Danny and I went to small group recently. To be honest, I didn’t want to go. However, my husband is one of the most dedicated and persistent people I know. This is one of the most aggravating and reassuring characteristics about him. The purpose of this small group was to decide if we were going to continue meeting and what we would study. We decided we would continue meeting, and we tossed around a couple of ideas about what we would study. We had to leave early, and I’m not sure if anything was decided. However, the idea for a book study was offered. Danny said that he hoped that we would do a book study because he gets so much out of the bible study he is doing on the book of Luke. I told him that I would love to study any of Paul’s letters because they are filled with such doctrine. I decided I would study Second Corinthians because I knew portions of scripture from First Corinthians, but know very letter about Second Corinthians. It is ironic that I chose this book to begin studying because my initial desire was to learn more of the doctrine that Paul teaches. Second Corinthians is the most biographical of Paul’s letter and contains the least amount of doctrine. In it we are able to see “:the deepest tenderness of affection, wounded feeling, sternness, irony, rebuke, impassioned self-vindication, humility, a just self-respect, zeal for the welfare of the weak and suffering, as well as for the progress of the church of Christ and for the spiritual advancement of its members, are all displayed in turn in the course of his appeal.” (Easton’s Bible Dictionary, 1997) However, I believe that this is a perfect starting place for studying Paul’s letters. It is exciting to get to know Paul as an emotional human instead of simply a great theologian. Perhaps his theology will be easier to understand when we understand Paul as a person. Much of the information that I am relying on to do this study comes from my notes as a sophomore in college. Many of you know have more theological training than I do and I would like to invite you to let me know if you interpret something different than me or if I have overlooked something important.

I thought I should share a very brief background of this epistle with you. Corinth was a prominent center of commerce in the Mediterranean world with a population of 650,000. The city was known for commerce, intellect, and diversity of culture and religion. It was also known as a place for all sorts of evil. Over 300 taverns have been excavated from the ruins of Corinth. In addition, the temple of Aphrodite was located there. This temple hosted 1000 priestesses dedicated to prostitution in the name of religion. It is amazing that a church existed at all in such a city. Yet, this environment did have an effect upon the church in Corinth. Paul had spent a year and a half in Corinth establishing a church, teaching the gospel, exhorting the Christians and challenging them to repent and stand firm in their faith. After leaving this city Paul desired to continue challenging this church to seek the truth and to set themselves apart from the corruption that surrounded them. In the first letter Paul wrote he challenged the Corinthians to repent from their sins and was anxious to hear how the letter was received. About a year after he wrote this letter he received news about its reception from Titus. The report from Titus was encouraging, but evidently it also brought troubling news. Judaizers had caused some members of the Corinthian church to doubt Paul’s authority as an apostle. In response to this doubt Paul speaks emotionally about the meaning of apostleship, the hardships he has experienced as an apostle, and against false apostles. This is a very brief synopsis and I encourage you to do more research, but I feel you have enough information for the purpose of our study.

Scholars debate over how many letters Paul wrote to the Corinthian church. Some say he wrote two letters, some say he wrote four, some say he wrote more. I think that it is more important to understand that Paul was concerned for the people of Corinth. He made three missionary journeys there and when he couldn’t be there in person he wrote letters to teach, exhort, and challenge. These letters follow the typical format of those written during antiquity. This is also the format that I am going to use to write my reflections of the epistle. Some subsections are longer than others and may need me to devote more time to them, but by looking at this outline you can know what the topic of my next reflection as well as the scripture references.

SECTION 1 THE GEEETING (1:1-11)

The greeting generally includes these 4 parts.

1. Sender(s): Paul and Timothy (1:1a)

2. Recipient(s): Church of God in Corinth and all Saints in Achia (1:1b)

3. Greeting: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1:2)

4. Thanksgiving (or Blessing): (1:3-11)

SECTION 2 THE BODY (1:12-13:10)

The body of the letter generally includes these 4 parts.

1. Initial Exhortation: Reconciliation (1:12–2:13; 7:5-16)

2. Thesis Statement???*

3. Theological Discussions: What is an apostle? (2:14–7:4)

4. Ethical Admonitions: Be aware of false apostles (10:1-13:10)

SECTION 3 LETTER CONCLUSIONS (13:11-14)

The conclusion of the letter generally includes these 4 parts

1. Practical Matters: Paul is coming for another visit & take care of the poor (8:1-24; 9:1-15, 13:1-10)

2. Individual Greetings: Greet one another with a holy kiss (13:11-13)

3. Personal Postscript:???*

4. Doxology (or Prayer):???*

* Since these notes are from undergrad I’m not sure if the ??? are there because they are not in 2 Corinthians, or scholars dispute their location, or there was simply a cute guy walking by at the moment that Dr. Mynatt said these references. If you know could you please let me know? Thanks!

