certainly identified with Christ & His self-Sacrifice. The “torment” would remain, but under a different rubric (a category of meaning, function & purpose). #8. Physically weak yet hosting the strength of God generated within Him. WORLD MAGNITUDES cannot defeat one like that! Suffering was no match for true biblical faith. As Job came to realize. #9. Paul is telling us that our personal limitations can manifest themselves under such trials but that there is a SPIRITUAL FORCE STANDING IN & with more than enough energy to carry us through. #10. So there are two forces in direct contact: (1) the weakness of the flesh & (2) the power of Christ. In which case the battle has been decided! The decision turns on the present REALITY OF the power of Christ! Yes sir, we do not fail under testing!
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 4: RATIONAL LIMITS.
#1. One discovers within the sacred page the phenomenon of Rational Limits. RATIONAL LIMITS WERE OFTEN IMPOSED BY HUMAN WILL UPON THE POWER OF GOD & THE WORD OF GOD. #2. Human beings find it very difficult to transcend or to go beyond PRESET RATIONAL LIMITS. EXAMPLES: Matthew 14, In an initial flush of faith, Peter said to Jesus as He was walking on the water, “…Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water…”. “But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!…”, Matthew 14:28, 30. #4.RATIONAL LIMITS put a cap on how far we are prepared to go in faith. Peter was confronted by his own RATIONAL LIMITS. He would not cross that limit to put full trust in Christ! #4. Paul & those with him faced what they called an “affliction”. “…we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength…” 2 Corinthians 1:8, 9. #5. “…we despaired even of life”. After Rational Considerations, Paul & others lost hope of survival! There was no other possibility. All was lost! Why think that? It was not because of the situation or circumstance; but due to the RATIONAL LIMITS THAT PAUL HIMSELF & the others had mapped on to those conditions. #5. Yet, eventually, the apostle came to recognize his mistake. #6. “indeed we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead”, 2 Corinthians 1:9. #7. The same mistake was made at Kadesh Barnea after the 40 day reconnaissance mission to Canaan. Ten of the twelve spies brought back a disparaging report to the camp. The majority agreed with them & refused the day of battle. RATIONAL LIMITS OVERRULED THE PROMISE OF GOD, Numbers 13, 14. #8. Biblical faith, inherently, involved the exposure of PERSONAL RATIONAL LIMITS & the expulsion of them from the mind of the believer! #9. If faith, belief & trust in God are subject to Rational LIMITS, then, whatever we have, it is not faith! There is a kind of faith that engages with RATIONAL LIMITS & overrules them. And there is a faith that simply gives in to RATIONAL LIMITS. A conditional faith unprepared to transcend those limits, fueled by confidence in naturalism, human experience & human reason, is not true biblical faith. #10. The point being that in order to call oneself a person of faith, one must deal a lethal blow to RATIONAL LIMITS. This comes home to us when we are under “weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions & difficulties.” Any Stage 4 diagnosis presents us with the choice: put faith & trust in God who raises the dead or confide in RATIONAL LIMITS & REFUSE TO TRANSGRESS THEM. These limits & suffering go hand in hand! #11. Transcending RATIONAL LIMITS IS USUALLY INTERPRETED AS PATHOLOGICAL.
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 5: LANGUAGE USE.
#1. The question: Does Reality determine how one uses language or does language use determine what REALITY IS? #2. From the Bible comes the only correct answer: It is ultimate & final REALITY, The REALITY OF GOD that determines how language is to be used! #3. Today, in American culture the starting point is discretionary language use calculated to “FIX WHAT REALITY IS”. #4. What is now called the media & social media platforms exclusively rely on language use to convince their consumers about the shape of REALITY. #5. This is wrong! Mankind has, it seems, always been addicted to the manufacture of the shape of REALITY MOST FAVORED BY THEM, Genesis 3:1-7. #6. That motive was behind the FALL OF MANKIND. The same foundational error occurred at Kadesh. Numbers 13:25-14:10. Having swallowed the foundational error, the Israelites turned away from battle with the Canaanites. “Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night”, Genesis 14:1.”All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness’”, Numbers 14:2. #7. Ten of the spies had used language to try & FIX REALITY in the shape in which they had imagined it to be. Whereas “Caleb” & “Joshua” began with the ultimate REALITY OF GOD TO ORDER THEIR LANGUAGE USE. “Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey, their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them. But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel”, Numbers 14:9, 10. #8. In the clinical environment language is used to ESTABLISH REALITY. However, Scripture requires of us that only the Almighty can establish REALITY. #9. Suffering is especially vulnerable to language use! Stage 4 diagnoses are delivered in language manifolds, in part, designed to “FIX REALITY” for the patient. But human language does not & can not determine outcomes with certainty. #10. While at the Red Sea, the Israelites used LOW RESOLUTION REASONING regarding their, then, HISTORICAL CONDITIONS, Exodus 14:10-12. We must use CAUTION when speaking about SUFFERING or representing that phenomenon, in general. When we issue forth language it tends to ESTABLISH OR FIX WHAT SUFFERING IS. There must be more to it than that! SUFFERING IS ONE OF THE WAYS OF GOD. And “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me”, Philippians 1:29, 30.
