AUTUMN & LIFE

Autumn & Life

Like beads on an abacus, the sun, the moon, and the stars are for counting out the seasons (Gen. 1:14; Psa. 104:19a). Seasons reveal the mathematical order and genius of the Creator who promised: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22. Man is the image of God, but also reflects the earth from which he is fearfully and wonderfully hewn by God (Gen. 1:27; 2:7; Psa. 139:14).

Alas! man turned cold toward his creator. Hence, as the stars in their courses bring autumn harvest, too soon must we start to pack the bags of life’s spent summer vacation. Leaves begin to tremble and fall to the ground; so the hair of receding youth. Time to scramble and gather the fruit of summer labour before winter brings snow-blindness to the eyes, frost to the temples, and chill to the bones. Autumn is the time to harvest seed sown in spring.

Did we properly prepare the dust of the earth in the form of our children? Did we sow the good seed of God’s Word in their hearts? – lest they reap a bitter harvest in their time! Did we plant our offspring by the rivers of waters that they may bring forth good fruit in its season? (Psa. 1:3; Jer. 17:8) Did we teach them to honour father and mother that it may be well with them (and well with us in our winter years!) and that they may live long on the earth? (Exo. 20:12; Eph. 6:3).

This work being done, those taught of the LORD will not tremble at the sound of a shaken leaf, nor will they flee as though fleeing from a sword, and fall when no one pursues. (Lev. 26:36b). The LORD will not cast them down. For, as Friend not Foe, will they know and love the One who moves the abacus beads. “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.” Psalm 147:4-6.

Were the Creator to shake the earth once more as when He delivered His Law on Mount Sinai – even if He were to shake also heaven! – those taught of the LORD would only be reminded of, and comforted by, the knowledge that they are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken (Heb. 12:26&27). They are part of His holy harvest.

Dear reader, perhaps you have found yourself in the autumn of your life with little or nothing to harvest. Well, know that the LORD is able to restore to you the years the locust has eaten. (Joel 2:25) For He has sent His only begotten Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save it. (John 3:17). He is the Sun of Righteousness. And as the sun rises, so He has risen with healing in His wings. (Mal. 4:2). Therefore, make hay while the sun shines, for the fields are white for harvest.

Seek the One holding your very breath in His hand. Seek the One counting off your days. Call upon the One gathering the harvest into His barns. Call upon the One who counts the number of the stars. Therefore, call upon Jesus Christ – today.

MESSAGE FOR MARGARET

MESSAGE FOR MARGARET

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

³ He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. 

Psalm 23 (NKJV)

We usually sing Psalm 23, The Shepherd’s Psalm, in its versified form, at funerals. It reminds us where to look when we lose and mourn the loss of a loved one. It reminds us not to seek solace in a bottle but to look to the Comforter Himself for comfort. Psalm 23 does this by reminding us that there is a Shepherd.

It reminds us that the Lord Jesus is our Shepherd. It reminds us that we, the flock of His green pastures, want for or lack nothing because we have Him looking after us. It reminds us that He restores us to sanity by the renewing of our minds, restoring our souls. It reminds us that He enables us to tell the difference between good and evil by leading us in the way we should go. It reminds us that we’ve got nothing to fear, not our enemies nor even death itself, for He is armed with a rod to defend us and a staff, a shepherd’s crook to rescue us from times of trouble.

It reminds us that He pours the good oil on us, and that “we’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet”, the cup of His kindness. The cup from which we drink is always overflowing. It reminds us that His goodness and His mercy is with us until the day we die, and beyond. And, finally, it reminds us that He has promised that He will never evict us from His house, from His house of many mansions.

Margaret was my mother-in-law for thirty-seven years. She wasn’t present at our wedding, but neither were any of you. I broke Margaret’s heart when I took her daughter away to live with me in Canada back in 1980. Margaret visited Dot and me in Winnipeg shortly thereafter. Her daughter was pregnant with Jennifer, her first grandchild. Then Margaret visited again in 1988 and saw three of her grandchildren, Jennifer, Nina and Fionna.

One of the blessings in the Bible is: “Yes, may you see your children’s children.” Psalm 128:6a. Margaret was blessed by living long enough to see her children’s children. Andy and Mary included. And, wow! Margaret got to live long enough to see her children’s children’s children: Tristan, Lanna, Owen and Caleb! Truly blessed.

