My Favorite Theologians

Matt Chandler

Mark Driscoll

John Piper

Francis Chan

R.C. Sproul

CJ Mahaney

Mark Dever

Tim Keller

Kevin Deyoung

Eric Mason

My Favorite Theologians

I made a Jing presentation about my favorite theologians and although the video didn't upload, I have a link to the video here:

http://screencast.com/t/VtHVoo2E9

Unconditional Election

Preface:

The verses below are just a few of the many verses on God's sovereign unconditional election of His totally depraved children. 

You may not agree with the truths in the scripture that you are about to read but please do yourself a favor and pray before you read. We need to develop a desire for truth and that involves even the difficult ones. Unconditional Election was definitely a topic that I did not want to believe in and God definitely worked in me all of the summer of 2010 to get me to see the beauty and truth behind the scripture your about to read. I hope you enjoy…… and quite possibly, learn something.

               

Exodus 33:19

     And He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."

Matthew 22:14

     For many are called, but few are chosen

John 6:37, 44, 65

37  All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

44  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

65   And He said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father."

John 8:47

     Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.

John 10:26-29

     But you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.

     My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.

     I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 

     My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

I Corinthians 1:26-30

     For Consider you calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were of noble birth.

     But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;

     God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 

     So that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

     And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

Ephesians 1:4-6     

     Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love

      He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will. 

      To the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 2:1-10      

       And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 

       in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

       among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 

       But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 

even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

       and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

       so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 

       For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 

       not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

       For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

I Thessalonians 1:4

     For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.

2 Thessalonians 2:13

     But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the spirit and belief in the truth.

     

Acts 13:48

     And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 

Acts 18:9-11

     And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 

     For I am with you and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people."

     And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Romans 9:14-16

     What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!

     For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 

     So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Romans 9:19-24

    You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?

    But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?

    Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" 

    Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 

    What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,

    In order to make known, the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory-

Romans 11:5-6

    So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

    But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer by grace. 

How Extensive is the Power of God?

              a) Amos 3:6

                         Does evil befall a city, unless the Lord has done it?

              b) Isaiah 45:6-7

                    ..... I am the LORD, and there is no other.

                    I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.

              c) Lamentations 3:37-38

                    Who was commanded and it came to pass, unless the LORD has ordained it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and evil come?

               d) Proverbs 16:9

                    A man's mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.

               e) Proverbs 16:33

                    The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

               f) Proverbs 19:21

                    Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

               g) Jeremiah 10:23

                    I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

               h) Isaiah 46:9-10

                    Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there no other; I am God, and there is none like me,

                    declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,

                i) Romans 11:33-36

        Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are  His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!

            For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?

          Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid?

             For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. 

Final Thoughts:

The whole point of unconditional election is that God chose us not because of any merit or right standing in His eyes but because He saw fit to. It's not that we are smarter than those that aren't saved but that God decided in his sovereign grace to grant us eternal life and a relationship with Him. After reading those verses, you should be thanking God for choosing you! There's no reason He should have (because we are totally depraved-see earlier post) but He did.

I will be posting more on this topic in the future but for right now this is what you get. 

I hope you will study this out more and more on your own time. 

Here are a few links that I thought were incredibly helpful to me.

Video:

John Piper: Unconditional Election

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/seminars/tulip-part-5

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/seminars/tulip-part-6

Mark Driscoll: Predestination

http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/religionsaves/predestination

Audio: 

CJ Mahaney: Who's Really at Work?

http://www.resolved.org/media/

Matt Chandler:

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/resource_files/audio/200301059999HWC21ASAAA_MattChandler_EphesiansPt01-Destiny.mp3

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/resource_files/audio/200303029999HWC21ASAAA_MattChandler_EphesiansPt04-MadeAliveInChrist.mp3

Interview with Dr. Meyer

Dr. Bruce Meyer is a professor of Biblical Studies and Counseling at Maranatha Baptist Bible College and Seminary. He has a BA and MA from Bob Jones University. He also has a MDiv and DMin from Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary. I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions for the blog and here they are. Hope you enjoy. 

