Today on SnydersSoapbox we will be reviewing a book dealing with the Trinity. I know that as Christians we desire to understand the Trinity better. It is a topic that is often speculated on, and many times people just give up. Don’t feel too bad. The book and the works of the men cited by the author are all very scholarly. Some very intelligent men have been contemplating the Trinity for a very long time, and haven’t really come up with any better explanations or understandings than many of us. They just sound a lot more intelligent when they talk about it 🙂
In the field of Christian books, I am always looking for books that will add value to my library, books that will not be a waste of my time to read. This was a pretty good book overall. It was definitely NOT for laymen. It was a scholastic work. The author assumes that the reader has read, or is familiar with the works of the other men he has cited in this book. If you are not familiar with those works you can still read this book and get something out of it. It is well bibliographed, and indexed. The author throws in some Greek, not to worry, he explains what it says. He also uses several big words that you might need to grab a dictionary and look up. Do not be afraid of heady books. These things help you learn and grow. Don’t run from the challenge of education.
As far as the content of the book goes, I appreciated his explanation of the economic Trinity. This helped me understand how we are in Christ, He is in the Father, and He is in us, as well as the Holy Spirit indwelling us. It is one thing to know the words, it is another to get a better grasp on the mechanics of how that works. If you are like me, you are not satisfied until you can see all the steps, or processes of the behind the scenes workings of something. He also delved into the ontology of the Trinity. I might not of understood everything he wrote when dealing with this topic, or maybe I did, and just disagreed with him on one of his conclusions. Even so, If you are patient, and willing to do some work, I think you could learn from this book.
Yarnell also explains some non-Trinitarian heresies, defends the orthodox trinity, deals with some of the concepts of being eternally begotten, and what that looks like. He explains how Christ accepted worship from people, and he demonstrates how the Bible equates Christ with God the Father. If you take the time, this will help you with your apologetics when talking with non-Trinitarian heretics.
I have been asked by friends in the past how to add ribbons to their Bibles. I thought I’d take a moment to share the two easiest methods I’ve employed for doing this. There are two ways most people do this. One way is pretty easy, and the results are pretty good. The other way is a bit trickier with slightly better results.
FYI, the ribbons in the Bible pictured above are stock. They are in my R.L. Allan NASB Reader’s. This is what most of us are are trying to emulate. High quality ribbons, and more than just one. Most mass produced Bibles these days come with one, low quality ribbon marker. I like to have at least three ribbon markers. One for my daily Old Testament reading, one for devotional or current study, and one for my daily New Testament reading.
The first way is to get an acid free glue that will hold fabric to paper.(I use a book binding water based glue.) Open the Bible up all the way to make the cover over the spine open up. Then, measure out some pieces of ribbon so that there will be about 2 to 2.5 inches of the ribbon in the spine, with the rest in between the pages, with about 2 to 4 inches hanging out the bottom. That last one is whatever your preference is. Then have a popsicle stick or butter knife handy. With your finger, smear a good dab of glue on the first ribbon to go in. Keep it to just the part that is going to be attached to the spine. Then, carefully slide it down to where you want it. Then, press it firmly to the spine. Repeat the process for additional ribbons.
Keep in mind the more ribbons you want, the more narrow they will have to be. You don’t want to go too narrow, because they could tear your pages when you use them to open your Bible. You also don’t want them to be too thick or thin. Thick ones will make imprints on the pages. Too thin, and they will curl up, and wrinkle or fold on you. They also don’t last as long.
After you’ve put the ribbons in, use some heat to sear the edges where the ribbons were cut to stop them from fraying. I don’t generally worry about the end inside the Bible as the glue will keep it from fraying as well as the fact that it is inside the spine. You can also heat up a butter knife on the stove to use as an iron to put a fold in the ribbon at the top of the Bible, so it folds the way you want it. This method ends up with the ribbons covering the head band. For some people this isn’t acceptable.
