Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Trinitarian Redemption

Concerning how the Trinity and salvation are related:

"Seeing how closely these two go together depends on seeing both Trinity and gospel as clearly as possible in a large enough perspective to discern their overall forms. When the outlines of both are clear, we should experience the shock of recognition: Trinity and gospel have the same shape! This is because the good news of salvation is ultimately that God opens his Trinitarian life to us. Every other blessing is either a preparation for that or a result of it, but the thing itself is God's graciously taking us into the fellowship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be our salvation." -- Fred Sanders, 21st Century

"The Father's love gave Christ to them, Christ's love gave Himself for them, and the Holy Ghost's love reveals and applies to them the salvation of God. . .We are taught in Scripture that our security flows from three great facts. The Father has loved us with an everlasting love--a love that never changes; Christ, who died for our sins, is now at God's right hand in resurrection glory and ever lives to make intercession for us, pleading His work finished and accepted; and God the Holy Ghost dwelleth in us." -- Marcus Rainsford, 19th Century

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Get Wisdom - Post 30

Proverbs -- Chapter 30 


Some observations:

1. Know God, and know yourself, and know your place. It seems to me this is an umbrella theme over this chapter. And it should be said that knowing God well produces knowledge of one's self. We learn who and what we are not. Also, pay attention. Agur considered himself ignorant and foolish (v2-3), yet he writes with insight and wisdom on the realities and mysteries of life in this world.
2. As a sub-point to #1, submit to how God has made the world and to His ways in it. There is a divine origin and rhythm to it all, and we can learn something of God from observing this and walking with it, not against it.
3. Notice the many sins involving the tongue against which we are warned, and counseled to overcome (v8-9, 10, 11, 15, 32-33).
4. Wonder (v18-19. Cf v2-5).
5. Get wisdom (v24-28. Cf v3).