Is God Mean or Good?

This past Sunday, Psalm 78:1–7 was read. During the reading, I was struck by the first four verses:

Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

Asaph exhorts God’s people to contemplate the dark sayings he will be teaching throughout the psalm, but the teaching is of God’s paternal care for His children. He narrates the history without sidestepping any negative issues or intentions of the people, for example:

And may not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God. (Ps 78:8)

These deeds and commands of God are to be told to our children, so they can also live faithfully before Him. But there is no cover for sin amongst the people of God as they are disciplined severely for wandering away. God can be mean.

Earlier today, a Facebook acquaintance posted that the best argument against God’s goodness is the problem of evil/pain. I told him that he only needed to look at the cross of Christ to see that God’s goodness is actually demonstrated in this most evil, painful deed. And later, I noticed in a more full reading of Psalm 78 that evil/pain can work for good.

When He slew them, then they sought Him;
And they returned and sought earnestly for God.
Then they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer. (Ps 78:34–35)

Notice that the calamities and the slayings brought upon Israel were designed to draw mankind unto Himself. Yes, the turning was short-lived, yet the slaying of the obstinate was just and turned the people to righteousness, though only for awhile.

Is God good? Absolutely. He gives us our very breath and daily sustenance. Is God mean, even cruel? He can appear so, but works the circumstance to good for those who love Him. Those who turn away have no such promise, but are are left to continue aimlessly until they might hear the word of God and believe.

Ineffable

We will say many things and not reach the end,
But the sum of our words is seen in this: “He is the all.”
How shall we ever be able to adequately praise Him?
For He is greater than all His works.
Fearful is the Lord and exceedingly great,
And wondrous is His power.
Glorify the Lord and exalt Him as much as you are able,
For He will surpass even that.
And when you exalt Him, put forth all your strength;
Do not grow weary, for you cannot exalt Him enough.
Who has seen Him and will describe Him?
And who can magnify Him as He truly is?
There are yet many hidden things greater than these,
For we have seen but few of His works.
For the Lord made all things
And gives wisdom to the godly. (Sirach 43:27–33)

Those who do not know what to ask for in prayer, if they are moved to express something sacred regarding the Spirit, limit the flow of their words to maintain measure, as though they had already given Him enough honor. One should mourn their weakness; we, however, do not have words to express thanks for all the gifts of which we experience the effects. The Spirit in fact surpasses all knowledge and thwarts the possibility of any speech that fails to conform to at least a minimum of His dignity, according to the words of the book called Wisdom: “Exalt Him as you can, because He is higher still. In exalting Him, you will increase your strength. Do not grow weary; otherwise you will not reach Him.”

Basil of Caesarea, On the Holy Spirit 28.70

Indeed, with what understanding can a person apprehend God when he does not even apprehend that very intellect of his own by which he wants to know God? And if he does already understand this, let him diligently consider then that there is nothing better in his nature than his intellect. Let him see, then, if he discovers in it any features of form, brilliance of colors, spatial broadness, distance of parts, extension of mass, spatial dislocation, or anything else of this kind. Certainly we find nothing of this sort in that which is best in us, that is, in our intellect, with which we attain wisdom to the extent we are able. So then, what we do not find in what is best in us, we must not look for in Him who is much better than what is best in us. We conceive, therefore—if we can and to the extent we can—of good without quality, greatness without quantity, creator without necessity, in the first place without location, containing all things but without exteriority, entirely present everywhere without place, eternal without time, author of changeable things while remaining absolutely unchanged and foreign to all passivity. Whoever conceives of God in this way, though he still cannot discover perfectly what He is, at least avoids, with pious diligence and to the extent possible, attributing to Him what He is not.

Augustine, On the Trinity 5.1.2

More on Psalm 107

While doing a bit of study for yesterday’s post from Psalm 107, I stumbled upon some interesting commentary. Apparently, the Eastern Orthodox church holds that 105-107 (104–106 in their numbering) are considered a unit because they each begin with the heading Alleluia or Praise the Lord.* I looked at these psalms but was confused by the comment: 105 and 107 do not begin with this heading. I checked multiple translations and still found nothing.

