Crazy Quilt

Sometime today this blog will have it's 100,000th visitor. Mostly, I try to ignore the numbers on Sitemeter, but 100,000 gets a little attention.

Youngest son will be going to the national competition in his volleyball division in Abbotsford, BC, this week. He's a setter, and a pretty good one, I've been told.

I was reading James White's blog this week, and in one of the posts he gave a little review of the debate he had in Missouri last weekend, linking to a newpaper article reporting on the debate. The article mentions a man named Joe Rostollan (who says, by the way, that Dr. White was the better debater, and that Rev. Wright seemed out of his league), and I recognized the name. It turns out Joe pastors a church in Harrisonville, Mo., but that's not how I know him. I went to the same small Bible college as Joe--Oak Hills Christian College in Bemidji, MN--only back then he looked a lot more like Gabe Kaplan in Welcome Back Kotter than the man in the photo on the church website.

And not long ago, I was watching a DVD called The History and Theology of Calvinism, and one of the experts interviewed looked awfully familiar. It turns out it was Roger Schultz, another man I knew a little from his association with the same school. It seems that Roger is Professor and Chair of the History Department at Liberty University, and also pastor of Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church. If you've been following some of the stuff coming out of Liberty University in regards to Calvinism lately, you'll understand why I find this amusing.

If you like that sort of irony, it may amuse you to know that another former student and professor at the same little christian college is Dr. John Sanders, who is one of the more well-known open theists.

(My father was also a faculty member at Oak Hills. He's now retired, but you can see him in the bottom photo on this page. He's the fifth man from the right, or the third from the right on the front row.)

I'm still working on organizing old posts into their rightful pigeonholes. Done lately:

Math, Numbers, Puzzles, Etc.

• For the Love of Math
• Solutions to Yesterday's Puzzles
• Trashing Roman Numerals

Church Documents, Creed, and Confessions

• Nicene Creed
• Definition of Chalcedon
• The Apostles' Creed
• Canons of the Council of Orange

Assorted Theological

• Isaiah 10 and Reconciling Friends
• Say What?
• Christ Who Sits

Sunday's Hymn: Musical Theme

Oh How I Love Jesus

There is a Name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in my ear,
The sweetest Name on earth.

Refrain
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!

It tells me of a Savior’s love,
Who died to set me free;
It tells me of His precious blood,
The sinner’s perfect plea.

It tells me of a Father’s smile
Beaming upon His child;
It cheers me through this little while,
Through desert, waste, and wild.

It tells me what my Father hath
In store for every day,
And though I tread a darksome path,
Yields sunshine all the way.

It tells of One whose loving heart
Can feel my deepest woe;
Who in each sorrow bears
A part that none can bear below.

It bids my trembling heart rejoice.
It dries each rising tear.
It tells me, in a “still small voice,”
To trust and never fear.

Jesus, the Name I love so well,
The Name I love to hear:
No saint on earth its worth can tell,
No heart conceive how dear.

This Name shall shed its fragrance still
Along this thorny road,
Shall sweetly smooth the rugged hill
That leads me up to God.

And there with all the blood-bought throng,
From sin and sorrow free,
I’ll sing the new eternal song
Of Jesus’ love for me.

---Frederick Whitfield (Listen)

---

Other hymns, worship songs, etc. posted this Sunday:

• He Lives at Ian's Messy Desk
• How Sweet and Awful is the Place at New Lumps

If you've posted a hymn or worship song, etc this Sunday, why not let me know in the comments below and I'll add your post to the list above?

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Tags: hymns, hymn lyrics

Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell?

The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consisteth in the guilt of Adam's first sin,[1] the want of that righteousness wherein he was created, and the corruption of his nature, whereby he is utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite unto all that is spiritually good, and wholly inclined to all evil, and that continually;[2] which is commonly called Original Sin, and from which do proceed all actual transgressions.[3]

1. Rom. 5:12, 19

   Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned...
   
   For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

   
   
2. Rom. 3:10-19

   ...as it is written:
   
   

   "None is righteous, no, not one;
   no one understands;
   no one seeks for God.
   All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
   no one does good,
   not even one."
   "Their throat is an open grave;
   they use their tongues to deceive."
   "The venom of asps is under their lips."
   "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
   "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
   in their paths are ruin and misery,
   and the way of peace they have not known."
   "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

   
   Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

   
   Romans 5:6

   For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

   
   Romans 8:7-8

   For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

   
   Eph. 2:1-3

   And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

   
   Gen. 6:5

   The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

   
   
3. James 1:14-15

   But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

   
   Matt. 15:19

   For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Question 25, Westminster Larger Catechism.

Tags: Westminster Catechism, Westminster Standards, catechisms, sin, fall, Adam, original sin

Round the Sphere Again

About the Christian Carnival

• This week's Christian Carnival is up at Brain Cramps for God.


• Here's a little news from Dory, the Christian Carnival overseer, about the Christian Carnival email list:

  The email list for the Christian Carnival has been down, as you may have noticed, and I have gotten no replies to my requests for help about it. I have therefore started a new list through Google Groups. It should work much the same way. Once you join, you can post to the group by sending an email to this address: ChristianCarnival@googlegroups.com. Posts will be sent to your email address unless you change your settings to read at the web site only. The web site is here: http://groups.google.com/group/ChristianCarnival
  
  To join, go to the web site and sign up. For a time, I will allow anyone to join and, to prevent spam, limit postings by requiring my approval. After the initial rush of memberships has died down, I will require my approval for membership, but allow any member to post. Please limit posts to hosting announcements only.

  If you haven't signed up already, go sign up right now before you forget!

On a New Web Site for Readers and Others

Tim Challies is announcing the launch of a new web site--The Discerning Reader--which will have all the reviews from his old reader's web site, The Diet of Bookworms, plus much, much more, like

• reviews of book on the New York Times best seller list
  
• lists of books from various experts
• starter lists for those interested in beginning to read about a new topic
• mini-reviews suitable for placement in church bulletins
• bookworm reviews (like the reviews that were previously at the Diet of Bookworms)
  

Hop on over there and check things out.

