Extra Credit: Exodus

There are optional activities in the Omnibus I Text book that, if I were the teacher, I would make extra credit.  So here it is:

Study the passage below from Martin Luther's treatise.  The Bondage of Will.  Then answer the questions that follow.

"For if we believe it to be true that God foreknew and fore ordains all things; that he cannot be deceived pr obstructed  in His foreknowledge and predestination; and that nothing happens but at His will (which reason itself is compelled to grant); then, on reason's own testimony, there can be no 'free-will' in man, angel, or in any creature. So, if we believe that Satan is the prince of this world, ever ensnaring and opposing the kingdom of Christ with all his strength, and that he does not let his prisoners go unless he is driven out by the power of the Divine Spirit, it is again apparent that there can be no 'free-will'."

1. What does Luther mean by foreknowledge?

2. How does foreknowledge differ from foreordaining or predestined?

3. Why does Luther reject the idea of free will?

4. How can people who are slaves of the devil be freed from him?

Application: Exodus Chapter

Wow. These next few questions are really deep. Here's the thing, I have a feeling that whoever comments is going to be really opinionated (why wouldn't you be??). By all means, please tell us all. But when responding in disagreement, please be respectful. This means no name calling (like loser, or jerk or whatever else you can think of like that). Not that anyone has done so yet, but I'd rather it stay that way.

Application:

1. Should we be frightened to think that God hardens hearts? Why or why not?

2. If God has mercy on whom He wills, and hardens whom He wills, why should we pray or do evangelism? Shouldn't we just wait for God to act?

Oh my. To be honest, I'd never think to ask people those things and if I did, I'd be scared to. The answers are almost offensive to some people. They shouldn't be. But let's see what you think. So. What do you think??

Biblical Analysis: Chapter 2

*sigh*.  It's Monday, which means that I'm back to bogging about Omnibus again.  I'm so excited!  This week I'll be posting one post a day.  But each day will be on a different subject asking you to look and process material from the bible and then apply it.  Now that I've gotten into a groove with this blog, I think I'll structure it a bit more.  See, each chapter from this curriculum is based on 1 of 2 things.  It's either based upon a book from the bible, or a piece of literature.  The first chapter was about Genesis, the second about Exodus and this up and coming chapter, chapter 3, is about The Epic of Gilgamesh. 

So as of this week, I plan on finishing up the second chapter, Exodus. Therefore, without further adieu:

Biblical Analysis:

What do the rest of the Scriptures say about free will? Does the Bible teach that we have freedom to do whatever we want?

Does God force people to sin? Is he the one who invented or created sin?

How does Paul apply the story of Pharaoh in Romans 9?

Shorter Catechism: Question 20

Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery?

A. 20. From all eternity and merely because it pleased Him, God chose some to have everlasting life. These He freed from sin and misery by a covenant of grace and brought them to salvation by a redeemer. 

Sunday:

Romans 8:28-30

²⁸And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

²⁹For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

³⁰And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

These verses talk about God predesting, or choosing ahead of time, some to be His children. It says that God predestined or chose those whom He foreknew. This does not mean that God looked ahead into the future, saw who would believe in His Son, and chose those people to be His children. That is not what "foreknew" means. It does not mean that He knew what His people would do ahead of time; it means that He knew His people ahead of time.  Long before any of His people were born, God knew them, the way you know a good friend. He could know His people before they were born because He was the One who would create them. Of course, God knew His people would believe in His Son. But He did not chose them because they would believe; they would believe because He had chosen them.

-Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism

This is the end of the my meme of Shorter Catechism. Next week I will be starting back up with Omnibus I, and I hope to hear from all of you. Again my reasoning behind posting this for this week is because I believe that there are somethings that just cannot be argued, especially when the facts are based solely on scripture. These verses and many others that have been listed on my blog are so straightforward, there is no opinion about it. You know how you hear people say, "Well, that's how I see it". With these verses, the language is so particular that there is no room for opinion. And yes, it's hard to think that your next door neighbor whom you love may not be going heaven. But the best part about all of this is that you and I have no clue who God will or will not reveal Himself to. Therefore, we are called to spread the word to all ends of the world so that those who are called can be called through us (not by us).  I don't really know about any of you, but that's pretty exciting to me. Thanks for sticking with me up to now. Feel free to comment on anything and question everything. I love questions and if I don't know the answer I will find it. 