Not everyone gets a mention in a book. Margaret gets mentioned in my book From Mason to Minster a few times, but here’s a mention that’s relevant to today. It’s found under the heading: Postcards from Australia

The Winnipeg winters were getting harder and harder for me to thole. I loved the hot Manitoba summers, but they would end all too soon... 

Sometimes it would begin to snow early, one time even on my eldest daughter Jennifer’s birthday on October 8… 

The same snow could lie on the ground from October to April without melting once. Shovelling paths and driveways became the exercise regime for all. That pathway to our mailbox had to be kept clear lest the mailman refuse to deliver! Dorothy showed me some photographs she received in a letter from her brother who had moved to Brisbane, Australia. I asked about the coloured man in the picture. “That’s my brother Alan!” she said. Alan, sporting a glorious suntan, was surrounded by palm trees, golden sands, and a turquoise ocean. We applied to migrate to Australia and were accepted... 

Alan was going to put us up in his Brisbane flat. I had begun to pray that the Lord would gather Dorothy’s family together. Her mum and her sister still lived in Scotland. We were in Australia for a year when her sister Elizabeth and her husband Robert arrived to stay. Then came Margaret, her mum![1]

That all happened nearly thirty years ago.  And here we all are in 2018. But 2018 hasn’t been a good year for us. To borrow a phrase once used by the queen, 2018 has been an “annus horribilis”! – a horrible year.

Alan and Anne were sick, really sick! Alan getting his sister Dot’s bone-marrow stem cells to help in the battle with his leukemia. Anne arriving at hospital the day her husband Alan was leaving after his chemo-treatment, not to take her husband home, but to check in for her own treatment for a different kind of leukemia!

I was staying in the same hospital a few times for various (unmentionable!) surgeries, which made it handy for visiting Alan and then Anne.

And then Margaret died on Friday 14 September 2018 around 12.50pm in her wee flat in Toowong after having been sent from hospital to die at home – as was her wish.

It was a good departure! Her children’s children, Tristan, Lanna, Owen and Caleb had visited her and had interacted with her while, though very sick, she was still able to engage with them. Her youngest great-grandchild, Caleb, had asked Margaret how she got to be so old. She laughed and said that she was wondering that herself! She got to see Andy and Mary too.

Then on the day she left us she was surrounded by her children and her children’s children. Robert was there. Elizabeth and Dorothy were there. Jennifer, Nina and Fionna were all there.

I had left work and I was busy circling the block trying to find somewhere to park my car outside the flat when Margaret “gave up the ghost”, as the Bible would term it.

O, and Alan, in hospital with a serious lung-infection, really serious, had phoned, which apparently was very unusual for him, and was on the speaker phone.

Margaret’s last breath was a strong one as it exited her body for the very last time. The Bible says, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7. Though I just missed it, the reports I got were that Margaret’s spirit left her with such a force that it certainly went upward! But before she left us, she had indicated that when she got to Heaven she would be asking that her son get better, or words to that effect. We are happy, more than happy, that Alan is well enough to be here today, and Anne!

Now back to Psalm 23, The Shepherd’s Psalm. It’s a Psalm written about Jesus. Jesus said in John 10, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture…” Does that word “pasture” jump out at you? As it says in Psalm 23, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.”

Jesus goes on to say, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, … and I lay down My life for the sheep.”

And when He laid down His life for His sheep by being nailed to a cross, it says in Luke 23:46, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” Luke 26:46 (KJV). The same Greek New Testament word pneuma may be translated, spirit, wind or breath. And “to give up the ghost” is to ekpneo, made up from two Greek words, ex as in exit and pneo, to breathe hard. Therefore, it means, to breath out hard, to expire, to give up the ghost.

In honour of Margaret and the city that gave birth to her I’d like to read a short portion of Scripture from Jamie Stuart’s “A Glasgow Bible” which is found under the heading Jesus Crucified:

When it came tae the middle o the day, the hale country wis plunged intae a spooky darkness. At three in the efternin Jesus cried oot fae the cross, ‘My God, My God, why hiv ye left me?!’

Then wan o the criminals oan the next cross said tae him, ‘Hey freen, are ye no the Christ? Gauny prove it then an save yersel – aye, an us tae while ye’re aboot it.’ But the other criminal shouted ower, ‘Belt up you! We deserve tae die, but this man didny dae ony wrang.’ Then he whispered ower tae Jesus, ‘Will ye keep mind o me?’ An Jesus said, ‘Today ye’ll be wi me in Paradise – I promise ….’ 

