The Holy Spirit and Paul Wrote - Justified by Faith and Expressed It Many Ways - But Never Objective Justification or Grace apart from Faith

Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace;

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

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The Dirty Half-Dozen, Sprung for a Special Mission

GJ - The Synodical Conference has sent out their third-stringers to Camp Trinity: shape-shifters, politicians, united in anti-fa, anti-faith.

"Speakers include Rev. Steven Spencer; Rev. Rolf Preus MDiv, STM; Rev. Dr. John Spangler; Ex-1st VP Rev. Wayne Mueller, M.Div.; Dr. Doyle Holbird and Rev. "Prof." Jack Cascione, M.Div."

Greek Lesson - Mark 9:9ff - Whoever Receives One Such Child

Parser - tells us the I.D. of the word

Lenski's Mark Commentary - download as a PDF

Mark 9

9 καταβαινοντων δε αυτων απο του ορους διεστειλατο αυτοις ινα μηδενι διηγησωνται α ειδον ει μη οταν ο υιος του ανθρωπου εκ νεκρων αναστη

10 και τον λογον εκρατησαν προς εαυτους, συζητουντες τι εστιν το εκ νεκρων αναστηναι

εκρατησαν - more like holding, seizing among themselves alone. specific to Jesus

11 και επηρωτων αυτον λεγοντες - οτι λεγουσιν οι γραμματεις οτι ηλιαν δει ελθειν πρωτον

12 ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις - "ηλιας μεν ελθων πρωτον αποκαθιστα παντα - και πως γεγραπται επι τον υιον του ανθρωπου ινα πολλα παθη και εξουδενωθη

αποκαθιστα παντα - restore all things, preparing people to believe

εξουδενωθη - be treated with contempt (once in NT)

13 αλλα λεγω υμιν οτι και ηλιας εληλυθεν, και εποιησαν αυτω οσα ηθελησαν, καθως γεγραπται επ αυτον

14 και ελθων προς τους μαθητας ειδεν οχλον πολυν περι αυτους - και γραμματεις συζητουντας αυτοις

15 και ευθεως πας ο οχλος ιδων αυτον εξεθαμβηθη και προστρεχοντες ησπαζοντο αυτον

προστρεχοντες - ran

ησπαζοντο - saluting

16 και επηρωτησεν τους γραμματεις τι συζητειτε προς αυτους

17 και αποκριθεις εις εκ του οχλου ειπεν διδασκαλε ηνεγκα τον υιον μου προς σε εχοντα πνευμα αλαλον

ηνεγκα  -- from φέρω, fero Latin - carry

18 και οπου αν αυτον καταλαβη, ρησσει αυτον, και αφριζει και τριζει τους οδοντας αυτου, και ξηραινεται, και ειπον τοις μαθηταις σου ινα αυτο εκβαλωσιν και ουκ ισχυσαν

ρησσει αυτον - first stage of seizure

19 ο δε αποκριθεις αυτω λεγει, "ω γενεα απιστος! εως ποτε προς υμας εσομαι, εως ποτε ανεξομαι υμων φερετε αυτον προς με

εως - repetition of how long for emphasis

20 και ηνεγκαν αυτον προς αυτον και ιδων αυτον ευθεως το πνευμα εσπαραξεν αυτον και πεσων επι της γης εκυλιετο αφριζων

εκυλιετο - rolled

21 και επηρωτησεν τον πατερα αυτου ποσος χρονος εστιν ως τουτο γεγονεν αυτω ο δε ειπεν παιδιοθεν

παιδιο -θεν  compound, from

22 και πολλακις αυτον και εις πυρ εβαλεν και εις υδατα ινα απολεση αυτον - αλλ ει τι δυνασαι βοηθησον ημιν σπλαγχνισθεις εφ ημας

ημιν - eta becomes e, we, us - upsilon u for you

23 ο δε ιησους ειπεν αυτω,  "το ει δυνασαι πιστευσαι, παντα δυνατα τω πιστευοντι"

