The Institutes of IPA

My thoughts exactly (on Hell)

Shortly after coming over to the reformed view of Christianity I realized that the general understand of hell (and of heaven as well) were deeply flawed and unbiblical.  I began discussing how an omnipresent God could have created a place where He was not present, so Hell had to be a place where God was present.  I typically pointed to Isaiah being ‘undone’ in the presence of the Lord because he was unclean and at the foot of perfect righteousness.  Usually I was rebutted with the argument that Hell was absence from God, that was what made it so bad.  I was unconvinced.  Finally, I cam across this post from Martin Downes that nearly perfectly describes what I was trying to convey:

Ask an evangelical Christian to define Hell and they may well say “Hell is separation from God.” What they may mean is that Hell is a place where God is not present. Ask them if Jesus was separated from his Father in the dark hours in which he suffered on the cross and they will say that he was separated from God, that his Father abandoned him and turned his face away from him. Hell means separation from God, and the cross, for Christ, meant separation from God.

However, ask them if Hell is a place, a part of creation, and they will agree that it is. Ask them if God is omnipresent, present in and to the whole creation, and they will want to affirm that too. So if Hell is a place, a part of creation, then God must be present in Hell. If he is present in Hell then how can we speak of Hell as separation from God? If we imagined Hell to be an isolated dumping ground, a far off corner of the universe where God is absent, where people have chosen to exist without him and been given over to those desires, then we are no longer thinking clearly of God as omnipresent.

The reason why we think of Hell as separation from God is, I suspect, because Jesus readily uses that language to describe the misery of eternal punishment. After all will he not say “I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness,”? (Matt. 7:21-23). Will he not on the last day, as the enthroned King, say to those on his left “depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire” (Matt. 25:41). Are we not right to think of Hell as exclusion from God’s presence, and therefore as a state of separation from him? Before giving a fuller answer to that question we ought to consider some of the strands that make up the biblical teaching about the presence of God.

God is omnipresent

The Bible affirms the omnipresence of God. God is infinite. With regard to space he is immense, having no “no-go” areas from which he is excluded. He is not contained in his creation, or limited by its dimensions in any way. Heaven and earth cannot contain him. This is what Solomon acknowledges at the dedication of the temple “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! (1 Kings 8:27). God testifies to this same truth through Jeremiah, saying “Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD (Jer. 23:23-24). Psalm 139:7-10 is also relevant here:

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Amos makes the same point in the context of those seeking to escape God’s judgment (Amos 9:1-4). Paul told even the idolatrous Athenians that God was not far from them, and that in him they lived, moved and had their being (Acts 17:24-28).

Sinners are said to depart from God’s presence

Even though God’s omnipresence is affirmed the Bible freely uses language about people departing from, or being sent away from God’s presence. This is Cain’s fear, as God’s face will then be hidden from him (Gen. 4:14). Two verses later we are told that Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod. It was to be Israel’s experience to be sent away from God’s presence for persistent disobedience and idolatry (Jer. 7:15; 15:1; 23:39). Jeremiah announces the climatic judgment against Jerusalem in this way (52:3-4):

It was because of the LORD’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence…So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. They camped outside the city and built siege works all around it.

Judah and Jerusalem suffer the same consequences as Israel previously had known. As 2 Kings 17:18-23 says, “the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence…he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence…the Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the LORD removed them from his presence.”

Conversely there are numerous references that speak of God’s presence, many of them bound up with the tabernacle and temple, that speak of God’s presence in distinctly local ways. It ought to be remembered that heaven is specifically God’s dwelling place, and that he is especially said to be present there.

In addition to the language of being removed from God’s presence we can add that of separation. Here we are confronted with Isaiah’s famous words (Isa. 59:2), “but your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

Given these distinct ways of speaking about God’s presence in Scripture we should not make the mistake of playing them off against each other as if they were in conflict in any way. Furthermore, we ought to be careful about how we receive this language and not slip into wrong thinking because of certain connotations implied by the language of departing from God’s presence, or being separated and sent away. In one sense God was as much present to Cain in Nod as he was to Adam in the Garden and as he is now to you as you read this. None of the exiles saw a sign that read “Welcome to Babylon, God ain’t here!” I suspect that it is simply carelessness and imprecision of thought that leads us to think of Hell as separation from God in spatial terms.

