Leon Brillouin on Science

Leon Brillouin

I so enjoyed reading this and I must pass this on to you folk.

 At this point we may raise a most important question: How  much confidence do scientific theories deserve? The answer must be  cautious enough: a good deal, but not too much! There are  limitations to all our theories; they are good up to a certain limit  and within certain boundaries. They do not represent " The  truth, nothing but the truth...." Every theory is based on  experiments that have been checked very carefully, but the result can only be stated " within possible errors " between fixed  limits according to the best knowledge of the experimenter. There  is always a possibility that a new, unpredictable cause of errors  might be playing a role in a new experiment, or that the theory  has been extrapolated too far from its domain. 

- 

---- Leon Brillouin - Relativity Reexamined (1970). Academic Press.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Brillouin

Talking People Off the Ledge - 2016 Revisited

 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe - DON'T PANIC was written on the cover - in large, friendly letters.

I spent election night, 2016, talking people out of their gloom and despair. GJ - "We already won."

"No Broward County  - we lost Florida."

GJ - "The plurality in BC is not enough to offset the GOP Panhandle. Some of the pinheads on TV already realize it."

"Are you sure?"

GJ - "I read all the time. The key counties are winning for the Demsheviks, but not by enough. Heavy turnout means heavy cheating in metro counties. It's not heavy, so it will not pan out for them in the swing states."

Midnight - "You were right!"

Predicting is just a function of knowing as much information as possible. So let us turn to the current crisis.

The news was packed with Wuhan Flu Virus! panic stories, seven days a week. Very tiresome. And now we learn - it was deliberately over-reported, exaggerated, falsified, etc.

Jackson's First Law of Journalism - "What leads is never the real news."

Now the massive threat of revolution has peaked and the Million Man March! has dissolved into nothing. The coverage, masks, and self-abasement are truly depressing, but that is just another case of Jackson's First Law of Journalism. Instant nation-wide response to an incident is proof of long-term planning, especially when it is opined to death with severe restrictions on communicating the truth of the charade. I found a cotton mask in the street gutter - it's over. They will soon sell for 10 cents, like the Hula Hoops in days of old.

An old Marxist said he would have fun with the police, walked up to them, fell over backwards, and set off fake blood dripping from under his mask. Journalists ran with it like the police actually hurt the old fake.

Jackson's Second Law of Journalism - Do your own research. The mainstream media are in bed with everyone.

When Prosecutor Durham was hired, Q began. Q is a group headed by President Trump and some military intelligence people, plus a few civilians, about 10 in all. That was 2017. They had a typical military style plan, which means planning backwards.

• The final goal was victory in 2020.
• Cryptic messages are posted here.
• Every step of the way was charted and put on the calendar.
• Each previous goal had to fit in with the ultimate victory.
• They would follow the principles of The Art of War. Those who have not studied that book are like deaf orchestra conductors, missing everything but waving their hands around a lot.
• Military tribunals started in earnest.
• This stage, faking a civil war, was predicted as very ugly and unsettling, but marking the very last step toward victory.

Deception is very important in all wars, and this is the ultimate war. "When you are strong, appear weak. When you are weak, appear strong." The Art of War.

Whenever people are squawking about Trump, I figure he is quietly working on something else. He began by saying child trafficking was the worst of all sins, but that never comes up in his speeches now (as far as I know). I expect a lot will be revealed soon and important arrests will happen.

I cannot do your research for you. No source is 100%, so I do not tire of searching and reading to keep up. Google shadow bans a lot of topics, so use Duckduckgo.com for honest searches. I have to use it to find my own posts, especially the ones that offend the false teachers.

 I just ordered two copies - one for Ranger Bob, one for PFC.

Saving Coffee Grounds and Their Didies

 Take It Easy

At the Ichabode, coffee is an event once or twice a day. Yesterday, Sassy was excited to hear Ranger Bob was coming over. I had to leave the front door open a bit to satisfy her anxiety. Bob wanted to discuss El Salvador coffee; his co-worker was surprised to hear coffee was grown in his homeland. Bob took the bag with some beans to prove it.

