the priority of faith to hope and love

41.
Since the nature of faith could not be better or more clearly evinced than by the substance of the promise on which it leans as its proper foundation, and without which it immediately falls or rather vanishes away, we have derived our definition from it - a definition, however, not at all at variance with that definition, or rather description, which the Apostle accommodates to his discourse, when he says that faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," (Heb. 11: 1.) For by the term substance, ("hupostasis",) he means a kind of prop on which the pious mind rests and leans. As if he had said, that faith is a kind of certain and secure possession of those things which are promised to us by God; unless we prefer taking "hupostasis" for confidence. I have no objection to this, though I am more inclined to adopt the other interpretation, which is more generally received. Again, to intimate that until the last day, when the books will be opened, (Dan. 7: 10; Rev. 20: 12,) the things pertaining to our salvation are too lofty to be perceived by our sense, seen by our eyes, or handled by our hands, and that in the meantime there is no possible way in which these can be possessed by us, unless we can transcend the reach of our own intellect, and raise our eye above all worldly objects; in short, surpass ourselves, he adds that this certainty of possession relates to things which are only hoped for, and therefore not seen. For as Paul says, (Rom. 8: 24,) "A hope that is seen is not hope," that we "hope for that we see not." When he calls it the evidence or proof, or, as Augustine repeatedly renders it, (see Hom. in Joann. 79 and 95,) the conviction of things not present, the Greek term being "elengchos", it is the same as if he had called it the appearance of things not apparent, the sight of things not seen, the clearness of things obscure, the presence of things absent, the manifestation of things hid. For the mysteries of God (and to this class belong the things which pertain to our salvation) cannot be discerned in themselves, or, as it is expressed, in their own nature; but we behold them only in his word, of the truth of which we ought to be as firmly persuaded as if we held that every thing which it says were done and completed. But how can the mind rise to such a perception and foretaste of the divine goodness, without being at the same time wholly inflamed with love to God? The abundance of joy which God has treasured up for those who fear him cannot be truly known without making a most powerful impression. He who is thus once affected is raised and carried entirely towards him. Hence it is not strange that no sinister perverse heart ever experiences this feeling, by which, transported to heaven itself, we are admitted to the most hidden treasures of God, and the holiest recesses of his kingdom, which must not be profaned by the entrance of a heart that is impure. For what the Schoolmen say as to the priority of love to faith and hope is a mere dream, (see Sent. Lib. 3 Dist. 25, &c.,) since it is faith alone that first engenders love. How much better is Bernard, "The testimony of conscience, which Paul calls 'the rejoicing' of believers, I believe to consist in three things. It is necessary, first of all, to believe that you cannot have remission of sins except by the indulgence of God; secondly, that you cannot have any good work at all unless he also give it; lastly, that you cannot by any works merit eternal life unless it also be freely given," (Bernard, Serm. 1 in Annuntiatione.) Shortly after he adds, "These things are not sufficient, but are a kind of commencement of faith; for while believing that your sins can only be forgiven by God, you must also hold that they are not forgiven until persuaded by the testimony of the Holy Spirit that salvation is treasured up for us; that as God pardons sins, and gives merits, and after merits rewards, you cannot halt at that beginning." But these and other topics will be considered in their own place; let it suffice at present to understand what faith is.

