Retirement or Redeployment?

Just about a year ago on December 28, 2016, I submitted an email to the company I work for (FedEx) to notify them of my intent to retire this December 31, 2017.  This policy of notifying the company a year in advance allows them to plan ahead and hire new pilots to keep pace with the number of retirements each year.  And so, I'm closing in on the end of the year and the retirement that I've requested and planned for.  But it seems almost unreal after twenty-seven-plus years as this company has become a big part of my life.

But retirement is not necessarily my primary motive as I'm actually hoping to do other things in my newfound time and open schedule.  A Christian teaching ministry is actually what I'd like to tackle next, and this isn't a Plan B for me.  On the contrary, soon after I became a Christian in 1976 I had the desire to do something along this line.  This is more in line with being Plan A for me for all these years, having started seminary before but needing to raise and support a family had to come first.  And now I have a chance to get back to Plan A.

A new redeployment is a much more accurate idea to describe what I hope to do.  Even beginning a Bible study or a local study center would be exciting I believe.  There are many Bible studies and even para-church ministries that are already doing this kind of ministry.  But a "Veritas Study Center" would be a somewhat rare Christian Education ministry in that it would seek to tackle the many worldly philosophies that distract people from the truth of the Bible.  Focusing on the truth of Scripture would be a challenge in our culture and a key catalyst for Spiritual growth.

We all need a vision of divine truth to understand the Bible.  We also all need an inspiration to live by and a purpose to live for.  Knowing that redeployment is coming and not just the rocking chair for retirement is a great encouragement to me to know that the next several years can be meaningful.  I certainly hope so, and I certainly believe they could be a Spiritual blessing for me and even my family.  It is God who holds our future in his hands, and we should run into his fellowship to enjoy it with him.  Amen, it is true!

Five New Bible Studies

At The Veritas Fellowship, I'm seeking to proclaim the true-truth of Christ to family and friends as we live in our contemporary culture.  To develop this outreach even more I'm promoting a new series of five Bible studies also called, The Veritas Fellowship, for growing in our faith and understanding of Scripture.  This will be a truth-focused ministry to discuss key areas of living in the Christian faith in our postmodern world. 

These five studies are -

1)  The Bible Truth - A survey of Scripture asking, "What Truth Is In The Bible?"

2)  The Gospel of John - An evangelistic survey asking, "Who Is Jesus?"

3)  The Book of Genesis - An introduction to humanity asking, "How Important Are People?"

4)  The Book of Ephesians - A doctrinal survey asking, "What is the Church?"

5)  The Prophets - An introduction to cultural analysis asking, "How Shall We Then Live?"

This is the initial Veritas Fellowship Bible study structure, each presented at an introduction or survey level, meeting only once a week and lasting approximately six months in length.  It is called a Fellowship because it will be informal in nature seeking to promote both study and fellowship with other Christians.

The theme verse for The Veritas Fellowship will be - John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."  We see that Jesus was filled with the grace and truth of God, and this is my goal as well.  With a truth focus, we will be dedicated to seeking both the grace and truth of Christ in all of life. 

Hopefully, in the future, these Bible studies will be developed in more detail to make five different group seminars comprise, "The Veritas Study Center".  This will be a para-church ministry seeking to assist the church in Christian Education and to address the issues of our contemporary culture. 

Stand by for further details!

Take The High Road

The current fiasco in dis-honoring the flag and the national anthem in the NFL is an emotionally charged issue.  Even though we have a right to protest in our country, is it always necessary, or is it the best choice?  The 'Left' clearly sees bias and racism in certain cases with minorities and police.  No argument.  And the 'Right' clearly sees insubordination and unrest in dealing with those who disrespect the law.  This is unsustainable.  Both have legitimate complaints and concerns that can only be resolved through the rule of law. 

Normally the Right promotes the rule of law and order as a matter of principle to maintain peace in our communities.  But the Left needs to do the same, for the Constitution and Bill of Rights is the rule of law, without bias or prejudice.  Instead of making an emotional response to the real issues of prejudice, taking the high road of respect to the rule of law is the best answer for this law also protects them.  The rule of law is for the protection of all Americans, and this shows respect for the principles of freedom that our country was founded upon.  Both sides need freedom and respect.

