God Centered Orthodoxy

We have seen the absolute upheaval of US politics impact upon the evangelical church community. Catholic and Protestants alike are impacted and the call of Christ for the church to respond has manifested , ironically, in very different emphasis.

From racism, social justice to abortion, transgender, sexuality, we have seen a whole host of different responses.

While the Reformed churches have focused on the fight against racism, social justice, more in line with American liberals’ worldview, but the rest of the evangelical community like charismatics and the evangelicals have been on the lone vocal fight against abortion, transgenderism, sexuality LBGT more in line with the Catholics ironically.

There had been an uproar of hands up in the air, when the Trump administration showed racism in name calling of, example, Chinese flu, then China flu, that caused a backlash of racism against Asian Americans community. The uproar is pulpable. This is understandable and it’s a disgrace what we saw some of the racism against the blacks, Asians etc.

However, when we see the abortions pushed by Biden, sexuality transgenderism etc., there had almost been an eerie silence from the same church leaders, scholars that criticized Trump’s acts of racism, narcissism, and women down talking.

Christians are trapped in a tug of war for righteousness and justice divide depending on your denomination or background

Evangelicals and charismatics will fight the sexuality , religious rights , abortion and underaged condoms distribution in schools’ issues vehemently (righteousness), but not much on social justice and racism (justice).

While the reformed fights racism (justice) and a tiny bit abortion.

There you go. Our Christendom dilemma in America.  

We should fight for righteousness and justice together as they are the foundations of our God

Psalm 89: 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before You.

That’s the Word of God. Christians will have to voice up against all the social, ills of our society to be a hill that shines in this world of darkness. To not to shine, is failure to witness for Christ. Jesus called us to shine in the world. To be in the world, but not of the world. To do anything less than that, is not being a good ambassador for Christ.

Abraham Kuyper will push for all out witnessing for Christ in our secular society. Though many disagree with him exactly how we do that, his famous quote “ Not a square inch of the land is not mine—Christ” is famously quoted all over. Kuyper is really calling for equality sharing of all secular power by all religions as in the Netherlands. This has good and bad. In our US scene, there is clearly a persecution going on in the submerging of our Christian views and ethos, by whoever is in power. Even among Christians, the interpretation of scriptures can be twisted to whatever they hearts crave. For the so called liberals, mostly among the Democrats, their call is very much in line with the liberal values like abortion, women’s rights, anti-racism. You see it’s a mixed bag. Anti-racism can be shared among all Christians with no problem. However, stuff like Critical Race Theory is so controversial that  Christians are split. Even among, theologians themselves. It’s beyond the scope of this article to deal with it.

However, suffice to say that it is time for Christians to unite under the two brands:

“Righteousness” and Justice”, which are the foundation of the Lord our God

Psalm 89: 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before You.

I believe before we debate anything, let’s do sound exegesis from the scripture texts, not from some philosophy books, articles of the latest days. But let the scriptures of God’s words be our absolute final referee. Every one of us has to submit to the authority of the scriptures, or else there is no church.

There should be no choosing of between righteousness or justice. God is passionate about both, and we likewise will have to follow suit. We want to be the voice of championing for the poor, marginalized, as well as for the people who are created in the image of God in terms of skin color, unborn babies, and the sexuality as all are created by God. Similarly, we will have to do justice based on scripture, and not the latest fad.

Jesus healed the sick in the gospels, he raised the dead, he opened the eyes of the blind, he raised the crippled, he cleansed the leper, he did all these miracles!

He said “go and make disciples of all nations and teach them to do everything I’ve taught you”.

Matthew 28:19–20 ¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

And he said “you shall do greater things than me! John 14:12 ¹² Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father.

Did you see that? Jesus said, “greater works than these you will do.” Why is Jesus saying all these? He wants you to be moving in the supernatural! Folks!

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Matthew 17:17–20 ¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” ¹⁸ And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed at once.¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁰ And He said to them, “Because of your meager faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

The disciples were trying to cast out demon from a boy who was demonized but couldn’t cast him out and when Jesus came , He cast the demon out with a word! They asked Lord why they couldn’t cast him out and Jesus said this kind only come out with prayer and fasting etc. and taught them about faith like a mustard seed.

The point is that Jesus wants his disciples to cast out demons; Jesus wants his disciples to lay hands on the sick and the sick to be healed.

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Look at Peter ,James and John, look at apostle Paul  everywhere he went he laid hands and healed the sick. He cast out demons by at a word to cast out of that woman that demonic spirit got out of the girl. Peter’s shadow healing people!

Some people argue though this is Apostolic age and we are not anymore. Okay give me a verse that says that Jesus said “You shall do all that I’m doing,  you shall do greater things up till the apostles, and after that no more.”

Lol, I don’t see that in my Bible I don’t know which version you’re reading it isn’t in there.

My point is this there’s far greater significance then just healing the sick which is huge I mean if that person got cancer go and see all good doctors and can’t get the healing what do you do? The person goes to God ,only God can heal the person. What about blind people you know there’s so many problems in this world, we need the restoration of God,  this mankind needs God’s restoration and who can do that restoration? Only the God who breathed life into us on the first place Genesis chapter 2 God used dust made into a man which is Adam and God breathed into that man and it became Adam.

