Reason as a Bride

Greetings,

(I know that this might not appear to be connected with Grace, but rest assured that there is some method to my madness.)

Anyway... The last post stated that reason could be a bride or a whore. Today I shall persue how reason can be a bride to the Christian Faith. Now, that is obviously a metaphorical and poetic statement. I mean, when I say that reason is a brdie to the Christian Faith, that reason can be used in a proper way that brings about good results. When a woman and a man choose to marry (and therefore share a conjugal relationship) children are produced and a family is created.(Generally speaking) This is exactly how it is when reason combines with the Christian Faith. For God Himself is the "God of knowledge" (I Samuel 2:3). The Lord numerous times calls for His people to search out for wisdon in the Proverbs. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7) God declares that only fools hate wisdom and instruction, but notice where knowledge begins. True knowledge can only begin when the fear of the is its basis. Today we live in an ear coming to be known as post-modernism (or a period of ultra-modernsim, thats all semantics tho) Post-Modernist revolt against the idea of theories and anything that can give a concrete definition of life, morals, and even the most basic things of life. We, as believers in Christ, start from the Infinite reference point who is God Himself as desiplayed in both Old and New Testments. There will be a little more on this that I shall conclude on tomorow.

By His Word Alone,
Reformer

Reason as a whore, and a bride

Greetings,

Now what do I mean by this title, because I am sure that is what you are asking yourself. For some background info to this question I have been self studying philosophy for some time now. I have read from Empirical Aristotle to Existential Satre. Also "Christan" philosophers like Anselm and Aquinas. Throught all of this the question in my mind has come to, "What is the role of reason in the Christian Faith." Luther called reason a whore, but he sure did use it a lot. Luther, Calvin (and myself) would not call reason or logic a whore in and of itself. I have come to this conclusion:

"When reason is based upon faith(In God's Revelation a.k.a. the Bible, and the finished vicarious work of Christ) reason becomes like a bride. "
"When reason is based on secular Ideas(humansim i.e. Existenalsim, Post Modernsim and the like), reason becomes nothing more than a godless whore."

When reason and saving faith meet, it is like a husband and a bride. Comming together, conjugal bliss forms good and wholesome offspring. But when reason unites with humanism, it is gross immorality. The bed is defiled and disease with hellashious torment is the only thing that is produced. This is...as it were... for your thought. I will give more thought on this tomorow.

By Christ Alone,
Reformer

for sinners

Woe to us, oh woe to us.
For we sin against the Lord our God.
How shall we come before our sovereign,
Can sinful man approach the throne of God.
Is it lawful for a God to provide salvation for the reprobate?

Nay, there is not justice in what was done to Christ for His chruch.
It is only because He loved... He Loved? How can this be?
I can answer it not, for I tremble before this thought.
I am prostrate before the throne, and for love and the sake of awe I dare not look up.
I am commanded by my concious to wet the ground with my tears and pray the wrath not consume me.
Yet, my Savior lifts up my head and looks me in the eye. I see not hate in his eyes, only love that a Father has for his child. Why is this? My eyes were once full of hate, yet his full of love from before time began...

All I can do is shout of his amazing love. Men are not suppose to cry, yet I say damn such idea to hell. For a God that would justfiy me in such a manner I must pore contempt on all pride and pore myself out as water. I have nothing in my hands to bring, but still to thy cross I can cling.
Amazing Grace.

I emplore you my reader, seek the Lord, and lean not upon thy own understanding. Look to the sky for your salvation. You shall find no help inside yourself, nor inside other men. Only by looking up, above yourself and all other men, can you find peace. For peace proccedeth from Truth, and Truth hath only one source and that is from the Word of God, who is Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen

for the ladies

Greetings,

You know people really think that I am all about theology and nothing eles. I can't help that, I was predestined to be this way(cuckle, cuckle. a lame Calvanist joke) Anywho, I was watching the branaugh Version of Shakespear's "Much Ado About Nothing" and some lines hit me as being good for the upcoming valenties day.(Ok, mabey I missed the day, by a week or two, but it is a Catholic Pagan holiday and I was hesitent to say anything about it at all. Or I just plain forgot...)And so here are the lines as best I can remeber them:

"Sigh no more ladies, sigh no more;
Men were decievers ever.
One foot in sea, and one on shore;
To one thing Constant never.
So sigh not so, but let them go;
and be you blithe and bonny.
Converting all your sounds of woe,
into, 'hey, nony, nony'"

I dont think I would agree with this. True men, as described and commandd in Scripture, seem nothing like this. Men are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the Church...well, that entailed:setting aside glory, becoming a servant, loving when no love was given, being hated and spat upon and ect. So I must conclude that any "man" who dissagrees with Scripture and is content to treat women harshly is a knaveish ill-breading crutch (keeping with the shakespeanrean theme), and can be damned to eternal fire and torment for all I care. But amid this ranting I have one question.... What does nonny nonny mean????

By Christ Alone,
Reformer

On to the next topic

Greetings,

The topic we have been thus far considering is the first point of the Reformation, "Sola Scriptura". This section having been concluded we are moving on to "Sola Gratia" (Grace alone). There are, as before mentioned, five statments and they could be discussed in any order, but this is just the next point we are moving on to.

A side note is on the last post. This is an adaptation from a statement Martin Luther made when he thought he was dying (from kidney stones, or urinary stones, I dont know if there is a diffrence, I am not doctor). Just an interesting little historical tid-bit.

In Christ Alone,
TheReformer