In keeping with the theme of this blog; that Isaac did not save or redeem himself, another "triangulation" comes to mind. Nowhere, in Luke's or Mark's Gospels do we read that the initiative for tearing off the roof of a house and lowering of a man...came from the man. The Bible says, "when Jesus saw their faith...."

Healed through the faith of our friends!


Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

The Post-modern attempts to invalidate what Christ said, usually begin with an attack upon the flawed efforts of imperfect men to be accurate in recording exactly what Jesus stated. Even Pastors, graduates of Seminary Schools having advanced degrees may question "just what Christ meant" and some attribute what we are reading to men who were not present when Christ utterred his words - probably in Aramaic.

Additionally, the attack continues with mathmatical calculations used by "other life" proponants in our, or other galaxies. Such people advance their speculation in an effort to invalidate the Genesis stories. These detractors propose that, like dozens of bicycle spokes leading to one hub, there can be many paths to God/Eternal Life. They frequently outline the "buffet" approach to faith and suggest that anyone can take their own spiritual "plate," stroll up to the buffet and select portions from a vast array of incongruous selections.

Jesus stated that He is the Truth, the Way and the Life and no man comes to the father, except by him. Theologically, He presents himself as the only bridge that has spanned the chasm caused in Genesis 3 - the seperation from God and removal of access to the Tree of Life - he is the only bridge that leads to the perfect destination.

Yet our neighbors and family members decide upon the wrong paths, unbelieving that the bridge is out and their eternal opportunities face peril.

In 1974, in Tasmania, Australia, one man was able to stop his vehicle before plunging off the Hobart Bridge after a span collapsed due to a collision between a barge and the bridge's piers. The man exited his car and ran back against traffic, wildly swinging his arms and shouting at drivers that "the bridge is out." Some people heeded his warning and their mortal lives were spared. Others proceeded and plunged to their deaths.

If Jesus has lied, we have no bridge. If He has told the truth and you are on any other path..."the bridge is out!"

In order to be God, God must be omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.

Several weeks ago, during Bible study in Galatians, the men were discussing Abraham’s “first” son, Ishmael. They discussed how his position and God’s blessing accorded him status and position.

Later, we discussed God’s words found in Genesis. At Genesis 22:2, God says, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains I will tell thee of.”

Is God confused, or mistaken? Did God forget Ishmael?

Some years ago, in a different Bible Study, some men contested the authorship of the Pentateuch, claiming that Moses, or any man, could not write about their own death and burial. They held firm in this position, even when they were reminded of their own amateur Egyptology claims and the accounts that Pharaohs participated in the design of their own tombs, inscriptions and histories. When they were reminded that Jesus addressed Moses’ authorship:

John 5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

They were in a fix, some reminded them that Jesus possessed the omniscience of God. They were asked, “Was Jesus confused, or mistaken?”

Jesus stated that Moses wrote of Jesus.

God spoke of Isaac as Abraham’s only son.

Moses, Jesus and Billy Graham have all identified two general areas where each of us should direct our being in two step fashion. Simply, they are these:

First - Vertical; towards God! (The First and Greatest Commandment)

a. First give Him our Heart (Christian Piety)
b. Second, our minds (Christian Study)
c. Third, our hands and feet (Christian service)

Jesus, said, “…with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.”

Second - Horizontal, towards humanity (the 2nd Commandmant)

This Blog was created because a brother in Christ conducted his own analysis of the Bible (mostly from Christ’s sayings) and concluded that everything is reduced to the horizontal –or - #2, above.

A group of us spent more than one year, one day a week for two hours, reviewing and hashing-out his perspective and everyone concluded that God’s highest priority is the soul of everyone he creates.

Yet the member we met with found himself at the James’ passage which emphasizes works. We found that we went full circle with our friend, however, he revealed that he is obsessed with his own failure and inadequacy to perform sufficient works, and he began to place ours under his microscope.

We pointed to the thief on the cross, a believer who went to Paradise; but one who had no opportunity to perform any works. He couldn’t be water-baptized, couldn’t distribute a Bible or a sandwich…he just believed.

So the blog was started with an effort to illustrate, through scripture and images from religious art, that the action role is entirely God’s – as it pertains to Redemption; hence Isaac’s Redemption. The progressive examples of individuals and groups taking no action of their own, yet being redeemed, continue to be featured on this site.

Yet, as I reviewed it last week, I found an anymous post from someone who wanted to counter the faith redemption Bible examples [God-only redemption stories] and try to empower man with his own control by citing James.

The thief on the cross and Isaac stand as Biblical examples of two men who did not save themselves. Each was spared. At the moment of their redemption, neither is recorded as having done anything with regard to the second commandment espoused by Moses and Jesus.

My redemption came 2,000 years ago through the blood of a blameless Lamb of God, through nothing I did. As I strive to attend to the requirements of the First and Greatest Commandment, I am mindful of the second.