Genesis 2:7 ⁷ Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person.

So my point is that the person who is going to heal us is going to be the one who created us. This is a lot of implications for us today. Reformed theologians and pastors have given in certain things like LBGT as just a given accepted fact in the name of the Kingdom of God, and you can’t help it. This is like inviting Christians to live in a semi defeated life in the face of the glorious promises of God in Christ Jesus. Try saying that to the crippled that Jesus raised, try saying that to th eblind that Jesus popend the eyes, try saying that to the woman bleeding for years whoim Jesus healed on an instant.

约翰福音 11:1-4 (NASB 2020)
1 有一个人病了：伯大尼的拉撒路，马利亚村和她妹妹马大。 2 用香膏抹主，用头发擦祂脚的，是马利亚，她的兄弟拉撒路病了。 3 姊妹们就打发消息给他说：“主啊，你所爱的人病了。” 4 耶稣听见就说：“这病不是要死，乃是为神的荣耀，叫神的儿子因此得荣耀。”

约翰福音 11 章 11 节说，在她姐姐母亲玛丽安的村子里，有一个拉撒路生病的人，所以姐妹们打发消息给耶稣说：“主啊，你所爱的人生病了。”耶稣听到这话时说，疾病不是以死亡结束，而是为了上帝的荣耀，使上帝的儿子因此而得荣耀。

现在这是非常重要的。耶稣说话就像他非常确定生病的拉撒路不会死。问题是他怎么知道？我会这样分析，耶稣这不是关于确定，耶稣是关于成为生命的作者。耶稣不必再猜测拉撒路会发生什么。本质上，耶稣必须决定拉撒路会发生什么。这是非常重要的，因为它涉及上帝的预定和上帝的主权。你在创世记第一章看到，当上帝创造天地时，他来创造人类。

创世记 1:26 (NASB 2020)
26 神说：“让我们照着我们的形象，照着我们的样式造人；叫他们统管海里的鱼，空中的飞鸟，牲畜，全地，和地上各样爬行的东西。”

摩西写道，上帝说“让我们按照我们的形象造人”。我们是谁？谁是我们的形象？他不能谈论上帝与天使交谈，让我们按照我们的形象造人，因为天使只是被造的存在，而上帝是创造者。所以一定是上帝在和一个与他自己同等或不平等的人说话！

那就是父神与子神和圣灵说话。那么让我们按照我们的形象造人的话就有意义了，因为父子和圣灵在三位一体的神格中都是平等的，因此它们是相同的。所以上帝说让我们按照我们的形象造人是有道理的。天使没有能力造人。他们自己是像人一样的受造物。上帝不能和天使说话，让我们造人，不！

所以耶稣说出了将要发生在拉撒路身上的事。事实上，耶稣在听到去医治他的请求后，特意在去见拉撒路的路上多呆了两天。而这恰恰达到了他的目的。因为到那时，当耶稣到达那里时，拉撒路已经死了四天了。我们必须明白耶稣是生命的创造者。你有没有听过一群人在一个房间里辩论莎士比亚在他非常深刻的文学作品中的含义的故事，想象一下，如果莎士比亚直接走进房间并告诉每个人，这就是他在他的文学作品中的意思。我告诉你辩论已经结束，已经解决了。为什么？因为文学或故事的作者刚刚走进房间。同样，耶稣是生命的创造者，他不仅仅是生命的帮助者或生命的医治者。他写了我们的故事。这就是为什么历史这个词真的是他的故事。

我今天要鼓励你；看到我们主耶稣基督的绝对主权和权威是多么重要。耶稣故意等到拉撒路死了，这样他就有机会得荣耀，好让神得荣耀，因为耶稣要使拉撒路从死里复活。下一个故事我会分享更多但今天被鼓励知道每次我们向我们的上帝祈祷时，他会倾听并且他从不感到惊讶，他确切地知道要做什么，事实上他决定了故事，整体的大平面图。当然，他并不决定我们生活的有限细节，但他设定了命运、世界的结果以及我们在这个世界上的生活。

在基督耶稣里赞美神，阿们。

John 11:1–4 (NASB 2020)

¹ Now a certain man was sick: Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. ³ So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” ⁴ But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not meant for death, but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”

John Chapter 11 Verse 11 says now there was a certain man who was sick Lazarus in the village of Marianne her sister mother so the sisters sent word to Jesus saying, “Lord behold he whom you love is sick.” When Jesus heard this he said the sickness is not to end in death but for the glory of God so that the son of God may be glorified by it.

Now this is very significant. Jesus talked like he’s so sure that Lazarus who was sick would not die. The question is how does he know? I would analyze it this way, Jesus it’s not about being sure, Jesus is about being the author of life. Jesus did not have to second guess what’s going to happen to Lazarus. In essence Jesus got to decide what is going to happen to Lazarus. This is very significant because it deals with the predestination of God and the sovereignty of God. You see in Genesis chapter one when God created the heavens and the earth, he came to the creation of man.

