Bible Discussion — Romans 8 (Part Two)

10/17/2007, 3:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter in the book of Romans, Romans 8. Romans 8 Day continues!!

Again, joining us as guests are Capt. Steve Carroll, Rev. Dave Maxon, and Maj. Doug Jones!

Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50

Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40

And the book of Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7

 
RANDOM THOUGHT:
Maj. Jones:
There is now no condemnation. Satan can’t condemn. Jesus won’t condemn. We shouldn’t condemn ourselves; unfortunately, we sometimes forget that truth.

MC-B:
This would easily make my top ten list of chapters of the Bible that a Christian should be extremely familiar with.

Steve:
Freedom from the Law was one thing, but for us to be described not only as children of God, but “joint heirs with Christ,” is an unimaginable honor. We will be glorified together.

Mike:
What is the difference between foreknowing, predestining, and calling? Why does Paul draw this difference?

Pastor Dave:
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If people ever truly understood the depth of God’s love towards us, it would radically change their Christian experience in a positive way. Gone would be all those nagging thoughts — “He doesn’t love me,” “What did I do wrong to deserve this,” “What am I being punished for,” “Am I saved?” We would all walk with encouraged hearts, full of anticipation, knowing that no matter what’s around the next bend in the road, our ever-present help in time of need, the Lover of our souls, was with us.

Capt. Steve:
At night, when I am putting my son to bed, I often tell him, “Of all the little boys in the whole wide world, your Daddy loves you the best.” What am I going to say if my wife has another boy?

Erin:
What does it mean for the Spirit to intercede for us with groans?

David:
This chapter presents Christians as “spiritual” people, while Jude presents the wicked as “sensual” people. Are we being led by our senses or the Spirit? All that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — are not of the Father, but of the world (1 John 2:16).

 
WHERE IS JESUS IN THIS PASSAGE:
Capt. Steve:
“At the center of it all.” He provided the means of this new life. He Sent His Spirit, who empowers and frees us from sin’s control.

Djere:
Not condemning, rather, having set us free, He is raised from the dead!

MC-B, Connie, Pastor Dave:
Everywhere — without Him, there is no way that humanity can approach God in order to have the relationship with Him that is detailed by this passage.

Erin:
This passage is all about Paul trying to understand Jesus!

Mike:
He is the pattern for the life of this new family, the church, and the giver of the Spirit which animates the life of this new family.

Chloe, Josh:
At the right hand of God, interceding for us.

Maj. Jones:
Jesus is throughout the entire chapter, beginning with freedom from condemnation and sin, making us joint heirs of the kingdom, keeping us firmly in His hands through any and every trial.

David:
In 8:32, being delivered up for us all.

 
VERSE TO REMEMBER:
Steve:
8:18 — “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Mike:
8:19 — “The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.”

Tom:
8:32 — “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

Chloe, Pastor Dave:
8:28 — “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Erin, Connie:
8:38-39 — “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Capt. Steve:
8:6 — “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

David:
8:14 — “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Josh:
8:15 — “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ ”

Djere, MC-B:
8:31 — “What then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Maj. Jones:
So many verses, so little space — verses 10, 17, 26, 28, 31, and 35-39!

 
Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Romans 8 (Part One)

10/17/2007, 11:30 am -- by | 3 Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter in the book of Romans, Romans 8. That’s right, it’s Romans 8 Day!!

And not only do we have almost-universal participation, but joining us as guests today are Capt. Steve Carroll, Rev. Dave Maxon, and Maj. Doug Jones!

Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50

Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40

And the book of Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
This Chapter articulates the key difference between the world and the Christian. The people of this world walk in the flesh, “fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind” (Eph 2:3) — but “as many as are led by the Spirit, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). The test to determine which you are is Romans 8:9 — “…ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit if . . . the Spirit of God dwell in you.” You must be born again of God’s Spirit.

Capt. Steve:
This is the kind of passage that I start reading quietly to myself, but by the end of the passage, I am shouting the words at the top of my lungs, and people are sticking their heads in my office to make sure everything is okay. “It’s all fine — I just got a little excited!”

Mike:
Set free from our slavery to death, we are made God’s beloved children. In a flourish, Paul declares that the calling of the children of God is the crowning moment for all of creation (v. 19-20) and that God’s love for his children never fails (v. 31-39).

