tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post3941134155222362598..comments2024-03-10T10:40:32.319-07:00Comments on Pyromaniacs: The danger of confessionsPhil Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649092052031518426noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-33100794916515663362009-06-04T08:56:35.694-07:002009-06-04T08:56:35.694-07:00Nicodemus says "we know." Jesus replies,...<i>Nicodemus says "we know." Jesus replies, "Truly, truly I say to you," σοι (soi), the second person singular pronoun. Nic says "we"; Jesus says "thee." Jesus will not allow Nicodemus to hide amongst a crowd. He singles Nicodemus out, and deals with his soul, one on one</i>... <br /><br />Oh, that ain't nothin'...<br /><br />Check out this one:<br /><br />What? You think THEY were greater sinners than YOU? I say, unless YOU repent, YOU shall likewise perish, ...just like THEY did!<br /><br />;-)Kirby L. Wallacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01825673333919420557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-22915773034366681172007-12-19T12:51:00.000-08:002007-12-19T12:51:00.000-08:00Strong post - clear and insightful. Thanks for you...Strong post - clear and insightful. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for your meditation on the text...I find that meditating on the words of Christ yields deeper and deeper views of His infinite wisdom. No one EVER spoke like Christ!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16466838495115756231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-83576382168672648022007-12-19T10:26:00.000-08:002007-12-19T10:26:00.000-08:00LOL... Thanks for that Mark...LOL... Thanks for that Mark...Benjamin P. Glaserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02728290792232181473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-64087500258943032832007-12-19T09:23:00.000-08:002007-12-19T09:23:00.000-08:00ASV still used it.ASV still used it.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-67671696589545290572007-12-19T08:57:00.000-08:002007-12-19T08:57:00.000-08:00Just a note. When we used the King James Bible in ...Just a note. When we used the King James Bible in the Baptist Church when I was a kid, we had the singular, thee, and the plural, you.<BR/>The English we spoke ignored this, of course. So as we rejoiced in the new comprehensible English texts in the 60's and beyond, we gained the more accurate meaning in most places, along with a more accurate underlying textual criticism, but we lost the distinctions in our Bibles of thee and you. ( I can still remember people saying how glad they were to get rid of the thee's and thou's) For us old timey guys, I suppose that we could dust off our Scofield Reference Bibles if we wanted to know which word was used in the absence of the ability to read the Greek text.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17469155385787591967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-17612730401069386342007-12-19T05:31:00.000-08:002007-12-19T05:31:00.000-08:00Benjamin P. Glaser said 'The single biggest proble...Benjamin P. Glaser said 'The single biggest problem with reading Scripture in English is the complete lack of a singular and plural "you".'<BR/><BR/>Well, if you're from the South, you can use "y'all" as singular and "all y'all" as plural.Mark B. Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942591774072214556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-57234380192492836612007-12-18T23:51:00.000-08:002007-12-18T23:51:00.000-08:00Dan, thanks for the tip. Biblicalthought.com is p...Dan, thanks for the tip. Biblicalthought.com is powered by Wordpress. I think that's my problema. Recently, we have had to take snapshots of the text, and insert as images mid-sentence. It came out pretty good, you can see it here: <BR/><BR/>http://biblicalthought.com/blog/a-simple-fallacy/<BR/><BR/>But I would rather have it show like Blogger allows.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the great post. Keep 'em comingStephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12647277374712738321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-61322112269991625442007-12-18T21:38:00.000-08:002007-12-18T21:38:00.000-08:00Scripture balances things beautifully:Guarding aga...Scripture balances things beautifully:<BR/><BR/>Guarding against ego, the Lord's prayer begins "Our Father..." which sets us on equal footing before God.<BR/><BR/>Guarding against sloppy pseudo-belief, Christ holds us individually accountable: Luke 12:1 (whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge...)<BR/><BR/>As I recall, there was a certain Achan who tried to be anonymous in a crowd. (Joshua 7) He was not as anonymous as he had thought, and things did NOT go well for him.<BR/><BR/>As to bare acknowledgment of any orthodox position, without conforming to the Word, <I>even the demons believe and tremble.</I>Theophilushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01550702039587569902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-70515017400142863592007-12-18T20:35:00.000-08:002007-12-18T20:35:00.000-08:00Every language I know of distinguishes number — ex...Every language I know of distinguishes number — except English.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-29552881831701776262007-12-18T20:18:00.000-08:002007-12-18T20:18:00.000-08:00I don't read Greek or hebrew, but I do speak fluen...I don't read Greek or hebrew, but I do speak fluent Spanish (my wife is Mexican, and we work with a Spanish-language home missions church). I like doing my Bible reading in both English and Spanish. The separate forms of "you" in Spanish help show this same difference you pointed out form the Greek. And I've come across verses where the Spanish translation seemed much richer than the English.Brian Rodenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00026316545177087233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-30280999333259923542007-12-18T20:05:00.000-08:002007-12-18T20:05:00.000-08:00Stephen, what worked best was to get BibleWorks 7 ...Stephen, what worked best was to get BibleWorks 7 to do its exporting in Unicode, then copy and paste that into Blogger. It won't work right in IE6 or its spinoffs, but it works with IE7 or anything else I've tested.