Genesis 1:26 (NASB 2020)

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.”

Moses wrote this that God said “let us make men in our image”. Who is us here? Who is our image? He can’t be talking about God talking to angels let’s make man in our image, because angels are only created being, and God is the creator. So it must be God talking to someone on par or inequality with he himself!

And that is God the Father talking to the God the Son and to God the Holy Spirit. Then the words let us make man in our image would make sense because Father Son and Holy Spirit are all equal in the Trinitarian godhead therefore they are the same. So it makes sense that God said let us make man in our image. Angels has no power to make men. They themselves are created beings like men. God cannot be talking to angels let us make men, no!

So Jesus spoke into being what’s going to happen to Lazarus. In fact after hearing the request to go to heal him, Jesus intentionally stayed two more days on his journey to see Lazarus. And that exactly accomplished his purpose. Because by that time Lazarus has been dead for four days by the time Jesus got there. We have to understand Jesus is the author of life. Have you heard the story of a group of people debating what Shakespeare means in his very profound deep literature in a room, imagine if Shakespeare walks right into the room and told everyone that this is what he means in his literature in his story. I’m telling you the debate is over, it is settled. Why? Because the author of the literature or story has just walked into the room. In the same way Jesus is the author of life, he is not just a helper of life, or healer of life. He writes our story. That’s why the word history is really His story.

I want to encourage you today; how important it is to see the absolute sovereignty and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus intentionally waited until Lazarus gone dead, so that it gives him an opportunity to be glorified, so that God can be glorified because Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the death. Next story I will share more but today be encouraged to know every time we pray to our God, he listens and he’s never surprised, he knows exactly what to do, in fact he determines the story, the overall big level scheme picture. He does not determine the finite details of our life of course, but he sets the destiny, the outcome of the world and our lives in this world.

Praise be to God in Christ Jesus, Amen.

我从我的神学教授那里学到的最伟大的陈述之一是，不服从真的来自对上帝的不信。而顺服来自于对上帝的信仰。

这很深刻，因为它解释了基督徒不服从上帝以及基督徒服从上帝的根本原因。你看夏娃被魔鬼试探时不顺服神的原因，是因为她不信神。并不是她或我们中的任何一个人为了叛逆而不服从。她不顺服是因为她在魔鬼的提示和试探下怀疑上帝的良善，上帝是否给她最好的。魔鬼试探夏娃并反问她，如果她接受善恶知识的果实，她会像上帝一样。那一刻，夏娃真的是在讨价还价，蛇的试探，立马不理会主的吩咐。如此一来，她立刻就摆出姿势，决定是相信魔鬼的半真半假，还是相信神的绝对真理，但无论如何，这都需要对神有信心和信靠。我们对上帝的信任不会受到半真半假的提议或任何形式的质疑或动摇。因为这从根本上让我们处于质疑上帝的模式。上帝在基督耶稣里将他自己全部赐给我们，因此他期望并要求新娘关系完全委身于新郎那种关系，就像在启示录的教会中是基督的新娘一样！

你看夏娃的不顺服来自于不相信上帝，不相信主的良善，不完全相信主，因此被魔鬼的谎言或半谎言所左右。她很想像上帝一样。因为上帝沉默了。这就像无中生有的上帝，那是来自谎言之父魔鬼。上帝只是说不要吃那个，如果你吃那个你会死。所以上帝希望夏娃信任他。夏娃和亚当确实必须信任他，即使他们可能并不完全了解它。

无论顺服是什么，都来自于对上帝的信仰对基督的信仰。没有对基督的信心，我们每个人都会被世界上的诱惑所左右，被魔鬼的谎言和我们自己肉体的弱点所左右。是时候处理我们自己的肉体，把我们所有的信任都放在基督身上了！你看，如果夏娃把她所有的信任都放在上帝身上，那个来自魔鬼吃水果和变得像上帝一样的问题的诱惑永远不会挑战夏娃。永远不会动摇她的心思，因为她相信上帝的良善。虽然她可能不知道或理解一切，但她应该相信上帝，这就是我们应该做的。

现在来到亚当。他确实是应该带头的人，但他完全失败了。那个关于夏娃失败的谈话叙述完全是由夏娃驱动的，亚当似乎是他妻子的追随者。这是最令人沮丧、令人心碎的事情，当男人在已婚夫妇关系中失败时。绝对不要嫁给一个不相信或不相信主良善的软弱男人。

我要敦促大家通过日夜默想神的话来真正培养对神的信心，你就会像诗篇1中一样，像生命河流中栽种的树一样。愿主祝福你。

One of  the greatest statements I’ve learned from my theology professor, is that disobedience really comes from unbelief in God. And obedience comes from belief in God.

