Commands of Jesus – Love God, part b

 

John 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments. I have been writing about the instruction from our Lord and Savior that is in John 14:15, that if we love Him, we will follow His Commands. As the elect are sinners saved by God's Grace, this instruction is meant for those who humbly understand their sinful nature and see their need of a Savior. In my October 15^th post, I listed the verses showing the first half of Jesus' Commands as they deal with our relationship with God. In this post I will provide the second half of these Commands. God willing, I will provide the list of Jesus' Commands involving ourselves and our relationship with others sometime next week.

 

How do we best show our love and thankfulness to Jesus? He has made this part easy – follow His Commands (now following all of these Commands is the challenge and joy of a Christians' life.) I have assembled these 'red-letter' Commands of Jesus into two main groups – those Commands that deal with our relationship with God, and second, those Commands that deal with ourselves or others. In this Summary I am only showing the Commands in the last three (3) of the six (6) different groups of ways we are to show our love to God. For the verses dealing with the first three (3) groups, see my October 15^th post. Here is a listing of all six (6) groups of verses involving Commands for the elect and our relationship with God:

 

1. Abide in Christ;
   
2. Pray/Fast/Tithe/Baptism;
   
3. Believe in God;
   
4. Give Special Attention To/Discern
   
5. God's Importance to a Believer/Fear and Respect God/Honor God
   
6. Godly Works/Produce Fruit.
   

 

And here are the second-half of these Commands:

1. Give Special Attention To/Discern;
   

Hearing, Mt 11:15. 13:9, 43, 17:5. (after Jesus gives teaching, He says he who has ears should listen.)

Heed/Listen, Mt 6:1. 24:4. Mk +*4:24 (And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.). Lk +*8:18(Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.). +*11:35 (Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.). 17:3. 21:8.

Heed to instruction, Mk +*4:24. Lk +*8:18. See Heed /Listen verses.

Heed to the truth, Mt 11:15. Mk 4:9. Re 2:7.

Listen to God's Word, Lk 10:39, 42. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. ^…
42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

Remember, Lk 17:32 (Remember Lot's wife.). 22:19 (And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."). Jn 15:20 (Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master…')

Scripture to be searched and known, Mk 12:24 (Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?). Jn +*5:39. (You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.)

Understand prophecy, Mt 24:15. So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)…

Understand Scripture, Lk 24:45. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

 

1. God's Importance to a Believer/Fear and Respect God/Honor God;
   

Discipleship, Mt 19:21 Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. Mk 10:21; Lk 18:22.

Fear God, Mt 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell; . Lk 12:4, 5.

Fidelity to God, Mt 22:21. Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." ²² When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Following Christ, Mt 4:19 (And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."). 8:22 (And Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."). 9:9 (As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.). 16:24 (Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.).

Forsake all for Christ, Lk 14:33 (So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.).

Hallow God's name, Mt 6:9 (Lord's Prayer).

Love Christ supremely, Mt 10:37. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Love for God, Mt 22:37 (And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment.). Mk 12:30. Lk 10:27.

Holiness, Mt 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Honor the Son, Jn 5:23. that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Obedience, Mt 7:21 (Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.). Lk 6:46 (Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?). Jn 13:15, 17 (For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you… ¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.)

Perfection, Mt 5:48. You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Renounce all for Christ, Lk 14:33 (So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.). 18:29, 30 (And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰ who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.").

Righteousness, Mt 5:6, 20. Lk 13:24.

Surrender All, Mt 8:22 (And Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."). 16:24 (Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.). Mk 10:21 (And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.").

Seeking the kingdom of God, Mt 6:33 (But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.). Lk 12:31 (Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.).

Serve God, Mt 4:10 (Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, (Deut 6:13)" 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'").

Worship God, Mt 4:10 (then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, " 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.' "). Jn 4:24 (God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."); See, Lk 4:8.

 

1. Godly Works / Produce Fruit;
   

Altruistic service, Mt 20:26. Mk 9:35. 10:42-45. Lk 22:26. Jn 13:14.

Harmless as doves, to be, Mt 10:16. Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Invest wisely (use gifts to produce fruit), Mt 25:27. Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest (Give more to God than just your own faith?)

 

Conclusion: The verses listed in Group #5 (God's Importance) above are the most convicting to me. These verses command that believers are to be 'holy', 'righteous', 'perfect', and that I am to surrender, renounce and forsake all for Christ. He is worth it. But why don't I have the heart to desire all of this? I trust that God is working in me to will and to act according to His good purpose (Phil. 2:13), but why am I not getting "there" faster? May the Lord bless and encourage us with these verses where we need blessing/encouragement, and may the Lord convict us where we need convicting, along with the discernment to understand God's voice. May God bless you this day.

Jesus’ Commands; Part 2 – Loving God

What does God want from me? Who among us hasn't asked this question, and wanted a clear, direct answer from our invisible God? Here is what's God's Answer to this question is, John 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.