Of Things Theological

• Pastor John Samson of Reformation Theology links to a helpful chart he's put together on man's responsibility, inability, and God's enabling grace.


• Jollyblogger takes a look at that old classic Christian book In His Steps by Charles Sheldon, and explains why its influence might not have been so benign.
  

  It seems to me that, throughout the 20th century, the book was treated as a benign influence at minimum and salutary one at best. Yet, there is an agenda in the book that bore fruit when it was written and is bearing fruit today as there is a great shift from a focus on Christ as redeemer to Christ as example.
  
  In doing so, I believe the person and work of Christ are greatly diminished.

• James Spurgeon has a series of posts at Pyromaniacs on one of my favorite subjects, the immutability of God:

  I, Jehovah, I Change Not
  God is Not Fickle
  Does God Repent?

On the Gospel

• Libbie's story shows us that sometimes children understand more than we think.
  
• The Centuri0n gives us the Ugly Truth.
  

About Women's Roles in the Church

Andreas Kostenburger writes on women deacons at his Biblical Foundations blog.

Tags: Christian Carnival, The Discerning Reader, books, book lists, book reviews, theology, human responsibility, social gospel, gospel, deacons, women deacons

Virginia Lee Burton, Artist at Home

At the beginning of April, I posted a picture of a piece of artwork done by a well-known children's book author/illustrator, and asked you to guess who the artist was. Island Sparrow guessed correctly that the artist was Virginia Lee Burton, the creator of those wonderful machinery heroines (and yes, they were girls!) like Mary Anne, the obsolete steam shovel who finds a new line of work in Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and Katy the determined little tractor in Katy and the Big Snow.

Virginia Lee Burton is the name she published her children's books under, but that was really just her maiden name. More officially, and in her works other than the children's books, she was Virginia Lee Demetrios, wife of George Demetrios, and mother of the two little boys for whom she was creating books.

Her life and work has several remarkable similarities to Wanda Gag's life and work (Do you remember, Wanda? She was our first mystery artist.), starting with the turn her life took because of difficult circumstances in her family. Wanda Gag had to give up some of her dreams to support her family after her father died; and Virginia Lee Burton wanted to be a dancer, and had just signed a contract to be in her sister's dance troupe, when her father broke his leg. She chose to stay home and look after him instead of travelling as a dancer. That, she said, "was the beginning and end of my dancing career, which was just as well, because I wasn't very good anyway."

While at home in Boston, she took a job as a "sketcher" for the Boston Transcript, making sketches of dancers and actors to accompany articles written by the drama and music critic. It was in Boston that she enrolled in a drawing class taught by George Demetrios, an art teacher who had come highly recommended to her; and after only a few months, she and George Demetrios were married.

Once she had her two sons, Virginia Lee Demetrios became interested in producing books for children. She tested both the stories and the drawings on her own children, and adjusted things (or not) depending on their reactions to them. "Children," she said, "are very frank critics." And excellent ones, too, judging by the quality of the finished work her collaboration with her sons produced.

When her sons grew out of the picture book stage, Virginia Lee moved on to another project--teaching design to people in Folly Cove (an area of Gloucester, Massachusetts) where her home was. Her design class evolved into a cooperative group of designers called Folly Cove Designer, whose works consisted of linoleum block prints stamped onto fabric used to make clothing and items for the home. Products from the Folly Cove Designers, headed by Virginia Lee Demetrios, were eventually sold throughout the United States in the 1950s. The piece shown in the mystery artist post linked above is one of the Folly Cove designs done by Virginia Lee, a fabric print called Fish Story; and the photo to the left is a picture of three of the Folly Cove designers dressed in dresses made from linoleum print bordered Folly Cove fabrics. That's Virginia Lee Demetrios sitting on the right of the photo.

In another parallel to Wanda Gag's life, Virginia Lee Demetrios died of lung cancer when she was in her fifties, too. That was the end of Folly Cove Designers, although various museums still feature works from the design cooperative.

I can't help thinking that there is a similarity in the drawings and prints of the two women as well: the roundness of the hills that featured prominantly in their children's book illustrations, and their trees and cats. On the left, for example, is an illustration from Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House, which was her Caldecott Medal winner. Compare that, especially the circular hills, with the Wanda Gag's illustration from Millions of Cats on the right.

And remember Wanda Gag's tree with little cat from the cover page of Millions of Cats? This is one of Virginia Lee Burton's trees, and below it is a Folly Cove placemat featuring two of her cats.





Yes, the similarities between the two women are striking, but there's at least one noteworthy difference. Wanda Gag, if you remember, fabricated world travelling adventures and prestigious awards in a story of her life that she wrote just before her death. It would seem that she wanted more than her circumstances gave her. Virginia Lee Demetrios, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to focus her life and her work around her family and community, and saw in her life's circumstances perfect opportunities for expression.

For good measure, here are a few more examples of her work.

This is a design for a tablecloth called A Rose is a Rose. The tablecloth would have been part of the Folly Cove Designers line of housewares.


This is a full page spread from Katy and the Big Snow. Katy was modeled after one of the tractors used by the city of Gloucester at the time the book was written.

Last, we have the cover of Maybelle the Cable Car, featuring another of Virginia Lee Burton's machinery heroines.

If you still have young children, I hope you are reading them some of Virginia Lee Burton's picture books, along with other classic picture books, too, like those of Wanda Gag. They may not be as flashy as some of the more recently produced children's books, but they've proven themselves popular through a few generations of children, and are part of our collective children's literature heritage. Besides, they'll like them. I promise.

Tags: Virginia Lee Burton, Virginia Lee Demetrios, children's literature, children's illustrators, children's authors, Folly Cove Designers

What is sin?

Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, any law of God, given as a rule to the reasonable creature.[1]

1. I John 3:4

   Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

   
   Gal. 3:10, 12

   For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
   
   But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

Question 24, Westminster Larger Catechism.

