Further. Every. Day‪.‬ Further. Every. Day.

The God of Law

Introduction:
What was God's purpose for law? Why does man have laws? What makes a law Godly? Is there a connection between God's Laws and Man? What does the existence of Law reveal about God Himself?

Theology:
What 3 purposes does law serve in God's economy?

The Law:


Serves as a mirror


Restrains Evil


Serves as Revelation of God's Heart



The Law Serves as a Mirror:

James I:23-25 says: "For if any be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he be­holdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straig way forgetteth what manner of man he was. For whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, an continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

Romans 3:20 states: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

So we see that the Old Testament Law is meant to provide us spiritual awareness of our condition in relation to God the Father.

The Law Restrains Evil:

Leviticus 19 is a great example of a sundry list of laws with differing purposes. Some of these are moral, others appear to deal with health issues. We even see laws that recommend the treatment of leprosy.

The Law Serves as Revelation of God's Heart:

Let's look at the laws surrounding leprosy. Why did God allow leprosy to exist? What occurs with leprosy and why did God have such definitive prescriptions surrounding it?

First, what is Leprosy? From the CDC website:
Hansen's disease is caused by slow-growing bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. The disease can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose. In some cases, body parts may lose their sense of touch and pain, increasing the likelihood of injuries such as cuts and burn.

https://www.cdc.gov/leprosy/about/index.html

Typically from poor sanitary conditions, Leprosy is a slow moving inward disease that eats the individual from the inside out. It is not always apparent at first, and can grow for a long time.

Does this sound at all like sin?

How did God go about treating it? The individual who is fully given over to the infection, once identified was put out of the camp until they died or were cured.

Who cured leprosy? In addition to Christ, Elisha, under the power of the Holy Spirit, also directed Naaman the Leper to bathe in the Jordan in a baptism of faith. It seems that God's laws and natural law have some very interesting coincidences, or perhaps convergence.

Philosophy:

If God built for us a picture of His World, Law and Heart in His Law, what should we as Christians think of Law?How would Law be important to our understanding of our worldview? Is it possible that God laid out Law, Theological, Natural, and Governmental, so that we could understand the fixed position of God as an entity? Let me explain. If God is unchanging, the same yesterday, today, and forevermore, then that in of itself, is a law. If God revealed His Law to us, then we can gaze upon the Law and gaze into the nature and contours of God's very essence. This thought is sobering, when one confronts it. God's unyielding nature provides a harsh position in light of that which does not conform with His Holiness, sin. THIS is why relationship is the linchpin for our worldview. Through relationship with Christ, we can become like God and therefor fellowship with this unyielding pillar of unchanging Holiness. The Law is our mirror, protector, and revelator bringing us closer to, or further from, God.

Culture:

So how has man twisted the image and comparison that God ordained in Law? Corruption, Greed, Unjust Standards, and all other forms of perversions have crept into our legal system.

In America, we used to have a Common Law system, which still somewhat persists today. In this system, there had to be an injured party and defendant. Now the nanny

Is the Bible Inerrant? What About Bible Translations?

Introduction: Is the Word of God Inerrant? What exactly is the Word of God? Is it the Bible that you hold in your hands at Church? What if someone spills coffee on it, is the Word of God lost? What if it's mishprinted ? Have you ever heard of the Evil King James Bible? Let's talk about that as we watch our culture stray further every day.

The Problem:

Many Theologians have ceded, or even gleefully proclaimed the notion, that the Bible is “not infallible, inerrant”, and is capable of harboring errors in its depiction of God's Word.

From Wikipedia:

There are 3 types of inerrancy or infallibility:
Some theologians speak of the "infallibility" of the Bible. This can be understood in one of three ways.


Some authors use "inerrancy" and "infallibility" interchangeably.


For others, "inerrancy" refers to complete inerrancy and "infallibility" to the more limited view that the Bible is without error in conveying God's self-revelation to humanity.[3][12] On this understanding, "infallibility" claims less than "inerrancy".