 

How do we best show our love and thankfulness to Jesus? He has made this part easy – follow His Commands (now following all of these Commands is the challenge and joy of a Christians' life.) I have assembled these 'red-letter' Commands of Jesus (this list is again from Smith, J. H. (1992; Published in electronic form, 1996). The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge,) into two main groups – those Commands that deal with our relationship with God, and second, those Commands that deal with ourselves or others. In this Summary I will first list the six (6) different groups of ways we are to show our love to God, and in today's post, I will only give details for the first three of these:

 

1. Abide in Christ;
   
2. Pray/Fast/Tithe/Baptism;
   
3. Believe in God;
   
4. Give Special Attention To/Discern
   
5. God's Importance to a Believer/Fear and Respect God/Honor God
   
6. Godly Works/Produce Fruit.
   

 

1. Abide in God/Christ;
   

Abiding in Christ, Jn 15:4 (Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.), 9 (As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.)

Cross-bearing, Mt 16:24. Mk 8:34.

Steadfastness, Jn 15:9. (As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.)

Take up the cross, Mk 8:34.

 

1. Pray/Fast/Tithe/Baptism – the Works of the Faithful;
   
   1. Prayer:
      

Agreement in prayer, Mt 18:19.

Closet prayer, Mt 6:6. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.

Prayer/Ask, Mt 7:7-11 (Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him). Lk 11:9-13 (adds the following: how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!).

Prayer for daily bread, Mt 6:11. Lk 11:3.

Prayer for deliverance from evil, Mt 6:13. Lk 11:4.

Prayer for more laborers in the vineyard, Mt 9:38.

Prayerfulness, Mt 6:5. Lk 18:1 (And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart…(persistent widow parable.). 22:40 (Mk 14:38 is better - Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak).

Simplicity in worship/prayer, Mt 6:7. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

 

1. Tithe:
   

Almsgiving, Lk 11:41. 12:33.

Tithing, Mt 23:23. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

 

1. Fast:
   

Anointing when fasting, Mt 6:17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face

 

1. Baptism:
   

Baptism, Mt 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

 

 

1. Believe in God;
   

**Belief in Christ, Jn 6:29 Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" ²⁹ Jesus answered them, **"This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.

Jn 14:1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

**1 J 3:23. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us

Faith, Mk 1:15 The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.

Mk 5:36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."

Mk 11:22 and Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. ²³ Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

Jn 6:29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

12:36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." (Implication is that there will be a time when there will be no light?)

14:1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

Jn 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

20:27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe."

**1 J 3:23. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

Faithfulness, Mt 24:45 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Lk 12:42

Lk *16:10. One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Trust God for needs, Mt 6:30-32. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all; Lk 22:36. He said to them, "But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.

 

Perhaps this is a growing process. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey my commands." (John 14:15). As our love for Jesus grows, our desire to please Him and obey Him also grows. But let's start growing! I have highlighted a few of these verses that look to have special importance. And you probably already know the application – today find one of Jesus' Commands and show your love of Him by putting it into practice in your life. My prayer is that God bless you in this.

Jesus’ Commands; Part 1 – Problems in Understanding

John 14:15 - If you love Me, keep My commandments. As I have studied this verse and what it means for Christians today, who would have thought there could be such a wide variety of views about this simple teaching? The topic in today's post is to show some of the different interpretations I have come across and the problems raised by thesedifferent views as they try and understand why a Christian would / should want to obey Jesus' Commands.

 

I have come across three different Problems that come from John 14:15, and Jesus' simple Command that if a believer loves Jesus, then we will obey His Commands. As I have previously discussed, when Jesus asks us to obey His Commands, He is not just speaking about loving our neighbors, but instead is speaking about a believer's total obedience to all of Jesus' moral and ethical teachings. And again, I cannot say this enough, following Jesus' Commands does NOT provide us with our salvation/justification. Instead, believer's have a devotion to our Lord and Savior, and out of the thankfulness in our hearts for being rescued from God's wrath we desire to follow Jesus' Commands. Thankfulness and not fear is the reason we want to obey Jesus' Commands.

 

With that said, let's look at three of the problems

 

1. Obedience Provides Salvation. This is the classic 'works' theology that believes that God will only save us if we are good people, or if we are obedient to the moral teachings in the Bible. I'm not going to discuss this much, but only say that this view is wrong – anyone who is saved is a sinner saved by God's Grace, through faith in Jesus' death on the Cross. So instead of a lengthy discussion, if anyone believes that God will let you into heaven because you are a good person, or because you have done some nice things to help others, let me ask that you look at Ephesians 2:8-9, the Story of the Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10:17-22), Jesus' teaching at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7), and the 10 Commandments (Exodus chapter 20), and this should provide a more clear understanding of what God's Grace means;
   

 

1. Cheap Grace. Martin Luther himself, wrote in a letter dated August 1, 1521, the following:
   

 

… let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. (Luther, M. Letter of August 1, 1521 as quoted in Wikipedia)

