Shadow Boxing
Sunday, July 31st, 2005 12:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
basildestinyI'm reading Shadow Boxing. It's a book we got at premarital counselling. It doesn't have anything to do with marriage, but is more to do with general truths. It's a good book to read about spiritual warfare.
It covers some interesting topics about which I have been curious. It goes deeper into the prophesy that Jesus was fulfilling and the laws under which God operates. Most importantly and yet related to that, it goes into why or even how God holds the sins of the father to the third or fourth generation. Who hasn't wondered why God would be so unfair? He doens't sound so forgiving when he does that, right? Well the author answers this question.
The reason sin is carried to the third or fourth generation is because it becomes family nature, it's hereditary. It's in the genetics! As an example, a father abuses his children. As a result of this abuse, the child changes. There is a reaction. The child becomes distant or cold or continues the cycle of abuse or decides to break that cycle. Whatever the reaction, it affects that child and that child's children. Even if God were to intercede somehow and stop the abuse, the child would still be affected by those sins. Then the child might be without a father at all.
On an unrelated note, but same topic, we've been studying for the past several weeks about different beliefs held about Jesus, why he's thrown in with the other religions and founders of religion, and different things along those lines. Something which struck me in particular this morning is something that I've heard many times and even allowed myself to believe: Jesus wasn't the savior or even a savior, he was just a nice guy. My usual reaction to this is "Jesus couldn't have been just a nice guy. He said he was the Son of God. So he was either exactly what he said he was or he was a liar who led people in a false religion. But whichever you believe, he wasn't just a nice guy." But this morning I heard something of which I hadn't thought: If Jesus was just a nice guy, why did they crucify him? And the reason, of course, was that he himself said that he was the Son of God. He said exactly what Christians say of him. He said he was the Son of God. And they crucified him because that was blasphemous! How could this man be the Son of God? So it's not really a question of if, but rather why?
All of this was in relation to the commonly held beliefs that you can't be educated AND be a Christian. Something that I've been having to deconstruct in my own life. However, it is completely untrue. It's just that in this day, most people go in search of God by disproving He exists. For whatever reason, whatever preconceived notion, most people today believe God doesn't exist. Something akin to what philosopher David Hume said "Miracles are impossible because they are contrary to nature." Just think about that for a second. DUH! Of course miracles are against nature. Wouldn't that be the definition of the word miracle? Why yes in fact it is! From dictionary.com An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin. And scientists know that if you go into an experiment with an outcome in mind, you will prove exactly the result which you were trying to prove. These are biased experiments. Those who have tried to disprove Christianity and have gone into that pursuit with an open mind, have found the truth.
Listen to some sermons from my church. It will change your life!
At lunch today, I saw Matthew Rouse's parents!
~Bas
It covers some interesting topics about which I have been curious. It goes deeper into the prophesy that Jesus was fulfilling and the laws under which God operates. Most importantly and yet related to that, it goes into why or even how God holds the sins of the father to the third or fourth generation. Who hasn't wondered why God would be so unfair? He doens't sound so forgiving when he does that, right? Well the author answers this question.
The reason sin is carried to the third or fourth generation is because it becomes family nature, it's hereditary. It's in the genetics! As an example, a father abuses his children. As a result of this abuse, the child changes. There is a reaction. The child becomes distant or cold or continues the cycle of abuse or decides to break that cycle. Whatever the reaction, it affects that child and that child's children. Even if God were to intercede somehow and stop the abuse, the child would still be affected by those sins. Then the child might be without a father at all.
On an unrelated note, but same topic, we've been studying for the past several weeks about different beliefs held about Jesus, why he's thrown in with the other religions and founders of religion, and different things along those lines. Something which struck me in particular this morning is something that I've heard many times and even allowed myself to believe: Jesus wasn't the savior or even a savior, he was just a nice guy. My usual reaction to this is "Jesus couldn't have been just a nice guy. He said he was the Son of God. So he was either exactly what he said he was or he was a liar who led people in a false religion. But whichever you believe, he wasn't just a nice guy." But this morning I heard something of which I hadn't thought: If Jesus was just a nice guy, why did they crucify him? And the reason, of course, was that he himself said that he was the Son of God. He said exactly what Christians say of him. He said he was the Son of God. And they crucified him because that was blasphemous! How could this man be the Son of God? So it's not really a question of if, but rather why?
All of this was in relation to the commonly held beliefs that you can't be educated AND be a Christian. Something that I've been having to deconstruct in my own life. However, it is completely untrue. It's just that in this day, most people go in search of God by disproving He exists. For whatever reason, whatever preconceived notion, most people today believe God doesn't exist. Something akin to what philosopher David Hume said "Miracles are impossible because they are contrary to nature." Just think about that for a second. DUH! Of course miracles are against nature. Wouldn't that be the definition of the word miracle? Why yes in fact it is! From dictionary.com An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin. And scientists know that if you go into an experiment with an outcome in mind, you will prove exactly the result which you were trying to prove. These are biased experiments. Those who have tried to disprove Christianity and have gone into that pursuit with an open mind, have found the truth.
Listen to some sermons from my church. It will change your life!
At lunch today, I saw Matthew Rouse's parents!
~Bas
