The Religion That Started in a Hat

Islam and its Conflict with the Bill of Rights  by Jack Kettler

In Islam, and for most Muslims, the mosque and state have always been the same. Why is this? Muhammad started an all-inclusive group of followers, in which he was final arbiter, judge, military commander, and political leader. In light of this, it should not surprise anyone, that there is no separation of church and state in Islam. Because of this, Islam and the Bill of Rights are fundamentally irreconcilable and incompatible.

Today in American, Christian Churches are routinely threatened with the loss of tax exempt privileges for even small amounts of political activity. Islamic mosques on the other hand have complete freedom to operate as outposts of a radical subversive political ideology. Spineless elected representatives’ denials of this does not make it any less so. In this article we will see how Mohammadism is the complete antithesis of freedom of speech, assembly and religion.

Consider Islam’s political authorization which prohibits the religious freedom of Christianity and Judaism:

“O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them.” – Koran 5:51

“Fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)” – Koran 9:5

How can any Muslim who takes these Koranic directives seriously be trusted to secure freedom for Christians and Jews? It cannot be stressed enough that the Koran is a political document which forbids the separation of church and state. It should also be noted that most Islamic nations are theocracies, ruled by the Koran and Sharia law. Those Muslim countries that are not full fledge theocracies are under constant threats to have their governments toppled and an Islamic theocracy imposed. Syria is one such case where you see Jihadist rebels trying to overthrow a secular Muslim government.

One of the original Muslim Brotherhood’s most revered theologians has said:

“There is only one law which ought to be followed, and that is the Sharia.” – Syed Qutb

Can a Muslim be a good citizen and respect the American Bill of Rights?

“A Muslim has no nationality except his belief.” – Syed Qutb

Qutb’s political views always centered on Islam as a complete system of morality, justice and governance, whose Sharia laws and principles should be the sole basis of governance and everything else in life

Consider another Islamic theologian who concurs with Qutb:

“Islam wishes to destroy all states and governments anywhere on the face of the earth which are opposed to the ideology and program of Islam regardless of the country or the nation which rules it. The purpose of Islam is to set up a State on the basis of its own ideology and program.” – Syed Abul A’ala Maududi

Maududi (1903-1979) was a writer, journalist, theologian, scholar, political philosopher and Muslim leader in India and Pakistan.

How is Sharia law implemented and what are the consequences?

Sharia law is to be handled or administered by Islamic leaders. Sharia law prescribes an unjust set of laws. One set of laws for Muslims and another set for infidels (Christians and Jews). Sharia law institutes a discriminatory tax, called jizya, on non-Islamic religions and nations.

This clearly spelled out in Mohammad’s Koran:

“Fight those who believe not in Allah…until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” – Koran 9:29

Non-Muslims have discriminatory taxation with no representation under Sharia law.

How can the Christian West respond to and counter this Islamic subversive political threat?

The Declaration of Rights found in the Maryland Constitution provides an answer:

Declaration of Rights, Maryland Constitution

Text of Article 36:

“That as it is the duty of every man to worship God in such manner as he thinks most acceptable to Him, all persons are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty; wherefore, no person ought by any law to be molested in his person or estate, on account of his religious persuasion, or profession, or for his religious practice, unless, under the color of religion, he shall disturb the good order, peace or safety of the State, or shall infringe the laws of morality, or injure others in their natural, civil or religious rights; nor ought any person to be compelled to frequent, or maintain, or contribute, unless on contract, to maintain, any place of worship, or any ministry; nor shall any person, otherwise competent, be deemed incompetent as a witness, or juror, on account of his religious belief; provided, he believes in the existence of God, and that under His dispensation such person will be held morally accountable for his acts, and be rewarded or punished therefore either in this world or in the world to come.

Nothing shall prohibit or require the making reference to belief in, reliance upon, or invoking the aid of God or a Supreme Being in any governmental or public document, proceeding, activity, ceremony, school, institution, or place. Nothing in this article shall constitute an establishment of religion.” (emphasis mine)

The reader should note the qualification that would allow the state to ban Islamic Sharia law and any political subversive agenda of Islamic supremacy: “unless, under the color of religion, he shall disturb the good order, peace or safety of the State, or shall infringe the laws of morality, or injure others in their natural, civil or religious rights…”

The Maryland Constitution’s Declaration of Rights is one example how the political agenda of Islam can be curtailed. This because the political agenda of Islam most certainly does “disturb the good order…infringe the laws of morality, or injure others in their natural, civil or religious rights…”

How does Islam injure others in their enjoyment of natural, civil or religious rights? In the Christian West we understand that “Natural rights,” articulated in our Bill of Rights come from God.

Consider the following small sampling of Sharia laws and and ask yourself if they can reconciled with the First Amendment (Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression), Fifth (Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings), Sixth (Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses), Seventh (Trial by Jury in Civil Cases), Eight (Cruel and Unusual Punishment), Ninth (Construction of Constitution), and Tenth Amendments (Powers of the States and People):

1. Jihad, or “to war against all non-Muslims to establish the religion” and is the duty of every Muslim and Muslim head of state (the Caliph). Violation of the First Amendment

2. A Muslim who leaves Islam (apostasy) must be killed. Violation of the Eighth Amendment

3. Honor killing for offenses against Islam are permitted. Violation of the First Amendment

4. A Muslim will not get the death penalty if he kills a non-Muslim. Violation of the Fifth Amendment

5. Sharia law does not abolish slavery. In reality it furthers it. Violation of the First Amendment

6. Non-Muslims are not equal to Muslims and must comply with Sharia poll tax requirements if they are to remain protected in Islamic societies. Specifically, they are forbidden to marry Muslim women, publicly display wine or pork, even reciting their own religious scriptures, or openly celebrating their religious holidays and funerals. Violation of the First Amendment

7. Non-Muslims are forbidden from building new churches or building them higher than mosques. A non-Muslim can be killed if he proselytizes a Muslim away from Islam. Violation of the First Amendment

8. It is a crime to say anything derogatory about Allah and his Prophet, or expose the contradictory points of Islam. Violation of the First Amendment

9. Defiance on the part of the wife invalidates the husband’s responsibility to support her. It is also gives him permission to beat her, and keep her from leaving the home. Violation of the Eighth Amendment

10. Divorce is only in the hands of the husband and be initiated by simply saying: “I divorce you.” Violation of the Seventh Amendment

11. The testimony of a woman in court is half the value of a man. Violation of the Seventh Amendment

12. A woman looses custody of children if she remarries. Violation of the Seventh Amendment

14. To prove rape, a woman must have four male witnesses. Violation of the Sixth Amendment

15. Female circumcision or genitalia mutilation is widespread in Islamic countries. Violation of the Eighth Amendment

The following fine article demonstrates in further detail how does Sharia law violates our Bill of Rights:

Sharia Law and our Bill of Rights
October 9, 2012
By Mike Ebert

Sharia Law is Islamic religious law; the law of Allah. It is a body of commands that, if followed, “will provide a path to salvation”. Sharia means the “path to water”, or from Arabic History “the straight path to an oasis”. Sharia laws were created in the 8th Century and remain the holy law of Islam.

Our Bill of Rights was first submitted to Congress on September 25th, 1789. There were twelve original proposed amendments submitted to the state legislatures and ten were ratified and became effective on December 15, 1791.

The first most glaring contradiction with American law is the First Amendment; Sharia Law is the antithesis of our law i.e. “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibit the exercise thereof… .” We have communities in America whom have been allowed to practice Sharia Law which tramples our rights and liberties as Americans and enforces its own legal system upon Americans.

Fifth, Sixth, Seventh & Eight Amendments regarding juries, prosecutions, speedy trials, excessive fines and cruel punishment: Sharia Law has its own set of major and minor offenses and punishments. Some of these crimes are published in our local media. One outstanding one this year was where a Muslim ran over his daughter for dressing and behaving like a westerner. Also killing one’s wife for adultery or setting a friend’s flat afire for blaspheme are acceptable behaviors. All are justified under Sharia Law. Sharia Law is derived from four main sources, the Qur’an, the Hadith (the record of actions and sayings of Muhammad), the Ijima (consensus of Islamic Scholars and Qiyas (reasoning that uses modern analogies to apply precedence). Why has Nidal Hasan, the army officer (“suspected”) who killed 13 at Fort Hood in 2009 not seen a jury trial yet? Most probably, because we have a Muslim in our White House, and Hasan was just practicing his rights as a Jihadist as instructed in the Qur’an. Allah’s laws overrule our rule of law. We shall not see a trial while we have a Muslim POTUS.

Ninth & Tenth Amendment, the enumeration of the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people (10th re: States): This Administration is disparaging the laws of the people left and right in many states including several laws here in Arizona. Sharia Law dictates dietary standards, marriage, disallows freedom of speech, mandates a dress code, fasting, zakat, slavery, enterprise limits and standards.

Our Bill of Rights protects us from all that Sharia Law wishes to impose upon American citizens. How is it possible, in the name of a religion, is this allowed to occur in our country?

End or of Mike Ebert’s Article

Sharia law is a man made system of law with its roots in hell! We must demand our political leaders stop vomiting out political correctness when they talk about Islam!

People that tell you Islam is a religion of peace are only announcing their ignorance… Brigitte Gabriel

Getting back to a strategy to defeat this tyranny, not only does the section of the text in Article 36 of the Maryland Constitution quoted give us a strategy, so does Congresswoman Sue Myrick in her proposal of Anti-Terrorism Agenda For America.

North Carolina Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R) has shown incredible personal courage in her effort to fight Islamic extremism, Myrick has created a 10-point action program that she calls the “Wake Up America” plan.

This 10-point plan includes the following proposals:

1. Will call for a government investigation of all US military chaplains who were approved by Abdurahman Alamoudi, (convicted criminal and Islamic supremacist who successfully passed himself off as a moderate to in leaders in the U.S. government).

2. Will call for a government investigation of all US prison chaplains who were approved by Abdurahman Alamoudi.

3. Will call for the Government Accounting Office (GAO) to investigate the selection process of Arabic translators in the FBI and DoD.

4. Will call for the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) 501(c)(3) non-profit status which restricts “lobbying on behalf of a foreign government”.

5. Introduce a bill to make the preaching, publication, or distribution of materials that call for the death of American citizens, attacks on the United States Government or Armed Forces, or the financing of the means and/or operations to accomplish these acts, acts of sedition and/or solicitation of treason.

6. Will call on the Government Accountability Office to conduct an audit to verify the total sovereign wealth fund investment in the United States.

7. Will attempt to cancel scholarship student visa program with Saudi Arabia until they reform their textbooks.

8. Will introduce a bill to restrict R-1/R-2 religious visas for imams who come from countries that do not allow reciprocal visits by non-Muslim clergy.

