Sunday, July 12, 2009

Biblical Christianity: "Marriage is not really about happiness"

Biblical Christianity: "Marriage is not really about happiness"

This is a really excellent article, and one which I think a lot of people will find encouraging. It's linked from Dan Phillips over at Biblical Christianity, also one of the Pyromaniacs bloggers. As you read it remember that Dan is not merely saying that we should AVOID divorce. The Covanent of marriage should compel you to acts of love.
Love your stuff, Bro. Dan!

Amen

Two New Covenants? Dispensational Distortion

Dispensationalism is known for it's Israel/Chruch dichotomy. Israel and the Church are distinct entities, and never the twain shall meet. While one enjoys an earthly destiny, and the other a heavenly one, such extreme compartmentalization has been modified a little in the '50s and onward among Dispensational adherents.

However, Jeremiah's New Covenant promise has come to be applied to Israel exclusively, so that what the Church now enjoys is not that New covenant but "a" new covenant based on different promises to the Body of Christ alone. While more modern Dispensationalists eschewed the old hyper divisions between Israel and the church, this two covenant theory is basically consistent hyper dispensationalism.

The proper view is that Jesus did introduce and activate Jeremiah's New Covenant with Israel in inaugural form. The first people to enjoy this Covenant's blessings were entirely Jewish people. Christ, the Testator of the New Covenant, by his death, inaugurated a change in the priesthood, rendered the Old Covenant economy obsolete, and began a new dispensation in the outworking of God's plan of redemption. Hebrews 8:13 " In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete". This is after quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34.

This New Covenant is presently being mediated by Christ to both Jewish and Gentile believers in the Church. It will come to fullness in the Millenium when all Israel knows the LORD, and is regenerated with the law internalized by grace.

Worldly "Righteousness"

A good insight came to me during the Pastor's sermon. We were in Philippians 3:9 " not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ..". The point was made that people are looking for righteousness. They have a kind of righteousness, like in Hollywood movies where there are often righteous themes. These themes can be about justice, love, enduring family values, "the triumph of the human spirit", etc, but it's NOT God's righteousness, so it's an abomination before God.

The world doesn't know God's righteousness. Yet it's pursuit of righteous themes, demonstrates the image of God in all, and the natural moral law prewritten on the human soul. Even in their denial of God's righteousness, they in fact show it's existence. In fact, world rebellion against God is actually a form of worldly righteousness, in that, the world revels in it's hatred of the Biblical LORD, as though it was actually a tolerant, equitable, enlightened attitude. Yet it's full of darkness. After all, the world's righteousness is SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS. And that leads to what Paul called RUBBISH ( Philippians 3:8)