MC-B:
This passage contains some of the most important tenets of Christian faith, so I suppose I should probably actually discuss this one, huh?

Maj. Jones:
Whenever I am asked about my favorite portion of Scripture, I always say Romans 8. As I now reflect and ask myself why, I am reminded of the assurance of life, liberty and the source of my joy and contentment.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Pastor Dave:
How yellowed and worn, the edges of the page that holds Romans 8.

Capt. Steve:
The Holy Spirit is praying for us. How does that work?

Josh:
Verses 38-39 contain a fairly well-known list of things that cannot separate us from God’s love, but the list actually starts in verse 35.

Djere:
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” — The words “for us” are omitted in the NU text. I’d never noticed that before.

Mike:
The phrase in v. 2: “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free…” Still wrestling with what precisely that means.

Connie:
The verses preceding Romans 8:28 are the ones that emphasize the Holy Spirit as our Intercessor. I always separate them and use them separately, instead of realizing that His intercession can lead us right to knowing HOW all things in our lives can and will work to our good, as long as we love Him and walk in His calling.

Steve:
It can’t be wrong or inappropriate to pray for God’s will in a situation — that’s precisely what the Holy Spirit is doing.

Maj. Jones:
Paul begins in verse 35 by asking who, but then lists many whats.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Connie: Sheep for the Slaughter
Capt. Steve: Plan B
Chloe: For Your Sake
Tom: The Pangs; Indwells
Pastor Dave: Glorified; Foreknew
Djere: Firstfruits of the Spirit
David, Mike: Abba
Steve: Peril
MC-B: The Whole Creation
Erin: The Creation Waits
Josh: No Charge; Famine Nakedness Danger

 
Continued here!

Mentally Homeless

10/17/2007, 10:00 am -- by | 11 Comments

Imagine your doctor telling you that you are seriously ill. He books you into hospital for an operation. You go in, are shown to your bed and are asked what you want for supper.

The next day you sit by your bed, now familiar with the hospital and its regime. You wait patiently.

The next day is followed by another. Nothing happens. The days turn into weeks; and then months.

And one day a nurse says: ‘Tomorrow you are going home.’ ‘But I thought I was seriously ill,’ you say in surprise. ‘Oh, you are,’ she replies, ‘but our budget doesn’t extend to curing you. This is all we can afford.’

— John Bird, The Mail on Sunday, February 2007

This is the image John Bird presents of the way the UK deals with homelessness. Essentially, government-funded programs provide soup kitchens, hostels, clothing and flats to homeless people depending on need, urgency, and of course, funds. It’s a social program designed to keep legitimately poor people off the street. It generally does a good job of weeding out those who are homeless due to drug or alcohol addiction, which is why between 87 and 90% of homeless people in London are there because of addiction.

John Bird is one of the founding members of the Big Issue, a magazine which provides homeless people with 10 free issues to sell on the streets, then allows them to buy more magazines as they sell. The Big Issue is a not-for-profit organization, designed to enable the homeless to make a living and gain both the skills and the resources to rehabilitate themselves.

One would think that, as a founder of an organization aimed at helping the homeless, Bird would be sympathetic to them. Instead, he writes, “The people who are homeless through addiction are feckless, unstable, unreliable, incapable of holding down a job, feeding themselves or cleaning themselves. You take them into a hostel, patch them up and put them in State housing on benefits and they continue to kill themselves… They are ill and should be ‘sectioned’ — lifted from the streets and confined in the care of the mental health system, behind bars if necessary.”

Bird argues that, while not all homelessness can be attributed to addiction, those that are addicts need to be institutionalized and ‘reprogrammed’ in order to live stable, healthy lives. In England, there are a few institutions that deal exclusively in rehabilitating the homeless. Bird reports a 60 to 70% success rate.

Is addiction a mental disorder? Is Bird right in saying the homeless should be committed? What about people who aren’t homeless, but still struggle with addiction? Or is it just the homeless who are mentally unstable? What do you think?

Bible Discussion — Romans 7

10/10/2007, 12:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter in the book of Romans, Romans 7.

Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50

Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40

And the book of Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
If you believe Paul has been speaking about the purpose of the Law (with a few asides) ever since introducing the subject in chapter 2, then chapter 7 makes more sense — because it becomes a demonstration of what happens when the Law is applied to the flesh, rather than a peek into Paul’s personal failures.

The Law came to produce death, and it still produces death when we try to walk in “the oldness of the letter” as opposed to the “newness of Spirit” extolled in chapter 8.

Steve:
Look at what happens when we get a challenging chapter — everyone disappears! I bet they come back for the celebration that is Romans 8, but you can’t get there till you struggle through chapter 7!

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
How much Paul stresses that the Law was an innocent bystander in our murder by sin. At the very least, it seems to be the weapon by which sin brought death, produced evil desires, deceived us and killed us — but still he repeats that “the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.”

Tom:
Relative complexity of a NKJV translation of 7-12.

David:
The word “oldness.”

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Steve: Free
Tom: Will Is Present
Josh: Utterly Sinful; Body of Death
David: Wretched Man

Continued here!

Best of Bweinh! — Prophets of the Rain

10/10/2007, 9:30 am -- by | No Comments

Best of Chloe, July 2007.

I won’t waste your time telling about the rain. You know the rain, its monotonous drip, drip, drip, its messy puddles and leaks. The rain is boring. It’s the oracles that are so alluring and stunning, the way they turn the storm into an electrical mess that muddles your senses and leaves you waiting for something both life-threatening and satisfying.

They come in the evenings, when it’s finally cool enough to go outside and work. If there’s a shed to be painted, a deck to be oiled, or lumber to haul, I can count on the clouds that hover like an alien ship to come crawling over the mountains in the south. These clouds aren’t blankets, oh, no. They are mountain ranges, arroyos, Grand Canyons flipped upside-down to create a skyscape that looms overhead and promises quite the show.

That’s how it starts, with the clouds. And then the birds begin to sing. I’ve heard that birds are most active before a storm, and the ruckus reminds me of an out-of-control high school class.

After the birds come the wind that, when it blows through the pine boughs, sounds like the tide on the wet sand. The wind brings with it the scent of the rain, that dusty metallic aroma of ozone. Then the air changes, an electrical charge that starts the birds off at a whole new decibel and pulls me further outside to feel the coming of the storm. Now the air is a rosy brown like old pictures and the wind chimes sing something familiar in the key of G and any moment now, any moment now, any…

The first drop is teasing, as if the clouds are demanding proof that I really want this deluge they’ve been dangling in front of me all evening. I reply with a shiver that can only come to a person who has been glorying in three-digit temperatures. Another drop falls and the old picture fades into a fog as that strange sheet comes tearing across the valley straight for me.

I won’t waste your time telling you about the rain. It is a disappointment, ten minutes of downpour that will evaporate in half the time. It wasn’t the rain I came out to see, though. It was the prophets of the rain.

Bible Discussion — Romans 6

10/3/2007, 12:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter in the book of Romans, Romans 6.

Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50

Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40

And the book of Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5

 
INTRODUCTION:
Mike:
Paul presents his readers with a decision: will they be a slave to “sin” or will they be a slave to God?

David:
In the last chapter Paul made the statement that “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” He now deals with two questions that he assumes will come to the reader’s mind.

The first: “If grace brought sin, shouldn’t we continue (stay) in sin so that grace will keep coming?” The second: “Well, if we can’t stay in sin, can we visit occasionally (now that we have grace to forgive us when we do sin)?”

Erin:
Paul continues his logical argument for the Christian life in this chapter, focusing on why Christians should not just take Christ’s sacrifice for granted and continue living a sinful life.

Connie:
Sin versus grace! Watch them battle it out in a no-holds-barred fight to the death! Don’t miss it, right here, on Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday!!!

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
When the Romans were slaves to sin, they were “free in regard to righteousness,” able to raise as much heaven as they dared.

Connie:
Verse 15 is a great verse to fight the “once saved, always saved” doctrine.

Josh:
Just how often Paul likes to interrupt himself to ask questions that misrepresent his arguments, then shoot them down.

Chloe:
God is the slave’s master in this passage. How must this have sat with the abolitionists in the 19th century?