Understanding God’s spatial and relational presence

So how should we understand the language of departing from God’s presence? Not in spatial, but in relational terms. Or, to put it another way, it is a spiritual separation that we experience because of our sin, not a strictly local separation. Although the church in its infancy did experience God’s presence in connection with holy places this experience is abrogated by the coming of Christ (John 4:20-24. That is not to deny the present dwelling of the covenant God among his people by the Spirit, but it is to say that this dwelling is not associated with geographic places. Even so this was well understood by Solomon, who knew full well that event though God would dwell in the temple even the highest heavens could not contain him (1 Kings 8:27; cf. Isa. 66:1-2, Acts 7:47-50). So the language of drawing near and departing from God’s presence isn’t a matter of physical distance but of his relationship to us. Our sin creates an ethical distance not a geographical one. We know in a limited way from our own experience that we can be in the same room as someone physically, but if we have fallen out with them it is like we are a million miles apart. So Isaiah says that on account of Israel’s sins God had hidden his face from them (Isa. 59:2; cf. Num. 6:25).

God’s presence in relation to Hell and the atonement

Is God present in Hell? We have to say that he is. Firstly, because Scripture affirms that he is. In Hell there is torment day and night in the presence of the holy angels and the in the presence of the Lamb (Rev. 14:9-11). Secondly, to deny that he is present in all of his creation is to deny that God is infinite and immense. Was God present at the cross when Christ was forsaken? He was spatially as present in Jerusalem then as he is today. Nevertheless in a way that we cannot comprehend but which is the cause of all our hope in time and eternity, we believe that the Son of God knew all the torments of a condemned sinner, and all the relational distance that guilty sinners will receive. His experience of being forsaken was not imagined (Mark 15:33-34). In that cry of dereliction he knew abandonment, as Christ the only true and perfect covenant keeper, bore the full weight of the covenant curses in the place of his people (Gal. 3:10-14).

When we turn to the Westminster Larger Catechism question 29, which deals with the subject of God’s relationship to those who will experience future judgement in Hell, we find a precision of thought on these matters that is often lacking today:

Q. 29. What are the punishments of sin in the world to come?

A. The punishments of sin in the world to come, are everlasting separation from the comfortable presence of God, and most grievous torments in soul and body, without intermission, in hell-fire forever. (emphasis added)

Hell is not spatial separation from God, it cannot be because God is omnipresent. No, Hell is separation from the comfortable presence of God. It is the unshielded experience of the presence of God in his holiness and just wrath, and the absence of his mercy and grace.

Christian Origins series by N.T. Wright (and some others)…

I am finally making the jump and commitment to go through the three volumes of Wright’s Christian Origins and the Question of God series.  I understand that he is supposed to continue this on at some point so I need to go ahead and get started.  I am going a little out of order and plan to make this the order:

1. Jesus and the Victory of God
2. The Resurrection of the Son of God
3. Justification (his newest one)
4. Following Jesus
5. New Testament and the People of God

We will see how this goes.  This is going to be a 2000+ page effort but hope that these, along with a healthy dose of God’s Word, brings me to a deeper understanding of Him.

The online music wars..

As many of you know, iTunes finally went live with the new pricing plans for songs based on popularity.  The pricing point went from a standard .99 cents across the board to a .69, .99, 1.29 setup.  What is interesting is that I have yet to find any that are listed for .69 cents and I listen to pretty obscure music.  Many of the songs on the Top 100 list for each genre have been bumped to the 1.29 price point.  What will be interesting is to see what effect this has on AmazonMP3’s market share who maintain a DRM-Free 256kb MP3 store that is keeping their .99 cent per song pricing structure.  Also of note is that the iTunes store is strictly AAC (mp4) while Amazon is using MP3, which makes it compatible with every single portable audio player on the planet.

I for one made the switch several months ago.  The daily album deal (ranging from .99 to 3.99 for an entire album) and the 5 for $5 weekly deals make the site irresistible.  I use all the iTunes gift cards I get for iPhone apps.  Now if only Apple would allow an AmazonMP3 store interface app for the iPhone

A growing affinity for all things Whisky

I was a little late to the Psalm 104 understanding of alcohol…

14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
15 and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

ESV

In high school and early (very early) college I engaged alcohol with the same mindset as many of my peers, something to abuse so that I achieved a certain feeling I was looking for.  Once the Lord took me and breathed new life in to me, I had a knee-jerk reaction similar to the new peers I was associating with in that it was bad and should never be partook of.

