I'VE MOVED

Thank you for taking time to look at my blog!

I want to let you know that my blog has moved to a new location! You can now find my new posts at: The Zach Hayes Blog.

I hope you enjoy the new site!

Zach

Genesis 1-11 Essay

In the book of Genesis, chapters one through eleven, lies a great deal of content. Genesis opens with the creation account, when God created all things ‘ex nihilo’ (out of nothing). Genesis also tells stories of people, places, and events that range over an incredibly long period of time. However, Genesis is not just a history textbook, to be read for scholastic purposes only; rather, Genesis is part of the living Word of God, and offers insight into the character of God, the doctrines of man, as well as man and his relation to God. In addition to that, Genesis offers teachings on the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and civilization.

In the book of Genesis one finds that a lot can be learned about the natural world and man in his fallen state. Before the fall, Adam and Eve had no sin nature, and were not enslaved to sin the way humans are today. R.C. Sproul writes in the Reformation Study Bible, “God made the first man (Adam) representative for all his posterity… This divinely chosen arrangement, whereby Adam determined the destiny of his descendants, has been called the ‘covenant of works.’” When Adam sinned and did the one thing God commanded him not to, he was bonded to and enslaved to sin, and passed that sin nature on to his descendants. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5). The natural state or nature of man is ultimately an evil one (Romans 3) that desires sin over the things of God. Another thing that can be gathered about the nature of man from Genesis is that we are deceived by sin. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate…” (Genesis 3:6a). This verse says displays the human desire for what is not of God but what seems good to us at the time. Eve desired to eat the fruit and falsely saw that it was good, thus proving the desires of the human heart are evil. I think what is even more horrible is the next part of the verse, “…and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6b). According to this passage, Adam was with Eve, his wife, the entire time she was being tempted and did nothing. It also never says Adam was deceived like Eve, he knew what he was doing was wrong, yet did it anyway. This shows the deliberation of fallen man to sin. Thus, one can conclude that natural state of man is one in conflict with God and against the things of God.

Genesis also gives understanding of human identity. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” God created us in His own image and likeness. What does that mean? Essentially that means that we are able to reflect a mere microcosm of God’s character. The unique dignity and ability that God did not give to any other creatures He made, is the human ability to reproduce, on a creaturely level, the ways of God. Human identity began in God’s image and every person still bears the image of God. That is why the Christian worldview teaches the sanctity of human life, both born and unborn. Not only is man’s image in God, but also in Adam. Originally, because of man’s sinful nature, man’s identity is in Adam, humankind’s first father. But for those who trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and have been born again and imputed with the righteousness of Christ, their identity is now in Christ (Romans 5:12-21).

One can also gain a great deal from Genesis about human relationships. First, it is made clear that relationships are vital to life itself, as it says in Genesis 2:18, “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”” This verse also communicates the value of a marriage relationship. God created man and woman to be separate persons that come together and form one flesh (Genesis 2:24), and in a small sense reflecting the intricate relationship that the Trinity shares. This mystery is profound but beautiful. In Genesis 2:24, it says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” This verse makes it clear, that marriage is between one man and one woman. Also, the institution of marriage was created and defined by God. God alone is definer of marriage and we, the people, have neither the right nor the ability, to change the definition of marriage. God created humanity and human relationships and is sovereign over them.

The Scriptures in Genesis even teach us about civilization. “Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4).” What we learn from this verse is that civilization is selfish. Certainly, society is capable of doing amazing things in the eyes of man, but according to God’s standards, due to the sinful nature of mankind, civilization is man-centered and not God-centered.

In the first eleven chapters of Genesis, we begin to see how much these truths affect our worldview. Based on the knowledge of man’s sinful nature, I believe that man is totally and utterly depraved and is in full need of Jesus’ righteousness to ever be found pleasing in the eyes of God. Based on the knowledge of man being created in the image of God, I believe in the sanctity of human life, and am against abortion entirely. Based on the truth of human relationships found in Genesis, I believe marriage is vital to human life and that marriage is between a man and a woman. Finally, due to the teaching of civilization in Genesis, I believe that all people are created equal in the eyes of God, but also that society and civilization are fallen, and utterly depraved.

Therefore, Genesis is not just a history textbook that is meant to be read for scholastic purposes only, but offers teachings on the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and civilization; and is part of the living Word of God, and capable of shaping and affecting one’s worldview.