Mike:
v. 19: “I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations.” I wonder what Paul really wanted to say, but couldn’t because of the weakness of his audience. I’m certainly glad his audience was weak, because the slavery analogy is so profound.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Steve: Reckon
Connie: Old Man
Josh: By No Means
Erin: Baptism Into Death
Mike: Somebody’s Slave
Chloe: Natural Selves
David: Undergrace

Continued here!

A Fresh Look at Bible Stories

10/3/2007, 9:30 am -- by | 4 Comments

There once was a man who was possessed by many unclean spirits. He lived among the hills in the region of the Gerasenes, cutting himself and crying out at all hours. He called himself Legion, and even chains could not restrain him. One day, as Jesus was getting out of a boat, the man came and started calling out to him in a loud voice. The spirits begged Jesus not to torture them, then asked to be sent into a herd of 2000 nearby pigs. Jesus consented, and the unclean spirits drove the pigs over a cliff and into the water to be drowned.

Fifty or so years before this incident, there was a Roman legion called Legio IX Hispana, which disappeared mysteriously from the meticulous Roman records. Some say the legion was overtaken by robbers. Others say it was swallowed by the earth for the sins of the Roman Empire. Still others say the legion was made up entirely of men who refused to ask for directions or cook for themselves, so they all starved to death in Siberia. Whatever the case may be, the fate of the legion has remained a mystery…..until now.

It has been proposed that perhaps this legion was killed in a brutal manner, before its time, and far from home (all ingredients for a proper haunting). What if this legion of wronged Gentile souls found its way into this poor Jewish man and made him so strong that even chains couldn’t bind him? What if they so longed for pork that they actually desired to be pigs? What if the only way for their deaths to be avenged was for them to get out of the kosher man and into the unclean pigs? And what if all demons in the gospels are actually ghosts?

What if, indeed?

Now, it must be admitted that few people believe this story. Why, when my Luke-Acts professor suggested we all get under the conference table and start a camp fire so he could tell us a ghost story, I thought for sure he was completely bonkers. But after he made the disclaimer that he didn’t actually believe what he was telling us, I began to see the light. This must be true, if my educated Bible professor doesn’t believe it. So open up your mind, forget all you’ve been taught, and read the story on a stormy night, preferably Halloween.

And don’t forget, gullible isn’t in the dictionary.

Clash of the Titans LII: Profanity

09/28/2007, 12:00 pm -- by | 19 Comments

NOTE: This Clash contains certain words that might be offensive to some readers. Viewer discretion is advised.

In this corner, against profanity, is Connie!

 And in this corner, supporting it, is Chloe!

I have to extol the virtues of not using profanity. I bet you think I’ll pull out Scripture like Col. 3:8 (“…put off anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy language”). I bet you already voted for Chloe’s “swearing isn’t appropriate, but there are rare situations, extreme duress, etc.,” because no one can see you vote anyway… But I have a slightly different spin on this. I didn’t write it for everybody (actually, I wrote it for Job) — I wrote it for us, Christians. Let me tell you a story.

It’s Autumn 1999, and I’m a brand-new substitute teacher called in for the day, trying to wade through lesson plans, homework, assignments and unreadable notes from the ‘real’ teacher — not to mention a bad case of senioritis in one class. The day and period were nearly over and one group of guys were up front talking crude, making the rest of us uncomfortable, so I shut them down. Not to be dissuaded, they continued to discuss their favorite subjects in a disgusting way. Since I’d been interacting with them, I decided to weigh in on the conversation instead of verbally smacking them with my big ol’ Mrs. Maxon Ruler.

Boy: “I told him, you don’t have the b*lls!” (They weren’t talkin’ sports.)

Me: “Cheeeez (imagine the Dog Whisperer noise), stop! That’s not the word you need. What are you trying to say? He’s not BRAVE enough, COURAGEOUS enough, or STRONG enough, maybe? So say what you mean! You have a great brain, use it!” They acted like they’d just been taught something they’d never heard before.

Our language is a beautiful tool. What can beat the feeling of finding the perfect word when we’re trying to describe something? It’s extraordinary, really. The right tool can make all the difference — I was just thinking about that this morning while I was stirring creamer into my coffee with a pencil.