If you want to put them under the headband so the Bible looks more professional, you have to use an exacto blade or some other thin bladed knife to put it between the head band and spine. You have to pry it up from the spine without tearing it or cutting it. Once you have removed it, glue the ribbons into place. Let them dry. Put more glue on the head band. Slide it into place. Press it down and find some way to keep it pressed onto the spine until the glue can hold it. Then don’t mess with it until it has all dried overnight. Give it a good 12 hours to dry, and be carefull with it for a couple of days. The glue takes awhile for maximum adhesion.
One final word on ribbon selection. I like satin or silk ribbons the best. I think they look, and hold up better.(Berisford in the U.K. is one of the prefered manufacturers.) Find a color that complements your Bible’s cover. If you search Amazon, you’ll see a pretty big selection of silk ribbon. You can also try Joann’s fabric store or Hobby Lobby.
Finally, watch this video that my Facebook friend, and fellow Bible lover, Paul Tanca made to help you.
Keep in mind, if you plan on keeping your original ribbons in the Bible and just want to add more, do not cut your old ones out. Also, he is using the second method.
“11Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh,
But I will come over her fair neck with a yoke;
I will harness Ephraim,
Judah will plow, Jacob will harrow for himself.
12Sow with a view to righteousness,
Reap in accordance with kindness;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the LORD
Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.
13You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice,
You have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors,
14Therefore a tumult will arise among your people,
And all your fortresses will be destroyed,
As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle, When mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
15Thus it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel will be completely cut off.”
Now, let’s just look at verse 12 all by itself.
“12Sow with a view to righteousness,
Reap in accordance with kindness;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the LORD
Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.”
If someone had put this verse up all by its lonesome on social media with an eye catching little picture, most people would be inspired by it. They wouldn’t have any idea that it was really part of a larger narrative about God’s punishment of Israel for their sins. There are many folks today who would have no trouble pulling this verse out of context and applying it to themselves today. As you can see, that would be a mistake. I would be very leery of a Pastor who did such sloppy work in a sermon. I’m sure many of you have sat through a sermon wondering, “How on Earth did he get that out of this verse?” Israel was not trusting in God. They were trusting in military might, worldly resources, idols, lies, and deceit. God was about to lay down some serious punishment on them. Remember what Hosea’s kids were named? Lo-ruhamah meaning, “not pitied” and Lo-ammi meaning, “not my people.” They were born to him and his wife. Remember her? She was a whore. He was told by God to marry her. God used his wife and children to illustrate to Israel at the time, and future believers how adulterous they were and we are in our relationship with God.
Taking a verse out of context with complete disregard for the intent of the author is a horrible practice. We wouldn’t want people to do this with our last will and testament, but we are fine with doing it to God’s word? I never like it in a Bible study when the person who is supposed to be leading asks, “What does that verse say to you personally?” I don’t care what it says to every individual in the room. They should be taught what God’s intent was. What was God saying, not what you think He was saying. People shouldn’t be coming up with multiple and contradicting meanings for scripture.
Hey folks, just in time for Christmas the fine people at www.jotbiblelifenotes.com are giving away a copy of their fine leather bound journal. If you want to take a look at it, read the review I did here. All you have to do to be considered is to make a comment on this post expressing your desire to be put in the running for a free copy of this journal. The winner should be announced 12/10/16.
I had to buy this one folks because Zondervan doesn’t send me free ones. I hope you appreciate it. 🙂 I was looking for an Ultrathin to replace my black Lockman NASB in genuine leather. I came across this one from Zondervan. Now, it is not marketed as an Ultrathin, but it is almost exactly the same dimensions as my Lockman. The Lockman I reviewed here is burgundy, but it is the same as my black one that I kept in my lunchbox for a few years until I wore it out. I really loved the size, layout, cover material, binding, and of course the NASB translation, but it had thin paper. I was hoping that I would love this Zondervan as well, but there are a couple of areas where it falls down. First, the cover material is advertised as, “top grain leather.” It may be top grain leather, but not from a cow. I don’t know, but it looks and feels like the cheap pigskin leather marketed as, “genuine leather” on less expensive Bibles. Pigskin leather is shiny, and usually has a grain stamped into it. The binding tape they used for this Bible also fights against you. It should loosen up a bit as it gets broken in. Combine that with the cover material, and it is kind of a let down considering the price. It is also not as supple, or flexible as top grain cowhide leather. I really like Vachetta calfskin leather. It is so soft to the touch, it makes you want to pick up and hold your Bible. Here is a review I did of a Cambridge Cameo in Vachetta. The Zondervan borders on false advertising, and relies on the consumer’s ignorance, as well as a lack of industry standards.
