Walking in the Ancient Paths

“There is rugged terrain ahead for those who are constitutionally incapable of referring to the paths marked out by wise and spirit-filled cartographers over the centuries.”

—Larry Woiwode, Acts (New York: HarperCollins, 1993).

“It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others.”

—Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Commenting and Commentaries (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1876), 1.

“Tradition is the fruit of the Spirit’s teaching activity from the ages as God’s people have sought understanding of Scripture. It is not infallible, but neither is it negligible, and we impoverish ourselves if we disregard it.”

—J.I. Packer, “Upholding the Unity of Scripture Today,” JETS 25 (1982): 414.

Thus says the LORD:

“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.

But they said, “We will not walk in it.”

—Jeremiah 6:16

 

Was the Apostle Paul a Widower?

Denny Burk makes the case. His main points are outlined below. Read the whole thing for explanation and defense.

Paul puts himself in the category of being “unmarried” in 1 Corinthians 7:8.The word “unmarried” translates the Greek word agamos.Paul uses the term agamos to refer to those who have been married but now are no longer married.The context of agamos in 1 Corinthians 7:8 is dominated by Paul’s instructions to those who are married or who have been married.The Greek word for “widower” was not in use during the Koine period.The word for “unmarried” appears to be the masculine word for someone who has lost a spouse.As a good Pharisee, it is highly unlikely that Paul would have been single his entire life.

 

Wind in Our Sails and Direction from Our Dashboard

Mike Horton:

While I believe that it’s generally true that those who are forgiven much love much and that those who are in view of God’s mercies will present their bodies as a living sacrifice, we have to recognize the deep depravity in our own hearts even as regenerate believers. Often I find myself reveling in the glories of the gospel for my own delight, oblivious to the “reasonable service” that it yields toward my neighbor.  I can be writing a paragraph on the wonders of grace while I snap at my wife or children for interrupting me. We do need Christ to remind us, by his Spirit, through his law, that the gospel doesn’t stop at our own personal security and welfare, but drives us out to our neighbors in love and service.  A good Shepherd guides his sheep.  A good Father rebukes those whom he loves.  We need to hear the very specific and uncomfortable rebukes of the law as well as the tender comfort of the gospel.

We always need the gospel wind in our sails and the directional equipment on our dashboard.  Without the former, we’re dead in the water; without the latter, we’re blown all over the map.

 

Why the Church Needs Plumbers

J.I. Packer:

 

. . . You have to define what a theologian is. His business is to make sure that the church has what I will call a pure water system—thinking of the word of God as the water of life. You could describe him, therefore, as a kind of ecclesiastical plumber, or sewage engineer. In the church, there’s always going to be muddy water, there’s always going to be mistaken ideas going around; theologians are the people whose business is to keep the flow clear and pure. In order to do that, they have to understand the faith as a whole, and that usually means that they have to do something like specialist work in the exposition of Bible truth—because the people who are stirring up the mud are also doing specialist work. . . . Any section of the church which doesn’t have theologians—as point people and whistle blowers and plumbers and water engineers—is, sooner or later, going to be bogged down in muddy water.

 

Notes from Lukmanova’s Lecture on George MacDonald – #1

Last month Olga Lukmanova from Russia did a talk at L’Abri called “George MacDonald – the fairy-tale canon and the art of myth-making”. Here is the first part of my notes on this talk (they are organized topically rather than sequentially, though they follow the approximate order of her talk).

Her Meeting with George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905)

In 1996, she first heard of MacDonald through C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce”Olga was intrigued, basically what Lewis said about his perception of MacDonald was the way she viewed LewisA week later she went to her library and found that, low and behold, they had a shelf with George MacDonald books(Turns out they were simplified edition of his work)In her personal life she was depressed and burned out, seeking joy. She found new vigor in reading MacDonald’s worksHer love for George MacDonald’s work began

Her Passion for MacDonald

She read everything by him at the library, came to L’Abri and read moreThankfully everything by MacDonald is in public domain and available onlineShe talked to her friends about him, and they asked why she doesn’t translate them into RussianSo far, 5 of his major works are translated and she is working on his fairy talesEventually she began pursuing a degree doing studies on George MacDonald’s fairy tales and has been doing that for 1 year

Intro to George MacDonald – Early Life

(he sort of looks like he could be a Russian author)Born in Northern Scotland (his work presents stunning views of Scotland)Lost his mother at 8 years oldFamily was in the bleaching businessHe spent most of his childhood on a farm which is reflected in his writingsLewis noted how MacDonald’s life is very much characterized by a nearly perfect relationship with his father, which translated into his entire view of the world–the Fatherhood of God lays at the heart of itWhen he was 15 years old, his father remarried and his father’s new wife became like a mother, George had a lot of respect for her

School/Early Adult Life

George was interested in natural philosophy (ie. science) and wanted to go to Germany to study, but his father didn’t have the money for that so he fell back on theology/philosophyHe went to HighburyOne winter he had to go to a library up north to catalog a library. A house with a library appears through almost all his novels.Up north, he was introduced to the German romantics, especially Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (aka “Novalis”)One of MacDonald’s first publications was translating the work of Novalis, and he would continue to work on that the rest of his life

His Family And Personal Characteristics

MacDonald married Louisa Powell at the age of 27 and they had 11 kidsTheir family used to travel around England and stage the Pilgrim’s progress, acting it out.Lewis stated that his chief weakness was his Scottish love of finery, though he was poor, he loved good food and good clothes.He was incredibly generousHe maintained a friendly, magnetic  home that was the center of whatever community he was inOne of his best friends was Lewis Caroll, and his kids were the first to hear Alice in its original presentation in 1863

Post Graduation Life

After graduation, he began preaching in Sussex, and continued there for 3 yearsPart of the congregation loved his preaching, the deacons and others began questioning his orthodoxyHe preached a broad, welcoming, inclusive GodHe said that animals might go to heavenAround Christmas he published the spiritual songs of “Novalis”, the German realist, which smacked of German biblical criticismThey didn’t dismiss him but cut his salary (at which time he had one child), he said “we’ll live on less”They made more salary cuts, and then he left. He never again was a formal ministerGoing forward, he never had permanent employment again, but earned money through his books, itinerant preaching, and teaching science and literature lectures at a ladies college. He also had a pension and his friends helped him out.

A Life of Sorrow

TuberculosisBefore he reached 65,  he lost 4 of his 11 kids to tuberculosisHe also lost two brothers to tuberculosisHe also had weak lungs and tuberculosisHe went through sickness, disease, and povertyWhen he wrote about affliction being the “shadow of God’s wings”, he would know about afflictionHe lived to 81

to be continued…

 

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#935

“A successful pastor will also develop the power of prayer among his members. He will teach them and lead them to adopt the best methods in this respect. The duty of secret and family prayer will be enjoined. Each will be encouraged and exhorted to unite in the prayer meetings of the church and personally to engage publicly in prayer upon all suitable occasions. Only through such attainments will the church be spiritually developed; only through such prayers of his people will he himself be able most successfully to discharge all his duties among them.” – James P. Boyce

 

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#936

“An assembly of public worship is not merely a gathering of God’s children with each other, but is, before all else, a meeting of the triune God with his covenant people. In the covenant, God promises his chosen ones that he will dwell among them as their God and they will be his people… The triune God is present in public worship, not only by virtue of the divine omnipresence, but, much more intimately, as the faithful covenant Savior. Through Christ, God’s people have access by one Spirit to the Father.” – The Directory for the Public Worship of God