"It is sometime claimed that faith and reason are hostile to each other, and whatever is of reason cannot be of faith. But this represents misunderstanding of the biblical concept of faith. The biblical notion of faith emphasizes personal trust (fiducia) or belief in God and the data/content of his revelation (noticia). But belief in rests on belief that. One is called to trust in what he or she has reason to give intellectual assent (assensus) to. In Scripture, faith involves placing trust in what you have reason to believe is true. Faith is not a blind, irrational leap into the dark. So faith and reason cooperate on a biblical view of faith. They are not intrinsically hostile."
J.P. Moreland, "Philosophy." in Opening the American Mind, ed. W. David Beck, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991), 47-66.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Story of Cyrus - God the Rehab Addict
Here is a copy of a message I gave a while back at church, enjoy!
Well if you have been with us this summer you know we are moving along here in our study of the book of Isaiah and this Sunday our journey brings us to chapters 44 and 45. So far we have been discovering how God is truly a Rehab Addict and these chapter contain yet another one of God’s rehab attributes.
Have you ever had an old shirt that you just loved to wear on Saturdays while lounging around the house, or that shirt that you just had to wear as you mowed the lawn every week? Somehow, no matter how much of the logo or decoration of the shirt wore off, or the mustard or spaghetti stains that plastered nearly every inch of fabric, every Saturday you put on that old shirt and did your thing. People used to tell you to, “get rid of that shirt, no one could use that anymore, its too old and worn out.” You refused too stubborn to believe the blatant lie your friends were telling you. One day while away for a while your partner snuck into your drawer, grabbed that shirt, and gave it away. You came home to learn of the demise of your lucky old shirt and you are devastated, thinking you will never see it again, or so you thought. A few weeks later you were out for a run and you happened to see somebody mowing his or her lawn in your shirt. You shout, “See somebody can use that old shirt!” meanwhile the cars driving by think you have lost your marbles. You continue on your run with a sense of vindication and a new pep in your step.
That picture is the similar type of vindication God might feel when someone says to you, “you can’t make a difference in this world you’re just one person” and you step up, you prove them wrong, you change a community or a life for Christ. In God’s Rehab tool belt there are many different tools used to reshape lives and make things useful again. This morning we are going to see how God used a tool to shape a life of a Gentile King before he was even born.
Well if you have been with us this summer you know we are moving along here in our study of the book of Isaiah and this Sunday our journey brings us to chapters 44 and 45. So far we have been discovering how God is truly a Rehab Addict and these chapter contain yet another one of God’s rehab attributes.
Have you ever had an old shirt that you just loved to wear on Saturdays while lounging around the house, or that shirt that you just had to wear as you mowed the lawn every week? Somehow, no matter how much of the logo or decoration of the shirt wore off, or the mustard or spaghetti stains that plastered nearly every inch of fabric, every Saturday you put on that old shirt and did your thing. People used to tell you to, “get rid of that shirt, no one could use that anymore, its too old and worn out.” You refused too stubborn to believe the blatant lie your friends were telling you. One day while away for a while your partner snuck into your drawer, grabbed that shirt, and gave it away. You came home to learn of the demise of your lucky old shirt and you are devastated, thinking you will never see it again, or so you thought. A few weeks later you were out for a run and you happened to see somebody mowing his or her lawn in your shirt. You shout, “See somebody can use that old shirt!” meanwhile the cars driving by think you have lost your marbles. You continue on your run with a sense of vindication and a new pep in your step.
That picture is the similar type of vindication God might feel when someone says to you, “you can’t make a difference in this world you’re just one person” and you step up, you prove them wrong, you change a community or a life for Christ. In God’s Rehab tool belt there are many different tools used to reshape lives and make things useful again. This morning we are going to see how God used a tool to shape a life of a Gentile King before he was even born.
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