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Today was unusual to say the least. John Stryder had a bad day. My son who is usually very jovial was miserable. It may have been because we stayed out late last night, but he still got up at the same time this morning. It may be because he’s teething. Regardless of the reason, today John Stryder was not his ordinary happy self.

Danny and I decided to put him to bed an hour earlier than normal. As I rocked him my heart broke. Even though I knew it was impossible I desperately wanted to take the misery from him. Tears came to my eyes but I refused to let them fall. I did not want my little one to be more distressed by me being upset. I rocked him and prayed for him. My heart desired to pray words of comfort. I wanted desperately for the Lord to drive away his pain, and give him quick restful sleep.

As I prayed a song that my church sings came to my mind. This song is often in my mind and one line in particular always speaks to me: “such a tiny offering compared to Calvary”. I’m sure you know this song. I always think of my son as “the tiny offering”.

This song reminds me of the offering of Isaac in Genesis 22. I honestly don’t know how Abraham did it. I’d like to think that if God told me, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, John Stryder, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I tell you.” that I would be obedient to the Lord. I’d like to think that I’d do it willingly, out of faith, out of love for our Lord. But I don’t know how quickly I’d react. I don’t know how big of an argument Danny and I would get into before I’d relent and give up my John Stryder.

God released Abraham of this after He saw Abraham’s faithfulness. However, He did not release Himself from sacrificing His only Son. When Jesus was baptized the Lord showed the love He had for His Son as a dove descended and a voice from Heaven was heard “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3: 17). The Lord continued to watch as His Son ministered to people on earth. He watched as Jesus became a popular miracle worker. He was also there when the tide began to turn and Jesus’ popularity plummeted. The Father was not deaf to the venomous whispers and loathing shouts of hatred towards His Son. When Jesus was in Gethsemane and prayed “Father if you are willing remove this cup from Me, yet not My will, but Yours be done,” God was listening. When Jesus’ prayers became so impassioned that He suffered from hematohidrosis (Luke 22:44) God was there and He could have called the whole thing off. But He continued to watch as His son was betrayed and denied by His followers (Luke 22:47-61). God was there when Herod and his soldiers treated his Son with contempt and mocked Him (Luke 23:8-12). The Father looked on as Pilate sought Jesus’ release and the crowds cried out for Jesus to be tortured instead (Luke 23:13-25). He was also there when Jesus was crucified between two criminals (Luke 23:33-49). He heard the prayers of Jesus as He hung upon the cross (Luke 23:34, Mark 15:34, Luke 23:46). It causes me physical pain to think about God’s love for us under these circumstances. I ask our Lord, “How?”.

How? For a good friend I might suffer. For my husband I might give my life. But if you asked me to give my John Stryder for people that hate me, curse my name, and abuse my friends – I’d think you were crazy. Amazingly, that’s just what our Lord did. Just read this verse: “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…” (Romans 5:10a). Enemies! God gave the world His Son and for a while we looked on with interest. As long as Jesus played our game by performing miracles we were entertained. But then He started preaching, and His preaching was difficult. Sometimes His teachings even contradicted our traditions. Eventually the world tired of Him. Then the Darling of Heaven was mocked, tortured, and killed.

I look at my baby who I love and I recall Luke 11:13: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” If I being evil want to take this pain from my son, how much more did the Lord want to relieve Jesus’ pain? And unlike me, God could have relieved His Son from pain. The story of the human race would have been very different, but at least the Lamb of God would have been spared. But God in his infinite love could not bear to be without His creation. I don’t understand the kind of love that God has for us. But I do know that His love is so powerful that He could endure Jesus’ life, torture, and death to be with us.

Though I cannot imagine what the Lord went through that day, I realize that the Lord knew what it was like to watch His only son suffer. As I put John Stryder in the bed and caressed his little head I thanked God for His lesson in theology.

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I want to begin by telling you that even after much research and meditation I am still not certain that I fully understand this commandment. Like many of theophilux’s readers I “enjoy” a life of over commitment. I have uttered more than once that I enjoy being busy and I have confessed that I do not know how to rest. However, the Sabbath is important enough to be mentioned over 150 times in scripture. It is the fourth commandment, the commandment the Lord chooses to transition His people from their relationship with Him to their relationship with others. And so let’s begin to explore this commandment.