Then Jesus cried oot in his agony, ‘Faither, intae yer hauns I gie my spirit.’ An wi these words, Jesus breathed his last.”

Then jumping ahead to the good bit, the bit under the heading The Resurrection:

Early oan the Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene an Mary the mither o James, went tae the grave takin sweet smellin ointments tae pit oan the body. But when they got close up tae the tomb, the first thing they saw wis that the huge stane had been moved oot the wey. They went in, kinna feart-like.

All o sudden two men wer staunin in front o them. The weemen wir terrified an cudny even look up. The men said, ‘Tell us, why are ye searchin amang the graves for someone who’s alive? He’s no here! He’s come back tae life again! D’ye no even remember whit he himself telt ye when he wis wi ye in Galilee – that the Christ must be haunded ower tae evil men, nailed tae the cross, an be raised tae life again oan the third day?’ Then, sure, they remembered whit Jesus had telt them. So they raced back in joy tae Jerusalem an telt the eleven disciples an aw the ithers, ‘He’s alive! Jesus is alive!’[2]

Because Jesus is alive we believe Margaret is with Jesus in Paradise right now. Because Jesus was raised to life again we believe that Margaret will be raised to life again. Therefore, we believe that we will see Margaret again in Paradise and that we will be raised again with her on the Last Day.

Therefore, “Let not your heart be troubled!”

---

[1] Neil Cullan McKinlay, From Mason to Minister: Through the Lattice, Nordskog Publishing Inc., Ventura, California, 2011, pp. 104-5.

[2] Jamie Stuart, A Glasgow Bible, Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1997, (Reprint 2013), pp. 136-8.

GO TO THE ANT

Go To the Ant

While living in Queensland I was surprised to see an army of ants, like pygmies carrying elephant tusks on their shoulders in an old Tarzan movie, cart off my toenail clippings to their colony under ground in my garden! I recalled the verses: “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8. Man, even the lazy man, can gain some wisdom through the study of the creatures God has made.

Who calls the shots in the ant colony? It’s clear that ants work for God. He designed them to do what they do. As part of God’s great cleanup team, it appears that not even discarded toenail clippings are to be wasted! Though many, the colony acts as one. God is social, for God is many (Triune) yet acts as one. Thus we see a reflection of the Designer in the ant colony. Since ants are social creatures, a lazy ant would be an antisocial ant. No Person in the Trinity lies back while the Others attend to Him. Each Person in the Godhead serves God who is one. The industrious ants serve God. So should we.

But who calls the shots with man? Was man, like the ant, designed to serve God? If so, then are not those who ignore serving God being lazy, i.e., antisocial? For God made man in His own image with the ability to dialogue with God (Gen. 1:27; 2:16&17). And as  worker and guard ants work in and guard their colonies, so God set man to work in and guard the Garden (Gen. 2:15).

The queen ant is the single producer of all the offspring in the ant colony. Eve was the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20). Adam failed to guard Eve by allowing the Serpent Satan to slither into the Garden. In this Adam was lazy, antisocial toward God. Like a worker having a fly smoke, so Adam hid from God after he ate the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:8). But where there’s smoke there’s fire! How was Adam going to clean up the mess he had gotten mankind into? And so the blame game began. Adam blamed God his Supervisor, and he also blamed Eve his co-worker for his present demise (Gen. 3:12). The whole social structure of mankind was now in turmoil. Both humanist socialism in its various forms, and individualism are rebellious ways fallen man tries to hide from God. For the Triune Creator is a social Being. Man is His image. The many must not rule the one or the one the many. As in God, the one and the many must have equal ultimacy.

God started a new social colony when His Son, the Middle Person in the Trinity, became also Man and entered His creation. He is Head of the cleanup team, His Church. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:17. Jesus carried His cross and went to take away the sin of the world. (Isa. 53:4-6; John 1:29; 19:17). Then His followers carried their crucified Captain, Overseer and Ruler and laid Him in a tomb in a garden (John 19:38-42). He emerged bodily from the ground on the third day (Luke 24:6&7). After physically ascending to Heaven the Son, with the Father, sent out the Holy Spirit (John 15:26; 16:7).