9. Will introduce a bill to cancel contracts to train Saudi police and other security forces in US Counter terrorism tactics until the Saudi’s certify the prosecution of Al Qaeda financiers, like Yasin al-Kadi, and the detention of repatriated Guantanamo terrorists that keep being released into the general population after being “rehabilitated”.

10. Will introduce or sponsor a bill to block the sale of sensitive military munitions, especially Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), to Saudi Arabia.

If you are still in any doubt about stopping this religiously held subversive political ideology, consider the following quote:

“We don’t make a distinction between civilians and non-civilians, innocents and non-innocents. Only between Muslims and unbelievers. And the life of an unbeliever has no value. It has no sanctity.” – Imam Omar Bakri

The following demonstrates how Muslims treat unbelieving women and violate their civil rights:

Muslim men are taught to be ravenous, violent rapists. Even animals do not do this. Pat Condell is correct…this is cultural jihad. Listen to what he says: at http://actjonesboroar.wordpress.com/2011/06/29/islam-encourages-savage-rapes-of-non-muslim-women/

Are you angry and sick yet?

We know that rape is very common in the Islamic world, because the only people who suffer are the rape victims themselves being sentenced often to death, for being raped. The Muslims have brought their rapist ways to the west, where their God says that all women are fair game for raping except for married covered Muslims. Not, only are women targeted for rape because they are not covered but because Muslims believe they are in a constant battle against the enemy, the free world to spread Islamic law, so all women of that country are considered “war booty”…

This quote comes from Bare Naked Islam! http://www.barenakedislam.com/2009/04/16/rape-by-muslims-epidemic-in-europe-and-headed-this-way-thanks-to-ever-increasing-muslim-immigration-to-the-u-s/

Can we ban Islam in America? Consider the following articles:

Has the time come to ban Islam in America? http://pedestrianinfidel.blogspot.com/2011/07/has-time-come-to-ban-islam-in-america.html

Banning Islam http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2009/05/can-we-ban-islam-legal-guidelines-for.html

Can We Ban Islam? – Legal Guidelines for the Criminalization of Islam in the United States http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/10830

In conclusion, we must educate our fellow citizens about the dangers facing our nation from Islamic Supremacy. We can do this by supporting those who have come out of Islam and promoting their web sites and article. Keep the pressure on Congress to wake up and reverse what appears to be a suicide death wish they have help initiate.

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of http://www.Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information.

Top Twenty Business Builder Award Winner!

Curious, for an automatic e-mail reply go to: Jack@KettlerWellness.com

A Tale of Two False Prophets By Jack Kettler 2013

The American Muhammad: Joseph Smith, Founder of Mormonism

Concordia Publishing House, 2013

by Alvin J. Schmidt, MDiv, PhD

A Review by Jack Kettler

The author, Alvin J. Schmidt, MDiv, PhD, is professor of sociology emeritus at Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL, and a fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. He is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning Fraternal Organizations (1980); The Menace of Multiculturalism (1997); and How Christianity Changed the World (2004). Dr. Schmidt is professionally well prepared, in addition to being a Christian gentleman to write this thought-provoking book on seventy parallels between Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith and Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

Because those within the world of Mormonism cannot ever accept any criticism of their founder that would call into question his claims to be a prophet, it would helpful to see what other objective individuals are saying about Dr. Schmidt’s book:

Dr. Alvin Schmidt is one of the foremost living specialists on the world’s religions. …No one is in a better position to identify the parallels between Islam and Mormonism and their radical differences as compared with creedal Christianity.” – John Warwick Montgomery, PhD, DTheol, LLD; Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought, Patrick Henry College

“At a time when Christianity is under assault worldwide, this painstakingly researched and superbly written account of seventy parallels between the founders of two thriving socio-political faiths, Islam and Mormonism, should be compulsory reading for all.” – Uwe Siemon-Netto, PhD, DLitt Director, Center for Lutheran Theology & Public Life

“A must-read for everyone who wants to understand Joseph Smith and Muhammad. It is extremely well researhed and yet very readable. Schmidt reveals the dark side of both men in a logical, compelling way that will enlighten and equip the reader.” -Ted Baehr, JD, LHD Founder and Publisher of MOVIEGUIDE®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment

“The American Muhammad is a well-written and scholarly book – fascinating, well-researched, and eye-opening!” – Bill Federer, Author of What Every American Needs to Know about the Qur’an and a Frequent guest on radio and TV programs.

“Alvin Schmidt in The American Muhammad did what no other Christian historian has ever done by gathering seventy valuable parallels between Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism and Muhammad, the founder of Islam….What history overlooked, Schmidt provided the missing links, proving that the two flowed out of the same dark fountain.” – Walid Shoebat, Author of Why I Left Jihad (2005), nationally known speaker.

To start, we should consider the following quotes to see that Dr. Schmidt is not alone in seeing similarities between the founders of the religions in question:

“The Prophet inculcates the notion, and it is believed by every true Mormon, that Smith’s prophecies are superior to the laws of the land. I have heard the Prophet say that he would yet tread down his enemies, and walk over their dead bodies; and if he was not let alone, he would be a second Mohammed to this generation, and that he would make it one gore of blood from the Rocky mountains to the Atlantic ocean; that like Mohammed, whose motto in treating for peace was, ‘the Alcoran or the Sword.’ So should it be eventually with us, ‘Joseph Smith or the Sword.’ These last statements were made during the last summer. The number of armed men at Adam-ondi-Ahman was between three and four hundred.”1

“Modern Mohammedanism has its Mecca at Salt Lake… Clearly the Koran was Joseph Smith’s model, so closely followed as to exclude even the poor pretension of originality in his foul ‘revelations.’ “2

“The student of Mormonism will be struck with the similarity of experience and claims of Joseph Smith and Mohammed.”3

Schmidt’s book in a scholarly fashion, presents, discusses and analyzes seventy-some parallels between Muhammad and Joseph Smith. Schmidt used as his source material for this book, the Koran, the authoritative Hadiths, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pear of Great Price.

The following list is a brief overview of Schmidt’s extensive analysis:

Both Muhammad and Smith claimed to be visited by angels.

Both claimed to have received visions.

Both were illiterate or uneducated.

Both were told in visions that no true religion existed on the earth anymore.

Both claimed the Bible was lost, altered, corrupted and unreliable.

Both had no knowledge of the original languages of the Bible.

Both set out to restore the lost faith as the one true religion.

Both wrote a book they claimed to have been inspired by God.

Both claimed their holy books were the most correct and perfect books on earth, even though both religions had revelations that needed to be corrected.

Both claimed the source of their revelations, a perfect copy of the Koran and Smith’s gold plates are now stored in heaven.

Both claimed to be a final prophet of God.

Both seemed unaware or unconcerned with Jesus’ warning of the coming of false prophets who would lead people astray.

Both were narcissists and both had an individual who functioned as an alter-ego.

Both were polygamists.

Both committed adultery by violating the seventh commandment: “Do not commit adultery” with other men’s wives and both showed no concern or knowledge that had God established the institution of marriage as being between one man and one woman in Genesis 2:24, and repeated by Jesus in Matthew 19:5.

Both borrowed from paganism and polytheism.

Both were considered military generals.

Both had to flee for their safety.

Both were theocrats.

Both named no successor.

In conclusion, Schmidt writes: “…it is important to note that Smith’s and Muhammad’s many parallel activities have left an enduring legacy. That legacy has affected and continues to affect not only their followers but in different ways also non-followers. Only several, some of the more salient ones, are discussed below: (1) false revelations and false prophecies, (2) anti-biblical and anti-Christian teachings, (3) polygamy, (4) aggressive proselytizing, (5) theocracy, and (6) condemning the Christian church and rejecting the cross.”4

And finally, all that needs to be said, is best stated by the Apostle Paul:

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:8-9

Notes:
1.
Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 3, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1978), p. 167.

2.
The Women of Mormonism, Frances E. Willard, 1882, Introduction, p. xvi.

3.
The Rocky Mountain Saints, T. B. H. Stenhouse 1873, p 2.

4.
Alvin Schmidt, The American Muhammad: Joseph Smith, Founder of Mormonism, (Saint Louis,Concordia Publishing House, 2013), p. 248.

End of review

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of http://www.Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information.

Top Twenty Business Builder Award Winner!

Curious, for an automatic e-mail reply go to: Jack@KettlerWellness.com

Going  Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

by Lawrence Wright

Publisher: Knopf, 2013

A review by Jack Kettler

Lawrence Wright, a Pulitzer price winning journalist gives L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology an extraordinarily fair hearing in this work, crediting him for being genuinely brilliant while at the same time riddled with self contradictions and shocking personal arrogance.

Wright exposes Hubbard for fabricating numerous false stories about himself which serve to give his followers an unrealistic view of who he really was. Hubbard had relentless energy, churning out countless pulp fiction adventure stories and many science fiction works such as “Battlefield Earth.”

In Wright’s book, we learn how Hubbard published his book Dianetics in 1950, which sets forth ideas and practices about the metaphysical relationship between the mind and body. Hubbard set up the Church of Scientology in Hollywood in 1954. Some of Hubbard’s more advanced Scientology levels reveal that his understanding of cosmology is definitely science fiction-esk.

Scientology has attracted numerous celebrities who gravitated to this new faith, which promises success, wealth and fame if committing to Scientology’s auditing process where one can obtain successive levels of moving up “The Bridge” to higher levels of going “Clear,” or freeing oneself from “the reactive mind,” (refers to that portion of the human mind that works on a totally stimulus-response basis, which is not under a person’s volitional control). These auditing courses can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

Once an individual has reached  the “Clear” status, they claim to be more confident, cheerful, and successful in their career path and in personal relationships. Beyond the state of  “Clear,” Scientologists move through several advanced auditing steps progressing to an Operating Thetan (OT) status. An OT is supposedly immortal and is in a state of special spiritual awareness in which one can control themselves, and the surrounding environment.

There is a strong network of professional celebrities in Scientology who help one another much like how members of the Masonic Lodge gives preferential business treatment and deals to its adherents. The celebrities for the most part have no idea how the full time rank and file members of Scientology live. Wright provides the reader with this important information.

Wright interviewed hundreds of members and ex members of Scientology and provides a truly tour de force analysis of this modern day anti-Christian religious phenomena. What is especially shocking, is how Scientology’s clergy (Sea Org) members are treated. The average prison inmate in California has a better diet than Sea Org members have when incarcerated under church discipline.

Many members of Sea Org, were brought into the religion as children or born within the church. Most, if not all of their friends and family are Scientologists. This makes it very difficult to leave the religion. If they leave, they run the risk of never talking to their friends or family again because of Scientology’s doctrine of “disconnection,” similar to shunning but worse.