The Zondervan does have a sewn spine.
This is a necessity as far as I’m concerned. I won’t purchase Bibles with glued bindings. I think we should respect that we aren’t purchasing just some book. We are purchasing a copy of God’s word, to be studied and daily utilized. The amount of wear and tear daily use, along with travel, will cause is incomparable to a novel. So why in the world would publishers think it acceptable to print Bibles as if they are some story book? Well, we all know the answer to that, money $$$.
While this Bible isn’t extremely expensive. The cover is made from a genuine hide of some kind.
I have had this Bible for a little while now. The cover is softening up a bit. The binding is also getting broken in. It lays flat now when I put it on the table to read from it.
There is a presentation page in the front.
The standard notes from Lockman about the NASB translation are present as well. This Bible is printed in China according to the publisher’s information in the front.
The page edges are gold gilt, with rounded corners and a rounded spine. The pages are printed well. It would be a bit better if they had utilized a bolder font. As it is, the text is clearly printed and uniform.
It is laid out in a double column, verse format, with center column references, and footnotes. There are pilcrows, or paragraph markers noting the start of new paragraphs. This is a helpful feature when you are using a verse format Bible like this one.
The paper is acceptably opaque. Ghosting is not bad considering this is a less expensive Bible. The ghosting on this Zondervan is not near as bad as it is on the Lockman. So in that category it is a win for the Zondervan.
The Zondervan is on the right, with the Lockman on the left.
The words of Christ are in red, making this a red letter edition. The red is not too bright.
The Lockman is lacking something this Zondervan has, brief book introductions. They might not seem that important, but they are a welcomed addition to any reference Bible. You get an introduction and concise outline. The introduction consists of, title and background, author and date of writing, and the theme and message.
This Bible also includes decorative head and tail bands, decorative gilt line around the perimeter of the inside cover, a perimeter groove on the outside cover, and one black ribbon marker.
In the back of the Bible we have a useful double column concordance, Promises from the Bible, Perspectives from the Bible, and 8 color maps.
Overall, this is a great little Bible. If you are after a verse format, ultrathin reference Bible in NASB with a leather cover, this has got you covered. There are more expensive Bibles. There are better built Bibles, but this one is in the sweet spot. It is better than your regular cheap bargain bin Bibles, and better than the value line Bibles. This would make a great gift for the Christian on the go, who wants a full reference Bible in a thin package. You can pick one up on Amazon.com, or Christianbook.com You can read more about it on Zondervan’s product page. If you would like, go to my flickr page and look at all the pictures of this Bible. As always, thanks for reading and have a great Christmas.
I’m sure many of you have seen the Facebook posts from your liberal friends and family. You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones that say, “Scared” or “Stay safe.” What is it they are supposedly afraid of? Do they actually think that conservatives are going to boldly go out and hunt them down? Do they think that we are going to pass laws to take away the rights they share with us? Nope, they aren’t afraid of anything.
It is insulting, passive aggressive, victim stance propaganda. We need to handle it the same way we need to handle the other idiotic accusations these lost people make. Think about how they operate. They are intolerant. They accuse us of being intolerant. They are violent. They accuse us of being violent. They are racists they accuse us of being racist. Do you see the pattern? So when they say, “Scared” or, “Stay Safe” what they are really saying is that we are the ones who should be scared, and take measures to ensure our safety.