Tags: Westminster Standards, Westminster Larger Catechism, sin, law, catechism

My Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Last week Kim of Hireath showed us her Betty Crocker's Cookbook. Here's mine. Don't they look similar? She got hers as a wedding shower gift, and mine was either a shower or wedding gift from my former piano teacher.

Our favorite recipe from the book is the Strawberry-filled Roll, which is a variation of the Jelly Roll. Making the roll itself is simpler in this recipe than most, so it tastes great and makes even a beginning cook look like an expert in the kitchen. Conveniently, April is a good season for strawberries in the supermarket, too. Here's the recipe:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 375F. Line jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inch, with aluminum foil or waxed paper*; grease.

In small mixer bowl, beat eggs about 5 minutes or until very thick and lemon colored. Pour eggs into large mixer bowl; gradually beat in granulated sugar. On low speed, blend in water and vanilla. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt, beating just until batter is smooth.

Pour into pan, spreading batter to corners. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Loosen cake from edges of pan; invert on towel sprinkled with confectioners' sugar (icing sugar for Canadians!). Carefully remove foil; trim off stiff edges if necessary.

While hot, roll cake and towel from narrow end. Cool on wire rack. About 1 hour before serving, unroll cake; remove towel.

Beat 1/2 cup chilled whipping cream and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar in chilled bowl until stiff. Spread on unrolled cake. Arrange 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries over whipped cream. Roll up; sprinkle with confectioner' sugar. Chill. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Eight to 10 servings.

*I prefer wax paper; I find it easier to remove.

Tags: Betty Crocker, Betty Crocker Cookbook, jelly roll, Strawberry-filled Roll, strawberries, recipes

For the Love of Maps

Once in a while, when I'm sorting through my old posts, I find one that I want to tweak or play with a bit. This is one of those, and now I'm posting it again. Why do all that editing work, and not post?

I started loving maps when I was quite young. I can remember poring over gas station road maps before I started school. I liked those phone book city maps, too, and often spent hours studying them so I could understand where everything was. I wanted to know how to go to the places I wanted go.

...I took a back way I had memorized from the city map...

Generally speaking, I was an obedient child--the sort a parent could trust to be doing what was expected. There were a couple of times, however, when my map reading obsession fueled my quest for adventure, and I went places I wasn't supposed to go. Once, while walking home from kindergarten, I decided to try walking round that enticing circle of road that rings the central buildings on the Wheaton College campus rather than cutting straight through the campus like I had been taught. Of course, that took quite a bit longer, and when I didn't arrive home from school on time, my worried parents took the car out searching for me. There I was, my mother says, completely unconcerned, walking the long way home as if I knew what I was doing. And I did know what I was doing.

Then, when I was 7 and my sister was 5, I convinced her to accompany me clear across Wheaton to visit some friends of ours. I didn't ask first, because I knew the answer would be "no". So we wouldn't be discovered and our trip cut short, I took a back way I had memorized from the city map. I can't remember for sure whether we actually reached our friends' house or not, but I do remember walking for a very long time. I knew exactly where I was, so I wasn't worried. For my parents, I'm sure, it was a different story. The odd thing, though, is that I don't remember getting into any trouble over this. I guess my parents were so relieved to have found us that thoughts of punishment were forgotten.

....I think of them in their place on the map I have in my head...

All that practice made me an accomplished map reader, so that by the time I was in first grade, I was helping my mom navigate the city by running into phone booths to check the maps for directions whenever we got lost. When I started reading books, the books I loved most were books with a map for tracing the story--maps of the Hundred Acre Wood, or Archenland, or Middle Earth. If a book didn't have a map, I would sometimes draw one that worked. I drew my own imaginary maps, too, of my own imaginary cities and countries and national parks.

I've never stopped loving maps. I think in maps, and when I think of people, I think of them in their place on the map I have in my head. That's how I catagorize people, I guess, even people who live two blocks over from me. If someone lives halfway round the world, then I think of them in their area of the globe. If I don't know someone's place, then I can't put them in that concrete spot that makes them not just a disembodied spirit, but real person.

Here's a map of my place. It's a too small to see well, but you can always click on it for the larger view. Somewhere in that little black dot labled Whitehorse is my house.

The highlighted yellow line is the Yukon River, which brings me to another reason that maps are so much fun: They tell you all kinds of interesting things. You'll notice that all the run-off from around my house (and I have lots of it this year!) goes into the Yukon River, and then up and out to the west coast of Alaska into the Bering Sea. I'm only a hundred miles from the coast, but the mountains in between make the long way--1300 miles or so across Alaska to the Bering Sea--the easy way out for the water in my ditch.

And while we're on the subject of water drainage and maps, here's a little map of the fresh water drainage of all of Canada. The yellow and gold portions, which together make up 75% of Canadian land, drain north into the Arctic Ocean or Hudson Bay. The two brownish sections on either side drain into the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. (See how the majority of Yukon water drains into the Pacific Ocean, and only a small section goes north to the Artic Ocean?) The tiny purple area on the border of Saskatchewan, Alberta and the U.S. drains out the Missouri River, into the Mississippi, and down to the Gulf of Mexico.

That land locked aqua section? Officially, that section has what's called internal drainage, but I prefer to think of it as draining into rivers that go nowhere. It sounds so much more mysterious that way.

Or we can have fun with maps by matching them with photos. Here's a map of the glaciers and icefields of Canada. Here's a photo of one of those glaciers and/or icefields (one of the ones up on the B.C./Yukon border) taken by oldest son.

There is at least one person who loves maps more than I do. He has a whole blog devoted to them. It's called The Map Room, and you'll find all the latest maps and map news there.

As long as you've come this far, why don't you leave a comment and give me a general idea of your place, so I can pinpoint you on the map in my mind? No specifics necessary; a state or country is enough. The last time I did this, some smart alecks gave me their GPS coordinates. That does nothing for me. I don't have a GPS system in my mind--just a map. So, if you must give your GPS coordinates, please give a place name as well, and I'll be happier.

