Christian Theology Blog Posts and Resources by Dr. Craig Biehl

“Eminently, Perfectly, Eternally”

If you are looking for treat to add to your reading list, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks is packed with life-changing gems.

(A free eBook copy can be obtained here: https://www.monergism.com/precious-remedies-against-satans-devices). For example:

So says the saved soul: Why do you tell me of this and that outward comfort, when I cannot see the face of him whom my soul loves? Why, honor is not my Christ; riches are not my Christ; the favor of the creature is not my Christ! Let me have Jesus—and let the men of this world take the world, and divide it among themselves! I prize my Christ above all, I would enjoy my Christ above all other things in the world. His presence will make up the absence of all other comforts. His absence will darken and embitter all my comforts—so that my comforts will neither taste like comforts, nor look like comforts, nor warm like comforts—when he who should comfort my soul stands afar off (Lam. 1:16). Christ is all and in all to souls truly gracious (Col. 3:11). We have all things in Christ. Christ is all things to a Christian. If we are sick, Jesus is a physician. If we thirst, Jesus is a fountain. If our sins trouble us, Jesus is our righteousness. If we stand in need of help, Jesus is mighty to save. If we fear death, Jesus is life. If we are in darkness, Jesus is light. If we are weak, Jesus is strength. If we are in poverty, Jesus is plenty. If we desire heaven, Jesus is the way. The soul cannot say, ‘this I would have, and that I would have.’ But having Jesus, he has all he needs—eminently, perfectly, eternally.

Quoted from Thomas Brooks. Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices (Kindle Locations 2424-2433). Monergism Books. Kindle Edition.

A treasure trove of over 900 free eBooks listed alphabetically can be found here: https://www.monergism.com/900-free-ebooks-listed-alphabetically-author

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Eminently, Perfectly, Eternally

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A Christmas Story

Once upon a time there was a beggar who lived in a shack. A beggar whose heart was so dark it could dull the glow of the brightest star in the heavens. He lived in Jerusalem. Perhaps you have heard of His splendor, His servants, His armies, gardens, and trees—every possible trapping and trinket to exalt him above his peers. The Queen of Sheba nearly fainted at the sight of his treasures. But he was a beggar. A beggar who lived in a shack. A man whose heart was so dark with sin and guilt that he was utterly unworthy of the attention of the One who crowned him with such privilege and bounty. He deserved great punishment. Yes, such was Solomon in the presence of the King of Kings. As the candle loses its light in the beams of the sun, so Solomon’s splendor dims in the radiance of His Maker and Benefactor. And not a sliver of his fame and fortune satisfied his soul. “All is vanity,” he cried.

Nonetheless, Solomon was the best of the best by earthly standards. Today’s billionaires are amateurs, lacking Solomon’s wisdom and character, and certainly lacking the relative value of His kingdom and toys. Yet, Solomon was, shall we say, a mess. By God’s standard of righteousness, every child of Adam shares Solomon’s moral messiness.

And speaking of Adam, he exalted the lies of a slimy serpent over the word of His perfect and loving Creator. A crime so evil it brought death and put the entire world under a curse. We scowl at Adam for this, yet who among us can say we have not imitated his contempt of God’s goodness and authority? The world, it seems, cannot sleep unless it does Adam one better in biting the benevolent hand that gives them every good thing to enjoy. To provide examples would belabor the obvious. The greater difficulty lies in finding examples of where God and His Word are rightly honored. For, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” to an extent we scarcely appreciate. All this paints an unflattering picture, but an accurate account of what Scripture means when it says the world lies in deep darkness. A deep, deep darkness. But God would send a Light.

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isaiah 9:2 KJV)

And this Light will never dim. Who, then, is this Light? And how could He rescue the likes of us?

Our condition was indeed hopeless. Only God could save us. And even with His limitless power and wisdom, He would need radical measures to get us to heaven. He would infinitely humble Himself to be one of us, to live with us, to stand in our place and meet the strict requirements for eternal life. And this He did. He came down, born of a virgin, weak in the body and soul of our humanity, but bearing the dazzling white armor of His perfect holiness. And with a heart aflame with love for His beloved in distress, the daring and righteous Savior overcame the greatest of enemies to save her.