Now this is profound, because it explains the underlying reason why a Christian disobeys God and why a Christian obeys God. You see the reason why Eve disobeyed God when she was tempted by the devil, is because she had unbelief in God. It’s not that she or any one of us  disobey for rebellious sake. She disobeyed because she doubted the goodness of the Lord as prompted and tempted by the devil whether God had the best for her. Devil tempted Eve and counter questioned her that if she took the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil she will be like God. At that moment of time, Eve was really flirting with the counteroffer, temptation from the serpent, immediately brushed aside the command of the Lord. By doing that, she postured herself immediately  to make a decision to believe the devil’s half-truth or to believe God’s absolute truth but which requires belief and trust in Him no matter what. Our trust in God cannot be questioned or swayed by half-truths offer, or any sort. Because that fundamentally puts us in a questioning God mode. God gives all of himself in Christ Jesus to us, and therefore He expects and demands a total commitment of a bride relationship to a groom kind of a relationship, like in Revelation’s church is a bride to Christ!

You see the disobedience of Eve came from not believing in God not believing in the goodness of the Lord not trusting fully in the Lord, and therefore being swayed by the lies or half lies of the devil. It was tempting for her to want to be like God. Because God was silent about. This idea is foreign to Eve, and it’s like it came from nowhere. The reality is that it came from Satan, the father of lies. It is Satanic! God simply say don’t eat that and if you eat that you will die. So God expects Eve to trust in him. Eve and Adam really must trust in him even though they may not have the full knowledge of it. That will be the same for us all. Sometimes, we may not understand everything, and yet it is precisely that produces a childlike trust in God. Thats why Jesus said “Unless you become like one of these little ones, you cant enter the kingdom of God.”

Whatever it is obedience comes from faith in God in Christ. Without faith in Christ every one of us will be swayed with temptations in the world by the lies of the devil and our own flesh weaknesses. It’s time to deal with our own flesh and by putting all our trust in Christ! You see if Eve put all her trust in God, that question temptation from the devil to eat the fruit and become like God will never move Eve. Will never sway her mind because she trusts in God’s goodness. Though she may not know or understand everything but she should trust God and that’s what we should be.

Now comes to Adam. He  really is the one should take the lead but he completely failed. That conversation narrative of the failure of Eve was completely driven by Eve and Adam seemed to be the follower of his wife. That is most disheartening, heartbreaking, when the man fails in his leadership over the marriage relationship. Seriously never marry a weak man who doesn’t believe or trust in the goodness of the Lord.

I want to urge everyone to really develop your faith in God by meditating upon the word of God day and night, and you would be like tree planted by rivers of life just like in Psalm 1. The Lord bless you.

创世记 2：20-23（ESV）
20 那人就给一切牲畜和空中的飞鸟，并田野的走兽都起了名字。但对亚当来说，没有找到适合他的助手。 21 耶和华神使那人沉睡，他睡觉的时候，取下他的一根肋骨，用肉堵住它的地方。 22 耶和华神从他所造的男人身上取下那根肋骨，带她到那男人面前。 23 那人说：
“这终于是我骨头中的骨头了
和我肉中的肉；
她将被称为女人，
因为她被从男人身上带走了。”

O Palmer Robertson 写道：“保罗说男人不是为女人造的。相反，女人是为男人而造的（哥林多前书 11:9）。男人存在的目的，被创造出来，不是为了帮助女人。但是女人被创造的目的是为了荣耀上帝，帮助男人。

圣经中的“帮助男人”这句话把婚姻中的女人描述为一个帮助者。对应于他，这意味着独一无二，只为他而设。以一种其他人无法完成的方式进行工作。创世记 2:20 说：“只是亚当没有遇见相配的助手。”

“适合他”在希伯来语中的意思是对应于他。这是一个非常重要的声明，因为没有其他人与亚当相容。因此亚当感到孤独。上帝进来了，提供了一个特定的帮助者来补充他孤独的生活。

从这里我们可以真实地、超然地说出上帝是普罗维登斯的上帝，世界上没有其他人可以做到！当亚当孤独时，他满足了他的需要。上帝提供。作为他合适的帮手。而希伯来语中的“帮手”这个词是一种特殊的帮助，其他人无法完成这一角色。这不是一般的帮助。但它是一个特定的、独特的、乐于助人的亚当。你看到上帝的旨意了吗？比你自己的好多了。为自己准备。

现在女人对男人的帮手这个词只出现在这个世界上，因为当我们都到了天堂时，就没有婚姻了。女人作为男人助手的角色将停止。这个人的帮助是为了完成上帝在我们这个世界的文化中荣耀他的荣耀呼召。因此，婚姻关系中的男人和女人必须在这个世界上荣耀上帝，这是上帝对这对夫妇的呼召。

圣经还说，因此男人应该忠于自己，因此男人应该离开父母，忠于妻子，成为一个肉体，只有上帝赐给他的女人才能与人合体。

创世记 2：24-25（ESV）
24 所以，人要离开父母，抱住妻子，他们就合而为一了。 25 那人和他的妻子都赤身露体，并不感到羞耻。

没有人会离开父母而依附于另一个人，因为这违反了神圣的秩序，也就是创造的秩序。男人对女人依恋的原因首先是因为女人是由男人创造的，因此男人要回到女人身边，成为一个肉身，就像上帝最初的创造一样。