We discussed the HMS Hood and the cost of used books on the subject. He discovered late in life that his father was in the Navy, on a carrier. I grew up along the Mississippi River, and I enjoyed rowing upstream and exploring those anonymous channels that led to the frequently flooding river. Once I saw a Blue Heron fishing for food in the shallow, quiet water - and it majestically took flight as I splashed closer.

A book on the Hood, the pride of the English Navy, can be bought for $200, but also for a few dollars plus shipping. Bob was alarmed that I ordered a number of titles, but he was calmed by the extraordinary low prices. I failed to tell him that some went to Baby Andrea by mistake and would be arriving late.

How many people want to discuss the Hood versus Bismarck? Or was it the Eugen? That is the strength of the Net - getting people together to discuss obscure events. Bob filled me in on the quality of German gunnery versus the Brits.

I made hundreds of bismarks at the donut shop, the closest I got to serving in the navy.

I must go down to the shop again, to the bismarks and the rolls,
And all I ask is some bread dough, and some stainless steel bowls,
And spices kick and the radio on and the mixer shaking
And vanilla in the icing and the egg shells breaking. 

They introduced the original poem to us in high school, and Moby Dick as well. Was I programmed for naval history? I wonder.

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.  

Our steady use of coffee means I use the grounds in the little paper filters that fit on the device for pour-over coffee. Creation Gardeners know that coffee grounds are beneficial for the soil. The didies look unseemly on the backyard garden, after a winter of tossing them toward the Butterfly Bush and filling the collars around the Crepe Myrtles.

I had a perfect set up yesterday. A Poke Weed was coming up near the AC unit, with dozens of didies around its base. Cardboard was in abundance, and I had some shredded Cyprus mulch. I put cardboard around the highly prized weed - good for the soil, the favorite source of berries for many birds. And then I poured mulch on the cardboard. Now the weed is a distinguished plant and the didies are even more active in feeding the soil. Soil creatures like darkness, moisture, and the remains of trees. And coffee grounds.

I did the same for the new roses and gave them plenty of rainwater. Recent articles say gardening makes people happy. That explains why chigger bites, thorn scratches, and aching muscles move people to dig, cut, prune, and sow.

Parade Day Rose

Senator Tom Cotton and I

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, Arkansas

I was at the Crystal Bridges Museum with Mrs. Ichabod when Tom Cotton's name came up in connection with politics. He was aim at a first-term in the House of Representatives. Alice Walton had us talk to a woman active in the G.O.P. We were fairly new and learned Cotton had quite a resume.

Soon Cotton was invited to speak at Ecclesia College, a few miles away, where I was teaching. I went to the greeting line and said hello and welcome, though he went to the wrong college. "I went to Yale." How often can I introduce that in a greeting line?

I heard that he might run for Senator, because the Democrat (Pryor) voted for ObamaCare. Soon Cotton was running. I heard Pryor deliver his swan song at a Walmart meeting. He looked like he was facing the gallows - and he lost to Cotton.

Lately Cotton has published an editorial essay in the NY Times that caused a Woke revolution there and plenty of turmoil, enough to make the evening Fox News discussions.

 Isn't it terrible, "stuck in Podunkville?" as one of the Fox Valley alcoholics called this area. We never get to meet anyone. We have not traveled much in the last 11 years, since the whole world comes here.

The Road to Hell Is Paved with Objective Justification - Which Is Now the Pride and Arrogance of LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic)

Look at the influence of Pietism and the Easter absolution of the world. A short history of this distortion and false proclamation follows:

1.     Samuel Huber (1547-1624) was a former Calvinist who joined the faculty of Wittenberg University, but turned against the Biblical doctrine of the Reformation to claim this should be said to someone who has no knowledge of Christ:

“You have the grace of God, you have the righteousness of Christ, you have salvation.” Concilia Theologica Witenbergensia, 1664, p. 654.[1]

2.     J. J. Rambach (1693-1795) was a well-known, prominent figure in Halle, at the height of Pietism. He wrote:

“In His Person, all mankind was justified and absolved from all sin and curse.” Tom Hardt, Robert Preus Festschrift, “Easter and Absolution.”

