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The Distinction between Law and Gospel

On the distinction between Law and Gospel, Theodore Beza, John Calvin’s successor in Geneva once said, “Ignorance of the distinction between the Law and Gospel is one of the principle sources of all the abuses which corrupt and still corrupt Christianity.”

Martin Luther, the great Reformer, said, “Virtually the whole of the scriptures and the understanding of the whole of theology-the entire Christian life, even- depends upon the true understanding of the law and the gospel.”

On the Reformation Sunday last Sunday, Rev. Inks preached on Galatians 3:6-14, and he explained why it is crucial to maintain this distinction.  Said he, “This distinction is apart from Roman Catholicism, Federal Vision, New Perspective on Paul, some Reformed camps, failed to make this distinction and should.  And in many sectors of Evangelical world failed to make and maintain this distinction between the Law and the Gospel that’s found here in Galatians chapter three”

If you only have two sermons to listen to this year, you must listen to this one.  It is truly edifying and refreshing!  The other one is its precursor, a sermon on Habakkuk.

Here is Pastor Inks on “The Law-Gospel Distinction”

And you need to hear this great sermon on Habakkuk to gain  greater understanding between this distinction of the Law and the Gospel.

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Semper Reformanda

reformation-day-powerpoint-1-638On this year’s Reformation Day commemoration, I would like to share an article that I recently read in the November 2014’s issue of the Tabletalk magazine.

I’d like to share this article so that we can have a good understanding of the historical background of the phrase “Semper Reformanda” that has often been abused and misused by so many people, mostly the liberal Christians.

The article is titled Semper Reformanda in its Historical Context by Dr. W.  Robert Godrey, president and professor of church history at Westminster Theological Seminary California.  The article is available in its entirety online, so you can read the whole article yourself.   Below are the first two paragraphs of the article.
BOQ: (Beginning of Quote)

Semper Reformanda in its Historical Contexts

The phrase ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda (the church reformed, always reforming) has been used so often as to make it a motto or slogan. People have used it to support a surprising array of theological and ecclesiastical programs and purposes. Scholars have traced its origins to a devotional book written by Jodocus van Lodenstein in 1674. Van Lodenstein, no doubt, had no intention of being a phrase-maker or sloganeer. What was his intention, and what did he mean by this phrase?

Van Lodenstein was a minister in the Reformed Church of the United Provinces in what we know today as the Netherlands. This church was born of decades of faithful preaching by ministers—many educated in Geneva—who risked their lives to carry the gospel, first into the French-speaking regions of the Low Countries, and later into the Dutch-speaking regions farther north. Some ministers were martyred for their faith, but they gathered a rich harvest of committed believers. Their message of the need for the reform of the church according to the Bible resonated with many who saw the corruptions of the old church.

EOQ (End of Quote)

(click on the link below to continue reading:  http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/semper-reformanda-its-historical-context/  )

 

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Rocky Mountains Vacation – Summer 2014

CollageIn the morning of Friday, June 27th we pulled out anchor and started our Summer vacation to the Rocky Mountains region.

Traffic was horrible all the way to Sacramento, but passed Sacramento it was basically a smooth sail except for a few road constructions here and there.  We arrived in Eden, UT at 2 in the morning.  The next day we went to the Temple Square in Salt Lake City and spent the day there, learning a little bit about Mormonism.

On Sunday we went to hear Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the live recording of “Music and the Spoken Word“- the longest-running broadcast in the US, if not in the world.  From there we went to the Park City, the place of 2002 Winter Olympic. Continue reading “Rocky Mountains Vacation — Summer 2014”

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Blink

Blink

The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.

Gladwell, Malcolm (2007-04-03). Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (Kindle Locations 3123-3124). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.

I just finished reading “Blink”, an interesting book by author Malcolm Gladwell.

In this book the author gives a lot of interesting researches and fascinating real-live examples about the power of rapid cognition-the kind of thinking that happens in the blink of an eye.

