Qualifying for Heaven

According to the Bible, qualifying for heaven is like taking an exam where we need to score a perfect 10 out of 10 (Matt. 5:48). The problem is we missed our first question (James 2:10). That’s the Bad News. Until reality sets in and we truly understand that, we can’t see how the Good News can be such good news.

Sinaiticus Goes Cyber

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of scholars around the world, one of the oldest and complete bible manuscripts is being offered to everyone in cyberspace. Referred to as Codex Sinaiticus, it is one of the most important hand-written ancient copies of the Greek Bible dating back to the fourth century.

You can find it online by clicking here.

(Please note: this website will be going through a major upgrade sometime this month. So if the link does not work, just google “Codex Sinaiticus”.)

In the Beginning Was the Word

This is really cool:

The pope announced last week that he would begin a televised reading of all 73 books of the bible beginning yesterday. Spare me notes arguing about the number of books in the bible - I’m not going to get mired down in apologetics - and just stick with me.

So, think about it - right now GOING OUT OVER THE AIR - from Rome, is The Word. In its entirety, whole and complete, without any books tossed aside or neglected....

This is a battle. There are things seen and unseen. Right now we see a battle being played out, politically, economically and socially.

But there is another battle being played out as well - all around us, borne on the invisible air. I think Benedict is brilliant in doing this. The Word being breathed into the air, unabridged, and the Holy Spirit rides on the breath. This is very cool.

I know the Protestants reading this blog disagree with the Pope and the Anchoress about the number of books in the canon, but I think we can agree on the main point: God's Word has power:

Pope Benedict XVI today said that the global credit crisis shows that the world’s financial systems are “built on sand” and that only the works (sic) of God have “solid reality”.

… ”He who builds only on visible and tangible things like success, career and money builds the house of his life on sand”. He added: ”We are now seeing, in the collapse of major banks, that money vanishes, it is nothing. All these things that appear to be real are in fact secondary. Only God’s words are a solid reality”.

If you follow the link, you'll see that the Anchoress also has some good thoughts on what to pray for in these crazy days with the financial system in a mess and the election coming up. Read the whole thing!

Sharpening Your Sword: Developing the habit of consistent Bible reading

Would you like to develop the habit of consistent Bible reading? In one year, you can read through the entire Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice, simply by reading just four chapters a day! You can do it by following the bible reading guide known as the M'Cheyne's Bible Reading Calendar. Touted by Christian leaders from Charles Haddon Spurgeon to John Stott, this classic resource has been used by Christians for generations. Practically speaking, is a great way for everyone in your church community to be thinking along the same lines ("of one mind" Phil. 2:2) as you all meditate over the same passages throughout the year. I heard about this while taking a class last month with world-renowned Christian scholar and speaker, D.A. Carson. I've listed below several formats you can use, including Carson's own version in which he reduces the four M'Cheyne daily readings down to two, thereby making it more manageable for readers. Cutting the original M'Cheyne reading rate in half thereby takes the reader through the New Testament and Psalms every year, and the Old Testament every two years.

• Here's a complete online version including bible links (in both text and audio formats).

• calendar.pdf *

• If you have a printer which can print double-sided sheets, download booklet.pdf. *

• The RSS feed for the calendar is evidently also becoming very popular.

• Here's the Don Carson Edition (spreads the readings over two years). *

• An Interactive M'Cheyne Bible Reading Calendar

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* Adobe PDF format can be viewed/printed using Adobe Acrobat® Reader.

Here's a little about the inventor of this guide, Robert Murray M'Cheyne (also known as McCheyne).

Pastors: Keep Politics in its Place

Phil Johnson of Grace To You cautions pastors in this piece entitled Politically Incorrect? that preaching “politically-top-heavy sermons” (my words) may not result in an investigation from the IRS or a lawsuit from Americans United for Separation of Church and State (again, my words), but it can stagnate, and even kill, the spiritual well-being of their hearers and their witness in the culture at large.

Athlete’s Foot in the Mouth

When asked about the next day’s match up between himself and Ohio State star center Greg Oden, the 6’9” Memphis center Joey Dorsey said Friday that the 7-foot OSU freshman was "overrated as a big man.” He went on to compare their match up to David vs. Goliath where he was Goliath and Oden was David. The ironic thing about his bold statement – obviously unbeknownst to Dorsey – was that David actually won that epic biblical battle.

Considering the outcome of last weekend’s game, those words by Dorsey proved to be somewhat prophetic. Not only did the Buckeyes defeat the Tigers (and in-so-doing, seized from the Tigers the crown for the nation’s longest winning streak), but Oden clearly “slayed” Dorsey as well. Oden made 7 of 8 field goals, scored 17 points, had nine rebounds, blocked one shot, and affected various other shots. Dorsey, on the other hand, was held scoreless for the first time this season, missed two free throws, had no blocks or steals, and committed more fouls than rebounds (four to three).

After the game, Dorsey openly confessed in reference to the man who will most likely be the #1 pick in this year’s NBA draft, "I didn't know he was that strong.” I’m sure Goliath – if able to respond after his contest – would have said something similar about “the little man” David.

Now to turn from the physical to the spiritual, let me say this: that while perhaps a comical turn of events in the sports world, nevertheless, the sad reality is Dorsey’s biblical ignorance reflected in his pre-game trash-talk would not be unlike most Americans if asked about the Bible and other religious things. It’s just another sign of our ever-increasing secularized culture.

How about you? How spiritually ignorant are you? Here’s a religion test from our friends at Serious Times. Take a few minutes and see how you score. Then, let us know by posting your score in the comment section immediately below. (BTW, I scored a 76; not bad; but not the greatest either.)