FURTHER ON ABBA FATHER

I posted recently about the inaccuracy of referring to God as "Daddy" rather than "Father." A friend of mine further clarified this point in a post today. Here it is:

The term Abba is best understood as meaning Father not Daddy.

"Matt. 6:9 Father (Gk. patēr, “father”) would have been “Abba” in Aramaic, the everyday language spoken by Jesus (cf. Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). It was the word used by Jewish children for their earthly fathers. However, since the term in both Aramaic and Greek was also used by adults to address their fathers, the claim that “Abba” meant “Daddy” is misleading and runs the risk of irreverence. Nevertheless, the idea of praying to God as “Our Father” conveys the authority, warmth, and intimacy of a loving father’s care" (ESV SB)

"This view (abba as "Daddy") has now been show to be incorrect. While it is true that children would address their father as abba, it is also true that grown children also addressed their father as abba. In fact, most references to fathers as abba in the Mishnah and the Targums come from grown-up children. It is true that little children called their father abba, but these were the normal words of the language and they were 'correct and grammatical adult Aramaic.' The early church and the writers of the NT demonstrate this understanding of the term in that they do not translate abba as 'Daddy' but as 'Father'. If they though it meant 'Daddy,' they could easily have revealed this by translating the term by the diminutive term patridion ('Daddy'). They never did this, however. They used instead pater ('Father'). Thus it is best to understand Abba as a reference by young or old to their 'Father'."

- Robert H. Stein - "The Method and Message of Jesus' Teachings"

2 TIMOTHY 2:1-13: A GOOD SOLDIER OF THE LORD

2 TIMOTHY 2:1-13: A GOOD SOLDIER OF THE LORD

            Americans, likely more than other people in the world, know about soldiers. We are proud of our soldiers; we love our soldiers; and we dignify our soldiers. Paul speaks to Timothy about being a soldier of the Lord in 2 Timothy 2:1-13, and in this passage, he presents two unique aspects about a good soldier that we should consider.

2 Timothy 2:1-13

English Standard Version (ESV)

A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus

2 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, ² and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men^[a] who will be able to teach others also. ³ Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. ⁵ An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. ⁷ Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, ⁹ for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. ¹¹ The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

¹² if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
¹³ if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself.

A Good Soldier Suffers for His Enlister (vv. 1-7)

            Why are good soldiers willing to sacrifice their bodies and indeed their very lives? Why are they willing to endure pain? A good soldier suffers with dignity and pride for his enlister. For Americans, the enlister is the United States of America and the freedom that comes with being an American. This is what a good soldier is willing to suffer for. As Christians, our call is even higher though. We must not only be willing to suffer for Christ, but we must, in fact, suffer. The mark of a Christian is suffering. If we are not suffering, we are not living the life that God has intended for us. The enlister is Jesus Christ, and as Paul says, a good soldier’s aim is to please his enlister. It is not to please self. Paul tells us that we are to share in suffering. Suffering does not belong only to Jesus Christ, but as fellow believers, we are to share in his suffering. Let us examine ourselves and our suffering.

A Good Soldier Always Remembers What He Is Fighting For (vv. 8-13)

            A good soldier never forgets what he is fighting for and why he has enlisted in the first place. For the believer, we exist for the glory of God, and we must be found so much in Christ that what he does and what we do is one in the same. We move to his rhythm; he does not move to ours. Paul gives a warning when he says that if we deny Christ, he will also deny us because he cannot deny himself. His glory is so far above our comfort and well-being that he is willing to part ways with us if we deny him. Our memory must always be upon Christ. He must be our constant focus.

Conclusion

            Paul gives us two unique aspects of a good soldier, unique in the fact that if we these characteristics do not describe a believer, he or she is not a good soldier of the Lord. May our eyes be fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and may we be soldiers of his army.

MY RANT ABOUT NICK SABAN

Anyone who knows me knows that I strongly dislike Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. I think I am not alone in that dislike too. For some, it is his feeble attempt at football swag; for others it is simply the fact that he has won so often; and for others who know football, it is simply the fact that he is not as great of a coach as people make him out to be. I say this for the following reasons:

Saban has only deserved one championship he has won at Alabama. First of all, in 2010, the Texas Longhorns were dominating the game, and I strongly believe that they would have won if Colt McCoy did not get hurt. However, for the sake of McCoy’s future NFL career, Coach Brown decided to take him out of the game. Immediately the attitude of the team, staff, and fans watching all across the stadium and on TV dropped. Say what you will, but McCoy was a huge part of that team just like any QB is for any team so I say with confidence that Texas would have won that game if Colt had stayed in. Secondly, when the Tide won the championship in 2012, they should not have even been there. They played LSU for the title, but the fact of the matter is that if the FBS has a playoff system instead of the senseless bowl system, Bama would not have been in the championship game, and this is based solely on the fact that LSU already beat them during the regular season. On top of this, who is to say that any other one-loss team wasn’t just as good as Alabama? They did not deserve this championship. The only championship that Saban deserves is 2013.