What are the biggest counseling issue among Christians today?  
I'm not sure it is possible to pinpoint just one, but I know addictions are huge since our hearts are naturally idolatrous.  We can erect an idol very easily and quickly when we need something to provide us with meaning or comfort.

What effects does this problem have and will it have on individuals in the future? 
Spiritual enslavement leads to broken relationships and dysfunctional Christian living.  The end result is a selfishness that hinders our ability to know, love, and serve.

What is the biggest problem with the next generation of Christian leaders? 
I fear that the onslaught of information is going to be overwhelming.  It is hard to keep pace with the cultural issues when the culture is changing so rapidly.  The scriptures are always relevant, but I think it is getting harder to keep up in demonstrating the relevance of scriptures.

What is the solution to this problem?  
More education!  Seminary!  We need the skills to do our work efficiently and effectively at a more rapid pace.

What have you learned about the importance of the family structure and the effect it has/ or lack of it has on a child?
Children need structure and they especially need a biblical structure. Without a biblical structure, families can lose coherence and connectedness.

What are the top 3 counseling books you would recommend? 
MacArthur, Biblical Counseling; Tripp, Instruments in the Hands of the Redeemer; and Powlison, Seeing with New Eyes.

What are the top 3 most influential books in your life?
Welch, Addictions; Langberg, Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse; any of Jerry Bridges books.

Why did you choose to become a Biblical Counselor? 
It chose me.  I was teaching in a Christian school and became acutely aware of the level of problems our students were facing.  I began pursuing my D.Min. in counseling at that point not realizing that I'd be teaching counseling in a college/seminary.

What is your biggest worry for the fundamentalist movement/ church in the next 10 years?
That we allow traditions to overwhelm our theology.

What do you plan on doing 10 years from now?
I would like to be writing more by then.

What is one thing you would like to do before you die?
Jump out of an airplane (with a parachute of course).

What are important criteria to consider before you decide to get engaged or married to an individual? 
Are we going the same direction?  Do we share the same goals?  Can I help this person become more Christlike?  Can we glorify God more together than apart?

Who are your favorite theologians?  
I like Erickson

What is your favorite attribute of God? Why?  
Love; His love moved him to show grace to us even when we were still sinners.  His love paves the way for me to become holy.

Who is your favorite character in the Bible? Why?  
Paul. His tenacity amazes me.

What is your favorite sport?
Football

Who is your favorite sports athlete? 
Brian Urlacher

Do you have a favorite TV show?
Not really.

Who has been the most influential individual in your life outside your parents?
Several: Loran Boe (high school Bible teacher) because of his persistent faithfulness to God and His Word; my Bible Faculty colleagues--they inspire me every day personally and professionally.

If you could sit down with anyone in the world, who would it be?
Ed Welch

What is your favorite attribute about your wife?
That she said yes not knowing what I'd turn out to be.

How did you meet your wife?
In church.

If there is one thing most people don't know about you (and that you are willing to share with the public), what is it? 
I use doughnuts as a cover for my real love: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (dark chocolate are the very best).  

God at Work

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (ESV)

16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The more I learn about our depravity and God's abundant grace with His saints the more I realize just how miraculous the salvation of a sinner is. As Ephesians 2:1 says, we were DEAD in our trespasses and sins. The main function of a dead person is…… nothing. God graciously saves us and I think that is a truth that we need to reflect on on a constant basis. So, I was just surfing the wonderful world-wide-web and looking for salvation testimonies to share with you. I ended up finding some great videos on Harvest Bible Chapels Vimeo page. I hope you enjoy and reflect on how great God is.

God at Work in the Life of a Married Couple
God at Work in the Life of the Opposition of the Church
God at Work in the Life of an 80 Year Old Man

Why I Believe We Are All Totally Depraved (Resources)

In my previous post I gave you quite a bit of verses on Total Depravity but I don't want to act like I did all the work in searching for those verses or categorizing them. The many links I linked in this post were the reasons my previous post made sense. Although I truly believe that scripture should do all the talking, there are many resources that have helped me along in my understanding of Total Depravity and the subsequent salvation that God offers us through His Unconditional Election. However, I will first link all of the links on Total Depravity. I hope at least one of these links are helpful to you. 