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 6: DANGER BY DAY & TERROR BY NIGHT.
#1. Paul, the apostle had appealed to the Roman emperor. Accordingly, he was to be transported to Rome & in Roman custody. #2. “When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them, and said to them, ‘Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ships, but also of our lives”, Acts 27:9-10. #3. The will of God was unfolding for Paul & others were caught up in that ARRANGEMENT. It would be filled with danger & loss. But that is all he knew. #4. These dangers & risks had to be faced & confronted with courage & SUPERNATURAL PURPOSE. #5. The apostle was sailing in the hands of God despite HISTORICAL CONDITIONS. #5. But the Centurion in de facto authority…”was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul”, Acts 27:11. #6. “But before very long there rushed down the land a violent wind, called Euroquilo; and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along”, Acts 7:14. #7. PROVIDENCE was the master of the vessel, the master of the sea & master of human destiny! #8. Things only got worse!, Acts 27:18-20. …”all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned ”, Acts 27:20. #9. Yet we learn from this episode that HISTORICAL CONDITIONS DO NOT SMOTHER THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD NOR THE ATTENDING POWER OF GOD. OUTCOMES are generally beyond our range of comprehension but that changes nothing! In all circumstances the PROVIDENCE of God will always govern outcomes! #10. Suffering is a CONDENSED REALITY, composed of HISTORICAL CONDITIONS & the PROVIDENCE OF THE ALMIGHTY. “For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you’. Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told”, Acts 27:23-25. #11. The text insists that TRUST IN GOD IS THE ONLY SURE COURSE TO PROCEED.
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 7: THE PROBLEM OF DOUBT.
#1. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind”, James 1:2-6, #2. In temporal existence, one must look beyond the limitations of human consciousness. And the only one who can see beyond those limits is the God of the universe! #3. The Scripture is quite firm, one may ask freely for the wisdom from above. But one must pray with no DOUBTS & then, one must follow the wisdom of God into the mechanics & challenges of HISTORICAL CONDITIONS & without doubts or second guessing the Almighty. #4. Our temporal “testing” is part of a much grander caliber than we can always know. “ENDURANCE” is one of the essential factors in dealing successfully with TEMPORAL SUFFERING. #5. Suffering is accomplishing something of great proportions! One must determine within one’s self to hold on & to what? One holds on to trust in God in spite of circumstances. Believers do not give in to doubts in the character of God! #6. There is always a kind of inner turmoil as we trust the word of God & against the contradictions posed by HUMAN LIVED EXPERIENCE & consciousness. #7. But it is this inner turmoil & contradiction that generates the character of the individual! Without such personal struggle & that protracted over time, then, endurance born of character will not appear in time & materiality. #8. So, testing is necessarily (it can be no other way) inherent in our development. #9. The formation of SPIRITUAL CHARACTER is to be considered a personal treasure! #10. It is a thing of “joy”, well beyond happiness, an all too temporal state of being! This joy is NOT ROOTED IN TEMPORAL CONDITIONS but in the word of God & one’s trust in it.
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 8: THE CASE OF JOSEPH.
#1. Joseph in the Old Testament was handed a life of trauma, loss & injustice. And that by Divine purpose. At the age of 17, inexplicable things began to happen to him. #2. “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers…they hated him…for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, My sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf”, Genesis 37:5,7. #3. Joseph, betrayed by his own flesh & blood, was forced into slavery, Genesis 37:27-28. The slave traders took him down into Egypt. #4. The young man, bought by Potiphar, was pressed into his service. But this statement was made of him: “The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man…”, Genesis 38:2. #5. But Joseph did not assimilate to Egypt, he did not bow to acculturation! He remained his own man. Joseph functioned in tandem with the Lord & that changed all the rules! #6. The accusation of Potiphar’s wife & his subsequent imprisonment. The two dreams of the Pharaoh regarding 14 incredible years. These were momentous times. #7. Joseph was 17 years old when he departed his family & home & he was 30 when promoted to authority in Egypt. #8. Joseph suffered greatly in Egypt. But throughout all, he guarded his integrity & kept the faith. #9. And we generalize from this that, TIME, MATERIALITY, METEOROLOGY, AGRONOMY, HYDROLOGY & GOVERNMENTS are put at the service of the will of God, & the promises of God. Suffering is equally put at the disposition of the purpose of God. SUFFERING IS NOT EASY BUT PURPOSEFUL & even redemptive!