Saban could not make it in the NFL. When he coached the Miami Dolphins in 2005 and 2006, they did horribly. Therefore, he left the NFL to return to college coaching. The fact is, however, that Alabama was an already thriving program. He just had to ride the train that was already rolling and take the credit for it, which is precisely what he did, and now (since they have national titles), recruiting is an easy task. Saban, therefore, just had the luck of the draw by getting to coach Alabama.

For some, this may not be a huge deal, but for me, credit needs to be paid where it is due; and it is not due to Nick Saban.

PSALM 14:1: THE EFFECT OF DISBELIEF

PSALM 14:1: THE EFFECT OF DISBELIEF

            The Bible criticizes disbelief on many occasions. Disbelief is often the result of pride and arrogance, and often we do not realize the effects of disbelief until it is too late. The first verse of Psalm 14 speaks of disbelief and specifically of disbelief in not only God but in a god at all. It also speaks to the effects of disbelief and specifically the effects of disbelief in a god.

Psalm 14:1

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Fool Says, There Is No God

To the choirmaster. Of David.

14 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
    there is none who does good.

Disbelief

            The first step toward these negative effects is disbelief, specifically disbelief in a god. The psalmist tells us that the fool denies in his heart that there is a god. This verse may be taken two different ways, the first of which is denying that there is a higher power. This is the state of many people in our world and has been for thousands of years. It is easy to deny the existence of a higher power because we often choose not to see and look for the proof, of which there is plenty. This verse may also be taken as the denial of God, the one true God of the universe. This is, in fact, far more common than simply denying the existence of a higher power. Many agnostics acknowledge the existence of a higher power but refuse to acknowledge the existence of God himself.

            What is the importance of the heart in this verse? The fact is that even if a fool reasoned things out in his mind, he would have no choice but to acknowledge the existence of at least a god if not God himself. This is why this verse presents the fool denying God in his heart. The heart represents the seed of the emotions in the Bible, and in this case, the fool has disregarded God in his heart, not his mind.

            Many of us might ask how this verse applies to us. It is sad but true though that many believers live a life disconnected from God and live life as if he does not exist. This is practical atheism, acknowledging God with the mouth but denying him in the heart. This is the fool Psalm 14:1 speaks of. It is one thing to acknowledge God with the mouth but another to acknowledge him as Lord with the heart. We often see this verse as referring to atheists, but it is not only referring to atheists but people who profess Christ as well. Have we truly acknowledged in our hearts that God is Lord?

Corruption

            The effect of disbelief and denial is corruption. This verse tells us that the one who says in his heart that there is not a God is corrupt and does abominable deeds. This is the effect of disbelief. Even in the lives of Christians, disbelief on a micro level is present, and often the result is corruption. We must keep ourselves from falling into this trap by living in constant belief and trust in our Savior.

Conclusion

            It is apparent from this passage that corruption and evil is the effect of disbelief. We must not assume, however, that this applies only to atheists. We should realize that this applies to all people, especially believers. We may believe that God exists, but does it go beyond that or stop there? The effect of all disbelief is corruption. Let us then believe.

INSPIRATION OR A DESIRE TO QUIT

I can't decide if this amazing musician, Jordan Rudess, inspires me or makes me want to quit.

AWESOME MUSIC THEORY VIDEO

I found this video today. It is awesome! You theorists will understand.

JESUS + NOTHING = EVERYTHING

It recently occurred to me that the church is advocating Jesus + something else even without realizing it. Obviously many churches teach Jesus + something else through the prosperity gospel and things of that nature, but what I am referring to is small groups, often called community. It is as if the church is advocating that Jesus is not enough; therefore, we need community. I do not deny that community among believers is important, but to make it seem as if one is wrong and living in sin for not finding community among believers is equally as disturbing as any other false gospel in existence today. Either Jesus is enough, or he is not. We should present community among believers as something that helps us but not as something that is sinful if we do not take part in it. It is indeed sad that we have come to the point where we take something intended for good (small group community) and treat it as if it is a biblical command. It is not. Let us get it through our thick skulls that Jesus + nothing = everything.