Painful Irony

I apologize for the intermixing of Holocaust pictures and images alluding to sinful humanity with the joyous and uplifting pictures of Christmas and the birth of Christ. But perhaps this is no accident? I often write posts in advance and then archive them...waiting to publish them. I currently have a backlog of around 30 posts in draft. It just so happens that my series on evil is coinciding with Christmas.

As I look at my own blog and the way the posts are intertwined-I see the stark contrast between humanity and holiness. I see the gap between divinity and depravity. Between cracked pots and Christ. Then I give a somber head nod towards the bleak and painful irony and decide to post my posts on evil right before Christmas anyway. Buchenwald's ovens and all. Why? Is it because I like to rain on peoples parade? No, it isn't. I do it because we must never forget that we are only a few bad decisions away from sin that is no less or no greater than the images of the ovens in the previous post. Do we really suppose that God views a "lesser" human sin any more favorably then an atrocious human sin like those committed in extermination camps like Auschwitz or Treblinka? Are we that delusional that we cannot see that it is the one sin, one single small "insignificant", "innocent" and so-called "victimless" sin that ushered in all the other vile and diabolic ones throughout history?

Why did Jesus come? Was it because there were no incidents like the Holocaust before or after Jesus' time? I believe it is for things like the evil I mention in my series on Evil and Suffering and horrendous episodes in history like the concentration camps that required Jesus come. It was also the man that cheated on his wife. The girl that aborted a child at 2 months when she was 17 years old because it would've been a burden to her life. It was the child that cursed his parents behind their back. It was the neighbor leering venomously at his neighbor because of perceived injustices. It is the guy that cut you off in traffic that you want to slam into with your car for being so ignorant. It was that last perverted lustful glance at a man or woman half your age...and you're married. That kid you punched in the 4th grade. That time you lied, deceived someone or were being outright idiotic and in violation of your own conscience even though no one saw what you did. It is for all these things and many more that Jesus came.

No, I do not believe the twisting of these two threads concurrently on SoulJournaler are an accident. I did not mean them to be a psychological kick in the head or shock therapy nor did I do them on purpose this way...but they are by no means accidental looking at it in hindsight.

Evil & Suffering VIII: Moral Evil

For us to understand moral evil from a consistent view we need to understand that it is based in man. Mankind, who is sinful and totally depraved. We need to properly define what man is or should I say what God intended him to be and how he ended up. We must understand mankind’s capacities at the moral level as designed by God under the pretext of freewill. As Feinberg states it: We must understand the “constituent ontological parts” of human beings. I will list them as I understand them in a grocery list format.

• A being with the capacity to reason. This capacity varies between individuals (humor intended)
• A being with emotions
• A being with a will that is free or they are free to make choices
• A being with desire(s)
• A being with intentions (formed from desires and/or reason)
• A being with the ability to move around
• A being that wasn’t intended to be like every other of its type.

The best conclusion that can be made is that human beings were created with an intention that they were to be finite (not gods) both metaphysically and morally. God appears to have intended to create humans, not Gods or super-humans. We were to go through our life in non-glorified bodies. What we must also keep in mind is that even though mankind became subject to the Fall, the Fall did not negate the features originally built into the human race as listed above. They only became distorted or knocked out of order and made dysfunctional. On top of these facts we must also understand that God does not cause our actions nor does he perform them. As stated multiple times in this paper, human beings do them of their own volition and are responsible for their actions even though God can work through them whether they are evil or good (Feinberg “Many Faces of Evil” 167-170).

So how does evil arise in this system of thought or this reality? The Book of James does a nice job addressing this question and it warrants quoting.

“Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1:13-15

According to God through His inspired word we see that moral evils come from human desires. We see in James 1:15 that somewhere between the conception of the idea entering the head of the human and an actual act, the human’s attraction to moral evil becomes so overwhelming that that person commits an act based on the thought that had its inception in their head. This absolutely squares with what Jesus said at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28

It has been posed to me in some of my reading and some of my classes in Valley Forge Christian College that desires themselves are not bad. God gave humanity things like sexual desires and a freedom of choice. They allow for good plurality, good diversity, etc...no everyone likes their coffee black and a black 66 GTO Tempest with a red interior. What we often forget though is that God also gives us a moral standard to live by and to do anything other than follow that moral standard is disobedience. So what we see is: Desire is okay in God’s creation and/or the plan God intended for things in His creation. It is after the Fall that we see a twisting of the original intended order and the misappropriation or misuse of the desires God gave mankind. Desire becomes evil/sin when the intent of the heart of a person committing an action is in direct violation to God’s ordinances/moral codes. When actions come into conflict with God they become sin and/or moral evil. What I have purposely avoided so far in this portion on moral evil is direct implication and accusation of the devil and his acolytes. As humans we must first be assured that evils that are being perpetrated are not immediately cast on or blamed on “evil spirits”. To me this is often just a deferral of blame and an unwillingness to take responsibilities for one’s actions. We know for a fact from Scripture that the devil and his helpers are limited and finite in power and number. They are not omnipresent and omniscient. Logic dictates that if this is true they cannot be in all places at once so…they cannot always be responsible for my own or an individual’s regress into sin which was my/their own choice. Once we have deduced that evil or decisions for evil by humans were not wholly their own or not theirs at all, it is then that we should begin to implicate the “powers and principalities, or evil spirits” that are clearly at work (deviously) in this world. We know from repeated narrative in the Bible that this happens quite often.

To assure that I do not go off on a tangent I would like to abbreviate and conclude this portion on moral evil refuting the idea that, since God is sovereign and all-powerful, He should stop moral evil in the world. This would be impossible from a logistical point of view and still allow man to have free will. It would also erase all traces of humanity and choice from mans universe thereby making it a monochrome hell.

1. The first option open to God is to remove or eliminate human beings. This is clearly not beneficial to humanity and is not in harmony with the pattern outlined thus far from Scripture when dealing with God, God’s purposes and His creation.
2. Second, God could eliminate all objects of desire. There would then be no desire for humanity. This would be in direct contradiction to the nature that God created man. God create man to work in Eden. The implication here is that God inbred or made intrinsic to man a desire to work. This will not fly either in terms of logic or based in a Biblical worldview.
3. Third, we see the need to eliminate all human desires. Again, this is counter to God’s initial creation which is a being created with desire and an ability to choose. What I believe we begin to see when we combine the second and the third idea though is a shadow of what is to come in the Kingdom as outlined and prophesied in Revelation 21 and 22.
4. Another plausible explanation for the use of desire to a good end is this. God could allow desires to exist but enact a system in which they can exist where they will not be aroused to the point of producing evil. If they can be aroused to that extent have a checks and balances system that allows for negation of the ill effects or minimizations of said evil. In other words: A system of redemption, repentance. This is what we see as the modus operandi of the Bible. God creates a creature capable of free will (in His image). Some of these beings go “rogue”. God in His omnipotence and sovereignty allows these rogues and anomalies in His system to: (1) use it to help fix the system and (2) allow free will to continue to exist and still have a system in place to save those who sin (everybody) from their own actions thereby bringing God glory on all accounts.

It is a Win-Win for God and a Win or Lose for mankind based on the outcome of their own salvational choice.

Genealogy of Matthew: A Shining Star On A Shadowy Christmas Tree

When we talk about the birth of Christ at Christmas it is usually good to start with the Genealogies of Matthew or Luke. When we see how great a treasure comes from the lineage of broken and sinful people we should sit back in reverential awe. The lineage of Jesus stretches the limits of imagination and shows once again that God works through the low things of life over long periods of time to make those in lofty places appear foolish.

Abraham was the father of Isaac: The father of the multitude. The first Hebrew patriarch and the primary example of the Jewish faith. Originally known as Abram (father is exalted) but changes to Abraham in Genesis 17:5. His unbelief and unfaithfulness sires Ishmael, his faithfulness and belief sires Isaac.

Isaac the father of Jacob: His name means laughter (Sarah's). The only son of Abraham and Sarah. He is a child of promise born when Abraham is 100 and Sarah 90. Isaac marries Rebekah who bore twins, Esau and Jacob. Isaac is deceived into giving birthright to Jacob over Esau.