Citing dictionary definitions, Frame (2002) claims "infallibility" is a stronger term than "inerrant": "'Inerrant' means there are no errors; "infallible" means there can be no errors".[13] Yet he acknowledges that "modern theologians insist on redefining that word also, so that it actually says less than 'inerrancy.'" Harold Lindsell states: "The very nature of inspiration renders the Bible infallible, which means that it cannot deceive us. It is inerrant in that it is not false, mistaken, or defective".[14]



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_inerrancy

Here in an edition of Life and Letters, we see a representative argument from the liberal scholar:

“The doctrine of inerrancy is more post-biblical, even modern. And it has been particularly influential among U.S. evangelicals, who often appeal to the doctrine of inerrancy in arguments against gender equality, social justice, critical race theory and other causes thought to violate the God's infallible word.
The doctrine of inerrancy took shape during the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States. A statement crafted in 1978 by hundreds of evangelical leaders remains its fullest articulation. Known as the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, the statement was a response to emerging “liberal” or nonliteral interpretations of the Bible. According to the statement, the Bible speaks with “infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches.””

https://lifeandletters.la.utexas.edu/2021/07/what-is-biblical-inerrancy-a-new-testament-scholar-explains/

https://defendinginerrancy.com/chicago-statements/

Theology:
If God's word contains errors, what does this say about God?

Philosophy:
If God is incapable of keeping errors out of His Bible, then what does this mean for morality, eternity, and salvation?

Culture:
What Cultural allowances should be made if God's Word is inerrant? What happens if you may pick and choose as you please?

Politics:
Why have nations continuously attempted to rewrite God's Word? What does this allow the government to accomplish?

Economics:
What economic incentives are there for scholars to make their living upon “debunking” the Bible?

The Story
So when DID the Inerrancy issue become a topic of debate? Well, the issue became a heavy point of contention in the 1800s, you know, when the Counter-Reformation and the Humanist Enlightenment movements were in full force.

An article at conversation jeeringly puts it this way:
Roots of Fundamentalism
“Christian fundamentalism has roots in the 19th century, when Protestants were confronted by two challenges to traditional understandings of the Bible.
Throughout the century, scholars increasingly evaluated the Bible as a historical text. In the process they raised questions about its divine origins, given its seeming inconsistencies and errors.
In addition, Charles Darwin's 1859

The Christian And Yoga, Should You Practice It?

Introduction: If it offends my brother, I will not eat meat. All things are legal, but not all are expedient. To the Pure all things are pure. Thou shalt not have the names of other gods on thy lips. Yoga, Yay or Nay? Let's breathe in, look deep within ourselves, and the cry out to God of God, why did I look into that wicked heart.. As we stray Further Every Day.

To yoga or not to yoga?

To Yoga camp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkrlGJfMIyk

An Argument not to yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjjbev4zWms
0:00-3:05
Theology: What did God say about the practices of other religions' rituals?

Deuteronomy 12:29-32
"When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, "How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise." You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

Jeremiah 10:3-5
For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
They decorate it with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
They are upright, like a palm tree,
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”

1 Kings 11:1-5
But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.

Ezekiel 8:13-17
And He said to me, "Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing." So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD's house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. Then He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these." So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east. And He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose.

Philosophy:
If the original intention of yoga was to invite the spirits into one's body, what are the ramifications of repurposing yoga for exercise and stretches? What did Christ say about an empty home?

Culture:
When people of the Hindu Faith see the Christian doing yoga, what assumptions are possibly made? How should the Christian navigate this?

Politics:
Yoga is now being taught in schools:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY11gpWmRZw

How should the Christian navigate the presence of yoga in school?

Economics:
Yoga DOES have physical benefits. How should we navigate the value of Yoga vs exercise and stretching? What has the economy around mindfulness become?

From Insider:
“The business of mindfulness is fast becoming a pillar of the $4.5

Regenerative Farming: We'll All Die In 50 Years. Did God Warn Us?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/

Theology: What were the tenets of Biblical Farming? Why did God do this? What is the Spiritual Reasoning?