3.     The Pietistic, rationalistic theology of Halle’s Georg Christian Knapp (1753-1825) became a major doctrinal book in German and also in English, the translation found in every American theological library in the 19^th century. It remains in print. The Calvinist translator, explained Knapp’s theology this way, and those italicized justification terms became normative within the Synodical Conference:

“This is very conveniently expressed by the terms objective and subjective justification. Objective justification is the act of God, by which he proffers pardon to all through Christ; subjective, is the act of man, by which he accepts the pardon freely offered in the Gospel. The former is universal, the latter not.” (Italics in the original)

Lectures on Christian Theology, by Georg Christian Knapp, Professor of Theology in the University of Halle. Translated by Leonard Woods, Jr., D.D., President of Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, later at Andover Seminary, which later became Andover-Newton, which merged into Yale Divinity School in 2018.[2]

4.     Schleiermacher’s Christian Dogmatics - “According to Schleiermacher, the decree of redemption already means that human beings are agreeable to God in his Son; an individual act of justification in time is not first needed in each individual person. It is only necessary that each individual person become aware that in God’s decree of redemption in Christ he is already justified and made agreeable to God.”

Hoenecke, Dogmatics, III, p. 339.

5.     C.F.W. Walther - "For God has already forgiven you your sins 1800 years ago when He in Christ absolved all men by raising Him after He first had gone into bitter death for them. Only one thing remains on your part so that you also possess the gift. This one thing is--faith. And this brings me to the second part of today's Easter message, in which I now would show you that every man who wants to be saved must accept by faith the general absolution, pronounced 1800 years ago, as an absolution spoken individually to him."

The Word of His Grace, Sermon Selections, "Christ's Resurrection--The World's Absolution" Lake Mills: Graphic Publishing Company, 1978 p. 233. Brosamen, p. 138. Mark 16:1-8.  

6.     Barth and Kirschbaum’s Church Dogmatics, IV, 1, p. 638

“There is not one for whose sin and death he did not die, whose sin and death he did not remove and obliterate on the cross...There is not one who is not adequately and perfectly and finally justified in Him. There is not one whose sin is not forgiven sin in Him, whose death is not a death which has been put to death in Him...There is not one for whom he has not done everything in His death and received everything in His resurrection from the dead.” Barth, Church Dogmatics, IV, 1, 638

7.     Pieper’s Christian Dogmatics, II, Concordia Publishing House, 1951, p. 321.

"Now, then, if the Father raised Christ from the dead, He, by this glorious resurrection act, declared that the sins of the whole world are fully expiated, or atoned for, and that all mankind is now regarded as righteous before His divine tribunal. This gracious reconciliation and justification is clearly taught in Romans 4:25: 'Who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification.' The term dikaiosis here means the act of divine justification executed through God's act of raising Christ from the dead, and it is for this reason called the objective justification of all mankind. This truth Dr. Walther stressed anew in America. He taught that the resurrection of Christ from the dead is the actual absolution pronounced upon all sinners. (Evangelienpostille, p. 160ff.)…

8.     LCA Professor Carl Braaten, who felt ELCA was too radical for him –

“We cannot hold a universalism of the unitarian kind. People are not too good to be damned. There is no necessity for God to save everybody nor to reject anyone. God is not bound by anything outside of himself. He is not bound to give the devil his due. If we take into account God's love, he would have all to be saved. If we reckon with his freedom, he has the power to save whomsoever he pleases. This does not lead to a dogmatic universalism. But it does mean that we leave open the possibility that within the power of God's freedom and love, all people may indeed be saved in the end. This follows as a possibility from the fact that God is free from all external factors in making up his mind.”

Justification, The Article by Which the Church Stands or Falls, Fortress Press, 2001.