Often we forget the principles of freedom and pursue either the Left or the Right.  But I submit that in addition to the rule of law, the only way out is UP, the spiritual high road is the solution.  Men will hate and fight against each other if there is no spiritual answer, for it is in our nature.  Consider the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Luke 6:27ff, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”  And with many other examples, Jesus teaches us a spiritual rule of law, the law of loving our neighbors as ourselves.  With the love of Christ, we are able to love our fellow man and respect the civil authorities.  This is the spiritual high road that changes our hearts and our minds.

PS - published in Letters to the Editor, CA, 10/1/17.

The Doctrine of Grace

Perhaps the greatest truth or teaching that every Christian would acknowledge is the doctrine of grace.  We love this doctrine because it means that God forgives us, he does not hold our sins against us, he blots out our transgressions from our records, and he restores us to fellowship with him.  This is all because Jesus lived a perfect life and then died in our place on the cross.  He has done what we could not do and lived a sinless life, and then died as a sacrifice and substitute in our place, so that his righteousness could be imputed to us.  The grace of Christ is what guarantees our ability of going to heaven if we receive it.  All we have to do is confess our sins, accept this grace, and live in faith for Christ.

The doctrine of anything is the "teaching" of any particular subject.  We can learn the doctrines of the United States Navy, or of Zen Buddhism, the Communist Manifesto, and even of the Royal and Ancient (R&A), rules of golf.  Every organization and institution has teachings, guidelines, doctrines, requirements, and standards to live by.  This is necessary for an organization to function and thrive.  There must be teachings on the purpose, instruction, description, and correction to live by for any organization.  And so it is of course with the Christian faith.

Even more than simple teachings however, when some teaching is elevated to the level of doctrine it is considered an authoritative teaching.  This is a teaching that is in agreement with principles that are considered unchanging, foundational, and necessary.  The doctrine then is the official teachings that are aligned with truth and in principle above the opinions and preferences of man.  We may believe that 'it's just not fair to call a penalty stroke on ourselves' when we address a golf ball in the fairway, and by doing so it causes the ball to move a half inch.  But, those are the rules.  These rules have stood the test of time and have been reviewed by countless people and they have concluded that for the good of the game, it is necessary to draw the line at this point.  Any movement of the golf ball that is associated with the player's activity counts for a stroke in competition golf.  This is doctrine in golf.

As we study the Christian faith we see that grace is certainly one of the highest doctrines, because it is so central to everything.  We cannot come into the faith without the substitutionary atonement of Christ, we just cannot meet the requirements of a holy God in our sinful condition.  This is true.  And so we see the doctrine of truth is even more of a central teaching and requirement than the doctrine of grace.  For if somebody were to assert that salvation is not "by grace alone through faith alone," we would protest.  We know the truth of Scripture teaches otherwise.  And this places truth at the top.  Truth is the highest priority in all the doctrines of the Christian faith because all the other doctrines depend upon it.  Without truth we could not know if any other teachings were authoritative.

The doctrine of grace is dependent upon the doctrine of truth, or the authoritative teaching and existence of truth.  The only reason that any teaching can become a doctrine then is because it has truth that is independent of man's perspectives and preferences.  This is true no matter what we believe.  But our contemporary culture doesn't value truth or ultimate truth because it realizes that it then would have authority over them.  On the other hand, the truth provides tremendously wonderful doctrines such as grace, forgiveness, reconciliation, restoration, healing, sanctification, and hope.  It is true that grace is real, that we can truly or really be forgiven in Christ.  But we must receive it and trust God, and also that we need forgiveness and grace.

The doctrine of grace is not the most important doctrine therefore in Christianity.  The doctrine of truth is at the top, for there could be no other doctrines if there were no truth and authority.  There could be no other truth in the Bible if there was no true God that holds all truth together.  We need both, for it is by grace that we receive the truth, and it is by truth that we can understand grace.  It's important to remember that grace and truth always go together, as Jesus was described as being "full of grace and truth," (Jn 1:14).  Grace and truth are both necessary, but truth is at the top, it is the doctrine that holds all other doctrines together.  Even more, from the truth of Scripture, we also discover that truth is a Person, that Jesus is the Truth, and He is the truth of grace.

What's Your Perspective?

Several years ago I had an experience as a flight instructor that reminded me of the importance of perspective.  I was giving a "check ride" (a flight evaluation) to a fellow pilot in a simulator.  We normally had two students being evaluated at a time but on this occasion, there was another instructor filling in as a seat support for the captain's position.  So the student was the first officer and he was getting all the attention, and on this particular day, he was not performing up to the highest standards.  In one of the most difficult scenarios he was struggling with the engine out sequence and we had to repeat the event twice before I felt that he demonstrated proficiency.