What is the fourth commandment?

Exodus 20:8-11

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Leviticus 5: 12-15

12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

What does Sabbath mean?

The term “Sabbath” derives from the Hebrew shabbat “to cease”. The first Sabbath occurred in Genesis 2:2-3 on the 7th day of creation. Sabbath desecration was originally officially punishable by death (Exodus 31:15). According to dictionary.com the term Sabbath refers to “A season or day of rest; one day in seven appointed for rest or worship, the observance of which was enjoined upon the Jews in the Decalogue, and has been continued by the Christian church with a transference of the day observed from the last to the first day of the week, which is called also Lord’s Day”. Generally when the word Sabbath is mentioned we think of a Sabbath that occurs once a week, but there are also Sabbaths that occur annually and every seven years.

Annual Sabbaths or high Sabbaths include: the first and seventh days of Passover, and Pentecost, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the first and eighth days of Sukkoth.

The seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle was mandated by the Torah as the Sabbatical Year. During this time the land is to be alone and no agricultural activity—including plowing, planting, pruning, and harvesting—was allowed. What an act of faith!!!  In addition debts and loans were forgiven during this year. Slaves that had worked for six years are allowed to go free in the seventh year.

What are some practical ways we can observe this commandment?

Lauren Winner answers this question in her article, “In Today’s Culture, What Does It Mean to Keep the Sabbath Holy?”

“In Jewish communities, Sabbaths are truly set apart from the rest of the week. (Indeed, the Hebrew word for ‘holy’—as in, ‘Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy’—means, literally, ‘set apart.’) When I practiced Judaism, I would begin my Sabbath with a relaxed Friday night dinner, followed by a day of worship, rest, and celebration. During the Sabbath day, I didn’t think about my schoolwork, spend any money, ride in a car, or watch television. Then I became a Christian. Although I went to church on Sunday mornings, the day never seemed quite as holy. As often as not, I wound up at the shopping mall on Sunday afternoon.”

Doesn’t that sound like an internal conflict many of us have? We go to church and then…. We know we are suppose to keep the Sabbath, we know it is suppose to be a holy day, and we know that we are swamped with deadlines. What are we to do?

I believe that Lauren Winner offers a valuable solution that we can all be inspired by she went back to her roots and two commandments that govern Jewish Sabbath observance: to not work on the Sabbath, and to be joyful. So she attend church and then she worships God that afternoon and evening according to the Spirit’s leading. Sometimes the Spirit leads her to take a long walk and reflect upon nature, sometimes she gets together with friends, sometimes she spends the afternoons in scripture. We are not bound by rules and rituals that govern how we keep the Sabbath, instead the Lord desires relationship with us. If we spend the day in joyful reflection instead of worrying about tomorrow I believe that we can achieve the Sabbath peace that the Lord desires for us. And if He can create the world in six days then He can also take care of Monday morning deadlines.

I recently read an old Jewish saying pertaining to the third commandment: “When God gave the third commandment, the whole world trembled.” The reasoning behind this saying pertains to the wording in Exodus 20:7 “for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” This leads the Jews to believe that this commandment is the unpardonable sin.

So what exactly does it mean?

This commandment has been interpreted in a number of ways. One interpretation I have heard is that this commandment is limited to the use of the name of God in a frivolous manner. Another interpretation is that the name of God should not be used in magical or occult practices. A third interpretation is that this commandment prohibited one from breaking any contract that was sworn in the name of God. Thus, if someone promises by the name of God to do something and then fails to do it, that would qualify as having taken the name of the God in vain. A final interpretation is that it prohibits swearing all together.

Instead I would like to offer a more detailed explanation for the third commandment, one that requires us to have a brief understanding of the ancient Hebrew culture.

Most Hebrew names carried a recognizable meaning that was evident to all. A child’s name could be a reflection of a parent’s faith (e.g.  John “God is gracious”; Samuel, “God has heard”; Gabriel “devoted to God”), or the prevailing character of the child (Jacob, “heel-grabber”). A person’s name became synonymous with his or her reputation, which would resonate with the mere pronouncement of it. It was an extreme privilege when the LORD was gracious enough to provide Israel with His name. Knowing God’s name gave the Israelites personal access to God. Consider the things that have been done in the name of the Lord:

A mere shepherd boy battled with God’s might and power and was victorious over a  giant soldier (1 Sam 17:45).

