Behavioral perfectionism – not to be confused with the doctrine sometimes referred to as Christian perfectionism or sinless perfection – is a sin many professing Christians struggle with (yes, it is a sin). But not only is the individual perfectionist affected by their behavior, so are those who are closest to them. In this episode of the Just Thinking podcast, Darrell Harrison and Virgil “Omaha” Walker leverage their experience as biblical counselors to walk you through what the Word of God, and other trusted biblical sources, have to say about dealing biblically with the issue of behavioral perfectionism toward the goal of gaining victory over it.
Saved by what? – Brands & Logos – The Symbol of the Cross
The cross may be the most heinous and horrendous of all torture instruments ever devised by man. Shouldn’t it be a symbol of shame?
It should be a symbol of shame, but it has become a symbol of love, and joy, and peace, and beauty, and grace, and eternal salvation.
Only Christianity has a finished work of atonement of our sins.
It is crucial.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of me but in the power of God.”
Dr Sproul says in his book that in these verses Paul is “engaging in a bit of hyperbole”.
What is hyperbole? How is Paul “engaging in hyperbole”?
Is Paul saying that the central importance of his teaching is the cross?
It is on the cross, through the cross, and by the cross that our Savior has performed His work of redemption and has gathered His people for eternity.
Saved by what? – The Significance of the cross
People don’t feel the need for the cross.
In America people are concerned. They’re concerned about the war in Ukraine, they’re concerned about the lack of moral leadership in our country, and they’re concerned about inflation, the high cost to live.
In the book of Hosea God’s people have abandoned God and consequently they have fallen into all kinds of sin. They have become a harlot wife, an adulterous nation, violating their vow to God. And what is the basic problem? How did this happen? And why did it happen? Indicated in chapter 4, verse and following, listen to what he writes. “Hear the Word of the Lord, ye children of Israel.” We can stop right there. Hosea 4:1. “Hear the Word of the Lord.” 6- My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge,
Do you think that people don’t feel the need for the cross because they feel no need for the Word of God, or even God Himself?
Dr Sproul says there is 3 kinds of theology – Pelagianism, semi-Pelagianism, Augustinianism. Would you explain each of these ism-s? Liberalism.
The need:
The truth is that unless people realize they have a sin problem, they will not come to Christ for a solution.
People don’t come for healing unless they know they have a disease;
they don’t come for life unless they are conscious that they are under the penalty of death; they don’t come for salvation unless they are weary of the bondage of sin.
How do we as Christians show them that they do have a need for the cross?
God is just and you are a sinner, you need the cross.
You need the atonement.
Saved by what? The Necessity of the Cross
At the bottom of page 40, 2nd paragraph up, Dr Sproul writes, “that the Biblical view, is that an atonement was not merely hypothetically necessary for man’s redemption but was absolutely necessary. For those who may not know, what is man’s redemption?
I heard a pastor say, “God is not fair; He is just.” Do you agree with that? If so, what is the difference in fair and just?
“If you ever get the idea that God is supposed to be fair, I have some Truth you need to know. Holy God is not fair; God is just. God doesn’t owe us anything. He is a God of mercy, and we can never plead for mercy until we understand the justice of God.”
What is the justice of God? How is God righteous and just?
The Justice of God – God’s eternal immutable commitment to always do what is right. Righteousness is doing what is right.
2 Corinthians 5:21- “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” That is the doctrine of substitution, and that’s how God can be both our just Judge and merciful justifier.
“A lady went to a photographer to have her picture made. When she saw it, she didn’t like it, so she asked the photographer to take her picture again. He said, “Well, lady, what’s wrong with it?” She said, “It doesn’t do me justice.” He looked at it, then looked at her and said, “Lady, you don’t need justice; what you need is mercy.”
Saved by what? There are three words that came together the cross:
Justice – God’s Justice, Christ took what we deserve.
Mercy – is not getting what we deserve
Grace – is getting what we don’t deserve.
What you do at the cross determines your eternal destiny. Embrace the cross and the death of Christ for sin, embrace Him as your Lord and Savior, and you have eternal life. Reject the cross, reject the One who paid for the sins of all who would believe, and your end is eternal, unending destruction. The cross is the determiner of destiny.