With that being said, pack your sidearms if you’ve got them. You never know when you’ll run into a roadblock full of nice pacifists protestors who are going to yank you out of your car and beat you to death for just being white, or having a Christian bumper sticker. Heaven forbid you were one of the millions of people who voted for Trump. Then they will hunt you down, follow you back to your house, or your work, so they can break your windows and loot your business. They are so loving and tolerant… if you are one of them. If you are not, look out.
Just remember, the Bible says it will be your loved ones turning you over to the government to be martyred. These lunatics actually think they are doing good. Trump isn’t the person I would have lead our country, but I voted for him, because he was not as pro-abortion as Hillary. So if that makes me a person they are afraid of, so be it. Abortion is not a right, no matter what the supreme court says. They invented that right in 1973 with Roe vs. Wade. Our real rights are God given. They aren’t created by courts. I don’t expect any of these slaves of satan to understand that though.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
(Romans 1:18-32 NASB)
When the Bible talks about unity, it is for unity among the believers. When the Bible talks about loving your brother, it is talking about your brother in Christ. When it talks about acceptance, it is not about accepting sin.
The enemies of the gospel, Christ, and the cross are our enemies as well. They are the ones who are sold out to Satan. They hate the gospel, they hate Jesus, they pervert scripture, and they hate His sheep. These people are not the same as the lost who are living their lives in ignorance. The lost, for the most part are just plain ignorant about God. They don’t really care. The enemies of the gospel are different. They have made up their minds. They hate God, His Word, and His gospel. They also hate His followers and everything that He says is good.
They push every sinful agenda you can think of. These agendas are part of a larger, “Death Culture” worldview. They love every defilement of what God says is good. Just to name a few things; atheism, gender perversion, gay marriage/defilement of marriage, fornication, adultery, liberalizing of the Church, drug use, and so on. They love anyone who agrees with them and they hate anyone who disagrees. They preach tolerance while being some of the most intolerant people in the world.
So in the wake of this election, I’d like to share a different perspective and line of advice. I am not preaching love, tolerance, peace, unity, and acceptance solely for their own sake. No, I’m preaching being in the world, but not of it. I’m preaching, put on the full armor of God, pray for your enemies… they are your enemies. Don’t make the mistake of thinking they are simply your neighbors and coworkers. These are the folks that the Bible says will turn you over to the authorities to be martyred, your sons and daughters.
Remember folks, this is a life of death war, eternal life is on the line. We are to blame for turning our Church services into entertainment for goats. Church is for the saved of God, to give glory to God! We are to worship Him together with our brothers and sisters. We are to go out and be the ones who deliver the uncomfortable truth! You are sinners! Repent and believe the gospel! Hell is real! Jesus is God!
I don’t care how many people are triggered. I want to trigger them all! They need to be shaken down to their cores! I don’t care how many of them are scared! They very well should be scared! They are headed straight to Hell for all eternity! We need to scare them! How else can we love our enemies? This is true love, to tell them the truth, to give them the gospel that can convert their hearts. So, offend them, offend them all in the name of God!
There are plenty of books out on Heaven currently. This is one among them. Scot Mcknight is a talented writer. His book is interesting to read. I can agree with much of what he said, if I give him the benefit of the doubt in some areas.
The difficulty I have with Christian books is that I look for books that will add value to the Christian’s library. In the world of Christian books, I read works of scholarly endeavor, and works for the laymen. In those two groups I apply the same standard, “Does this book rise above the current crop and add value to my library?” Both categories are flooded, and in my opinion encumbered by copious amounts of average to damaging works. Every once in awhile I run into a book that does add value to my library. I heartily recommend those books. In the laymen’s category, I loved, “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. I also loved, “The Holiness of God” by R. C. Sproul. In the scholastic category, I relished, “Evangelical Influences” by J. I. Packer. Books like those don’t come around often.
