Thank turkey day?

I was relaxing at my brother-in-law’s yesterday reflecting on what exactly Thanksgiving day was. I knew that many families go around the table and list everything they are thankful for. I even saw part of a commercial with different men standing up to tell their families how thankful they were for the family.

Another phenomenon, which is now old news, is the title Turkey day instead of Thanksgiving. At first I thought Turkey day was a rebellion against giving thanks. I have since come to a broader conclusion.

Who are people giving thanks to on Thanksgiving? Football players and TV personalities give thanks and wish us a Happy Thanksgiving. Who are they thanking?

I would suggest that they are not giving thanks to God. Most people do not think of why they are giving thanks. It is simply tradition. But as you listen to their thanksgiving, you can tell that they are thankful to themselves. “We are so thankful for our family” and their underlying assumption is that they have provided for and kept their family together. “We are thankful for this great feast.” Why? Because the parents, grandparents, children, those preparing the food, have done a beautiful job with what they are providing for their guests. There is no recognition of the God who created heaven and earth.

More specifically they are not giving thanks to the true and living God, the Christian God. Now, how can we tell this? Some give thanks to god but not the true God. There are several clues that lead us to this conclusion. First, God must be powerful. If God were not powerful then He could not orchestrate circumstances to provide for us. Second, God must be a good God. If God were not good then it would be against His character to provide what is good for us. Third, God must be loving. If God were not loving then He would not have motivation to provide for us. With the enormous amount of goodness and love God has provided (life, family, a planet that sustains life, etc.) then He must desire that we obey Him and therefore provide direction for us, the Bible. Each of these provide another aspect of the Christian God, showing He is alone as God.

My alternate conclusion for Turkey day being used is that people have realized they deny the God who they should thank and instead substitute the creation, Turkey, for the Creator, God (Romans 1:25).

I’m aware that this is not foolproof. My point though is that we need to think through who we are thanking for our blessings, especially on Thanksgiving. And when we give thanks we should think through the character of God that gives us these blessings.

Sufficient Scripture 5

So, should we take out the garbage before we water the plants or the other way around and where is this found in Scripture?

This is not as straight forward of a question as I made it sound. Scripture does not dictate any command about the priorities of trash removal over plant care.

In exploring the Westminster Confession, chapter 1 section 6, after the verses we’ve reviewed it states: “Nevertheless we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word”. Now, we know that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus only. We can also see in Scripture that our obedience is evidence of our salvation. When section 6 says that we rely on the illumination of the Spirit of God for saving understanding of such things (such things that were listed in the previous sentence: “man’s salvation, faith, and life”), the saving understanding of life is that we need to be obedient to God’s Word throughout our life, which is the evidence that Scripture promises. The Westminster Confession tells us that the work of the Holy Spirit is done through the Word of God in such a way that we are taught how to give evidence of our faith which extends beyond the direct commands of the Bible.

Does the Bible say the same thing? First, the Word of God is living (Hebrews 4:12). It is relevant at all times because it is alive. It’s alive because of its divine authorship. Second, when 2 Timothy 3:16-17 said that all scripture was profitable for training in righteousness in order that the believer might be equipped for every good work, it does not promise to give us steps for every situation. Rather the Bible uses teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness to equip us for every good work. The Bible is the tool the Holy Spirit uses to sanctify us – equip us, change us, make us like the subject of Scripture – Jesus Christ.

Sufficient Scripture 4

In this post we will look at 2 Tim 3:14-17 and its impact on the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture.

Without delay, 2 Timothy 3:14-17 (ESV) reads,

¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it¹⁵and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

As you probably know, Paul is writing to Timothy under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In the previous verse Paul cautioned Timothy against “evil people” and “impostors”. In contrast to them Paul encourages Timothy to continue in what he “learned” and has “firmly believed”. Paul appeals to his own apostleship as the basis for Timothy’s confidence in his learning. Paul also validates the teaching Timothy learned prior to hearing Paul. These were the Old Testament Scriptures that “are able to make you wise for salvation”. But Paul does not stop there. Paul continues that they make wise unto salvation “through faith” and then only in Christ Jesus (v. 14-15).

After verse 15 is a good time to reflect on our study thus far in respect to salvation. The previous posts and these two verses, 14 and 15, are clear that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, who was foretold in the Old Testament as the One who would come, suffer, and claim His kingdom; and, this is combined with trust in what Jesus did by living righteously for us and dieing for our sins so that we might have eternal life (Romans 3:23-26, 6:23). Therefore, the Scripture is sufficient to reveal salvation.

Now, what of the other aspects of “faith and obedience” or “faith and life”? How are we to understand the sufficiency of Scripture in those subjects.

We continue with verse 16 and 17 of 2 Timothy 3. In these two verses God reveals the origin of Scripture. It is “breathed out” by Him. If we trace the usage of the word Scripture through the New Testament then we find that it refers to the entire Old and New Testament (v. 15 above; John 14:26; 2 Peter 3:15-16). Being breathed out by God it caries the characteristics of God that are communicable to it. That is to say that God does not make errors, so Scripture does not have errors; God is truth, so His Scripture is truth (John 17:17); and others, some of which Paul describes next.

Not only is Scripture breathed out by God but it is profitable, as you would expect words from God to be. God gives us His word so that we may grow by its teaching, by its reproof, by its correction and otherwise by its training in righteousness. If the verses stopped here we would at least have a remarkable list of benefits which God gives us through His written word. In each case we profit from God’s word. But that would not fulfill the requirement of sufficiency. It would only tell us that God’s word is a benefit for these things but not that it is sufficient to completely encompass teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness.

In verse 17 God gives the reason for His teaching through His word in each of these areas. That reason is “that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work”. The growth in these areas produces competency in the one who practices them. Not only is competence born but competence grown such that he/she is fully equipped for “every” good work.

The phrase “man of God” is important. The word “man” does not refer to only males but to all human beings, male and female. The phrase though, links it to godly men in the Old Testament. There was a particular character to those called men of God in the Old Testament. The character was that carried by Moses (Deuteronomy 33:1), angles (Judges 13:6), Samuel (1 Samuel 9:10), Elijah (1 Kings 17:18), David (Nehemiah 12:24) and so on. These were men who knew God, knew His law, feared Him, trusted in Him only and served Him only. There is a very tangible and high level of effort to be considered a person of God.

So the one who is diligent, thorough and obedient to the word of God, God grants competency and equips that one for every good work through His Scripture. By using His Scripture as the only instrument by which He performs this, we see that Scripture is sufficient for the work.

Now, we continue in the next post by investigating what every good work means: should we take out the garbage before we water the plants or the other way around and where is this found in Scripture?