On Being Self Reliant: Part 1

We Have Systematically Become Dependent Slaves.

To Rely _ re·ly -To be dependent for support, help, or supply.
Self Reliant _ self-re·liant adj. -Being able to rely on one's own capabilities, judgment, or resources; independence. -free from external control and constraint. 

I am not posting this to claim that I am now some sort of an autonomous humanist.

Psalm 18:34 -"He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze."
Luke 22:36, Jesus paraphrased: -"Take money, take a bag, and ...whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one."
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 -Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Timothy 5:8 -"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
1 Corinthians 6:3 -Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?"

Don't freeeak out you theologians! This is not a Bible study. I'm just pointing out that self reliance is not foreign to Scripture.

But, as is historically the course of the Church, whether Old Testament Church or New, upon growing apathy to God's standard, slavery always follows. Well we've been there, we're there, and we're going to stay there until the Church repents and wakes up to the Biblical principles of self reliance as sampled in the above verses. What follows following God's law, is self reliance and freedom. It's just that simple.

The problem is, the Church won't repent. Not yet. How can we, when we can't even admit to ourselves or to each other just how utterly and sinfully dependent we are to unregenerate men and their systems? Some may, well, except for the sin part. Because if they do see their own dependence and the Church's dependence to Satan's wicked systems, they still don't see their dependent allegiance, as sin and rebellion. They simply excuse this as the providence of God and think they are honoring God as they honor sinful men and systems claiming to be "submitting to authority". In so doing, they only demonstrate who their God really is. The only way to overcome this is to repent of idolatry and honor God by honoring his Law of self-governance. I'll be explaining this in my sub-sequent posts on this subject.

Presuppositionalism: A Short Definition

Presuppositional Apologetics

• Convictions about which all other experiences organize, interpret, and apply.
• Assumes all of our experiences, science, and morality, to be based on our world view.

Full Clip of the Above Audio

Imprecatory Prayer Time

Imprecatory prayers are those that contain petition to the Lord for curses or prayers for the punishment of the Lord's enemies. To imprecate means to invoke evil upon, or curse. Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137 and 139 all contain prayers for God's judgment on the psalmist's enemies. Example imprecatory statements from the Psalms. So it's about time we had a national imprecatory prayer proclamation.

Too bad nobody is going to hear about this... ie; most church's won't give this the time of day. (The proclamation is below) However, if Christians can't even hold state government accountable to God in this way, by prayer, then we will never get beyond our complaining until it is illegal to complain...and, it almost is. (Full-size video)

The video pretty much has nothing to do with the imprecatory prayer proclamation, except for the fact that the guy in the video is the one who recently wrote and published this proclamation. I found that out as I was trying to figure out who this guy is. Had I not done that, well then, I too never would have heard about this imprecatory prayer proclamation. For shame. We, as a Church, will get what we deserve from the hand of God.

The Proclamation

As Barak Obama takes office we are reprising an initiative we launched in 1994 with President Clinton. It is called an Imprecatory Prayer Proclamation. It was used extensively by the early church Fathers notably St. Augustine and later John Knox in the 16th Century.

Whereas: The providential history of mankind is covenantal in nature, comprised of Divine blessings for obedience to the Law-Word of God, and negative sanctions for transgression of the same, and under consideration of the historic precedent of public covenantal proclamations regarding the unlawful actions of civil magistrates established by John Knox in 16th century Scotland, the combined members and associates of SGI have during the month of January 2009, conducted concerted and public prayer for the President of the United States, Barak Obama, along covenantal lines, having the Davidic imprecatory Psalms as our form and pattern.

This proclamation serves as a synopsis of our activity.

Resolved: To the end that the President of the United States, Barak Obama, fulfills his duties as the covenantal head of this nation along Biblical lines; we as Christ’s ambassadors pray and proclaim blessing. That is, if the President executes his duties in a fashion that would not be tyranny to good works and would uphold the abiding validity of God’s moral law as delineated in the Ten Commandments along with the justice-mercy ethic derived from the New Testament, we do declare that blessing, honor, and good success would be upon him, his associates and policies.

