Hello down there....: Little by little

Well walter and I have been working on an executive summary for the church and finally accomplished something. Our working draft is complete and we are waiting for a meeting with the elders of MBC. In other news I'm waiting to hear about my possible certification for NYS teaching. We'll see over the next few weeks if that's viable and worthwhile.

I'm back to training finally this week. I've changed my schedule around and hopefully will be fighting in a submission tournament this May. Some of our guys had their first fights in our team and I'm hoping to start with a new kickboxing coach next week.

Well i started this on the train last night coming from Lost and dinner with our LES friends the Brill's and am finishing it this morning. As you can see, Gus if very instrumental in my studying...

and somehow i don't know when, i blame my dad's genetics and college...especially Dr. Kebede's classes for massive notes, but at some point my handwriting deteriorated to poo...

I'll share briefly a tidbit of my reading this morning and it also serves as evidence why i like Keller. He's a logical and rational teacher and i appreciate that especially in terms of theological issues and faith b\c it's often written of to a super spiritual experience or spoken of in a elevated spiritual language most people can't relate to. This is not to devalue these things but to say they don't always fit the circumstances or styles of communication... so without further ado, Tim Keller on the theological vision of the church and the Gospel's power ladies and gentlemen...

The Third Way -

The gospel means "good news." It is the basic message that: "God made [Christ], who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5.21). The gospel says that we are so sinful, lost and helpless that only the life and death of the Son of God can save us. But it also says that those who trust in Christ's works instead of their own efforts are now "holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" (col. 1.22-23).

The gospel tells us that our root sin is not just failing in our obedience to God but relying on our obedience to save us. Therefore, the gospel is a "third way," neither religion nor irreligion. The religious person may say, "I am doing the right things that God commands" and the irreligious person may say, "I decide what is right and wrong for myself." But both ways reject Jesus Christ as Savior )though they may revere him as Example or Helper). Both ways are strategies of self-salvation - both actually keep control of their own lives. So the gospel keeps us from legalism and moralism on the one hand, and from hedonism and relativism on the other.

- Tim Keller, "Into to Redeemer" 1996-97 ed.

Now obviously there are a lot of assumptions going on here b\c this is an excerpt and not a full discussion. There is the assumption on one believing in sin and an after-life and God, etc. but the basic perspective of the gospel's value is great. Keller mentioned on Sunday that our religion is the only religion that calls for not the worshipper to sacrifice and strive to fulfill and please their deity for the possibility of salvation, but is one where the deity sacrifices itself out of love and justice and mercy for the worshipper and offers a certainty of salvation. Of course this introduces the struggle of the trinitarian concept for us to wrap our minds around, but that still doesn't change the fact of our religion.

Now out of myself my first counter argument against this perspective is that Christianity then is a religion for lazy cowards that are to scared to face themselves and overcome their own shortcomings. Of course there are lots of different points that could be addressed in response to this thinking, but my most simple and undeniable response is the truth of myself as a person. I find much more confidence and peace in the belief (and yes it is a belief as most things are whether we accept that or not) that there is nothing i can do to rectify my spiritual situation and that there is a loving, just God who practices what he desires us to practice rather than my salvation depending on myself. And yes i believe we as people are in need of salvation due to what i see and believe to be the total depravity of humanity. (and this is where we would discuss evil as to one reason i believe this to be true) B\c based on my life record i am lazy and selfish and not very driven to be good. So i'd be in lots of trouble if my salvation depended on me meeting and living up to a set of laws and status quo...

anyway enough philosophy for one morning....many things await....hugs to all.

Jonathan

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