 

And so, are we really to let our "sins be strong" as Martin Luther suggests? Haven't we lead a life of sin sufficiently strong before we came to a saving faith, so that we can have a deep appreciation for the Salvation that is provided only through Jesus? I'm not sure exactly what Martin Luther's point here was (if anyone has access to the full text of his August 21, 1521 letter, I'd love to see it), but it implies we should continue on in sin though we have died to it. And of course, Martin Luther was very familiar with Romans 6:1-2, which I think addresses this whole problem of 'Cheap Grace'. Here is Romans 6:1-2:

 

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ^2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

 

And so, I guess we could ask Paul's question in Romans Chapter 6 in a slightly different way, to those who agree with this partial statement from Martin Luther, or any other form of Cheap Grace: – shall we go on sinning, so that our appreciation for Christ's death abound? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Those who don't follow the Commands in the Bible, and try and live a holy, righteous life, may be living a life of 'Cheap Grace', and so let's quickly move to the last problem.

 

1. Dispensational Problem with Obedience to Jesus' Commands. This is the most interesting of the Problems. Remember, Dispensationalism is closely tied with the Pre-Millennialism End-Times view (see my previous March 21, 2008 Post). Pre-Millennialism is the leading End-Times view in the Church today. In the Scofield Reference Bible a dispensation is "a period of time during which man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God" Dispensationalism says that God uses different means of administering His will and grace to His people. These different means coincide with different periods of time. Scofield says there are seven dispensations: of innocence, of conscience, of civil government, of promise, of law, of grace, and of the kingdom. Dispensationalists interpret the scriptures in light of these (or other perceived) dispensations.
   

   
    

   And so, here is the problem – Dispensationalists may view some of the Commands of Jesus as applying to someone else, or even to a future time, and thus they do not have to be followed for today's Christians. An example of the Dispensational Problem comes when reading teachings like Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Dispensationals may have an odd interpretation that either Jesus was only speaking to the people of Israel with His Sermon on the Mount. Or worse yet, that this Sermon was only intended for those living in the Millennium (the Dispensation of 'the Kingdom', the last dispensation). This is a subject that looks like it is ripe for discussion, but I need to learn more about Dispensationalism, so if you know of any good resources, I'd appreciate any help that can be provided.
   

 

And so, I do not view any of these Problems as a reason why any Christian should not follow Jesus' Command that if we love Him, then we should follow or obey His Commandments. In my next posts, I will try and organize and summarize what this Obedience looks like. God bless you this week.

Hinduism

The subject for this post is another leading world religion – Hinduism. Although I believe Hinduism is a dying religion, one that may be in its last days, it still is an influential religion, especially in America (and by this I mean through spiritualism, paganism (yes, I'm talking to you Edward Oleander) and the New Age movement). And so, I hope by this post to help others see Hinduism's influence in America, and to better understand Hinduism's basic beliefs. So let's get started!

 

Hinduism is the main religion in India. If you saw the movie 'Gandhi', you may remember Gandhi's disappointment after Great Britain left India and gave India its first taste of freedom (becoming an independent nation in 1947). Then the Muslim league forced a partition where the Muslims left India and formed Pakistan. And so, the basic division in this area of the world is that India mostly has a Hinduism religion, while its neighbor Pakistan is mostly Islamic. And so, there is an historical tension between these two countries, with both having atomic weapons.

 

Introduction: Parable of the 3 blind men and the elephant. 3 blind men are each touching a different part of an elephant and asked to describe it. The first is holding the elephant's massive leg and says the elephant is like a great tree. The 2^nd is holding its trunk and says the elephant is like a snake. While the 3^rd is touching the elephant's side, says the elephant is like a great wall. Is religion in the world like this metaphor?

 

My Conclusion: Hinduism and Buddhism stress basic moral actions and peace. But they neglect the most important aspect of life: which is love. First, they discourage getting close to others because of the potential pain which this brings, through distancing. I think the best part of life is the love you share with others. 2^nd these religions are so self focused, with a notion of self-centeredness they again miss a great joy in life, namely the joy of helping and serving others. Let's take a closer look at Hinduism:

 

HINDUISM

1. Hinduism – Makes up 13% of the world's population, most of its adherents are in India. Hinduism is a general term for those living in the Indus Valley (present day Pakistan).
   

• Monism: impersonal oneness as its concept of God.
  
• Brahman is the creator god. Brahman is ultimate reality, an impersonal oneness that is beyond all distinctions, including personal and moral distinctions.
  
• World is viewed as bad. Only way to escape endless chain of birth, life and reincarnation is to become enlightened. So fundamental concept of Hinduism is to distance oneself from everything.
  
• Most Hindus view the universe as continuous with and extended from the Being of Brahman;
  
• No founder, no prophet, no set creed.
  
• Early on the religion was clearly polytheistic. Hindu deities include Indra, Agni, Siva, and Vishnu. But as religion developed, concept of monism developed, where it advocates worshipping many lesser deities, who are all considered as part of Brahman.
  