The solution to this puzzle can be found in the layout of the Septuagint. The Hebrew text used by the original translators had moved Praise the Lord from 104:35 to 105:1 and from 106:48 to 107:1, along with removing it from 105:45. The arrangement, therefore, gives a cohesive unit of theology as explained in The Orthodox Study Bible:

Psalm 104, 105, and 106 form a trilogy, each with the heading, Alleluia, which means “praise the Lord.” This heading emphasizes praising the Lord and giving Him thanks for His works of mercy (104:1–3; 105:1, 2; 106:1, 2). These works are traced in great detail from Abraham on, and are fulfilled in the coming of Christ to save mankind: He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their corruptions (106:20). The Father sent His Word, who crushed the gates of bronze and shattered the bars of iron (106:16). He trampled death by His death and Resurrection, bestowing life on those in the tombs (those sitting in the darkness and shadow of death, bound in poverty and fetters, 106:10; He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains to pieces, 106:14). The response of those who are wise and shall keep these things, and shall understand the mercies of the Lord (106:43) is “Alleluia.”

If one follows the theme of each psalm, there is a recognizable progression: God’s faithfulness to His people (105) demonstrated in His continual forgiveness of sin (106) resulting in the overflow of thanksgiving for His works (107).

Someone may retort that there is a problem with this unit because the book of Psalms is divided into five sub-books with a division between 106 and 107. I contend that this issue actually adds to the beauty of the progression because of the arc created within the triplet. Book Four ends with a description of His character and willingness to display it over and again, while Book Five begins a cascading chorus of praise to God carried through to the end.

Read and meditate on these three psalms. Follow the progression of His mighty promises, to our sin and desperate need for mercy, and His glorious work for which we respond with abundant thanks.

We Should Love God

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1Jo 4:10)

For example, the love of God includes a consideration of God’s goodness and mercy, the remembrance of bodily and spiritual benefits, a consideration of the promises of the life to come, obedience due to God, etc. We should love God: (a) Because He is the greatest good. (b) Because He is the perfect [αὐτoτελές] good, the greatest beauty, the greatest treasure, the greatest wisdom. (c) Because He first loved us. (d) Because we become joined together with God through love. (e) Because the most direct road to a salutary and practical knowledge of God is love for Him. (f ) Because God alone can fulfill the desire of the soul. (g) Because God, loving and being loved, gives people blessedness. (h) Because God avows Himself to be our Bridegroom, etc.

Johann Gerhard, On the Law

Give Me a Soapbox!

Praise the Lᴏʀᴅ!

I will give thanks to the Lᴏʀᴅ with my whole heart,
    in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lᴏʀᴅ,
    studied by all who delight in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
    the Lᴏʀᴅ is gracious and merciful.  (Ps 111:1-4)

Would that it were allowed me to deliver this argument with the whole world formed, as it were, into one assembly, and to be placed in the hearing of all the human race!  Are we therefore judged guilty before you with an impious religion, and because we approach the Head and Pillar of the universe with worshipful service, are we to be considered—to use the terms employed by you in reproaching us—as undesirable godless?  And who would more properly bear the odium of these names than he who either knows, or inquires after, or believes any other god rather than this God of ours?

Do we not owe to Him this first, that we exist, that we are said to be men, that, being either sent forth from Him, or having fallen from Him, we are confined in the darkness of this body?*  Does it not come from Him that we walk, that we breathe and live, and by the very power of living, does He not cause us to exist and to move with the activity of animated being?  Do the causes not emanate from Him, through which our health is sustained by the bountiful supply of various pleasures?  Whose is that world in which you live, or who has authorized you to retain its produce and its possession?  Who has given that common light, enabling us to see distinctly all things lying beneath it, to handle them, and to examine them?  Who has ordained that the fires of the sun should exist for the growth of things, lest elements pregnant with life should be listless by settling down in a stupor of inactivity?

Arnobius of Sicca, Against the Pagans I.29

Worshiping the Lamb on Equal Terms with God

If we go through the entire book of Revelation and examine all of its doxological material, we find an almost complete overlap in the honorific language directed to God and that directed to the Lamb (see table).  The overlap is not artificially perfect—“wealth” is directed to the Lamb and not to God, “thanksgiving” to God and not to the Lamb—but these differences seem inconsequential in light of the big picture.  Matthias Hoffmann, in his dissertation on the Lamb in the book of Revelation, rightly concludes, “Most of the predicates within the doxologies do not seem to distinguish God and the Lamb from each other, but rather express an equal status of both of them in general.”

By constructing such doxologies to God and Christ together, or even to Christ alone, the New Testament writers were exalting Jesus Christ to the very level of God.

