With whom is God pleased?

As I may have said before, we get anaesthetised with the trivial or certainly we delve where angels fear to tread.

As I reviewed the text in St. Luke, particularly 2:14, I see where it again can cause trouble to the those who simply pass things through their heads. Most of the problem is that, since Calvin and his Protestantism for the masses, the herd look at the text as supporting their already firmly held views. So, here is what I can find...

One Greek translation reads: δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας. Now this is literally translated to read: glory among highest to god and on earth peace among men pleased. The word εὐδοκίας is a noun, genitive and feminine plural, however, in some Greek translations it is εὐδοκία which is singular. Either way it denotes the English words (times used in the Bible as such): desire (2), good pleasure (1), good will (1), kind intention (2), pleased (1), well-pleasing (2). Here in Luke, it appears to simply mean pleased, but as a noun, it is problematic for we readers and speakers of English. So, one is left with two options:

From Phillip Cary we see that Calvinisms options or what is known as the Protestant syllogism or practical syllogism is based upon a universal promise such as "Whoever believes in Christ shall be saved." On this basis the logic of faith leads to the certainty of salvation:

Major Premise: Whoever believes in Christ shall be saved.
Minor Premise: I believe in Christ.
Conclusion: I am saved.

However, please note the conflict. Yes, Cary continues, the major premise is taken from God's Word, but the minor premise requires a confession of faith (a works glorious). To know that I am saved I must not only believe in the promise of Christ but also know that I believe it. Here faith is reflective: faith based on God's Word, but the assurance of faith must include believers' awareness that they have faith.

This, as Tom Hodgkinson shows and we have seen and heard, leads to Puritanical self-importance and the acceptance of the knowledge of predestination. Predestination being the doctrine that there is an elect in the world and damn the rest of them. Calvin's twist is to inculcate the idea that worldly success and wealth are outward signs of God's approval of your conduct, which very easily starts to turn you into an insufferable prig and power-crazed zealot. This describes our neo-Crypto-Calvinist.

Luther's option is that of the existential, anarchic, medieval roustabout. He laughs a life because most of what passes for humanity deserves humorous contempt. He is an Augustinian Rabelaisian with a sacramental caveat. We, as he did, should remember that man (as man) is supremely unimportant. Hence, Cary states, for Luther, and you and I, justification does not require us to have a conversion experience or make a decision for Christ. These are acts of WILL that would detract from Luther's point about faith alone: that we are justified merely by believing what Christ says is true. So, Luther said, "believe it and you have it"; to believe in your baptism is to have the new life Christ signifies when he baptizes you. Here the logic of faith follows:

Major Premise: Christ told me, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."
Minor Premise: Christ never lies but only tells the truth.
Conclusion: I am baptized (i.e., I have new life in Christ).

Obviously, Cary helps us to hear that, the major premise is a sacramental word of grace, and the minor premise is based on the truthfulness of God - a favorite theme of Luther's, who frequently uses Paul's saying, "Let God be true and every man a liar," (Romans 3:4) as an admonition to put faith in no word but God's.

Cary continues with, the part about "every man a liar' includes me (and me). I put no faith in my own words, not even in my confession of faith. Luther makes Christian faith profoundly unreflective: faith does not include knowing on has faith. It does not require believing on has faith: for: "he who doesn't think he believes, but is in despair, has the greatest faith." Which lead to Bonhoeffer's Luther line introduction to Barth: "The curse of a godless man can sound more pleasant to God's ears than the Hallelujah of the pious."

So, with whom is God pleased? It is paradoxical and hidden, so "Sin boldly but believe and rejoice in Christ more boldly still." In the end this passage and others like it are too much for us and we should focus more on the pap that is meant for us. Oh, and by the way - I'll take the second option because I trust what God, Christ and the Holy Spirit have said.
 
SDG

What time is it!

I have been reminded over the past couple of months that the most interesting infection that a person can get is an infected mind.  That is to say, a mind that is no longer going with the grain, but against the grain of the universe.  The most common symptom of this infection is the thoughts that spending long hours on THE JOB is what keeps the world spinning.

Now, mind you, I have had this infection and could very easily catch it again.  However, thems that have it can be very hard on thems that don't have it.

A very close friend, now on to his reward, did not have it and I do not remember a time when he did have it.  On a wet day, this fellow traveller possibly topped the scales at 100 pounds.  When he showed up the kitchen would open and would not close for his entire stay.  He always had a healthy appetite.  He would show up and we would bring him in.  His people lived 40 or 50 miles southwest of our place.  After four or five days, my mom would ask him if maybe he should contact his people to let them know where he was (I think she was figuring on reducing her feed bill as soon as possible as well).  "No", he would respond, "they will be glad to see me when I get there."  He was great company and always pitched in where needed, but he simple never got worked up about what day it was or when the next 'event' was going to happen.  After some time would pass, he would get up one morning and say 'Adios' and that was that.  He would be off to the next stop.  It might be home or anywhere else.  It just did not matter.

Since I have departed from my lane in the rat race, I have given less thought to clock time, either railroad time or government time.  It has made me very aware of how much time most people do not have.  I am not surprised nor disappointed by this.  Mr. Nock, in what he describes as economism hit the nail on the head, stated that western society had only one philosophy which was to interpret the whole of human life in terms of the production, acquisition, and distribution of wealth.  He continued by noting that most people are like certain Philippians in the time of St. Paul, their gods are their bellies, and they have no mind for anything beyond έπίγεια (earthly things).  Of course as one drinks deeply of the literature, one finds that in America, at least, this has been true since A.D. 1492.  And so it goes....

SDG