  
   

1. Tremendously Varied beliefs in Hinduism – but 5 unifying concepts:
   
   1. Brahman – impersonal nature of Brahman;
      
   2. Tat tvam asi ("That thou art") – Most Hindus believe that our true selves ("atman") are extended from and one with Brahman. Just as the air inside an open jar is identical to the air surrounding the jar, so we are as Brahman.
      
   3. Karma – the moral equivalent of the law of cause and effect, i.e. we reap what we sow. The effects of our present actions follow us not only in our present lifetime, but also to our future lives.
      
   4. Samsara ("reincarnation") – ever revolving wheel of life, death, and rebirth. We reap the consequences of the deeds we committed in past lifetimes. A person's karma determines the kind of body, human, animal, or insect, into which he will be reincarnated in the next lifetime.
      
   5. Moksha ("liberation") – solution is to be liberated from the wheel of life, death, and rebirth. Realizing the concept of self is an illusion and only undifferentiated oneness with Brahman is real attains such liberation. Must detach oneself with the desires of the ego and thereby attain enlightenment.
      
2. Most of its believers live in India – 82% of Indians are Hindu, some 700 million people.
   

• also majority religion in Nepal, Bali, and Mauritius.
  

1. Hinduism is the oldest living religion, having begun in approximately 1500 BC in India. Although some consider it more of a personal philosophy than a religion.
   
2. Hinduism has evolved. E.g. religion was seriously changed after the Aryan invasion in 1500 BC.
   
3. Hinduism is Mystical, attempting to reach higher/different spiritual and mental transformation.
   

 

Hindu Scriptures:

1. Shruti revealed scripture consisting of Vedas ("knowledge") – the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda, and the Atharva Veda;
   

• Each Veda is divided into 4 parts: the Mantras (the basic verses or hymns), the Brahmanas (explanations of the verses), the Aran-yakas (reflections on their meaning), and the Upanishads (the mystical interpretations of the verses);
  
• Rig Veda is most important and the most foundational of the Vedas;
  
• Smriti scripture is remembered scripture, or secondary scripture. Included in the smriti is the popular Ramayana (Rama's way), Mahabharata (the great story) epics which includes the most popular of all Hindu scriptures – the Bhagavad Gita (the most influential of Hindu scriptures) whose main character is Krishna. While smriti is not as authoritative as shruti scriptures, it is still very influential on the culture of India because of their popularity.
  
• The Gita teaches the concept of nonattached action, or karma yoga. Nonattached action is acting without seeking the fruits of your action. This is a way of devotion to God. Do not become attached to anything (or anyone?) in this world, because attachment is what causes pain.
  
• Other smriti scriptures include the Vedangas (codes of law), the Puranas (genealogies and legends of the gods), the Darshanas (philosophical writings), the Sutras (rules of ritual and social conduct), and the Tantras (writings on attaining occultic power).
  

1. Upanishads ("sit down near") – at the end of the Vedas. They teach the idea that behind the many gods stands the One Reality (Brahman).
   

1. The Sacred Cow – Krishna is commonly portrayed as a cowherd. The cow is a living symbol of Mother Earth, and of the bounty she bestows on humankind. Feeding the cow, is a sacred act of worship. Cow urine is sacred, being used for example in purification rites.
   
2. OM – sacred syllable, 1^st letter in the Hindu alphabet? Which is identified with reality itself. Used in meditation.
   
3. Highest form of Brahman is nirvana, which means "without attributes or qualities".
   
4. 6 Hindu Schools of Thought ("Dharsana"):
   

• Sankhya: overcoming distance between individual and absolute consciousness;
  
• Yoga: the path followed so as to realize the Supreme Self within. Provides health, little human waste, clear complexion, being light, pleasant BO, a sweet voice, and absence of greedy desires;
  
• Nyaya: deals with Hindu logic and epistemology;
  
• Vaisheshika: a branch of the Nyaya school that emphasizes materialism and the classifications of matter. It teaches that the smallest and most indestructible part of the universe is the atom;
  
• Purva Mimamsa: establish correct understanding of the Vedas and their injunctions;
  
• Uttara Mimamsa: ("posterior study") concerned largely with study and interpretation of the Vedas.
  

1. 3 Paths to Enlightenment – karma marga (the way of action and ritual); jnana marga (the way of knowledge and meditation); and, bhakti marga (the way of devotion). The goal of enlightenment is to lose ones' separate identity in the Universal Self.
   
2. Sacred Sites: sacred river is the Ganges. Once every 12 years as many as 10 million people share in a ritual bathing. Most sacred city is Varanasi, which is the place for a Hindu to die.
   
