Philippians 4:19 In brief (MPhil)

 Ernest Hepnar photo, presently touring Rome and Italy.

Thursday, November 30, 2017 Philippians & Ephesians: Thankfulness

Sunday, July 28, 2013 Spiritual Education (MPhil)

Tuesday, January 10, 2006 MPhil Wales 2003

From

2003 The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives: MPhil thesis, Bangor University 

Today, our needs are often misunderstood. In the evangelical Christian church it is sometimes said that God will always meet our needs; however, there could be confusion with the concept of ‘always’. Let us not forget that there are Christians who are blind, or missing limbs for example. Both sight and limbs are basic human needs. Some realize this in philosophical terms, but often these people are living in lonely rooms and homes, away from the mainstream, so they may not be seen and/or experienced by many in the church. In reality, God does always meet what we see as basic human needs, or scientifically what can be deemed as basic human needs such as good health; however, what God promised, mainly, is everlasting life if we believe in Christ as Saviour, and judgement for all humanity.

In Philippians 4:19, Paul promises his readers that God will supply their needs in Christ. However, Martin noted that: "The precise meaning of will meet as a wish-prayer, not a statement of fact, is a helpful insight." Martin (1987: 184). The fact that Paul is waiting for God to supply the reader’s needs means there is an element of faith involved, and in matters of faith, God sometimes does not deliver as expected although he will meet the needs of his people in order for them to best serve him.

God will meet the needs of the believer, mainly in the context of making it feasible for a person to complete his will for their individual life. This unfortunately, from a human perspective, leaves much room for suffering. Yes, God loves his people, but he has knowledge of what must take place in a believer’s life in a more complete way than any human being could be aware of. He alone is omniscient.

MARTIN, R.P. (1987) 'Philippians', in Leon Canon Morris (gen. ed.),Tyndale New Testament Commentary, Leicester/Grand Rapids, Inter-Varsity Press/William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

WOODS, B.W. (1974) Christians in Pain, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

I have shared this work above previously from my British, MPhil thesis and in the Spiritual Education, article.

September 14, 2019

Bible Hub

Cited with my work in brackets:

your needs χρείαν chreian Original Word: χρεία, ας, ἡ

needs, business

Bible Hub

Philippians 4:19 N-AFS (noun, accusative feminine, singular)

(Accusative, meet (verb) needs of you)

GRK: πληρώσει      πᾶσαν  χρείαν      ὑμῶν     κατὰ
(will fill up or meet  all        needs  of you  according to)
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The New Testament Greek to me with a definition of needs and business, could be described in context, as the needs and business of the individual Christian in serving God, being met, more so than all of the ontological needs of the individual Christian, all being met.

The Orthodox Study Bible: James 1: 26-27

The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy,Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 

James 1:26 was the header verse used in the sermon reviewed on the previous entry...

James 1:26-27 New King James Version (NKJV) (Same version as the Orthodox text)

26 If anyone [a]among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
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The Orthodox Study Bible from 26-27, opines on 'three examples of the relationship between faith and works'. (542).

1) Mastery over speech: It is reasoned that the quality of speech from believers in Jesus Christ 'will reveal the quality of our faith in God'. (542).

This connects more specifically to verse 26, and the subject of the previous article on this website, which discussed theoretical theology on lying.

In agreement with Orthodoxy, divinely respectful speech that is grateful in love to God, is in my theology, an indicator of the quality of faith. I personally would place even more emphasis on the worldview embraced and lived, by the person claiming to be a Christian in determining the quality of faith in a Christian. Ultimately only God can adequately and exhaustively judge the spirit, mind and deeds of a person (Revelation 20, 2 Corinthians 5: 10).

2) Ministry to the needy: 'Faithful Christians must be the guardians of the poor.' (542).

This is the 'Pure and undefiled religion' of verse 27. Justification and salvation by grace through faith in the applied atoning and resurrection work of Jesus Christ to believers, not by any human works, but for good human works in Jesus Christ.  (Ephesians 1-2).

3) Moral purity in thought and deed:  'A faith that works produces moral purity.' (542). The idea from James here is in agreement with Ephesians 2. A legitimate Christian walk by grace through faith should lead to general (sinful nature still exists in this realm) obedience in good works.

In regards to James 1: 26, Courson writes that 'a truly religious man, a deep man, does not pop off and throw temper tantrums at God, God is God and we're not. God is good, and we're not.' (1519).

I have been verbally angry at God. I partially agree with Courson here. Tantrums should be repented of where sinful thoughts and speech was expressed. Obviously, humanity is finite and sinful and God is theologically, infinite and perfectly good and holy.

I think that in faith it is at times good to pray to God with emotion, including anger, rather than directing emotion at other people that do not have God's infinite knowledge and complete knowledge of the human heart.

It is good to vent to God in faith, and it is good to avoid foolish misunderstandings of our emotions with other people. It is good to vent with God in faith and not hold a grudge.

Let us remember that anger at God, and other sinfulness, can exist, even without being verbally expressed.

Matthew 15: 19

New American Standard Bible

"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.

In regards to James 1: 27, Courson explains that 'true religion is a matter of purity and humility.' (1519).

Unspotted (ἄσπιλον) from James 1: 27

Bible Hub

Strong's Concordance aspilos: spotless, unstained

Original Word: ἄσπιλος, ον Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: aspilos

Phonetic Spelling: (as'-pee-los)

Definition: spotless, unstained Usage: unstained, undefiled, spotless, pure.

