Bill Smith, Author at Kuyperian Commentary

On November 27, 2024 By Bill Smith In Christmas, History, Politics, Theology Like

The Covenant Story: Creation Through Noah

In the beginning, God spoke. In his words, he revealed himself, expressing the glories of his person and his eternal Triune relationship in light, darkness, the firmament-heaven, seas, dry land, vegetation, sun, moon, stars, creatures of the land and sea, and, above all, man, who is created as the unique image of God. God’s words were his bond. They not only called into existence the world and everything in it from nothing, but his word bound him to the world. His word was his covenant.

Creation was not completed with one grand word spoken so that everything was created instantly. Rather, God progressively moved creation from immaturity–formless and void–to greater maturity over the span of six days. His creative actions set the stage for how the story of the world will unfold. Through God’s covenant words, the world will move from immaturity to maturity.

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On November 14, 2024 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

Weighing Debts

Forgiveness and reconciliation can be a thorny issue. Many questions must be asked to determine the shape of forgiveness and reconciliation. Is sin truly involved, or is one of the people offended because of his own unrealistic expectations of the other person? That is, one person has his feelings hurt because he is overly demanding, and no one lives up to his expectations. If sin is involved, is the sin of such a nature that it can be forgiven so that the relationship can return to what it was? If one spouse speaks uncharacteristically harshly to the other, forgiveness can be granted and the sin practically forgotten. Or is the sin of such a nature that the relationship is unalterably changed even though forgiveness is granted? If a spouse is a serial adulterer/adulteress, leading to a divorce, the marriage may never go back to what it was. Is the sinning party repentant or unrepentant? What is the part restitution plays in reconciliation? What does the healing process look like after forgiveness is granted? Though we don’t need to make forgiveness more complicated than necessary, human relationships are not as simple as “do these three things and move on.” (I’ve written several articles on forgiveness at Kuyperian Commentary. You can find them here, and a series that begins here.)

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On November 7, 2024 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Wisdom Like

JUST DO IT!

“Just tell me what to do!” Pastors and counselors sometimes hear these words from people in difficult situations. Whether they have gotten themselves into the situations through unwise decisions or suffering from someone else’s sin against them, they want answers. They want to know how to alleviate the painful consequences. Unfortunately, many people are looking for a silver bullet in the form of a simple formula or for the pastor or counselor to tell them exactly what to do. Telling them occasionally that you will not give them a rule or a command and expect them to follow orders strictly frustrates them. You may even be labeled as “unloving.” Sometimes, the person may be given principles and guidance with options, but that person must wrestle through the issue and make his own decisions.

When people are in trouble, they tend to revert to authoritarianism. It is simple. Follow the rules. Obey commands. Treat the world as an impersonal machine that operates by formulaic cause-and-effect. Expect everything to be fixed without time and work. People like authoritarianism at times because it alleviates personal responsibility. If I check everything off the list and “it doesn’t work,” it is your fault.

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On October 31, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Counseling/Piety, Theology Like

My Rights

“I have my rights.” In America, yes, you do. We are a nation founded on the principle that God has granted certain inalienable rights that cannot be taken away but, rather, must be protected by the government. We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We enshrined specified rights within the first ten Amendments to the Constitution, known as “The Bill of Rights.” We should be thankful for our rights as American citizens and continue to do everything in our lawful power to keep the government from infringing on those rights.

Rights given by God are given for his purposes. That is, he gives us personal privileges and authority to carry out the mission he gave us in the beginning. We are given rights for the purpose of taking dominion, building the kingdom. When our rights are divorced from their purpose, instead of edifying free speech, we have destructive speech, such as pornography, that cloaks itself as free speech. Instead of the true religion of the Christian faith, we have a mélange of multiculturalism that views all religions as equal. Instead of the right to pursue happiness through personal responsibility, we have the right to steal from others by voting thieves into office who will transfer wealth from those who earned it to leeches. Rights divorced from the gospel of the kingdom are used for deleterious self-consumption that eventually destroys society by implosion.

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On October 24, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Discipleship, Theology Like

Called Out

What if your pastor DMed you about an interpersonal relationship problem that you were having and then said, “Oh yeah, when you are finished reading this, read this or have this read to the entire church”? First, you might be a little peeved that he was digging into your business. He needs to mind his own business. My relationships at home, work, and with my friends are none of his business. Second, if you are a typical American Christian, you’d probably find another church to rid yourself of this “spiritually abusive pastor.” Then, you would get on social media and talk about how you have suffered from the abuse of spiritual power, gain a following, and start an intersectional community of all those who have been DMed by their pastor about their relationships.