We need the right tools and we need to follow Paul’s instructions and put off the early signals of frustration (anger) that lead to other thoughts (wrath). If we don’t, soon we’ll be wondering where that word popped out from. We are called to be different from this world, and I submit WE ARE DIFFERENT. Look around, go check out those bios. Have you ever seen a more different group of people? When we follow Christ’s directives, that difference draws others, even foul-mouthed teenaged boys, and that makes a difference in the Kingdom.

Profanity in everyday conversations is not appropriate. However, there are times when swearing is necessary. For instance, when writing about difficult subjects, choosing against using profanity will occasionally cause the reader to distrust the author, especially when the reader is not the typical audience.

When writing about poverty, drugs, family abuse and incest, etc., I can’t write, “Sometimes you feel like no one’s there for you,” because it goes much deeper than that for the audience. They would tune me out unless I told it like it was: “You’ve decided no one gives a shit, so you have to take care of yourself.”

Similarly, when talking to someone from those types of situations, I cannot use common descriptions of feeling: “I know losing your baby brother in that drive-by made you upset and angry.” Rather, if I intend to get through to him and show him I understand him, I have to speak his language.

One pastor in LA discovered this while working in a deeply impoverished and drug-infested area. He abandoned Christianese, and now his kids connect with him, and no longer think of him as that rich, white Christian guy who thinks he can fix everything. To them, that kind of person is completely ineffective and doesn’t understand or offer the salvation they need.

In one-on-one conversations, it may also be necessary to speak the other person’s language. I have a dear friend who has gone through horrible things in her life, but if I were to say that to her, she would shut me out. To her, it’s not “horrible things,” but “shit.” Instead of being “angry,” she is “pissed off.” People aren’t jerks…you get the idea.

She doesn’t want an educated, well-spoken Christian to attempt to guide her through a healing path. That person doesn’t understand what she’s gone through, can’t connect with her, and surely will judge her. She wants a real person who’s been there and who can give her some guidance.

Granted, the situations in which profanity is necessary are very rare, but they do exist. Missing them could mean driving away someone you could potentially help, or worse, alienating someone from hearing the good news.

{democracy:142}

Blue Rose Code

09/26/2007, 4:30 pm -- by | 5 Comments

There is no better concert than the one where you sit with the band when they aren’t performing. Last night I had the privilege of hanging out with Chris Smith and Blue Rose Code, thanks to my graphic designer friend Jesse. She had been to a Blue Rose Code concert the week before and ended up chatting with Chris, the band manager, about her work. He asked to see her portfolio, liked what he saw, and invited her back to chat with the band about the possibility of working together. I tagged along since Jesse didn’t know these people or where she was going, and ended up discovering a new favorite band.

The concert was at The Distillers, a classy pub in Hammersmith, and though the room where the event was held was more in the style of an open mic, the audience was completely focused on the performers. People who talked were shushed, and any mobiles that dared to ring were promptly tossed out the window. The program was called One Taste, and included a remarkable young man named Jamie Woon, who took a looping device and turned his voice into a full choir and band to accompany his rendition of “Wayfaring Stranger.” Also part of the show was PoeTree Man, a slam poet and tree surgeon who, as part of his performance, had the audience sing and scream like they’d been oppressed for two thousand years.

Blue Rose Code is an Islington band (Islington is a borough of London), although the lead singer, Ross, is from Scotland and Steve, the bass player, is from South Africa. They play relaxed folksy rock, bringing in instruments like the harmonica and fiddle to accent the acoustic guitar and bass. The band members themselves were personable, treating Jesse and me as little sisters, rather than a potential business partner and her random friend. Chris offered to buy us drinks, Steve’s sister told us stories from when she was a student at the London School of Theology, where we happen to be studying now, and Steve and Ross fell in love with the art samples Jesse brought along to show them.

Most important, however, was their music, which was so mellow and nostalgic that I became convinced I could listen to them forever and never grow tired of their style and sound. Blue Rose Code has real talent, and I wouldn’t be all that surprised if, in a couple of years, we find their album in our music stores. I encourage you to check them out at MySpace, and if you like what you hear, you can purchase their CD here.

