Implications

     Talking about doctrinal differences can be akin to entering an arena of gladiatorial engagement and it's imperative to be well armed. Adherents to a particular doctrine are easily offended when you wont pay homage or rather bow down to pet their sacred cow. I'm at odds with more than one of these cows, though at the present with reformed theology. Just the title causes me questions. Doesn't reformed insinuate changed or altered as inferred by the title. The question that follows is altered from what. If it's in response to Catholicism, or any of the other Gnostic apparitions there is a need and or call for examination of origins. I think going back at least to the first and second century writings of the church fathers is required. In the case of Calvinism we must do the same.  Calvin resurrected the teaching of the Valentinian gnostic idea that some people are destined for hell and others to heaven as individuals rather than groups. Attached to this teaching of Valentinus is the teaching that the predestined for salvation don't need to practice good works. I understand that the Bible teaches salvation comes thru faith; but I have to acknowledge what Jesus said, in Mathew 25, to those who didn't do the works of believers. "Then shall he answer them saying, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go  away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." I'm bringing this up just to show the way people can throw out a verse to under-gird their position. Paul may say, and rightfully so, that faith leads to salvation. Jesus can also say I don't know you, because it came to naught. A good Calvinist will point to a scripture like Ephesians 2:8-9. "For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." I would then be compelled to quote 2 Peter3:9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise; but is longsuffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." The Calvinist would argue that we had no choice and a universalist would respond we'll all be saved in time. This brings me back to a time in my childhood when it was popular to respond when we did something naughty; "the devil made me do it." At my most immature period of life I knew this to be utter nonsense. To attribute that same thinking to God would be the same. Free will is the most self evident realization I've encountered in life.To imply otherwise is nonsensical. What we're really good at is moving the chess pieces around on the board to entrap an opponent hoping for a victory; a dance of side-stepping consequential abdications.  I choose to think that we are better than that.

     I do have an understanding of creation. Time, space, and matter had to come into existence at the same time. This too is self-evident. God is outside of time so that everything is "now" to Him; beginning and end. This also means He has all the time in existence to be with you. We're the ones stuck in time and every day we awake with choice. It follows us everywhere we go and God wants not so much  to be a part of our life but for us to join in His. He sees the redeemed and those not redeemed. He works in peoples' lives with us and hopefully through us. This may give you an uneasy feeling knowing that you have a place in the harvest by your vested purpose in propagating the gospel and it's only because we have free will that we can join Him and be His children. God made the choice to create. That is not only who and what He is, but why He can be Love. Love has to have an objective and so do we. Our choice is simply with or without. The thought of being absolved of guilt because we throw up our hands thinking God has already picked some souls for hell is repugnant to the deepest part of my soul. If that is true, life has no purpose for me!

     Jesus always had a crowd about Him. Some curious, some astonished, others detractors, and some followers. Me, I have always wanted to be the the one to reach through the crowd and touch the hem of His garment, to be healed, and to be chosen, because I chose to believe, to be known by God because I chose to follow His commands. God is a covenant person, which demands a response [obligation] and a part in "His" purpose .

A disclosure: When researching, pay close attention to the "whens." For an example, Augustine was a Manichean eight years before becoming a christian. Mani among other things was a dualist and taught that man does not have free will among several other erroneous doctrines. What I'm saying is we all have previous influences that we have to shed along the way. There may still be some lights that need to be turned off and others to be turned on. Discern the times and note the changes before elevating any man's teachings above Jesus.  

Doctrinal Effect Affecting

     "For every man that is true to the call of God, there are many who are true to the call of a creed or doctrinal evangelism. There are voices that are not true to the character of Jesus Christ; the inspiration of these voices is not to glorify Jesus, but to glorify something which He does. Give time to heed the call of God. The voice of God never contradicts the character of God." Oswald Chambers

     The trend since the reformation has been, in all of the the churches I've attended, to align yourself with what I'll call, "Ecclesiastical Identity."  When looking at the varying denominations, it bears a similar resemblance to the new gender identifications. As a christian we believe, and rightly so, that there are just two genders. We also believe in one God and one Gospel. I would honestly have to say the ecclesiastical identities appear to have the same conflicting appearance as our gender confused friends. I'm not in any way diminishing the importance of doctrine. I became obsessed with biblical knowledge at the beginning of my walk with the Lord. I later expanded my study to the early church to see how they understood the gospel as it was passed on to them by the apostles and their understudies. The first thing I encountered was the branching out of Gnostic heresies that grew on the outskirts of first generation Christian doctrine. Irenaecus, Clement, Tertullian, and Hipolytus all wrote on the heresies prevalent from the time of John. I became fascinated with how many of these permeate the doctrines of the modern church. We are not as far removed from these as we would like to believe. Truly there is nothing new under the sun.