A priest who invoked the Lord’s name in prayer brought life and vitality to an individual (Num 6:27).

In a time of cataclysmic judgment, anyone who called upon the name of the Lord would be delivered and find salvation (Joel 2:32).

Taking refuge in the Lord’s name provided a shelter so impenetrable that one would sing with shouts of joy (Ps 5:11).

Fearing the name after lapsing into idolatry could bring a restoration of spirit so complete it would be as if one had found a fountain of youth (Mal 4:2).

Worshiping at the place where God had placed his name would be to experience an intimate meeting with God, and with it blessing and life (Exod 20:24).

Possessing the name of the Lord was important to the Israelites. However, if possession of the name was a supreme privilege for Israel, it was also fraught with danger for God.  All kinds of atrocities have been committed in the “name of God” including the Inquisitions, crusades, the holocaust, child molestations, serial murders etc… These incidents have unfortunately affected a multitude of people both physically and spiritually.

How is this applicable to us?

This commandment requires us to become aware of the connection (or the lack thereof) between our spoken words and our innermost thoughts, between our public face and our private truth. We cannot hide our motives from God.  Yet people attempt to do this in a number of ways: a wordy prayer done for the approval of others, a superficial act of charity done for show, an attempt to impress others with a public display of words or emotions self- designed to show how God-like they are etc… Some people simply don’t care about God, and have no problem using His name to curse or swear. Others might use God’s name to dress up in formality an oath or promise they may have no intention of keeping.

Since we have become Christians, we are new creations. We have taken off our old selves and become part of God’s family. We bear His name, and as such we shape His reputation. We help the world interpret the name of the Lord. In its most basic form the third commandment looks at those of us who attach ourselves with the name of the Lord and asks what our motives are, who/what we are living for, and who/ what is at the center of our worship.

The last article I wrote concerned a practical application of the first commandment, logically this article is about the second commandment. This commandment is found in Exodus 20:4-6 and Deuteronomy 5:8-10 and reads: “You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I The Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My Commandments.”

I really like the way this commandment is laid out.  We are first given a command:

“You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them…”. This commandment tells us not to fashion idols and images out of metal, wood, stone, and plastic. It is wrong to worship or serve anything other than Him. In my article concerning the first commandment, you can find a list of things people often serve instead or in addition to God.

Then God answer’s the insistent “Why” of his children. The reason we cannot make false images of Him is that He is a jealous God. God will not tolerate one of His creation worshipping or bowing down to a god other than Him. God is possessive of the worship and service that belong to Him.

I have a one-year-old, who seemingly has one goal in life: to fall off the bed. Danny and I use to take him on the bed and we would have story time. Danny would read and Stryder and I would listen to the story. But now Stryder’s deepest desire is to fall off the bed. Danny and I know we cannot let this happen because it would hurt him, but Stryder doesn’t know that. He is faced with a choice he can either listen to us or he can suffer temporary pain.

We are faced with a choice too. This commandment clearly lays out the punishment and the reward of listening to the Lord. If we do not obey his commandment, He says He will “visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation”.  However, He is also ready to reward His faithful children ready to show “steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My Commandments.”

Tonight I simply want to reflect on the first commandment. It is found in Exodus 20:2-3, and reads, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.”

There are several truths that God reveals before issuing the first commandment. He identifies Himself as “the LORD your God”. This identification indicates that God is personal, present, and eternal. God continues by reminding the Israelites that He alone is the reason that they are out of Egypt, and out of slavery. They did not escape the Egyptians by their own merit, meaning that none of them were smart, good, or attractive enough to save them from slavery. In order to escape they needed a savior. This can be applied to our relationships with God today. It is only because of what He has done that we have escaped the slavery of sin.

The command is then issued: You shall have no other gods before Me.

Yet, all of us have gods.  Some gods include possessions, social status, careers, money, hobbies, homes, friends, family, self reliance, philosophy, education, intellect, food, alcohol, drugs, sex, and other pleasures.

Each person was created with a need to worship something. This was made evident to me when I was reading a study. The study said that if a complete person were a 10, then most of us were created at about a 7 or 8. Alcoholics attempt to fill this void with alcohol. Each time an individual drinks he feel satisfied, yet once the alcohol wore off he would incur more dissatisfaction than before. This increased the need to drink even more alcohol to become satisfied. Drug users often use stronger drugs, or at least use more frequently to find their “fix”.  The ways people attempt to fill this void are not always bad things. There are many who try to create the perfect home life, or try to earn their salvation through good works. Pharisies and other religious leaders were some of Jesus’ staunchest opponents. In high school and college I often made church activities and ministry into gods. I made myself so busy that I began to have great difficulty carving out time to just be with God and develop a personal relationship. However, if we attempt to fill the void with anything besides God, we will come up short.