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers: Jacob is the original ancestor of the nation of Israel. His sons are the 12 ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob's earlier conniving and manipulation revisits him in the form of mostly petulant sons, minus Benjamin and Joseph.

Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar: The fourth son of Jacob and progenitor of the tribe of Judah. His mother was Leah. Although his narrative often takes a backseat in Genesis 28 we see the seduction of Judah by his daughter-in-law Tamar. Their union results in the birth of Perez and Zerah. Perez born of an illicit affair is the father of Hezron who is the father of Ram. Ram is the father of Amminadab who is the father of Nahshon the father of Salmon who is the father of Boaz the kinsman-redeemer who marries Ruth a woman that is actually a Moabite which is the line of descendants that came from the illicit affair between Lot and his daughters.

Boaz the father of Obed the father of Jesse who was the father of the the famous and infamous King David the anointed king of God after Saul failed to live in accordance with the Lord, goes mad and eventually fall on his swords after loosing his sons in battle. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife. Uriah killed by David to cover his sin with Bathsheba. Solomon on the other hand is basically given immense wealth and wisdom but it all comes to not because of the 700 wives that eventually lead him astray into idolatry and he lives the remainder of his days in self-made apostasy.

Solomon is the father of Rehoboam who decides foolishly to reign with and iron fist and oppress his people mercilessly. These actions inevitably divides the kingdom in two between himself and Jeroboam (in the Northern Kingdom (Israel). Rehobaom fathers Abijah who follows in the sins of his father. Abijah the father of Asa who unlike his father is actually a pious man and is one of the few good kings in the Southern Kingdom. He removes foreign Gods and is succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat who in most cases was a faithful follower of Yahweh but is foolish and makes one disastrous decision: An alliance with the evil king Ahab of Israel (Northern Kingdom). His son Jehoram marries the daughter of Ahab, the Evil Athaliah and her influence in Judah is horrific. Jehoram's son Uzziah comes to the throne when he is 16 rather than have King Joash installed as a puppet king who is the infant son of Ahaziah who survived the bloodbath perpetrated by Queen Athaliah.

Uzziah the father of Jotham reigns for 16 years until he contracts leprosy and could not fulfill the needs of his office as royalty. Although he was an effective ruler his rule is taken over by Ahaz who was an extremely evil king and participated in some of the most idolatrous and monstrous practices of Judah/Southern Kingdom. Because of these abominable acts he never gets buried in the royal tombs due to atrocious behavior. Ahaz in turn produces one of the most devout and obedient kings Hezekiah.

Hezekiah the father of Manasseh brought religious reform to Judah, and refused to court favor with Assyrian Kings. He destroyed the bronze serpent of Moses so the people would not worship it. Due to Hezekiah's faithfulness, Sennacherib of Assyria did not prevail against Judah when it was nearly a foregone conclusion that he would.

Manasseh was the longest reigning king of Judah, unfortunately a long and unfaithful reign. The blame for Judah's ultimate destruction and exile is placed on his shoulders (2 Kings 21). Manasseh fathered Amon who followed in his father's footsteps of idolatry and was killed in a palace revolt. Good King Josiah succeeded to his throne at age 8 and at 18 the "Book of the Law" is discovered while doing repairs to the Temple. Josiah's goodness assured God's destruction of Judah would not come during his reign but after Josiah, the Southern Kingdom of Judah does a long slow burn to utter annihilation.

Josiah fathered Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel the grandson of King Jehoiachin taken to Babylon in the first exile. Daruis the Persian emperor granted the right for the Jews to start rebuilding the temple during this time and then disappears from the Bible but not before fathering Abihud. We then have a long succession of generations without much information: Abihud fathers Eliakim who fathers Azor who fathers Zadok father of Akim who is the father of Elihud father of Eleazar. Eleazar the father of Matthan and Matthan the father of Jacob who is none other than the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary is a woman who, by the worldly standards of her time, had conceived under shadowy and mysterious circumstances. From God's and a believer's point of view she conceived in shining and miraculous circumstances. Mary...the mother of Jesus Christ who is called the Messiah. Savior of the World.