Robert Bowman; J. Ed Komoszewski,

Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ

DOXOLOGIES TO GOD AND THE LAMB IN REVELATION

	God/One on the Throne	The Lamb	1 Chr 29:11-12
Worthy (axios)	4:11	5:9, 12
Blessing/Praise (eulogia)	5:13; 7:12	5:12,13
Honor (timē)	4:9, 11; 5:13; 7:12	5:12, 13	1 Chr 29:12
Glory (doxa)	4:9, 11; 5:13; 7:12; 19:1b	1:6; 5:12, 13
Dominion (kratos)	5:13	1:6; 5:13
Power (dunamis)	4:11; 7:12; 19:1b	5:12	1 Chr 29:11
Might (ischus)	7:12	5:12	1 Chr 29:11-12
Wealth (ploutus)		5:12	1 Chr 29:12
Wisdom (sophia)	7:12	5:12
Thanksgiving (eucharista)	4:9; 7:12	5:12
Salvation (sōtēria)	7:10; 19:1b	7:10

Great Person, Great Image

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.  (Hebrews 1:3)

And for this reason also Paul calls Him “the brightness of glory,” that we may learn that as the light from the lamp is of the nature of that which sheds the brightness, and is united with it (for as soon as the lamp appears the light that comes from it shines out simultaneously), so in this place the apostle would have us consider both that the Son is of the Father, and that the Father is never without the Son, for it is impossible that glory should be without radiance, as it is impossible that the lamp should be without brightness.  But it is clear that as His being brightness is a testimony to His being in relation with the glory (for if the glory did not exist, the brightness shed from it would not exist), so, to say that the brightness “once was not” is a declaration that the glory also was not, when the brightness was not, for it is impossible that the glory should be without the brightness.

As therefore it is not possible to say in the case of the brightness, “If it was, it did not come into being, and if it came into being it was not,” so it is in vain to say this of the Son, seeing that the Son is the brightness.  Let those also who speak of “less” and “greater,” in the case of the Father and the Son, learn from Paul not to measure things immeasurable.  For the apostle says that the Son is the express image of the Person of the Father.  It is clear then that however great the Person of the Father is, so great also is the express image of that Person, for it is not possible that the express image should be less than the Person contemplated in it.

And this the great John also teaches when he says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.”  For in saying that he was “in the beginning” and not “after the beginning,” he showed that the beginning was never without the Word; and in declaring that “the Word was with God,” he signified the absence of defect in the Son in relation to the Father, for the Word is contemplated as a whole together with the whole being of God.  For if the Word were deficient in His own greatness so as not to be capable of relation with the whole being of God, we are compelled to suppose that that part of God which extends beyond the Word is without the Word.  But in fact the whole magnitude of the Word is contemplated together with the whole magnitude of God: and consequently in statements concerning the Divine nature, it is not admissible to speak of “greater” and “less.”

Gregory of Nyssa, On the Faith

We Worship What We Know

The secret things belong to the Lᴏʀᴅ our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.  (Deut 29:29)

If a definition must explain the nature of the thing defined so as to lead the mind, as it were, into the very thing itself, how then can God be defined?  The reply is easy: It is indeed true, concerning our knowledge of God in this life (1 Cor 13:12), that ‘we see in a mirror dimly;’ and so in the definition it is said, ‘He is of immense wisdom and power,’ i. e., God is greater than we can imagine or declare.… But in examining the definition we do not scrutinize those mysteries of the essence and will of God which He wishes us to be ignorant of; but we gather a brief statement from what God has Himself revealed to us in His Word concerning His essence and will.  And, since God surely wishes to be recognized and worshiped as He has revealed Himself, that description of God is to be held, to which the mind reverts in prayer; for adoration is nothing but a confession, whereby we ascribe to the essence addressed in prayer all the attributes comprised in the definition.  There is, therefore, a name of God, occult and hidden, which is not to be searched out.  There is, however, also a name of God made known that He wishes to be recognized, spoken about, praised, and worshiped.

Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, I.25

The Victor Returns with Honor

The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”  (Psalm 110:1)

All these things are brought about in us by Christ, the Lord who, before He returned to heaven, made this promise to His disciples: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth.*  Thus it must be believed that Christ has ascended to the Father when we see that the Helper has descended upon the apostles.  It must be believed, I tell you, that He sits at the right hand of God, as David says of the Savior, because we see the Holy Spirit, as the Lord promised, exulting in the disciples.  Consequently, the prophetic psalm says: The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand.†  According to our custom, the right of sitting is offered to one who, like a victor returning from having accomplished a great deed, deserves to be seated for the sake of honor.  And so the man Jesus Christ, who overcame the devil by His suffering and unlocked the underworld by His resurrection, returning to heaven like a victor after having accomplished a great deed, hears from God the Father: Sit at my right hand.  And it is not to be wondered at that sitting on the same seat is offered to the Son by the Father, since by nature He is of one substance with the Father.  But perhaps someone is puzzled that the Son is said to be on the right.  For although there are no degrees of dignity where the fullness of divinity is concerned, nonetheless the Son is on the right, not because He is preferred to the Father, but so that He not be believed to be inferior.  And the Son is on the right because, according to the Gospel, the sheep will be gathered on the right but the goats on the left.  It is necessary, therefore, that the first lamb occupy the place of the sheep and that the unsullied leader come before the unsullied flock that will follow Him, as John says in the Apocalypse: It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins.  It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.‡  Therefore the prophet David says: The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand.  That is to say, the Lord who is Father offers the lofty seat of His throne to the Lord God Christ, who is His Son, and for the sake of honor He places Him at His right hand on an eternal seat.

Maximus of Turin, Sermon 40, 2

*  John 14:16-17
†  Psalm 110:1
‡  Revelation 14:4

Glory Be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.  (1 Tim 1:17)

Since [Paul] had presented Christ the Lord as source of those good things, he wanted to make clear that they were made with the good pleasure of God the Father and the co-operation of the Holy Spirit, so he moved from the one person to the commonality of nature, and offered the hymn to the Trinity, not mentioning the persons but celebrating the divine nature.  You see, the fact that the words apply not only to the God and Father but also to the Son and the Holy Spirit is easy to grasp.  It is not only the Father but also the only-begotten Son who is king of the ages, being maker of the ages.  And of course, the all-holy Spirit, whom the divine apostle also called eternal, “Who through the eternal Spirit.” [Heb 9:14]  And immortality and invisibility are proper both to the Son and to the Spirit.  With these matters clarified in this way, the term God is a term truly applied to the Trinity alone: beyond it no one else is God by nature.

Theodoret of Cyrus, “The First Epistle to Timothy”

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.  Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et saecula saeculorum.  Amen.

You Have Nothing Apart from the Author of Life

He is eternal wisdom, eternal truth, eternal goodness, eternal justice, He is, in short, the eternal light of all virtues, and all that is virtue is God.  Unless He works in us, we cannot be partakers of any virtue.  For indeed without this Good nothing is good, without this Light nothing is bright, without this Wisdom, nothing is wise, without this Justice nothing is right.  For the Lord says through the mouth of Isaiah, I am, I am, the Lord, and there is no one besides me who saves;* and Jeremiah says, I know, O Lord, that the way of a man is not in himself; neither is it in a man to direct his steps.†

Prosper of Aquitaine, The Call of All Nations 1.8

*  Isaiah 43:11
†  Jeremiah 10:23

Consider the Steadfast Love of the Lord

Ever notice how Christians tend to emphasize the wrong things and then let it permeate into its subculture?  I was reminded of this while reading Psalm 107.  Verses 2-3 say this:

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
        whom he has redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
        from the east and from the west,
        from the north and from the south.

The first stanza is a popular line, but what does it mean?  The redeemed are to say something, but what about?  If you look at 20th-century music lyrics, the answer is that the redeemed are to proclaim that they are redeemed.  Here are two examples:

Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So	Let The Redeemed
W. C. Martin & John H. Sarchet (1914)	Ward Ellis (1978)
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, All my sins are washed away, And my night is turned to day; Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.	Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. I’m redeemed.  I’m redeemed. Praise the Lord!

Preachers picked up on this theme and taught it to eager listeners as a slogan to excite evangelism: let people know that Christ has redeemed you and changed your life.  While this is certainly valid, the problem with this popular use is that the psalm has a different emphasis.  The theme of Psalm 107 is found in the first verse:

Oh give thanks the Lord, for he is good,
        for his steadfast love endures forever!