9.     The LCMS new two-volume dogmatics set, $90.

“To understand the role of faith in the justification of the sinner, one must first recall the significance of objective justification or universal reconciliation, namely, the divine proclamation that God has accepted the sacrifice of his Son for the sins of the whole world, that his wrath has been appeased, that he is reconciled to the whole world, and that as a result he has issued a full pardon for all humanity. Since this pardon is unconditional, it is clear that faith cannot be a cause of one's justification.” Confessing the Gospel, volume 1, p. 573.

10. The LCMS 428 page Small Catechism[3]

“By ‘objective’ or ‘universal’ justification one means that God has declared the whole world to be righteous for Christ’s sake and that righteousness has thus been procured for all people. It is objective because this was God’s unilateral act prior to and in no way dependent upon man’s response to it, and universal because all human beings are embraced by this verdict. God has acquired the forgiveness of sins for all people by declaring that the world for Christ’s sake has been forgiven. The acquiring of forgiveness is the pronouncement of forgiveness.”

11. J. P. Meyer, a president of Mequon (WELS), wrote even more extreme statements, three of which became part of the Kokomo Statements - such as:

I. "Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attitude toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner, whether he knows about it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint. What will be his reaction when he is informed about this turn of events? Will he accept, or will he decline?"  J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 103f. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.  

II. "Before Christ's intervention took place God regarded him as a guilt-laden, condemned culprit. After Christ's intervention and through Christ's intervention He regards him as a guilt-free saint." J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 107. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

III. "This applies to the whole world, to every individual sinner, whether he was living in the days of Christ, or had died centuries before His coming, or had not yet been born, perhaps has not been born to this day. It applies to the world as such, regardless of whether a particular sinner ever comes to faith or not."

J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 109. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

12. David Valleskey, “In Christ God has effected a universal justification a universal reconciliation, a universal ransom, a universal atonement. Different terms, but all conveying the same message: God in Christ has declared the whole world to be not guilty. We Believe, Therefore We Speak, Northwestern Publishing House, 1995, p. 71.[4]

At this, the beginning of the End Times, the LCMS has defined Justification as world absolution without faith, both in its new dogmatics and its prolix Small Catechism. Yet, no one is blushing. Praising Luther and Dr. Walter A. Maier in one breath, they promote Rambach and Knapp in another.

---

[1] This is roughly what Rev. Wayne Mueller said to the Columbus WELS Youth Rally, showing them how easy evangelism is. Pastor Paul Rydecki (formerly WELS) has translated Hunnius, who with P. Leyser, refuted Huber’s early form of Objective Justification, which explains its Calvinist DNA from Huber. Calvinism also entered the Lutheran Church through the unionistic style of Spener and the Pietism that grew from his efforts.

[2] It is said, which is worthy of a dissertation, that the Objective and Subjective Justification terms were adopted in Germany and influenced Walther, who approved them. At first Knapp’s actual words seem to be Biblical, but he clearly speaks of universal justification, which combines the universal nature of the Atonement with Justification by Faith.

[3] Leaders Guide for the Small Catechism, reproduced here - http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2018/06/lcms-has-been-hatching-denial-of.html

[4] Valleskey has expressed fully the common error of Objective Justification – merging the Atonement with Justification by Faith, thus rejecting the Scriptural foundation of Luther’s Reformation, instead - embracing rationalistic Pietism and its bedmate, religious unionism.

Amazon's HAL Asked Me a Question - I Could Not Resist

Are they GMO or hairloom?

Thank you for answering the question.

Your answer was posted under Gregory Jackson, PhD, your public name. To change your public name, go to your profile. The customer who asked the question will get notified of your answer.

Answer

They do nothing for my hair. I do not think they are GMO. They grow great. I sow them before or right after a rainstorm. Sometimes the seeds carry over the winter. During the summer they often seed themselves, and the bees love them. They are supposed to help increase the beneficial insect population overall.