3. **Classes and Castes – 4 class groupings in the poem of creation, leading to a belief that a hierarchic structure in society is part of the divine order. The classes are the priestly order (the Brahmins), the rulers/warriors, the landowners/merchants/bankers, and the workers/artisans/serfs/and unwashed. Sacred thread is worn to show highest status. Marriage, eating prevented among people in different castes. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT reason why Christianity is spreading quickly though the under-classes of India in recent years, where Hinduism treats the large numbers of unwashed in India as having no value, and Christianity treats them as having worth and worthy of being loved.
   
4. Trinity of Brahman (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (destroyer).
   

Vishnu has left the heavenly realms and has become incarnate in 1 of 10 forms (avatars) to restore and preserve Brahman's creation. These forms are fish, tortoise, boar, man-lion, dwarf, Rama with an axe, King Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and the future incarnation, Kalkin.

- Sri Krishna when in human form had 16,000 wives.

- Brahman's consort is Sarasvati (goddess of knowledge, learning and truth); Vishnu's wife is Lakshmi (goddess of fortune and beauty); and, Shiva's consort is Kali/Durga, the 'great mother' and is a symbol of judgment and death.

1. Essence of Hindu every day life is Karma, meditation, and rituals.
   

• **Karma: Bagh. Gita: it is wrong to fulfill someone else's dharma (actions). It is better to do your own dharma poorly than to perform another's dharma well. This is why no one helps the poor or the lame in India, because it is viewed as people getting what they deserve. This is also why Mother Teresa was so needed in India. Hindus view helping the poor and helpless as an interference with the other person's karma.
  
• Meditation/yoga: deep and continuous reflection to attain self-realization. Focus is entirely on self, reaching the higher Atman (our true selves). Thought is discouraged, which is why chanting is used.
  
• Rituals: E.g. the 16 domestic rituals (upcaras) to act as the god's host by leading the deity in, offer him a seat, offer him a sacrificial meal, etc. Shrines also used where sacrifices are made.
  

1. All moral law is relative. No good or evil.
   
2. Idols – primary way of contacting Brahman through idols and symbolic representations. The idols are actually viewed as god.
   
3. Reverence for Life leads some Hindus not to eat meat, while other Hindus sacrifice animals to their gods. However, the real purpose of not hurting others seems to be for your karma, and not out of respect for other living beings. See story of Krishna and Arjuna in the Gita. Do you see where the American group PETA gets its value that animal life is at least equal to human life?
   
4. Different Paths up the mountain – Hinduism is viewed as a tolerant religion that accepts other religions, as merely other aspects of Braham. I.e. different ways up the mountain to attaining life's ultimate goal. Jesus, Allah, Buddha are viewed as avatars of Vishnu, or different expressions of the Divine Manifestation. Ramakrishna teaches it is foolishness to say my religion alone is true. Instead, all religions are glorious.
   
5. New Age Movement – popular American "spiritual" movement. A smorgasbord of various religious ideas, with its followers picking and choosing which ideas to incorporate. Includes ideas from Hinduism, Buddhism, Wiccan (witch), astrology, channeling, and parapsychology. Popular advocate is Shirley MacLaine who believes in past lives and being able to channel to those past lives. God is viewed as impersonal being or force. Transcendental meditation is belief in unlimited power of the human mind, which can tap unlimited (even godlike) powers. MacLaine's famous line: "I am god".
   

 

Conclusion – So why do I believe Hinduism is a dying religion, and will inevitably disappear? Hindus face two challenges – one from inside India, and the other from outside of it. The outside challenge is from Islam, which is more aggressive, and more numerous. But the inside challenge to Hinduism may be the greater threat. Inside of India, Christianity is making great inroads, especially with the large numbers of poor. Why would the poor follow a religion that tells them because of an immoral past life (through reincarnation) they were born into the poorest caste of India's society, and that they should remain there (because of Karma)? While Christianity teaches them they are born in God's image, that God's Son viewed them as having such value that He died on the Cross for them, and that God loves them.

Islam – the Qur’an

This is the third of my posts on Islam – first, I discussed the background to help provide a better understanding of Islam; Second, I looked at the great influence that Muhammad has upon Islam. And in this post I will look at what the Qur'an has in it. If it is good for Islam, it is good. If it is bad for Islam, it is bad. There is no gray area or other side. – Geert Wilders, Dutch Parliament member who published the Muhammad cartoons and received over 40 death threats.

Islam is not compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it strives for is sharia (the Islamic religious law). If you want to compare Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian ideologies. Geert Wilder.

The Qur'an is the central religious book of the Islamic religion. It is said that the angel Gabriel who appeared to Muhammad and brought the Qur'an from heaven to Muhammad and told him "to recite".

 

Qur'an – Comparison: as Roman Catholics view Mother Mary, so do Muslims view Muhammad. This would make Jesus the Qur'an. It is the foundation of Islam. It outlines the sacred duties of obedient followers of Muhammad.

 

1. Qur'an means "to recite". Muhammad orally gave his revelations and insights to his comrades. When he died in 632 AD, his trusted secretary Zayd was instructed to assemble the Qur'an. Muhammad was illiterate, and so he did not write it himself.
   