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On October 16, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Discipleship, Prayer, Theology, Worship Like

Praying in the Spirit: Our Words in the Word

In the beginning, the Speaker spoke the Word. The Word went out from the Speaker, carried along by the Breath, and the world was created, formed, and filled. Speaker, Word, and Breath working in loving, powerful union with one another to create from nothing everything that is.

The height of this creative activity was the creation of man himself, the image of God. He is a creaturely word, a revelation of God within the creation. This form fashioned from the dust of the ground was himself filled with the Spirit-Breath of God. This Spirit empowered him to take the creation given to him and, by word and deed, follow in the image of God to create, arrange, form, and fill this creation so that it will one day reflect God’s own heavenly throne room. This is his dominion task.

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On October 10, 2024 By Bill Smith In Prayer, Theology, Wisdom 1

Praying In The Spirit: Praying In Faith

What the world needs now is a crazed Muslim leader in the Middle East who has nuclear capabilities to launch a nuclear weapon at the USA. The world needs Christians to suffer and die at the hands of atheistic Communists and rabid Muslims. America needs abortion to continue to be legal for decades to come. Aunt Lucy needs to be diagnosed with stage four cancer. Uncle Joe needs to be in an accident, so he loses a leg. Henrietta needs to lose her child to leukemia. We and the rest of creation need these horrible things.

Who would ever think such things? Who would ever pray for such things? No one that I know.

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On September 26, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Men, Theology, Worship 2

Ordination

Ordination changes a man, not in a way that changes his liver into a lung, nor in a way that gives him magical powers to do sacramental tricks, but he is changed nevertheless. The change is more like when a degree is conferred upon a graduate or when a man marries a woman. In neither case is the man physically transformed, nor does he receive special powers. However, he is a changed man. No longer is the man a student. He is a graduate, possibly with a title attached to his name and all the clout that comes with his new status. No longer is the man a bachelor, but he is a husband who now has the privileges and duties of marriage. The molecular structure in his body may be the same pre- and post-ceremony; however, in many ways, he is not the same person. He stands in new relationships, and those new relationships, with all of their attendant responsibilities, make him a new man.

So it is with a man who is ordained to the gospel ministry. He is put into a new relationship before God and to the church. This new relationship with all of its attendant responsibilities makes him a new man.

The changes are an addition rather than a physical or even mystical metamorphosis. Ordination gives a new “weight” to the person. In biblical terms, this weight is “glory.” (The word “glory” in Hebrew literally means “heavy.”) Ordination glorifies a man in a unique way.

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On September 25, 2024 By Bill Smith In Theology, Wisdom, Work 2

Vocational Harmony

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called….” ~Ephesians 4:1

We have a calling. Within that calling, we have callings or vocations. (“Vocation” is derived from the Latin, voco, “I call,” so “calling” and “vocation” are the same thing.) Paul has a focus for what he says in Ephesians 4:1: he is aiming for the unity of the church, especially with regards to the Jew and Gentile being united into the one body of Christ. Consequently, he aims at character qualities that promote unity: humility, gentleness, longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, and eagerness to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He then focuses on the seven ones (“one Lord, one faith, one baptism,” etc.). The calling of which he speaks is God’s call upon us as Christians.

What is “a call” or “a calling?” Marcus Barth describes Paul’s use of calling as “an act of creation and election; through this act non-being becomes being, not-beloved becomes beloved (Ephesians, ABC, 1:151) … further, it is “an appointment to a position of honor” describing the honorary place and function with which God has entrusted the saints. (Ibid., 2:427). God’s callings are what he has appointed you to do.

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On September 19, 2024 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Prayer, Theology, Worship Like

Praying In The Spirit: What is Prayer?

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to God. ~Romans 8:26-27

At this time, in the created order, a hauntingly bright symphony is being performed. The creation is groaning and travailing in the pains of childbirth like the deep, resonating, sad tones of a cello. The groans of the cello are joined in the same melodic progression by the violins of Christians’ groaning. As Christians, we find ourselves in harmony with the creation, giving it further voice because we share in the same pain, waiting with the rest of creation for the redemption of our bodies. But there is a third voice, a voice deeper and more fundamental in this symphony that controls it and moves it toward its conclusion. It is the double bass of the Spirit, groaning out wordless music to the Father. We and the rest of creation with us have joined with him so that we are taking up his groans, and he is taking up our groans in this symphony of prayer.

This is praying in the Spirit.

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