Indeed, His love for us began before time and the world. And unlike the objects of our love, with features, form, and demeanor that appear beautiful to the beholder, the object of this Savior’s affection was hideous and deformed, with a heart of malice and disgust for everything He holds dear. We gladly accepted His earthly gifts, but kicked and spat at His advances, insulted His faultless virtue, and spurned His acts of love. But He loved us still. He pursued us as we fled, and suffered to woo His unworthy and homely bride until He gained our heart and hand. Through fire, rain, temptation, agony, and death, He purchased our eternal and immeasurable happiness. And because He cannot relax His perfect justice, He paid our debt for sin on the cross, at infinite cost to Himself. He bore our penalty on His soul. And as we were unfit for the purity and majesty of His kingdom, He washed away our filth and covered us with a beautiful robe of righteousness—His very own righteousness—purchased for us by His perfect life in our place, given to us freely. He will take us from this evil land and bring us to a heavenly home—a kingdom. We will dine with the King at His table as an intimate member of His family, as the bride of His beloved Son. He will make us a sight to behold, with a beauty and splendor beyond the glory of the stars of heaven, reflecting the holy grandeur of our Bridegroom. Our happiness will be without limit or end. Our eternity will be glorious beyond measure. Thanks be to God for this priceless gift.

May gratitude and joy fill our hearts this Christmas season, and every season, as we ponder our salvation, and as we celebrate and worship our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Baggage, Responsibility, and the Display of God’s Excellence

We all bear the weight of a boatload of baggage, things of our past that haunt us today. Perhaps you were born into a difficult family, neighborhood, or financial situation. Maybe you have faced severe disappointments or losses, the death of a son, daughter, mother, father, or friend. Perhaps you have been cheated or mistreated, and frustrating and debilitating scars remain.

In my previous article we observed how all people intuitively and immediately know God’s existence, power, genius, and goodness by His works. We have proof aplenty. And while this indictment of unbelief helps clarify its unreasonable rejection of the obvious—the clear, comprehensive, and convincing evidence for God also offers great relief to those who wrestle with the emotional and spiritual wounds of youth. Space prevents a deep or broad examination of the issue, but you may be surprised how a critical apologetic principle provides simple and helpful medicine to those struggling with the nagging effects of their past.

Bruises and Blame
We all suffer the bruises of a fallen world; sin hurts and destroys. Unfortunately, our response to trouble can magnify the damage and suppress the good that might come from it. Frustrated, we might question why we still struggle and blame others for the ongoing effects of our childhood problems. Perhaps you blame your environment, acquaintances, and parents for your personality and emotional quirks and have spent great time and energy recounting and seeking relief from the mess they made of you. Maybe you turned to drugs, alcohol, pleasure, success, or other “cures” to solve your problems and satisfy your desires.

Of course, we should not discount our responsibility for how our actions may affect others, especially how they affect the sensitive and moldable hearts of our children. Ungodly notions of family and child rearing have consequences. But for our present and narrow purpose we ask, how much do we personally share the blame for the persistent effects of our childhood and teenage troubles?

Sufficient and Abundant Wine and Bread
To answer, we must first ask if God has provided sufficient evidence of His existence and excellence that we should have run to Him, cry to Him, cast our cares upon Him, and ultimately seek His infinite love through faith in Christ. Indeed, if His glory so shines that all are “without excuse” for not worshipping and giving Him thanks (Rom. 1:18ff.), then it sufficiently shines that we should seek Him in all things, especially our troubles. We are immersed in the display of His excellence and our dependence on Him, thus we have every encouragement to seek Him.

It’s no wonder, then, that God questions our foolish pursuit of help elsewhere, even as He offers grace: “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?” (Isa. 55:2). “Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” “Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance” (Isa. 55:1, 2). But having gorged ourselves with worthless or poisonous fare, we blame, harbor bitterness, and throw pity parties. What baggage could have been avoided had we run to God?

Running the Wrong Way on Empty
Perhaps we lacked love as a child, but did we run to the One whose love is perfect? Maybe we lacked guidance, boundaries, and purpose, but did we run to the Architect of the universe that made us for the greatest purpose? Perhaps we were deprived of emotional and psychological supports and nurture, but did we run to the One who meets every need, whose love surpasses all understanding? “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:11). “How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart” (Psalm 119:2). Did we seek the God of infinite love or run to vices that deepened and prolonged our wounds?