David Miscavige, the current head of Scientology, has the traits of a narcissist and rules through terror and physical force. Former top leaders have given eye witness accounts of how Miscavige has choked by the neck and viciously hit members with his fists. Current Scientology leaders deny that Miscavige has ever hit anyone. The problem for Scientology is that Wright thoroughly documents these instances in his book with sufficient footnotes to make Scientology’s denials ring hollow.

For Scientology’s clergy who get in trouble with Miscavige, there are Stalinist like re-education camps. One one of them, Gold Base, is in Hemet, California. At Gold Base, there is a place called “the hole” comprised of two double-wide trailers hooked together where members who have transgressed the church are sent. No one is immune from being sent there for discipline, even on the slightest whim of Miscavige. Even Miscavige’s wife Shelly has not been seen in public since 2007 after she offended him. Her whereabouts are still unknown. If she is alive, she is defiantly not free. She was last seen in 2007 at her father’s funeral and accompanied and guarded by church security personnel.

Miscavige has personally attached himself to Hollywood Star, Tom Cruise. They have developed a close relationship and are considered very close friends. Miscavige was even best man at Cruise’s last wedding. Cruise’s relationship to Scientology has become rather significant. He is viewed as important spokesperson for the church. Cruise’s close relationship with Miscavige may very well make him culpable in the abuse of individuals in Scientology.

Mike Rinder, official spokesman for the church for twenty years and Marty Rathbun who was known as the fixer for the church’s most serious public relation disasters are two high profile defectors. Both Rinder and Rathbun have documented the physical abuse of church members at Gold Base. Rinder himself was even imprisoned there. Links to both of these ex-member’s web sites are provided in case the reader wants to contact them personally.

Wright has shown that Scientology is vulnerable due to famous defectors who come forward to tell of corruption and abuse within the church. One such person is Paul Haggis, a successful Hollywood screen writer, and a key figure interviewed in Wright’s book. Haggis was deeply offended when he learned the church used confidential confessions made in auditing sessions as blackmail against members thinking of leaving or questioning Scientology. This is what is known as a breach in confidentiality and is completely unethical. As a result of Haggis’ testimony, along with other ex-leaders, there seems to be some indication that Scientology may be beginning to crumble.

After reading this book, it is fair to say that Scientology is a rich, ruthlessly authoritarian and extremely vengeful religious cult, with similarities to the “Mafia.” Wright’s stature as an award winning journalist makes it more difficult for Scientology to attack him like they have to many others. This is truly an eye opening book and should be read widely.

End of review

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of http://www.Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information.

Can Good Come from Evil? What says the Scripture? 2013 by Jack Kettler

Does God permit and even ordain what we would call evil events?

As shocking as this may sound, yes, God permits evil and even ordains it, and yet even in wicked events, He turns it for the good. We see examples of this when we read in Scripture about Joseph in Egypt. As we will see, this turning evil for good, is most evident in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the case of our Lord, evil is seen in its most horrifying magnitude, and yet, from this most wicked act on the part of sinful men comes forth the salvation of God’s elect.

Many Christians have struggled with issues like these that involve man’s responsibility over against God’s predetermination and sometimes postulate theories that try and make the doctrine of God’s sovereignty more palatable to human reason. Doing this is not a solution, but rather adds more confusion to a clear and God glorying interpretation of events seen in Scripture.

To prove the assertion about God’s predetermined events that are turned for good, the prophet Isaiah says:

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10

This passage in Isaiah is a prophesy about the crucifixion  and death of God’s Son. It was a wicked act on the part of the Jews to turn Christ over to the Romans to be killed. Yet, when considering the New Testament Scriptures, they testify in no uncertain language, that God ordained evil men to crucify the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:23).

How can this be? How can turning an evil event into something that fulfills the Divine will and is good be accomplished? From a human perspective, this seems impossible. When we understand the outworking of God’s Sovereign will in Scripture, we stand in awe at His Majestic Sovereignty. Only God can turn the wicked events of man into God glorifying events.

In Genesis, the first book of Scripture, we see God turning evil purposes for good:

But as for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it to good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Genesis 50:20

Calvin’s exposition of this passage is most edifying:

20. Ye thought evil against me. Joseph well considers (as we have said) the providence of God; so that he imposes it on himself as a compulsory law, not only to grant pardon, but also to exercise beneficence. And although we have treated at large on this subject, in Genesis 45:1, yet it will be useful also to repeat something on it now. In the first place, we must notice this difference in his language: for whereas, in the former passage, Joseph, desiring to soothe the grief, and to alleviate the fear of his brethren, would cover their wickedness by every means which ingenuity could suggest; he now corrects them a little more openly and freely; perhaps because he is offended with their disingenousness. Yet he holds to the same principle as before. Seeing that, by the secret counsel of God, he was led into Egypt, for the purpose of preserving the life of his brethren, he must devote himself to this object, lest he should resist God. He says, in fact, by his action, “Since God has deposited your life with me, I should be engaged in war against him, if I were not to be the faithful dispenser of the grace which he had committed to my hands.” Meanwhile, he skillfully distinguishes between the wicked counsels of men, and the admirable justice of God, by so ascribing the government of all things to God, as to preserve the divine administration free from contracting any stain from the vices of men. The selling of Joseph was a crime detestable for its cruelty and perfidy; yet he was not sold except by the decree of heaven. For neither did God merely remain at rest, and by conniving for a time, let loose the reins of human malice, in order that afterwards he might make use of this occasion; but, at his own will, he appointed the order of acting which he intended to be fixed and certain. Thus we may say with truth and propriety, that Joseph was sold by the wicked consent of his brethren, and by the secret providence of God. Yet it was not a work common to both, in such a sense that God sanctioned anything connected with or relating to their wicked cupidity: because while they are contriving the destruction of their brother, God is effecting their deliverance from on high. Whence also we conclude, that there are various methods of governing the world. This truly must be generally agreed, that nothing is done without his will; because he both governs the counsels of men, and sways their wills and turns their efforts at his pleasure, and regulates all events: but if men undertake anything right and just, he so actuates and moves them inwardly by his Spirit, that whatever is good in them, may justly be said to be received from him: but if Satan and ungodly men rage, he acts by their hands in such an inexpressible manner, that the wickedness of the deed belongs to them, and the blame of it is imputed to them. For they are not induced to sin, as the faithful are to act aright, by the impulse of the Spirit, but they are the authors of their own evil, and follow Satan as their leader. Thus we see that the justice of God shines brightly in the midst of the darkness of our iniquity. For as God is never without a just cause for his actions, so men are held in the chains of guilt by their own perverse will. When we hear that God frustrates the wicked expectations, and the injurious desires of men, we derive hence no common consolation. Let the impious busy themselves as they please, let them rage, let them mingle heaven and earth; yet they shall gain nothing by their ardor; and not only shall their impetuosity prove ineffectual, but shall be turned to an issue the reverse of that which they intended, so that they shall promote our salvation, though they do it reluctantly. So that whatever poison Satan produces, God turns it into medicine for his elect. And although in this place God is said to have “meant it unto good,” because contrary to expectation, he had educed a joyful issue out of beginnings fraught with death: yet, with perfect rectitude and justice, he turns the food of reprobates into poison, their light into darkness, their table into a snare, and, in short, their life into death. If human minds cannot reach these depths, let them rather suppliantly adore the mysteries they do not comprehend, than, as vessels of clay, proudly exalt themselves against their Maker.

To save much people alive. Joseph renders his office subservient to the design of God’s providence; and this sobriety is always to be cultivated, that every one may behold, by faith, God from on high holding the helm of the government of the world, and may keep himself within the bounds of his vocation; and even, being admonished by the secret judgments of God, may descend into himself, and exhort himself to the discharge of his duty: and if the reason of this does not immediately appear, we must still take care that we do not fly in confused and erratic circuits, as fanatical men are wont to do. What Joseph says respecting his being divinely chosen “to save much people alive,” some extend to the Egyptians. Without condemning such an extension, I would rather restrict the application of the words to the family of Jacob; for Joseph amplifies the goodness of God by this circumstance, that the seed of the Church would be rescued from destruction by his labor. And truly, from these few men, whose seed would otherwise have been extinct before their descendants had been multiplied, that vast multitude sprang into being, which God soon afterwards raised up.1

From John Gill’s commentary we read more about this divine ordaining of events, which God controlled and turned for good:

But as for you, ye thought evil against me,…. That must be said and owned, that their intentions were bad; they thought to have contradicted his dreams, and made them of none effect, to have token away his life, or however to have made him a slave all his days:

but God meant it unto good; he designed good should come by it, and he brought good out of it: this shows that this action, which was sinful in itself, fell under the decree of God, or was the object of it, and that there was a concourse of providence in it; not that God was the author of sin, which neither his decree about it, nor the concourse of providence with the action as such supposes; he leaving the sinner wholly to his own will in it, and having no concern in the ataxy or disorder of it, but in the issue, through his infinite wisdom, causes it to work for good, as follows:

to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive; the nation of the Egyptians and the neighbouring nations, as the Canaanites and others, and particularly his father’s family: thus the sin of the Jews in crucifying Christ, which, notwithstanding the determinate counsel of God, they most freely performed, was what wrought about the greatest good, the salvation of men.2

We see this same truth in New Covenant Scripture where God ordains and turns and frustrates the evil purposes of man, and uses them for good:

Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Acts 2:23

From the classic commentary by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown we get a concise summery:

23. determinate counsel and foreknowledge—God’s fixed plan and perfect foresight of all the steps involved in it.

ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain—How strikingly is the criminality of Christ’s murderers here presented in harmony with the eternal purpose to surrender Him into their hands!3

From the multi-volume Pulpit Commentary we learn more about this monumental event:

Verse 23. – Delivered up for delivered, A.V.; by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay for have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain, A.V. and T.R. The determinate counsel. God’s counsel, that Christ should suffer for sins, was not a vague, indistinct purpose, leaving much to accident and the fluctuating will of man; it was determinate and defined in respect of time and manner and the instruments used for carrying it out. Foreknowledge is coupled with counsel or will, perhaps in order to show us that the counsel or will of God, as far as it comprehends the action of free agents, is indissolubly connected with his foreknowledge, and does not involve any force put upon the will of man. (Compare, with Chrysostom, the saying of Joseph to his brethren, “Be not angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5); also Judges 14:4; 1 Kings 12:15, etc. Delivered up (ἔκδοτον, only found here) is by many understood of the action of Judas in betraying Jesus into the hands of his enemies (John 19:11) – ἔκδοτον being taken as equivalent to what πρόδοτον would mean if it were in use. But it may with equal propriety be applied to the action of the chief priests and elders in delivering Jesus to Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:2) to be crucified (Matthew 27:26). Our Lord himself alludes to Pilate’s power as circumscribed by the will of God (John 19:11, ὁ παραδιδούς μέ σοι: comp. Matthew 26:45). By the hand of lawless men. “By the hand of” is the common Hebrew phrase בְיַר, by means of, through the agency cf. The Jewish nation (ἄνδρες Ἰουδαῖοι) had crucified the Lord of glory by the hand of the heathen Romans. Lawless, equivalent to the sinners of Matthew 26:45 (comp., for the special application of the term to the heathen, Galatians 2:15; 1 Corinthians 9:21).4

Just so the reader is clear on what is being said about God’s sovereignty and the responsibility of man for evil deeds:

The Westminster Confession of Faith (Ch. III) teaches that God’s absolute sovereignty established the freedom of second causes and that it does not do any violence to the human will, nor does it make God the author of sin:

GOD from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass;a yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, b nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. c

a Ephesians 1:11; Romans 11:33; Hebrews 6:17; Romans 9:15, 18.

b James 1:13, 17; I John 1:5.

c Acts 2:23; Matthew 17:12; Acts 4:27-28; John 19:11; Proverbs 16:33.

