the new is better than the old

This week at the Institute, we had the pleasure of having Charles Stolfus speak to us on the book of Hebrews. I was rather excited because Hebrews is one of my favorite books, just because it hits home on the things that have been accomplished on the cross. There were a couple days that the talks seemed redundant or repetitive in terms of content, but when you actually go through Hebrews, the author actually is repetitive in his message

                In the beginning, we look through the Old Testament to see how sins were atoned for in the old covenant and how Jesus accomplished in the new covenant what the old could not. For time’s sake, here is a quick history review… In the old days, a high priest would enter into the temple, and make sacrifices for Israel’s sins. The sacrifices were made with the blood of a goat or ram, but this had to be done yearly, because this sacrifice only purified the flesh temporarily. Hebrews 10:4 says “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” So the people of Israel were having to sacrifice year after year, ultimately, not getting anywhere because their sins had not been forgiven.

                But then in Jeremiah 31:31-34, the Lord declares that he will make a “new covenant,” where he will put his law in them and write it on their hearts. He will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. This is a perfect introduction to explaining the new covenant because Jesus is this new covenant. Christ, who has come as fully God and fully man, is set apart as the high priest, the mediator between us and God. He was the final sacrifice for our sins, because he shared in our weakness, by becoming flesh and enduring the temptations, yet remained sinless. He was perfect before God, and was through His sacrifice, He has paid the penalty for our sins once and for all.

                What this means is that there no longer needs to be a sacrifice every year like in the old covenant. Jesus accomplished what the old covenant couldn’t, in one sacrifice that outweighed them all. This was the will of God, that Jesus Christ should come into the world and take away the sins of the world, by dying on the cross for us, making the ultimate sacrifice, so that our sins would be forgiven by God and remembered no more. Hebrews 9:26 …he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

*notes from Dr. Charles Stolfus

Oh, the Trinity…

I’ve gotten the privilege to sit and listen to Dr. Glenn Kreider speak on Trinitarianism this week. And my, my, how small my little mind is. I would venture to say that I knew 45% of what this guy was talking about. And the other 55% was mostly perplexing. I had a lot of time to think about things that he said in class and spend time in the Word, seeing for myself what the Scriptures reveal about the Trinity.

The conclusion I think we all have made here is simply that, there is one God. God exists in three persons, the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit. Each one, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are fully God. The Father is not the Son or Spirit, The Son is not the Father or the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father or the Son. And there is no analogy that you could claim to explain what this means. It just is. God is triune, and unified in one. I believe this because I have faith that it is true. There is a mystery of the Trinity that I wish I could explain, but I cannot, I just believe that this is who God is. But the Scriptures do show us in so many ways that God is distinctly three different persons, and each person has the same attributes and the same authority of God. It’s perplexing, but the mystery of it is glorious. That’s about as much as I can unfold on this subject because I still have so much to learn and fully understand in order to explain this mystery myself.

back to the books

It’s the end of the first week back. I was not prepared for a number of things. First off, it dropped down to -2 degrees, that was a great way to start off the week. I had not fully recovered from my trip back from Iran and than managed to get a sinus infection as well. But my friends, it’s a new year and it’s full of new challenges, new adventures and new perspectives. My goals this semester is to truly devote more time to studying the Word and just get a grasp of what the Lord’s purpose is for me after the Institute. Many opportunities are being presented to me and it’s tough to try and weigh out everything, and know what decision is the right one to make. The testing of my faith has been real here, even in the bubble of a life that I’m living right now. And though I’m being challenged, the Lord has been faithful to reveal His glorious nature and the goodness of His love. I would not change anything in the last 4 months and I’m excited to spend my last 3 and a half months with these awesome people, discovering how far the Lord will take us in our faith.