Not a very vainglorious family tree to say the least but a perfect example of how God can use the foolish things of the world to shame those that are too high on their horse. All this leads to a child in a stable that probably stank and was filled with flys in the town of Bethlehem two millennium ago. From humble and nearly invisible beginnings we see the birth of the Son of God. Amazing.

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” ~Luke 2:4-14

Division By Human Decision & God's Unmerited Grace

Cain and Abel

 In Genesis we see certain patterns begin that seem to continue through the narrative of the Pentateuch and the Bible at large. We see divisions within humanity and they are there by choice...human choices. We see the side that is an expression of a coming covenant of redemption and relationship with God and this is based in the prototype of Abel (later Seth). On the flip side we have humanity without a relationship with God and this is reflected in the line of Cain. The word represented is used lightly because by the time of the flood even the line of Seth has been contaminated irreparably by sin, all except Noah and his immediate kin. By the time of Noah we see little distinction in terms of genealogies but a stark contrast in terms of those under grace and those under the curse. Nearly all are under curse. Cains line terminates in the flood but sin is intrinsic to the nature of humanity and it takes little time for it to "resurface" after the flood.

Seth's line which leads to Noah survives in a single man's family but later divides again forming another godless line: Ham. What we see though in the first few chapters of the Bible is God's plan to rescue humanity and create a distinction between those saved by grace and those lost in their own sin and the judgement that will follow. The clarity of what happens to those under sin is clear: Judgement (sooner or later). Those under grace we see a path towards election and eternal life. Abel finds favor, Cain does not. Noah and family find favor, the rest of humanity does not. Shem receives blessing (as does Japheth), Ham does not. Through the lineage of Shem, another man is singled out...Abram. He is to be the father and the chosen head of God's redemptive plan. These distinctions between "chosen" and "unchosen" have absolutely nothing to do with the choices of the people involved but rather God's choice. God's election and grace. To say that the actions of these fallen and sinful creatures had anything to do with their ability to be chosen demeans and diminishes God's sovereign grace. This election by God is unconditional. The reason God does what He does in these situations lies with God and God alone. Nothing any of us can do warrants this type of mercy from God. They only thing warranted by our behavior is punishment and death.

We then pick up the narrative with Abram (pre-covenant Abraham). Abraham has learned the novel lesson that he must live by faith in the promises of God and it is accredited to him as righteousness. Then he will possess a promised land and God will be their God and Abram/Abraham's people will be God's people. Abraham will be the father of many nations. The sign of the covenant with God and his people will be circumcision but what God really wants is not an outward symbol but the inward change of heart. A heart that has turned itself to God in obedience to Him. Through this nation all the nations of the world will be blessed because from this nation, this people, the Jews through Abraham, through Moses, through David...Christ will arise and come to redeem His people.

Through the narrative about Abraham we again see it is nothing Abraham can "do" to deserve this goodness of God. Abraham is a liar, and a coward in the face of obstacles put up by other men of power. We again see a vivid picture of God's sovereignty at work. We also see election. Whenever God intervenes and acts on behalf of His people it is certainly not because they deserve it, God is actually acting against what they truly deserve as sinners in rebellion against a Holy God and not killing them, well, that is grace pure and simple. The means to the restoration of the proper relationship that God is giving them a chance to achieve here is faith. It is not and action but a vehicle to accept the gift of grace offered and extended to His beloved creation...humanity. Just like Abraham, our faith is not always strong. In fact our quantity of faith is often so dismal that it is nearly non-existent or invisible to most human eyes. For God it only takes a little. We are not judged by man's standards but only God's. Like good believers and like Abraham, at crucial times we usually answer the call. We rise to the occasion with our faith as believers and if we don't or we can't we as New Testament believers have and advocate in the Holy Spirit who intercedes on our behalf. In the moments of truth, we as believers usually (not always) take hold of the promises of God and run with them like they were always mean to be ours anyway.

Abraham & Issac

Since Abraham (and we) do not deserve any of these things promised by God they must be seen as unmerited gifts from a loving Father. Fast forward to Abraham's son Isaac. Again we see something come to fruition through a promise of God. A child born of a barren woman and a man old enough to almost be considered ancient by modern standards. Abraham and Sarah were so old at this point that they could've been carbon dated. Against all possible likelihood God shows His promises are absolutely ironclad with a resoluteness and faithfulness of His promises.