2. By the time of the 3^rd Caliph after Muhammad's death, doctrinal disputes over the Qur'an were raised. However, Caliph Uthman authoritatively settled these disputes, and the "Uthmanic" Qur'an has remained largely intact since this time.
   
3. The Qur'an is divided into 114 chapters or suras ("that which opens"), making it slightly shorter than the New Testament. They are generally divided by length, longest to shortest, and are described as being in 1 of 2 periods: either Muhammad's time in Mecca (86) or Medina (28). Each sura begins "In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful."
   

 

• Casual reading of the Qur'an by the uninitiated is difficult because the book is not placed in chronological order, instead the suras are basically organized by length. But generally, the most important suras are from the last parts of Muhammad's life. And so, there are 'kind' writings from early on that a Muslim may point to as showing the peacefulness of Islam. But these verses are replaced by the later revelation (see Abrogation);
  
• Abrogation – Progressive revelation. Muslims claim that truths came to Muhammad in stages, such as the world 1^st received God's message in the OT, then the NT, then the Qur'an. Each more truthful than the earlier, and each replacing the earlier. But this doctrine makes the Qur'an difficult to read, as the suras are not in chronological order, but instead arranged generally by length. E.g. adultery originally was to be punished by stoning and later changed to being whipped 100 times. The prohibition against adultery still stands, just the punishment has changed.
  

 

1. For a long time, translations of the Qur'an were prohibited. Many Muslims recite lines and phrases in Arabic that they have no understanding of what the meaning is.
   
2. Qur'an generally appears as the speech of God, using the 1^st person plural ("We").
   
3. Miraculous Nature of the Qur'an. Muslims generally point to the Qur'an as being the most divine miracle, showing that it is God inspired. This is based on:
   
   1. Unique literary style.
      
   2. It is a miracle because it came from Muhammad who was illiterate.
      
   3. The Qur'an is purportedly the only holy book that is perfectly preserved, and free from corruption.
      
   4. Prophecies, although the prophecies generally pointed to were predictions by Muhammad of his own future actions.
      
   5. Unity of the Qur'an
      
   6. Scientific Accuracy of the Qur'an
      
   7. Mathematical Structure of the Qur'an – the number 19: the opening statement of the Qur'an consists of 19 Arabic alphabets. The 1^st revelation has 19 words. The last revelation has 19 words. There are 19 times 6 suras (114).
      
   8. Changed lives.
      
4. Comparison of Qur'an's view of Allah to the Bible's view of God.
   

The QUR'AN                        The BIBLE:

Allah is unknowable	God is knowable
Allah is non-personal	God is personal
Allah is not a spirit	God is a spirit
Allah is not a Father, nor Jesus the Son of God	God is one existing in 3 persons, not 3 Gods, but 1 God.
Allah can do anything with no limitations, is not moral, and is the author of evil.	God cannot go against His immutable nature, e.g. God cannot lie
Allah is capricious	God is trustworthy
Allah has no feelings toward man. Allah is considered our complete and utter master.	God loves man, and gives us free will.
Allah doesn't personally deal with men	God came incarnate to bring about man's Salvation
Saved by Works. No way of knowing whether you've done enough to be saved. Allah provides no savior or intercessor. You're on your own. No concept of grace.	Saved by God's Grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Good actions follow after faith/being Born Again. God through His grace provided a Savior.
Allah sired 3 children	Holy Spirit permitted Mary to give birth to Jesus
A religion of hatred and violence – they hate Jews and Christians for the rejection of Muhammad's revelation.	A religion of Love of God, your family, and love of your fellow man. Christians should see God in the face of your fellow man, and so prejudice is completely against the teachings of the Bible.

 

The Qur'an teaches a works-based way for Muslims to receive rewards from Allah in Paradise. And so, Muslims must follow the five pillars of Islam: confession, prayer, fasting during Ramadan, almsgiving, and a pilgrimage to Mecca. To give a brief flavor of what is contained in the Qur'an, understand that love is little mentioned. While obedience is mentioned many times. This shows the emphasis in the Qur'an upon a Muslim working to live the obedient life that would be pleasing to Allah. The Qur'an does not have the Christian foundation of God's Grace upon sinners. That's all I have for now. I hope you have found this summary helpful.

Odds n’ Ends #11

1. Israel's Outgoing Leader Says Israel Must Give Up Virtually All of the Land It Won in the 1967 '6-Day War', in an attempt to trade land for peace. http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/20081002/ts_usnews/stunningwordsfromisraelslameduckleader;_ylt=Aigze_d1gvzZcO08xI0zQius0NUE; Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made his "stunning" comments this past Thursday. "What I'm telling you now has never been said by an Israeli leader before me," Olmert told journalists from Yediot Aharonot, the country's largest newspaper, in a lengthy pre-Rosh Hashana interview.
   