There From Farming God's Way:
'Conservation agriculture is Farming God's Way without God. But it's the God part of this picture that really changes attitudes,' says Craig Sorley. He explains the core principles:


Minimal disturbance of the soil (no tillage) – the practice of plowing destroys soil structure including the micro organisms that live in the soil, leading to erosion and rapid water loss;


Permanent organic cover in the form of mulch. In Farming God's Way, this is called ‘God's blanket', says Craig Sorley. 'In Creation we observe that God does not leave the soil bare.' says Craig Sorley. Covering with protective mulch:



Stops soil erosion


Improves water filtration of the soil


Minimises evaporation of water from the soil


Adds organic matter, improving fertility


No burning of crop residues – these are used to cover the soil instead;


Weed faithfully – labour saved on plowing is transferred to regular weeding;


Practice crop rotation – because God's garden was diverse;


Pay attention to detail. 'Since we serve a God of detail, we should give careful attention to everything on our farms throughout the year, including the proper spacing of plants, how fertiliser or manure is added, how seed is planted, etc,' he says;


Pursue high standards in all things – 'God is glorified when we strive for excellence';


Incorporate trees into your farming system – 'Agroforestry is not something invented by man, it is something God demonstrated in the very first garden. Agroforestry combines both agriculture and forestry with conservation practices for long-term sustainability,' he says.



https://www.faithplans.org/post/farming-god-s-way-a-biblical-approach-to-agriculture

I love this article too: https://disciplenations.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Ten-Biblical-Principles-for-Agricultural-Development-David-Evans-2013-update-1.pdf

Philosophy: If the universe is a painting out of the mind of God and the work of Christ, then what lessons can we glean from the land failing to yield crops after years of overfarming?

Can we not say that God ordained a time for everything:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;”

Leviticus 25:4 “But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.”

What does it say about our belief in God when we fail to listen to His order? See the children of Israel and the manna.

Culture: What initial impacts would the Biblical farmer have on their production? What type of witness would that have when you are working contrary to the flow?
In America, we used to practice Crop Rotation, a form of the Jubilee, but then in WWI, we decided we needed more crops and so the “Green Revolution” started to rear its head. Pesticides, and growth chemicals were introduced to make more crops while “maximizing” the land's potential. This would also lead to killing the crops, potentially also causing the debated increase in diseases like cancer and autism. I don't know if that is what happened, but all of that round-up isn't good for your system.

Politics: How has government subsidization of farming harmed the economy? How has it come to harm small farmers?

How has the government's subsidies of ethanol incentivized the increase in corn growth?

We see massive spending on corn for ethanol as detailed by thoughtco here:
“In the final days of 2020, however, Congress passed another coronavirus relief bill providing approximately $900 billion in spending across a variety

Singleness and The Christian. What Did Jesus Do?

How did Christ live His life? Are we commanded to marry? What does the Bible demand of the single individual? Does a spouse “complete” you?

Introduction

Theology: How Did Christ Live His Life?

Philosophy: What is the Purpose of Marriage?

Culture: What pressures are on the individual to marry?

Politics: How does singleness provide opportunities for one to serve the Lord with more focus?

Economics: Millennials and Gen Z are avoiding marriage, but many are even avoiding relationships and sex. How does the economic reasoning reveal the motivations of these generations and how we as a culture have failed to inculcate selflessness?

Theology Segment: Was Jesus Married? Was He Single?

We'll address the content of these articles:
https://bib.irr.org/how-do-we-know-jesus-was-not-married
https://www.gotquestions.org/why-didnt-Jesus-marry.html



Through innuendo, many have claimed that Christ was married to Mary Magdalene. The Burden of Proof resides on these people as there are no eye witnesses claiming such a wife. (The Davinci Code styled theories have less Historical evidence than the Lochness Monster, and by that we mean 0 evidence, only wild conjecture and Christian Fan Fiction in the form of the 2nd Century Gospel of Mary or 3rd Century Gospel of Phillip, neither written by the proposed authors)


We have 2 genealogies of Christ, and neither mention His Children, a common occurrence from marital intimacy.


Jesus was here on a mission that would leave a widow: Isaiah 52:13-53:12, 1 Peter 1:19-20, and Luke 18:31-33. He gave the duty of a son to care for His mother to John. Why would He not do something similar to His widow?


Such a widow would have been idolized and very likely been a salient feature in the Church, yet we only hear of other women like Pricilla and likely Junia.


Such a relationship, where two become one flesh would likely compete with Christ's meticulously prepared image of His Bridegroom of the Church. The Church is His Bride, not a hypothetical 1st century wife with no evidence to her existence.



Philosophy: What is the Purpose of Marriage? Can one fulfill God's Purpose as a Single?