Reformation Day: A Tribute to Martin Luther

Happy Reformation Day! Exactly 496 years ago today, Martin Luther boldly nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the chapel door in Wittenberg Germany, outwardly condemning both the selling of indulgences and the Catholic Church as a whole. Little did he know that this would spark, arguably, the most influential event in church history since the Apostolic Age and forever change the church of the future.

As a tribute to Luther's legacy and in honor of this special day, here is a brief history of the events surrounding Martin Luther's involvement in the Protestant Reformation.

In the 16th Century, a law student by the name of Martin Luther experienced a close encounter with death, being nearly struck by lightning. After this near death experience, Luther, in an effort to repay God for sparing his life, left law school and became a monk.

For years,  Luther dedicated himself to monasticism. He spent long hours in prayer and confession, but still felt far from God. It wasn't until he was pointed away from continual focus on his sin, but on the imputed righteousness of Christ. Luther began to feel less guilt for his sin, and recognized that man is saved by faith alone.

In 1512, Luther left the monastery and went to teach theology at the University of Wittenberg, where his old friend Johann von Staupitz was the dean. It was here that Luther started to question a lot of what the Catholic church taught about salvation.

By October 31st, 1517, Luther had finally had enough. In an act of spite, he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg Germany. In this document, Luther criticized the current practices of the church at that time, most significantly the selling of indulgences.

Luther had written his theses in Latin, desiring more of an intellectual discussion with others in academia, but in January of 1518, some of Luther's friends translated his Theses from Latin into German and printed mass copies of the document, then sent it out. Within only a few weeks, Luther's Theses had spread all throughout Germany. After only two months, Luther's Ninety-Five Theses had spread throughout all of Europe.

Eventually, word spread to the Pope about what Luther had written, and on June 15th, 1520 he warned Luther of excommunication with the papal bull. Luther, in response, publicly burned the papal bull in defiance of the Pope.

In the year 1521, Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms, an assembly that was conducted over a period of time for approximately four months.

On April 18th, 1517, when asked to recant his writings, Martin Luther gave this quiet but famous response:

"Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason, for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they often err and contradict themselves, I am bound to the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand. May God help me. Amen."

Luther had refused to recant. Over the next five days, a series of meetings was held to determine Luther's fate. On May 25th, the Emperor declared Luther an outlaw and demanded his arrest and punishment as a heretic of the church.

Even that couldn't stop Luther. By the help of his friend Frederick III, he fled Wittenberg and went on to continue to write and even translate the Bible into German so that everyone, from the clergy all the way to the common man, could read the Bible.

Martin Luther was a remarkable man, used by God to restore Biblical truth to the church. If not for Luther, the church as we know it today would be very different. Let us celebrate this day and remember just how important the Protestant Reformation was then and still is today! 

Is Jesus (Really) Calling?

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/october/sarah-young-still-hears-jesus-calling.html?paging=off


This is a very interesting article. Despite the fact that Sarah Young is a Reformed Presbyterian, and we agree (for the most part) theologically, some questions have definitely been raised in my mind regarding her bestselling devotional, Jesus Calling.

Some of Young's claims have come off very mystical and and alarming to me. I am not ready to make a claim for or against Young's devotional, but I am definitely more critical of it now than I was before.

I realize I might be offending some people who have found Jesus Calling to be helpful and a great inspiration. Please know, that is not my intention. I simply want others to look into this for themselves and not to have a blind leap of faith in Sarah Young's Jesus Calling.


What others have said (both for and against) about Jesus Calling:

"Her writing is based on what she has read in Scripture and through prayer. If you really get into Scripture and let it speak to you and come with a willing spirit, the Spirit will speak to your heart." - Laura Minchew, Senior Vice President of Specialty Publishing at Thomas Nelson

"...she puts her thoughts into the first person and then presents that 'person' as the resurrected Lord. Frankly, I find this to be outrageous. I'm sure she is a very devout, pious woman, but I'm tempted to call this blasphemy." - David Crump, Professor of Religion at Calvin College

"It seems that what she's doing is illumination, [giving] insight into the meaning of Scripture and its application to you. She's unfolding Scripture's meaning by the way that she's rephrasing and explaining and elaborating on the existing content. A paraphrase is a perfectly valid form of scriptural interpretation. More important, it's one that fits well with Young's Reformed theology." - Michael Farley, Adjunct Professor of Practical Theology at Covenant Theological Seminary

"Christians should be concerned about the book on two different levels, in terms of both the method Young uses and the content of her book." - Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California

What is Worldview?