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 9: THE TESTING OF JOB.
#1. For faith to be genuine it must pass the tests of trials. TEMPORAL SUFFERING is a deeply personal experience. #2. Job’s Suffering was undeserved. “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil”, Job 1:1. #3. Job was very scrupulous toward the God of the universe. He was wealthy & blessed with 7 sons & 3 daughters, Job 1:2. #4. Concerned for his children & their relation to God, he “consecrated” them with “burnt offerings. He did this to cover any sins, including the possibility that they had “….cursed God in their hearts…”, Job 1:5. #5. Job was rooted in something beyond the world of agriculture, wealth & human experience. #6. At one point the Lord & Satan had an exchange of ideas. “…Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil”, Job 1:8. #7. Job was afraid of sin! He avoided it & knew that it was a serious SPIRITUAL THREAT. It could upset the relation between the two worlds. And the TWO WORLDS were of PRINCIPAL CAPITAL IMPORTANCE TO JOB. #8. Satan accused Job of base motives: “…Does Job fear God for nothing?”, Job 1:9, 10. “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land”. #9. Satan inferred that Job’s motives were basically mercenary. #10. A world of pain was about to fall upon that good, exemplary & spiritual man! He did not deserve such horror & loss as all that came to bear upon him. SOMETHING ELSE WAS AFOOT. Something that Job did not understand!
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 10: PARAMETRIC REASONING. PARAMETRIC: in this case a spiritual means of measurement.
#1. “Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers”, 2 Timothy 2:14. #2. THERE IS A TRUE CONTEXT. And that TRUE CONTEXT is the “presence of God”. #3. This necessarily means that neither our SUFFERINGS, TRIALS, HARDSHIPS nor our HISTORICAL CONDITIONS are permitted to serve as the TRUE CONTEXT of our TEMPORAL EXISTENCE. All of our days there is but one CONTROLLING CONTEXT; it is not the temporal material order. #4. The people of Israel never successfully jettisoned HISTORICAL CONDITIONS as their CONTROLLING CONTEXT in favor of “the presence of God”. And that is sufficient to explain their persistent faithless behavior. #5. TEMPORAL SUFFERING is a very strong force & holds the energy to encourage us to treat it or accept that TEMPORAL CONDITION as if it could be, must be the only RATIONAL CONTEXT for thought, speech & behavior. #6. One generalization from this is that a change of context inevitably brings a different PARAMETRIC FOR REASONING. #7. Only if we escape the TAWDRY WORLD OF THE CURRENT MADNESS OF IDEOLOGICAL PERVERSION will we be able to grasp the REVEALED TRUTH behind all things! #8. Our country is besieged by FALSE IDEAS masquerading as THE CONTEXT FOR LIFE ON EARTH. There are many IDEOLOGIES anchored not in the eternal world but in the universe of human transient wisdom: MARXISM, SOCIALISM, CRITICAL THEORY, EVOLUTION, NATURALISM, COLLECTIVISM & other things. #9. For the present, it appears that many have largely abandoned the BIBLE & its rich tradition of meaningful language, addressing the fallen nature of man! Which calls us to a HIGHER ORDER OF THOUGHT, SPEECH & BEHAVIOR. Scripture allows us to transcend RATIONALIZED UNDERSTANDINGS OF man’s place in time & materiality! #10. Believers must of necessity contradict contemporary ideologies like “Hymenaeus” & “Philetus”, whose “talk will spread like gangrene”, 2 Timothy 2:17. #11. Each of these contemporary ideologies is an expression of anti-Godism. They are the LANGUAGES OF DEATH NOT LIFE & well-being! Our job is to resist them at every turn, in every place & regardless of consequences. Believers & churches can be efficient dissidents. #12. WHY? BECAUSE WE ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD & IT IS THERE THAT WE TAKE OUR STAND. #13. We are in a developing spiritual battle for the souls of men & we must prepare to defend the integrity of the word of God!
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 11: BIBLICAL PARAMETRICS.