Tags: maps, place

David Brainerd's Birthday

I caught the entries up to date at David Brainerd's Blog this morning. On April 20 (1747) David celebrated his 29th birthday.

Was in a very disordered state, and kept my bed most of the day. I enjoyed a little more comfort than in several of the preceding days. This day I arrived at the age of twenty-nine years.

In his next entry, he makes his final departure from New Jersey. David has been struggling with what was called consumption then, and what we call tuberculosis now.

Tags: David Brainerd, David Brainerd's Diary, church history, missions

Bonus Original Sin Answers

Here are the answers to the bonus questions on original sin.

1. This first quote is from John Calvin in Calvin's Institutes, Book 2, Chapter 1, Section 5, and is affirming the doctrine of original sin.

Surely there is no ambiguity in David's confession, "I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me," (Psa 51: 5) His object in the passage is not to throw blame on his parents; but the better to commend the goodness of God towards him, he properly reiterates the confession of impurity from his very birth. As it is clear, that there was no peculiarity in David's case, it follows that it is only an instance of the common lot of the whole human race. All of us, therefore, descending from an impure seed, come into the world tainted with the contagion of sin. Nay, before we behold the light of the sun we are in God's sight defiled and polluted. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one," saysthe Book of Job, (Job 14: 4)

2. This quote I transcribed from Dave Hunt's radio program. In it he is denying the doctrine of original sin, although I'm not convinced he's aware that he did, and he may just be doing a little muddled thinking.

The fact is that they did not sin. They died as babies. It wouldn’t be just to condemn to hell. What are they going to suffer for in hell? What deeds have they done?

It's not in his belief that all babies who die go to heaven that he denies original sin, but rather in his statement that there would be no just reason for God to condemn them because they hadn't actually committed any sins, so they have nothing to be saved from. The doctrine of original sin says that it is not only our own deeds that condemn us, but a sin problem we are born with, so even babies need God's merciful salvation.

3. This is a quote of Robert Brow, who co-authored a book called Unbounded Love: A Good News Theology for the 21st Century, which is a book explaining a model of the way God works that they've worked out. Their model called Creative Love Theism.

The Bible does not say that by sinning Adam was sent to eternal damnation. He was excluded temporarily from the garden till God clothed him with new garments. And the garden is in this world where the Son of God wanted to walk and talk with him. Nor does the Bible tell us that all the billions of people who are Adam's offspring are condemned to eternal punishment unless they hear and make a decision to believe certain things. That can only be deduced from some Bible texts hanging together in a certain kind of model.

....In a model of Creative Love Theism, condemnation is the sense of guilt and shame that makes us hide, as Adam and Eve did, from the Son of God instead of walking joyfully with him. There are then two ways of living one's life in the world: either in Christ, or hiding from him.

In this model, the sin problem that human beings have is reduced from just condemnation for sin to a feeling of guilt and shame that cause us to hide from God. Robert Brow and Clark Pinnock set their Creative Love Theism model in contrast to what they call an Original Sin model.

4. I transcribed this quote from a lecture given by John Murray. The ellipses are a spot where John Murray says a few words that are unintelligible, but it's probably just a repetition of a few of the previous words, since Murray tends to do that.

When each member of the human race comes to be in the womb, from the very inception of his or her existence, he and she are involved in that depravity that belongs to the very definition of sin..... And yet, they did not exist when Adam sinned, but nevertheless they are contemplated by God as destined to exist; and consequently, whenever they come to exist, in the providence of God by natural procreation, they come to exist as sinful. They can never be contemplated as anything else.

Here he's explaining the way original sin comes about in each human being.

Tags: theology, original sin, quiz

Sunday's Hymn: Musical Theme

In My Heart There Rings a Melody

I have a song that Jesus gave me,
It was sent from heaven above;
There never was a sweeter melody,
'Tis a melody of love.

Refrain
In my heart there rings a melody,
There rings a melody with heaven's harmony;
In my heart there rings a melody;
There rings a melody of love!

I love the Christ who died on Calv'ry,
For He washed my sins away;
He put within my heart a melody,
And I know it's there to stay.

'Twill be my endless theme in glory,
With the angels I will sing;
'Twill be a song with glorious harmony,
When the courts of heaven ring.

---Elton M. Roth (Listen)

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Other hymns, worship songs, etc. posted this Sunday:

• In Christ There Is No East or West at Ian's Messy Desk
• The King of Love My Shepherd Is at Chez Kneel

If you've posted a hymn or worship song, etc this Sunday, why not let me know in the comments below and I'll add your post to the list above?

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Tags: hymns, hymn lyrics

Four in the Top Fifteen

As I write this, oldest son has four of the top fifteen pet photos on smugmug.

• Number 1 is Starbuck, his friend Tony's dog, leaping high to catch one of those dog frisbee things at the Fraser summit.
• Number 3 is one of our dog Taffy that I posted here earlier.
• Number 6 is our cat Leroy washing himself.
• Number 13 is Taffy again, running through the snow.

Tags: photos, pet photos

Bonus Original Sin Questions

As promised, here are quotes from the three people named in Wednesday's Original Sin Quiz but left unquoted. And just for good measure, I've thrown in one more quote from another person. These should be really easy, so let's add another requirement: In addition to naming the person whose quote it is, you need to decided whether the quote is affirming or denying original sin. The three leftovers are John Murray, Robert Brow (the co-author with Clark Pinnock of a book of theology), and John Calvin; the addition to the list is Dave Hunt.

Go forth and earn some bonus points!

---

____________ 1. Surely there is no ambiguity in David's confession, "I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me," (Psa 51: 5) His object in the passage is not to throw blame on his parents; but the better to commend the goodness of God towards him, he properly reiterates the confession of impurity from his very birth. As it is clear, that there was no peculiarity in David's case, it follows that it is only an instance of the common lot of the whole human race. All of us, therefore, descending from an impure seed, come into the world tainted with the contagion of sin. Nay, before we behold the light of the sun we are in God's sight defiled and polluted. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one," says the Book of Job, (Job 14: 4)

____________ 2. This quote was spoken as a strong objection to someone who suggested that since babies who die cannot be believers, then they all go to heaven based on God's choice to save babies who die:

The fact is that they did not sin. They died as babies. It wouldn’t be just to condemn to hell. What are they going to suffer for in hell? What deeds have they done?