This is the message the redeemed are to proclaim—the Lord’s steadfast love.  The psalmist develops four scenarios in which the Lord provided provided a solution:

Scenario	Solution
Lost in desert places, hungering and thirsting Imprisoned as a consequence of rebelling against God’s commands Suffering because of foolish iniquities Great natural calamity while conducting business	Lost received a path     Prisoners received freedom, light, and life     Foolish received healing and deliverance     Merchants received peace

Each group, being in great distress, cried to the only One able to meet their need.  This the Lord did faithfully and graciously, demonstrating this love for which all are encouraged to give thanks.  And it is not as if these solutions are supplied through physical means.  Each manifested solution is delivered through God’s word, as explicitly stated in verse 20 and are expected according to promise in Psalm 119:

        Psalm 119:35 – Path
        Psalm 119:105 – Lamp and light
        Psalm 119:28, 95 – Healing and Deliverance
        Psalm 119:165 – Peace

The psalmist summarizes God’s power and ability to move heaven and earth in his people’s favor in blessing the land for abundance (Psa 107:33-38), then in his righteous acts to work for good what sinful man had perpetrated against one another (Psa 107:39-42).  He then ends with a call to carefully consider what the Almighty does and why.

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
        let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.  (Psa 107:43)

Only through the working of the word, whether inscrupturated or incarnated, can any of this come to pass.  The promise to which the psalm pointed is now found in Jesus Christ.  He has accomplished all that was required to enlighten, heal, deliver, and give a path with ultimate peace.  Jesus is the ultimate demonstration of Him who is the embodiment of love.

Having It All Laid Bare

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.  (Heb 4:11-13)

Nothing can escape the incorruptible Judge.  He knows everything precisely, even the movements of our very thoughts.  He knows what is done under cover of darkness.  He knows what is committed in secret, the wicked counsels of the soul did not elude him, what is hidden is laid bare to Him.  He used the phrase “exposed to the eyes of him” as a metaphor from sacrificed beasts, which lie completely mute, the slaughter doing away with their life, and along with their life, their cries.  In similar manner, he is saying, when we also are judged, we behold everything done by us in ungodly and lawless fashion, whereas we receive the sentence of punishment in silence, realizing as we do its justice.

Now, it was not just to them but also to everyone of us that the divine apostle wrote this.  So it behooves us to consider that divine judgment constantly, be afraid and tremble, keep the divine commandments assiduously, and look forward to the promised rest.  May we attain it in Christ, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory and majesty, now and forever, for ages and ages.  Amen.

Theodoret of Cyrus, “The Epistle to the Hebrews”

God's Unsearchable Greatness

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.  (Psalm 145:3)

The appearance of God is ineffable and indescribable, and cannot be seen by eyes of flesh.  For in glory He is incomprehensible, in greatness unfathomable, in height inconceivable, in power incomparable, in wisdom unrivaled, in goodness inimitable, in kindness unutterable.  For if I say He is Light, I name but His own work.  If I call Him Word, I name but His sovereignty.  If I call Him Mind, I speak but of His wisdom.  If I say He is Spirit, I speak of His breath.  If I call Him Wisdom, I speak of His offspring.  If I call Him Strength, I speak of His sway.  If I call Him Power, I am mentioning His activity; if Providence, I but mention His goodness.  If I call Him Kingdom, I but mention His glory.  If I call Him Lord, I mention His being judge.  If I call Him Judge, I speak of Him as being just.  If I call Him Father, I speak of all things as being from Him.  If I call Him Fire, I but mention His anger.  You will say to me then, "Is God angry?"  Yes, He is angry with those who act wickedly, but He is good and kind and merciful to those who love and fear Him.  For He is a chastener of the godly and father of the righteous, but he is a judge and punisher of the impious.

And He is without beginning, because He is unbegotten; and He is unchangeable, because He is immortal.  And he is called God on account of His having placed all things on security afforded by Himself … running and moving and being active and nourishing and foreseeing and governing and making all things alive.  But he is Lord, because He rules over the universe; Father, because he is before all things; Fashioner and Maker, because He is creator and maker of the universe; the Highest, because of His being above all; and Almighty, because He Himself rules and embraces all.  For the heights of heaven, and the depths of the abysses, and the ends of the earth, are in His hand, and there is no place of His rest.  For the heavens are His work, the earth is His creation, the sea is His handiwork.  Man is His formation and His image.  Sun, moon, and stars are His elements, made for signs, and seasons, and days, and years, that they may serve and be slaves to man.  And all things God has made out of things that were not into things that are, in order that through His works His greatness may be known and understood.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus 1.3-4

Do Not Move the Ancient Landmark

There is a continual desire among men to improve on God's words and ways, not because they are found inadequate, but because they are considered antiquated: the church is not culturally relevant.  This is not a new trend.  Fifth-century churchman, Vincent of Lérins, sought to keep the church on a true course by giving the following warning against pursuing novel teaching by pointing to the solidity of the past and what was and is universally held to be true:

But here some one perhaps will ask, "Since the canon of scripture is complete, and sufficient of itself for everything, and more than sufficient, what need is there to join with it the authority of the church’s interpretation?"  For this reason,—because, owing to the depth of holy scripture, all do not accept it in one and the same sense, but one understands its words in one way, another in another; so that it seems to be capable of as many interpretations as there are interpreters.…

Moreover, in the catholic church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all.  For that is truly and in the strictest sense “catholic,” which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally.  This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent.  We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true, which the whole church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors.