     It was time to examine not only the various doctrines of the church today, but the searching out of my own belief. This brought me to see the truths, and the responses of Jesus in a new way. Contextual scrutiny is many times diminished due to our doctrinal alignment. We see what we want to see when freedom comes by seeing where Jesus leads. Hold on to this thought while we look at Mathew 19:16-22.  

16."And behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing must I do, that I may have eternal life?" 17. And he said unto him, Why callest me good? there is none good but one, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18. He sayeth unto him,Which? Jesus said, thou shall do no murder, thou shall not commit adultery, Thou shall not steal, Thou shall not bear false witness, 19.Honour thy father and mother: and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 20. The young man saith unto him, All these things I have kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21. Jesus said unto him, Go sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come follow me. 22. But when the young man heard that saying he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 

     I can't begin to tell you how many times pastors and people have put that poor fellow in hell. We're making a judgement after a short glimpse of time in this man's life. Imagine doing the same after Peters denial if that was the end of all we were told of him in scripture. This young mans doctrine was intact with God's commandments and he was faithful in his obedience to them, and yet he asks; What lack I yet. How many of us can make the same claim? Still, here is where we may begin to indulge ourselves in speculation and I must confess I've indulged myself, but it still remains speculation. Jesus states after this that "if thou wilt do that, thou will enter into life."Then in verse eighteen Jesus lists additional commandments in which the man responds he has kept these "from my youth up" and then asks "what then do I lack?" How many of us have a resume like that? What then do we lack? We know from the multitude of reminders that we're saved by grace and not by works, but evidently they, the works implying obedience, play an important role in our life. And yet, Jesus states that there is still something else; "If thou will be perfect". 

     I believe that is a question he asks everyone, at some point in their life, at critical junctures in their life. We all have to let something fall to the wayside that has a hold on our life. That's not much of a revelation in and of its self. It's the "and follow me" that we struggle not to choke on. We should have learned from Job that our doctrine may be trampled into dust, and our expectations turn into a ruinous mirage of confusions, but belief in the goodness of God is still and always is a reality despite our circumstances. Job's friends adhered with a vengeance to their doctrine and like many of us today, used it to denigrate and slander their brother.

     "We see what we want to see, when freedom comes where Jesus is leading." I love doctrine, and it has been a life reassuring source of direction and peace in my life. I've been subjected to many corrections of my doctrinal beliefs as I've followed the Lord and will always have a concern for correct evaluations of the word. God forbid I never stray from the call of Jesus to "Come and follow me." Maybe we will see that young man in heaven. Our assumptions may end up being somewhat embarrassing and we'll be enthralled at his story of redemption. 

     Go to a church with eyes wide open. There's a lot of heresy out there to be aware of; but more importantly, despite the disagreements in some doctrinal beliefs; look for the people that heard the Lord's declaration to follow Him. Hard days ahead are a reality. Doctrinal expectations may crumble to the ground when we come to realize true redemption comes from faith in Jesus and doctrine was just a sign on the road to redemption. My confession is belief in a sovereign God; Father,Son and Holy Spirit. My ecclesiastical identity is "Christian." 