Consider another text from Acts which continues this same theme of God controlling human events:

The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Son Jesus; whom you delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted to you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God has raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. Acts 3:13-15

The Words of our Lord provide a powerful commentary of this divine truth:

Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against me, except it were given you from above: therefore he that delivered me to you has the greater sin. John 19:11

In Romans chapter eight there is what is referred to as the “golden” chain of salvation. It is said that this chain is golden because the links cannot be broken. The links in this chain are: those whom He foreknew, He predestined. Those He predestined, He called. Those He called, He justified. Those He justified, He glorified. There is nothing lost along this golden chain. All he chose from before the world began will be fully glorified.

Because this Golden Chain of Scriptural truth, the Apostle Paul concludes his argument with:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Other difficult passages of Scripture:

Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech (Judges 9:23).

And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee (I Kings 22:20-23).

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things Isaiah (45:7).

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it (Amos 3:6)?

Men have struggled through out history trying to grasp the divine truths of God’s absolute sovereignty and human responsibility. These issues are weighty and difficult. It is import to recall the Westminster Confession when is summarizes the totality of Scripture on this topic by saying that God’s absolute sovereignty established the freedom of second causes and that it does not do any violence to the human will, nor does it make God the author of sin.

In conclusion:

In light of all of the Scriptures we looked at in this brief study, it can be asserted that God is Sovereign, and because of this, He can overrule the sinful designs of man and turn them for His glory. And furthermore, what-ever He does is right, simply because He does it! Holding God to the standard of human reason, is unacceptable. Human reason must always be subservient to God’s revelation in Scripture. This really is the core issue with which some believers wrestle against, namely, submitting human reason to the authority of Scripture and the rejection of all forms of human autonomy.

In addition, it is right to maintain, that there is no law structure or standard above God that he is held accountable to. If there was a law structure over God, then the law structure would be God and one could also ask, where did this law structure came from. A law structure independent and above God would create many additional uncertainties. Therefore, we can conclude, it is a sin to elevate human reason as a standard above God and hold him to an outrageous humanistic un-Scriptural standard. We should rejoice in God’s sovereign will will enables Him to to foil the plans of man and work glorious good, overruling the evil intent and plans of man.

In his Bondage and Liberation of the Will, Calvin explains these difficulties best:

“…we allow that man has choice and that it is self-determined, so that if he does anything evil, it should be imputed to him and to his own voluntary choosing. We do away with coercion and force, because this contradicts the nature of the will and cannot coexist with it. We deny that choice is free, because through man’s innate wickedness it is of necessity driven to what is evil and cannot seek anything but evil. And from this it is possible to deduce what a great difference there is between necessity and coercion. For we do not say that man is dragged unwillingly into sinning, but that because his will is corrupt he is held captive under the yoke of sin and therefore of necessity will in an evil way. For where there is bondage, there is necessity. But it makes a great difference whether the bondage is voluntary or coerced. We locate the necessity to sin precisely in corruption of the will, from which follows that it is self-determined.”5

For further study, the serious student of Scripture should read:

Gordon H. Clark’s God and Evil: The Problem Solved, Reviewed by Dr. W. Gary Crampton

The Problem of Evil (Part 1 and 2) By Dr. Greg Bahnsen

Notes:
1.
John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries Volume 1, Genesis, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book House, Reprinted 1979), pp. 486-489.

2.
John Gill, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments 9 Volumes, Genesis, (Grace Works, Multi-Media Labs), 2011, pp. 846,847 .

3.
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan, 1977) p. 1083.

4.
The Pulpit Commentary, H.D.M. Spence & Joseph S. Exell, Acts, (Grace Works, Multi-Media Labs), 2011, pp. 236-238.

5.
John Calvin, edited by A. N. S. Lane, Bondage and Liberation of the Will, The: A Defence of the Orthodox Doctrine of Human Choice against Pighius, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Academic Books, 2002) pp. 69-70.

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of http://www.Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information.

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GIMEL Psalm 119:17-24

17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.

Like many parts of this Psalm, the Psalmist starts off with a prayer, “that I may live, and keep thy word. “ The Psalmist wants God to preserve the spiritual life in his soul.

Spurgeon in the Treasury of David brilliantly comments on this prayer:

“Deal bountifully with thy servant.” He takes pleasure in owning his duty to God, and counts it the joy of his heart to be in the service of his God. Out of his condition he makes a plea, for a servant has some hold upon a master; but in this case the wording of the plea shuts out the idea of legal claim, since he seeks bounty rather than reward. Let my wages be according to thy goodness, and not according to my merit. Reward me according to the largeness of thy liberality, and not according to the scantiness of my service. The hired servants of our Father have all of them bread enough and to Spare, and he will not leave one of his household to perish with hunger. If the Lord will only treat us as he treats the least of his servants we may be well content, for all his true servants are sons, princes of the blood, heirs of life eternal. David felt that his great needs required a bountiful provision, and that his little desert would never earn such a supply; hence he must throw himself upon God’s grace, and look for the great things he needed from the great goodness of the Lord. He begs for a liberality of grace, after the fashion of one who prayed. “O Lord, thou must give me great mercy or no mercy, for little mercy will not serve my turn.”

“That I may live.” Without abundant mercy he could not live. It takes great grace to keep a saint alive. Even life is a gift of divine bounty to such undeserving ones as we are. Only the Lord can keep us in being, and it is mighty grace which preserves to us the life which we have forfeited by our sin. It is right to desire to live, it is meet to pray to live, it is just to ascribe prolonged life to the favour of God. Spiritual life, without which this natural life is mere existence, is also to be sought of the Lord’s bounty, for it is the noblest work of divine grace, and in it the bounty of God is gloriously displayed. The Lord’s servants cannot serve him in their own strength, for they cannot even live unless his grace abounds towards them.”

“And keep thy word.” This should be the rule, the object, and the joy of our life. We may not wish to live and sin; but we may pray to live and keep God’s word. Being is a poor thing if it be not well-being. Life is only worth keeping while we can keep God’s word; indeed, there is no life in the highest sense apart from holiness: life while we break the law is but a name to live.

The prayer of this verse shows that it is only through divine bounty or grace that we can live as faithful servants of God, and manifest obedience to his commands. If we give God service it must be because he gives us grace. We work for him because he works in us. Thus we may make a chain out of the opening verses of the three first octaves of this Psalm: Psalm 119:1 blesses the holy man, Psalm 119:9 asks how we can attain to such holiness, and Psalm 119:17 traces such holiness to its secret source, and shows us how to seek the blessing. There more a man prizes holiness and the more earnestly he strives after it, the more will he be driven towards God for help therein, for he will plainly perceive that his own strength is insufficient, and that he cannot even so much as live without the bounteous assistance of the Lord his God.”19

18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

We need our eyes to opened because of our spiritual blindness, which is the result of sin. When God opens our eyes, we see God’s wondrous grace that His law reveals.

The Puritan John Gill makes great observations on this passage:

“Open thou mine eyes,…. The eyes of my heart or understanding, as Kimchi; or, “reveal mine eyes” (t); take off the veil from them: there is a veil of darkness and ignorance on the hearts of all men, with respect to divine and spiritual things; their understandings are darkened, yea, darkness itself. This veil must be removed; the scales must drop from their eyes; their eyes must be opened and enlightened, before they can discern spiritual things contained in the word of God; and even good men need to have the eyes of their understandings more and more enlightened into these things, as the psalmist here petitions, and the apostle prays for his Ephesians, Ephesians 1:17;

that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law; the law strictly taken, which had great and excellent things in it; and was wonderful for the compendiousness of it; for the justice, holiness, and equity of its precepts; especially for its spirituality, and above all for Christ, being the end of it; the two last more particularly could only be discerned by a spiritual man: or rather the five books of Moses, the almost only Scriptures extant in David’s time, in which there were many wonderful things concerning Christ; some delivered by way of promise and prophecy of him, under the characters of the seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, the Shiloh, and the great Prophet; and many others in dark figures, types, and shadows, which required a spiritual sight to look into; of which the rock and manna, the brasen serpent, passover, &c. are instances: but rather, as the word “law” signifies “doctrine”, the doctrine of the Gospel may be meant; which contains mysteries in it, respecting the trinity of Persons in the Godhead, the person of Christ, his incarnation, sufferings and death; the blessings of grace through him; the doctrines of peace, pardon, righteousness, eternal life, and the resurrection of the dead; with many others.”20

19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.

The believer understands that this world is not our home. That fact that we are just passing through, does not mean we are unconcerned and passive when faced with corruption in the church and public sphere. We stay grounded and encouraged by keeping our eyes on our heavenly home.

Albert Barnes gets the sense of the Psalmist’s prayer exactly:

“I am a stranger in the earth – A wayfaring man; a pilgrim; a so-journer; a man whose permanent home is not in this world. The word is applicable to one who belongs to another country, and who is now merely passing through a foreign land, or sojourning there for a time. Compare the notes at Hebrews 11:13. The home of the child of God is heaven. Here he is in a strange – a foreign – land. He is to abide here but for a little time, and then to pass on to his eternal habitation.

Hide not thy commandments from me – Make me to know them; keep them continually before me. In this strange land, away from my home, let me have the comfort of feeling that thy commands are ever with me to guide me; thy promises to comfort me. The feeling is that of one in a strange land who would desire, if possible, to keep up constant communications with his home – his family, his friends, his kindred there. On earth, the place of our sojourning – of our pilgrimage – the friend of God desires to have constant contact with heaven, his final home; not to be left to the desolate feeling that he is cut off from all contact with that world where he is forever to dwell.”21

20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.

