“Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin
sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences
run into each other. The divine law, as discovered by reason and
the moral sense, forms an essential part of both.”
– James Wilson ()
Reference: The Works of James Wilson, McCloskey, ed., 125.
“In such a performance you may lay the foundation of national
happiness only in religion, not by leaving it doubtful “whether
morals can exist without it,” but by asserting that without
religion morals are the effects of causes as purely physical as
pleasant breezes and fruitful seasons.”
– Benjamin Rush (letter to John Adams, 20 August 1811)
Reference: Americanism, Gebhardt (12); original Letters, Rush,
Butterfield, ed., vol. 2 (1096-97)
“The foundation of national morality must be laid in private
families. . . . How is it possible that Children can have any
just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if,
from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in
habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as
constant Infidelity to their Mothers?”
– John Adams (Diary, 2 June 1778)
“The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an
eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may
be abused by human depravity; and that they may even, in some
instances be made subservient to the vilest purposes. Should,
hereafter, those incited by the lust of power and prompted by
the Supineness or venality of their Constituents, overleap the
known barriers of this Constitution and violate the unalienable
rights of humanity: it will only serve to shew, that no compact
among men (however provident in its construction and sacred in
its ratification) can be pronounced everlasting an inviolable,
and if I may so express myself, that no Wall of words, that no
mound of parchm[en]t can be so formed as to stand against the
sweeping torrent of boundless ambition on the side, aided by the
sapping current of corrupted morals on the other.”
– George Washington (fragments of the Draft First Inaugural
Address, April 1789)
“The Scriptures obtain full authority among believers only when men regard them as having sprung from heaven, as if there the living words of God were heard.”
- John Calvin
So this week was a big week for me. I went to a concert to see some bands that made my ears bleed. I also had another great conversation with my neighbor. We got into the discussion of what is Christianity. Now his view and mine are polar opposites like usual, but he always makes me think. If a person wanting a degree in computer science started school, and all they got were books on water chemistry, then they are not learning computer science. But wait! Society says water chemistry is what computer science is all about. It has changed in the past 50 years to reflect the dominate culture. If something like this happened they would not be a computer scientist when they got out of school. No matter what people call it. I know this sounds crazy but this is the same thing that has happened to Christianity.
My neighbor made this very clear when we were having a quick back porch debate. I was saying that fox news in an article here said that 83 percent of protestants polled said they there was more than one way to salvation outside of their religion. I said that means only 17 percent of those polled were actually Christians then. My neighbor said that I could not say that. My response was this. If you are a Christian then you are supposed to believe the bible. He then said well not all Christians believe everything in the bible is true. You can see where this was heading. But the fact of the matter is that he is correct. Only correct in that people CALL themselves Christians when they are not. Christianity has reached a point where once again post-modernist thought has done its work on a concept. It works like this; I do not like that being a Christian means that you have to believe that the bible is the infallible, irrefutable, and inerrant word of God. I also do not like the Christianity believes that Jesus is the only way to heaven. So I am going to redefine what Christianity is. Just like my computer science analogy above. You can redefine it all you want. But if you do not believe what the book says then you are not a Christian. No matter how you want to spin it this is the way it is. The God of the bible says there is but one way.
Mathew 7:
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
In the Gospel of John Jesus is called
• “the bread of life” (6:35, 48)
• “the bread that came down from heaven” and “the living bread that came down from heaven” (6:41, 51)
• “the light of the world” (8:12; 9:5)
• “the resurrection and the life” (11:25)
• “the true vine” and “the vine” (15:1, 5)
In John 14:6 Jesus says
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Romans 3:
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
You see no one is good so we require Jesus to save us.
I could go on and on but I will not. Just be looking forward to the next podcast. Instead of a quote of the day I wanted to give you this and a quote. I think a fitting quote to go along with today’s article is this
Hence we must hold, that whosoever adulterates pure religion (and this must be the case with all who cling to their own views), make a departure from the one God. No doubt, they will allege that they have a different intention; but it is of little consequence what they intend or persuade themselves to believe, since the Holy Spirit pronounces all to be apostates, who, in the blindness of their minds, substitute demons in the place of God. -John Calvin, Institutes, Book I., Ch. 5. Section 13a.
Sorry I am so late on this today
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?””
William Arthur Ward
“He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find him the rest of the day”
John Bunyan
“Pray, and let God worry”
Martin Luther
“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”
Saint Augustine