#1. “Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers”, 2 Timothy 2:14. #2. The ONE TRUE CONTEXT is “…the presence of God…”. #3. There are many ways TO STEP OUTSIDE OF THAT PARAMETRIC. The apostle warns believers about “wrangling” about words. Why? Because it is so easy TO MISS THE POINT OF REVELATION. #4. MEANING is a supernatural phenomenon. In contemporary AMERICA, MEANING is considered to be nothing more nor less than a SOCIAL CONSTRUCT. #5. This means that MEANING & TRUTH are not absolutes, but are rather invented or are generated by people in the supposed CONTEXT of the material universe. #6. There are always those who use words to create an ARTIFICIAL CONTEXT. Meaningless language is a distraction from the TRUE PURPOSE OF GOD. #7. There is, what people think of as DEEPER MEANING & that is the place reserved for the Almighty. Marx thought it was economics, Freud called it the subconscious. Critical theorists think in other terms, Nietzsche thought it was the will to power, evolution considers it to be random mutation. #8. But the Scriptures are quite adamant, the UNDERLYING REALITY Of all things is God Himself. There is a VISIBLE WORLD & there is AN INVISIBLE REALITY superintending everything. #9. Just there is the MASTER PARAMETRIC for human existence in time & materiality! The desert generation neglected this PARAMETRIC & paid the price for that mistake! #10. Language is one our great gifts from the Lord. We may say that LANGUAGE IS A SHARED CONDITIONALITY WITH GOD. He uses language & therefore, so do we. Between us & the world there stands A WALL OF REPRESENTATIONS. Words are linguistic representations & we must have the PRECISE PARAMETRIC.
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 12: THE PLACE OF THE WORD OF TRUTH.
#1. “Be diligent to present yourself approved of God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth”, 2 Timothy 2:15. #2. Everyday the believer stands in “…the presence of God”, his/her only TRUE CONTEXT. That CONTEXT CORRELATES TO A CERTAIN SPECIE OF BEHAVIOR, the apostle calls it “present(ing) one’s self for the approval of God”. Inherently, the presence of God, at least partially understood, requires a self regulating discipline. #3. The believer is represented as a “workman.” So how is this analogy really to be understood? Within the ONLY TRUE CONTEXT there is an all important SPIRITUAL OCCUPATION. Such a thing takes skill, purpose & indefatigable industry! This gives MEANING to the Christian Life. #4. Implied in this language is that the “word of truth”, holds indispensable SUPERNATURAL MEANING. The very language tells us that the believer is a workman (in time & materiality) “accurately handling the word of truth”. #5. The biblical claim is this: EVERYDAY & every circumstance, in the life of the believer, unfolds in THE LIVING CONTEXT OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD. Conclusively, then, two factors are to be joined: (1) THE WORD OF TRUTH & (2) PERSONAL BEHAVIOR. #6. It is this conjoining of REVEALED TRUTH—>& PERSONAL BEHAVIOR that garners the APPROVAL OF GOD. #7. Therefore, the believer, living within the presence of God & living on revealed terms pulls us beyond contemporary ideologies & the supposed STRUCTURAL MEANING PROFFERED BY MARXISM, for example. #8. REVEALED TRUTH sets its own standard for MEANING & HOW TO ARRIVE AT IT. The manifest world is not all that there is! This world exists in the lee of the REALITY OF GOD & the REALITY OF REVELATION. #9. God cannot be forgotten nor forsaken by believers nor by the churches. #10. These apostolic words generate the comprehension of two distinct worlds & the relation between them! Nothing is as it appears to be!
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 13: Shame.