Shoter Catechism: Question 20

Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery?

A. 20. From all eternity and merely because it pleased Him, God chose some to have everlasting life. These He freed from sin and misery by a covenant of grace and brought them to salvation by a redeemer.

Friday:

If God only chose some to have everlasting life, why did he chose them instead of others?  Did He chose those who were smarter than other people, or those who behave better?  The Bible answers "no". There was nothing about anyone God chose that would make Him want to chose that person.  No one can be proud that God chose him.  God chooses someone just because He wants to chose him, not because there is something especially good about that person. 

The Bible tells us about two twin brothers, Jacob and Esau.  Although God was good to both of them, He chose Jacob to know God and to be one of the ones from whom the Messiah would come.  Before the twins were even born, God told their mother, Rebecca, that he had chosen Jacob to love in a special way.  Since niether baby had been born yet, neither one had done anything to make God want to choose him.  God chose Jacob simply because He wanted to choose Jacob.

Romans 9:10-17

10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,

11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—

12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”

13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!

15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

-Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism 

Shorter Catechism: Question 20

Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery?

A. 20. From all eternity and merely because it pleased Him, God chose some to have everlasting life. These He freed from sin and misery by a covenant of grace and brought them to salvation by a redeemer. 

Thursday:

God the Holy Spirit also has an important part in the covenant made with God and His people.  Sin has blinded our minds so we cannot understand the gospel on our own.  The Holy Spirit gives spiritual understanding so God's people can understand the gospel when they hear it.  Left to themselves, people like their sin. They do not worry about God's anger towards it.  The Holy Spirit  changes the hearts of God's people so they hate their sin and turn to Christ to save them from it.  God the Son earned all the blessings of the covenant of grace for His people.  God the Holy Spirit takes those blessings and applies them to the specific people whom God  has chosen. 

Some of the blessings Jesus has earned for His people will not be given until Jesus comes again.  Until then. the Holy Spirit lives inside them. He is the promise that they finally will receive everything Jesus earned for them.  If you have believed in Jesus as you savior, how thankful should you be to the Holy Spirit for giving you understanding of the gospel and for changing your heart so you could believe in Christ!

 

Ephesians 1:13-14

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

- Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism

Shorter Catechism: Question 20

Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery?

A. 20. From all eternity and merely because it pleased Him, God chose some to have everlasting life. These He freed from sin and misery by a covenant of grace and brought them to salvation by a redeemer. 

Wednesday:

God and Son had an important part in the covenant of grace that God made with His people. He became man and met all the requirements of the covenant so that God's people could receive all the benefits. Long before a single person had been born, even before the world had been created, God chose those people who would be His own special people. He entrusted those people to God the Son who would save them from sin. 

Jesus came to earth to accomplish the will of God for His people. Jesus came to die so that everyone of the people of God could have life (John 6:37-40). If you have trusted in Jesus to save yo from your sin, His life of obedience to God was for you. He earned all the blessings of God's covenant of grace for you, since you could never have done it for yourself. You had earned God's wrath and judgment, and Jesus took that for you when He died on the cross. How thankful you should be to God the Son for coming to earth to keep all the requirements for the covenant for you so that you could enjoy all its blessings!

Ephesians 1:7-12

⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 

⁸which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

 ⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ

¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

¹¹In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 

¹²so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

-Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism

Shorter Catechism: Question 20

Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery?

A. 20. From all eternity and merely because it pleased Him, God chose some to have everlasting life. These He freed from sin and misery by a covenant of grace and brought them to salvation by a redeemer. 

Tuesday:

 God has made a covenant of grace with His people. A covenant is an agreement that promises good things if certain conditions are met. Grace is goodness and blessing that people do not earn or deserve in any way. So when God made a covenant  of grace with His people, He agreed to give  them many wonderful gifts and blessings that they never deserved. In this covenant, as in all covenants, there were conditions that had to be met if God's people were to receive the blessings. God promised that He Himself would meet those conditions. 

 Do you remember the answer to the question: How many persons are in the one God? (Answer: "Three persons are in the one God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, the same in substance and equal in power and glory.") All three persons had a part in making and keeping this covenant. God the Father chose certain human beings to be His children. 