John Piper on Total Depravity:

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/seminars/tulip-part-3

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/seminars/tulip-part-4

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/creation-fall-redemption-and-the-holy-spirit

The Village Church Position Paper on:

Total Depravity-->http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/resource_files/articles/Sovereignty/WhatIsTotalDepravity.pdf

Seminar on Total Depravity-->http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/sermons?kw=total+depravity&type=teachings&match=any

Mark Driscoll on Total Depravity:

http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/doctrine/fall-god-judge

The Sinner Neither Able Nor Willing: The Doctrine of Absolute Inability

By: John MacArthur

http://t4g.org/2010/04/the-sinner-neither-able-nor-willing-the-doctrine-of-absolute-inability-session-iii/

Books:

Desiring God by John Piper

Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe by Mark Driscoll

The Cross Centered Life by CJ Mahaney

A Post to Annoying People

I have been wanting to write something about this topic for a while now. However, time and time again, I came up with reasons to avoid it. Today is the day the discussion begins. I am probably going to get some hate because of this post but that is fine with me. 

Social media definitely plays a huge part in the lives of many individuals all across the world. However, like many other man-made creations, social media, can and in some cases, has become, an opportunity for some of us to feed our egos. John Calvin wrote that the human heart is an idol factory. 

A lot of us are of the belief that everyone cares about what we are doing. Some of us think people care so much that they actually want us to tweet or post a status update of every insignificant event in our lives. Truth be told, not many people care what time you go to bed, if you are feeling a little sick, or if you're out shopping. Most of the people that do care are just a text/ phone call away. The worst of all are those social media users that post profound yet unlived truths. 

Dustin Neeley wrote, " Pride creeps in through tweets and status updates. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with mentioning where we are having lunch or who we are with, we would be well served by checking our hearts before we do. Are we sharing this information to give people a helpful window into our lives as we seek to live out the gospel, or are we unwittingly (or even quite wittingly) enticing our friends toward coveting the life we are living? Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth tweets."

I think a solution to fixing this problem of tweeting and updating your status so often could be fixed if you just: 

1. Think before you post.

2. Think about taking a break from social media. 

3. Get a bigger view of God and a lesser view of yourself (get in the Word). 

Total Depravity

Before you start reading on, you need to have the mindset that scripture alone will do the leading. Every single view we have of God and Christianity must be tested with scripture. Don't make your thoughts supreme. If you "don't think God would" do something, that's all well and good but if it doesn't have scriptural backing then it doesn't matter what you think. It matters what the Bible says. Let the text be king and not our finite and faulty minds. 

I. Doctrine of SIN

Genesis 3---> Sin Enters the world

Romans 5---> Inherited Corruption and Guilt

Romans 5:12-21

v. 12- The inherent propensity to sin entered the world. People became sinners by nature. Adam passed to all of us innate sinful nature.  This is present from the day we are conceived (Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.----> And this doesn't make it impossible for man to live in a way that pleases God.)

Humans are not sinners because they sin, they sin because they are sinners.... We were sinners before we sinned. 

-The spread of sin affects every part of our body and our being. There is not a part of our life that is not affected by sin (Total Depravity).

          -Eyes and ears are insensitive and dull.

                    -Romans 11:8      

                         "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see 

                         and ears that would not hear, down to this very day."

                    -2 Corinthians 4:3-4

                         "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those 

                         who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has 

                         blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from 

                         seeing the lights of the gospel of Christ, who is the image of 

                         God."

          -Minds and hearts are darkened

                    -Romans 1:21

                         For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give 

                         thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish

                         hearts were darkened.

                    -Colossians 1:21

                         And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds.

                    -Ephesians 4:17-18

                         Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as 

                         the gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their 

                         understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance 

                         that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

           -Naturally Dead

                    -Ephesians 2:1-3

                         And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,           

                         following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the                

                         spirit that is now at work in the sons of obedience- among whom we all 

                         once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the 

                         body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of                

                         mankind.