The believer is never detached and uninvolved when seeing unrighteousness flaunted by unbelievers. We desire and long for God’s righteous judgement to rule.

Matthew Henry make some pertinent observations on this verse:

“David had prayed that God would open his eyes (Psalm 119:18) and open the law (Psalm 119:19); now here he pleads the earnestness of his desire for knowledge and grace, for it is the fervent prayer that avails much. 1. His desire was importunate: My soul breaketh for the longing it hath to thy judgments, or (as some read it) “It is taken up, and wholly employed, in longing for thy judgments; the whole stream of its desires runs in this channel. I shall think myself quite broken and undone if I want the word of God, the direction, converse, and comfort of it.” 2. It was constant – at all times. It was not now and then, in a good humour, that he was so fond of the word of God; but it is the habitual temper of every sanctified soul to hunger after the word of God as its necessary food, which there is no living without.”22

21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.

All of God’s judgments are righteous and true.

Calvin comments are most edifying:

“Thou hast destroyed the proud. Others render it:, Thou hast rebuked the proud; a translation of which the Hebrew term גער, gaar, admits when the letter ב, beth, is joined with it in construction; but this being awaiting, it is better to render it destroy406 It makes, however, little difference to the main drift of the passage, there being no doubt that the intention of the prophet is, to inform us that God’s judgments instructed him to apply his mind to the study of the law; and certainly this is an exercise which we ought on no account to defer till God visit us with chastisement.. But when we behold him taking vengeance upon the wicked, and the despisers of his word, we must be stupid, indeed, if his rod do not teach us wisdom; and, doubtless, it is an instance of special kindness on God’s part, to spare us, and only to terrify us from afar, that he may bring us to himself without injuring or chastising us at all.

It is not without reason that he denominates all unbelievers proud, because it is true faith alone which humbles us, and all rebellion is the offspring of pride. From this we learn how profitable it is to consider carefully and attentively the judgments of God, by which he overthrows such haughtiness. When the weak in faith see the wicked rise in furious. opposition against God, arrogantly casting off all restraint, and holding all religion in derision with impunity, they begin to question whether there be a God who sits as judge in heaven. God may, for a time, wink at this: by-and-bye, we witness him setting forth some indication of his judgment, to convince us that he hath not in vain uttered threatening against the violators of his law; and we ought to bear in mind that all who depart from him are reprobate.

Let it be carefully observed that, by wandering from his commandments, is not meant all kinds of transgression indiscriminately, but that unbridled licentiousness which proceeds from impious contempt of God. It is, indeed, given as a general sentence, that “every one is cursed who continueth not in all things which are written,” Deuteronomy 27:26

But as God in his paternal kindness, bears with those who fail through infirmity of the flesh, so here we must understand these judgments to be expressly executed upon the wicked and reprobate; and their end, as Isaiah declares, is, “that the inhabitants of the earth may learn righteousness,” (Isaiah 26:9)”23

22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.

Believers are often reproached by the unrighteous, so it is easy to identify with the Psalmist here.

Mathew Poole’s comments are to the point:

“Reproach, which I suffer unjustly and for thy sake, as he elsewhere complains.

I have kept thy testimonies, and therefore I am innocent from those crimes for which they censure and reproach me. Or, and therefore thou wilt maintain mine honour and interest according to thy promise made to such as keep thy testimonies, and I beg with some confidence that thou wilt do it.”24

23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.

Even when reproached by men in high places, we still find hope in God’s commandments.

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown in their commentary concur:

“God will rebuke those who despise His word and deliver His servants from their reproach, giving them boldness in and by His truth, even before the greatest men.”25

24 Thy testimonies also are my delight, and my counselors.

In closing this section on verses 17-24, Matthew Henry thoughts serve as a good conclusion:

“If God deals in strict justice with us, we all perish. We ought to spend our lives in his
service; we shall find true life in keeping his word. Those that would see the wondrous things of God’s law and gospel, must beg him to give them understanding, by the light of his Spirit. Believers feel themselves strangers on earth; they fear missing their way, and losing comfort by erring from God’s commandments. Every sanctified soul hungers after the word of God, as food which there is no living without. There is something of pride at the bottom of every wilful sin. God can silence lying lips; reproach and contempt may humble and do us good, and then they shall be removed. Do we find the weight of the cross is above that we are able to bear? He that bore it for us will enable us to bear it; upheld by him we cannot sink. It is sad when those who should protect the innocent, are their betrayers. The psalmist went on in duty, and he found comfort in the word of God. The comforts of the word of God are most pleasant to a gracious soul, when other comforts are made bitter; and those that would have God’s testimonies to be their delight, must be advised by them. May the Lord direct us in exercising repentance of sin, and faith in Christ.”26

Notes on GIMEL Psalm 119: 17-24:

19. C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. II, (Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson), pp. 171,172.
20. John Gill, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments 9 Volumes, Psalms, (Grace Works, Multi-Media Labs), 2011, p. 1378.
21. Albert Barnes, THE AGES DIGITAL LIBRARYCOMMENTARY, Barnes’ Notes on the Bible Volume 5 -Psalms, p. 1799.
22. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, (Hendrickson Publishers, Inc, Fourth printing 1985) p. 915.
23. John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VI: Psalms, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book House Reprinted 1979), p.415, 416.
24. Matthew Poole’s Commentary on the Holy Bible, Vol. 2 (Peabody, Massachusetts, Hendrickson Publishers, 1985) p. 183.
25. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan, 1977) p. 450.
26. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, An abridgment of the 6 volume Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson, reprinted 2003), p. 957.

Unification or Moonification? by Jack Kettler 2013

Sun Myung Moon, now deceased, was a self-appointed Reverend with murky credentials to say the least. He was born on February 25, 1920 in Korea. As a teenager, he claimed to have a vision of Jesus, begging him (Moon) to complete the mission, which he (Jesus) had failed. When you hear something like this, red flags should go up. If you believe Moon’s claims, then you would accept his credentials, which basically come down to this: He is “greater than Jesus” (Master Speaks 6/30/1973 p.4) Rev. Moon is “the Messiah, the Lord of the Second Advent” (120-Day Training Manual p.160, 222).

A little about Moon’s organization:

Moon had a front row seat to see the evils of communism in North Korea. We can be thankful that he ardently spoke out against the blight of communism. Unfortunately, Moon’s anti-communism has helped his organization make alliances with unsuspecting conservatives. His business empire is is impressive and substantial, with holdings in media and manufacturing. Moon was a master at forming alliances through his science conferences. Since Moon claimed to be the Lord of the Second Advent, he was the undisputed leader of the Unification Church. Subsequent to his death, on September 3, 2012, it has been reported that his wife Hak Ja Han and their sons Hyung Jin Moon and Kook Jin Moon would assume the leadership of the church.

Moon’s religion is known as “The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity.” It certainly has not lived up to its name regarding the “Unification of World Christianity.” Individuals who believe and follow Moon’s teaching have experienced a process that I call Moonification. This is a process in which an individual surrenders their own beliefs and adopts Moon’s outlandish, grandiose beliefs about himself and his mission.

Moon’s writing, the “Divine Principle” is known by the Unification Church as the “Completed Testament.” Absolutely essential to Moon’s theology is the concept of dualism. All of existence is dualistic. You have the Father God and feminine Holy Spirit God, you have both male and female, light and darkness, Yin and Yang and spirit and flesh. All existence has dual properties according to Moon. Moon’s God has both dual male and female characteristics. In short, Moon’s belief system can be described as a combination of elements of Eastern Taoist philosophy, especially, its metaphysical dualism. This Eastern philosophy and other aberrational theological ideas are used as a grid to interpret the Bible, leading to interpretive nonsense.

Rather than use the Grammatico-Historical-Hermeneutical method of interpretation, which focuses attention on literary forms plus taking into consideration, the grammatical constructions and historical contexts from which the Scriptures were written, Moon smuggles Eastern philosophies and other interpretive errors into his radical twisting of Scripture.

In addition, Moon used a basic Christian theological structure for interpreting Scripture which can be described as creation-sin/evil-redemption model. This is what in particular makes Moon’s theology deceptive since it utilizes the Christian concepts of sin, the fall and redemption. Because of this, Moon’s theology can be considered a Christian heresy. Shockingly, spiritism was not a problem for Moon. In the book “Unknown But Known,” on page 121 the American father of Spiritualism’s Arthur Ford recounted two lengthy séances undertaken on behalf of Moon. These accounts were removed from later editions of Ford’s book.

And, significantly, you find a dispensationalism hermeneutic at work in Moon’s theology, which accounts for Moon’s shocking teaching that Jesus failed in His mission. Dispensationalists do not teach that Jesus failed, only that the Jews did not accept him, and therefore God had to move to plan B and begin working with the church. The church is the so called mystery parenthesis in the plan of God where Israel was set aside and God’s prophetic clock stopped. It is certainly understandable how Moon could get the idea from dispensationalism that Jesus failed. Many people have run wild with theories based upon dispensational aberrational theology. It should be noted that Moon used the term dispensational frequently. For example, Moon’s speech, “Today In the Light of Dispensational History” given on February 23, 1977 at the World Mission Center, translated by Bo Hi Pak.

A Sampling of Moonification Theological Heresies:

“With the fullness of time, God has sent His messenger to resolve the fundamental questions of life and the universe. His name is Sun Myung Moon. For many decades, he wandered in a vast spiritual world in search of the ultimate truth. On this path, he endured suffering unimagined by anyone in human history. God alone will remember it. Knowing that no one can find the ultimate truth to save mankind without going through the bitterest of trials, he fought alone against myriads of Satanic forces, both in the physical and spiritual worlds, and finally triumphed over them all. In this way he came in contact with many saints in Paradise and with Jesus, and thus brought into light all the heavenly secrets through his communion with God.”1

“In order to know the nature of God’s deity, let us examine the common factors which can be found throughout His creation. A creation, whatever it may be, cannot come into being unless a reciprocal relationship between positivity and negativity has been achieved, not only within itself but also in relation to other beings. For example, particles, which are the essential components of all matter, have either positivity or negativity, or a neutrality which is caused when the positive and negative elements neutralize each other. When the two characteristics enter into a reciprocal relationship, these particles form an atom.

Each atom assumes either positive or negative characteristics, and, as the dual characteristics within each atom enable that atom to have reciprocal relationships with other atoms, they proceed to form molecules of matter. Matter, which is formed in this way–according to the reciprocal relationship between these two characteristics–becomes nourishment for animals and plants when it is absorbed by them.

All plants exist and multiply through a relationship occurring between the stamen and pistil, while the same process occurs in the animal world through a relationship between male and female.