Presently His ‘colony’ is spreading itself throughout all creation as His Spirit works effectively with His Word in people’s hearts, cleansing them. While on earth the pure in heart are part of God’s ‘cleanup team.’ Who calls the shots? “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14. For “There is one body and one Spirit…” Ephesians 4:4a

Dear reader, do you know the joy of having your sins carried away by Jesus Christ? Don’t be a sluggard! Be wise. Go to the ant and call on Jesus today.

ADAM MEETS THE TRINITY

Adam Meets the Trinity

“And the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being … And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.’” Genesis 2:7; 16&17. Thus Adam was putty in God’s hands. And he literally lived and breathed God. For, from the very first moment Adam opened his eyes he knew God the Holy Father, breathed the Holy Breath of God into his lungs, and heard the Holy Word of God speak in his ears.

Before He began to create man the Trinity in unity said, “Let Us [plural] make man in Our [plural] image…” Gen. 1:26a. This is the same God who through His Spirit and by His Word created and formed from nothing the two heavens and one earth. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit: and these three are one.” 1 John 5:7 (KJV).

Upon his creation, Man, i.e., the triune God’s image, most certainly knew the Creator, creation, and himself, spiritually and intimately. As the very first scientist Adam, by God’s commission, studied, analysed, catalogued each living creature God had made. (Gen. 2:19). Thus he thought God’s thoughts after Him. And as he did so he glorified his Maker as he learned more about the Triune God through studying the things He had made. Strong as a bull, gentle as a lamb, graceful as a gazelle, etc., all are reflections of the Creator seen in the creatures He made.

The triunity of space, time, and matter, reflect the three distinctions in the Godhead who created them. So does space with its three dimensions: length, breadth, and height; and time with its three tenses: past, present, and future; and matter with its solid, liquid, and gas or vapour. The human eye distinguishes three primary colours: red, yellow, and blue. The ear distinguishes the three-tones of the triadic chord.

God’s Tri-unity is glimpsed in man the individual who is a unique soul-spirit with a body. The human family begins as a unity of three distinct persons: father, mother, child. As God is a unity in plurality, so is mankind. His Church is many churches, but one church. Thus God is the original one and many.

But this knowledge of God, His creation, including ourselves began to be suppressed in unrighteousness when man rebelled against God by eating the forbidden fruit (Rom. 1:18). Yet Adam held in his hand revelation of God. For even one piece of fruit is one yet many, for though one (Botanical: pericarp), it has a threefold nature: an outer skin (exocarp or epicarp), an inner pulp (mesocarp), and seed (endocarp). Thus Adam, as it were, shed the Lord’s blood as he released the fruit’s juice with his teeth, biting through its skin, and tearing its flesh, thus revealing its seed. He drew blood when he bit the hand that fed him. But the crucified Jesus was able to reproduce Himself, thus His resurrection. For fruit has its own seed in itself (Gen. 1:11&12): “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself…” John 5:26.

When we rebelled in the beginning we rejected the Father, broke His Word, and quenched and grieved His Spirit. But God is gracious. For, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9. Therefore triunely, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” 2 Corinthians 13:14.

DISEMBARK THE ARK

Disembark the Ark

‘Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark … Then the ark rested  … in the mountains of Ararat.’ Genesis 8:1&4. The inside of the ark was a microcosm of the once dry land and its inhabitants – a floating menagerie. The released ‘dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the whole face of the earth.’ Genesis 8:9. It had rained forty days and forty nights, but the once drowned earth soon bobbed into view to greet those in the ark. Door wide open, Noah disembarked the ark with his family and brought out all the wild beasts with him, ‘so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’ Genesis 8:17b.

              Noah and the ark typify Jesus. The ark was baptized when it was rained upon (1 Peter 3:20&21). Jesus was rained upon at His baptism. After it had ceased raining on the ark Noah sent out a dove that returned and alighted upon the ark. ‘And immediately, coming up from the water, [Jesus] saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.’ Mark 1:10. The ark with wild beasts aboard was in the Flood ‘wilderness’ for forty days. ‘Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty-days, tempted by Satan, and was with wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.’ Mark 1:10-13. After the Flood Noah offered up to God of every clean animal and bird. Christ offered up Himself. Noah planted a vineyard, drank wine, fell asleep and lay uncovered inside his tent. On the cross Jesus was given wine and then He died. (John 19:29&30). Two men, Shem and Japheth, covered Noah’s nakedness (Genesis 9:20-23). Two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, covered Jesus’ naked body and laid Him in His tomb. (John 19:38-42)