____________ 3. The Bible does not say that by sinning Adam was sent to eternal damnation. He was excluded temporarily from the garden till God clothed him with new garments. And the garden is in this world where the Son of God wanted to walk and talk with him. Nor does the Bible tell us that all the billions of people who are Adam's offspring are condemned to eternal punishment unless they hear and make a decision to believe certain things. That can only be deduced from some Bible texts hanging together in a certain kind of model.

....In a model of Creative Love Theism, condemnation is the sense of guilt and shame that makes us hide, as Adam and Eve did, from the Son of God instead of walking joyfully with him. There are then two ways of living one's life in the world: either in Christ, or hiding from him.

____________ 4. When each member of the human race comes to be in the womb, from the very inception of his or her existence, he and she are involved in that depravity that belongs to the very definition of sin..... And yet, they did not exist when Adam sinned, but nevertheless they are contemplated by God as destined to exist; and consequently, whenever they come to exist, in the providence of God by natural procreation, they come to exist as sinful. They can never be contemplated as anything else.

Tags: theology, original sin, quiz

Round the Sphere Again

This week's Christian Carnival is posted over at Attention Span. Guess what? I actually got my act together and entered this week, and I intend to do that more often.

Other good reading:

• Fellow Yukoner and friend Scott Gilbreath has an excellent post on Christianity and politics. When you've finished reading, why not do as he suggests and contact your elected representative about the genocide in Darfur?

  I don't think it's very far-fetched to believe that this is something Jesus wants his people to do. Nor, therefore, would it be far-fetched to believe that Jesus would be pleased if some politicians - or political parties - took up the cause of alleviating suffering in Darfur.

  For Canadians, here's a handy little form for finding contact info for your very own Member of Parliament by typing in your postal code.


• Tim Challies has posted on the benefits of catechisms.

  There is no substitute for investing in children when they are still young. The catechisms that have survived to this day and have stood the test of time are worth knowing. They are worth teaching to our children. They are worth teaching to ourselves.

  I assume you already know that I love the catechisms!


• Scott McClare gives us a bit of his personal history with the KJV-only cult, along with the reasons he thinks they are getting more and more irrational over time. And yes, cult is exactly the right word to use for the sort of rabid KJV-onlyism he's talking about.

In Bible study news:

Eric Svendsen is back blogging at Real Clear Theology Blog. His

focus going forward will be on the exegetical teaching of the New Testament. In fact, the series will be titled New Testament Reflections, and each sub-series will be an exegetical look at a particular book of the New Testament. Stay tuned for the first of these, Reflections on Philippians.

He promises that the series on Philippians will start next week. Meanwhile, he has posted some foundational steps you can take to make the most of Bible study. This is pretty close to my own Bible study method, except I also like to find out how key words are used, especially by the author of the book being studied. (I recently found some of my own old interpretive paraphrases of Philippians, and I may post them, along with my notes giving my reasons for my paraphrase choices, just for fun.)

Browser suggestion:

Don't tell me you're still using Internet Explorer? I know you are because I see you on my Sitemeter! Why not download Firefox and view the webworld as it really is?

On the lighter side:

How's this for an innovative Yukon business venture?

Tags: links, carnivals, Christian carnival, politics, Darfur, catechism, KJV-onlyism, Bible study, sasquatch

Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?

The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery.[1]

1. Rom. 3:23

   ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...

   Rom. 5:12

   Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned...

Question 23, Westminster Larger Catechism.

Tags: Westminster Standards, Westminster Catechism, fall

Quiz Key

As promised, here are the answers to the Quiz on Original Sin posted yesterday. If you haven't tried the quiz itself, why not click over there and see what you know before you read this? I can tell by the comments that there is at least one person who probably scored 100%. How did you do?

Questions 1-3, Multiple Choice

1. The term original sin, as traditionally defined, refers to

a. The very first disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
b. The sinful nature that all humankind is born with.
c. A cutting-edge or particularly unique expression of disobedience to God's law.
d. None of the above.

The correct answer is b. Historically, you'll find that some people include both inherited guilt and inherited corruption together as original sin, while some use the term to refer specifically to our inherited corruption (or our sinful nature), so I've included only inherited corruption in the answer, since everyone would agree on that. Except, perhaps, Robert Schuller.

As to the incorrect responses, you might think a. sounds reasonable, but the word origin as used in original sin doesn't mean "first" so much as it means "existing from our beginning". And as for c.? If you answered c., I'm really curious to know the sinful act you think hasn't been done over and over again already. No, I take that back. On second thought, I'd really rather not know.

2. The doctrine of original sin includes the principle that

a. Back in the beginning, Adam represented the whole of humankind.
b. All of humankind fell along with Adam in his first sin.
c. Adam's sin is imputed to all humankind, and everyone suffers the consequences.
d. All of the above.

The correct answer is d. The doctrine of original sin includes all those things. Those of us who hold to the doctrine of original sin may disagree as to exactly how it is that Adam represents us, but we all agree that he did represent us; and as a result of that, we all fell with him when he fell. We are born in a fallen state, since, in some way, Adam's sin was counted as our sin, and thus we suffer the consequences of Adam's fall.

3. That human beings are born with a sinful nature means that

a. All human beings are are bad as the could possibly be.
b. We become sinners only when we actually commit our first sin.
c. Even infants who die need to have Christ's death applied to them.
d. All of the above.

The correct answer is c. That we are born with a sinful nature means that even newborn babies, who have not yet actually committed sin, have a problem within their nature that needs fixing before they can be in the presence of God, who is holy. That "nature problem" can only be fixed as a result of God's merciful application of Christ's death.