24 και ευθεως κραξας ο πατηρ του παιδιου μετα δακρυων ελεγεν πιστευω κυριε βοηθει μου τη απιστια

25 ιδων δε ο ιησους οτι επισυντρεχει οχλος, επετιμησεν τω πνευματι τω ακαθαρτω λεγων αυτω "το πνευμα το αλαλον και κωφον εγω σοι επιτασσω εξελθε εξ αυτου και μηκετι εισελθης εις αυτον"

26 και κραξαν και πολλα σπαραξαν αυτον εξηλθεν και εγενετο ωσει νεκρος ωστε πολλους λεγειν οτι απεθανεν

27 ο δε ιησους κρατησας αυτον της χειρος ηγειρεν αυτον - και ανεστη

28 και εισελθοντα αυτον εις οικον οι μαθηται αυτου επηρωτων αυτον κατ ιδιαν οτι ημεις ουκ ηδυνηθημεν εκβαλειν αυτο

29 και ειπεν αυτοις τουτο το γενος εν ουδενι δυναται εξελθειν ει μη εν προσευχη και νηστεια

30 και εκειθεν εξελθοντες παρεπορευοντο δια της γαλιλαιας και ουκ ηθελεν ινα τις γνω

31 εδιδασκεν γαρ τους μαθητας αυτου και ελεγεν αυτοις οτι ο υιος του ανθρωπου παραδιδοται εις χειρας ανθρωπων και αποκτενουσιν αυτον και αποκτανθεις τη τριτη ημερα αναστησεται

32 οι δε ηγνοουν το ρημα και εφοβουντο αυτον επερωτησαι

ηγ - negation

το ρημα - very important teaching

33 και ηλθεν εις καπερναουμ και εν τη οικια γενομενος επηρωτα αυτους τι εν τη οδω προς εαυτους διελογιζεσθε

34 οι δε εσιωπων προς αλληλους γαρ διελεχθησαν εν τη οδω "τις μειζων"

35 και καθισας εφωνησεν τους δωδεκα και λεγει αυτοις ει τις θελει πρωτος ειναι εσται παντων εσχατος και παντων διακονος

Eschatology

36 και λαβων παιδιον εστησεν αυτο εν μεσω αυτων και εναγκαλισαμενος αυτο ειπεν αυτοις

37 ος εαν εν των τοιουτων παιδιων δεξηται επι τω ονοματι μου εμε δεχεται και ος εαν εμε δεξηται ουκ εμε δεχεται αλλα τον αποστειλαντα με

Extremely important verb - receive, welcome is parallel to faith

verse 39 - μη κωλυετε αυτον

https://biblehub.com/greek/2967.htm

3 John 1:10 V-PIA-3S
GRK: τοὺς βουλομένους κωλύει καὶ ἐκ
NAS: either, and he forbids those
KJV: and forbiddeth them that would,

The Big and the Microscopic Picture - Observation Confirms Creation and Divine Management

David Gelernter - "They [students] know nothing about art. They know nothing about history. They know nothing about philosophy. And because they have been raised as not even atheists, they don't rise to the level of atheists, insofar as they've never thought about the existence or nonexistence of God. It has never occurred to them. They know nothing about the Bible." David Gelernter on Conversations with Bill Kristol.

Dr. Lito Cruz commended the video above, and I posted it a short time ago. Dr. Cruz is a Lutheran pastor and a PhD in math, so the conversation in the video is also his work in academics and computer science.The argument is that amino acids form the proteins in our bodies, in animals, and in plants. They must be lined up on a given protein in a certain way to work. The chances of that happening in long amino acid chains is almost zero. That is explained well in the video because these three scholars know the topic so well. Random organization of proteins is impossible.

The Bible begins with Creation by the Word. I look at discussions like this as material to be used in defense of traditional Christianity. If the Bible is really God's only published book, the Scriptures should judge and explain why Dr. Gelernter is correct.