创世记 2:20 说在创造中找不到与人类相对应的帮助者。只有从与他相对应的男人中创造出来的女人才能使她得到他需要的适当帮助。这是非常重要的。因为女人的角色是非常独特的，是上帝为她所命定的男人所特有的。没有人应该贬低婚姻。因此婚姻是神圣的，因为它是上帝命定的一部分。任何破坏创造秩序的人都将面临启示录中即将到来的审判的后果。

现在必须清楚的是，女人的独特之处表明，就一个人而言，她们的角色不亚于男人。同样，她在自己身上有着上帝创世记 1:27 的形象和样式。只有在人格上平等，女人才能与男人相对应。罗宾逊说。因此，对应于上帝创造的男人意味着他们在人格上是平等的，即使女人是男人的助手。那个帮助者的意思是，在呼召在这个世界上荣耀上帝时，他可以做一些人无法完美完成的事情。所以男人需要女人就像女人需要男人一样。这个世界试图破坏那个神圣的秩序，这会破坏上帝为这个世界创造和命定的完美和谐。创作会因为这种破坏而呻吟和呻吟，并且会有后果。

女人作为男人的帮手，是为了让所有的创造都达到圆满的目的。在天堂里，男人既不结婚也不结婚 马太福音 22 章 30 节。 O Palmer Robinson 说，一旦实现了完美的状态，女人的角色就会帮助男人结束。女人在她自己身上带着上帝的形象

应该在她自己的完整性中享受圆满。

这非常重要，因为女人可以独立于男人或与男人合作来达到自己的完整性。但我只想强调上帝对男女的个人呼召。这两种性别应该共同努力，使地球归于上帝的荣耀。夏娃与亚当一起完成了他的任务，即形成一种文化，荣耀创造者呼唤我的上帝，直到今天，直到与基督的最终完美状态返回为止，情况都是如此。

罗伯逊写了女人的最终状况，发现在福音方面男女平等的逻辑预期。就凭信心回应上帝的福音加拉太书 3:28 的特权和责任而言，没有男性或女性。

现在，这是帕默·罗宾逊 (Palmer Robinson) 的另一项重要声明，即当我们所有人都与我们的救世主耶稣基督结婚时，对女人的合乎逻辑的预期是到达天堂。现在我们有责任传播耶稣基督的福音。

婚姻是男人的创造秩序意图，当保罗在哥林多前书 1 章 7 中说“未婚的人对男人有好处”时，必须看到没有矛盾，一个是被搁置一边的，即创造的“男人独自一人是不好的”创世记 2 :18 基于保持单身状态的必要礼物，并且由于哥林多前书 7:28 中的当前压力，女人可能会保持未婚状态。

在创造中，上帝命令意味着繁衍、遍满地球，这条诫命对男人在婚姻关系中的角色具有重要意义。男人必须爱护和珍惜他的妻子。他必须特别照顾她，因为她履行了生育孩子的职责。保罗说丈夫要爱他的妻子，就像基督爱教会并为以弗所书 525 献上自己一样。因此，他有责任在婚姻关系中担任元首。然而，他必须不是一个臃肿的脑袋，也不是一个霸道的脑袋，而是一个拯救的脑袋。

1 Cor 11:11-12 “.. 在主里，女人也不独立于男人，喧闹的男人也不独立于女人。首先，女人是从男人而生，男人也是从女人而生，万有都是从神而来。所以主人将他的存在归功于女人，反之亦然，女人也是。”

珍惜和爱你的妻子是一个非常崇高的呼召，正如妻子顺服丈夫是一个崇高的呼召。这是唯一可能的，因为我们侍奉崇高呼召的上帝。最终，我们都会与即将到来的新郎结婚。阿门。

Genesis 2:20–23 (ESV)

²⁰ The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²² And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³ Then the man said,

       “This at last is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

       she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of Man.”

O Palmer Robertson [1]writes, “ Paul  states that the man was not created for the woman. Instead, the woman was created for the man (1Corinthians 11:9). The purpose of the man’s existence, as created, is not to be a help to the woman. But the purpose of the woman’s existence as created is to glorify God in being a help to the man.

 The words “being a help to the man” in the scripture presents the woman in a marriage, as to be a helper. Corresponding to him, that means uniquely and specifically only for him. To put in a way that no one else can do the job. Genesis 2:20 says, “But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.”

“Fit for him” in Hebrew means corresponding to him.[2] This is a tremendously important statement because there was no one else compatible to Adam. And hence Adam was feeling lonely. And God came in and provided a specific helper to add his lonely life.

From here we can tell God is a God of Providence in a real way, a transcendent way, that no one else in the world can!  He meets his needs, when Adam was lonely. God provided. As suitable helpmate for him. And the word “helper” in Hebrew language is a specific help that no one else can fulfill that role. It’s not a general help. But it’s a specific, unique, helpful Adam. You see God’s Providence? Is much better than your own. Provision for yourself.

Now the word helper for the woman to the man only happens in this world because when we all get to heaven there is no marriage. And the woman’s role as helper to the man will cease. The helping of the man is to fulfill the glorious call of God to glorify him in our culture in this world. Therefore man and woman in their marriage relationship has to glorify God in this world and that’s a calling of God for the couple together.