   
    

   Technically, he's right; no previous Israeli premier ever publicly stated his willingness to sign peace treaties that gave the Palestinians "almost all...if not all" (other reports place this at over 98% of what was gained by the 6-Day War) of the West Bank, including Arab East Jerusalem, as well as the entire Golan Heights to Syria. And on the subject of Iran, Olmert didn't explicitly rule out an attack on its nuclear facilities, but implicitly, he did.
   

   
    

2. California Next? http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE49229820081003; SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has told U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that the most populous U.S. state may need the federal government to buy $7 billion of debt the state is unable to sell due to weak credit markets- and that California may not be alone.
   

 

1. The 5 Diseases We Should Most Worry About. http://www.popsci.com/melinda-wenner/gallery/2008-09/five-diseases-you-should-worry-about;
   

   Malaria is still listed as the number 1 threat with a continued Death Toll of 1 million + per year;
   

   Small Pox is listed as the second most dangerous threat because it could possibly be used by Bio-Terrorists. In the 1960's 2 million people were killed by Small pox per year;
   

   Ebola is also included in this list because it has a Kill Rate of between 50%-90% (!!); Check out the full list at the link shown above.
   

   
    

2. In Russia, 64% of Pregnancies End in Abortion. http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/oct/08100103.html; ST. PETERSBURG, September 31, 2008 (LifeSIteNews.com) – Alarmingly high abortion rates in Russia are leaving an increasing number of women infertile, said Marina Tarasova, deputy head of the St. Petersburg Research Institute For Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, at an international conference on Monday.
   

 

1. Animal Footprints Found and Dated Before the Cambrian Explosion. http://www.world-science.net/othernews/081005_prints; Faint, fossilized tracks of an ancient aquatic creature suggests animals walked using legs at least 30 million years earlier than had been thought, some scientists say. But they admit the lack of a fossil of the creature itself will probably foster a healthy skepticism, and that researchers will need to look for additional evidence.
   

   
    

   The tracks two parallel rows of small dots, each about two millimeters wide are dated to some 570 million years ago, to a period called the Ediacaran. That preceded the Cambrian period, when most major groups of animals evolved.
   
   Scientists once thought that mainly microbes and simple multi-cellular animals existed before the Cambrian, but that idea is changing, said Loren Babcock, professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University.
   

   
    

   Tom's Note – Something is wrong here. Is it the dating method used by these goofballs? Is it the whole idea of the 'Cambrian Explosion' being so offensive to the atheistic worldview of some scientists that they are trying to tear it down with weak evidence. Stay tuned to this one…
   

 

Islam – Muhammad’s Influence

You can't understand the religion of Islam unless you understand its Prophet Muhammad who lived from 570 AD until his death in 632 AD. For this post I will discuss the central figure for the religion of Islam Muhammad. Muhammad was the one man who brought the Arab world out of a pagan religious system. He is the visionary who claimed to receive special revelation from God delivered by the angel Gabriel. He was the religious, political, military and judicial leader of the Islamic community, and ruled without challenge. And so, he continues as the strongest influence in the Arab world. His example is what is viewed in the Arab world as the best model.

 

However, although Muhammad is viewed as an ideal of what a man (and not a woman) can accomplish, he also heavily influenced future Muslim generations continuing through today. Some of his actions which continue to be followed in the Islamic world include:

 

• His healthy sexual appetite (he had somewhere between 11 and 16 wives), led to his revelation that Paradise (the Islamic description of Heaven) is a place of sexual delights;
  
• He warred and killed his fellow tribesman, the Meccans. We see this continue as those in Afghanistan and Iraq have no qualms about killing fellow Muslims of different beliefs;
  
• He ordered the killing of hundreds of Jews who refused to accept his revelation as the new revelation from God to replace the Old and New Testaments. And the hatred between Muslims and Jews continues to grow;
  
• His leadership as the religious, political and judicial leader of the community is the basis for today's Islamic nations combining all of these under one leader;
  
• The cities that are most important in the Islamic world are those that were important to Muhammad – Mecca is where he was born, and all Muslims are commanded to make a pilgrimage their at least once in their lifetime. And Jerusalem is also important where he had a dream/vision, see below.
  

 

Muhammad – The last and greatest prophet according to Muslims. He is also viewed in Islam as being the "best model for man in piety and perfection. He is a living proof of what man can be and of what he can accomplish in the realm of excellence and virtue." – Abdalati.

1. Muhammad is not viewed as being divine, nor a Son of God. He is not likened to Christ, which explains the Muslims aversion to a term such as 'Muhammadans'. Although he is not worshipped, he is venerated.
   
   1. But Muslims are more devoted to Muhammad than even to their god Allah. Remember Allah is viewed as being impersonal, and even capricious. "Love of the Prophet runs like blood in the veins of the community…You can deny God, but you cannot deny the Prophet!" – Schimmel.
      