Then God demands Isaac's life as sacrifice. It is a test of Abraham's faith that God will do as He promises. Abraham doesn't even hesitate. I imagine Abraham was wondering how the promise of a great nation would be fulfilled through a dead Isaac but he does not hesitate. It turns out Isaac does not die and does indeed go on to father Jacob who fathers the progenitor's of the 12 tribes of Israel. The idea of this offering of sacrifice goes back again to Cain and Abel. Abraham's heart is in the right place. God provides a substitutionary sacrifice in the form or a ram tangled in the bushes near the alter that Isaac is on. A foreshadowing of Christ.

Evil & Suffering VII: Natural Evil-Natural Disasters

In this portion of my series "Evil & Suffering" we will examine the evils themselves and break them down into understandable categories the first of which will be natural evils. When dealing with Natural Evils we must distinguish between those that result from moral evil and those that are not attached to any specific sinful acts that can produce them. Unattached natural evils are a far-reaching result of living in a fallen world. God could’ve avoided disobedience but he would’ve had to have created robots programmed not to sin. Unattached evils are the result of distorted or malfunctioning systems that were originally created to function properly (pre-Genesis Chapter 3).

Natural Evils are evils attributed to processes and systems that are outside of the human being. The hydrological system is now arranged in a way that allows for flooding or droughts. It appears this was not the case pre-antediluvian and was definitely not the case pre-Fall. Droughts or floods can then cause secondary issues with famine, pestilence and plague. Anomalous weather patterns formed within the hydrological system can form typhoons, hurricanes, and combined with geographical features can form tornadoes such as those in the US Midwest like the recent one in Joplin Missouri, siroccos or desert winds like the Santa Ana winds which fan fires in California, etc. From tectonic geological systems we have a broad overarching category that can include all forms of natural disasters stemming from phenomenon related to earthquakes and arise from having a crust on the earth that is akin to shattered eggshell. Tectonic activity can also cause volcanic activity and undersea fault shifts that cause Tsunami and other natural disasters. Paul has informed us that the entire creation is subject to futility (Romans 8:18-22) which also reinforces statements made in Genesis that mankind will need to work harder to produce from the earth (Genesis 3:17-19). God will eventually overcome these effects but until then there is the “groaning” of man, creation and the Holy Spirit (Feinberg 193-194).

Some other aspects of this category focus on humanity as opposed to nature itself. Some Natural Evils can manifest themselves in the form of physical deformities, misshapen limbs, blindness, mental retardation or general overall human deficiency, insanity and diseases as previously mentioned (Feinberg, “Faces of Evil” 192). Of course where some of these sufferings or evils are cause by the moral evil of other human beings the distinctions begin to blur and exacts causes become ambiguous if not downright impossible to pinpoint. A good example of this is people who deliberately infect others with deadly diseases such as AIDS through malicious unprotected sex. Another example could be birth deformities cause by exposure to radiation from nuclear testing or chemical warfare. The distinction between diseases, malformation or birth defects are in some cases indistinguishable. It is best to see these medically oriented evils as nearly concurrent or categorized the same. This is especially true since some of the birth defects like being born blind or disease can precipitate directly out of the diseased mother or father (STDs, etc). In the case of blindness caused by STD we may actually see sin in the form of disease being passed down to a new generation. When dealing with unattached evils we need to understand that man and the creation are subject to the Fall as stated before. As such it is subject to a twisting from or a drift away from its intended order. As Dr. Bruce R Marino posited in a Theology I class lecture on theodicy at Valley Forge Christian College, evil is the lack of intended order from God. Evil is disorder (Marino). They are products or sum results of purposefully malfunctioning or divinely altered systems. Systems that, according to the Bible, had functioned properly at some definite point in the past but have since been made, or have become, dysfunctional due to the Fall and man's sin.

As for the attached evils, these are more or less self-explanatory. They are evils attached directly to sin or other moral evils which will be briefly outlined in Moral Evil next.