The Blessing of Confessing and Responsibility
We dare not minimize the profound suffering and trials of a corrupt world. As Christ shed tears for the broken hearts of Mary and Martha, so we should show compassion toward the hurts of others. But while we cannot bear the blame for every ill we suffer, we can take responsibility for our response. Here, as elsewhere, owning and confessing our sin against God goes a long way toward peace and contentment. And as “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28), He can turn the foolishness and effects of our youth into a means of greater godliness and joy. Many will enjoy an eternity of happiness in heaven because God used their troubles to bring them to faith in Christ.

Concluding Remarks
We all groan this side of glory, but “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed” (Rom 8:18). And given the clear display of God’s excellence, we could and should have been wiser. Nevertheless, our remaining baggage gives further opportunity for contentment and blessing as we cling to Christ, “for when [we are] weak, then [we are] strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). In the end, our every blessing is found in Him as our struggles drive us into His loving and all-sufficient arms: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

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A Thanksgiving Proclamation

By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

George Washington

From: “Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789,” Founders Online, National Archives (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091 [last update: 2015-09-29]). Source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 4, 8 September 1789 – 15 January 1790, ed. Dorothy Twohig. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1993, pp. 131–132.

Image Credit: By Jennie Augusta Brownscombe “The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” (1914) (photograph courtesy Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal) (Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Human Limitations of Unreasonable Atheism (Part 25): Doctrinal Disproofs: Do Miracles Disprove God? (Part B)

Last time we critiqued three claims that miracles do not imply God as their source. We turn now to a fourth and counter-intuitive argument, namely, miracles, or “permanently inexplicable” violations of “natural law,” not only do not imply God as their agent, but give positive evidence that the Christian God does not exist. Asserting what she believes concerning a benevolent, all-powerful and all-knowing God, the atheist author suggests that miracles are inconsistent with what such a God would do. ^[1]

Harmony and Dissonance
To begin, our author proposes that believers view the “harmony” of the universe as evidence for God. But as miracles are disruptions of that harmony, a “moment of chaos” or metaphorical “dissonance,” they cannot be evidence of God. Christians, she says, cannot have both harmony and chaos as evidence of God. Yet Scripture teaches that what God designed, created, and sustains display His genius, power, and goodness, while His miracles in history, including those of Christ’s ministry, display His control over it all. Thus, Jesus giving sight to the blind to demonstrate His divine credentials as Messiah agrees with the character of a benevolent God, while Christ raising the dead and walking on water display no “chaos” or “dissonance.” The sovereign God displays His power and genius in ordering and controlling His universe as He sees fit. When Christ calmed the “chaos” of the sea, the disciples were “amazed” and said, “Who is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” (Luke 8:25 NAS). We can safely assume that they did not doubt Christ’s divinity because He healed the sick, raised the dead, and controls the wind and waves.

Misleading?
Next, the author alleges that people are “knowledge-seekers” that try to understand the world by “patterns” and “regularities.” And since miracles are rare and random compared to ordered, “natural laws,” they “mislead” people by hindering “growth of scientific and philosophical comprehension” of the world, something a “benevolent God” would never do.

God, however, desires that people see life and the universe as a picture of His power, genius, and goodness, not as operating by itself. And even as every “natural law” displays His glory, every miracle in response to prayer or as demonstrating His rule over the universe affirms God’s goodness and purposes as revealed in Scripture. Whether they fit a “pattern” is irrelevant—no biblical miracle in its context ever led those that saw them to doubt God’s power and existence. Indeed, God desires that all people view the world as His handiwork, and miracles as evidence of His power and benevolent involvement in the affairs of His people. They may not agree with the assumptions of the atheist’s worldview, but they certainly display God’s purposes.