   2. "Muslims will allow attacks on Allah: there are atheists and atheistic publications, and rationalistic societies in Arab cities: but to disparage Muhammad will provoke from even the most 'liberal' sections of the community a fanaticism of blazing vehemence." – Wilfred Cantwell Smith
      
2. Miracles performed by Muhammad? He stated that his only miracle that he performed is the Qur'an itself –When challenged to perform miracles by unbelievers, he could not (3:181-184, 4:153, and 6:8-9). No miracles by Muhammad are in the Qur'an.
   

• But the Hadiths (the
  
• example and tradition of Muhammad) tell stories of many miracles performed by Muhammad, including healing a companion's broken leg, providing water to 10,000 troops, turning water into milk, trees spoke with and saluted him, and feeding of large numbers of people. Reported miracles in the Hadiths were written at least 250 years after the death of Muhammad.
  
• Most Muslim scholars reject the vast majority of Hadith stories of miracles as not being authentic.
  

 

1. The Life of Muhammad.
   

Muhammad was born in 570 AD in Mecca. He was born in a well to do family, but his parents died while he was very young. He was brought up by his grandfather, as a shepherd. Later he became a camel driver, and at age 25 he married a wealthy widow, Khadija. At the age of 40 he claims to have been visited by the angel Gabriel (who is an angel described in Christian/Jewish religion). The message he received is the essence of the Qur'an. At first, he was deathly afraid that it was a visit from an evil spirit. But his wife convinced him that it was a message from Allah.

 

Muhammad's greatest directive was that of monotheism, preaching that there is only one God, named Allah. He also challenged the moral decadence, superstition, and idol worship of Mecca. While in Mecca, he began attracting a small group of followers, which caused the city leaders to begin persecution of Muhammad. It was at this point that Muhammad preached that the favorite deities worshipped in Mecca al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat could be considered divine beings whose intercession was effectual with God. This is what is referred to as the "Satanic Verses", and were later taken out and replaced in the Qur'an with sura 53:19-23.

 

Khadija died in 619 AD. After this Muhammad had a dream/vision where he took a journey into heaven where he was taken there by Gabriel from Mecca to Jerusalem (which explains the importance of Jerusalem to Muslims) and then through the 7 heavens. In the heavens he visited all of the previous prophets (Jesus was in the 2^nd heaven, Moses in the 6^th, and Abraham in the 7^th). Finally he was taken to the presence of Allah and received the specific procedures for Islamic worship of daily prayers. Many Muslim authorities consider this purely a spiritual event.

 

News of the fantastic mystical experience spread, and even many of the faithful began to doubt the prophet's truthfulness. Without much success in Mecca, Muhammad searched for other areas eventually leading him to use Medina, which is 200 miles north of Mecca. Failed assassination attempt upon Muhammad, and his father-in-law Abu Bakr. In 622 AD the Hijra (Flight) was when Muhammad and approx. 150 followers left to Medina. This is the beginning of the Islam calendar.

 

In Medina, this began a new period in Islamic history. He organized raids on caravans travelling to Mecca. Early raids were unsuccessful. This was the period when Jews living in Medina rejected Muhammad's audacious claim of being the true prophet. This was when he instructed his followers to face Mecca rather than Jerusalem. In 624, at the Battle of Badr Muhammad had 300 men to a Meccan force of 950, and was still able to win. This allowed Muhammad to implement a systematic elimination of all opponents in Medina. Included in these eliminations was his ordered assassination of poets who satirized him.

 

But in 625, Muhammad suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Uhud. Again outnumbering Muhammad's forces 3,000:1,000, the Meccans won after the Median archers abandoned their position against Muhammad's order to share in the plunder. This led to Muhammad expelling a 2^nd Jewish tribe, and taking all of their possessions.

 

In 627, Mecca decided to do away with Muhammad by laying siege to Medina. But because of a trench around the city, the Meccans were unable to break into Medina and withdrew after two weeks. This further strengthened Muhammad, and so he attacked the 3^rd and final Jewish tribe in Medina because of a suspected (made up?) plot with the Meccan enemies. All of the Jewish men were killed, and all of the women and children were placed into slavery. This was his greatest disappointment (the rejection by the Jews of his prophetic authority), which led to the fixed axiom that the Jews were the sworn enemies of Allah and His revelation.

 

Finally in 628 the Meccans made a peace treaty with Medina. The treaty was broken due to complex clan wars. Muhammad took advantage of this and attacked Mecca who surrendered to him with little opposition. Muhammad showed great restraint by offering a general amnesty to all of the leaders. After this, Islam quickly spread throughout the entire Arabian area. Muhammad died in June 632, at the age of 63. After this, one of his father-in-law's (Muhammad was married 11-14 times) Abu Bakr became the 1^st Caliph.

 

He won as a convert a man named Ali who later married Muhammad's daughter Fatima. They had two sons Hasan and Husain. Husain later became the third imam of the Shiites, who revere him.

 

That's all for now. May God bless you today in the growing knowledge of His love expressed through His only Son Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.