The author takes his readers to the idea of “thin slicing” situations to make a split-second decision what we often have to make.  Many times we thin slice the situation and come to an “AHA” moment without being able to fully explain why we think the way we think.  As if by impulse, we just know that it is right.  In other situation, we made devastating mistakes because we wrongly thin slice the situation. Continue reading “Blink”

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Common Core

SBAC G7 Math

Above is a question from Grade 7 Math Practice Test in California.

As students in grades 3-8 and some 11th graders are completing their “Common Core” field test in California (officially it is called CAASPP which stands for CAlifornia Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) and many other states, a lot of people, myself included, still don’t have a clear answer of “what is Common Core Standards”? Is it good for our students, or is it bad?

“The TEA Party people hate this.  They are just so resistant to changes, and I don’t know why”, and “There are so many people bashing Common Core.”  are just a few of many comments that I heard at work.  A lot of teachers sing praises to Common Core for its rigor, while many others think it is bad for our students.  The question remains, “Will Common Core make our students more competitive compared to students from other countries, or will it dumb down our students?”  (The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) which collects test results from 65 countries shows in its 2012 report that US students ranked below average in Math.  29 countries outperformed the United States by statistically significant margin) Continue reading “Common Core”

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Christmas in January

TryphenaLast week Tryphena gave a piano recital in which she played “Silver Bells” and “O Come All Ye Faithful”.  The recital was supposed to be done last month; however, because of the availability, or rather the lack of it, of the hall, it was postponed until last week.

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2014 is Here

Welcome 2014!

(Click here for the sound)

Another year is dawning: Dear Father, let it be,
In working or in waiting, Another year with Thee;
Another year of progress, Another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Suatu tahun rahmat kembali datanglah,
Terpancar sukacita di dalam wajah-Mu.
Berhasil dalam karya berkat anugerah,
Menyatakan hadir-Mu di dalam hidupku.

Another year of service, Of witness for Thy love;
Another year of training For holier work above.
Another year is dawning: Dear Father, let it be,
On earth or else in Heaven, Another year for Thee. Amen.

Text: Frances Ridley Havergal
Indonesian translation by Tim Nyanyian GKI 1990

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Merry Christmas 2013

“Who could do this unless the Son of God should also become the Son of man, and so receive what is ours as to transfer to us what is his, making that which is his by nature to become ours by grace?  Relying on this earnest, we trust that we are the sons of God, because the natural Son of God assumed to himself a body of our body, flesh of our flesh, bones of our bones, that he might be one with us…”

-John Calvin, “Institutes of the Christian Religion”, translated by Henry Beveridge, book II, xii, 2

Merry Christmas

Dear Friends and Family:

Here we are again, at the dawn of 2014.  What have we done in 2013?  For our family, we started 2013 by going to the Legoland in Carlsbad.  Tryphena and Hizkia celebrated their birthdays there.

Tryphena is in 2nd grade now, and she likes going to school every day.  She adores her teacher, and she loves her classmates.  Between school, piano lesson, Chinese lesson, and weekly Catechism class she is a busy little girl.

Indra still works part time.  She drives Tryphena to and from school, as well as to her other activities.  Between household chores, work, and chauffeuring Tryphena around, she is a busy wife and mom.

Hizkia starts his day at 4:45 a.m. every day, takes Baron for a walk, and tortures himself on the treadmill for 45 minutes.  He then launches himself off to work only to get home in the evening, ready to help with some chores.  Between work, exercise, and household chores, he is always on the move.

We feel that this year went by so fast, and as you can see the scary part is that our lives are hectic, filled with activities, and stressful from time to time.  How about yours?

In this Christmas season let us find time to slow down and experience the wonder of His gracious love, as He guides us through each day of the coming year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Happy Thanksgiving

Thanks“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor….”

-Thanksgiving Proclamation by President George Washington on October 3rd, 1789