Moreover, as time and chance produce no laws, “natural” or otherwise, science and knowledge are impossible apart from God creating and upholding the universe. And while a benevolent God would never mislead His people, He desires that they see the obvious evidence that He created, upholds, and orders it as He pleases. To view the world operating on its own, and to “scientifically” study it with this underlying assumption, contradicts God’s revealed purpose in the world. Indeed, “Forever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness continues throughout all generations; Thou didst establish the earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Thine ordinances, For all things are Thy servants” (Ps. 119:89-91 NAS). “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, ‘I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone, Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back, And turning their knowledge into foolishness’” (Isa. 44:24-25 NAS). And as Paul told the Athenians, “The God who made the world and all things in it…gives to all life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:24, 25 NAS). A benevolent God desires in us a proper humility that views His nature and works correctly. “For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD. “But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isa. 66:2 NAS).

Why Not More?
If God performs miracles, why doesn’t He do more to solve the world’s problems? A good question, but we can only know what He has chosen to reveal to us, and He has revealed everything we need to trust Him with the affairs of the universe. Countless “secrets things” of God lie beyond our limited understanding and prove that we are not God, but our limitations do not constitute evidence against His existence.

Caprice, Bias, and Triviality
With these three words our author describes the miracles of Scripture. God does not act as an all-powerful, all-knowing, and good God because He does not cure everyone, she says. Yet, what she calls caprice and bias Scripture calls God’s sovereign and free choice. In Christ’s response to the complaints of workers paid the same as those who worked less, He said, “‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ Thus the last shall be first, and the first last” (Matt. 20:15-16 NAS). Does God healing a blind man display caprice because He did not heal everyone? Does God exerting His rights as the creator and owner of everything constitute injustice? Siblings may cry injustice at unequal gifts around the Christmas tree, but such complaints are no philosophical or theological threat to God’s miracles or existence. Should we complain that philanthropists give gifts to select recipients? People, like God, can give what is rightfully theirs to whomever they please. In any event, God’s perfect justice will prevail in the end.

Time and Space
Our author also argues that miracles performed in time and space cannot sufficiently display the purposes of a limitless God. Yet they certainly display His power over life, death, health, the sun in the sky, the properties of reality, and whatever else is involved in His miracles. Or, as Jesus responded when detractors disputed His right to forgive sins, “which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, and walk? But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—then He said to the paralytic—’Rise, take up your bed, and go home’” (Matt. 9:5-6 NAS). What more than every aspect of His creation and His power over it could meet the author’s criteria for sufficient evidence of His limitless power? As it is, “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20 NAS).

Conclusion
Neglecting to cite a single miracle of Scripture, the atheist author fails to show how Christ healing the sick, raising the dead, and calming the storm demonstrate that God does not exist; she fails to show how God’s judgments against the gods of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and bringing water from a rock demonstrate that God does not exist; and she fails to show how the Apostles giving legs to the lame and eyes to the blind in Christ’s name demonstrate that God does not exist. Rather, she imagines what the “Christian God” would or would not do, and that contrary to what He did, does, and will do (as revealed in Scripture), and then speculates that miracles do not meet her imagined criteria. From this she concludes that miracles would give evidence that the “Christian God” does not exist. To borrow a phrase of Jonathan Edwards, “this is not strong arguing.”

To make her case she would need to consult Scripture, the record of the time, place, nature, and purpose of God’s miracles on which Christians base their beliefs, including Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and then show how they each give evidence that God does not exist. Yet, she would be hard-pressed to find an instance that calls into question God’s existence and power. In the previous article I addressed some difficulties with trusting in contemporary reports of miracles as the basis of faith in God. But even with uncertainty concerning the source of many contemporary miracles, none deny the possibility of God’s existence and ability to perform them any more than crooks abusing the Gospel for money deny the infinite excellence of Christ. In the end, she demonstrates that the biblical worldview does not agree with her view of the world, her concept of fairness, her opinions about miracles, and her view of God and the world He created and sustains. At the same time, she said nothing to disprove miracles and God who performs them.

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NAS). That glory, in part, is seen in His miracles, the greatest being His resurrection, the vindication of His paying the full penalty for our sin that we might have eternal life though faith in Him. Whatever one thinks of contemporary accounts of miracles, the biblical accounts not only provide a proper “scientific and philosophical comprehension” of the world, but point to the source of eternal life and reconciliation with the One who created it. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36-38 NAS). “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15 NAS). Therefore, “we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:20-21 NAS).

^[1] In an earlier article I noted that I would be addressing original sin in this series. I have since decided that original sin deserves a separate and detailed series of its own, which I will likely do later this year.

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