Englishman's Concordance

James 1:27 Adj-AMS GRK: θλίψει αὐτῶν ἄσπιλον ἑαυτὸν τηρεῖν NAS: oneself unstained by the world. KJV: himself unspotted from INT: tribulation of them unstained oneself to keep.

It is accusative, masculine, singular.

COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.

The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy,Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.

Brief on lying

Burrard Inlet

Nov 24 1999 

The link presents a Pastor Michael Phillips sermon that I recently listened to.

I provide brief sermon commentary for this website.

James 1:26

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not [a]bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Footnotes: James 1:26 Or control

Baxter on the Tongue #4: Lying

Cited

Baxter begins this chapter with a few words of definition. What is a lie? He says it is two things:

"Lying is the speaking of a known falsehood, with purpose to deceive". This he calls "the grossest" form of lying (or, the most obvious). Kids often do this. "Who made this mess? you want to know. "It wasn't me" they all reply. Kids often do this. But not only kids. Lying is an even bigger problem with adults.

The second kind of lying--Baxter says--is "Speaking falsely through culpable ignorance, error, or inconsiderateness". 'The key word here is "culpable" or blameworthy...'
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In general terms, not exhaustively, summarizing these two points:

1. A known falsehood with the motive of deception.

(I live in the 19th century)

2. A falsehood in error, perhaps in intellectual laziness.

(In court: Yes, your honour, that was the accused, even though I saw him running, from fifty feet away, in the rain, in the dark night.)

Cited

One day I asked him about the Mexican state of Chiapas. He knew all about it, of course, and explained every detail with great confidence. It sounded funny to me, so I looked it up and found--the man was wrong on every point! Was he trying to deceive me? I don't think so. What was he doing? He was posing as an authority on a subject he knew nothing about. Baxter says that too is lying.

Again...

Was he trying to deceive me? I don't think so.

There may be self-deception by the person lying!

I listened to this online sermon three times, and when I heard this example, it strikes me as intellectual laziness. The person telling the story about the Mexican state wants to look informed, perhaps informed to the pastor; but rather than performing the intellectual work to be informed, he presents falsehoods.

There are certainly other aspects which lead to lying in error and ignorance, including pride. A person wants to save face. Stating an untruth as opposed to admitting that one is simply ignorant in regards to an issue.

In my view, sometimes a stated guess is more harmful than useful.

Cited

Rather than splitting hairs half-the-night, let me sum up Baxter's view of lying. In effect, you're lying--he says--whenever you're talking...but not telling the truth. 

Cited

DON'T DO THINGS YOU'LL NEED TO LIE ABOUT LATER

"Unclean bodies need a cover and are most ashamed to be seen. [Shameful things] cause lying and lying leads to more [shameful things]. The best way in the world to avoid lying is to be innocent". This is a good point! What sort of things do we lie about? We lie about things we're ashamed to admit. Don't do those things and the temptation to lie about them will be gone.

Based on a fear of God and also pragmatically, by grace through faith, I  have attempted to live this way. Imperfectly.

A sign of being in Jesus Christ (James 1: 26) is the motive in prayer and life, to have the Holy Spirit sanctify human nature, desires, will, thoughts, speech, acts and actions.

BARCLAY, WILLIAM (1976) The Letters of James and Peter, Philadelphia, The Westminster Press. 

CARSON, T. (1986) ‘James’, in F.F. Bruce (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.

Relative dualism

Pitt Meadows: I like the red car.

2003 The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives: MPhil thesis, Bangor University 

For my MPhil surveys, I received fifty each, completed of Anglicans and Baptists who have attended a post-secondary denominational college, University or seminary, or are members of one of those denominations who have studied religion at a post-secondary level. 

The previous question from my MPhil was in regard to Absolute dualism, as was the previous article on this website.

Statement seven: 

This statement stated:

Relative Dualism, a universe containing an eternal, infinite, good God, and a finite created Devil, is permissible within a Biblical world-view. The statement is, of course, related to the previous one, and I think this view is expressed in Scripture. Here 74% of Anglicans agreed, while 14% were not certain, with 12% disagreeing. With the Baptists, 86% agreed, 4% being not certain, and 10% being in disagreement.

Some observers of Christianity like to think of Satan and his fallen angels as a metaphor for evil and wish to deny that these beings exist. Professor David Pailin, who was my advisor for a short time, criticized me for believing in these beings as there was no proof of their existence. I think that Scripture is historical and it certainly accepts their existence.

As well, and this was a point that I made to Professor Pailin, if theists believe that God, who is spirit (John 4:24) created human beings who are of a physical nature, why is it more difficult to believe that God made angels who were of spiritual nature?

To me, it is a more difficult task for God to create matter and physical beings when he is spirit, as opposed to creating spiritual beings who are much like him except finite. I do not have a philosophical problem believing in angels and fallen angels, however, I do not base my belief in angelic beings primarily on my experience but in Scripture and reason.

September 5, 2019

A slight revision and explanation...

In 2003, by 'more difficult' I meant within my MPhil thesis for emphasis, and to previously make emphasis with my debate with Professor David Pailin, that it was more distinct and different from God's divine nature as infinite, eternal spirit, to create a physical being with a spirit (a human being and human beings) as opposed to creating a merely spiritual being, as in the angelic and fallen angelic beings, which includes the eventual demonic beings.

From a human perspective it appears to be more different and difficult in a sense. That was my point. I am not making any claims in regard to God's level of work.

PAILIN, DAVID A. (1999) ‘Deism’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowen (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.

PAILIN, DAVID A. (1999) ‘Enlightenment’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.

PAILIN, DAVID A. (1999) ‘Process Theology’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.

On Dualism February 21 2018