Chrysostom compares the Scripture to a garden set with ornaments and flowers. A godly man delights to walk in this garden and sweetly solace himself. He loves every branch and part of the Word:
1. He loves the counselling part of the Word, as it is a directory and rule of life. The Word is the direction sign which points us to our duty. It contains in it things to be believed and practiced. A godly man loves the directions of the Word.
2. He loves the threatening part of the Word. The Scripture is like the Garden of Eden: as it has a tree of life in it, so it has a flaming sword at its gates. This is the threatening of the Word. It flashes fire in the face of every person who goes on obstinately in wickedness. “God will wound the head of His enemies, the hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.” (Psa. 68:21). The Word gives no indulgence to evil. It will not let a man halt half-way between God and sin. The true mother would not let the child be divided (I Kings 3:26), and God will not have the heart divided. The Word thunders out threats against the very appearance of evil. It is like that flying scroll full of curses (Zech. 5:1).
A godly man loves the menaces of the Word. He knows there is love in every threat. God would not have us perish; he therefore mercifully threatens us, so that he may scare us from sin. God’s threats are like the buoy, which shows the rocks in the sea and threatens death to such as come near. The threat is a curbing bit to check us, so that we may not run in full career to hell. There is mercy in every threat.
3. He loves the consolatory part of the Word - the promises. He goes feeding on these as Samson went on his way eating the honeycomb (Judges 14:8,9). The promises are all marrow and sweetness. They are reviving to us when we are fainting; they are the conduits of the water of life. “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.” (Psa. 94:19). The promises were David’s harp to drive away sad thoughts; they were the breast which gave him the milk of divine consolation.
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Thursday, August 9, 2012
Some Christian Views of War
A Christian View of War is a study guide written by Greg Bahnsen available in pdf form for free on the Covenant Media Foundation website (Note: I can only recommend Greg Bahnsen resources from that site; CMF is tainted with Federal Vision theology.) that any Christian can use with their Bible to assist them in studying a Biblical view of warfare and in considering and meditating on the important and timely topic of Christian Just War Theory.
This could be a profitable study to sharpen our thinking on this area. We could then use our minds sharpened by God's word and Spirit in spiritual warfare for Christ when discussing our nation's current or proposed military operations with the unsaved and especially with Christian brethren who have not thought through their war theory from a Biblical perspective.
An mp3 radio interview with Greg Bahnsen on just war:
http://www.sermonaudio.ca/bahnsen/Bahnsen_Iraq1990_WarJustifiedorNot.mp3
Other thought-provoking articles:
From Darash Press:
A Christian Perspective on Just War by William O. Einwechter
From American Vision:
Restoring Freedom in National Defense by Joel McDurmon
Discerning the Times...And the Wars (An Open Letter to a Friend) by Bojidar Marinov
Preventing the Warfare State: Biblical Laws for Kings by Joel McDurmon (Part 1) and
The Military and War in a Free Society by Joel McDurmon (Part II)
Finally:
Are They Coming to Draft Your Daughters? And Other Moral Issues which the Church Must Address by Doug Phillips (from visionforumministries.org)
Edited September 23, 2012, to add the following SermonAudio sermons:
Law of Nations I by Paul Jehle
Law of Nations II by Paul Jehle (If you only have time for one, listen to this one because Mr. Jehle briefly reviews the first lecture; you may need (as I did) to pause it to let your brain catch up with speaker speed! Jehle gives even better lectures on this same topic on Vision Forum's audio set, History of the World A.D., if you can get ahold of them.)
Just Warfare and the Sixth Commandment by Thomas Ray Floyd
Concepts of a Just War by John Weaver
And these Reformers on the Law of Nations:
On the Law of War and Peace by Hugo Grotius
The Rights of War and Peace, including The Law of Nature and Law of Nations (1901 ed.) [1625] by Hugo Grotius (available in several different formats, includ. for Kindle and iPad.)
Politica by Althusius
And these American documents regarding U.S. war policy:
The Constitution of the United States [1787] (specifically references the Reformational understanding of the "Law of Nations"
George Washington's Farewell Address [1796] (which the U.S. Senate supposedly re-reads annually)
Monroe Doctrine [1823; part of a speech by Monroe]
This could be a profitable study to sharpen our thinking on this area. We could then use our minds sharpened by God's word and Spirit in spiritual warfare for Christ when discussing our nation's current or proposed military operations with the unsaved and especially with Christian brethren who have not thought through their war theory from a Biblical perspective.
An mp3 radio interview with Greg Bahnsen on just war:
http://www.sermonaudio.ca/bahnsen/Bahnsen_Iraq1990_WarJustifiedorNot.mp3
Other thought-provoking articles:
From Darash Press:
A Christian Perspective on Just War by William O. Einwechter
From American Vision:
Restoring Freedom in National Defense by Joel McDurmon
Discerning the Times...And the Wars (An Open Letter to a Friend) by Bojidar Marinov
Preventing the Warfare State: Biblical Laws for Kings by Joel McDurmon (Part 1) and
The Military and War in a Free Society by Joel McDurmon (Part II)
Finally:
Are They Coming to Draft Your Daughters? And Other Moral Issues which the Church Must Address by Doug Phillips (from visionforumministries.org)
Edited September 23, 2012, to add the following SermonAudio sermons:
Law of Nations I by Paul Jehle
Law of Nations II by Paul Jehle (If you only have time for one, listen to this one because Mr. Jehle briefly reviews the first lecture; you may need (as I did) to pause it to let your brain catch up with speaker speed! Jehle gives even better lectures on this same topic on Vision Forum's audio set, History of the World A.D., if you can get ahold of them.)
Just Warfare and the Sixth Commandment by Thomas Ray Floyd
Concepts of a Just War by John Weaver
And these Reformers on the Law of Nations:
On the Law of War and Peace by Hugo Grotius
The Rights of War and Peace, including The Law of Nature and Law of Nations (1901 ed.) [1625] by Hugo Grotius (available in several different formats, includ. for Kindle and iPad.)
Politica by Althusius
And these American documents regarding U.S. war policy:
The Constitution of the United States [1787] (specifically references the Reformational understanding of the "Law of Nations"
George Washington's Farewell Address [1796] (which the U.S. Senate supposedly re-reads annually)
Monroe Doctrine [1823; part of a speech by Monroe]
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