A Commonitory, 5-6

What happens when a section of the church goes off target and pursues a different teaching—so common today among those claiming to be God's elect?  Hold fast to what is resolved and certain from the past.

What then will a catholic Christian do, if a small portion of the church have cut itself off from the communion of the universal faith?  What, surely, but prefer the soundness of the whole body to the unsoundness of a pestilent and corrupt member?  What, if some novel contagion seek to infect not merely an insignificant portion of the church, but the whole?  Then it will be his care to cleave to antiquity, which at this day cannot possibly be seduced by any fraud of novelty.

A Commonitory, 7

And lastly, what happens if the ancient church was mistaken at some point?  Go to the decrees and creeds.  What if the decrees and creeds do not address the matter?  Study those who were considered faithful and hold fast to what was generally accepted in accordance with scripture.

But what, if in antiquity itself there be found error on the part of two or three men, or at any rate of a city or even of a province?  Then it will be his care by all means, to prefer the decrees, if such there be, of an ancient general council to the rashness and ignorance of a few.  But what, if some error should spring up on which no such decree is found to bear?  Then he must collate and consult and interrogate the opinions of the ancients, of those, namely, who, though living in divers times and places, yet continuing in the communion and faith of the one catholic church, stand forth acknowledged and approved authorities: and whatsoever he shall ascertain to have been held, written, taught, not by one or two of these only, but by all, equally, with one consent, openly, frequently, persistently, that he must understand that he himself also is to believe without any doubt or hesitation.

A Commonitory, 8

Fourteen centuries later William D. Conybeare echoed this sentiment when he wrote:

Yet assuredly, we should greatly mistake the intention of our church, did we imagine that she called on us to neglect the information which the venerable relics of Christian antiquity have preserved to us, in recording the sentiments of the primitive ages of the faith.  Our holy mother would never encourage us to depreciate the high and honorable claims of the first standard-bearers, and foremost champions of our religion.  The true line taken by our church appears to be this.  She knows nothing of tradition as an independent rule of faith; but genuine and primitive tradition she anxiously seeks to discover, and when found she honors, not indeed as a rival mistress, but as a faithful handmaid of scripture.

An Analytical Examination into the Character, Value, and Just Application

of the Writings of the Christian Fathers during the Ante-Nicene Period, 6-7

What God's people have received was given to establish and keep a holy and elect people.  It is our honor to faithfully share the Lord's good word to the next generation, that they might pass it to their children.  May we not forget this.

[The Lord] established a testimony in Jacob
        and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
        to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
        the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
        so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
        but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their fathers,
        a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
        whose spirit was not faithful to God.  (Psalm 78:5-8)

Confessing God as Father and Creator

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

Thus we learn from this article that none of us has of himself, nor can preserve, his life nor anything that is here enumerated or can be enumerated, however small and unimportant a thing it might be, for all is comprehended in the word Creator.

Moreover, we also confess that God the Father has not only given us all that we have and see before our eyes, but daily preserves and defends us against all evil and misfortune, averts all sorts of danger and calamity; and that He does all this out of pure love and goodness, without our merit, as a benevolent Father, who cares for us that no evil befall us.

Thus we have most briefly presented the meaning of this article, as much as is at first necessary for the most simple to learn, both as to what we have and receive from God, and what we owe in return, which is a most excellent knowledge, but a far greater treasure.  For here we see how the Father has given Himself to us, together with all creatures, and has most richly provided for us in this life, besides that He has overwhelmed us with unspeakable, eternal treasures by His Son and the Holy Ghost, as we shall hear.