Although these human beings, like all human beings, deserved God's anger, God chose to love them. Although they deserved death for their sins, He chose to make a way to give them life that would last forever. God the Father did not have to chose anyone. He chose to give His love and everlasting life to some people just because He is a God of grace, a God who gives people wonderful things that they do not deserve. If you have believed in Jesus as the Savior God provides, how thankful you should be to God the Father for choosing  you to be His child. 

Ephesians 1:3-6

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 

5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 

Shorter Catechism: Question 20

Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery?

A. 20. From all eternity and merely because it pleased Him, God chose some to have everlasting life. These He freed from sin and misery by a covenant of grace and brought them to salvation by a redeemer. 

Monday:

Almost as soon as Adam and Eve fell into sin and misery through their disobedience, God  made them a very comforting promise. God promised that someday  Someone would be born of a woman who would crush the head of Satan, who had deceived them. The Fall, with all its terrible consequences of  pain, death and the judgment of God, did not take God by surprise. He had always planned that His people would be His people because of what He would do for them, not because of what they would do for themselves. For centuries after the Fall, God's people waited for the birth of the One whom God had promised. The whole Old Testament looked forward to His coming. It contains many prophecies that Jesus fulfilled perfectly. Some of these Old Testament prophesies tell of what this Promised One would do for His people. He would save them from their sins and misery by taking the judgment their sins deserved and by living a life of perfect obedience to God in their place. For just one example of  such a prophesy written hundreds of years  before Jesus came:

Isaiah 53:5-6, 11

 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.

- Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism 

Shorter Catechism Answers

Recently there was a discussion going on in this blog that had to do with whether or not God chose people to go to heaven while also choosing others to go to hell. A lot of other issues came up as well, but we will get to those later.  I feel like it is necessary for me to explain what my position is and why I have it. I feel like t his is important because most of the people reading this are of a young adult age. Meaning they probably still live under the authority of their parents. This way, if I explain myself you can take these things to you parents so that you may discuss them.
 I also know many people reading this don't know what I'm talking about. Here is the link to the discussion so that you can catch up. (Session II: Debate) I know that many of you who read the discussion still won't understand why I can believe in such a harsh judgment. Which is the reason why I will be going through and posting a study on question #20: Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery? Before I begin, I'd like to explain what The Shorter Catechism is.

"The Shorter Catechism comes from the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

A catechism is simply an instructional guide. It is a handbook of questions and answers designed to teach principles of religion. To "catechize" children is to  teach them to memorize the answers found in a catechism, so that when the catechism questions are asked, the children can reply with the correct responses. Because a good catechism is at the same time concise and thorough, when children have learned it well, their understanding of the basic doctrines of Christian faith can be tested and fond to be complete.

Once, catechisms were used routinely. Church and family worked together to provide the most effective teaching possible for children growing up in Christian circles. Parents would work with their children at home, requiring them to memorize the answers to the catechism (and memorizing the answers themselves, as well).

It is said that if we require our children to memorize by rote, they will only memorize meaningless sounds and words without understanding them. Certainly we do a disservice to our children if we insist that they memorize words they do not understand, while we fail to take the time to discuss, teach and explain the meaning to them. The solution, however, is not to discard memorization as  a teaching method, but to faithfully supply meaning by discussing and explaining."

- Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism (Introduction)

If more questions arise as to what the shorter catechism is I will post more on the subject. However this should suffice for the weeks scheduled postings. Next week I will continue to post more on Omnibus I. Until then please enjoy and comment away on the upcoming one weeks devotion on question 20 from Training Hearts, Teaching Minds.

Fact vs. Fiction: My Respons to Session II Cultural Analysis

And this is what I believe.

Fact:

The Bible is true.
The Bible says that God predestined everything, right down to those who go to heaven and those who don't.
Many of us have given great resource verses that say these things.
And because we got these verses from the bible and the bible is in fact true, so are these verses (which I will now post :])

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate.... Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." -- Romans 8:29-30 (Found by Jane)


"God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned." -- 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 (Found by Jane)

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." -- John 15:16 (Found by Me)


Free will is the ability to follow Gods will in all things.

Fiction:

God lets you choose Him.

God waits for us to make a decision to make a decision himself.

Free will is in true definition the ability to do whatever you want when over you want however you want to.