Pyromaniacs has a posting on unbelief as a sin. As I read it today, I got to wondering if some may get the wrong impression of this blog’s title, “Help My Unbelief”.

The title comes from Mark 9:24, here is the entire passage from 9:14-24:

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

This statement is common in the life of every believer. We all believe, but yet unbelief still remains. Not unbelief in who Christ is because this is impossible for the Christian, but rather, unbelief in all satisfaction being found in God. Imagine what our lives would be like if we were completely satisfied in Him? Would we doubt? Would we worry? Would we sin? How would we treat others? What would our attitude be during struggles? What would our work look like? Where would we spend our time? Where would we spend our money?

Unbelief is not something to be taken lightly, as if it weren’t sin. So, this blog exists to help with our unbelief. This includes my own unbelief. I want every aspect of my life and my family’s life to be so saturated in a passion for God that unbelief falls away and is replaced with child-like trust in God and His goodness. All that we need is found in God. And our access to Him is made possible only by the work Christ has done for us on that glorious day when he bore the punishment we deserved.

Reuters is reporting on comments made by the Vatican in response to a lot of criticism they are receiving for their perceived methods of evangelism. Some groups have gone so far as to call it:

proselytism, or seeking new members aggressively or through coercion

Rome defended its methods of evangelism and even called it:

an inalienable right and duty, an expression of religious liberty …

Is this true? Without getting into a discussion on Roman Catholic theology, can we correctly say this about evangelism, that it is a God-given right which cannot be taken away by man? Is there any such thing as a God-given right that cannot be taken away?

My thought would be no, evangelism is not something that cannot be taken away from us, because it was never promised to us. What has been promised to us?

Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Matthew 10:16-23

For the true Christian, that is our promise. That when we go to these places where God’s established government will not allow us to preach the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) that we will be persecuted for His Name’s sake.

So, there are such things as inalienable rights. To the Christian, they are called the promises of God:

I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Hebrews 13:5

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
Romans 8:1

that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ
Philippians 1:6

The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
Revelation 3:5

These are just a few of God’s promises to us, thank God for His Word that we can rely on to be true. These promises are meant for us to rest upon, to give us hope during the difficult and the easy times in our lives. These are the only things we can rely on, those things promised by God. Anything else is fleeting and will not last.

Now it’s your turn, what other promises does the Christian have? What promises does the non-Christian have?

The article also says the Roman Catholic church is working on a missionary “code of conduct”. I think I would like to write more about this tomorrow (what the Scriptures say about a code of conduct for missionaries) unless someone cares to pick up on it on their own blog?

Reformation Theology has a lengthy post titled “Knowing Our God”. I confess I haven’t read through the entire article yet given its length but what I have read through is fantastic.

While we’re on the subject of knowing God, I can’t recommend Packer’s book Knowing God enough.

Just a quick note; typically when I find long postings like these, I will save them away for my own research. A lot of work was put into studying the Scriptures and pulling out a lot of references and we can benefit from this work considerably.

Throughout the Book of Job, we come across passages that show one level of Job’s pain. Chapter 23:3-7 says this:

3 “Oh that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!
4″I would present my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.
5 “I would learn the words which He would answer,
And perceive what He would say to me.
6 “Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.
7 “There the upright would reason with Him;
And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

Job just wanted his day in court with God. He thought that if he could just sit God down for a few minutes and talk to him as a neighbor (Job 16:21) then he could plead his case and God would see his side and he would be vindicated. This is a common thought to us all. “God would understand if He would just listen to me“. We tend to think that God is absent or is somehow missing a piece of information that if He had He certainly wouldn’t have let things get to the point they’re at. Or maybe we feel if we could just hear from God this one time, then all would make sense and be well.

Job missed out on something, and God taught him in chapters 38-41. God IS holy. God is not like us even though we are made in His image. God will not be spoken to as a neighbor, He will be revered. The holiness of God is an awesome thing and not something to be taken lightly.

Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
Indeed it is Your due!
For among all the wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
Jeremiah 10:7

Job learned (42:2-3) that God knows all things, sees all things, and purposes all things. He learned that God hides things from man that He does not wish for us to know. He learned that God never has to explain His actions because He is God and there is none like Him. Job did not receive an answer to his question of why his troubles befell him but you can bet that he loved God more after seeing His holiness than he would have had he received his precious answer.

Reformation Theology has posted some excepts from J.I. Packer and O. R. Johnston’s introduction to Luther’s Bondage of the Will. The post is very brief considering the breadth of the topic discussed but I would encourage those who haven’t thought about these foundational truths to read through it and spend some time considering them. Also have a look at Edwards’ Freedom of the Will. I would have to say that Luther’s work, which Luther himself said was his greatest, is one of my “top ten” readings.

You can also find Luther’s work here and Edwards’ work here although these are the types of volumes that you want to pick up for yourself and have as a reference. But have a look through the other offerings from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Fred Sanders has an interesting post on Isaiah 63:17:

Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways
And harden our heart from fearing You?
Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

In it, he references the perspectives of two commentators, one Calvinistic and one Wesleyan. The conclusions they draw are fairly similar in that neither one would say the author is passing the blame for their sins to God, making Him the author of their sins and making Him responsible for them.

Although not stated in the same way, we can see a similar situation in Exodus 4 when God says He will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will not let the Israelites leave Egypt. The difference here being Pharaoh did not believe in God and the person speaking in Isaiah 63 is an Israelite.

So, what can we glean from this passage in Isaiah? Obviously it is a great passage on the sovereignty of God and it reminds us that God is at work in all things for His name’s sake. But we can also find what the Israelites did when they were trapped in their sins; they focused on who God is. Look at verses 15-16 in that same chapter in Isaiah. The people revered God, they recalled His workings from of old and recognized Him as their redeemer. This is a great lesson for us when we are struggling with indwelling sin. Focus on the redeemer and not the redeemed.

Reformation Theology has a great post comparing Moses and Jesus and their journeys here on earth as aliens in a foreign land. Have a look and be asking yourself the questions, “where is my home and how do I know I’m focused on Him who reigns there?”

Russell Moore is going through a series on the temptation of Jesus and what it means to us. Audio is posted here.