42.
Wherever this living faith exists, it must have the hope of eternal life as its inseparable companion, or rather must of itself beget and manifest it; where it is wanting, however clearly and elegantly we may discourse of faith, it is certain we have it not. For if faith is (as has been said) a firm persuasion of the truth of God - a persuasion that it can never be false, never deceive, never be in vain, those who have received this assurance must at the same time expect that God will perform his promises, which in their conviction are absolutely true; so that in one word hope is nothing more than the expectation of those things which faith previously believes to have been truly promised by God. Thus, faith believes that God is true; hope expects that in due season he will manifest his truth. Faith believes that he is our Father; hope expects that he will always act the part of a Father towards us. Faith believes that eternal life has been given to us; hope expects that it will one day be revealed. Faith is the foundation on which hope rests; hope nourishes and sustains faith. For as no man can expect any thing from God without previously believing his promises, so, on the other hand, the weakness of our faith, which might grow weary and fall away, must be supported and cherished by patient hope and expectation. For this reason Paul justly says, "We are saved by hope," (Rom. 8: 24.) For while hope silently waits for the Lord, it restrains faith from hastening on with too much precipitation, confirms it when it might waver in regard to the promises of God or begin to doubt of their truth, refreshes it when it might be fatigued, extends its view to the final goal, so as not to allow it to give up in the middle of the course, or at the very outset. In short, by constantly renovating and reviving, it is ever and anon furnishing more vigor for perseverance. On the whole, how necessary the reinforcements of hope are to establish faith will better appear if we reflect on the numerous forms of temptation by which those who have embraced the word of God are assailed and shaken. First, the Lord often keeps us in suspense, by delaying the fulfillment of his promises much longer than we could wish. Here the office of hope is to perform what the prophet enjoins, "Though it tarry, wait for it," (Hab. 2: 3.) Sometimes he not only permits faith to grow languid, but even openly manifests his displeasure. Here there is still greater necessity for the aid of hope, that we may be able to say with another prophet, "I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him," (Isaiah 8: 17.) Scoffers also rise up, as Peter tells us, and asks where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation," (2 Pet. 3: 4.) Nay, the world and the flesh insinuate the same thing. Here faith must be supported by the patience of hope, and fixed on the contemplation of eternity, consider that "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day," (2 Pet. 3: 8; Ps. 90: 4.)


John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3.2.41-42

i like chinese

For many years now I have had a love hate relationship with Chinese food.

THE LOVE: I can go months on end without a single taste bud being heightened by the idea of Sweet and Sour _____ or Double Pan-Fried _____ or ______ Lo Mein or ____ Spring Rolls. However, it has been my experience that when one develops a quenchless craving for cuisine from the Chengdu plain, it's not simply one taste bud receptor firing in some distant corner of the tongue, rather all 10,000 taste buds crying out in unison for duck sauce! If you live in the Triangle and you can't afford to go to Peter Chang's, Panda King is a serviceable substitute.

THE HATE: Five to ten minutes after consuming said ethnic food, the idea of harakiri seems to me as a blissful alternative to the MSG cocktail of which I have just partaken.

For the last several months Cindy has made an excellent vegetable Chinese dish. She makes brown rice or lo mein and stir-fries a ton of veggies. Add to that a million and a half unpronounceable asian sauces, ginger, and BAMM you've got yourself a wonderful, wonderful Chinese dish for which which after-dinner disembowelment will not be a consideration.

Of the many things that have happened to me since I met my dear Cynthia, one that I am most surprised by is the culinary accumen that has developed in me almost by osmosis. It has been great for our relationship to work together in our toddler-sized apartment kitchen working on dinner or desert or whatever. I regularly serve as her sous, dishwasher, and occasional stress reliever, while she devotes her attention to being the Iron Chef of 214 McDowell. It really is a good way for husbands and wives to spend time together at the end of a long day of being apart.

I must admit cooking is something that never interested me before Cindy and I met. But since then it has served as a welcomed relief for me to get away from academics. I particularly enjoy baking; it is such a meticulous process, very scientific, and once you've mastered the how-to's it is very much an art. Cooking is a challenge but a different kind of challenge than understanding papal-church relations during Wycliffe's time or seeking to better understand how righteous was imputed to us through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

So with that, I decided now was the time to try my hand at Chinese food, after all, it's spring break I've got nothing else to do--right. About a month ago I tried my hand at Beef and Broccoli and it was good but not memorable--I haven't had a chance to try it again--and so I was a little hesitant going in to this experiment. The ingredients list had fourteen different items; I only had to buy one specialty item, hoisen sauce, and then chicken; everything else were items that we had in our pantry already. I made General Tso's Chicken with short grain brown rice. It was amazing! Flavor! Texture! Heat--too many red pepper flakes! No MSG! No suppuku! Cindy and I ate plenty and there is more than plenty left over for lunch today.

The damage done:
--Bottle of hoisen sauce: $3.50 (half a bottle used)
--Pound and a half of chicken: maybe $3.00

Will I do it again? Absolutely, it was labor intensive but totally worth it.

Would I still call Panda King in a pinch? They are in the speed dial of my cell phone just in case.

is it a broken resolution if it's done infrequently?

