When Your Past Won't Stay There

Words for Wednesdays

My blog is called "Reaching Ahead" from the passage in Philippians 3:12-14 where we forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. But what if our past won't stay, well... past? What if it affects our present, and as a result, our future?

Putting Your Past in Its Place by Stephen Viars is a Biblical guide to our pasts. He helps us look at them through the lens of scripture. I appreciate his gentle yet firm approach, as well as the systematic way he moves through the book.

His goal isn't to dive into our past to blame others, find our inner child, or anything like that. Instead, he breaks it into four categories, and then he teaches us how to correctly handle each, giving examples from the Bible of people who've been there as well as case studies.

1. When you've been through trials and responded well. (Joseph)
2. When you've been through trials and responded poorly. (Naomi)
3. When you've sinned and responded well. (Peter)
4. When you've sinned and responded poorly. (David)

As one counselee I met with said when she reported on the book:

"I would highly recommend this book to any Christian who is struggling with issues of the past. No matter what the issues, this book (especially with its use of biblical reference) can help steer anyone in the right direction; down a pathway straight to God. It all points back to the Lord who is our ultimate healer and adviser."

I think that just about sums it up!

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

Theology Tuesday: If a turtle were on a fence post...

It's Theology Tuesday!  We're in part four of a five part series on Bibliology.

Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3

Compare and contrast the Bible and its authority to general revelation and its authority.

We learn about God through His written word, His Spirit, nature, and our consciences.  These different avenues for knowledge, however, are not equal in terms of authority and salvation.

We know we learn about God and who He is through nature by the passage in Romans 1:20 which states that God’s invisible qualities can be seen so clearly that people have no excuse for their lack of belief.  This is “general revelation,” meaning it gives knowledge of God’s existence, character, and moral law, and it is available to all of humanity.  God’s creation testifies about His existence.  If you were to walk past a fence post and saw a turtle on top of it, you would wonder who put it there.  The same is true for creation.  When looking at the intricacies and marvels of this world, the question is the same: “Who put us here?”

Inside each person is the knowledge of good and evil.  Apart from the law, men live imperfectly by their own moral standard as they think is best.  The fact that they try and create rules for what is good and what is bad is a sign that there is a true good out there.  Thus, by their own design, they are setting standards that they cannot follow, thus proving their own fallen nature. 

Romans 2 says:

“For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my Gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”  (Rom 2:14-16)

With this general revelation then, all mankind has a choice as to who they should worship.  However, they have chosen to not honor Him as God or give Him thanks, and instead they worship the creature instead of the Creator.  (Romans 1:21, 25)  General revelation, then, brings condemnation, but it does not bring the hope of Jesus.  That is where the word of God comes into the picture.

God’s word gives the details of God’s plan for salvation, because faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).  A few verses earlier, we are told to confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead in order to be saved (Rom 10:9).

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us concerning the Son.  Jesus said that the Spirit would lead us into all truth (John 16:13).  However, the Spirit does not work apart from or in contrast to Jesus, who is the Word, and therefore will only support what is in the Word and not add to it.  Jesus said, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

So though God’s presence is made evident through general revelation so that all men are without excuse, salvation is found through the Word, who is Jesus Christ.  Therefore, the final authority on life and goodness does not come through nature or our own ability to reason, but through the Word of God. 

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Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p1242

An Inspired Idea!

On Tuesdays, while my kids are in a home school class, I spend the mornings studying for my NANC Certification, a Biblical Nouthetic Counseling certification process.  I'm currently working through the open-book theology essays.

So what's my inspired idea?  To share these with you on Tuesdays!  You will get to read the first drafts of the essays I've completed so far.  The first one is:

~*~*~*~*~

The Bible is spoken of as “inspired.”  What does this mean?

Many people use the word inspired for works of art or literature that are so beautiful or amazing, there is no human way possible they could have accomplished them unassisted.  They are beyond limited human capabilities.  Though most people do not really take this thought to the next step - as to who the inspiration came from - that is the general idea behind the word.  

As believers in Jesus Christ, we believe that the Bible has been inspired as well, meaning it was not accomplished by limited human minds, and the inspiration came from the one true God.  Webster’s dictionary defines inspiration as “a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation.”  God, as the only truly divine influence, delivered sacred revelation to the writers of the Bible.  Therefore, it is not simply another book based on the thoughts of men that fill our library shelves.  Their words were given to them  by God’s perfect will as to what should be penned.   

We know the Bible is inspired based on many Biblical texts.  The most common passage is II Timothy 3:16, which says in the NASB, “All Scripture is inspired by God.”  Jesus also explains that it is a work of the Holy Spirit by what He said in John 14:26, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”  The Apostle Paul teaches, “...what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord.”  (I Cor. 14:37)  In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul says that he will give, “proof that Christ is speaking in me.”  (II Corinthians 13:3)

The word “all” in the passage in II Timothy means each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything.  For this reason, we do not believe that just some passages are inspired, but literally all of them.  From Genesis to Revelation, the entire Word of God is inspired by God.  

Understanding this, the way we read the Bible is transformed!  We are no longer allowed to pick and choose which passages we like and which we do not.  We must wrestle with the fact that God is the authority on what is true, and we must align our thoughts with His Word.

For example, some come to Christ believing that the stories of Noah and Jonah are just fictitious fairy tales taught in Sunday School Classes. However, knowing that God inspired all of the Scriptures, combined with the understanding that God does not lie, we must believe these stories to not only be true, but relevant to our lives today.  II Timothy 3:16 goes on to say that all scripture is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”  So those stories of Jonah and Noah are profitable for us as believers today.

Understanding the Bible is inspired also affects our daily life.  God’s word says that a gentle reply best calms down a wrathful person.  (Proverbs 15:1)  When confronted with a heated situation, you might be tempted to think that the only proper response is to yell and make your point heard. However, God says that a gentle answer is the only correct course of action.  If this were just good advice from a friend, then you might be able to rationalize away the instruction.  However, knowing that God is the one giving the advice, there is really no other way to act.

The inspiration of the Bible gives us hope that God did not just leave us alone to figure out life in this world that He created.  He did not abandon His children and leave them directionless.  He used men to write a book - an inspired book - to guide us to Himself through Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit.    


Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for pas (Strong's 3956)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 21 Sep 2010. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?  Strongs=G3956&t=KJV >
 
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pages 60-61