Bible Discussion — Romans 5

09/26/2007, 12:00 pm -- by | 1 Comment

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter in the book of Romans, Romans 5.

Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50

Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40

And the book of Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4

 
INTRODUCTION:
Steve:
We’re through the tough sledding of the first few chapters and their focus on human depravity — now it’s time for the payoff, which starts right off with the good news — “therefore, having been justified by faith.” The rest is just icing.

Mike:
Paul builds on his previous chapter to examine the results of our justification: we have peace with God, and our sufferings have new meaning as they eventually produce hope in us. He also compares Christ’s life-giving ministry to the death-giving “ministry” of Adam’s sin.

David:
Paul explains our new position in Christ, and introduces the idea that the law came to show us our shortcomings, so that we might receive God’s grace.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
Verses 13 through 17 are one long parenthetical statement in the NKJV…

David:
God intentionally puts us into a process that includes tribulation so that it can produce patience, experience and hope in us. Too bad he didn’t just make those things “gifts.”

Chloe:
I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never read Romans very closely, but now that I’m carefully trudging through the cryptic sentence structure and overloaded nouns, I’m suddenly finding an astounding comfort in these chapters. God’s Son died for His enemies. I was God’s enemy. I am no longer. Praise the Lord!

Erin:
How much the chapter stresses Jesus’ humanity — His ultimate sacrifice is death, yes, but being fully man for that to be possible was a huge sacrifice as well.

Mike:
Verse 10 says we are “reconciled” to God through Jesus’ death, but “saved” by his life. Interesting distinction, though we shouldn’t push it too far, I suppose.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Steve: In Due Time
Erin: Received Reconciliation
Mike: Reconciled
Tom: Imputed
Chloe: Powerless; The Trespass
David: Adam’s Transgression

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Romans 4

09/19/2007, 12:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter in the book of Romans, Romans 4.

Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50

Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40

And the book of Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
The last chapter ends with a question about the law being “made void” by faith, and an assertion by Paul that justification by faith for both Jews and Gentiles does not void the law, but establishes it. The Jews just needed to understand that the law was intermediate, not pre-eminent. It was a step toward redemption, but not the bearer of that redemption. It was like a mirror that could show us our need of a bath, but contained no power to clean us up.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
The law brings about wrath, because without the law, there would be no transgression. But would the end result have been any different?

Chloe:
Paul portrays Abraham’s faith as acknowledging his shortcomings and believing God would overcome them. A crucial part of faith is humility. Why don’t preachers talk about that more often? “You can’t do it! Give up! . . . Let God do it.”

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Against All Hope
Chloe: Heir of the World
Connie: Seed of the Law
Steve: All The Seed

Continued here!

The Difference Between an Englishman and an American

09/19/2007, 9:30 am -- by | 6 Comments

I have, on many occasions, been accused of being an Anglophile. People say this to me with any number of emotions in their voice, ranging from disgust to perplexity. They have horrible food, bad teeth, and haughty demeanors. Why would I choose to be obsessed with the English culture? How could I betray America like that?

Gentility. They have it. We don’t.

On my way from the airport to my new home, I had to carry two 50-pound bags on the metro, up and down many flights of steps, and through vast crowds of people enclosed in tight spaces. I had no idea how I was going to do it alone, and I was sorely tempted to spend an outrageous amount of money on a taxi to avoid it altogether. However, when I got onto the platform for the train from the airport to the Underground and started struggling with my suitcases, a man nearby carried them into the train for me. On the way out of the train, another person did the same thing. When I reached the Tube, people walked around me, didn’t bump me or harass my luggage, and helped me on and off the train.

The real kicker, however, was when I got to my home stop and faced a huge escalator, many people, and the difficulty of getting through the narrow ticket passage. A little old lady, not more than five feet tall and somewhere between 65 and 70 years old, swooped in and announced that she was going to help me. She grabbed a suitcase right out of my hand and carried it off. I thought for sure that she was trying to steal it, but of course she wouldn’t have gotten far, since she couldn’t have weighed more than twice what the bag did. She carried it all the way out of the station before handing it back to me, then nodded once and walked off. I have never experienced that type of kindness in a big American city.

