Round the Sphere Again: Complementarianism

Scoring the Debate
Should complementarianism be acknowledged as a timeless biblical norm or rejected as an outdated cultural standard? Joe Carter summarizes the debate (The Gospel Coalition Blog). 

Reasoning from Scripture
Sarah Flashing argues convincingly that patriarchy was God’s plan for creation before he created: “Patriarchy delivers us to the cosmic chivalry that is the gospel” (The Center for Women of Faith in Culture).

Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful that God is all-knowing. I may be able to fool those around me, but God knows everything about me. I can’t hide my shortcomings and offences from him, so pretense is useless. There’s true freedom in that, especially since my all-knowing God is also a God who forgives, something else for which I’m also thankful. 

I’m thankful that because God knows everything, he can lead me and protect me and sanctify me. God knows what I need before I do, so he can answer my prayer before I ask it. He knows when I am in trouble and he has the power to deliver me. He knows where I am growing in sanctification and where I need more of his sanctifying work. God’s complete and infinite knowledge is a glorious thing! 

I’m thankful for seeds sprouted in the garden and a nesting flycatcher in the hanging flower basket on the front porch. I’m thankful for the promise of four little eggs—so far. I’m thankful that God sends the rain for the garden and provides for the birds of the air.  

I’m thankful for Thankful Thursdays, when I can post a few things I’m thankful for and read what others are thankful for, too.

The Hidden Life of Prayer, Chapter 3

After reading the third chapter of The Hidden Life of Prayer by David McIntyre,  I still don’t understand why so many are enthusiastic about it. It’s the book to read for the latest round for Reading the Classics Together at Challies.com, and I’m reading along, but finding it a little bit tedious and uninspiring. I’ll give it another week or two. Who knows; my perspective might change as I read more.

This week’s reading was about the attitude we should have when we approach God in prayer. The first point is that we should “realize the presence of God.” By this, McIntyre seems to mean more than that we should simply know and trust that God is there, but that we should feel his presence. In my own experience in prayer, that feeling is a rare thing, and not something that can be “practiced” or even sought, so much as something received as a gift when God chooses to bless in this way. I’m not sure whether that puts me at odds with McIntyre or not. I suspect it might.

The second point is that we need to be honest in prayer. We should “be perfectly frank before Him.” Two examples are given: We should be open with God about our complaints against him and open about our sin. That’s more difficult than is sounds. We know God knows everything about us even better than we do, and yet, sometimes it’s hard  to admit things we know to be true about ourselves. 

Third, when we pray, we must come to God in faith. Our faith might be feeble, but God still sees it and acknowledges it. 

Like the miner, whose trained eye detects the glitter of the precious metal sown in sparse flakes through the coarse grain of the rock, He observes the rare but costly faith which lies imbedded in our unbelief.

That’s a comfort, isn’t it? So is this:

The prayer of faith is a middle term between the intercession of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Christ. It is divinely appointed means by which the unutterable groanings of the Spirit, who dwells within His people as in a temple, are conveyed and committed to the exalted Mediator, who “ever liveth to make intercession” for us.

In this way, we are, in a sense, doing the work of God when we pray to him in faith.

Next up, chapter four, The Engagement: Worship.