Philly's Marionette Christmas

Listen folks...this is an absolute prerequisite for Christmas around here. Welcome to a regional family tradition from WHYY Channel 12 in Philadelphia since 1950.

Sweeeeet! Marionettes are awesome. I'm not sure if they still show the Nativity portion on the telly anymore (probably not) but I will. These things are great! They make me feel like a kid. If you ask my wife she will probably tell you that everything makes me feel like a kid judging by my behavior.

BTW, Santa looked a little stiff from all those present deliveries. Must have thrown his back out delivering all those bags of coal to the SoulJournaler household. My brother and I always behaved. ;)

The Nativity





T'was The Night Before Christmas

What You Are Changes Your Name

Sometimes when people in the Bible have complete changes of heart towards the Lord these inward changes come with a change of identity, literally and figuratively. They are new creations after their encounter with the One True Holy God. They are also outwardly changed by what has taken place internally and they are more or less re-labeled as such. To me it is just a reassertion of what I have always believed about a true Christian or true believer. You cannot have an encounter with God and walk away unchanged. If you did walk away unchanged you should check yourself to make sure you are still breathing and have a pulse because you might be dead either spiritually, physically or brain. There were many in the Bible that change names but I will list only a few. It is important to understand that names were extremely important in this culture as evidenced by the many names for God to describe his attributes and character.

Abraham (read article)and Sarah were previously Abram(Exalted Father) and Sarai. After God makes His covenant with Abram he is renamed. It is a covenant that will eventually lead to the Messiah.

“I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Abram fell face down, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations" Genesis 17:1-5

"God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Genesis 17:15

Jacob is dubbed Israel for wrestling/striving with God and demanding a blessing. It is after this event that we see a total change in Jacob from conniving deceptive man to godly example and worthy successor to the promise/covenant made with Abraham.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Genesis 32:28

Solomon was multi-labelled. He had the name Solomon from his earthly parents and he was named Jedidiah by his Heavenly Father because, as it says, the LORD loved him. Personally, if God wanted to name my kid Jedidiah, Jedidiah it would be not Solomon.

Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved him; and because the LORD loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah. 2 Samuel 12:24-25

Simon becomes Peter because none other the Lord Himself said so during the gathering of the Apostles into the group of 12 Disciples.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter. John 1:42

In the New Testament in Acts we see the infamous Saul converted a little after his Road to Damascus experience to Paul. Clearly changed from the inside out and one of the better examples of God's mercy and grace. Instead of incinerating Paul, God uses him as one of the most potent advocates for the new Christian faith.

"Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit..." Acts 13:9

Then we have Daniel who allowed his name to be changed by an earthly king to Belteshazzar but refused to change what was inside in terms of his commitment to his God and he was rewarded by God for his obedience to His statutes.

"Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel..." Daniel 1:6-9

We see other changes of names that accompany rather traumatic life changes but these were the ones that came to mind first.

As for God Himself, we see something rather unique. Depending on the prominent attribute or aspect that was being manifested at any given time in the Bible we see that God has a plethora of names. We also see the other persons of the Trinity also have different names depending on the given function of their attribute at any given time. The Holy Spirit at times is the Intercessor, the Comforter and so on. Jesus is referred to as the Messiah, The Anointed One, Emmanuel, etc. The general titles for God are as follows  (I am not a human dictionary so this list is not complete). Please understand these are mainly titles. If I actually gave you every description of the individual persons of the Trinity in the Bible the list would be enormous.