As for man, God created a man (male), Adam, in the beginning; then, seeing that it was not good that man should be alone (Gen. 2:18), He made a woman (female), Eve, as Adam’s object, and for the first time God saw that His creation was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Just as a positive or negative ion, even after dissociation, is found to be the combination of a proton (positive) and an electron (negative), the stamen or the pistil of the plant and a male or female member of the animal kingdom can also exist only through a reciprocal relationship between their dual essentialities of positivity and negativity. Also, there is a female characteristic dormant in every man, and a male essence in every woman. The aspects of each thing in the creation exist on a reciprocal basis, such as: inside and outside, internal and external, front and rear, right and left, up and down, high and low, strong and weak, long and short, wide and narrow, east and west, south and north. This is because all things are created to exist through a reciprocal relationship between their dual essentialities.

As we have seen, all things exist through a reciprocal relationship between the dual essentialities of positivity and negativity. We must also know the reciprocal relationship between another pair of dual essentialities, which is even more fundamental than that of positivity and negativity. Anything in existence has both an external form and an internal character. The external form is visible and reflects the internal character, which is invisible. Though the internal character cannot be seen, it assumes a certain form, so that the external form resembles the internal character as its visible form. “Internal character” and “external form” refer to the two characters which are the two relative aspects of the same existence. In this relationship, the external form may also be called a “second internal character”, so together we call them “dual characteristics”, or “dual essentialities”.

We can take man as an example. Man consists of body, or external form, and mind, or internal character. The visible body resembles the invisible mind. The body assumes a form resembling the form projected by the mind. This is the reason one can perceive things about a man’s invisible character and destiny by his outward appearance.

We call the mind “internal character” and the body “external form”. Here again, since our mind and body are the two relative aspects of the same man, the body may be called the “second mind”, or a duplication of the mind. We call these two together “the dual characteristics of man”. Now we can understand the fact that everything exists through a reciprocal relationship between the dual characteristics of internal character and external form.

What then is the relationship between internal character and external form? The invisible internal character is the cause and is in the subjective position, while the visible external form is the result of the former and stands in an objective position to it. Accordingly, the reciprocal relationship which exists between the two is one of internal and external, cause and result, subject and object, or vertical and horizontal.

Let us again use man as an example. Since mind and body correspond to character and form, the body is a copy of the mind and should be completely under its command. Thus man can direct his life according to his will and purpose. The mind and body also assume a reciprocal relationship of internal and external, cause and result, subject and object, or vertical and horizontal.

Likewise, all the things of creation, though they may vary in dimension, have an invisible internal character which corresponds to the mind; since this is the cause and subject, it manipulates the external form, which corresponds to the human body. This relationship between mind and body enables the individual creation to maintain its existence as a being with a certain purpose. Animals have an aspect which corresponds to the human mind; since this is the subject and cause which directs towards a certain purpose, the animal body is able to live according to the purpose of its individual being. A plant also has an internal character which enables it to maintain its organic function.”2

“Fundamentally, God’s essential character and His essential form assume a reciprocal relationship with His “essential positivity” and “essential negativity”. Therefore, God’s essential positivity and essential negativity are the attributes of His essential character and essential form. So, the relationship between positivity and negativity is similar to that which exists between character and form.

Accordingly, positivity and negativity also have a reciprocal relationship existing between internal and external, cause and result, subject and object, vertical and horizontal. This is the reason it is written in the Bible that God created the woman Eve as an object by taking the rib from the man Adam, who was the subject (Gen. 2:22). Here we call the positivity and negativity of God “masculinity” and “femininity”, respectively. The universe which was created with God as the center is similar to a man who has been created with his mind as the center. The universe is a perfect organic body created completely in accordance with God’s purpose of creation. For this reason, the universe as an organic body has its own internal character and external form, with God as its internal character, while the physical universe is its external form. This is why God said that man, who is the center of the universe, was made in His own image (Gen. 1:27).

Before creating the universe, God existed as the internal masculine subject, and He created the universe as His external feminine object. I Corinthians 11:7 says that man “is the image and glory of God”, which testifies to this theory. Since God is the masculine subject of internal character we call Him “Our Father”, emphasizing His masculine nature. “In brief, we know that God is the subject who consists of dual characteristics.”3

“Jesus did not say that His word was the truth but that he himself was the truth, way and the life (John 14:6). This is because His words were only a means of expressing himself as the truth… We can understand that the New Testament was given as a textbook for the teaching of truth to the people of 2,000 years ago… In consequence, today the truth must appear with a higher standard and with a scientific method of expression in order to enable intelligent modern men to understand it.”4

“We, therefore, must realize that Jesus did not come to die on the cross.”5

“Jesus could not accomplish the purpose of the providence of physical salvation because his body was invaded by Satan. However, he could establish the basis for spiritual salvation … through … the blood of the cross.”6

“Because the Jewish people disbelieved Jesus and delivered him up for crucifixion, his body was invaded by Satan, and he was killed. Therefore, even when Christians believe in and become one body with Jesus, whose body was invaded by Satan, their bodies still remain subject to Satan’s invasion.”7

“In fact, Jesus was then resolved to take the cross as the condition of indemnity to pay for the accomplishment of even the spiritual salvation of man when he found that he was unable to accomplish the providence of both spiritual and physical salvation (Luke 9:31).”8

“Any Christian who, in spiritual communication, can see John the Baptist directly in the spirit world will be able to understand the authenticity of all these things.”9

“The ultimate purpose of God’s providence of restoration is to save all mankind. Therefore, it is God’s intention to abolish Hell completely, after the lapse of the period necessary for the full payment of all indemnity.”10

“Though the times of their salvation may differ, all fallen men are predestined to be saved.”11

“In this way, a man who attains the purpose of creation would become the temple of God’s constant abode (1 Cor. 3:16) thus assuming deity (cf. Part I Ch. I Sec. III,2).” “Therefore, the man who has attained the purpose of creation would assume the divine value of God.”12

“The man who has attained the purposed of creation, whoever he may be, is an existence unique in the whole universe. Buddha’s statement, ‘I am my own Lord throughout heaven and earth,’ is reasonable in light of this principle.”13

“However, a father alone cannot give birth to children. There must be a True Mother with the True Father, in order to give rebirth to fallen children as children of goodness. She is the Holy Spirit.” “Thus, the Holy Spirit is a Female Spirit;” “She also cleanses the sins of the people in order to restore them, thus indemnifying the sin committed by Eve.” “Jesus, being male (positively), is working in heaven, while the Holy Spirit, being female (negativity), is working on earth.”14

“Accordingly, in order to fulfill the purpose of creation, Jesus and the Holy Spirit must establish the four position foundation centered on God, by becoming one body in unity through the action of give and take, each as the object of God, substantially divided from His dual essentialities. In this manner, Jesus and the Holy Spirit become one body centered on God; this is called ‘Trinity.’” However, due to the fall, Adam and Eve established the four position foundation centered on Satan, thus resulting in a trinity centered on Satan.”15

“Eve’s fall consisted of two kinds of illicit love affairs. The first one was the spiritual fall through love with the archangel. The second was the physical fall through love with Adam.”16

“After another seven days, Noah sent out the dove the third time. It is written that this time the dove did not come back to the ark because the water had dried up (Gen 8:12). The third dove symbolized the Lord of the Second Advent [Moon] who would come as the third Adam.”17

The “Lord of the Second Advent” [Moon] will be born in Korea.”18

“Likewise, the Korean nation as the third Israel.”19

“Therefore, countless men of religion are receiving very clear revelations concerning the Lord’s Second Coming in Korea in many different ways, by contacting many spirit men of various levels : from the realm of miscellaneous spirits to the realm of the paradise level spirits. Nevertheless, the leaders of the present Christian world, due to their spiritual ignorance, are still unresponsive, and have refused to pay heed to such things. This is similar to what happened in Jesus’ day, when the chief priests and rabbis, who should have been the first to know of the coming of the Messiah, were entirely unaware of the fact due to their spiritual ignorance, while, on the other hand, the astrologers and shepherds knew of the message through revelations.”20

A Brief Christian Response:

The Scripture teach that Jesus is one and only incarnate Son of God and he completed his mission successfully. Christ’s death and resurrection provided real saving atonement for sinners. Jesus secured salvation from the effects of sin and death, in both the spiritual and physical for His people.

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils” Mark 16:9.
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” 1 Corinthians 15: 3,4.
“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled” Colossians 1:21.

Moreover, Moon’s claims of being the Messiah or Lord of the Second Advent are blasphemous. Only Jesus is the Messiah! There is simply no need for another Messiah.

“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:” Hebrews 1:3.
“But to the Son he said, Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom” Hebrews 1:8.

Notes:

1. Sun Myung Moon, Divine Principle, The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, English translation, (Hsa-Uwc Pubns, 1977), p. 16.
2. Moon, pp. 20-23.
3. Moon, p. 25.
4. Ibid., p. 131.
5. Ibid., p. 143.
6. Ibid., p. 148.
7. Ibid., pp. 147-148.
8. Ibid., p. 151.
9. Ibid., p. 163.
10. Ibid., p. 190.
11. Ibid., p. 200.
12. Ibid., p. 206.
13. Ibid., p. 207.
14. Ibid., pp. 215-216.
15. Ibid., p. 217.
16. Ibid., p. 241.
17. Ibid., p. 256.
18. Ibid., p. 520.
19. Ibid., p. 527.
20. Ibid., p. 529.

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of http://www.Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information.

Jack Kettler
Top 20 Global Business Builder Award Winner!
Curious, for an automatic e-mail reply go to: Jack@KettlerWellness.com

A C. S. Lewis Fact Sheet! by Jack Kettler 2013

Many American Evangelicals celebrate and attempt to own C. S. Lewis as one of their own. C. S. Lewis was professor of medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, and there is no doubt that Lewis was truly an intellectual. However, being an intellectual or highly educated does not guarantee fidelity to the Word of God or that you will even be a Christian. In what follows, the diligent reader will be shocked to discover some of Lewis’ real beliefs.

To start, consider this shocking Universalistic heresy from C. S. Lewis’ the Chronicles of Narnia:

“Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me.

Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him.

Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child? I said, Lord, thou knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou shouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek.”1

What is Lewis saying in this chapter? According to Lewis, those who sincerely serve the devil (Tash) are actually serving God (Aslan) and will eventually be accepted by God and allowed into heaven. We should recognize this as outright heresy. Unfortunately, many people believe that God will save unbelievers and followers of pagan religions without faith in Christ along with Lewis.

Some may attempt to save Lewis from this shocking heresy by saying that this quotation is from The Chronicles of Narnia, which is allegorical and because of this, it should not be taken literally as something Lewis really believed.

