We are halfway through the spring semester and are taking a break this week. There will be no classes on Thursday. Enjoy the sunshine (while we have it)!
"For I the LORD do not change..." (Malachi 3:6 ESV) "...the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17 ESV) A foundational truth in the Bible is the doctrine of God's immutability, that is, he is unchanging. He cannot become greater or lesser or other than who he is as the eternal and self-sufficient God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that God is "unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth." Below are a couple of excerpts from J. I. Packer's Knowing God (IVP, 1973, 2023), specifically from chapter 7, "God Unchanging", which highlight God's immutability in relation to his word and his purposes: ---------- God's truth does not change. People sometimes say things that they do not really mean, simply because they do not know their own mind; also, because their views change, they frequently find that they can no longer stand behind things...
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27 ESV) What does it mean that God created man in his own image? Lesslie Newbigin (1909--1998), British theologian and missionary to India, wrote in answer to this question, "All will agree that this is one of the fundamental texts of the Bible. Let us consider it somewhat closely. What is meant by 'The Image of God'? It is obvious that we do not mean that man's outward appearance is the same as God's. God has no outward appearance. God is Spirit; man is spirit and body. But it is noteworthy that the Scripture does not say that God created man's spirit in the image of His own Spirit, but si...
"And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'" (Luke 2:10) “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay." (Matthew 28:5-6) Angels figure prominently in the Christmas story. I believe angels actually exist and are active in this world. Most of the time they are behind the scenes, unseen by human eyes, but sometimes they make their appearance. Angels were prevalent in the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, and then again at his resurrection and ascension, but not so much in between. So, when they show up in the biblical record we should take note. In a recent advent sermon, we heard references to "going back to the Garden" (that is, Eden) and to not being able to "find our way home." I'm not sure it was intended, but (as a child of the '60s) these two phrases...
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