Martin Luther, Large Catechism: Apostle's Creed, 16-17, 24

We Rest in Him Who Is Truth

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  (John 8:31-32)

The word of truth is free, and carries its own authority, disdaining to fall under any skilful argument, or to endure the logical scrutiny of its hearers.  But it would be believed for its own nobility, and for the confidence due to Him who sends it.  Now the word of truth is sent from God, therefore the freedom claimed by the truth is not arrogant.  For being sent with authority, it would not be proper that it should be required to produce proof of what is said; since neither is there any proof beyond itself, which is God.… And God, the Father of the universe, who is the perfect intelligence, is the truth.  And the Word, being His Son, came to us, having put on flesh, revealing both Himself and the Father, giving to us in Himself resurrection from the dead, and eternal life afterwards.  And this is Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  He, therefore, is Himself both the faith and the proof of Himself and of all things.  Therefore those who follow Him, and know Him, having faith in Him as their proof, shall rest in Him.

 Justin Martyr, On the Resurrection, I

Christ at the Father's Right Hand

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God  (Heb 10:12)

We hold, moreover, that Christ sits in the body at the right hand of God the Father, but we do not hold that the right hand of the Father is actual place.  For how could He that is uncircumscribed have a right hand limited by place?  Right hands and left hands belong to what is circumscribed.  But we understand the right hand of the Father to be the glory and honor of the Godhead in which the Son of God, who existed as God before the ages, and is of like essence to the Father, and in the end became flesh, has a seat in the body, His flesh sharing in the glory.  For He along with His flesh is adored with one adoration by all creation.

John of Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith, IV.2

Riches of God's Goodness

Nearly all reject the weak and poor as objects of disgust; an earthly king cannot bear the sight of them, rulers turn away from them, while the rich ignore them and pass them by when they meet them as though they did not exist; nobody thinks it desirable to associate with them.

But God, who is served by myriads of powers without number, who “upholds the universe by the word of His power,” * whose majesty is beyond anyone’s endurance, has not disdained to become the Father, the Friend, the Brother of those rejected ones.  He willed to become incarnate so that He might become “like unto us in all things except for sin” † and make us to share in His glory and His kingdom.

What stupendous riches of His great goodness!  What an ineffable condescension on the part of our master and our God.

Symeon the New Theologian, Discourse 2.4

* Hebrews 1:3
† Hebrews 4:15

Godly Worship Begins with Biblical Thinking

When confronting aberrant worship patterns, the best tool at the believer's disposal is the Word of God, but when differences of application arise between assemblies, there may need to be argumentation from a comparison of correct worship to incorrect.  The contrast helps to illuminate the strengths of the former and weaknesses of the latter.  Arnobius of Sicca * takes this tack concerning pagan worship.

Come now: as the discussion has been prolonged and led to these points, let us summarize what each has to say and decide by a brief comparison whether your ideas of the gods above are better or our thoughts more preferable, honorable, and just so as to give and assign to the divine nature its own dignity.

From The Case against the Pagans, VII.35

The apologist argued using the common sense approach of using terms and concepts they understood in order to build his case moving point by point through summaries of what was already presented.

Topic	Of Pagans	Arnobius' Response
Origin	You declare that the gods, whom you either think or believe to exist, of whom you have set up images and statues in all the temples, were born and produced from the germs of males and females, under the necessary condition of sexual embraces.	We, on the contrary, if they are indeed true gods, and have the authority, power, dignity of this name, consider that they must either be unbegotten, for it is pious to believe this, or, if they have a beginning in birth, it belongs to the supreme God to know by what methods He made them, or how many ages there are since He granted to them to enter upon the eternal being of His own divine nature.
Gender	You consider that the deities have sexes, and that some of them are male, others female.	We utterly deny that the powers of heaven have been distinguished by sexes, since this distinction has been given to the creatures of earth which the Author of the universe willed should embrace and generate, to provide, by their carnal desires, one generation of offspring after another.
Form	You think that they are like men, and have been fashioned with the countenances of mortals.	We think that the images are far removed from them, as form belongs to a mortal body; and if they have any, we swear with the utmost earnestness and confidence that no man can comprehend it.
Work	By you they are said to have each his trade, like artisans.	We laugh when we hear you say such things, as we hold and think that professions are not necessary to gods, and it is certain and evident that these have been provided to assist poverty.
Character	You say that some of them cause dissensions, that there are others who inflict pestilences, others who excite love and madness, others, even, who preside over wars, and are delighted by the shedding of blood.	We, indeed, on the contrary, judge that these things are alien to the dispositions of the deities; or if there are any who inflict and bring these ills on miserable mortals, we maintain that they are far from the nature of the gods, and should not be spoken of under this name.
Emotion	You judge that the deities are angry and perturbed, and given over and subject to the other mental affections	We think that such emotions are alien from them, for these suit savage beings, and those running the course of mortality.
Sacrifices	You think that they rejoice, are made glad, and are reconciled to men, their offended feelings being soothed by the blood of beasts and the slaughter of victims.	We hold that there is in the heavenly realm no love of blood, and that they are not so stern as to lay aside their resentment only when glutted with the slaughter of animals.
Novelties	You think that, by wine and incense, honor is given to the gods, and their dignity increased.	We judge it marvelous and monstrous that any man thinks that the deity either becomes more venerable by reason of smoke, or thinks himself supplicated by men with sufficient awe and respect when they offer a few drops of wine.
Theatrics	You are persuaded that, by the crash of cymbals and the sound of pipes, by horse races and theatrical plays, the gods are both delighted and affected, and that their resentful feelings conceived some time prior are mollified by the satisfaction which these things give.	We hold it to be out of place, nay more, we judge it incredible, that those who have surpassed by a thousand degrees every kind of excellence in the height of their perfection, should be pleased and delighted with those things which a wise man laughs at, and which do not seem to have any charm except to little children, coarsely and vulgarly educated.
	From The Case against the Pagans, VII.35-36