Is this a valid defense of Lewis? Consider this next quote from Mere Christianity:

“There are people who do not accept the full Christian doctrine about Christ but who are so strongly attracted by Him that they are His in a much deeper sense than they themselves understand. There are people in other religions who are being led by God’s secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example, a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain other points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ’s birth may have been in this position.”2

In another place, Lewis says this:

“I think that every prayer which is sincerely made even to a false god or to a very imperfectly conceived true God, is accepted by the true God and that Christ saves many who do not think they know Him.”3

Shockingly, Lewis says:

“as I believe, Christ, fulfills both Paganism and Judaism.”4

What does the apostle Paul say? Every person who is outside of genuine faith in Christ are dead in their trespasses and sins! (See Ephesians 2:1)

Was Lewis an Evangelical on Scripture? Lewis has this to say:

“all Holy Scripture is in some sense – though not all parts of it in the same sense – the word of God.”5

“Naivety, error, contradiction, even (as in the cursing Psalms) wickedness are not removed. The total result is not ‘the Word of God’ in the sense that every passage, in itself, gives impeccable science or history. It carries the Word of God….”6

Lewis separates himself from a Protestant view of Scripture:

“whether a particular passage is rightly translated or is myth (but of course myth specially chosen by God from among countless myths to carry a spiritual truth) or history…. But we must not use the Bible (our fathers too often did) as a sort of Encyclopedia out of which texts…can be taken for use as weapons.”7

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. See 2 Corinthians 10:4. But in contrast to Lewis, Scripture is our most powerful weapon.

In contrast to confessional Protestants, Lewis believed the Scriptures and Christ himself were in error:

“Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place,” as “certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible.” And: “The one exhibition of error and the one confession of ignorance [Mark 13:32] grow side by side. That they stood thus in the mouth of Jesus himself, and were not merely placed thus by the reporter, we surely need not doubt…. The facts, then, are these: that Jesus professed himself (in some sense) ignorant, and within a moment showed that he really was so.”8

Was this an isolated statement by Lewis? Consider:

“Either this [John’s Gospel] is reportage, though it may no doubt contain errors, pretty close up to the facts; nearly as close as Boswell. Or else, some unknown writer in the second century, without known predecessors or successors, suddenly anticipated the whole technique of modern, novelistic, realistic, narrative.”9

It what could be taken for a Neo-Orthodox statement, Lewis says:

“It is Christ Himself, not the Bible, who is the true word of God.”10

Jesus believed in Hell, did Lewis? Consider the following:

“And every state of mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind–is, in the end, Hell”11

Consider Lewis on purgatory:

“Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me. And I hardly know how the rest of my prayers would survive if those for the dead were forbidden. At our age, the majority of those we love best are dead. What sort of intercourse with God could I have if what I love best were unmentionable to him?

I believe in Purgatory.

Mind you, the Reformers had good reasons for throwing doubt on the ‘Romish doctrine concerning Purgatory’ as that Romish doctrine had then become…..

The right view returns magnificently in Newman’s DREAM. There, if I remember it rightly, the saved soul, at the very foot of the throne, begs to be taken away and cleansed. It cannot bear for a moment longer ‘With its darkness to affront that light’. Religion has claimed Purgatory.

Our souls demand Purgatory, don’t they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us, ‘It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy’? Should we not reply, ‘With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I’d rather be cleaned first.’ ‘It may hurt, you know’ – ‘Even so, sir.’

I assume that the process of purification will normally involve suffering. Partly from tradition; partly because most real good that has been done me in this life has involved it. But I don’t think the suffering is the purpose of the purgation. I can well believe that people neither much worse nor much better than I will suffer less than I or more. . . . The treatment given will be the one required, whether it hurts little or much.

My favorite image on this matter comes from the dentist’s chair. I hope that when the tooth of life is drawn and I am ‘coming round’,’ a voice will say, ‘Rinse your mouth out with this.’ This will be Purgatory. The rinsing may take longer than I can now imagine. The taste of this may be more fiery and astringent than my present sensibility could endure. But . . . it will be disgusting and unhallowed.”12

Lewis on man’s sin or depravity:

“…when the consequence is drawn that, since we are totally depraved, our idea of good is worth simply nothing – may thus turn Christianity into a form of devil worship”13

Lewis had more to say on this:

“I disbelieve that doctrine [total depravity], partly on the logical ground that if our depravity were total we should not know ourselves to be depraved and partly because experience shows us much good in human nature.”14

As seen above, Lewis believed non-Christians could be saved. Consider Lewis on how people are saved in the Christian world:

“There are three things that spread the Christ-life to us: baptism, belief, and that mysterious action which different Christians call by different names – Holy Communion, the Mass, the Lord’s Supper”15

Lewis’ sacramental understanding of salvation:

“There are three things that spread the Christ-life to us: baptism, belief, and…the Lord’s supper…. And perhaps that explains one or two things. It explains why this new life is spread not only by purely mental acts like belief, but by bodily acts like baptism and Holy Communion…. God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us.”16

Lewis on evolution:

“If by saying that man rose from brutality you mean simply that man is physically descended from animals, I have no objections…. For long centuries God perfected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself. He gave it hands whose thumbs could be applied to each of its fingers, and jaws and teeth and the throat capable of articulation, and a brain sufficiently complex to execute all material motions whereby rational thought is incarnated. The creature may have existed for ages in this state before it became man…. We do not know how many of these creatures God made, nor how long they continued in the Paradisal state.”17

“… for we have good reason to believe that animals existed long before men… For long centuries God perfected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself … God caused a new kind of consciousness to descend upon this organism”18

“…Man, the highest of the animals”19

“If … you mean simply that man is physically descended from animals, I have no objection”20

“…but he (man) remains still a primate and an animal”21

Lewis’ denial of the creation account and Adam’s historicity, subverts the critical point made by Paul in Romans about how sin and death came into the world:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Romans 5:12-17 If sin and death existed in the world for millions of years prior to Adam, then the Scriptures would not be true. I will take what Paul says in Romans as truth instead of the speculation of Lewis.

C.S. Lewis held that the Biblical Genesis account came from pagan and mythical sources:

“I have therefore no difficulty accepting, say, the view of those scholars who tell us that the account of Creation in Genesis is derived from earlier Semitic stories which were Pagan and mythical.”22

Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones of historic Westminster Chapel of London reservations regarding the theology of C. S. Lewis:

“C. S. Lewis was essentially a philosopher, his view of salvation was defective… Lewis was an opponent of the substitutionary and penal theory of the Atonement”23

In conclusion, I’m not saying Christians should not read the writings of C. S. Lewis. I’m saying Lewis should be read with discernment and not recognized as an evangelical. In fact, Lewis would not have been able to answer this essential Presbyterian membership vow to be accepted as a communicant member: Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and life? In light of the above quotations, surely the reader will agree.

Notes:

1. C. S. Lewis, The Last Battle, (New York, Macmillian Publishing Company, 1970), pp. 164,165.
2. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (New York, Macmillian Publishing Company, 1960), pp. 176-177.
3. C. S. Lewis, Letters of C. S. Lewis, (New York, Harper and Row, 2001), p. 428.
4. C. S. Lewis, Reflections On The Psalms, (New York, Mariner Books 1964), p. 129.
5. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms, p. 19.
6. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms, p. 94.
7. C. S. Lewis, Letters of C. S. Lewis, (New York, Harper and Row, 2001), p. 428.
8. C. S. Lewis, The World’s Last Night and Other Essays, (New York, Mariner Books, 1960), p. 98-99.
9. C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Eerdmans, 1967), pp. 154-155.
10. Letters of C. S. Lewis, p. 428.
11. C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce, (New York, Macmillian Publishing Company, 1960), p. 65.
12. C. S. Lewis, Letters To Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, (New York, Mariner Books, 2002), pp. 108-109.
13. C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York, Macmillan, 1962), pp. 37,38.
14. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, pp. 66,67.
15. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pp. 62,63.
16. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pp. 62, 65.
17. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, pp. 72,77,79.
18. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, pp.133,77.
19. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p.139.
20. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, p.72.
21. Lewis, Reflections On The Psalms, pp. 115,129.
22. Lewis, Reflections On The Psalms, p.110.
23. J.D. Douglas, writing in (Christianity Today, December 20, 1963), p. 27.

The Theology of C. S. Lewis by Dr. Cornelius Van Til

End of article

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of http://www.Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information.

Jack Kettler
Top 20 Global Business Builder Award Winner!
Curious, for an automatic e-mail reply go to: Jack@KettlerWellness.com

Studies in Psalm 119:9-16 Arranged by Jack Kettler

BETH

9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.

In every verse in this section, we see the purifying power of God’s Word.

How shall a young man or anyone cleanse their way? There are many ways that someone may go. “There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25). The way that seems right unto man is the way of the natural man. This is humanism, man following Satan’s lie, rather than letting God be the supreme authority arbiter of truth. Instead, fallen man says, he will be like God and be the arbiter of good and evil. This is surely, the way death. “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9). How can someone rightly fear the Lord and cleanse their way? The answer is in the latter part of verse 9, “By taking heed thereto according to they word.” We bow before God in humility and submit to His Word.

It would be profitable to read the commentary of Baptist Puritan John Gill on this verse:

Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way?…. Some think David means himself, and that he was a young man when he wrote this psalm; and which they think is confirmed by Psalm 119:100; but neither of them seem conclusive; rather any young man is meant, and who is particularly mentioned, because young men are liable to sins and snares, to carnal lusts and sensual pleasures, which are of a defiling nature. Some are of opinion that a young man, or babe in Christ, is intended, that needs direction in his way, and instruction about the manner of cleansing it. But the former sense seems best, and expresses the concern of the psalmist for the education and right information of youth; which is a matter of great moment and advantage to families, neighbourhoods, and commonwealths. The question supposes the young man to be impure, as every man is by birth, being conceived in sin, and shapen in iniquity; is a transgressor from the womb, and his heart, ways, and actions, evil from his youth: and the difficulty is, how he shall be cleansed; how one so impure in his nature, heart, and ways, can be just with God, or become undefiled in the way, as in Psalm 119:1; to which some reference may be had: or how he can have his heart made pure, or a clean one be created in him; or how his way, life, and conversation, may be corrected, reformed, and amended. The answer is,

by taking heed thereto according to thy word; that is, to his way and course of life, and steering it according to the direction of the word of God. But I think the words may be better rendered and supplied thus, “by observing what is according to thy word” (p); which shows how a sinner is to be cleansed from his sins by the blood of Christ, and justified by his righteousness, and be clean through his word; and also how and by whom the work of sanctification is wrought in the heart, even by the Spirit of God, by means of the word; and what is the rule of a man’s walk and conversation: he will find the word of God to be profitable, to inform in the doctrines of justification and pardon, to acquaint him with the nature of regeneration and sanctification; and for the correction and amendment of his life and manners, and for his instruction in every branch of righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16.11

10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

The Psalmist cries, “with my whole heart” leb (labe) the heart; which can be used figuratively for feelings, the will and even the intellect has he sought God. He prays, “O let me not wander;” shagah (shaw-gaw’) go astray, be deceived, sin willing or sin through ignorance, or stray “from thy commandments;” mitsvah (mits-vaw’) which consist of specific divine ordinances and precepts and can collectively refer to the whole Law.