Gregory Jackson, PhD

Outsidepride Borage Herb Plant Flower Seed - 1 OZ

***

GJ - Every so often I get asked a question on Amazon. I bought a pound of Borage seeds from this company, since I scatter the seeds without fear of them taking over gardening spaces. (Please do not mention Buckwheat, which grew higher than the roses during a very rainy summer.)

We are just getting into summer heat, so the insects are abundant. The beneficial insect population is busy with the many pollinating plants. At first the early weeds pop up with tiny flowers, just right for the early bees. 

 Counsin Comfrey reminds me of some family reunions. That is all I will say.

Borage started early with some volunteers from last year. The thick layer of leaves protected them from frostbite. Cousin Comfrey is a bully plant, taking up a lot of space in the Butterfly Garden. I plan on adding two more because Comfrey are definitely in the plant and forget style of gardening. I could have circled the garden with them, because they caught up with the Neon Spirea in size - and they bloom constantly.

Our storm was supposed to arrive on Tuesday, so I used some time on Sunday to encourage the new roses with buckets of rainwater. 

Blackberry plants are prospering in the rain and sun. I thought the three Little Joe Pye plants would be swamped by them on the side of the house. But Little Joe is doing well, having the advantage of growing in place each year, rather than trying to own the planet, as Blackberries do.

Likewise, the Joe Pye in the Rose Garden are reaching six feet. By being so large, they overshadow weeds and outgrow slug and bug munching. 

The Feast of the Holy Trinity, 2020. Out of the Darkness

The Feast of the Holy Trinity, 2020

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

https://video.ibm.com/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 

10 AM Central Daylight Time

The melodies are linked in the hymn name. 

The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.

• The melody site is linked here.
• TLH Lyrics are linked from the Bethany Hymnal site.

The Hymn # 246               Holy, Holy, Holy               

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto us, Thy servants, grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity, we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst lump us steadfast in this faith and evermore defend us from all adversities; who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel               

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Athanasian Creed             p. 53
The Sermon Hymn #250      Holy God We Praise Thy Name
       

Out of the Darkness

 

The Communion Hymn  #297                The Gospel Shows

The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #660                I'm But a Stranger Here  

            Prayers and Announcements

• In treatment - Rush Limbaugh, Randy Anderson, Christina Jackson
• Recently diagnosed, Mary Howell, Terry and Lori Howell's adult daughter
• The families of Doc Lito and Pastor Palangyos
• Another shipment of rice is ready for permits, passes, stamps, and red tape - for Pastor and Mrs. Palangyos' people
• Luther's Galatians has begun and pdf versions will be available as it progresses.

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Luther’s Trinity Sermons Linked Here

Romans 11 33 ω βαθος - O the depth

1. πλουτου 0f the riches
2. και σοφιας  and of the wisdom
3. και γνωσεως θεου and of the knowledge of God.

ως ανεξερευνητα τα κριματα αυτου και ανεξιχνιαστοι αι οδοι αυτου.

34 τις γαρ εγνω νουν κυριου η τις συμβουλος αυτου εγενετο

35 η τις προεδωκεν αυτω και ανταποδοθησεται αυτω

36 οτι 

1. εξ αυτου και - from Him and
2. δι αυτου και - through Him and
3. εις αυτον τα παντα αυτω - in Him are all things.

 η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην

KJV Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

KJV John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Pentecost Monday Gospel:

KJV John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Background for the Gospel Sermon, John 3
People wonder about why Nicodemus came to Jesus at night - or at least they should. One suggestion is - Nicodemus was studying.
That seems a bit weak. More likely - he was afraid of being seen. The only illumination at night was from the moon or stars, so this would have been a good way to learn more about Jesus without being seen. The Gospel of John emphasizes Jesus as the Light, so those who do not believe are in darkness until the Spirit brings the Gospel to them in the Word.

