September 11 – Remembered

History:

Today, many Americans will remember the infamous attack on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon, and the attempted attack on the White House, that took place seven years ago. One year ago, the leader of that attack reminded the world of that event, suggested that the continued warfare against Al Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan is against American interests, and offered a long term truce. As usual, the transcript of Bin Ladin’s comments will not be linked or republished. What Bin Ladin and his gang did was very sinful, and killed thousands of innocent people.

Theodicy:

BL’s mass murder of about 3000 people raised the issue of theodicy. How could a good God permit such an evil thing?

The answer may simply be found in the fact that this was in accordance with God’s plan for this world. God was glorified even in this wicked act of men.

We hesitate to be more specific. Perhaps God was judging NYC and the Pentagon or the USA with this calamity. Perhaps God was simply awakening Christianity to the spread of Islam. Whatever the primary reason, God knows best. America, the Pentagon, and NYC were all in need of judgment for their many sins. Furthermore, Christianity needs to wake up to the fact that Islam is spreading throughout the world.

Psalm 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

The Muslims who planned this attack and the additional connected terrorism have set themselves against not primarily against America and capitalism, but against Christianity. They attack those who follow the Messiah, and heap up for themselves judgment.

Psalm 37:13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

The days of Al Qaeda are numbered. Already, in the past year, the coalition forces in Iraq together with the Iraqi people have seriously crippled the forces of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Bin Ladin is hiding and no country openly shelters him.

Psalm 52:6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:

Let Bin Ladin’s defeat be an example to others not to oppose God. One may flourish for a time, even a long time, but God will not permit his enemies to escape his righteous judgment.

There is only one escape:

Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Worship Jesus Christ as the Lord, the Son of God. Turn from your sins, repent of them, confess them to God, and beg him for forgiveness. Prostrate yourself before the throne of the Lamb and take up the confession:

Revelation 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

For as Ethan says:

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

As also we sing:

Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

So then, fear the Lamb of God (Jesus Christ) and trust in Him, and you will be fed and comforted in the life to come.

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

-TurretinFan

To God be the Glory!

Justice and Mercy Compared

It is sometimes stated that permitting a criminal to go unpunished is wrong, and is actually worse than the crime the criminal did.

I distinguish.

a) It is worse when done by a judge.
b) It is not worse when done by a victim.

We can see this by considering that it is mercy not to drag everyone who has wronged us before a judge. On the other hand, it is injustice for a judge to fail to apply the law to the guilty.

We can also see this in the work of God. Christ shows us mercy. The Father shows Christ justice. Thus, God as victim shows mercy, while God as judge shows justice.
Furthermore, God as king shows mercy by permitting a substitute, but that mercy in no way diminishes justice, because he still demands satisfaction.

-Turretinfan

To God be the Glory!

Is Mary more Compassionate than Jesus? – Part II

In the previous post (link) we saw how it appears that the criticism of Roman Catholicism as teaching that Mary is more compassionate than Jesus is a justified criticism, despite such a characterization not explicitly appearing in any conciliar documents or allegedly infallible papal writings.

There’s another way that we can arrive at the conclusion too – which is the papist notion that Mary, as “Queen of Heaven,” is the queen of Mercy (whereas Christ is not the King of Mercy, but the King of Justice, in the description below … though he certainly is called the “King of Mercy” elsewhere in Roman Catholic writings).

The kingdom of God consisting of justice and mercy, the Lord has divided it; he has reserved the kingdom of justice for himself, and he has granted the kingdom of mercy to Mary, ordaining that all the mercies which are dispensed to men should pass through the hands of Mary, and should be bestowed according to her good pleasure. St. Thomas confirms this in his preface to the Canonical Epistles; saying that the holy virgin, when she conceived the Divine Word in her womb, and brought him forth, obtained the half of the kingdom of God by becoming Queen of Mercy, Jesus Christ remaining King of Justice.

As reported here (link), and essentially confirmed here (link).

For comparison (link).

This title, “Queen of Mercy,” is apparently even part of the ordinary (i.e. not extraordinary) teachings of the Vatican, for it can be found in the document, Marialis Cultus (link), subtitled: “For the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.” In that document, it is written: “It is also important to note how the Church expresses in various effective attitudes of devotion the many relationships that bind her to Mary: … in loving service, when she sees in the humble handmaid of the Lord the queen of mercy and the mother of grace … .” (Marialis Cultus, paragraph 22, emphasis added)

Thus, we can see that this concept of Mary’s alleged Queenship of Mercy is actually the standard teaching of the modern Roman Catholic church. One could argue that Marialis Cultis is written in such a way that it qualify as an ex cathedra proclamation under the standard enunciated by the first Vatican council, although I recognize that modern Roman Catholics would almost to a man not recognize it as such.

But this is not the teaching of Scripture. Scripture states that “the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (James 5:11) Likewise, it tells us that God is “rich in mercy” (Ephesian 2:4). Furthermore, it clearly indicates that it is by his compassions and mercies that we are saved: “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. ” (Lamentations 3:22)

And Scripture also teaches that God is sovereign in his mercy: “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” (Romans 9:15) So then, it is purely the invention of the imaginations of men’s hearts to elevate Mary from the handmaid of the Lord (Luke 1:38) to the Queen of Mercy. Let us turn instead and pray to God alone, beseeching him for Mercy who is the Merciful God (Deuteronomy 4:31).

For it is written: “for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.” (2 Chronicles 30:9) Therefore, repent of yours sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

-TurretinFan

UPDATE: Updated to reflect the fact that despite the division discussed above, Roman Catholics elsewhere do call Christ the “King of Mercy,” since – based on a single comment I received, it appears that this was not clear from the original post. Also, despite criticism to the contrary from the same commentator, Mary is not only described by Catholic authors as the Queen of Heaven, but also the Queen of Hell: “Mary, Queen of heaven, is also Queen of hell; the devils themselves, bend under the yoke of her sovereignty …” (source).

To God be the Glory!

Psalm 103

For those who enjoy music – for those who are merry – for who simply wish to worship God – here’s a beautiful rendition of Psalm 103 – feel free to sing along:

Bless God and don’t forget his grace!

-TurretinFan

To God be the Glory!