As for the wrong answer? That we have a sinful nature doesn't mean we are all as bad as we could be (a.), but it does mean that in respect to God and God's standard, we all have a problem of mammoth proportions. That we have a sinful nature means exactly the opposite of answer b.: It means we are sinners before we commit our first sin, and that we are already sinners is the root of that first sin.

Questions 4-10, Identifying Quotes

4. "We deny that the human constitution is morally depraved, because it is impossible that sin should be a quality of the substance of soul or body. It is, and must be, a quality of choice or intention, and not of substance. To make sin an attribute or quality of substance is contrary to God's definition of sin.

....To represent the constitution as sinful, is to represent God, who is the author of the constitution, as the author of sin."

This quote is from Charles Finney in his Systematic Theology. As you can tell from this quote, Charles Finney denied the doctrine of original sin. He believed that we all come into this world in the same state as Adam and Eve were before the fall.

5. "...all who deny this, call it original sin, or by any other title, are but Heathens still, in the fundamental point which differences Heathenism from Christianity. They may, indeed, allow, that men have many vices; that some are born with us; and that, consequently, we are not born altogether so wise or so virtuous as we should be; there being few that will roundly affirm, "We are born with as much propensity to good as to evil, and that every man is, by nature, as virtuous and wise as Adam was at his creation." But here is the shibboleth: Is man by nature filled with all manner of evil? Is he void of all good? Is he wholly fallen? Is his soul totally corrupted? Or, to come back to the text, is "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil continually?" Allow this, and you are so far a Christian. Deny it, and you are but an Heathen still."

This quote is Charles Wesley's, from one of his sermons. You'll notice that he's calling anyone who doesn't believe in original sin a Heathen. Wesley saw the doctrine of original sin as one of the essential teachings of Christianity.

6. "When a descendent of Adam reaches a level of moral understanding (sometime in his youth) he becomes fully, personally accountable to God and has sin imputed to him, resulting in the peril of eternal damnation.

When man reaches his state of moral accountability, and, by virtue of his personal transgression, becomes blameworthy, his only hope is a work of grace by God alone."

These quotes are from Michael Pearl's No Greater Joy Ministries doctrinal statement. (Don't know who Michael Pearl is? He's known for his parenting advice, and he is very popular in some Christian circles.) As you can see, he denies original sin: No one becomes "blameworthy" until they commit their first personal transgression, and no "work of grace" is necessary until then. So, if I understand these statements correctly, babies go to heaven by virtue of their blamelessness, not because of God's mercy.

7. "The Scriptures as I see it speak of different kinds of sin. The first kind is the corrupt, sinful nature, namely, the lust or desire of our flesh contrary to God's Law, and contrary to the original righteousness; sin which is inherited at birth by all descendants and children of corrupt, sinful Adam, and is not inaptly called original sin. Of this sin David says, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. The Lord said unto Noah, The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Again, Paul says, We were, by nature, children of wrath, even as others."

This quote is from Menno Simons, who was a leader of the Anabaptists way back in the 1500's. (Mennonites are named after him.) In this quote from Reply to False Accusations, 1552 (which I only have in PDF form, so no link!), he strongly affirms the doctrine of original sin, although I've read that there are other quotes from Menno Simons that would seem to deny it.

One commenter asked why I included Menno Simons in the list of quotes. I regularly attended attended Mennonite churches during two periods of my life, and I have Mennonite relatives (albeit distant), so I have an interest in Mennonite history.

8. "Some ground the idea of the eternal blessedness of the infant upon its innocence. We do no such thing; we believe that the infant fell in the first Adam, 'for in Adam all died.' All Adam's posterity, whether infant or adult, were represented by him - he stood for them all, and when he fell, he fell for them all. There was no exception made at all in the covenant of works made with Adam as to infants dying; and inasmuch as they were included in Adam, though they have not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, they have original guilt. They are 'born in sin and steepen in iniquity; in sin do their mothers conceive them;' so saith David of himself, and (by inference) of the whole human race. If they be saved, we believe it is not because of any natural innocence. They enter heaven by the very same way that we do; they are received in the name of Christ."

This quote is from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon titled Infant Salvation. Spurgeon, of course, believed in the doctrine of original sin, and you can see that in this paragraph. He also believed that all infants who died were saved, but that they were saved, not because of their own blamelessness, but "because they were redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ."

9. "The core of original sin, then, is LOT -- Lack of Trust. Or, it could be considered an innate inability to adequately value ourselves. Label it a 'negative self-image,' but do not say that the central core of the human soul is wickedness. ...[P]ositive Christianity does not hold to human depravity, but to human inability."

This muddled bit of text is a quote from Robert Schuller in Self-Esteem: The New Reformation. In it he's denying the doctrine of original sin, even though he uses the words original sin. He's just redefined the meaning of original sin in a way that denies the doctrine of original sin as it is commonly defined. We have, according to Robert Schuller, no "core" or seed of corruption--just a lousy self image: We think we're worse than we really are.

10. "I think, it would go far towards directing us to the more clear conception and right statement of this affair, were we steadily to bear this in mind: that God, in every step of his proceeding with Adam, in relation to the covenant or constitution established with him, looked on his posterity as being one with him . And though he dealt more immediately with Adam, it yet was as the head of the whole body, and the root of the whole tree; and in his proceedings with him, he dealt with all the branches, as if they had been then existing in their root.

From which it will follow, that both guilt, or exposedness to punishment, and also depravity of heart, came upon Adam's posterity just as they came upon him, as much as if he and they had all coexisted, like a tree with many branches; allowing only for the difference necessarily resulting from the place Adam stood in, as head or root of the whole."

This is Jonathan Edwards in The Great Christian Doctrine of Original Sin. It is, as you can see, affirming the doctrine of original sin. As you can also see, Jonathan Edwards included both inherited guilt and inherited corruption in his definition of the term original sin.