But as to redemption, man is incapable of saving himself!

Of Course Mortal Man Will Seek for Chinks in the Armor-clad Bible. How else can a man displace God's Word with his own?

There is a very real paradox when one's ordained Pastor says or writes that he is reading a book that sets forth the notion that the Bible (66 Book, Protestant Bible) is a flawed document because it was written by "flawed" men.

The major reason for the paradox is that ordained pastors are presumed to be Bible exhorters; not Bible critics, certainly not Bible-flaw seekers.

As a Gideon, I had to publically proclaim Protestant Bible inerrancy.

But I have taken the note which was sent to me by my open-minded pastor and I have considered its ramifications. Unfortunately, they lead to a false loop containing circuitous reasoning.

Accepting the premise, for the sake of a discussion, if something touched by man is always "flawed" because of the very "flawed" nature of man; then to whom do seekers turn in order to find the truth, the way and the life? By lowering the stautus of the Protestant Bible, do ordained pastors find elevation? Should we stop reading the Bible and start reading the book my pastor is reading...or just sit down at the pastors feet so he can translate the essence of the book for our digestion?

If the ways and vagaries of man are changing and the Bible is regarded as "fixed" or closed; why would a pastor challenge anyone to consider concepts from a 21st century "flawed-man" written book that challenges the premises of the Bible?

I can only conclude that a dynamic exists that may be the reverse of a wise statement issued by John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin:

John3:28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, Iam not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. John3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: butthe friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him,rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this myjoy therefore is fulfilled. John3:30 He must increase, but I ®must¯ decrease. John3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he thatis of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: hethat cometh from heaven is above all. John3:32 And what he hath seen and heard, that hetestifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. John3:33 He that hath received his testimony hath set tohis seal that God is true.

I can only conclude that any man's efforts to diminish the Bible is an effort, by "man," to self-increase.

We should subordinate ourselves to the Bible.

Prior to the giving of the law to the Levite, Moses, two men served as High Priests for the purpose of intervening for others in accordance with God's purposes.

Melchizedek provided Communion to Abraham and Abraham played an important role in the redemption of his son, Isaac.

Neither man was a descendant of the tribe of Levi, since Levi would descend from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Paul uses reference to these early Priests to illustrate that God does not only draw His agents from the lone tribe of Levi and He emphasizes this with Jesus, who is from the tribe of Judah.

In the first Passover, God instructed every male head of household to perform the intervening act of providing for the first born by slaying the lamb, spreading the blood, roasting the lamb and disposing of it before sunrise as a redemptive act for every firstborn in that household.

How does that apply to you and me?

Can we say that we have no Priestly responsibilities? Or does the Great Commission empower us and place the responsibility to intervene for others upon our shoulders?

Nick Harris, a retired Methodist Preacher once stated, "Dads, it's not pastor's responsibility to bring the Lamb to your children. It's not mom's responsibility. It's your responsibility, dad."

On the original Passover, firstborns were spared. They didn't spare themselves. Those firstborns were spared because of the obedience of God's agents who took actions prescribed by God.

Acting in behalf of others, in faith, we can be priests leading to the redemption of others.

At four year intervals, people around the world watch as men and women compete in the Marathon at the Olympics. Great attention is given to the winners - who, of course, have finished that race. Somehow, their accomplishment is complete in less than 3 hours. In America, people also give large amounts of attention to the Marine Corps Marathon and the Boston Marathon. Somehow, finishing a 3 hour accomplishment, backed by thousands of hours of training, is regarded highly by many people.

A portion of the importance of the accomplishment lies in the history of the victory at Marathon and a messenger's 26+ mile run that is linked to the first Olympics, in Greece, sponsored by Pericles.

Three or four hundred years later, Saul of Tarsus had his name changed after an encounter with Jesus along the road to Damascus. Subsequently, he wrote as Paul about the spiritual need to believe in the Ressurrected Jesus by Faith, to enter the Spiritual Race and he encouraged his readers to finish the "race."

Paul never advocated dropping out.

He never advocated "coasting" through one's mortal life.

While the Thief on the Cross entered "the race" at the last few steps, Jesus indicates that the Thief crossed the finish line. Other believers have entered the Spiritual Race for hundreds and thousands of days, depending upon the hour they first believed. In this sense, the Hellenistic laurels that come to a single winner of a three hour footrace are dwarfed by the quantity of runners who have entered the Spiritual Race...and many of those "runners" can all claim the prize.

In this age, winners receive a gold medal after placing first at a modern Olympic Marathon. Twenty-three hundred years ago, the winner received a wreath of laurel leaves.

For more than 2,000 years, the Spiritual Prize awaits every believer who enters the Spiritual Race and finishes it. Praise God for Paul!