I believe that if we would apply the first commandment to our lives we would save ourselves a lot of time and wasted effort. We were created to worship the One True God. He is the one that rescued us from slavery and as such our lives should be lived as a sacrifice before Him. We need to come to a realization of who God truly is and what He has done for us.

I need to process through the past week. Perhaps this story will inspire someone, or perhaps someone has been through something similar and can share some insight with me. Perhaps more prayers will go out as a result of this post. At any rate I am compelled to write maybe someone out there is compelled to read.

First a little background, John Stryder Nelson was born on March 14, 2008. He was an unexpected gift from God. Sometimes those are the best types of gifts. I’ve been around lots of other babies and they all have been bigger than him. I have NEVER seen a baby built like him. I asked question after question at his appointments, yet until recently the doctors haven’t seemed the least bit concerned. He is a happy baby and was gaining some weight, although it was very slow.

On January 23 he ran a fever of 100.6 and I contributed it the three teeth that were coming in. On January 24 his fever was 102, but he was still happy. On January 25 his fever was 103.6. I grew terrified. I scheduled an appointment for Monday the 26. When we put him on the scale that Monday morning he weighed 16.11 pounds. This news meant that he gained less than 9 pounds in 10½ months. I’ve been concerned about his weight since he was only 4 months. He hasn’t seemed to be growing appropriately and now he seems to have plateaued.

Needless to say I was shocked at the scale. Those that know Stryder, but may not be aware of his situation ask me:

Was he a preemie? No… he was late.

Why are you worried, he has a great appetite? That IS why I’m worried. On a day that he doesn’t seem to be eating much he eats 6 stage 2 jars of food, plus snacks and he is still nursing every 4 hours. On most days his appetite is usually ravenous.

Why are you worried, he is such a happy baby? I think this is another reason why I’m worried. I adore my child. I had a really hard time adjusting to motherhood. But he stuck by me. It took 7 months before I completely got over post partum. Yet, despite this beginning he brings joy to so many people. I admire his zest for life, attention to detail, the ability he has to make people smile and laugh. He is my little comedian.

The doctor came in the room on that Monday morning and checked Stryder out. He simply had a cold. But finally the doctor was concerned about his weight. Stryder was given the medical diagnosis that he was failing to thrive. Now we are embarking on a quest to find out why.

This week was HARD. We went through the first of several tests. We went to Greenville for a sweat chloride test to see if he has cystic fibrosis. Praise God he does not have that horrible disease! Although I now feel for people whose children do have it. Our next tests will be blood tests to check organs.

I told my sister-in-law that giving Stryder to God was difficult, but I could do it. I just don’t want God to break him. He is so happy, so full of life, such a blessing.

This week makes me wonder: How could Abraham have been willing to break his only son for God? And, how could God have broken His only Son for us? This week the passion of our Lord became real to me in a new way. I’m left dumbfounded and speechless. This week I learned that God is trustworthy and in control.

So this was prompted by facebook’s 25 random things about me.

1. I was born on 5/25 at 5:25.
2. When I was a kid my favorite toy was a stick. 
3. I have been with my husband since my senior year in high school. He has been my constant throughout some very tough times. 
4. My favorite movie is Newsies and my second favorite is Lilo and Stich
5. I think a Brooklyn accent has to be the hottest accent. This lead me to pray that God would let me marry a Yankee, which He did. My husband does not have a Yankee accent.
6. In college I was a Christian Ministries major, but I’m currently undergoing the greatest lessons in theology brought to me daily by a happy & active baby boy. 
7. I’m living my dream… I’m a mom. 
8. I love Christmas! In fact at my wedding we walked out as husband and wife to “deck the halls”
9. I love school. I’m getting two masters degrees: student affairs & school counseling. I don’t know if I’ll ever use them. 
10. I have a cat named Youkilis 
11. I would love to visit Italy
12. My favorite candy is yellow M&M’s 
13. I prefer sitting in the back seat of cars, so I can’t see through the windshield (I’m a bad back seat driver). 
14. I believe that everyone has a story to tell, and I love to hear their story. 
15. I’m empathetic to a flaw, comedies make my toes curl and I spend half the time hidden behind a pillow. 
16. My dad is still my hero, and has influenced my life more then I could ever tell him. 
17. My favorite season is fall.My husband’s hazel eyes remind me of rich autumn colors: green, brown, and gold. I often say he is my eternal fall. 
18. My son loves anything musical, but when I start singing he shakes his head no. 
19. Although I’ve known it for some time, I’ve had it reemphasized this week…I have the best family, friends, and church family. 
20. I’m told that I’m very dramatic … I don’t know about that. 
21. I love iced coffee, that my sister-in-law makes.
22. I love peach cobbler that LeeAnne makes. 
23. I don’t like making bean dip (mostly because I think it sounds gross and I have food issues)
24. I hate my feet and nose being touched. My son found this out at 9 months, and makes a game out of it. 
25. I love God! But have to constantly remind myself “Either God is__________ or He isn’t.” This week its either God is trustworthy or He isn’t. 
26. I secretly want to be a cool kid.