Love Interest

     Books on love seem to dominate the writers market which is most likely the least debatable point about this topic. It has to be close to the most marketable topic out there. It's also, I would presume, one of the most easily misunderstood. Surely, we are so often told to be patient because God has that special person just waiting for you to discover ..... at the right time and at the right place? Is it reduced to just chance, again the right place at the right time? I'm not a gambler per se, but factoring in the odds based on coincidence, one might just as well scan the clouds for a suitable lightning bolt to split a tree in two.This could lead one to think of God as a magician waiting to pull our perfect mate out of His magical hat securing for us this promised hope of happiness; and surely, love and happiness, at the very least are holding hands to the extent that having one presupposes the other. Still, one would have to concede that happiness in this world is elusive at best leaving me with something I would consider of more value. If you're attached to anyone relationally, and most importantly to our Father, you will have to come face to face with the reality of blessed assurance. Hope envisions this reality and while we can't fully have this realization this side of heaven; God still fills our needs at any given moment as he purposes and sees fit. God doesn't do anything except the things that can align us with His purpose. Good, bad, indifferent, or inconceivable through our eyes, we should submit, contemplate, and examine His word and not just the ingratiating sections, but the somewhat repugnant parts that war against our judgement. You may come to discover, as the song goes, we were looking for love in all the wrong places. 

     My wife and I were statistically bankrupt at the beginning of our relationship. That translates to a hopelessness in the eyes of everyone with the exception of God. At that point in my life I knew that the understanding of relationship was on a path I had never traversed before, and like a good Father,  He laid out the plan for relationship through His Son Jesus. Jesus was the epitome, or rather the picture perfect truth of relationship. Yes, the bible lays out the attributes of a woman that showcases the ideals a man should seek out in this amazingly complex and perplexingly body of of emotion. Be mindful of this. This is essential to the mystery of oneness and the hope of it's acquisition and the desire to at last becoming complete. 

     There was this one attribute that sealed or rather confirmed my decision to pursue this hope of completion.  She had thrown herself completely into the hands of a loving God with a willingness to lay  bare a broken soul of hopelessness before the author of hope. She had still the broken little girl of her childhood alive in the depths of her soul, and she came to know the only Father she would ever need. The awareness of a broken world is never so tragically revealed as through the life and eyes of a battered child. I could never fix this. God is the only author of real life and redemption. This is why I could and did pursue this amazing embodiment of strength, love and resolve, made possible only through the relationship of a Father with His child, to soulfully pursue this quest of a faithfully true union of souls. And the two became one. You'll never comprehend it if you can't see truth of God's being thru the Word that reveals His plan for us. For too long, as the song goes once again, I was looking for love in all the wrong places, but now the shackles and blinders have fallen to the ground. I see. It's an amazing place to be. 

     Now, oftentimes I find myself laying in bed just staring at the silhouette of this woman and see the wounded child inside and I embrace them both and just hold them in my arms, because that's what my Father does. I can love her because my Father loves her. I have landed at the feet of compassion beside my Father. I can understand loss at this point in my life more than at any other time. To feel another's loss is to feel what God feels. The truth that we have to embrace that comes from the Father, and this is a truth once realized through a relationship with the everlasting, love is sustained by commitment, courage, patience, endurance and total reliance on our Father in heaven. This is where I am and desire to reside. The coolest part of all of this is that because we have chosen this path and we truly are one; she's right here beside me.

     When we got married my wife described herself as a train wreck waiting to happen. I'm so indebted to a God that knows how to lay the track that  rises to the occasion, safe and securing, and leading to the only destination of life fulfilling hope. The first consideration in finding the love you desire is finding the Author of that desire. The second is like unto the first; seek the lady that shares that same path. You may not find that you were made for each other; rather that you are making yourselves for each other. Life is a journey made to be taken together. Hardship, trials and even loss are found on the way. Make it a threesome, a cord not easily broken. Discover the gems that could have gone unnoticed along the way and find the love you  always knew was real.    

      When we suffer loss in this world; and we will, I always keep this adage in my heart; we lose to gain. God is the God of restitution. When they say God is love, understand that He is the source of this eternal love. He is also in the business of restoration. 

      *Lost love is still love

            Alive in hope secure

                   Waiting for the rebirth

                           That the heart may adorn

                                   Not lost in distant sorrow

                                                But alive on distant shore

*This is a line from the movie, "Five People You Meet In Heaven," that inspired me to write the poem at the end of this article.

