I Love Good Theology

As a teenager, I was not mature, but growing up in a good church and with good theology presented to me in confirmation and through my parents helped me to recognize when something was not quite right. I recognized something was not right at a youth camp that I attended with a youth group in high school. The special speaker at the camp gave a week long Bible study on the Blessings of obedience and Curses of disobedience laid out for the people of God, the Israelites, in Deuteronomy 28. The main thesis was, "Obey God and you will be blessed. Disobey God and you will be cursed." Jesus Christ was never mentioned except for perhaps during an altar call to invite people to be saved. At least that much was preached, which is a wonderful conclusion to an otherwise empty message . What should have brought us to realize our totally sinful nature and our utter depravity thus bringing us to the rich mercy offered to us in Christ, was instead a moralistic, hopeless teaching for Christian youth that completely missed the mark.

Yesterday I heard Dr. R.C.Sproul teach on the theme of blessings and curses in the Old Testament and how Jesus took the curse that was due us because of our disobedience. Dr. Sproul explained Galatians 3:13 which states, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree' )" There is a biblical theology that is understood through studying the whole book of the Bible, and can be completely missed through moralistic or legalistic preaching. Without a Christocentric, cross-centered, biblical theology, our "Christianity" has no hope. We will continue to go on living in condemnation and legalism and hopelessness. Let us return to Christ.

I encourage you to listen to this rich teaching and be blessed: http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/renewing-your-mind/player/blessing-or-curse-223619.html

A full rainbow appeared in the sky during the sunrise this morning. This is looking out past our neighbor's house towards the west. Peter John noticed it out the window just as we were about to eat breakfast, and we all made our way out into the chilly morning to praise God for it. The kids snapped the photographs.