Chris Datillo asks for quotes from the remaining three unquoted people. Well, I don't have any for Clark Pinnock, but I do have something close. I'll try to post quotes from one of Pinnock's co-authors and the other two unquoted people tomorrow.

Tags: theology, original sin, quiz

Quiz on Original Sin

How about a little quiz on the doctrine of original sin?

---

Choose the answer that best completes the statement.

1. The term original sin, as traditionally defined, refers to

a. The very first disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
b. The sinful nature that all humankind is born with.
c. A cutting-edge or particularly unique expression of disobedience to God's law.
d. None of the above.

2. The doctrine of original sin includes the principle that

a. Back in the beginning, Adam represented the whole of humankind.
b. All of humankind fell along with Adam in his first sin.
c. Adam's sin is imputed to all humankind, and everyone suffers the consequences.
d. All of the above.

3. That human beings are born with a sinful nature means that

a. All human beings are are bad as the could possibly be.
b. We become sinners only when we actually commit our first sin.
c. Even infants who die need to have Christ's death applied to them.
d. All of the above.

---

Match each quote on original sin with the person from the list who said or wrote it.

a. John Wesley
b. John Murray
c. Charles Finney
d. Charles Spurgeon
e. Jonathan Edwards
f. Clark Pinnock
g. Menno Simons
h. Michael Pearl
i. Robert Schuller
j. John Calvin

____ 4. We deny that the human constitution is morally depraved, because it is impossible that sin should be a quality of the substance of soul or body. It is, and must be, a quality of choice or intention, and not of substance. To make sin an attribute or quality of substance is contrary to God's definition of sin.

....To represent the constitution as sinful, is to represent God, who is the author of the constitution, as the author of sin.

____ 5. ...all who deny this, call it original sin, or by any other title, are but Heathens still, in the fundamental point which differences Heathenism from Christianity. They may, indeed, allow, that men have many vices; that some are born with us; and that, consequently, we are not born altogether so wise or so virtuous as we should be; there being few that will roundly affirm, "We are born with as much propensity to good as to evil, and that every man is, by nature, as virtuous and wise as Adam was at his creation." But here is the shibboleth: Is man by nature filled with all manner of evil? Is he void of all good? Is he wholly fallen? Is his soul totally corrupted? Or, to come back to the text, is "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil continually?" Allow this, and you are so far a Christian. Deny it, and you are but an Heathen still.

____ 6. When a descendent of Adam reaches a level of moral understanding (sometime in his youth) he becomes fully, personally accountable to God and has sin imputed to him, resulting in the peril of eternal damnation.

When man reaches his state of moral accountability, and, by virtue of his personal transgression, becomes blameworthy, his only hope is a work of grace by God alone.

____ 7. The Scriptures as I see it speak of different kinds of sin. The first kind is the corrupt, sinful nature, namely, the lust or desire of our flesh contrary to God's Law, and contrary to the original righteousness; sin which is inherited at birth by all descendants and children of corrupt, sinful Adam, and is not inaptly called original sin. Of this sin David says, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. The Lord said unto Noah, The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Again, Paul says, We were, by nature, children of wrath, even as others.

____ 8. Some ground the idea of the eternal blessedness of the infant upon its innocence. We do no such thing; we believe that the infant fell in the first Adam, "for in Adam all died." All Adam's posterity, whether infant or adult, were represented by him - he stood for them all, and when he fell, he fell for them all. There was no exception made at all in the covenant of works made with Adam as to infants dying; and inasmuch as they were included in Adam, though they have not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, they have original guilt. They are "born in sin and steepen in iniquity; in sin do their mothers conceive them;" so saith David of himself, and (by inference) of the whole human race. If they be saved, we believe it is not because of any natural innocence. They enter heaven by the very same way that we do; they are received in the name of Christ.

____ 9. The core of original sin, then, is LOT -- Lack of Trust. Or, it could be considered an innate inability to adequately value ourselves. Label it a 'negative self-image,' but do not say that the central core of the human soul is wickedness. ...[P]ositive Christianity does not hold to human depravity, but to human inability.

____ 10. I think, it would go far towards directing us to the more clear conception and right statement of this affair, were we steadily to bear this in mind: that God, in every step of his proceeding with Adam, in relation to the covenant or constitution established with him, looked on his posterity as being one with him . And though he dealt more immediately with Adam, it yet was as the head of the whole body, and the root of the whole tree; and in his proceedings with him, he dealt with all the branches, as if they had been then existing in their root.

From which it will follow, that both guilt, or exposedness to punishment, and also depravity of heart, came upon Adam's posterity just as they came upon him, as much as if he and they had all coexisted, like a tree with many branches; allowing only for the difference necessarily resulting from the place Adam stood in, as head or root of the whole.

---

Answers will be posted tomorrow. See Quiz Key for answers.

Tags: theology, original sin, quiz

Christian Carnival Reminder

Entries for the Christian Carnival are due by tonight (April 18) at midnight EST. Submit your entry to ChristianCarnival [ATT] gmail [DOTT] com. Include

• The name of your blog
• The URL of your blog
• The title of your post
• The URL of your post
• A short description of the post
• The trackback link if you have one

Then look for your entry in tomorrow's (April 19) carnival at Attention Span.

You'll find more complete information on the Christian Carnival here.

Tags: Christian Carnival, carnivals

I Renounce All Quizzes

....unless they are theologian quizzes. Especially Scottish theologian quizzes. HT to Historia ecclesiastica.

You scored as James Orr. You are James Orr. You are not afraid of Scholarship, but you know that scholarship is not necessarily objective. James Orr 95% James Denney 80% Thomas Boston 60% Thomas Chalmers 60% John Knox 55% Which Scottish Theologian are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Huh? James who?

Update: There are three articles by James Orr here--numbers 11-13. HT to Kim of Hireath for those.

Tags: quiz

'Tis a Gift to be Simple

Especially if you're a meme. I've been tagged by Kim in ON for this one.