In this same Psalm we see the same pattern of the godly, “that seek him with the whole heart” (119:2) and “I cried with my whole heart” (119:145).

Calvin’s comments on this verse are most edifying:

10. With my whole heart Conscious of the integrity of his heart, the prophet still implores the help of God, that he might not stumble by reason of his infirmity. He makes no boast of self-preparation, as if he had spontaneously begun to inquire after God, but in praising the grace which he had experienced, he at the same time aspires after steadfastness to persevere in walking in his ways. It is folly on the part of the Papists to seize upon this and similar passages, as if the saints, of their own free will, anticipated the grace of the Holy Spirit, and afterwards were favored with his aid. The prophet does not make a division between God and himself, but rather prays God to continue his work till it is completed, agreeably with what we are generally taught, to keep God mindful of his benefits until he accomplish them.

In the meantime, there is good cause for presenting our supplication to God, to stretch out his hand towards us when he sees our minds so settled, that we are solicitous of nothing so much as acting uprightly. And as he elevates us with confidence to ask the gift of perseverance, when he inspires our hearts with proper affection towards him, so also does he entreat us for the future not to sink into a careless and languid state like soldiers who have been discharged, but seek to be constantly directed by the spirit of wisdom, and to be sustained by the principles of fortitude and virtue. David here, from his own example, points out to us a rule, that by how much a man finds himself succored by God, by so much ought he to be induced the more carefully and earnestly to implore the continuance of his aid; for unless he restrain us, we will instantly wander and go astray. This sentiment is more explicitly stated in the original word תשגני, tashqeni, which is in the passive voice, and signifies, to be led astray403 From the import of the term, I do not mean to establish the doctrine that God secretly incites us to commit sin, but only to let my readers know, that such is our liability to err, that we immediately relapse into sin the instant he leaves us to ourselves. This passage also admonishes us that the man who swerves but a little from God’s commandments is guilty of going astray.12

11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Two passages of Scripture that continue this theme of keeping God’s Word in our heart are: “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you” (Proverbs 2:1); and “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).

The devil, is like a roaring lion and ready to attack. We need to have God’s Word close to us. Jesus used the Word as his defense when the devil came to Him in the wilderness. Likewise, if we keep the Word close to us, or in our hearts we will be empowered to resist sin.

Matthew Poole’s comment on verse 11 is right to the point:

I have not contented myself with bare hearing or reading thy word, but have received it in the love of it, have diligently pondered it, and laid it up in my mind and memory like a choice treasure, to be ready upon all occasions, to counsel, or comfort, or quicken, or caution me, as need requires; that by a diligent and affectionate consideration of thy precepts, and promises, and threatenings, I might be kept from sinful courses, against which these are the best antidote.13

12 Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

The Psalmist rightly gives glory to God using the language of doxology, which is a short hymn of praise when he begins by saying: “Blessed art thou, O Lord.” When we approach God in prayer, we should always begin by praising Him, before bringing our requests. The Psalmists then asks God to teach him, His statutes.

Matthew Henry says:

Here, 1. David gives glory to God: “Blessed art thou, O Lord! Thou art infinitely happy in the enjoyment of thyself and hast no need of me or my services; yet thou art pleased to reckon thyself honoured by them; assist me therefore, and then accept me.” In all our prayers we should intermix praises. 2. He asks grace from God: “Teach me thy statutes; give me to know and do my duty in every thing. Thou art the fountain of all blessedness; O let me have this drop from that fountain, this blessing from that blessedness: Teach me thy statutes, that I may know how to bless thee, who art a blessed God, and that I may be blessed in thee.”14

13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

How does this apply in the New Covenant? First, we should understand that Jesus is the Word of God manifest in the flesh (John 1:14). One clear way we declare all of God’s judgments is to follow Christ’s instructions: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). Christ may be denied in words by denying His Lordship and Christ may be denied in works by breaking the law of God. Let us seek to faithfully confess Him before man, and strive to honor Him by keeping God’s commandments.

Spurgeon’s comments on this passage will be of value:

Ver. 13. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. The taught one of Psalms 119:12 is here a teacher himself. What we learn in secret we are to proclaim upon the housetops. So had the Psalmist done. As much as he had known he had spoken. God has revealed many of his judgments by his mouth, that is to say, by a plain and open revelation; these it is out duty to repeat, becoming, as it were, so many exact echoes of his one infallible voice. There are judgments of God which are a great deep, which he does not reveal, and with these it will be wise for us not to intermeddle. What the Lord has veiled it would be presumption for us to uncover; but, on the other hand, what the Lord has revealed it would be shameful for us to conceal. It is a great comfort to a Christian in time of trouble when in looking back upon his past life he can claim to have done his duty by the word of God. To have been, like Noah, a preacher of righteousness, is a great joy when the floods are rising, and the ungodly world is about to be destroyed. Lips which have been used in proclaiming God’s statutes are sure to be acceptable when pleading God’s promises. If we have had such regard to that which cometh out of God’s mouth that we have published it far and wide, we may rest quite as assured that God will have respect unto the prayers which come out of our mouths.
It will be an effectual method of cleansing a young man’s way if he addicts himself continually to preaching the gospel. He cannot go far wrong in judgment whose whole soul is occupied in setting forth the judgments of the Lord. By teaching we learn; by training the tongue to holy speech we master the whole body; by familiarity with the divine procedure we are made to delight in righteousness; and thus in a threefold manner our way is cleansed by our proclaiming the way of the Lord.15

14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

The Psalmist says: “I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies,” In the New Covenant we understand that the Scriptures or testimonies declare most clearly that Christ himself, is the only way of life and salvation. All earthly riches can be counted as but dung when compared to the riches in Christ!

Again, let’s consult Surgeon from his Treasury of David on this verse:

Ver. 14. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies. Delight in the word of God is a sure proof that it has taken effect upon the heart, and so is cleansing the life. The Psalmist not only says that he does rejoice, but that he has rejoiced. For years it had been his joy and bliss to give his soul to the teaching of the word. His rejoicing had not only arisen out of the word of God, but out of the practical characteristics of it. The Way was as dear to him as the Truth and the Life. There was no picking and choosing with David, or if indeed he did make a selection, he chose the most practical first.

As much as in all riches. He compared his intense satisfaction with God’s will with that of a man who possesses large and varied estates, and the heart to enjoy them. David knew the riches that come of sovereignty and which grow out of conquest; he valued the wealth which proceeds from labour, or is gotten by inheritance: he knew “all riches.” The gracious king had been glad to see the gold and silver poured into his treasury that he might devote vast masses of it to the building of the Temple of Jehovah upon Mount Zion. He rejoiced in all sorts of riches consecrated and laid up for the noblest uses, and yet the way of God’s word had given him more pleasure than even these. Observe that his joy was personal, distinct, remembered, and abundant. Wonder not that in the previous verse he glories in having spoken much of that which he had so much enjoyed: a man may well talk of that which is his delight.16

15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

Christian meditation is a manner of study and prayer in which a the believer intentionally considers a particular or several bible passages and reflects on the meaning in the context of developing a deeper love of God.

Paul tells Timothy to “meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all” (1 Timothy 4:15).

Calvin is precise in his comments:

In thy precepts That to which I formerly adverted must not be forgotten — the prophet’s not making a boast of his own acquirements, but setting before others an example for their imitation. We are aware that the majority of mankind are so much involved in the cares of the world, as to leave no time or leisure for meditating upon the doctrine of God. To meet this callous indifference, he very seasonably commends diligence and attention. And even were we not so ensnared by the world, we know how readily we lose sight of the law of God, in the daily temptations which suddenly overtake us. It is not therefore without reason that the prophet exhorts us to constant exercise, and enjoins us to direct all our energies to the subject of meditation on God’s precepts. And as the life of men is unstable, being continually distracted by the carnality of their minds, he declares that he will consider attentively the ways of God. Subsequently, he repeats the exquisite pleasure he took in this pursuit. For our proficiency in the law of God will be small, until we cheerfully and heartily set our minds upon it. And, in fact, the commencement of a good life consists in God’s law attracting us to him by its sweetness. By the same means the lusts of the flesh, too, are subdued or mitigated. In our natural state, what is more agreeable to us than that which is sinful? This will be the constant tendency of our minds, unless the delight which we feel in the law carry us in the opposite direction.17

16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

The believer in the New Covenant continues this practice: “For I delight in God’s law after the inward man” (Romans 7:22).

A warning for forgetfulness: “Then beware lest you forget Yahweh, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 6:12).

We will conclude this section with Matthew Henry’s thoughts:

119:9-16 To original corruption all have added actual sin. The ruin of the young is either living by no rule at all, or choosing false rules: let them walk by Scripture rules. To doubt of our own wisdom and strength, and to depend upon God, proves the purpose of holiness is sincere. God’s word is treasure worth laying up, and there is no laying it up safe but in our hearts, that we may oppose God’s precepts to the dominion of sin, his promises to its allurements, and his threatenings to its violence. Let this be our plea with Him to teach us his statutes, that, being partakers of his holiness, we may also partake of his blessedness. And those whose hearts are fed with the bread of life, should with their lips feed many. In the way of God’s commandments there is the unsearchable riches of Christ. But we do not meditate on God’s precepts to good purpose, unless our good thoughts produce good works. I will not only think of thy statutes, but do them with delight. And it will be well to try the sincerity of our obedience by tracing the spring of it; the reality of our love by cheerfulness in appointed duties.18

Notes on BETH Psalm 119:9-16

11. John Gill, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments 9 Volumes, Psalms, (Grace Works, Multi-Media Labs), 2011, p. 1373, 1374.
12. John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VI: Psalms, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book House Reprinted 1979), p.408, 409.
13. Matthew Poole’s Commentary on the Holy Bible, Vol. 2 (Peabody, Massachusetts, Hendrickson Publishers, 1985) p. 183.
14. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, (Hendrickson Publishers, Inc, Fourth printing 1985) p. 915.
15. C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. II, (Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson), p. 160.
16. C. H. Spurgeon, p. 160.
17. John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VI: Psalms, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book House Reprinted 1979), p.411.
18. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, An abridgment of the 6 volume Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson, reprinted 2003), pp. 956, 957.