The Bible also says therefore a man shall cleave to the therefore a man shall leave his parents and cleave to his wife and become one flesh that cleaving can only happen to the woman that God has given to him.

Genesis 2:24–25 (ESV)

²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. ²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

There is no such thing as a man leaves his parents and cleaved to another man because that is against the divine order, the order of creation. And the reason man is cleaving to the woman is because first and foremost the woman was created from the man and therefore the man is going back to the woman and become one flesh just like in the original creation of God.

Genesis 2:20 says that no way in creation could be found a helper corresponding to the men. Only the woman as created from the man corresponding to him in a way that will make her appropriate help he needed. This is very significant. Because the role of woman is very unique and specific to the man that God has ordained for her. No one should downwash marriage. Therefore marriage is sacred because it’s part of the ordination of God. Anyone disrupting that created order will face the consequences of the judgment coming as in the book of Revelations.

Now it must be clear the distinctive of the woman indicates their role is no less significant than the man with respect to a person. Equally with the man she bears in herself the image and likeness of God Genesis 1:27. Only as equal in personhood could the woman correspond to the man.[3] Says Robinson. So therefore that corresponding to the man as created by God means they are equal in personhood in significance, even though woman is to be helper to the man. That helper is in the sense of doing the things that men cannot do perfectly in the call to glorify God in this world. Therefore the man needs the woman as much as the woman needs the men. This world tries to disrupt that divine order, and that would disrupt the perfect harmony God has created and ordained for this world. Creations would groan and moan because of that disruption, and there will be consequences.

Woman’s role as a helper to the men is for the purpose of bringing all creation to its consummation goal. In heaven, man neither marry nor are given in marriage Matthew 22 verse 30. O Palmer Robinson says once the consummate state has been realized, the woman’s role is helped the man would come to an end. Bearing God’s image in her own person, the woman should enjoy consummation in her own completeness. [4]

This is tremendously significant because woman would reach her own completeness independent of the man or with teamwork with a man. But I just want to emphasize the individual calling of God for both genders. These two genders ought to work together to subdue the earth to the glory of God. Eve joined Adam in his task of forming a culture glorifying to God the creator called me and that is the case till today in counting until the final consummate state with Christ returns.

Robertson wrote the ultimate condition of the woman finds asked a logical anticipation in the equality of men and women with respect to the gospel. There is neither male nor female with respect to the privilege and responsibility of responding in faith to the gospel of God Galatians 3:28. [5]

Now this is another significant statement by Palmer Robinson that in the end time logical anticipation of the woman is to reach in heaven when we all are married to the groom our savior Jesus Christ. For now we are responsible to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Marriage stands as the creation ordered intention for men, no contradiction must be seen when Paul says “it is good for men not married” in 1 Corinthians 7 one is set aside that creational “it is not good that man should be alone “genesis 2:18 on the basis of the necessary gift to remain in the single state, and due to the present stress in 1 Corinthians 7:28, A woman maybe may remain unmarried.

In creation God commanded meant multiplying, fill the earth this commandment contains significant implications to the role of men in the marriage relationship. Men must love and cherish his wife. He must care for her particularly as she fulfills her role in bearing children. Paul says husband is to love his wife even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for its Ephesians 525. He therefore has the responsibility of functioning as head in the marriage relationship. Yet he must function not as bloated head nor a domineering head but as saving head.[6]

1 Cor 11:11-12 “.. in the Lord neither is woman independent of a man, noise man independent of woman. First the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman, and all things originate from God. So the main owes his existence to the woman and vice versa the woman too.”

To cherish and love your wife is a very high calling as much as for the wife to submit to the husband it’s a high calling. That’s only possible because we serve the God of high calling. Eventually we will all be married to the bridegroom that is to come. Amen.

[1] O. Palmer Robertson, The Christof the Covenants, 80-83

[2] Ditto

[3] Ibid

[4] Ibid

[5] Ibid

[6] Ibid

約翰福音 7：50-52
50 曾到他那裡去的尼哥底母，也是他們中的一個，對他們說： 51 “我們的律法豈不是先審訊人，不知道他的所作所為，就審判他嗎？” 52 他們回答說：“你也是加利利人嗎？查考看，沒有先知是從加利利興起的。”

我對法利賽人基於應許的彌賽亞來自伯利恆這一事實而拒絕基督的神性的這種論點感到非常沮喪和不安，但是人們對耶穌來自加利利的地方的普遍認識和觀念僅僅因為他在那里長大.但是沒有人反駁或澄清基督實際上出生在伯利恆（正如大衛出生在伯利恆），而不是在加利利。他剛在加利利長大。那個時候為什麼沒有人反駁那些法利賽人呢？

有時我不禁想知道，在耶穌與不斷試圖殺死他的法利賽人的爭論中，歷史會被改寫為有利於耶穌。人們正在尋找將他釘在十字架上的理由。最後，他們得到了一份對耶穌本人的 12 個門徒之一的背叛者的認罪！好吧，他們明白了，我想這只是為了實現基督所寫的，他必須死在十字架上，為世界的罪孽付出代價。