As I began to study the Word more and read more reformed authors I realized that the knee-jerk reaction at the time was an unbiblical one that was not only a source of judgement I had towards those who did drink, but also an outright rejection of something that God meant for good.  Following my previous logic I should have abstained from eating (gluttony), movies (lust) and many other components of my life that I could come to the same slippery slope conclusion on.

About the age of 25 or so I had decided that it was okay for me to partake of an alcoholic beverage but did not know how to since my previous experience was about drinking quickly to get past the bad flavor (Bud Light and the like) to get to the point where I could not longer taste it.  Luckily I had some good friends who introduced me to microbreweries and a whole new world of flavor that I had no idea existed.  I learned to savor and enjoy a full-bodied beer and appreciate the different flavors that were presented on the palate.  Much to the chagrin of Keystone Light, I learned to appreciate that bitterness in a beer is key characteristic to certain ales (which are now my favorite) and not the sign of a bad beer.

After a couple of years learning about different beers and fine tuning what I liked about certain beers and what I did not like about others, my brother-in-law introduced me to the world of Whisky.  I guess I was around 28 when I bought my first bottle of scotch.  I was in the process of changing jobs and the coworkers I was leaving presented me with a $50 gift certificate to Spec’s Liquor, a local favorite in Houston (I can hear the theme song now).  After some browsing I settled on a standard in the scotch world, and a good starting point for anyone wanting to get interested in scotch, The Macallan 12 yr.   I took it home, poured my first double and sat down one evening to enjoy my first real glass.  I was immediately taken back by the aroma of toffee, caramels, wood and sherry wine.  the first sip confirmed what the nose had smelled and my mouth was filled with flavor.

This was the first sip of a long relationship.

Fast forward three years and here we are.  I have tasted many different scotches and just like my experiences with beer, as I learn more about the different regions and styles of scotch, my tastes have evolved and I am beginning to learn what I do and do not care for in a whisky or scotch.  Unfortunately, scotch is not the cheapest hobby to have.  I good bottle of whisky or scotch can run you anywhere from $30 to $90, with ones ages 18 years or more going even higher than that.  Luckily, I have a generous family and take advantage of the holidays and birthdays to ask for nicer bottles of scotch that I would not typically purchase for a normal occasion.  Most recently, I purchased a bottle of 16 yr old Lagavulin (pictured above).  It is my first from this distillery but it is not my first taste.  I have had it elsewhere and can already count it as one of my favorites even after having enjoyed it on 2 or 3 occasions.

Anyone else out there have a similar love for all things whisky?

Christless Christianity

A great quote from Horton’s latest, Christless Christianity:

We do not need more Christian service organizations but more churches that serve the sheep and send them out to love and serve their neighbors alongside non-Christians as employees, employers, volunteers, friends, and family members.  Since we all share the awareness of God’s in our conscience (however we might suppress it), and the Spirit works through common grace as well as saving grace, the church-as-institution does not have to do, prescribe, or dictate everything we do as citizens in the culture.  We do not need more Christian art, philosophy, politics, and businesses; we need more Christian proclamation and the genuinely transformed thinking and living that arise from it.

Amen!

The Kindle 2.0

This past Monday Amazon announced the new iteration of their successful e-book reader, the Kindle.  This device was originally announced back in 2007 and honestly barely caught my attention, At first I was apprehensive about another move to a digital realm.  I, like many people, was not interested in giving up the experience of sitting down with a book in the evening, along with a good beer or glass of scotch, and diving in to the pages.  This is coming from the guy who still loves the warmth that vinyl gives when the needle hits the groove.

However as 2008 came around and I read more books in a year than I ever have, including (GASP!) some fiction, my attraction to this little device began to grow. I began talking about its virtues to my wife in a very casual manner late last year and much to my surprise, I received a ransom note for Christmas that Amazon had my Kindle held hostage and that it was scheduled to ship around my brithday in March.

I was terribly excited but also somewhat cautious since I knew that a new version of the product was imminent.  Luckily, Amazon has done those on the wait list right and have automatically upgraded everyone on the list to a Kindle 2.0 and it will begin shipping to consumers on the 24th of February.  I look forward to reading my first of many books on this thing and having the option of downloading a new book on a whim (not always a good thing) when on vacation or sitting at the airport.  Thankfully, Crossway Books, the publisher of a few good authors (Piper, Driscoll, etc), has jumped head first in to this world and hopefully other more traditional publishers like Presbyterian & Reformed will follow suit.

