Regarding Christian faith taught by the Bible
There are quite a lot of assumptions about Christmas. Firstly, we assume Christmas is a Western thing, a white people’s celebration; but in the Bible, not only did we not see a single European celebrate Christmas, but in fact, no one in the Bible celebrated Christmas except for the very first one, the actual birth …
Continue reading “The Christmas Message According to Matthew’s Gospel”
The second instalment demonstrates that the release from Mosaic Law and—revolves around which—the Jewish supremacy is only the beginning of the gospel’s concern. As consistent to his teaching in other letters, Paul goes on in Phi. 3:15-16 to counsel the Philippians who were concerned differently to Paul, as they seek to be released from their …
In the first instalment of the essay, our exegesis from the original Greek has demonstrated that the mainstream Western Christian interpretation of Philippians 3 as being against ‘external religious works’ and ‘legalistic practices’ is not only out of context and wrong, but also obscures the gospel fundamental message against Jewish ethnic supremacy. Anti-ethnic supremacy Now you, …
The rise of ethnic supremacy of our time in the West—White supremacy—is sweeping, as manifested in the re-election for Trump in America and Far-Right rallies in many major cities throughout the Western world. Many White people, especially young men, including those who are Christians, are being persuaded by White supremist influencers on the internet and …
As a continuation from the last instalment that clarifies the common mis-construal of Jesus’ teaching ‘do not judge’ as him forbidding moral judgment and condemnation, this instalment examines six other common sources of confusion that lead believers to suppress their responsibility to judge rightly and call out evil. The six scriptural passages and theological ideas are:
1. Luke 6:37 “Condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
2.Matthew 5:48 “Love your enemies…”
3.Matthew 5:38-42 “Do not resist the one who is evil… turn the other cheek…”
4. John 8:1-11 “let him who is without sin cast the first stone…”
5. Luther’s assertion of the incomprehensibility of God’s righteousness.
6. “to condemn is not merciful”.
The article discusses the misconception of Jesus’ “do not judge” teaching among Christians, emphasizing that it does not prohibit moral judgment. It argues for the necessity of discerning justice amidst suffering, advocating that a restored conscience allows one to judge rightly and act with integrity, fulfilling the Golden Rule in all circumstances.
Michael Horton based the imputation of righteousness- Christ’ perfect righteousness being transferred upon believers- on Paul’ usage of one word, λογιζομαι in Romans 4, and his citation of Gen. 15:6: ‘The Reformation view of justification…it requires a further point: namely, imputation as the way in which God gives this righteousness or justice to the ungodly through faith. The …
Protestants presuppose that the righteousness acceptable to God has to be perfect, and the way to have this perfect righteousness is by God imputing Christ’s perfect righteousness/justice onto Christians through Christ’s death. Here ‘imputing’ is synonymous to ‘counting’ which is a real-time reckoning. Like an accountant reckoning/counting the figure when looking at an account, Protestants picture God …
Summary:
The interpretation of Martin Luther’s theology, particularly his antisemitic beliefs and misinterpretation of Psalm 143, has led to significant theological implications. Luther’s construal of Psalm 143 misrepresents the biblical faith in God’s Final Judgment according to works and morality, leading to a dichotomy between God’s justice and mercy. This misinterpretation has perpetuated in Protestant theology and contributed to the antisemitic views expressed by Luther in his book “On the Jews and Their Lies”. The scrutiny of Luther’s theology and its implications emphasizes the necessity for continuous reformation and a deeper understanding of biblical truths.
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