God has 3 purposes for Marriage:


Companionship


Procreation/Discipleship


Glorious Purpose in Image Bearing



Obviously Companionship is at the heart of romance and marriage. But there is something interesting in the soul of the human heart that longs for a specific relationship, that which results in creating a new life. This facilitates not only the creation of a new life, but also the chain reaction resulting in biological and spiritual drive to disciple and protect the new life. In all of this, there is a Glorious Purpose in that we are a reflection of our Creator, creating life and nurturing it, as He does every day.
Can a Single Person be a part of this image and fulfill this as Single? In short, yes, but in a different way. We as Singles are obligated to spend time discipling others. In such, we can experience a different sort of Companionship (with Christ as we can only successfully disciple when in communion with Him). We also see a different type of duplication or discipleship with the unbeliever, or newer believer. In such actions, we may carry out our Glorious Purpose in Image Bearing Christ to the world and other believers.
So yes, yes you can be effective for Christ as a Single. In fact it's required of you.

Culture: Should the Church Pressure Kids to Get Married?

What is happening in our culture in regards to marriage?

From BGSU: “The U.S. marriage rate (the number of women's marriages per 1,000 unmarried women 15 years and older) is the lowest it has been in over a century at 31.1—that is, roughly 31 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women.
• The marriage rate was highest
in 1920 at 92.3.
• Since 1970, the marriage rate
has declined by almost 60%”
https://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/college-of-arts-and-sciences/NCFMR/

Would Jesus Watch the Chosen?

A show made about Himself. Is it OK to make a series about the life of Jesus or is that off-limits because we can't possibly “get it right”? Can sinful men make a series about a sinless Jesus? Would Jesus watch it even if they did? Join us as we tackle these questions and more in striving Further Every Day!

Introduction of Panel
Additional comments before we start.

Further Every Day is not promoting The Chosen one way or the other. This podcast is merely trying to help people understand the debate and controversy around the series. We encourage each individual to do their own research and come to their own conclusions around this series.

Framework for the Discussion


The debate that rages as it pertains to the Chosen - should we watch it or should we not? Is it “anathema” or legit?





If we watch it, how should it be watched?





Should we allow shows like this in our culture?





Would Jesus even watch it?



The Debate That Rages
There is substantial debate about The Chosen. Here are some of the questions:
Theology: How can the show be good if it is supposed to be based on the Bible and we
take “creative liberties” in making the show by adding things we don't find in the Bible?

Philosophy: Can sinful men really make a show about a sinless Jesus and it be “right”?

Culture: Wouldn't a show like this have a negative influence on the understanding of the gospel by non-believers? What possible good could come from this show in affecting our culture positively.

Politics: Would it be possible for the government to use a show like this against Christians or non-believers?

Economics: Is it right to make money off a show that is Biblically based?

How Should It Be Watched
So if we watch this show, how should it be watched? What should we remember or be aware of if we watch the show?
Theology: To make a show like this to reflect 100% on what we see in the Bible would take an extremely long time. It would go beyond 7 years like this show's projection! So,
some elements are “combined”.

Let's see an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZDvcEkjthA
(first 2:40 of clip)

Philosophy: It is classified as FICTION! That means it may or may not be true. If you
want to know the facts, go to the source. In this instance, that is the Bible!

Culture: The portrayals in the series regarding the culture of that time may or may not be 100% accurate. A person should research what the culture may have been like at that time.

Politics: Very similar to what is shared from the chair of Culture. Additionally, what was Rome like at this time? What were the Pharisees like at this time? What were the Sadducees like at this time?

Economics: Well, they make money. That should be understood. A person should also understand the motives of the people producing this show. That's where additional research should take place.

Should We Allow Shows Like This In Our Culture?
Theology: 1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalm 101:3; Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8

Philosophy: Another question to ask here is this: Can a show like this lead people to Christ? The words of Jesus - as read in the Bible - are being spoken in the show. Are they no longer “good” just because they are found in a television show or through theater?

Culture: The series has not had a negative impact on the culture, as a whole.

Politics: Would it be possible that the government would eventually want to shut down this show?

Economics: The show provides income for a number of people (actors, actresses, producers, directors, artistic people, etc.) and the show is not negatively impacting culture as a whole.

Would Jesus Watch The Chosen?
Theology: An excellent question from a theological standpoint. It is interesting to note
that Jesus used story-telling (parables) as a means of teaching!

Philosophy: Is there only one mode/method for teaching? If so, what is it?
Cultu