On The World Of Man, The Kingdom Of God And Value Theory

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

- Matthew 16:26

On Worship And Theology Of The Cross

May the words of Christ be on hearts and on our lips. Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his 1life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24f).

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee

E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me

Still all my song would be nearer, my God, to thee

- Sarah F. Adams (1805-1848)

On Ontology and Action Theory

The point of Matthew 7:15-20 is that believers know the difference between a false prophet, who are ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing (difficult to tell on a superficial level), by their fruit. This of course implies that false prophets and Christians are different. More specifically, this text argues that different plant produce different fruits. And, going deeper, this text has interesting implications that bring to light the differences between those of God and those not of God.

What exactly can be inferred? Answer: ontology and action theory. Otherwise known as being and ability, Scripture is rather clear concerning the reality that there are (at least) two different plants (vs. 16) and that each plant can only produce fruit in correspondence to its species (vvs. 17-19). Namely, the plant type determines the fruit, the nature determines ability, and ontology determines action. The point that Christians can differentiate between wolves and sheep (Christians and false prophets) seem to hinge on this reality. Conclusively, it's the only way the text makes sense.

15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits.

- Matthew 7:15-20 (NASB)

Before I end, a word of application: what fruit do you produce (action/ability)? What kind of plant does that make you (ontology/being)? May the Holy Spirit convict your soul, and may God draw you to Himself. He who has ears, let him hear.

On Words, Hell, and Morons

21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

- Matthew 5:21f (NASB)

Jesus' teachings from the Sermon on the Mount are already convicting. After reading it in the Greek I was all the more convicted. Here is what struck me the most. In vs. 22 fiery hell is literally... fiery hell (hies ten geennen tou puros) and fool is the word moros (the word where moron comes from). The summary is, words are not simply noises. With intention and meaning there is eternal ramification. Even with something as mundane and simple as words my soul must submit to Christ. It's something simple but it's a good reminder: indeed, I am great sinner. And thankfully I have a great Savior who appeased the wrath of God, nullified the curse of death, and died in my place for my sins. Indeed, I am justified by faith in Christ alone.