Judicious Attribution

     I just finished reading a book entitled "Lincoln and the Irish" The Untold Story of How The Irish Helped Abraham Lincoln Save The Union. The political navigation and the gravity of foresight needed to achieve a desired end to an insidious game of rivaling ideologies to control the destiny of our country, had my mind delving into the depths of cynicism and to the heights of anticipative hope. I must confess that my primary focus has always been on slavery as it brought the nation to it's point of dissolution. There is no dispute in my mind as to that; but I had an insufficient knowledge of the prejudicial aspects that lay outside of the slavery debacle.

     I knew of, but not of the Know-Nothings. They were a group of  nativist Americans, anti Catholic and therefore anti Irish. Because of the potato famine, immigration of the Irish to America seeking refuge and opportunity, not to mention the freedom that came with it was huge. The Know Nothings originally aligned more closely to the Whigs and then the new Republican party. They were the terrorist faction committing many atrocities. The plausibility of there thinking was skewed to say the least; anti-slavery and yet maniacally prejudiced against the Irish. The roots of this are more easily understood if we go back to the Catholic response to the reformation in Europe. The multi-faceted aspects of Europe involvement, self absorbed players, including generals, politicians, people groups, and the toll of devastating losses, along with the courting of the Irish  whom he couldn't win the war without, left me enthralled with Lincolns' judicious use of opportunity. 

     England and France were favoring the South, not because of slavery, but for the severing and stripping the country of its power. The idea of saving the union was never front and center for me. My vision was narrowed because of my focus on slavery and I started wondering how this posture kept me from seeing the other implications and consequences. I would have fought for the freedom of the slaves regardless, but I desire perspective in it's entirety. 

     This lead me in my thinking to that of judicious attribution. There has to be a time for judicious constraint, a compelling to act. Inaction, at times, will be the loss of opportunity never to be regained. This naturally implies a time for judicious restraint, a regrettable action that can't be taken back. Damage ill-retrievable, a life altering event, negating second chances is a possibility worth thinking about. The necessity of using the Irish also opened the door to judicious abuse. Alleged abuse of the Irish troops as fodder for assaults by their placement in the front lines was a prevalent concern for Lincoln. The Irish resolve in these circumstances proved them to be a fearless force to be reckoned with on both sides. It also lead me to an introspection of my own responses to conflict. Certainly, an acknowledgement to differing assessments of opinion must be judiciously discerned. Once again, considerations considered not, can lead ones response to a debilitating and embarrassing consequence leading to a stumbling block towards resolution. At the vary least, a thorough evaluation of response is prudent. 

     Sometimes though, the fight has to be fought; but judicious resolve must at times be tempered by judicious restraint balanced by judicious attribution, for the road back to unity may be a long one and the cost irretrievable.

                               I finally put the poem to music. 

     A good friend of mine asked me recently what the last two lines in the chorus meant; "I'm lost in losing all that's here, to finding what I once held dear." It's more than poetic licence. It's just life. Everyone suffers loss at times and sometimes we have to lose to gain.  How people handle loss will at times open their eyes to new or past reflections lost through the business of life. Many times loss brings an unexpected strength of character. We view life more often in a more precious sense. Life reveals time as a gift from our Creator and hopefully we grow. The real value of relationship emerges from the darkest hours forcing us to grow up and re-evaluate the possibilities that lay before us. 

"I know from just the asking, that ere I go astray

My harm would do me better, and better I might be

 If somehow I could chasten, this voice inside of me

And walk this path beside Thee

Forever faithful, Forever clean"

God doesn't leave us where we are. Walk this path in the hope of what we could be. Life is a gift with and for a purpose.

Truth and Mercy

 

One Last Tear

 I was writing lyrics for a new song but it turned out better as a poem ....... I think.

One Last Tear Gordon Bieber 2-2-2023

I’m fighting back that one last tear

I’m face to face with one more fear

I’m lost in losing all that’s here

To finding what I once held dear

I’m looking for my rainbow

Some how to bring me hope

I’m hoping that my looking

Will free me from this doubt

An end to end my crying

A path to lead me out

A will to keep on trying

A strength to bring about

Oh that God would hear me

Remove me from this course

That I might still be faithful

And freed from this remorse

So I could freely follow

A truer path to seek

Where hardship may not follow

A haven more discreet

I know from just the asking

That err I go astray

My harm would do me better

And better might I be

If somehow I could chasten

This voice inside of me

To walk this path beside Thee

Forever faithful, forever clean

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