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Category Archives: trial

The two sorts of trouble in this world

12 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by memoirandremains in affliction, Hope, trial, Uncategorized

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Affliction, Hope, patience, Pilgrim's Progress, Suffering, Trial

In Pilgrim’s Progress, Apollyon stops Christian and seeks to turn him aside from the way. One argument which Apollyon presses is the sheer difficulty of seeking to follow after Christ in this world,

Consider again, when thou art in cool blood, what thou art like to meet with in the way that thou goest. Thou knowest that for the most part his servants come to an ill end, because they are transgressors against me and my ways. How many of them have been put to shameful deaths! And besides, thou countest his service better than mine; whereas he never yet came from the place where he is, to deliver any that served him out of their enemies’ hands: but as for me, how many times, as all the world very well knows, have I delivered, either by power or fraud, those that have faithfully served me, from him and his, though taken by them! And so will I deliver thee.

John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come. As Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation.” John 16:33.

The Beatitudes which begin the Sermon on the Mount list out poor of spirit, mourning, meekness, hungering and thirsting (after righteousness), showing mercy and making peace, capped with two promises of persecution: first to the first persecuted, then he shifts and says “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”

The Church is sent out as lambs among wolves. And, this side of the age to come, there is little promise of respite.However, there is a comfort in all of this.

There are two evils which come from trouble: first there is the trouble itself, second there is the response to the trouble. We can do very little with the first trouble: the world is cursed and a grave stands at the end of every life. For those who seek to follow Christ, there is often an extra measure of trouble. These troubles are largely unavoidable.

But the second trouble comes from how we think about the first.

We have many difficulties which we undertake willingly to bring about a better end. A joint replacement surgery is quite painful (from what is reported), but the end result is worth the pain. Therefore, the pain is not experienced as an unmitigated tragedy, but as a moment to be endured for a better end. We encourage children with school by pointing to the good of an education. Athletes undergo great privation to compete.

This evil which comes from the response to the unavoidable trials of life brings the greatest pain and sorrow. When we look through the first trial to see the end, we can persevere and endure. We are commend to look “to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross”. Jesus lived through the cross for the good that would result.

It is hope which makes helps us to endure sorrow. We can afford to mourn, for we shall be comforted. We can afford the cost of showing mercy and making peace, because we shall receive mercy and be brought into God’s family. This will require hope and expectation and patience. But our hope and patience will be well rewarded.

Good Mood Bad Mood, Charles D. Hodge M.D.

17 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in Biblical Counseling, Book Review, trial

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anti-depressive, Biblical Counseling, Bipolar, Book Review, Charles H. Hodge, Depression, Good Mood Bad Mood, Medication, Over diagnosis

Charles Hodge, a medical doctor and biblical counselor, considers the matter of depression and bipolar disorder. In the first five chapters, he surveys the medical literature to argue there has been a massive over diagnosis of “depression” — not because the persons who present to the physician do not meet the DSM criteria [but even here there is a problem, because 25% of psychiatrists and 50% of general practitioners admit that they do not use the DSM IV criteria in making a diagnosis], but rather that the criteria capture too many false positives: the criteria do not distinguish between “normal” and “disordered” sadness.

“‘Normal sadness’ is something that happens to most of us when we lose something very important to us” (62). Such sadness will correspond to the nature of the loss and will alleviate when the trouble has been removed. Relying on the work of Horwitz and Wakefield, Hodge draws the correlation between 90% of the patients who show no benefit over a placebo for “depression” treatment and those who apparently are just sad and not “depressed”:

If the estimate is correct and 90 percent of those diagnosed with depression are simply sad because of a significant loss, it may also be that they are the 90 percent of patients for whom current medication is no more effective than a placebo. (68-69)

What of the other 10 percent:

I am often asked if I believe that the 10 percent with explained sadness represent a disease. The answer is: I do’t know. Nor does anyone else. No one in medicine, psychology, or biblical counseling should surrender to the argument that prolonged unexplained sadness is a disease. We should want a better explanation ….Until we have a pathological explanation for the 10 percent, we should be willing to say, “I don’t know.” (71)

Hodge then proceeds to discuss the ways in which sadness can produce good results. He first looks at the general research on the ways in which sadness can do good a person following a loss. He next looks at sadness in light of how the Scripture discusses sadness and hope. He discusses sadness in light of one’s desire and loss of expectation — and then the motive of one who has experienced such loss. I will not try to summarize his argument and the points of counseling (buy the book). However, I can provide the matrix in which he discusses sadness and loss:

[T]rouble and sorrow have great value when we pursue it guided by 2 Corinthians 7:10 [For godly grief produces a repentance [a change of thinking and living] that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.] When we choose to see sorrow the way God intends [as means and catalyst for transformation] we do not sorrow as those who have no hope. Godly sorrow leads to changes in our mind’s perspective and our heart’s priorities. The sorrow of the world often leads to deadly detours in living. (155).

The final chapters deal with bipolar disorder. In these chapters he carefully distinguishes between bipolar I (the old manic depressive) which plainly appears to be a medical condition, and bipolar II which has a much broader diagnostic criteria and may often be the result of side effects from (unnecessary) anti-depression medication.

The book ends with an appendix on the Gospel and another appendix on diseases which cause depression/depressive symptoms.

Recommendation: Buy it, read it.

New Testament References to the Ascension.1

24 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in Ascension, Christology, Ephesians, Incarnation, Matthew, trial, Uncategorized

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ascension, christology, Ephesians 4, Hebrews 9:24, incarnation, Matthew 1:18-25, reconciliation, redemption

The ascension must first be understood as an element of descent:

8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?
10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Ephesians 4:8-10

Thus, references to the ascension must not neglect the incarnation as references:

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25.

Some observations respecting the eventual ascension. The Holy Spirit superintends the Incarnation: “she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit”. It is now the Holy Spirit who communicates the ascended Christ to us.

The work of the Incarnation sought the reconciliation: He will save the people form their sins. The work of Christ in the ascension is (in part) to make intercession (Hebrews 9:24).

The work of the ascended Christ begins with the intention of the Incarnation.

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Recent Posts

  • A need for justice
  • The underlying rhetoric of “imposing” religion or “morality” used by the Dobbs’ Dissent [“imposing your religion”]
  • The Wonderful Combat, Sermon 3.4 (ends and means)
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