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-85654791389807124992007-12-18T19:52:00.000-08:002007-12-18T19:52:00.000-08:00The single biggest problem with reading Scripture ...The single biggest problem with reading Scripture in English is the complete lack of a singular and plural "you". That is why ever since I learned Greek and Hebrew I carry both Testaments with me so that I can clarify for the English. It never ceases to amaze me how the text changes when one examines the "you" usage of a given text.Benjamin P. Glaserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02728290792232181473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-61804105464683088122007-12-18T18:55:00.000-08:002007-12-18T18:55:00.000-08:00Dan, did you also catch "gennao anothen" in the Gr...Dan, did you also catch "gennao anothen" in the Greek? that's a BIG ONE!!! BTW, how did you get the Greek font to display like that? We have tried everything at our site' nothing has worked! Any help will be great! Oh, if you also know any Hebrew plugins that actually work, that would be great too.<BR/><BR/>Great post! Loved it...Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12647277374712738321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-12901970715502769092007-12-18T17:16:00.000-08:002007-12-18T17:16:00.000-08:00Excellent post, Dan, and a fantastic insight about...Excellent post, Dan, and a fantastic insight about the Greek.<BR/><BR/>I am a huge believer that there is much individual responsibility required by God on each of us. And, I believe that there is much growth done within the Body. I have been accused of being very individualistic with my faith, ignoring the value of corporate worship. What I appreciate about your post is that you affirm the need for and benefit of the collective creed without diminishing the personal responsibility of the individual to believe what is being said in that creed.Chris Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09852172543604796279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-69492384345313567962007-12-18T14:28:00.000-08:002007-12-18T14:28:00.000-08:00One of the great things about a good, Biblical con...<I>One of the great things about a good, Biblical confession of faith is that it underscores the unity of a body of Christian people, confessing the one Lord, one faith, with one mouth.</I><BR/><BR/>Some folks would argue against the notion that there is value in having a Biblical confession of faith.<BR/><BR/>For instance, another blogger writes: "This business of defining large numbers of people out of the faith by our favorite qualifiers is a nasty piece of hypocrisy we need to give up."<BR/><BR/>Could a Biblical confession of faith be a "favorite qualifier"? If so, then a Biblical confession of faith is a nasty piece of hypocrisy that Christians need to give up.<BR/><BR/>He goes on to write: "The problem for many people is their desire to create a church of certainty more than a church of Jesus."<BR/><BR/>P.S. I do not want to start a blog war between the Internet Monk and Team Pyro as the Internet Monk once falsely accused me of doing.<BR/><BR/>So please no personal attacks on I-monk. I just showcase I-monk's comment to provide an alternative argument or perspective to DJP's post.<BR/><BR/>Pax.Truth Unites... and Divideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08891402278361538353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-38072349943441991202007-12-18T14:14:00.000-08:002007-12-18T14:14:00.000-08:00Another danger of confessions and creeds is elevat...Another danger of confessions and creeds is elevating them to the status of Scripture.<BR/><BR/>The other day I was reading a [reformed] blog discussion on whether Christmas should be celebrated and the primary source of authority was the Westminster Confession of Faith.<BR/><BR/>As Dan says, "a good, Biblical confession of faith ... underscores the unity of a body of Christian people." A confession should never be used in a discussion on theology unless its purpose is to point to historical congruity or incongruity. But using it as the authoritative source is completely out of place for non-Catholics.<BR/><BR/>Is it not?TruthStandshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786561068459541675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-60495293432764081322007-12-18T11:39:00.000-08:002007-12-18T11:39:00.000-08:00This emergent (and all of the others I know) belie...<I>This emergent (and all of the others I know) believe both.</I><BR/><BR/>True of all the Emerg***s I know, too - no matter what the subject is.Nash Equilibriumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06528684112014026512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-53933318142129154572007-12-18T11:32:00.000-08:002007-12-18T11:32:00.000-08:00Dan,I agree with Ernesto. For us Mexicans it is a ...Dan,<BR/><BR/>I agree with Ernesto. For us Mexicans it is a sweet reminder of the beautiful Mariachi music... I even have a CD from Marcos Witt for Christian music with Mariachis.<BR/><BR/>Reflecting on the personal accountability to God and Christ, it is hard and painful to even think that maybe one of our kids will not make it through no matter how hard we try.<BR/>God Reigns and His purpose will stand.<BR/><BR/>Romans 9:11-13<BR/>11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger."[d] 13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."Pedrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04388410433686445227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-14606110822365240832007-12-18T11:17:00.000-08:002007-12-18T11:17:00.000-08:00This emergent (and all of the others I know) belie...This emergent (and all of the others I know) believe both.Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08284171572883616668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-530864405696778882007-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:002007-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:00Drew: Yes, you're right. I should have said that E...Drew: Yes, you're right. I should have said that Emerg***s believe that salvation, the Lord's Supper etc are more about collective salvation than they are about individual salvation. Sorry.Nash Equilibriumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06528684112014026512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-4020312831971094772007-12-18T09:59:00.000-08:002007-12-18T09:59:00.000-08:00Richard,Are we transferring knowledge and not just...Richard,<BR/><BR/>Are we transferring knowledge and not just platitudes? Good point and the point the post was making.<BR/><BR/>There is a danger, isn't there, in this season of Christmas? Just what do those songs mean? And like the song 'Amazing Grace,' repetition of confessions can evicerate them. I am encouraged though at the renewed interest I see in confessions and catechisms, simply because, for too long we have not discussed the bowels of meaning of the things we say we believe. Still, the caution is that we once did this kind of discipleship and what happened? Somewhere along the line something seems to go awry. We could look at the great universities established for the propagation of the faith and then their decline and ask the same question.<BR/><BR/>Therefore it is good to ask and caution people not to make the Word of God of no effect by emptying it of its eternal meaning. So this post lines up nicely with the preceding ones. We, that is the orthodox, carry the blame for the emergence of the Emergent by our lackadaisical attitudes which we somehow let creep in. One, two generations down the road, and our children no longer know the way home.Strong Towerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834108238546908018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-87011569038556033482007-12-18T09:55:00.000-08:002007-12-18T09:55:00.000-08:00Uh-oh. You've stomped on yet another Emerg*** sacr...<I><BR/>Uh-oh. You've stomped on yet another Emerg*** sacred cow: That salvation, the Lord's Supper, etc. are as much about our relationships to each other and "commmunity", as they are about our relationship to the Godhead.<BR/><BR/></I><BR/><BR/>Emergents don't believe this? That's news to me.Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08284171572883616668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-79707905546401854692007-12-18T09:40:00.000-08:002007-12-18T09:40:00.000-08:00I enjoy the posts on the blog from time to time. M...I enjoy the posts on the blog from time to time. Many are genuinely brilliant and insightful. While I do believe that people should respond in faith to the gospel individually, I have lived for a while on this earth (official old guy) and made a decision a couple of years ago to convert from being a conservative Baptist/Presbyterian (read GCC) to being a conservative Anglican. And the public confession of sin and the announcement of forgiveness, along with the clear public confession of what I believe together with the other worshippers have continued to encourage my faith and life with Christ.<BR/>Of my four children who were present regularly in all the services and programs of the local large church mentioned above, three lack much more of an understanding of Christian doctrine than that "Jesus is my savior" or that "To be a Christian, you just invite Jesus into your heart." I failed them as a father and my then church also failed them. It is not just the Nicene creed that they missed, but I think it might have been different with it. <BR/>We only get this one life. For those with younger families, consider the legacy that you will leave. Ask yourself, "What will my kids know when I am gone?"Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17469155385787591967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-57852921274858546042007-12-18T09:25:00.000-08:002007-12-18T09:25:00.000-08:00Recently I decided for our Sunday School class we ...Recently I decided for our Sunday School class we would review our doctrine and church covenant<BR/><BR/>I was told - don't do it people will be bored<BR/><BR/>Praise God our Sunday School attendance doubled (could it be that when the Word of God is affirmed people are DRAWN to it?)<BR/><BR/>Since doing that our volunteerism has doubled and so has our baptisms<BR/><BR/>We are a small church so I am not trying to paint a megachurch success story - just saying that there is something inherently powerful about affirming doctrine<BR/><BR/>And I think the best part is that INDIVIDUALS are under intense conviction - not just hiding in the crowdJoshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01723063420700705898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-25222401195221081822007-12-18T08:59:00.000-08:002007-12-18T08:59:00.000-08:00As a Sud Bautisto (?) attending an OPC church I ha...As a Sud Bautisto (?) attending an OPC church I have enjoyed beginning the liturgy with the Apostles' Creed...<BR/><BR/>I believe.... each says in unity....<BR/><BR/>It is true that in a flock there are many voices but each baabaa will give an account on that day for every idle bleat.Strong Towerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834108238546908018noreply@blogger.com