A brief commentary on the five things that have occurred since my last post:

(1) Babymoon plans are finalized. We’re heading to Asheville, NC, for a few days. It came down to Asheville or New York City but we decided the relaxing, scenic trip would be better for Cindy. We’ve been planning to go to Asheville for years now and this is our first chance so we’re really excited.

(2) Lucy is dancing.

(3) Paul and Heidi had a baby. Technically Heidi but I’m sure Paul was some support. Hello Ryland, Uncle Lance and Aunt Cindy can’t wait to see you!

(4) Fallen in love with Paul McCartney all over again. Seriously, he could sing the phone book and I’d be fascinated.

(5) Fallen in love with church history all over again. Do you ever look back at your life and think, “If only my walk with Christ would have been more real back then I would have known that this was my passion, my calling?” I do. Thanks Dr. Hogg. Additionally, J.I. Packer is my daddy. He’s so old. His voice is old and raspy and slow. He got kicked out of his denomination for the RIGHT reasons. What’s not to love? I want to be him.

On another note, we have so many friends and family and loved ones who are hurting for one reason or another. If you have an extra prayer to send up on their behalf, I know they would greatly appreciate it.

On a final note, we’re still waiting to hear back from grad schools.

what makes a man

Here is an interesting article about the spiritual journey of President Obama from the Washington Post.

Credit where credit is due, I came across this link through GetReligion.org.

it is time

The peaceful transition of power is one of the unique characteristics of the American democratic system. Since our country first transitioned from Washington’s to Adams’ leadership in 1797, inauguration day has served as a memorial to remind us of the struggles that our founding fathers persevered through in order to lay the foundation for the American democratic system which separates our government from that of most of the world. On Tuesday, January 20, 2009, we will once again be reminded of the legacy of those who came before us and once again we will be challenged as Americans to embrace new leadership and new direction for our great country.

As a Christian it has been disappointing to see the American political system become what it has. America has never been a true “Christian nation” but that moniker certainly seems to be fading more now than ever before. Our outgoing President George W. Bush is a man who claims to be a born again Christian. During his time in office, Christians have been comforted and encouraged that there is someone in charge who shares our convictions, not just about social issues, but about ultimate issues of the heart. Now, as Americans we welcome in Barack H. Obama as our new Commander and Chief. President Obama claims to be a Christian; however, evidences of spiritual fruit and maturity were been lacking during his presidential campaign and since the time following his election.

I did not vote for Barack Obama; there many issues of policy that I disagree with but most of all our differences rest on fundamental worldview issues. That said, Barack Obama is my president and as an American it is my duty to respect and support him as such. I hope that he is a good president but, from a policy standpoint, I must admit that I am skeptical.

History has shown how important it is for Christians to hold fast to our fundamental convictions (derived from the grace that has been given to us through Christ Jesus our Lord) during periods of secular leadership. We must remember the testimony of Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Athenagoras, Athanasius, Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Lanfranc, Anselm, and many others throughout the course of history who stood firm in their convictions and as a result influenced highly secular societies for Christ’s sake.

It is time for Christians to cease walking as spiritual children and to grow up in Christ. We cannot be callous and hard-hearted during the next four years. We must give no opportunity to the devil (Eph 4:27). Now, more than ever, it is incumbent upon Christians to pray for President Obama and our country, not that a human or human institution may be lifted high but that Christ may be glorified in and through them. Christians must pray that if indeed President Obama is a born again Christian that he will have the courage to stand firm for Christ. Otherwise, we must pray continually for President Obama’s redemption through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ for his sins. It would be tragic for Christians to “go underground” during this time simply because someone is in office who does not share our worldview. Now, more than ever, we as Christians must walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Eph 4:1). Our missionary purpose as Christians during this time is not based upon one or two proof texts of Scripture; rather it is founded upon the holistic Scriptural revelation of Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. Let us continually pray that we may have the courage and conviction to stand firm for Christ’s glory.

how did it come to this?

I am completely helpless.

It’s true.

Over the last few days Cindy and I have been shopping for things for little Lucy: bedding, clothing, toys, etc. I never knew, never knew that I, Jonathan Lance Stuckey—a grown man, would be brought to a puddle of mush by tiny little girl dresses. Honestly, I almost cried in Pottery Barn Kids last night.

Seriously, I stand no chance. How will I ever be able to tell this little girl, no?

why that is?

Have you ever wondered why more Christian musical artists don't write songs about marriage?