Someone can be every so learned and yet in the dark about the truths revealed in the Scriptures. Many clergy, professors, and church officials today are like Nicodemus. They have a lot of knowledge, but they are timid about the Faith. Therefore, they do not grasp the meaning of the True Light illuminating the world. Halfway in (if that), they hesitate to trust the Word and hide behind the materialistic promises of numbers, gimmicks, attractions, and social fads. That is why many churches look and sound like bad imitations of rock palaces.

We have in our grasp the greatest marvel of the ages - the Fourth Gospel explaining everything in plain, simple word. And yet, each word, phrase, and sentence has the power of the Holy Spirit to convert or harden, to illuminate or blind. Willful rejection of the Gospel of John by the "scholars" has kept people from these truths. Picture Matt Harrison stumbling about the meaning of Jesus' words or Professor Valleskey puzzled into asking dumb questions. That is Lutheran leadership today, lost in darkness, hating the Truth. They know they got there - by conforming - and know even better than tumbling to the bottom, being a parish pastor, is only one mistake away.

Out of the Darkness

KJV John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

The Pharisees were saintly, as Luther has stated more than once, and Nicodemus was a leader, very important as a scholar and also in a dangerous position. As a Pharisee, he knew all about the Law. He knew the Scriptures, and he practiced obedience to the Law. Everyone looked up to the Pharisees, and that was the problem - the fame of Jesus disturbed his world. Many of the passages from the Scriptures must have drawn Nicodemus to see Jesus. However, his standing in his own community would have made him very timid about arousing their wrath.

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Many came to Jesus by day, but only Nicodemus by night. This did not look good, but more than that, Jesus already knew the thoughts and intentions of Nicodemus. He did not need the commendation of Nicodemus. However, this mild confession tells us that Nicodemus had the beginning of faith. Since Nicodemus was powerful and highly esteemed, Jesus should have made him feel welcome and useful, as many religious leaders do today. They name buildings after these titans and praise them into heaven, even before their time.

Luther:
Accordingly, he is moved to go to him and to hear what it is that he teaches, and what he is reproving. For an intelligent person like himself cannot understand why there should be anything deserving censure or blame in the Pharisees’ holy life according to the Law and in their beautiful works.

4. Therefore, he goes to Christ with thoughts like these: Christ will rejoice to see me come and will be highly pleased because such a great and excellent man, one of the rulers and of the best of men, so humbles himself and shows such honor to a lowly person like Christ as to go to him and to seek his friendship, a thing Christ dare not expect of anyone.

Thus he sets out in a pleasant mood, expecting to be made welcome and to be very kindly received. Nor has he the least fear that possibly he may be reproved or put to school, but he imagines that, since he is acting like a good friend, Christ will in turn treat him respectfully and kindly.

Occasionally it still may happen that an earnest preacher is deceived by a person of this sort and allows the good opinion expressed to tickle him, causing him to flatter and fawn in turn.

 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Although Nicodemus had mine fine qualities admired by his people, Jesus began with an abrupt statement, starting at the core of the issue - what is forgiveness and salvation? Nicodemus knew the Scriptures and lived accordingly, but what was he missing?Rather than coaxing or persuading Nicodemus, Jesus began with the stark truth.

This statement of Jesus is often mis-communicated. He says literally, "Unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." Furthermore, many Baptists see "born-again" as equivalent to a religious experience of being forgiven and saved.

The Pietist mission societies, which were very important in sending people to America, often taught or expected their concept of a born-again experience among its members. 

"From above" is very important because the Fourth Gospel often uses  that term for Jesus, and so does James.  Every good and perfect gift from above - in James - is not about Christmas presents, but about Christ.

Besides this, there are many examples of the main word for "again" in the New Testament - palin. We find that in "palindrome" a word or sentence that can read backwards, like Bob, Otto, dad. 

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

The absurd response of Nicodemus shows that his initial faith in Jesus is cloudy and unsure. Blind Bartimaeus, no scholar, confessed Jesus as the Messiah. The babies held by their mothers joined in shouting Hosanna to the Son of David. This response shows that Nicodemus was thinking about matters here on earth even though he came for spiritual advice. I had a young lady come visit who was expecting and not married. She asked about what I thought. I said, "You are not going to be a mother. You are a mother and you have a baby." She wanted to talk about all her travel plans around the world.