Its been a tough week! (don’t remind me its only Wednesday). This week my family has had to wait. Stryder has to have a test done. Part of me thinks that waiting for theis a terrible thing. It is through waiting that I realize how finite I really am. It is in those in between moments that I realize how small and vulnerable I am.

The other part of me realizes that waiting is an awesome experience. It is in this time that I am truly learning what Psalm 27:4 means. David says that there is only one thing that he asks of God, only one thing that he seeks that he may dwell in the Lord’s house forever.  That’s what I long for right now. I have all of this head knowledge and memories about God’s faithfulness, but when I’m surrounded by the muck of this world it’s hard to live in the truth. I long to constantly be surrounded by holiness, for it is in that setting that I could easily trust Him and victoriously go through trials without my faith faltering.

Through the prompting of the Holy Spirit I have begun to read The Healing Presence by Leanne Payne. It’s been a wonderful source of strength. It’s a book that I highly recommend when you’re at the end of your rope. God has clearly spoken to me throughout its pages. I have been reminded that God loves all His creatures, and that my darling son is included in that list. I have been reminded that He will never leave us (Hebrews 4:13). And it is by being reminded of these truths that I can even fathom uttering Mary’s great affirmation “Be it unto me according to thy word”. And so through the pain of having arrived at the utter end of any confidence in myself I have arrived at the haven of God’s love and care.

I’ve been tempted to give into fear, doubt, and worry. Yet, as C.S. Lewis puts it “Have no fear, lest your shoulders be bearing this world.”  My shoulders are not strong enough to bear this burden. But I know the Lord’s are. I know that He loves Stryder. That truth has been evident through Stryder’s miraculous birth and life thus far. So I have no other choice, but to trust in God. There is nothing else that I can do. I have been broken this week, and I’m beginning to realize that brokenness is a good place to be.

Theophilux has challenged my beliefs by helping me either strengthen or reconstruct them. In doing so it has made me aware of others belief systems. A term that has been tossed around from time to time on this site is “Pelagianism”.  Unlike many on this site, I am not a seminary student, and this concept was not thoroughly addressed in my undergrad classes as a Christian Ministries student. This lead me to a brief exploration into Pelagianism is and why its a heresy.

What is Pelagiamism?          

Pelagianism derives its name from Pelagius a British Monk who lived in Rome in the 5th century A.D. He emphasized the innocence of man and free will.  He believed that if God gave men commands then he also gave them the ability to work those commands.  He and his followers framed six doctrines.

1. Adam would have died even if he had not sin.

2. The sin of Adam injured himself alone, not the human race.

3. Newborn children are in the same condition as Adam was before the Fall; corollary; that infants, though unbaptized, have eternal life.

4. The Old Testament Law, as well as the New Testament Gospel, gives entrance to heaven.

5. There were some before the time of Christ who lived without sin.

6. The whole human race does not die because of Adam’s death or sin, nor will it rise again because of Christ’s resurrection.

Coelestius, Pelagius’ main disciple added three additional points.

1. If we will, we can live without sin

2. Unbaptized infants attain unto eternal life. 

3. The rich who are baptized will have no merit, nor will they inherit the Kingdom of God, if they do not renounce their possessions.

Admittedly this is a short summary of Pelagianism, but I believe this highlights the concepts that Pelagius taught. 

Why is Pelagianism heresy?

Pelagianism seems to contradict a number of Biblical teachings. These teachings include:

We are sinful from the moment of conception (Psalm 51:5)

We die as a result of sin (Ezekiel 18:20, Romans 6:23)

We are born with a natural inclination towards sin (Romans 3:10-18).

Adam’s sin is the reason that sin infects us (Romans 5:12)