During the debrief for the first officer I stressed the importance of being prepared for all scenarios in the actual aircraft for the very reason that if indeed something went wrong, there would be no chance to make a reset and do it again like we had done in the simulator.  After all, aircraft can be very unforgiving at times.  He was apologetic and compliant and I felt he had made a rededication to proficiency at all times.  But, while I was debriefing the student I noticed that the other instructor I had worked with that day stayed behind and was pacing about outside the debriefing room, looking in at me a couple of times with concern and consternation.  He had a different perspective on the student's performance and thought he should have been failed and brought back in for remedial training.  After conferring with the other instructor I decided to go to the manager to get his perspective of what he would have done.

The perspective of the manager was very similar to the other instructor and I began to see the reason why.  We all had previously been military pilots before we joined the ranks of civilian aviation.  The fellow instructor that day had been a Marine fighter pilot, the manager had been a Navy fighter pilot and a fighter squadron commanding officer, and I had been a Navy anti-submarine pilot.  Both the fighter pilots had been trained to be very aggressive in their approach to aviation, and this came through in their perspective as instructors.  I too had the same basic primary flight training but applied that training to a land-based multi-engine turboprop aircraft, which was very similar to the type of aviation we now flew in our current civilian jobs.  The student that day had been a civilian pilot which may have contributed to his difficulty in engine-out training.  Each of our perspectives was shaped by our experiences and we all came to different conclusions at that time.

Our perspectives in life are like this and heavily influenced by our conditioning and backgrounds.  We all have different personalities and priorities as some people are introverts and others extroverts.  Some want instant results and others need to consider every angle.  There are differences in age and technology, who would consider walking a mile to ask a friend a question if we could simply pick up a phone and call them?  Who even would keep a landline now that we have cell phones?  There are differences in perspectives from gender, male, and female, and from dads and moms, grandparents and grandchildren.  There are people who love woodworking and those who love reading books on philosophy.  Some people have the perspective that we must always be aggressive in defending our freedom in our country because "freedom isn't free".  Other people believe that war and fighting are inherently evil, and that aggression just provokes more aggression, but if we could all just love one another it would foster love in return.

Those of us who hold a Christian perspective come into our faith with the same diversity of perspectives of experiences, priorities, desires, beliefs, talents, development, gender, and even family conditioning, traditions, and loyalties.  The big question we need to ask is what is God's perspective?  To ask this we see the flip side of the coin in the question of what is our perspective?  And are we putting our perspectives ahead of God's, or are we putting his perspectives ahead of ours?  Even more, which doctrine of God do we believe is the most important?  Is the chief doctrine the grace of God, or the truth of God, and are these being affected by our own perspectives and biases?

Christians have an obligation to know the truth of God as he truly is, and not just as we prefer him to be.  We often need our own perspectives to be examined as we all are finite.  Our perspectives are limited and we need to always compare them to the truth of the Bible.  To know this truth we must first establish the truth of truth itself from which we can then compare any other truth.  From a truth perspective, we can teach all doctrines of Scripture and not let our perspectives and priorities become greater than God's perspectives and priorities.  Christian leaders in particular must proclaim God's truth for the health and sanctification of the church in our secularistic culture.

I believe the truth of God must be our highest priority in this way to prioritize all doctrines correctly.  Truth can guide us in understanding even the grace of God, which so often becomes the priority in a broken world.  If we make love our primary perspective then the truth of God can be lost as we can become like the world in its philanthropy and humanitarianism.  And the world can be very unforgiving at times.  But with truth as our priority, the grace of Christ can never be lost as it is the truth of the gospel.  We need to continually ask what God's truth is therefore so that we can evaluate our perspective to his, and so that we can bring the whole truth of Christ into the world.

The truth of God also brings a transformation from our sinful nature and helps us from falling into any self-righteousness as it always appeals to Christ's humility and righteousness.  This truth-centeredness glorifies God for Christ is the one who is true at all times.  He is the one who declares in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes unto the Father, except through me."  The truth of God always includes the grace of Christ to the glory of God, and this is why I believe truth is the priority.

Why Was Jesus Baptized?