Many people want errors confirmed, so they are confused or angry when answers do not match their mistaken thoughts. In the end, it does not matter what pleased people to hear or preachers to teach. The truth alone matters, and it comes from above, through Christ alone.

There is so much pressure to make exceptions, for good people, for popular people, for martyrs to a cause - no matter what it is. That pressure is from rejection of the True Light from above, the Son of God and Savior. Watering the truth down and sugaring it up does not help people, but causes confusion and bitterness in the long run.

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

This is a sermon by itself and deserves a careful look. The way this is expressed in the original, it should read like this - "Unless a man is water-Spirit born (εξ υδατος και πνευματος), he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

Water and Spirit are united by a grammatical form. We stress the article The for emphasis - The Ohio State University. Greek often drops the article for the same purpose, so it is call anarthrous. (I tread carefully here because of an alumnus of TOSU. Don't they say Toe-Sue for short? I am sure of it.)

So many Christians disregard Holy Baptism as merely symbolic, but here the Savior connects it with the Spirit, therefore with the Word. Whether baptized as adults or children, the Word conveys the Spirit - and the Spirit conveys the Word. Baptism is symbolic, but it is also the act of God which includes rebirth, renewal, a new creation, forgiveness, and eternal life.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Many live their lives entirely in the flesh, not necessarily in a bad way, but in a way that is devoid of the Holy Spirit. They are correct in that people can get what they want if they obsess about it, live their lives for that purpose, and dedicate all their energy to that. This is what Jesus challenged, even with a ruler among all the living saints of the time. If they were scholars and obeyed the rules of the Law, they were admired and honored. But Nicodemus doubtless saw the gap between the gracious ministry of Jesus and his fellow scholars hating Jesus. 

The reason for this hatred, which must always be in our minds, is Jesus teaching, "To have the righteousness that avails before God, one must believe in Me as the Savior."

To be born of the Spirit means the Gospel Word has grafted Christ onto to us, giving us faith and salvation. I planted hybrid tea roses the last two days. Each one has a graft. The wild rose is the base and the beautiful roses we admire and share - they are grafted onto that base. (A standard or tree rose has two grafts.)

James says, "Receive with meekness the engrafted Word." James 1:21

This morning, at 6 am, I poured rainwater on several roses. Why? Because they are young and need to take root. Rainwater always works best. If water is good, rainwater is 10 times good. I never doubt the efficacy of the rainwater, because it works just like the Word. It always has an effect. I never haul it - like a French peasant - in vain. It accomplishes its purpose and prospers its purpose.

The Spirit and the Word are always united. Anyone who is confused about the Christian Faith can sit down and read the Fourth Gospel, where all this is explained in plain, simple language. One member of the Greek class opined that John's Gospel is doubly useful because it is used in training people in a new language. So the Spirit guides us in understanding the Word.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again [GJ- from above]. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 

Spirit and wind are the same word in Hebrew and Greek, for good reason. The wind is invisible but powerful, its force beyond comprehension at times. But Nicodemus did not understand this idea of being born of the Spirit.

A couple from Hong Kong made fun of Christianity. They went to Lutheran schools there because that was appealing for many reasons. But they put comic books in front of the Christian textbooks when they pretended to study. Each one converted to Christianity upon hearing Billy Graham live. The husband was first, and he asked his wife to go - she was reluctant. Their families disowned them because they left the traditions of their ancestors. The Spirit is a powerful force in the Word, changing hearts and taking people from the pagan worship and esteem of their families ot persecution for becoming Christians.

10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 ουτως γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον

In chapter 3 we not have this great encounter with Nicodemus, but a glorious passage uniting the Exodus experience of Moses and the serpent (very weird by anyone's perspective) with Christ crucified. In a few verses, the Son came down from heaven so that in believing in Him we might have eternal life.