              The Flood was God’s wrath poured out upon the ungodly. But God saved Noah and seven others. (2 Peter 2:5) God poured out a baptism of fire upon Christ on the cross. But God saved a people innumerable. (Rev. 7:9&10) After the Flood Noah removed the covering of the ark and he, his family, and all the animals exited the ark. (Gen. 8:13-19) An angel of the Lord came and rolled away the stone and the resurrected Christ exited the tomb with all His redeemed and the redeemed creation following after Him. (1 Corinthians 15:20; Romans 4:13; Revelation 21:1). As everything in Noah’s ark was protected from the judgment of God, so is everything that is in Christ. Once saved from the judgment they disembarked the ark. Then the LORD God reissued the ‘Cultural Mandate’ in which man is to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and have dominion etc. (Genesis 9:1-7, see also 1:28). Then men, birds and animals began to spread throughout all the earth. Thus the microcosmic ark was transformed into a macrocosm.

The death of Jesus on the cross was the judgment of God on all that God is saving, for the dead Jesus in the tomb was the microcosmic creation. By being bodily resurrected and exiting the tomb He became the macrocosm. His name and fame continue to spread throughout all the earth, while – like the mustard seed becoming a tree – His kingdom keeps on growing on the whole face of the earth. To ensure that His kingdom would continue to grow, Jesus issued the ‘Great Commission’ where He says, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Matthew 28:18-20.

Jesus said to Mary after He had exited the tomb, ‘Do not cling to Me…’ not because He was radioactive, but because He was ascending to His Father. Likewise, Noah and his sons did not cling to the ark when they exited it. Thus Jesus does not want Christians to exit the world but to cultivate it! He prayed to the Father, ‘I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.’ John 17:15. Therefore Christians today need to understand that our Lord would have us continue to obey the Cultural Mandate and cultivate all things in His creation – such as art, architecture, education, politics, music, science, animal husbandry, agriculture, horticulture etc. etc. – to the glory of God. Isn’t it time then for all Christians everywhere to disembark the stuffy ark?

PICK IT UP AND READ IT!

Pick It Up & Read It

With one foot in the grave the Scotsman Sir Walter Scott (1731-1832) asked his son-in-law to read to him. Lockhart asked from which book? ‘There is only one Book!’ Scott is said to have replied. A talisman? Some treat the Bible as such. Hold a Bible in your hand when you die and Peter will see it and let you through the pearly gates? Never! First off, it’s nothing to do with Peter whether you enter heaven or not. And secondly, notice that Sir Walter wanted to hear the words read from the Book. His interest was in the words of everlasting life, the Good News! The Good News? Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).

No doubt many homes have a ‘Family Bible’ that has been passed down from one generation to the next. The trouble is that it is no good when it is only collecting dust. Its words need to permeate the home and your whole being for the Book to be of any use. The Spirit works with the Word to convict, convert and then to edify.

Before his conversion Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was interested in rhetoric, so he went to hear the Christian preacher Ambrose. Thus Augustine heard the same Good News that Sir Walter Scott heard. Some time later while under conviction Augustine was asking God to purify his unclean thoughts and habits. He heard a child singing outdoors, the kind of song that you or I might hear children sing when they are playing skipping rope. The words of the song were, ‘Pick it up and read it. Pick it up and read it.’ So, Augustine picked up the Book and read it! The first passage his eyes fell upon said, ‘Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil its lusts’ Romans 13:13-14. Thus, Augustine turned from his sins and put on Christ, i.e., he repented and believed in the Gospel of salvation. Years later, as death began crouching at the foot of his bed just waiting to pounce on him, Augustine had some of the Psalms of David hung around his bedroom walls. Good luck charms? Absolutely not! Augustine wanted the Word of God before his eyes to read before he went to be with the Lord. He died of a fever in 430.

The Scotsman David Livingstone (1813-1873) was a great missionary and explorer. Livingstone was sick and lay in a shack while a man kept watch outside his door. Some came seeking to see Livingstone. The watcher told the group that David couldn’t be disturbed. He could see that Dr Livingstone was on his knees in prayer. ‘The White Doctor is ill. Besides, he is praying to his God and must not be disturbed.’ Turns out, Livingstone had died there on his knees at his bedside in prayer!