但我的論點始終是，為了今天的猶太人，約翰福音 7:52 將成為有史以來最具誤導性的話語之一。事實上，我認為這是當時猶太民族的絆腳石。因為你在第 50 節看到尼哥德慕，他自己也是祭司之一，他爭辯說“我們的法律不會審判一個人，除非他聽到他和他所做的事情。”尼哥底母已經在為耶穌辯護，他應該得到免費審判。但最關鍵的一點是，法利賽人關閉尼哥德慕的方式是極其異端和可恥的。

你知道這適用於今天的情況，我們正在尋求在這個世界上建立真正的彌賽亞，他是耶穌基督，基於我們通過上帝的話語和聖經對他的信仰。然而，人們正在使用錯誤的前提來詆毀他。像經院，也像啟蒙。在歐洲，他們從耶穌行神蹟的福音中徹底刪除了任何超自然的東西！他們試圖去神化耶穌是誰，稱他為好人或好上師。從本質上講，他們試圖使神聖人性化。

將神性化為人性，是宇宙中最大的罪惡。這就是魔鬼對夏娃所做的，引誘她吃伊甸園裡的禁果。吃了它，你會沒事的，你會像上帝一樣。魔鬼將果實從“你會死”錯誤地標記為“你會像上帝”。你又看到這裡的錯誤標籤了嗎？你看到教育的力量了嗎？洗腦的威力？

那麼在今天的背景下，我們如何對待耶穌這個人？這個問題值得我們高度重視。人們放下你正在做的一切，在你的家人、你的城市、你的國家、我們的世界一起弄清楚你生活中的這個問題。除非這個問題得到解決，否則我們心中就沒有平安和沙洛姆。我們必須深入了解耶穌來自哪裡！法利賽人說沒有先知從加利利升起，這一事實表明這種無知或故意否認真理。而其中最危險的部分，這句話本身就是真實的。沒有先知來自加利利，但耶穌出生在伯利恆！

從加利利打電話給他很方便，可以給他貼上標籤，把他從宇宙的寶座上踢下來。就像今天的社會一樣，我們看到有力量將真實事物重新貼上標籤，並將其重構為其他東西，以誤導和譴責真相本身。我們面臨著不斷的鬥爭，我們需要在我們的社會中進行一些反省。在我們的社區社會中，如果我們沒有看到耶穌的真實面目，就需要更清晰、誠實地認罪和承認我們錯過了它。以一種比喻的方式，如果我們將耶穌視為來自加利利的人，因此他不是我們的彌賽亞，那麼就錯過了整個真相！

我們錯過了一切！因為耶穌實際上出生在伯利恆而不是加利利。他只是在加利利長大，但實際上他出生在大衛出生的城市。這完全應驗了經文。

彌迦書 5：2-3（ESV）
2 伯利恆以法他啊，你啊，
他們太少，不屬於猶大的宗族，
你會為我而來
一位要在以色列作統治者的人，
其出自古，
從遠古時代。
3 所以他要交出他們，直到時候
分娩的時候；
然後他的兄弟們會回來
給以色列人。

路加福音 2：4-7（ESV）
4 約瑟也從加利利的拿撒勒城上猶太去，到了大衛的城，名叫伯利恆，因為他是大衛的家族和世系的人，5 要與他所賭的馬利亞登記

羅斯德，他帶著孩子。 6 他們在那裡的時候，她生產的時候到了。 7 她生了頭胎的兒子，用布包起來，放在馬槽裡，因為客棧裡沒有地方。

這就是我們的聖誕故事！！

法利賽人把那作為他的出生地並釘在他長大的地方是多麼方便，這是重新貼標籤！！

今天，我們受到大眾媒體、書籍、脫口秀節目的轟炸，它們不尊重耶穌是誰的現實和真理。我們的社會已經把耶穌變成了一位宗教大師，沒有他所擁有的神性力量和榮耀。人們拒絕談論他的神性，就像法利賽人拒絕談論他的出生地伯利恆一樣。他們專注於加利利。今天我們看到人們關注耶穌的宗教信仰，自由主義者甚至從他那裡繼承了他良好的道德教義。就像幫助窮人一樣，不要邊緣化被剝奪的人，善待難民。當今世界所做的就是從聖經中選擇性地選擇他們喜歡的並拒絕他們不喜歡的。

他們不喜歡這樣一個事實，例如，你要追溯你的生命來自出生，而詩篇說“在我母親的子宮裡，你看到我在我母親的子宮裡”。

詩篇 139：因為你創造了我的內心；
你在我母親的子宮裡把我編織在一起。
14 我讚美你，因我受造奇妙可畏；
你的作品很棒，
我很清楚這一點。

你看我！我是一個人嗎？不對，這不是一個人？我會根據你的良心來辯論。

是時候讓我們回到伯利恆的耶穌了。不要再從畫廊中將耶穌標記為人或先知。他實際上來自伯利恆，與大衛王的出生城市相同。耶穌完全應驗了預言救世主降生在伯利恆的經文。安妮耶穌作為上帝的羔羊應驗了聖經，當他死在十字架上時，他為各國犧牲了。耶穌藉著聖靈的能力由童貞女馬利亞所生，應驗了聖經。

讓我們帶著良知、誠實和謙遜來看待這一切。並認識我們的上帝。阿門

Jesus of Galilee or Bethlehem?

