Some scattered notes...

Here's a quiz for those currently residing in Bunyan's Village of Morality:

Which is more of an offense to God, a person who uses the word shit, or a person who uses words that express the respecting of persons?

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2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

As a lowly street Calvinist why was I able to get terminal understanding of every biblical doctrine I came upon, and to see what was on-the-mark and off-the-mark? To come to the knowledge of the truth? Because my fallen nature is not making demands on the Bible, on God, on biblical doctrine.

Why are the seminary priesthood so incapable of coming to knowledge of the truth? Because their fallen nature is making demands on the Bible, on God, on biblical doctrine. For instance in the area of regeneration. Our fallen nature demands that *we* be in control of regeneration. Our fallen nature detests the fact that God is in control of regeneration. So the seminary priesthood demands their unbiblical infant baptism, which brings along with it, unspoken by them, the unbiblical doctrine of baptismal regeneration. This is what they demand. This is what their fallen nature demands. Along with this particular demand they cause themselves to never completely accept justification by faith alone (not to mention their rejection of the Received Text which forces a humility to something higher than them on their part). Once they allow one 'work' (one area where they are in control rather than God) it vitiates the doctrine of justification by faith alone in their minds. This is why they are ever wobbly on that doctrine, and ever the easy victims of false teachers who come along every generation with a new attack on justification by faith alone.

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Are the leprosy chapters in Leviticus grand, extended metaphor for sin? I think yes. When one first reads through those chapters one has engrafted into them the odiousness of leprosy (whether it is what we think of as leprosy or not, it is an odious disease - myriad skin diseases - with odious descriptions). And that is the odiousness of sin. Of our fallen nature. Of us not clothed in the righteousness of Christ. If not a grand, extended metaphor for sin then why not a separate chapter on toenail rot, or jaundice? Priests aren't doctors, and these chapters are talking about the odiousness of fallen man in God's eyes and the odiousness of sin. The metaphor of leprosy does not enable our vanity and pride any explaining away of the odiousness. It also includes alienation. Our condition in general. Without Christ we are odious lepers.

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Did I just coin the phrase 'terminal understanding'? I've heard the word terminal used with academic degrees, like a Ph.D is a terminal degree. Terminal understanding would just describe what the 2 Timothy 3:7 verse is saying: Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

For Reformed Christians who are otherwise able to accept the five solas, the doctrines of grace, Reformed soteriology, etc., it is usually in the areas of ecclesiology and sacramentology that their fallen nature breaks through and begins to assert itself and to make demands. Then this infects their relationship with the other 'loci' of Reformed systematic theology. Man and ritual is exalted above the word and the Spirit, for instance, and then despite the lip service they may still give to understanding Reformed soteriology they really don't buy it at the essential level of their being.

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Just some scattered notes here, as they come to me...

Ecclesiology and sacramentology... The two areas of biblical doctrine that the Bible is less clear on. And when the Bible is less clear on something it is intentionally less clear. God puts stumblingblocks along the way.

Why would the Bible be less clear on some things? Probably because different things are called for in the different eras of God's plan of redemption. Also probably because not all are in the same stages of development in the faith. Some, for instance, need the visual parable of the two sacraments. Some don't. Some see deeper practice in them, given such teaching by the Holy Spirit Himself. This is why the Bible leaves these two areas intentionally less clear.

This lack of clarity is also why the Devil is able to exploit these two areas of doctrine to insinuate himself into the lives of Christians and bring them into bondage to his kingdom. Again, stumblingblock. Discernment necessary, pilgrims.

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In the comments somewhere I wrote that Church should be a gathering of kings. Maybe only ideally, but still. And then I observed: where in history do you usually encounter a gathering of kings? On the battlefield! So, Church, ideally, is a gathering of kings, on the battlefield. That's what I say. But different people in different stages need different things...