The discussion of baptism can challenge us with some deep questions about our faith.  With as many questions that are presented, there may be as many different answers from various people.  I believe the differences in perspectives lie primarily in understanding the purpose of baptism as we understand it from the Bible.  The purpose isn’t that clear though because there are several assumptions that have to be made for differing perspectives.  It's also important to remember that this is a secondary doctrine in the faith as it is not essential to the faith itself, and many devout Christians hold differing perspectives with conviction.

The three primary positions I've understood that different denominations hold are baptismal regeneration, baptism as a sign of a person's faith, and baptism as a sign of the covenant of grace.  The first position of baptismal regeneration I disagree with wholeheartedly as the Bible is not ambiguous on this, it clearly does not teach any regeneration that occurs from baptism.  Catholic tradition can lead people to believe that regeneration takes place, but this is not the teachings from the Bible.

Regarding the second and third positions, I changed my position many years ago from baptism being a sign of a person's faith to one that signifies God's covenant of grace.  Baptist denominations primarily hold baptism as an ordinance and as the sign of faith, as a believer's baptism.  Many other Christian denominations hold baptism as the sign of the covenant.  The covenantal position I believe is most consistent with the purpose of baptism and is most consistent with the OT giving of the sign of the covenant in Abraham.  The male children received the sign of circumcision, which was a permanent and physical sign to them that they were to be set apart as God’s elect.  Circumcision was the sign of the covenant that Abraham first received when he was called to become the father of the people of God. 

When we come to the NT we see many changes because we are now a part of the "new covenant" as Jesus described.   In Luke 22:20 Jesus said, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."  Even more, the sacrifices of bulls and goats were discontinued because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  In Hebrews 8:13 we read, "In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.  And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."  As we also know God promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations, Gen. 17:4, "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations."  This describes how Israel would not be the only nation to receive the covenant of grace.

The new covenant is not proclaimed to just one nation but to all nations.  And the sign of this new covenant was no longer circumcision but baptism, and it is not just to the male children but to the females as well.  Receiving the sign of the covenant in the NT is consistent with the pattern and principle of the people of faith in the OT.  But the key point is that it is the sign of the “new covenant” and not the old.  

This then affirms that the sign of the new covenant is also to be given to adults when they are converted, and not just to children.  But a question remains, is the sign of the new covenant to be administered as an act of faith of the parents or the children?  When Christian parents have children, they are to baptize them as a sign of the new covenant, and in keeping with the covenant obligations to God for their children, just like in the OT.    

The new covenant is radically different from the covenant in the OT in that the Messiah has now come.  And the baptism of Jesus was a sign of his obligation with the Jewish community to prepare for the new covenant.  He was not being washed from sin but he was identifying with his own identity as the Messiah, ushering in the new covenant, and giving an example for his fellow countrymen.   

So why then was Jesus baptized?  Jesus was identifying in his humanity as the Messiah and the Mediator of the new covenant, and submitting in all his human obedience and faith to receive this sign.  We do know that Jesus was leading by example to receive the sign of the new covenant, and that he was not receiving a believer's baptism.  Baptism is the sign of the new covenant, and even Jesus accepted this sign.  

Onward and Upward

Since March of this year I've seen ministry opportunities close and others open.  I believe the Lord is moving me back to finishing a seminary degree I started in 1989 at RTS.  The culture has steadily degenerated into further and further Spiritual decline and this has affected our Christian faith substantially.  We are thinking more and more in line with the world instead of the Bible.  We need a modern-day reformation in truth so as to understand the truth of Scripture.

Instead of debating the issues I am hoping to move onward and upward toward a degree and an opportunity for another ministry after I retire from my current employment.  It will be more like a redeployment instead of a retirement.  Many years ago I also started writing a paper that I now hope to complete and use for a master's thesis.  It will be something about truth and the truth of God.  In our high-tech and secularistic society we can hardly even understand objective truth and how this relates to our faith and sanctification.

The news media frames the arguments of the culture wars along the lines of "anti-abortion" and "homophobic" language, instead of "pro-life" and "pro-morality."  A century ago there was no question about these social issues because morality was understood from the Bible.  Today there's lots of work to do to help people throughout the culture and the church to understand unchanging truth and the truth of Scripture.  There's lots of work to do to help people understand the veracity of the Bible through a truth hermeneutic instead of a contemporary worldview.  So, it's onward and upward.

Hebrews 4:12 declares, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  The Bible is the living word of God and through its truth, we can move onward and upward, and discover life that is truly life indeed.