Our Sin is a debt.
Sin is an act of emity.
Sin is a crime.
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John 3:1-2 – Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
For many people it is easy to recognize that Jesus was a good teacher or a good prophet, like Nicodemus did. But, Jesus is not just a good man, Jesus is The GOD Man. The gospel of John shows us the deity of Jesus – that Jesus is equal with God.
In the gospel of John we have the seven “I AM” statements in which Jesus uses to speak of His deity.
We see that God calls Himself “ I AM ” in the Bible.
Exodus 3:14 – “God said to Moses, I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites, I AM has sent me to you.
Jesus uses the “I AM” title for himself at least eight times in the gospel of John alone.
The bread of life
John 6:35 – Then Jesus declared, I AM the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry.
John 6:51 I AM the living bread that came down from heaven. If any one eats of this bread, he will live forever.
The light of the world
John 8:12 – When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I AM the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John 9:5 – While I AM in the world, I AM the light of the world.
The great I am
John 8:58 – Jesus said onto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before a Abraham was, I AM.
The door
John 10:7 – Therefore Jesus said again, I tell you the truth, I AM the door for the sheep.
John 10:9 – I AM the door; whoever enters through Me will be saved.
The good shepherd
John 10:11 – I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:14 – I AM the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.
The resurrection and the life
John 11:25 – Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.
The way, the truth, and the life
John 14:6 – Jesus answered, I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The true Vine
John 1:51- I AM the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
John 1:55 – I AM the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from Me you can do nothing.
Jesus took upon himself the title of deity from the Old Testament, revealing that He was God in the flesh.
Remember He is:
The bread of life. The light of the world.
The door.
The good shepherd.
The resurrection and the life.
The true vine.
The way, the truth, and the life.
Jesus Christ is not a way to God the Father. Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father.
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Looking back – Verse 12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.
15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.
Looking forward – 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
Who is the “we”? – Apostles
What is it speaking of when it says: cunningly devised fables? – deceptive thing, intended to deceive, the ploy of false teachers? To gain money and power – deny the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
we made known – Is this the imparting of new revelation, – the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?
the power and coming – Second coming? 1st in humility. (1 Peter 1:7,13; 4:13; 5:4)
were eyewitnesses – So, they were there to see and hear?
of His majesty – What is it speaking of when it says His majesty? Life, miracles, work, word, resurrection.
17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
He received from God the Father – So, Jesus’ power, honor, and glory comes from God the Father? Trusting God’s Word
– power, honor, and glory; confirmation of His diety,
This is My beloved Son, – Baptism Matt 3:16-17, Passion week John 12:28,
Verse 18 –
18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
WE heard: FROM HEAVEN when WE WERE WITH HIM.
Confirmed: deity, Gave approve: what Jesus did and said,
Peter said we were there. Matt 17:1
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
prophetic word confirmed Is this referring to the OT prophecies of Christ?
– Has Authority & Power – Promised in OT, Proven in Jesus.
OT contains the Gospel – Gospel is not new and we can trust the Word of God Completely.
heed as a light that shines in a dark place – How do we heed God’s Words? Pay Attention! To the light (God’s Word) that shines in a dark place (this world).
until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts – Is this referring to Christ’s return? – The Word is our Light, until we are with God and He is our Light. Until then, we are looking at the world in the light of the Word.
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
Knowing – That’s an important word, don’t you think?
Does prophecy of Scripture refer to both OT & NT?
private interpretation – Does this mean origin?
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke – So, Scripture is not human wisdom?
It is divinely inspired truth as the spirit of God moved men to write it.
holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. – We see the moving of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit moves in the life of every Christian.
When God revealed Scripture to the Apostles, was that any different than the way the Holy Spirit moves in our lives to shine the light of Gods Word upon our hearts?
We have to be receptive.
So, How can we trust the Word of God?
1. Eyewitnesses that wrote it and
2. The spirit of God who inspired it.
Application
As the Apostles were faithful to be receptive to and write the Scriptures,
Christians should be faithfully receptive to read and believe the Scriptures.
They received and wrote, we receive and believe.