Resolved: In that the President of the United States Barak Obama has thus far sought the codification of behavior condemned in the infallible Law-Word of God, specifically homosexual “marriage” and tax-funded state-sanctioned murder in the form of abortion, we as Christ’s ambassadors proclaim negative sanctions. That is: if the President continues to hold in disdain the Law-Word of God by ratifying evil and by such ratification holds our lives as citizens of the republic in bondage to the same idolatry, we as Christ’s ambassadors do pray that Barak Obama would now repent and cease from his cruel persecution of innocent pre-born babies and his tyrannical oppression of God’s people who would not be part of his pro-homosexual agenda. If the President ceases not from his malicious cruelty, we then earnestly pray that his days in office would be few and another man take his office, and that the name of Barak Obama would remain a reproach to all succeeding generations of Americans.

Natural Law is NOT Our Standard

The Standard of Natural Law. . . a MYTH -From "Ethics 14"
Running time: 53:00
Paul Michael Raymond; 09/07/2008
Download MP3

I have more recently posted a "positive" sequel to this lecture right here.

Happy Birthday Kathy!

I've been listening to those lectures I posted on the right sidebar on this page from Paul Michael Raymond. That playlist automatically loads his most current sermons newest to oldest and I just got through listening to "Ethics 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14" on that playlist, which are on the bottom of that list.

I have been trying to get a better grasp on this debate in the Church where some find Natural Law a satisfactory standard with which to formulate our political, social, cultural, and even personal ethics. This natural law idea, or theory, seems to be held by the majority of modern Reformed thinkers from what I can tell, because I hear it coming from many prominent scholars at Westminster, as well as many pastors of whom I otherwise would have tremendous respect.

I have always felt very queasy about using this term "Natural Law" to formulate Christian thought about anything, but I couldn't put my finger on it. So, I am very pleased to be listening to these current lectures from Paul Michael Raymond, because he is saying what I believe to be closer to the truth behind, or the myth of, the Natural Law ethical standard. I am now more convinced than ever that Christians who use this standard and teach this as a proper Christian standard, are breeding destruction and confusion ...big time. They are simply wrong, and they are literally destroying the fabric of society, families, and the Church, by their promotion of this, what I can now call, heresy.

I pulled "Ethics 14" from the audio list on the right and posted it here because so far, it is the best one on that list regarding Natural Law theory and shows how UN-Christian it is to be using this as a standard for anything. I haven't listened to them all yet, but it's the best one so far.

By the way, the natural law theorists from Westmister are, in frustration, refered to as the "natural law in spite of Van Til's philosophy camp". Most Reformed theologians adhere to the philosophy of Cornelius Van Til, but when it comes to answering the complex ethical questions of our day, these theologians will abandon Van Til, and the word of God, in favor of a more comfortable and less offensive position, better known as Natural Law. And I thought relativism was only a symptom of unregenerate thought perpetuated in secular universities and secular culture. Wow, was I wrong.

Pondering the Simple...in Bullet Form

1. All human governments make laws that strictly benefit the government regardless of any consequences to its citizens.



2. A Christian theocratic government uses God's law that benefit both the government and all it's citizens, believer and unbeliever alike.



3. A human government will grow in depravity and its opposition to the Church and the Gospel, guaranteeing more suffering for their citizens and less and less exposure of those citizens to the Gospel.



4. A Christian theocratic government will benefit the Church with freedom to spread the Gospel, and will benefit the unbeliever with the freedom of conscience needed to contemplate that Gospel.



5. A neutral government, is like a neutral individual; he will only remain neutral just long enough to be persuaded by somebody to either do the right thing or the wrong thing, but, he IS going to do SOMETHING, eventually.



6. A society based on a neutral government is like anarchy; it would only last a few hours, days, or years. The strongest and the loudest will eventually subdue the rest and henceforth make all the laws and call all the shots.



7. As Christians, we have no such choice as being neutral. We are either Christians or we are not. We have chosen the side that is opposed to the world. We must chose that side in every area of our lives; even if it's in our choice of earthly government. We should desire and work for a government that is also opposed to the world and in favor of God.



8. A Christian's "work" in the culture of this world, cannot remain neutral, nor can the work of the Church. We will either work for a Christian government, or for an anti-christ government; for a Christian culture, or for an anti-christ culture. Do you want to work for the anti-christ?