To answer the question formulating in your mind, “Nope, this isn’t one of them.” Like I said above, “Scot Mcknight is a talented writer.” Unfortunately, this book just sets in the middle of the field. This book was not aimed at scholars. It was aimed at the average Christian. It kept things pretty simple. It is obvious that Scott leans a little to the left theologically. He seems like, “emergent lite.” He obviously thinks Calvinists are wrong. (Read page 174) He quotes John Henry Newman and Richard Foster. One is a Roman Catholic, and the other is an emergent Church mystic. He makes speculations based on only four options expressed by Jerry Walls, about how God ensures that everyone, even the dead get to hear the gospel. He does this without ever really presenting the gospel. The four presupposed options are severely lacking. This is done on pages 160, 161.
In Chapter 23 he claims purgatory is a doctrine that has divided the Church. To that I can only shake my head in astonishment. Unless, in his horrible ecumenism he thinks the Roman Catholic Church is part of the catholic faith, he is including them as Christian. It also seems that he is teaching that we do things for an eternal reward primarily. He fails to teach that we should be doing things primarily for the glory of God. We know that there are rewards for us in Heaven, but that should not be our primary motivation for doing things that are pleasing to God. He also seems to place an undue amount of importance on the environment. I don’t know if he understands that God is going to destroy the world with fire. He tends to speculate where scripture is silent.
So if you are looking for a book on Heaven, that will add value to your library, purchase, “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn instead. “The Heaven Promise” by Scot McKnight is just mediocre. It has some problems. It gets some stuff right, but ultimately it is just o.k.
God is triune. He is one being, in trinity. This means, one being, three persons. Father, (πατήρ) Son, (υἱός) and Holy Spirit. (πνευματι αγιω) God is eternal. He has always existed just as He is. He has never, not existed. Everything that is, has been made by Him. Everything is sustained by Him. All persons of the Trinity have likewise always existed, as one being, one God. God’s nature/attributes are immutable. This means He never changes. He has never changed. He has always been as He is. He has always been the Trinity. The incarnation at advent did not change His nature. The hypostatic union did not change the deific nature of God, as the two natures were perfectly joined without mixing. A human is one being, in one person. A dog is not a person at all, but is one being. We don’t have any trouble believing in a being that isn’t a person at all, like the dog, but when it comes to God as one being, and three persons we stumble. God is omnipresent. God is in all places, during all times, and times without time. He is in the future, present, and the past. He exists in the in between spaces we now call hyperdimensional space. To be in all places includes hyperdimensional space. If you think about it, that almost necessitates a being who is more than one person. Here is a short video that attempts to explain the Trinity. It does a pretty decent job, but some of course it can’t do a perfect job.
It is amazing to me how accurate the men were who composed this creed considering the time that it was written in. Remember, the word, “catholic” here does not have anything to do with the Roman Catholic Church. It is from the Greek word, “katholikos” and means universal.
Athanasian Creed
1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith;
2. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
3. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
20. So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords.
21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
25. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another.
26. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
27. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
28. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
29. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
30. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
31. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world.
32. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
33. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.
34. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.
35. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God.
36. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
37. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;
38. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;
39. He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty;
40. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
41. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;
42. and shall give account of their own works.
43. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
44. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.
So to sum things up, if you don’t believe and worship the Triune God, you’ve made an idol to worship. If you find that you, in your ignorance had been worshipping a god that is not the God of the Bible, please repent. The true God of scripture is faithful and just to forgive you if you come to Him in faith and repentance. Jesus, the Eternal Son paid the price for all of your sins on the cross, including wrong beliefs about Him. Confess, and ask forgiveness. If you are one of His sheep, He will be your Lord and Master. He will be your good shepherd. By the will of the Father in election, and the regenerating, convicting work of the Holy Spirit as your seal for redemption, and the justifying work of the Son on the cross, all three persons are at work in the gospel justifying sinners to Himself.
Jer 23:16 — Jer 23:17
”
Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are leading you into futility;
They speak a vision of their own imagination,
Not from the mouth of the Lord.
“They keep saying to those who despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, “You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’
” (http://olivetree.com/b3/Jer.23.16-17.NASB)
Snyder's Soapbox 