John 7:50–52

⁵⁰ Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, ⁵¹ “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” ⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

I am very frustrated and upset with this kind of argument the Pharisees is rejecting the divinity of Christ based on the fact that the promised Messiah is from Bethlehem, however the common knowledge and notion of Jesus is that he’s from Galilee just because he grew up there. But nobody rebutted or clarified that Christ was actually born in Bethlehem (as David was born in Bethlehem), not in Galilee. He just grew up in Galilee. Why didn’t somebody dispute those Pharisees at that time?

I sometimes can’t help but wonder would history have been rewritten to the favor of Jesus in his dispute an argument with the Pharisees who were constantly trying to kill him. There were seeking for a reason to nail him to the cross. And finally they got one confession of the betrayer of one of the 12 disciples of Jesus himself! OK they got it, I guess this is just to fulfill what has been written of Christ he had to die on the cross to pay for the price of the sins of the world.

But my contention is always that for the sake of the Jewish people today that  John 7:52 will go down as one of the most misleading words of all time. In fact I would take it that is the stumbling block of the Jewish nation at that time. Because you see in verse 50 Nikodemus, who is himself one of the priests, has contended that “ our law does not judge a person unless he hears from him and what is he doing.” Nicodemus is already speaking up to defend Jesus in a way that he deserves a free trial. But nonetheless the most crucial point is the way the Pharisees shut down Nikodemus is of utmost heresy and scandalous.

You know that applies to today context, we are seeking to establish the true Messiah in this world, who Jesus Christ really is, based on our faith in him through the word of God the holy scripture. However people are using false premises to discredit him. Like the scholastics, and also the enlightenment. In Europe, they completely removed anything supernatural from the gospels that Jesus performed miracles! They tried to de-divinize who Jesus is and call him as a good person, or a good guru. Essentially they tried to humanize the divine.

 To change divinity to humanity is the biggest evil in the universe. That’s what the devil did to Eve, tempting her to take the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Eat it, you will be fine, you will be like God. The devil mislabeled the fruit from “you will die” to “you will be like God”. You see the mis-labeling here again? You see the power of education? The power of brain washing?

So in today’s context what do we do with this person Jesus? This question deserves our utmost attention. Folks drop everything you are doing, figure out this question in your life in your family in your city in your country in our world together. Unless this question is settled there is no peace no Shalom in our hearts. We’ve got to get to the bottom of where is Jesus from! The fact that the Pharisees say no prophet rises from Galilee shows such flipping ignorance or intentional denial of the truth. And the most dangerous part of it, that statement in itself is true. No prophet comes from Galilee, but Jesus is born in Bethlehem!

It’s convenient to call him from Galilee in a way to label him and knock him out of the throne of the universe. It is the same way today society we see forces to relabel what is true and reconstruct it to be something else to mislead and to condemn the truth itself. We face a constant struggle and we need to do some soul searching in our society. In our community society, there needs to be a clearer and honest confession and admission that we have missed it, if we have not looked at who Jesus really is in the face. In a metaphoric way, if we look at Jesus as from Galilee and therefore he is not our Messiah, there were missed the whole truth!

We missed everything! Because Jesus is actually born in Bethlehem not in Galilee. He simply grew up in Galilee but he was actually born in the city where David was born. This completely fulfilled the scriptures.

Micah 5:2–3 (ESV)

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.

to the people of Israel.

Luke 2:4–7 (ESV)

⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

That’s our Christmas story!!

How convenient for the Pharisees to remove that as his birthplace and to nail in his growing up place, this is re-labelling!!  

Today we are bombarded with mass media, books, talk shows, they do not honor the reality and the truth of who Jesus is. Our society has made Jesus into a religious guru, devoid of the divinity power and glory that he has. People refuse to talk about his divinity, just like the Pharisees refuse to talk about his birthplace which is Bethlehem. They focus on Galilee. And today we see people focus on the religiosity of Jesus, and the liberals even adopted his good ethics teachings from him. Like helping the poor ,don’t marginalize the deprived and be kind to the refugees. What the world today has done is selectively choose what they like and reject what they don’t like from the Bible.

They don’t like the fact that for example you shall trace your life comes from birth and psalms says “in my mother’s womb you see me in my mother’s womb”.

Psalm 139: For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

You see me! Is me a person? No, it’s not a person? I would debate that according to your conscience.

it’s time for us to go back to the Jesus of Bethlehem. Stop tagging Jesus as a man or prophet from gallery. He is actually from Bethlehem the same birth town of King David. Jesus absolutely fulfilled the scriptures that prophesized the savior come into the world being born in Bethlehem. Jesus fulfilled the scriptures as a Lamb of God who was sacrificed for the nations when he died on the cross. Jesus fulfilled the scripture as he was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s look at all this with good conscience and honesty and with humility. And to know our God.

Amen.