I look at the issue from the perspective of gardening without toxins or man-made chemicals - Creation Gardening. My grandfathers were organic farmers, called farmers in those days. They managed their property without the vast array of man-made chemicals that are promoted in modern farming. My mother taught me that most insects were beneficial and that the pests were easily handled by other creatures. There - I said it - creatures rather than evolutes.

Ranger Bob was trained in landscape gardening, and he can do the work in record time, except he always thinks of chemical solutions, debating Creation methods with me. My best response is, "Count the roses." 

Everything works together in the Creation Garden. The soil is God's own handiwork, an ocean of life teaming with microbes, the foundation of all plant, animal, and human health. Without those fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes, the soil would be dirt, sterile dead dirt incapable of sustaining life. 

The microbes in soil work with the animals in the soil - earthworms, ants, centipedes, millipedes, slugs, and many more. Larger animals work the soil too, including the hated but beneficial mole. The mole eats all kinds of pests and earthworms. A peak performing soil has everything birthing, dying, eating and being eaten. The effect is to keep an enormous reserve of usable chemicals in the top 12 inches of soil for plants to use and recycle.

I toss every banana peel and each pod of coffee grounds into the soil, because those contributions add to the treasure trapped in the root zone. Others bag their leaves and grass, but I laugh and apply them where they are valued. I do not run chemical tests, because the Creator is far more skilled and flexible than I am. 

If pests assault the flowers, beneficial insects lay eggs near or in the pests, so baby has fresh protein when he hatches. The adults like nectar for food, so I grow their favorite flowers. I would never kill the pests on my own, because they make the garden attractive to the good insects.

One of my favorite photos shows a spider protecting a Falling in Love rose, or, just plain looking for his next meal.

Naturally - or Creationally - the spiders flourish in a garden full of insects. When I cut a long, straight rose for the altar vase, I often find a thick spider net around its base. In the rose may be another spider. Flying around the bloom is often a hover fly or an igneumon wasp. When I used to fill vases on the hood of the Town Car, they flew around the roses as if the garden had merely moved. Sometimes they followed the rose indoors. 

How could all these living things work so well together, in all circumstances, without God's Creation, design, engineering, and daily management?

 These are the fastest growing in the garden, whether the gardener knows it or not - fungi, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes.

The Calendar and Useful Garden Debris

The Gannt Chart is a system for organizing a complicated project. Some people get a certification in Project Management for knowing how to work with the program. A gardener watches that unfold all through the year, with all the parts of Creation working together, from the burst of life in the spring to the production of winter food and protection in the fall.

Ranger Bob wants to weed-whack the gardens down to the ground in the fall, haul all the organic matter away. I say, "No chance. The bugs depend on winter cover, hollow stalks, piles of leaves."

"It looks like a mess."

I say, "Bless the mess. That is the natural state." The leaves and grass become food and shelter for soil creatures. An astonishing array of spiders, beetles, and insects flourish under the blanket of dead leaves and grass. The larger the mulched area, the more birds, squirrels, and rabbits can flourish. Earthworms multiply and moles stir the soil in search of grubs and worms.

A Garden of Fragrances

Mrs. Ichabod wanted the roses near the front door, so she could see them and smell their fragrance all the time.

Jessica Walliser's work introduced me to planting for beneficial insects first of all, adding butterflies and hummingbirds to the list. The penultimate result is a garden of fragrances:

• Roses have many kinds of fragrance, many levels from imaginary to potent.
• Some, like Chaste Tree and Joe Pye, have a medicinal smell.
• Joe Pye flowers also have a light vanilla scent.
• Clethra is the champion, with sweet cinnamon coming from it all the time.
• Mints are minty.
• Berry plants and Butterfly Bush in the back yard give it a grape jelly fragrance at certain times. Butterflies hang around. Beauty Berries ripen for the late fall, when birds need more food.