I will let everyone know my initial reactions upon receiving it!

PS – If you are interested in purchasing one and diving head first in to the e-book world with me, please use the following image to link…

Catching up with the Grahams

It has been a long time since I have posted something on the blog. My apologies for those few people that frequent this place or at least have it linked in their RSS reader. The beginning of this year brought some changes at work as I was moved from the Texas Nodal market change to the California MRTU market change. I was originally brought in for the Nodal transition that was scheduled to go live at the beginning of this year. That was a very optimistic outlook and the market has been delayed until December of 2010. So that I did not sit around for two years (or worse, get laid off) I was moved to the MRTU market, one that has been in transition for seven years and is finally going live on March 31st of this year. With that came a good 1000% increase in work load and a considerable amount of stress but with the bad comes the good. The days fly by and I am finally gaining the market specific energy knowledge that I have been wanting.

With that we were also displaced within our house from Hurricane Ike back in September of 2008. It made landfall overnight and we had the unique experience of riding out the third most destructive hurricane to hit the US as we huddled in the hallway and listened to trees snap and fall on our house. The damage was limited to the roof along with some water damage in the master and guest bathrooms. As of today, it looks like the season of wandering is finally coming to an end with the installation of new floors where the water damage destroyed the carpet.

One of the few bright spots within the past few months was the vacation that we just got back from in Breckenridge, CO. Since we were married in 2001, Alyssa and I have not gone on a real vacation due to many different circumstances, mainly using vacation time to travel to see family when we lived in Memphis amongst other things. When our friends Batch and Holly invited us to go along with them for a week to Breckenridge for a week of snow and relaxation. I have never been in the mountains during the winter time so we jumped on it and took off on the 2nd of February. After several falls while snowbaording, some time at the Breckenridge Brewery , snowmobiling, and great food, we returned last night to Houston and have our buffer day before returning to work tomorrow. Now begins the ramp up to the Go Live date spoken of above and a time of serious work to be done.

I hope all is well with everyone reading. I have updated the 2009 book list and look forward to more to come.

Mohler’s Prayer

Al Mohler, Jr has posted a prayer on his site the deserves reporting everywhere. He shows us how we, as believers and followers of the one, true risen Lord, should pray for our new president with confidence and hope. Here is what he prayed…

Our Father, Lord of all creation, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: We pray today with a sense of special urgency and responsibility. We come before you to pray for our new President, Barack Obama, and for all those in this new administration who now assume roles of such high responsibility.

We know that you and you alone are sovereign; that you rule over all, and that you alone are able to keep and defend us. We know that our times are in your hands, and that “the king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord” [Proverbs 21:1]. Our confidence is in you and in you alone. We come before you as a people who acknowledge our constant need for your provision, wisdom, and protection.

Father, we pray today for Barack Obama as he takes office as President of the United States. We pray that you will show the glory of your name in our times and in these days, confounding the wisdom of the wise, thwarting the plans of the arrogant, and vindicating those who do justice and practice righteousness.

Father, we pray with thanksgiving for the gift of government and the grace of civic order. Thank you for giving us rulers and for knowing our need for laws and ordered life together. Thank you for this nation and the blessings we know as its citizens. Thank you for freedoms unprecedented in human history. We understand that these freedoms come with unprecedented opportunities.

Lord, we pray with thanksgiving for the joy and celebration reflected on millions of faces who never expected to look to the President of the United States and see a person who looks like themselves. Father, thank you for preserving this nation to the moment when an African-American citizen will take the oath of office and become our President. Thank you for the hope this has given to so many, the pride emerging in hearts that had known no such hope, and the pride that comes to a people who have experienced such pain at the hands of fellow citizens, simply because of the color of their skin. Father, we rejoice in every elderly face that reflects such long-sought satisfaction and in every young face that expresses such unrestrained joy. May this become an open door for a vision of race and human dignity that reflects your glory in our differences, and not our corruption of your gift.

Father, protect this president, we pray. We pray that you will surround this president and his family, along with all our leaders, with your protection and sustenance. May he be protected from evil acts and evil intentions, and may his family be protected from all evil and harm.

We pray that the Obama family will be drawn together as they move into the White House, and that they will know great joy in their family life. We are thankful for the example Barack and Michelle Obama have set as parents. Father, protect those precious girls in every way — including the protection of their hearts as they see their father often criticized and as he is away from them on business of state. May their years in the White House bring them all even closer together.