Though biblical texts are not explicitly stated, the responses reflect Christian themes concerning deity and where pagans err in their attempts to honor a divine being, especially the "supreme God" and "Author of the universe" as noted above.  Even today there are those rejecting anything Christian who fall into the same trap as the opponents faced 1700 years ago.  Though their spiritual condition is lamentable, we should not be surprised.  More lamentable is the trend by so many Christian groups, purporting to be conservative, Bible-believing, and evangelical, run headlong after the same error. †  The parallels are striking.

What can be learned from these things?  Arnobius' conclusion helps here.  He begins by addressing the core issue beginning with a question.

Since these things are so, and there is so great difference between our opinions and yours, where are we impious on the one hand and you pious, when the reason as to piety and impiety must be weighed on the beliefs of the two parties?  (VII.37)

How can one religious system make claims for true piety?  It cannot be measured by rationalized actions.  The underlying truth claims upon which the system is built must be examined.

For he who makes himself an image which he may worship for a god, or slaughters an innocent beast, and burns it on consecrated altars, must not be held to be devoted to divine things.  Religion is constituted by critical judgment and a right way of thinking about the gods, meaning that you do not think that they desire anything contrary to what accords with their own exaltation.  For since we see all the things which are offered to them consumed here under our eyes, what else can be said to reach them from us than beliefs worthy of the gods, and most appropriate to their name?  These are the surest gifts, these the true sacrifices.  (VII.37)

Sincerity is not questioned nor the desire to bring the intended deity due exaltation.  No amount of good intention can approach the the surpassing worth of believing on a divine person as has been revealed.  Actions will fall into line as the teaching permeates the worshiper who follows in obedience.  The application to Christians and non-Christians alike  is the same: hear and hold fast to the truth of God's word.  Solomon said it well:

The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.  My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.  (Eccl 12:11-12)

Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ have been and will be tempted by those promoting the new—new idea, new "revelation of God," new way of "doing church," ad nauseum—by well-intended people hoping to spur the church to new heights of spirituality and obedience, but the life of the disciple does not work that way.  After Jesus commended Peter for his great confession and followed with the authority to bind and loose, Peter immediately misunderstands by attempting to exercise authority over Jesus' plan to suffer and die (Matt 16:22).  He failed to understand that authority is best expressed in humility to God and his word, or as Solomon said it: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."  (Eccl 12:13)

If our obligation is to fear God and do what he says, we need to know some things: how do we fear God, and what commandments need to be kept?  We discover these things from the Bible through hearing and reading, and should see them manifest in the assembly overseers, Bible teachers, and those older in the faith, each as they were taught the sound doctrine.  This will establish right thinking leading to a right understanding of God's person and work.  In the context of our discussion, this also means we should expect God-fearing worship to be in place—worship that receives from the Lord what he gives, remembers him and rightly recounts his glorious person and mighty works, and moving us to praise.  We need worship that teaches as we participate.

Notice I did not say that we need teaching and worship to be perfect.  That is too much to hope for while sin is in the world.  What I am saying is that there should be no excuse for not examining scripture and allowing the Holy Spirit to straighten what was crooked, tear down what is puffed up, and lift up Christ above all.


* The quotes for this post have been modernized somewhat from the 19th-century translation at Christian Classics Ethereal Library I have been using in order to help follow the argumentation.
† See my previous posts commenting on and applying this ancient work.