#1. “…a workman who does not need to be ashamed…”, 2 Timothy 2:15. #2. Every TYPE OF CONTEXT SETS THE CASE FOR SHAME. Violate the rules of the CONTEXT & SHAME OF ONE SORT OR ANOTHER IS FORTHCOMING. #3 EXAMPLE: Today, in the U.S.A. & Europe IDEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS HAVE BEEN & ARE BEING FORCED UPON US (believers). If one subscribes to BIBLICAL TEACHING regarding human sexuality, then disapproval immediately surfaces, right on cue. #4. Believers who follow the REVEALED TRUTH are ridiculed as biased, unjust & behind the times. “We should be ashamed to object to the happiness of another”, some might say. #5. This is especially predicted if one believes in a world of ABSOLUTES. For ABSOLUTES are not permitted! #6. All IDEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS ARE INHERENTLY DESTRUCTIVE TO HIGHER VIRTUE. Any rejection of the enforced IDEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS WILL LEAD TO INEVITABLE TROUBLE TO THOSE WHO PUT THEMSELVES IN OPPOSITION TO IT. #7. Transgenderism has almost become normalized in the western world. Such practices or ways of reasoning are not to be disturbed! By anyone! IDEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS ARE SYMPTOMATIC OF A SHIFT OF MORALITY, PROPRIETY & CUSTOM & that among other things. #8. The ONLY TRUE BIBLICAL CONTEXT, as well, sets the case for shame. A principle causation of shame is directly associated with how one relates to the “word of truth” (REVELATION). The integrity of the word of truth cannot be compromised by any IDEOLOGICAL CONTEXT PUT BY MEN. #9. And that has already happened as to how some recognize Scripture. The word of truth transcends human wisdom, intuition & certainly the various human inspired IDEOLOGIES. So, in part, “handling accurately the word of God” means to bring the Scripture to bear on all human reasoning! #10. This is how believers avoid “…worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness”, 2 Timothy 2:16. Giving in is just the first step in the downward spiral to complete ungodliness. RESISTANCE is the only textual way of PERSONAL CONDUCT IN AN IDEOLOGICAL CONTEXT. It is to this truth to which we have been called!
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 14: THE CAUSATION.
#1.”men (like Hymanaeus and Philetus”) who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some”, 2 Timothy 2:17, 18. #2. The churches are ever in danger of being subverted from REVEALED TRUTH. It is possible for a believer at one point to accept the preached gospel truth & then, at another point to defect from that same gospel message to some reduced form of the Christian Religion. This is called apostasy! And we are warned against putting ourselves in that SPIRITUAL DEATH VALLEY. #2. Hymanaeus & Philetus had entered into the church, apparently, on the grounds of sincere belief, but sometime later both of them had drifted into APOSTATE REASONING. #3. Both of them had despised the ONLY TRUE CONTEXT & willingly, consciously stepped beyond BIBLICAL REVEALED PARAMETRIC REASONING. #4. “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His’, and ‘Everyone who named the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness’”, 2 Timothy 2:19. #5. Ideology surfaced early in the churches, withdrew precise purpose of destroying credibility in the REVEALED WORD OF TRUTH. And so the ACTIVISTS were born to suborn, pervert & mislead. Such minds did not guard the priority of “handling accurately the word of truth”! To them there was no inviolate truth. There are only opinions, with one as good as another. #6. No matter what men do, think or say, THERE IS A GOD IN HEAVEN WHO OBSERVES MEN IN TIME & MATERIALITY. And He knows those who belong to Him. To the Great One nothing is secreted nor veiled from His eyes! So men may, can & will reject the APOSTOLIC TRUTH, but still its powers of distinction hold in the world! #7. Believers are commanded in the presence of God to “..abstain from wickedness”. Lines cannot be crossed, loyalty is required of those claiming faith in the gospel. #8. “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor,” 2 Timothy 2:20. #9. Believers are not all of the same intrinsic composition. Not all of us are vessels of gold & silver. “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work”, 2 Timothy 2:21. #10. Here is a call for continued growth IN SPIRITUAL CALIBRE. Believers are indeed summoned to a life of constant refinement in the SPIRITUAL DISCIPLESHIP. This is, as well, a vision of what each of us can be/become. Becoming increasingly more useful to the invisible & eternal Master!
TEMPORAL SUFFERING. PART 15:THE ECLIPSE OF THE DIVINE INTELLECT.
#1. So, it appears to be the case, in the contemporary world. That many have come to believe that mankind, technology & human social consciousness have allowed men to transcend the SUPERNATURAL INTELLECT. #2. In other words, God is a superfluous reality. #3. The Bible is a piece of literature rooted in an equally superfluous past. #4. It’s teachings are outmoded & especially eccentric by existential grasp of the present worldly mechanisms of politics & psychological evolution of man & society. #5. All of the contemporary ideologies that have been in the news have been generated so as to REORDER CERTAIN MORE TRADITIONAL UNDERSTANDINGS OF REALITY. #6. “But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth”, 2 Timothy 2:23-25. #7. Believers, in time, materiality & sociology & by their thought, speech & behavior project the SUPERNATURAL INTELLECT INTO THE WORLD. #8. Individual believers & the church aggregate are representatives of the intelligence of the Almighty. #9. One may suppose that this phenomenon serves as a sign to those who are unaware of the nature of the God of the Bible. #10. “and they come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will”, 2 Timothy 2:26. SATANIC CAPTIVITY can explain much of contemporary history & its ramifications!
About The Author