What is a worldview?
A worldview is an overarching belief system that serves as a standard for what is right and wrong, and includes every area of study such as theology, politics, ethics, morality, philosophy, science, economics, and so on. It also guides our decision-making and acts as a comb through which we filter all that we say and do, as well as believe.

What is my worldview?
My worldview is first and foremost a Christian worldview, one that begins with the fact that there is a God, He is personal, and His character is revealed in the Holy Scriptures. I believe in absolutes or absolute truth. In all areas, Scripture serves as the standard of my worldview as well as faith and reason. I believe both elements come together to form the basis for all that is true. As Martin Luther put it, “Unless I am convinced by Scripture or by plain reason… I can and will not recant.” My worldview is one that is held “captive to the Word of God” (to quote Luther again) and that essentially, all truth is God’s truth and Jesus Christ is the ultimate truth.

Why is “worldview” important?
Worldview is important because it, in many regards, makes us who we are. What we believe ultimately affects what we do, so it is crucial that we know what we believe and that what we believe is true! Its been said before and I’ll say it again, “if you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.” That statement sums up, in my opinion, why it is so important to know what you believe and to stand for it. We do not want to be a generation with feet “firmly planted in midair” as Francis Schaeffer so eloquently put it, but we want to be a generation that stands firm on the bedrock of truth, found in God’s Word, and we can only do that if we know what we believe. That is why, I believe, worldview is so incredibly important.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of God

Let me preface with this, because I do not want anyone reading this to have any incorrect misconceptions. I love my country, and am proud to be an American. In no way do I want any of you reading this to think for one second that I am criticizing America, I simply want to challenge the philosophy of modern Evangelical Christianity in America. That being said, I will now begin.

We as a country have gravely confused our relationship with our Heavenly Father, and our view of government.  Because we feel so strongly about our libertarian freedom from governmental tyranny, we have developed a sense of entitlement from God because of this volitional autonomy in respect to our governing authorities.

All of this comes back to the three rights we possess that our government has no right to infringe upon. These three rights are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. This is true in America. The three inalienable rights we possess as Americans are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But what is theologically wrong with this statement? The problem is that God doesn't promise any of these, at least not in the same way our country has come to. News flash: there are more Christians (and non-Christians) in the world living without these rights than there are living with these rights. We as Americans own these rights proudly (as we should, we fought for them), but as humans, none of us are entitled to them by God.

From a Biblical perspective, God owes none of these freedoms to human kind. Biblically, we as humans are not alive, rather we are spiritually dead; nor are we free, rather we are enslaved; and finally we are not entitled to the pursuit of genuine happiness, rather we are creatures of wrath and will only ever pursue our own selfishness, ultimately resulting in wrath. The inalienable rights of humanity are actually: Death, Enslavement, and the Pursuit of Wrath.

 All of this is due to our sin. This is our punishment by a Holy and Just God. And there is no way around this. It is not as if we are sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners. We at no point can actually choose not to sin, thus claiming these rights. This is because sin is not something we do, but something we love. Apart from God, we can do nothing but sin. We are utterly consumed by and enslaved to sin (Romans 3:23).

However, God did not leave us in our state of total and utter depravation. He has actually provided a means in which we can receive these "inalienable" rights, and that is through Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior.

At the Cross of Christ, there is life, there is liberty, and there is the pursuit of genuine happiness in God our Father. The Cross of Christ takes the dead, the enslaved, and the wrathful, and transforms them into the living, the free, and the hopeful. The Bible is clear that belief in Jesus Christ, results in life (Ephesians 2:4-5), liberty (Galatians 5:1), and the pursuit of God (I Timothy 6:11). All of this is done by the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, humanity, because of sin, has rightfully earned death, enslavement, and wrath. But God being rich in His mercy, decided to send Jesus Christ, and only through Christ can we obtain life, liberty, and the pursuit of true happiness, which is found in God our Father.

Who's Image is on You?

Jesus said, "render to Caesar that which is Caesar's and render to God that which is God's." (Matthew 22:21). He said this because someone asked him if he should have to pay taxes, and Jesus responded the way He did after He pointed out that Caesar's image was on the coin.

Did you ever think about the fact that God's image is on you? So when Jesus says "... render to God that which is God's," that means you.

We owe God everything.