Notes and personal commentary on "The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God"(D.A.Carson)
Started 4/8/10- Completed 4/15/10
All "" are direct quotes. Notes are in summary/paraphrased form unless other wise noted. Chapter titles and underlines are directly quoted
Chp. 1
Why the Doctrine of the Love of God is judged difficult
1) The Majority of the people today believe God (it, she, he, fill in their own perfered word) is a loving God, and are not surprise by the "God loves you" phrase. But the definition of this love is vastly different than the Christian definition of love, or at least the definition that they come to has been set in a place outside of Christian theology
2) Other "complementary" truths about God are widely disbelieved such as sovereignty, holiness, God's wrath, providence etc...
"the love of God in our culture has been purged of anything the culture finds uncomfortable. The love of God has been sanitized, deomocratized and above all else sentimentalized"
"today most people seem to have little difficulty believing in the love of God; they have far more difficulty believing i the justice of God, the wrath of God, and the noncontridictory truthfulness of an ominicient God"
3) Our culture believes that all religions are the same, and a postmodern mindset has taken over. "the only hersey is that there is such a thing as heresy"
4) "Within Christian confessionalism the doctrine of the love of God poses its difficulties"
thinking through fundamental truths, to keep truths about God in balance
5) Love of God thought more easily understood than it is, overlooking distinctions
Some Different ways the bible speaks of the love of God
1) Love of the Father for the Son and Son for the Father
John 3:35, 5:20, 14:31
2) God's providental love over his creation
Gen. 1, Matt.6
3)God's "salvfic stance toward his fallen world"
John 3:16, 1 John 2:2, John 15:19
"inviting" "commanding all humans to repent"
Ezek. 33:11
4) God's particular effective selecting love toward his elect
Duet. 7:7-8; cf. 4:37, 10:14-15
" when Israel is contrasted witht he universe or other nations, the distinguishing feature has nothing of personal or national merit; it is nothing other than the love of God"
"the discriminationg feature of God's love surfaces frequently"
Mal. 1:2-3
Christ loves the Church
Eph. 5;25
5) "God's love is sometimes said to be directed toward his own people in a porvisional or conditional way- condtitoned, that is, on obedience"
Jude vs. 21
John 15:9-10
"to a thousand generations"
Ex. 20:6
Ps. 103:9-11, 13, 17-18
Three Preliminary observations on these distinctive ways of talking about the Love of God
1) The results of absoltizing and making exclusive one aspect of God's love over another, or making one the lense by which you see all the rest
Trinitarian model- between Jesus and followers; Father does not redeem Son nor vica versa
Providental love lense- God is a "mysterious force"- stance of pantheism
Inviting seeking love lense- semi-plageans, pelagians, arminians, + interested parties in God's emotional inner life
Election lense- God loves elect; hates reprobate; same assertion that has "engendered hyper calvinism"
Obediance love lense- bring people into merit theology instead of the cross
2) These views not "compartments" but complimentariasm -not "loves" but "love" God is love
All these truths are needed and needed to be held together
3) Do "certain evangelical cliches stand up"? aka "God's love is unconditional" "God loves everyone the same way"
What applies and what time is essential and important
"Christian faithfulness entails our responsibility to grow in our grasp ow what it means to confess that God is love"
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Memorization Pt 2
This is the message we have heard from him: that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have not sinned we deceive ourselves and his truth is not in us. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.
1 John 1
1 John 1
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Memorization-Pt. 1
1 John 1:1-4
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands , concerning the word of life- the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the father and with the Son Jesus Christ, and we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands , concerning the word of life- the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the father and with the Son Jesus Christ, and we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Honey as Sweet
As I was reading out of "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ" a paragraph on one of the last pages seem to strike deep within my heart.
Piper states:This is another path (referring to how one comes to see Jesus as real and true)...It starts with the conviction that divine truth can be self-authenticating. In fact, it would seem strange if God revealed himself in his Son Jesus Christ and inspired the record of that revelation in the Bible, but did not provide a way for ordinary people to know it. Stated simply, the common path to sure knowledge of the real Jesus is this: Jesus, as he is revealed in the Bible, has a glory- an excellence, a spiritual beauty- that can be seen as self-evidently true. It is like seeing the sun and knowing that it is light and not dark, or like tasting honey and knowing that it is sweet and not sour. There is no long chain or reasoning from premises to conclusion. Their is a direct apprehension that this person is true and his glory is the glory of God....(seeing and savoring jesus christ. pp. 119;120)
2 Corinthians 4:4-6
4In their case(J) the god of this world(K) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing(L) the light of(M) the gospel of the glory of Christ,(N) who is the image of God. 5For what(O) we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with(P) ourselves as your servants[b] for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said,(Q) "Let light shine out of darkness,"(R) has shone in our hearts to give(S) the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
I pray that everyone may see the sun as light, and honey as sweet.
Piper states:This is another path (referring to how one comes to see Jesus as real and true)...It starts with the conviction that divine truth can be self-authenticating. In fact, it would seem strange if God revealed himself in his Son Jesus Christ and inspired the record of that revelation in the Bible, but did not provide a way for ordinary people to know it. Stated simply, the common path to sure knowledge of the real Jesus is this: Jesus, as he is revealed in the Bible, has a glory- an excellence, a spiritual beauty- that can be seen as self-evidently true. It is like seeing the sun and knowing that it is light and not dark, or like tasting honey and knowing that it is sweet and not sour. There is no long chain or reasoning from premises to conclusion. Their is a direct apprehension that this person is true and his glory is the glory of God....(seeing and savoring jesus christ. pp. 119;120)
2 Corinthians 4:4-6
4In their case(J) the god of this world(K) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing(L) the light of(M) the gospel of the glory of Christ,(N) who is the image of God. 5For what(O) we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with(P) ourselves as your servants[b] for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said,(Q) "Let light shine out of darkness,"(R) has shone in our hearts to give(S) the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
I pray that everyone may see the sun as light, and honey as sweet.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Don't pick a fight, be used
2 Timothy 2:14-26
Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk with spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swered from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows who are his." and " Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of godl and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessesl for honorable use, set aprat as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies, you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patinetly enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to aknowledge of the truth and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk with spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swered from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows who are his." and " Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of godl and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessesl for honorable use, set aprat as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies, you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patinetly enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to aknowledge of the truth and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Progressive Perfection
According to Hebrews 5:7-10
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus [1] offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek
How can Jesus be made perfect and be perfect at the same time?
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus [1] offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek
How can Jesus be made perfect and be perfect at the same time?
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Questions
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead- Phillipians 3:8-10
What should I be counting a "loss"' and not a gain? What should I count a gain and not a loss?
33 And when the sixth hour [6] had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. [7] 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he [8] breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son [9] of God!” - Luke 15: 33-39
What indeed causes someone to look upon a dying man and say "Truly this man was the Son of God''? What is it about this man?
What should I be counting a "loss"' and not a gain? What should I count a gain and not a loss?
33 And when the sixth hour [6] had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. [7] 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he [8] breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son [9] of God!” - Luke 15: 33-39
What indeed causes someone to look upon a dying man and say "Truly this man was the Son of God''? What is it about this man?
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