While England is much more secular than America, its people seem to understand something that we don’t: those around us are people, too. We as a general population are very capable of walking by a struggling person and ignoring them. The English do not. They treat each other with respect, even saying “Sorry” whenever they bump into someone on the street. Americans keep walking, or worse, instigate something. This flaw in our society saddens me even more in the context of our beliefs. We’re supposed to be a Christian nation. Where did our common courtesy go?

The Body of Christ

09/12/2007, 1:15 pm -- by | 3 Comments

I’m always nervous when I return to a place I haven’t been in a while. Going back to Houghton tends to be more difficult because I know my friends and I have changed in leaps and bounds, and the girl I wanted to hang out with all the time last year could quite possibly have morphed into a moody or flaky stranger. If I no longer know the people I knew, what will I be left with?

This semester, I only returned for a few days because, as most of you know, I’m off to merry old England tomorrow. The first chapel I went to emphasized the body of Christ. God singled out my fear and reminded me that the body of Christ is everywhere. I don’t know the majority of the students at Houghton, and some of them aren’t part of the body of Christ, but looking around the chapel, I felt nearly the same thing that I do when I take Communion — this is my family, whether I know them well or not.

After chapel ended and I began the trek towards the campus center, globs of people around me, my fears of isolation completely vanished. From every side there were people saying, “Chloe! Where have you been?” or, “Chloe, how have I not seen you this whole time?” Right and left, people who knew I was going to London were doing double-takes at my presence on campus. And for the three and a half days that I’m here, I have only half a handful of hours left to myself because my friends want to catch up.

The intense love that comes with residing in the body of Christ always surprises me. My group of friends has showered me with that love these past few days, telling me about their assistance in the first ever purely civilian election in Sierra Leone, their trials in teaching inner-city Buffalo kids to read, their joy in spreading the Word of God all over the East Coast with Dayspring. I am amazed at what my friends are accomplishing for the Kingdom, and they share their excitement with me as if I had been right alongside them the whole summer.

I am so blessed to be part of this group of people, and even more blessed to call the body of Christ my family.

Bible Discussion — Romans 3

09/12/2007, 12:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter in the book of Romans, Romans 3.

Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50

Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40

And the book of Romans: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

 
INTRODUCTION:
Mike:
Romans 1: The Gentiles are guilty!
Romans 2: The Jews are guilty!
Romans 3:1-20: EVERYBODY’S GUILTY!
Romans 3:21-30: But:there is some good news.

David:
Paul has revealed God’s wrath against the ungodly, then extended the parameters of ungodliness to include the Jews. Now he attempts to ameliorate their position while simultaneously reaffirming their guilt. And he does it all in a language he has not mastered, making it all the more confusing.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
Paul asks what the profit of circumcision was, immediately answering, “Much in every way!” He must have had lowered rates of HIV in mind.

Chloe:
Verse 2’s explanation of why the Jews were important — they were entrusted with the very words of God. Wow, how privileged are they? But then again, now we’ve all been entrusted with the Word of God.

Josh:
Verses 10-18 appear to be one long quotation, but are actually several shorter quotes from all over the OT, seamlessly compiled to establish a point.

David:
Paul says there are many advantages to being a Jew, but lists just one — they received the law.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Grave Throat; Not Even One
David: Just Damnation
Chloe: Every Mouth
Mike: Venom of Vipers
Steve: My Lie to His Glory

Continued here!

Bweinh.com Goes Global

09/5/2007, 2:30 pm -- by | 1 Comment

At the beginning of the summer, I declared that if you didn’t want to go to New Mexico, you would change your mind by the time you read my articles. Well, it’s September, and even I don’t want to be in New Mexico. Despite the fact that the days are shortening and fall is descending, the mercury still boasts still between 98 and 102 degrees. I’m ready for something new.

Here’s the plan, then: I’m out of here. I’m jumping the pond, and I’m taking Bweinh! with me. Until mid-December, my articles will serve as a travel log, unless there’s something more important to write about. All the things you’d naturally hear about (the Tower of London, the Thames, the Tube) may or may not be mentioned, but the things you never hear about (the great food, English gentility, the homeless) most certainly will. So sit back, relax, and enjoy, while our favourite website finally crosses an ocean.

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