Ten of life's simple pleasures:

1. Puppy breath
2. A piping hot cup of black coffee
3. Getting into a bed freshly made up with clean flannel sheets.
4. Late afternoon sun through the living room windows
5. Stacking firewood
6. Running my fingers through a bucket of wild cranberries
7. The smell of crisp and chilly line dried laundry
8. Bare feet in wet sand
9. A thick and heavy dictionary
10. An American Hershey's plain chocolate bar. And yes, they are different than the Canadian ones--less sweet, and darker.

I'm going to tag Julana for this one. I'm thinking that someone who lives life in the slow lane ought to know something about simple pleasures. I'll tag Andrew, too. If you'd like to do this one as well, consider yourself tagged and say I tagged you.

Update: Andrew has posted his list.

Update 2: Julana's list of simple pleasures is posted, too.

Tags: meme

Calendar Girl?

Did all mankind fall in that first transgression ?

The covenant being made with Adam as a public person, not for himself only, but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him by ordinary generation,[1] sinned in him, and fell with him in that first transgression.[2]

1. Acts 17:26

   And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place...

   
   
2. Gen. 2:16-17

   And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

   Rom. 5:12-20

   Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned - for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
   
   But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
   
   Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

   I Cor. 15:21-22

   For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Question 22, Westminster Larger Catechism.

Tags: Westminster Standards, Westminster Catechism, fall

From Our House to Yours

Easter Greetings!

Sunday's Hymn: Easter Sunday

Christ is Risen! Hallelujah!

Christ is risen! Hallelujah!
Risen our victorious Head!
Sing His praises! Hallelujah!
Christ is risen from the dead!
Gratefully our hearts adore Him,
As His light once more appears,
Bowing down in joy before Him,
Rising up from grief and tears,
Christ is risen! Hallelujah!
Risen our victorious Head!
Sing His praises! Hallelujah!
Christ is risen from the dead!

Christ is risen! all the sadness
Of His earthly life is o'er,
Through the open gates of gladness
He returns to life once more;
Death and hell before Him bending,
He doth rise, the Victor now,
Angels on His steps attending,
Glory round His wounded brow.
Christ is risen! all the sadness
Of His earthly life is o'er,
Through the open gates of gladness
He returns to life once more.

Christ is risen! henceforth never
Death or hell shall us enthrall;
We are Christ's, in Him forever
We have triumphed over all;
All the doubting and dejection
Of our trembling hearts have ceased,
'Tis His day of resurrection!
Let us rise and keep the feast.
Christ is risen! henceforth never
Death or hell shall us enthrall;
We are Christ's, in Him forever
We have triumphed over all.

---John S. B. Monsell (Listen)

---

Other hymns, worship songs, etc. posted this Easter Sunday:

• Christ the Lord is Risen Today!: Ian's Messy Desk
• He is Risen!: A Sparrow's Home
• Holy Week Meditations from Handel's Messiah: Hireath

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Tags: hymns, hymn lyrics, Easter Sunday

What the Resurrection Means for Believers

He is risen!
He is risen indeed!

Throughout the Epistles of the New Testament, we are taught the believer's identification with Christ brings them glorious personal benefits. Believers are united with Christ in His death and resurrection, and that union with Christ changes things for us. What gifts does being united with Christ in His resurrection give to us?

Christ's resurrection means that we can be certain that we will be resurrected after we die:

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; then when Christ comes, those who belong to him. (1 Corithians 15:20-23 NET)

In the same way that being included with Adam brought us death, belonging to Christ assures us that we will rise again after we die. Christ's present resurrected life is a promise to those who belong to Him that they will one day be brought with Him into the same resurrected life. The first sheaf of the harvest has already been offered*, and the rest of the fruit will follow on the day Christ returns.

His resurrection included the resurrection of his body, and so will ours. Paul tells us that the sort of body that Christ had when he walked the earth after His resurrection, and with which He ascended and now rules from heaven, is the same sort of body that we will have when we are raised at His coming.

It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living person"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, made of dust; the second man is from heaven. Like the one made of dust, so too are those made of dust, and like the one from heaven, so too those who are heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, let us also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Corinthians 15: 42-49 NET)

Our resurrected body will be a reproduction of the one the man of heaven has. Just as our identification with Adam brought us perishable bodies, our identification with Christ in his resurrected life will bring us imperishable bodies. The mortal will become immortal, so that we can sing along with Paul and Isaiah:

Death has been swallowed up in victory .
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:55)

This is the hope we have. We will be raised in incorruptible bodies to live forever with the One who takes us with Him in His resurrection.

Christ's resurrection changes things for us right now in the life we live as believers.

The resurrected life that comes into completeness at our glorification when we receive our resurrected bodies is already within us.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you are saved! and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.. (Ephesians 2:4-6 NET)

We have been made alive together with Christ and new sort of life has begun within us--a recreated life:

Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection. (Romans 6:4,5 NET)

Our new life is grounded in our association with Christ's resurrection. Because we are in Christ, we are new creation. We have begun our lives in the realm of the resurrection, where sin has no dominion: the old things have passed away, and the new things have come. The changed life we have--the life in the Spirit--comes to us through our inclusion with the risen Christ, and based on this new reality, we are called to live a new kind of life.

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him. So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth.... (Colossians 3:1-5a NET)

We are urged to put aside the things we once loved and the passions we once followed as the old sort of person we were, for now we have been clothed with the new person--one "that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it (Colossians 3:10)." We must clothe ourselves in the power of the resurrection and live according to the fruit the Spirit produces within us.

As men and women of the new life, we need to "present [ourselves] to God as those who are alive from the dead and [our] members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness (Romans 6:13 NET)." We can do this knowing that there is no reason for sin to defeat us as we work out the victory over sin that has already become reality in Christ's resurrection, a victory that will come to its consummation when we are raised with Him when He comes again.

Christ's resurrection proves to all that He is Lord, and it is through His resurrection that He becomes Lord in truth to those who belong to Him.

*See Leviticus 23 for a full explanation of the firstfruits.

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This is a re-editted piece first posted a couple of years ago.