Worldview Premises: Culture vs Christianity

According to Paul David Tripp, current culture rests upon seven premises: (1) human beings are autonomous (not under authority); (2) pleasure is an ultimate end; (3) effort must be undertaken to meet "my needs”; (4) love of self is the greatest need; (5) “bigger pleasure is better”; (6) “a constant pursuit of instant gratification” is essential to my pleasure; and (7) physical is more important than spiritual.


All of these premises are contrary to the Biblical worldview, in which: (1) humans are not autonomous, but rather theonomous (our authority, whether we submit to Him or not, is God); (2) pleasure is good, but never as an end in itself - personal holiness and the glory of God are the ultimate ends; but they go together for the Christian, and there is pleasure in seeking them (for the joy of the Lord is our strength); (3) our focus should not be on meeting "my needs," because we know that God provides for our needs; instead our focus should be on the things of God and His revealed will; (4) love of God is the greatest need, and the love of others flows from that; there's nothing wrong with love of self, but we must allow that to overflow to others (love your neighbor as yourself); (5) bigger pleasure is still only temporal at best and sinfully achieved at worst; therefore, holiness and obedience are better than temporal pleasures, because they form a personal character that is prepared to embrace eternal pleasure that starts here and continues forever in the next life; (6) instant gratification may enhance temporal pleasure, but patience is an underestimated virtue (the best things come to those who wait); I can be joyful regardless of circumstances, because God is good; (7) the natural man cannot understand spiritual things, so "physical" certainly seems more important than "spiritual," but once we have the Holy Spirit, we learn to realize the infinite value of perfect and permanent "spiritual" realities, compared with the imperfect, temporal, and constantly fading "physical" experiences.

Moving - the right move!

There's an important spiritual lesson in moving, and it's a lesson that needs repeating regularly, say every 4-7 years. We are sojourners in this life; it's not good to get too comfortable. Suffering loss is not bad; it sanctifies and helps us long for the glorious appearing of the one surety we have in Jesus. I'd say we were meant to move. There may be a time for everything, including waiting and resting, but settling in a world that's not our home isn't good.

Why is Jesus the Greatest Gift Ever Given?

A lifetime couldn't exhaust the fullness of the right answer to this question, but it was worth pondering for my family last night. The statement that Jesus is the greatest gift has become somewhat cliche, so I penned 12 reasons why Jesus is the greatest gift and we discussed. Here they are, and I hope you can agree and perhaps add to or at least discuss this list with your family as you celebrate his birthday.

1) Jesus gives life - both eternally to come and abundantly here and now (John 3:16,36; 5:24; 10:10; 20:31; Act 13:48; Romans 6:23)

2) Jesus is life - and our food and drink (John 4:13-14; 6:35-45; 14:6)

3) Jesus created and sustains all things, including us, and He is the way (John 1:3; 14:6; Colossians 1:16-20; Hebrews 1:3)

4) Jesus is eternal, everlasting, and never fading (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-2; Hebrews 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:20)

5) Jesus brigs peace - both peace with God and the peace of God (Matthew 10:34; John 16:33; 20:19-21; Acts 10:36; Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20; Philippians 4:7)

6) Jesus brings light to our darkness - understanding, purpose, and meaning (John 1:4-14; 8:12; 2 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Peter 2:9)

7) Jesus brings joy (Isaiah 35:10; Luke 2:10; John 15:11)

8) Jesus brings freedom (John 8:31-47; Galatians 5:1; Revelation 1:4)

9) Jesus is our hope (Hebrews 3:6; 6:11; 2 Corinthians 11:10; Colossians 1:27; Titus 2:13; 1 Peter 1:3)

10) Jesus is the only way of salvation from God's righteous anger and wrath (John 14:6)

11) Jesus is our truth, our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption (John 1:17; 14:6; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Galatians 3:13)

12) Nothing matters without Jesus, and with Him, everything is better (Philippians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 15:17-19)

Our family concluded these thoughts by listening to Brandon Heath's excellent message in his song, "The Night Before Christmas." Thankfully, we no linger have to spend time in the night before Christmas, because it has come; He has come! Rejoice! Again I say, "Rejoice!" Merry Christmas!

Is Public School an Option?

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this article by Albert Mohler, written in September 2013, and published in the quarterly Answers Magazine.