Father, we pray for the safety and security of this nation, even as our new president settles into his role as Commander in Chief. We know that you and you alone can be our defense. We do not place our trust in horses or chariots, and we pray that you will give this president wisdom as he fulfills this vital responsibility.

Father, grant him wisdom in every dimension of his vast responsibility. Grant him wisdom to deal with a global financial crisis and with the swirling complex of vexing problems and challenges at home and abroad. May he inspire this nation to a higher vision for our common life together, to a higher standard of justice, righteousness, unity, and the tasks of citizenship.

Father, we pray that you will change this president’s heart and mind on issues of urgent concern. We are so thankful for his gifts and talents, for his intellect and power of influence. Father, bend his heart to see the dignity and sanctity of every single human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. Father, lead him to see abortion, not as a matter of misconstrued rights, but as a murderous violation of the right to life. May he come to see every aborted life as a violation of human dignity and every abortion as an abhorrent blight upon this nation’s moral witness. May he pledge himself to protect every human life at every stage of development. He has declared himself as an energetic defender of abortion rights, and we fear that his election will lead directly to the deaths of countless unborn human beings. Protect us from this unspeakable evil, we pray. Most urgently, we pray that you will bring the reign of abortion to an end, even as you are the defender of the defenseless.

Father, may this new president see that human dignity is undermined when human embryos are destroyed in the name of medical progress, and may he see marriage as an institution that is vital to the very survival of civilization. May he protect all that is right and good. Father, change his heart where it must be changed, and give him resolve where his heart is right before you.

Father, when we face hard days ahead — when we find ourselves required by conscience to oppose this president within the bounds of our roles as citizens — may we be granted your guidance to do so with a proper spirit, with a proper demeanor, and with persuasive arguments. May we learn anew how to confront without demonizing, and to oppose without abandoning hope.

Father, we are aware that our future is in your hands, and we are fully aware that you and you alone will judge the nations. Much responsibility is now invested in President Barack Obama, and much will be required. May we, as Christian citizens, also fulfill what you would require of us. Even as we pray for you to protect this president and change his heart, we also pray that your church will be protected and that you will conform our hearts to your perfect will.

Father, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, the ever-reigning once and future King, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He and he alone can save, and his kingdom is forever. Above all, may your great name be praised. Amen.

_________________________

Christians are, first of all, citizens of a heavenly kingdom. The followers of Christ know no allegiance of ultimate rank to any government or earthly authority. Yet, the Bible clearly teaches that God has given us the gifts of law, government, and ruling authorities for our good. We are instructed to pray for “rulers and all who have authority” and to be faithful in praying “so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God” [1 Timothy 2:2].

As Barack Obama prepares to take the oath of office and become the 44th President of the United States, Christians should be thinking about how to pray for the new President. I offer this prayer as a place to start, as we observe the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States together.

What I read in 2008

Here is the list. It is by far the most books I have ever read in one year, most likely five or six fold. I am not sure what got in to me but I hope it happens again this year.

The Reason for God – Keller (Feb)
The Wages of Spin – Trueman (March)
Solomon Among the Postmoderns – Leithart (April)
Calvin and the Sabbath – Gaffin (April)
The Minority Report – Trueman (April)
Surprised by Hope – Wright (April)
Salvation Belongs to the Lord – Frame (May)
By This Standard: The Authority of God’s Law Today – Bahnsen (May)
A House for My Name – Leithart (May)
Man Overboard! – Ferguson (May)
Christ and Culture Revisited – Carson (June)
Far as the Curse is Found – Williams (July)
A Primer on Worship and Reformation (August)
The Shack (September) (ZOMG!!)
Heaven Misplaced – Wilson (September)
Blood Meridian – McCarthy (September)
Choke – Palahniuk (October)
The Revolution – Ron Paul (October)
The Prodigal God – Keller(November)
Death By Love – Mark Driscoll (November)

The Institutes of Doug Burr

I, like many others out there, am going to use this reading plan to make my way through Calvin’s Institutes in 2009.  With it being the 500th anniversary of his birth, you can expect to see many books published about the man as well as several blogs going through his greatest gift to the Christian faith.

And everyone should be looking forward to the new Doug Burr album, The Shawl, which is officially being released on the 20th of January.  However if you know the right place to look, you might be able to get it before the street date.  But for now, you should enjoy this video for “Should’ve Known By Now” from his magnificent album, On Promendade, which was released back in late 2007….