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In Colossians 2:8, the apostle Paul exhorts believers to not be taken captive through philosophies and deceptions that are rooted in the traditions of men. Deconstruction, a philosophy that has its origins in Marxism, is one of those deceptions. And yet, there are those within evangelicalism today who are actively promoting and advocating that deconstruction is good and virtuous for the church. In this episode of the Just Thinking podcast, hosts Darrell Harrison and Virgil ‘Omaha’ Walker make it clear that they do not concur with that view. Listen as they “turn pages” and discuss what God’s Word has to say about “Evangelical Deconstructionism.” That’s the title of episode 117 of the Just Thinking podcast.
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There is nothing more important than the Word of God.
Scripture is necessary, sufficient, authoritative, and inerrant.
It is central to worship and it is how God works both to give new life and to sanctify – by His Word.
Scripture is the Word of Christ
Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the Word of His power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
God’s Word is all about Christ
Luke 24:27 – And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Scripture is necessary.
Scripture is necessary for our spiritual life. Without trusting scripture we have no spiritual life. In trusting scripture we have spiritual life and scripture is necessary to maintain our spiritual walk and every aspect of it. Through scripture we can discern God’s Will for our lives.
To say that scripture is necessary is to simply say that we need it. We need the Word of God in a general way. It was by the Word of God that He created all things including us.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse
Genesis 1:9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place
Genesis 1:11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants
Genesis 1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night
Genesis 1:20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures
Genesis 1:24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Psalm 33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
Hebrews 1:3 – He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the Word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
The Westminster Confession of Faith deals with the necessity of Scripture in it’s very first statement.
Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of His will, which is necessary unto salvation: therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His Church; and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which makes the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God’s revealing His will unto His people being now ceased.
The WCF tells us of the necessity of scripture to give knowledge of salvation. But scripture is also necessary to reveal the nature of our relationship with God, the covenant.
God is our covenant Lord. The covenant is a relationship between the Lord and His servants or His children. God is the ultimate authority. Without the Word of God, there is no covenant. It is the Word of God that tells us to “Obey His voice” and “keep His commandments.
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine
Leviticus 26:15 says, “if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break My covenant,”
Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him.”
Matthew 7:26-27 – And everyone who hears these Words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
John 6:68 – “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life,
The Words of Jesus are only found in scripture. To have a covenant relationship with Him we must acknowledge scripture as His Word, and we must acknowledge that God’s Word is our ultimate authority.
No scripture – no Lord. No scripture – no Christ. No scripture – no salvation.
Scripture is necessaryFor Knowledge of the Gospel
Romans 10:13-14 – How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.
Ephesians 1:7 – In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Without the Word of God, there is no possibility of salvation.
Scripture is necessary For Maintaining Spiritual Life
2 Peter 1:3-4 – His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence. by which he has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
This is profound truth. Christ lives in every believer: Christ in us, God the Father in us, the Holy Spirit in us; and we in God, and we in Christ, and we in the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 1:30 – And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Galatians 3:27 – For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
1 Peter 2:24 – He Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
2 Corinthians 3:18 – And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Seeing His glory revealed on the pages of the New Testament, we are being transformed into the same image, the same glory from one level of glory to the next, to the next.
We go from glory, to glory, to glory, to glory, simply becoming increasingly more conformed to the glory of Christ. This is the work of the Lord the Spirit. That’s how sanctification works. We look at the glory of Christ. We see a clear revelation of it in the New Covenant or Testament, which makes even the Old Testament more clear. We see that glory, and we’re changed into that very glory by the work of the Holy Spirit.
What should be the desire of every Christian? – That they would go from glory, to glory, to glory, being evermore conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And that’s a faithful pastor’s desire;
not content that people are interested in Jesus,
not content that even they were born again or justified,
not content that someday they’ll go to heaven,
but that they would be sanctified, that they would go from glory, to glory, to glory, for the glory of the Lord, and for the blessedness of that believer, for the well-being of the church, and the authority and power of the testimony of the Word of God.
May God richly bless you as you read and study His Word. May you be transformed into the image of His dear Son. And may you be filled with all the fullness of God.