Hebrew
Adonai Lord
El power-preeminence: "the mighty one."
Elohim-(a magisterial plural) 700x god 2300x God.
El Elohe Israel-The God of Israel ~Gen 33:20
El Elyon-Most High ~Gen 14:22
El Olam-Everlasting ~Gen 21:33 ~Ps 90:2 ~Isa 40:28
El Roi-Who Sees ~Gen 16:13
El Shaddai-Near, All-Sufficient ~Gen 17:1-20
Elohim Yish'enu-our savior ~Ps 65:5
Yahweh / Jehovah “tetragrammaton” ~Mic 4:5 "I Am [becoming]" preferred to "lord."
Yhwh Elohim-The Mighty One ~Judg 5:3 ~Isa 17:6
Yhwh El Gemolah-of recompense ~Jer 51:56
Yhwh Maccaddeshem-Sanctifier ~Exod 31:13
Yhwh Nakeh-Who Smites ~Ezek 7:9
Yhwh Nissi-Banner ~Exod 17:15
Yhwh Raah-My Shepherd ~Ps 23:1
Yhwh Roph'ekha-Physician, Healer ~Exod 15:26
Yhwh Sabbaoth-Of Armies, Glory ~Ps 24:10; Isa 6:3
Yhwh Shalom-Peace ~Judg 6:24
Yhwh Shammah-Who Is Present ~Ezek 48:35
Yhwh Tsidkenu-Our Righteousness ~Jer 23:6 33:16
Yhwh Yireh-Will Provide ~Gen 22:8-14
(Marino)

Aramaic
Abba "Papa" ~Mark 14:36; ~Rom 8:15-16
Yeshua Yhwh-(Jesus), Is Salvation (Aramaic) ~Matt 16:13-16
(Marino)

Greek
Christos-Christ, Messiah, Anointed One ~John 1:41
Kurios-Lord ~Luke 1:46
Logos-Word, Reason ~John 1:1
Soter-Savior ~Luke 1:47
Theos-God or god ~Luke 1:47
Pater-Father ~Matt 6:9
(Marino)

Annotated Reference:
Marino, Dr. Bruce R. "Theology Proper." A Theology I Enchiridion. Valley Forge Christian College. Cardone Hall, Phoenixville, PA. 19 Sept. 2010. Print. Class lecture/notes. [A thorough, albeit condensed version of lecture hall overhead presentations in coherent and logical outlined format. Some topics appear cryptic in their brevity but are easy enough to figure out if reader observes category, sub-category topic item is within.] Class lecture/notes

Book Review: According To Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy

If anyone wants a holistic and/or comprehensive picture of the entire scope of the Bible and all the little nuances that tie the Bible together it doesn't get any simpler or more compact than this book. It explains how all the aspects of the Biblical narrative fit together (verbal plenary inspiration) right from the overlying ideas starting with the Fall of Adam and Eve to Christ and then to us today as believers. It goes through the protoevangelium and how the emnity between the seed of the woman and the snake (Satan) and how humankind has worked ever since to try to get back into a correct relationship with God. Humans have tried but with failed results...until Christ and the fulfillment of God's plan to redeem is beloved creation made in His image.

"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" ~Genesis 3:15

It also goes through the covenants Noah, Abraham, Moses (Law), David and the new covenant with Christ. It breaks them down in detail and shows the continuity through Scripture or the common thread (Christ). All roads of the Old Testament converge on Jesus and a roads leading out from the New Testament diverge outward from Him. It talks about how man is incapable of seeking out God himself because man's natural state is sinful and unholy and to seek God is contrary to that. It is only by God's sovereign grace and election that we can be saved. If there are any question marks about the Old Testament's general context and how it points ahead to the coming of Christ, they are answered here. I have read quite a few books that fly over the Bible at about 5000 ft and this by far is the best. It was part of my Biblical Theology curriculum and it was worth twice the $16 dollars I spent for it.

This should be required reading for any Church or Body member that is short in the theological/historical aspects of their Faith. I also recommend this book for anyone that wants a better understanding of why the Bible is laid out the way it is and why the Bible unfolds the way it does. It does a great job of revealing intelligently how God revealed Himself to man. Do not be fooled by its boring and monochrome cover. This thing is busting its binding with solid theology and in depth explanations and clocks in at just under 250 pages. You do not need a doctorate in theology to be able to take a load of good information away with you from this text. High recommended.

The only reason I would not give this 100 out of a 100 is its detail is not necessarily because of the book itself or the writer but because of the shortcoming of certain potential readers. To be able to grasp everything in this book you should have at least a comprehensive understanding of the layout of the Bible and understand some of the more important Biblical concepts because without them it might be a little confusing. I cannot recommend this to someone who has never read at least some of the Bible. If a person has read some it is preferably that it was some of the Gospels and section on the Sinai covenant given to Moses (i.e.: The Law).

Rating: 95 of 100