In great illness of health that great Reformer of the Church the Frenchman John Calvin (1509-64) would respond to his friends’ urges that he should rest, with ‘What! Would you have the Lord find me idle when He comes?’ As he was dying he handed his friend Farel a letter, containing the following, ‘Since it is God’s will that you should outlive me, remember our friendship. It was useful to God’s church and its fruits await us in heaven. I do not want you to tire yourself on my account. I draw my breath with difficulty and expect each moment to breathe my last. It is enough that I live and die for Christ, who is to all His followers a gain both in life and in death’ (see THL Parker). Calvin was buried in an unmarked grave on Sunday 28^th May, 1564.

Augustine, Scott, Livingstone, and Calvin were united in, by, and through Christ. Indeed, all were Augustinians or Calvinists. Therefore, as a testimony against the following caustic and fallacious statement, ‘the doctrines of Calvinism will deaden and kill anything: prayer, faith, zeal, holiness,’ (Vance) we may hold up the lives of at least the four aforementioned saints. Each by grace through faith had ‘put on Christ.’

To live and die for Christ, as Calvin says, is gain both in life and death. It’s as the Apostle Paul says, ‘For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain’ and ‘we are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord’ (Phil. 1:21 & 2 Cor. 5:8). Calvinism? Calvinism is about doing all things to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). ‘He who believes in God without reserve and is determined that God shall be God to him in all his thinking, feeling and willing – in the entire compass of his life activities, intellectual, moral and spiritual – throughout all his individual social and religious relations, is, by force of that strictest of all logic which presides over the outworking of principles into thought and life, by the very necessity of the case, a Calvinist’ (Warfield).

‘While Calvinism is much more than a mind-set, it nevertheless begins with a mind that is enlightened by the truth of the Gospel’ (Ryken). Therefore, ‘Pick it up and read it’. Let that old Family Bible collect dust no more! ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom’ Colossians 3:16.

PHILOSOPHY (& THEOLOGY)

Philosophy (& Theology)

Theology, i.e., Christian theology, holds that that which the Philosopher is directly experiencing through his senses is revelation of God. Therefore, as far as Christian Theology is concerned, man experiencing the five senses – seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting – is man experiencing God. Thus, if there is a difference between Theology and Philosophy it is that Christian Theology is the science that works to produce Christian concepts, whilst Christian Philosophy is the science that reflects upon these Christian foundations and applies them.

The point being made is that there is a sense in which both sciences (Christian Theology and Christian Philosophy) are dealing with the same thing. Both are working with revelation of God. Christian Theology seeks to categorize and systematize that revelation. Christian Philosophy seeks to ponder it and apply it.

Thus, we see that Christian Theology and Christian Philosophy are two distinct but related disciplines. They are distinct in that Theology produces and categorizes concepts, and Philosophy thinks these concepts through, and builds a life and worldview upon them. Theology and Philosophy are related because each is dealing with revelation of God. Yet, importantly, neither one is subordinate to the other because both are equally valid ways of dealing with revelation. Indeed, they compliment each other, and of necessity, must borrow from each other. Whereas Theology deals with man’s scientific knowledge of the Creator, Philosophy deals with man’s scientific knowledge of creation.

Thus, though Theology and Philosophy have their own distinct spheres, they interpenetrate and overlap each other. Cornelius Van Til notes the distinction and the relationship where he says, ‘Philosophy and science deal more especially with man in his relation to the cosmos and theology deals more especially with man in his relation to God. But this is only a matter of degrees … The theologian is simply a specialist in the field of biblical interpretation taken in the more restricted sense. The philosopher is directly subject to the Bible and must in the last analysis rest upon his own interpretation of the Word. But he may accept the help of those who are more constantly and more exclusively engaged in biblical study than he himself can be.’ C. Stephen Evans also notes the intimate relationship between the sciences of Theology and Philosophy thus, ‘Although some would make a sharp distinction between philosophy and theology, there is substantial overlap in the questions each treats. One way to distinguish between the two is in terms of their audiences: A thinker who is speaking to a religious community and can presuppose the authorities recognized by that community is doing theology. The same thinker addressing a broader community may be doing philosophy.’

Whether they are Christian or not, Theology and Philosophy are two mirrors held up to catch the light of God. And, as the two natures of Christ reveal the divine and the human, in one mirror we see the face of God and in the other we see the face of humanity and God’s creation.

The God who has revealed Himself in Scripture through Jesus is the meeting place of Theology and Philosophy. True Christian philosophy begins with the Triune God who reveals Himself through the things He has made, and verbally by His Scriptures.