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We hear that phrase that Christians are ‘in the world, but not of the world’—but do we really understand what is meant by that? Do we have any idea from where that concept is derived in Scripture? In this episode of the Just Thinking Podcast, Darrell Harrison and Virgil “Omaha” Walker look closely at what Christ meant by this phrase. This episode takes a close look a the “Church and Culture.”
Before 1500 the cost of paper far exceeded any other expenses incurred by printers and publishers when issuing a new book. The larger the book, the more expensive it was. A folio Bible such as the one printed by Gutenberg in the early 1450s was unaffordable to all but a few. A less expensive option was needed and this need was fulfilled in the Poor Man’s Bible
Johann Froben, a Swiss printer, printed the first pocket-sized octavo Latin Bible at Basel in 1491, the so-called “Poor man’s Bible.” He completed the second edition in this small format in 1495. Convenient to carry and easily affordable, this edition combined several user-friendly features that Froben advertised on his title page: marginal chapter divisions and references, a subject index, and tabular summary of the books and their contents.
Prior to the publication of Froben’s 1491 Biblia integra, printed Bibles tended to be massive folios that were difficult to transport, making them talismanic objects as mush as texts, and therefore primarily suited for ecclesiastical use. Because of its relatively diminutive size Froben’s Bible became known as the original “Poor Man’s Bible “, eminently transportable and therefore eminently accessible . Although Froben’s Biblia integra was printed in Latin, because of its small size, it should rightly be ranked with Martin Luther’s 1534 German Bible, and later sixteenth and seventeenth century Bibles translated in to other vernacural European languages, that made the Bible increasingly accessible to laypeople in early modern Europe.
The “Poor Man’s Bible’s” nickname came from the small format – median octavo (6 3/16 x 4 5/16 inches; 157×110 mm). Despite the relatively small size, the Bible exhibits the best craftsmanship of its time. Triple-filleted boards and foliate borders; floral ornaments; deer and griffin stamps; manuscript three-line capitals in red and blue; contemporary blind-tooled pigskin over reverse beveled wooden boards; brass catches and clasp fasteners; blue stained edges and so forth. It was printed in a new architectural design “rotunda,” that allowed Froben to produce printed pages of great clarity and neatness despite its small size.
“The “Poor Man’s Bible” today is quite scarce. The last known first edition appeared at an auction was on December 15, 1986, during an event held at Sotheby’s. Current pricing for the only first edition available for sale is $26,200. The second edition which was printed four years later on Oct. 27, 1495 and is equally scarce, is also selling for around $25,000. Not bad for a small octavo that was intended to appeal to the common church goers and ultimately be called “The poor man’s Bible. “” – article from Rare Books Digest.
Johann Froben was a noted book printer in Basel. He was a close associate of Desiderius Erasmus, whose works he published and who, for a time, was a guest at his home. Hans Holbein the Younger met Erasmus through Froben, for whom he designed many book illustrations. Froben established the greatest Swiss publishing firm of the early sixteenth century. The house continued under the direction of his heirs and associates until 1587. A scholar himself, a master printer, and a successful businessman, he recognized the vitality of humanistic thinking. Before moving to Basel in 1490, Froben had worked as a printer in Nuremberg with Anton Koberger, the godfather of Albrecht Dürer. Three years later, he entered a partnership with Johannes Petri and the leading Basel printer of the preceding generation, Johannes Amerbach. After the death of his partners, Froben took full control of the press. In 1500 he married the daughter of the bookseller Wolfgang Lachner, who entered into a partnership with him. She ran the commercial side of the business, while Froben handled the authors and editors and the process of production. By 1510 his press had become the centre of a large circle of mostly German and Swiss humanist scholars.
Currently we have two leaves for sale from the Poor Man’s Bible. One from the book of Ezra and one from the book of Matthew.
With over 5,000+ registered, the 2021 G3 Conference was a massive success and with the theme being – “Christ” – it was great to hear so many great messages on the deity of Christ. With the primary focus on the deity of Christ, Darrell and Virgil took a different route in order to focus on the anti-Christ agenda that is fully at work in the hearts of the “culture” that seeks to elevate “blackness” as it’s cultural savior.
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