II. We Will Not and Cannot Do Good

          -Romans 3:9-20

               Key verse: v.11- None is righteous, no, not one: No one understands; no one 

               seeks for God.  

          -Romans 8:5-8n

               For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the 

               flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of 

               things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind           

               on the Spirit of life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to           

               God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot. Those who are in the      

               flesh cannot please God. 

          -I John 12:31-40

               Key Verses: 35b-36

               The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you 

               have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.

               v. 40 He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their 

               eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.

III. Total Depravity

We are all sinners by nature and choice. And as a result, we don't have free will. We cannot choose God. We are totally depraved, not utterly depraved. We could do more evil more frequently with more intensity, but we don't thanks to the grace of God.

          -Romans 3:23

               All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

          -I John 1:8

               If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

  In his Total Rebellion everything man does is sin.   

          -Romans 14:23

               Whatever is not from faith is sin.

          -Hebrews 11:6

               And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must                       

               believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

          -Romans 7:18

               For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is 

               present in me, but the doing of the good is not.

Man's Inability to Submit to God and Do Good is Total

          -Romans 8:5-9

          -John 3:5-7

          -Romans 6: 17-18

          -Ephesians 2:1-5

          -Ephesians 4:17-18

          -John 6:44

               No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will 

               raise him up on the last day. 

          -I Corinthians 2:14

          -Jeremiah 17:9

               The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately (incurably) sick; who      

               can understand it?

Our Rebellion is Totally Deserving of Eternal Punishment

          -2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

               (God will) deal out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who 

               do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal 

               destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.

          -Matthew 25:46

               These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. 

Summary and Conclusion

Total depravity means that apart from any grace given by God, our hardness and rebellion against God is total, everything we do in this rebellion is sin, our inability to submit to God or reform ourselves is total, and we are therefore are totally deserving of eternal punishment. 

Obviously we don't like admitting we are this bad. However like I told you earlier that we should let scripture do the leading. If we think of ourselves as basically good or even less than totally at odds with God, our understanding of the work of God in redemption (salvation) will be defective. But if we humbly accept the fact that we are completely against God from our birth and the only reason that we are saved is because He chose us for His glory and not because there was something "good" or "worth saving" in us. If we accept this fact, we will be able to see and appreciate the glory and wonder of God in salvation.

An Introduction of Sorts

Well hello, World. I am Joel Joseph and I happen to be in a Introduction to Communications class, where I have to make a blog (this one) and see if people (you) would like to read it and tell other friends about it.

Jusing's stands for "Joel's musings". I figured it sounds catchy and it will grab the attention of those that love the Jews and hate them as well. However, when a person actually reads the posts on this blog he or she will see that this blog has nothing to do with Jews, but it does have a lot to do with the God of the Jews, His sovereignty. I will also be sharing my thoughts on life, pop culture, and other random things the come across my mind on a weekly basis. 

I am interested in a lot of things; however, one of the most interesting subjects for me to talk about is the doctrine of Grace. Also known as, the five points of points of Calvinism. Automatically, the word "Calvinism" brings a lot of negative thoughts into many Christian's minds. Many people have these thoughts because of the foolishness of some Calvinists. People from any theological stripe have their share of fools, giving their cause a bad name. Calvinists have hyper-Calvinists, the democratic party has Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, republicans have Sarah Palin,  and women have Rosie O'Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg, and many other females that patent their lives after them, which actually hurt the cause for women world-wide. 

Along with the topic of calvinism, I will be talking about things like Jersey Shore and how they make a great case for evolution. Forget the science, people can see that apes could be the forefathers of humans because of the way these fools act. Many other things will be discussed and hopefully this blog will continue far past the next 12 weeks (the rest of this semester). 

A Random Thought: So, I just saw an ad for Glee, the Fox hit show, and I started to wonder, what if in real life we broke out into song whenever it fit the situation. Aside from the fact that many of my favorite songs would be ruined for life, I think it would be quite a neat thing to see. I would probably choose an 80's classic ("Final Countdown", "Careless Whisper", "Take on Me"….all songs that have a lot to do with real life), seeing how that decade was the apex of music and all things fashion…. I kid.