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How to be as Smart as Martin Luther (Use Logos 6)

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There are certain people in the history of Christianity who shock and amaze me at what they accomplished in life. Martin Luther is one of them. He translated the entire Bible into German, wrote over 70 volumes on theological topics, was a prolific hymn writer, and created the Lutheran Catechism.

I remember reading somewhere that Martin Luther was so well acquainted with the Greek and Latin biblical texts, that his mind worked like a Bible concordance in both Greek, Latin, and German. As he was writing, he made connections between texts and passages using key words, key ideas, and key phrases.

It is amazing what the human mind is capable of when saturated with the Word of God. 

But here’s the crazy thing:

Any person today can have more information about the Bible at their fingertips than Martin Luther ever dreamed of.

Of course, more information does not necessarily mean better theology, but the gathering of information is at least the starting point… comprehensive biblical data forms the foundation of good biblical theology. 

So how can you have more information about the Bible available at your fingertips than Martin Luther ever dreamed of?

Three words: Bible Study Software

I have been using Bible study software for over 20 years. Initially, I used a simple concordance program, but as Bible Study software has become more advanced, I have found myself using it more and more to write my blog posts and my books.

One of my favorite Bible Study Software packages is Logos Bible Software. It also happens to be the industry leader.

And guess what? Logos just came out with their brand new Logos 6 platform. If you have used Logos Bible Study Software before as I have, then let me tell you a bit about the changes in Logos 6, and if you have never used Logos at all, you will be amazed at what it does for your Bible study and theology research.

Logos 6 Bible Study Software

Logos 6 makes it easier than ever to study the connection between texts, not just using key words, but also phrases and ideas. Check out the new “semantic relationships search” capability. It is SO cool:

Logos 6 uses all sort of cultural, archaeological, and geographical insights to help you understand the background information on a text.

Maybe some videos about Logos 6 will explain it better. Check these out:

How to Use Logos 6

If you are unfamiliar with how Logos 6 Bible study software works, these videos will help:

Perform an Inline Search

The fastest way to find words or phrases in English or the original languages without leaving your Bible.

How to Search your Entire Library

The simplest form of search that will gather information from across your library. Related resources, maps, Bible references, specific resources, and more.

Use the Ancient Literature Tool

Study the Bible against its cultural and linguistic background by making connections between the Bible and ancient texts.

Gain Insight onto Cultural Backgrounds

A new addition to the Passage Guide that helps you connect concepts that are common to the Biblical world, and explore them in other ancient texts.

Use the Logos 6 Factbook

The first stop for researching Biblical people, places, events, concepts, or things mentioned in the Bible.

Get Big Picture Overviews of Each Book of the Bible

Create Bible introductions for any book of the Bible. Find everything your library has to say about a book of the Bible in one place.

Do you Preach Sermons? Let Logos 6 help!

Build stunning presentation with inspirational quotes as you study.

Which Version of Logos 6 Should You Purchase?

If you are looking to purchase Logos 6, here is a brief video which explains the various packages and what they contain. Check out that Collector’s Edition … It’s valued at over $100,000!!!!

Right Now, Logos 6 is 15% off!

I use Logos 6 all the time for my writing and research, and if you want to get Logos 6 for yourself, it is available right now at 15% off. Just click the image below, select a software package from Logos, download it, and get studying!

Make sure you enter “JMYERS6” at checkout to get 15% off.

Logos Bible Software discount

Launch your Bible study capabilities to the next level with Logos 6 today.

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All Theologians are Thieves

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I read a book this past week (I’m not going to say which one) where the author (Author A) clearly, consistently, and blatantly plagiarized the ideas of another author (Author B) without giving due credit. I guess it wasn’t “blatant.” It was only obvious to me because I have read most of the books by Author B and was shocked to see so many of his ideas and insights being written about as if they belonged to Author A.

While over the course of 50 pages or so, Author A did included two footnotes to the works of Author B, I didn’t feel that this was nearly enough.

stealing your theology

When nearly 90% of your ideas are coming from someone else, I think more than 2 footnotes are required.

Ok… so it wasn’t exactly full-scale plagiarism. At least Author A reworded and summarized the ideas which are found in the books of Author B, but again, I feel that if most of an author’s ideas and content are being pulled from the ideas of authors in other books, it is only right and fair to give them more credit than two footnotes.

Part of the reason I am saying this is because it caused me to wonder about the origin of the rest of his book. If I was aware that the vast majority of his ideas in 50 pages of the book were simply the summaries of ideas from some other author, it made me wonder about the other 150 pages in his book. Where did those come from? Were they also “lifted” from others who didn’t get proper credit?

And now we get to the real point of this post …

… and this is going to sound quite arrogant … (Sorry about that) …

… There were two chapters of this man’s book which sounded shocking similar to several of the blog posts I wrote last year. As I was reading these chapters, the thought flow, argument structure, and illustrations were almost identical to what I had written on this blog in 2013. His book came out a couple months ago.

Needless to say, I didn’t get a single footnote in the book.

Can I be certain he read my posts and “borrowed” them for his book?

No. I cannot.

theologians are thievesI know for a fact that I was reading a lot of books at the time I was writing those posts in question which led me to the beliefs and ideas I wrote about on my blog. Maybe this other author was reading the same books and coming up with the same ideas. That’s possible.

Maybe the Holy Spirit is at work around the world to bring multiple authors and pastors and theologians to similar ideas about similar things all at once, and so when I read something in someone else’s book that sounds a lot like something I have written, but they don’t give me credit, it is not that they “borrowed” from me, but because both of us were listening to what the Spirit has been whispering to minds all over the world. The Spirit blows where He wills….

All this sounds arrogant, right?

I’m either saying,”He stole his ideas from me!” or “Both of us are so spiritual, we have gained the same truth from the Holy Spirit!”

I wasn’t going to write anything about this, but then I decided to do a bit of Google research on this author, and I discovered that very early this year, he did in fact briefly mention my posts on one of his social media accounts. So this tells me he was reading my posts …

So OK … reading is still not the same as plagiarizing, and even though his book came out a couple months ago and he apparently read my posts about 10 months ago, this still doesn’t mean he “borrowed” my content for his book. I mean … for all I know, he submitted his manuscript to the publisher before he ever even read my posts …

I’m guess I’m not really upset. I suppose if I had some influence on him, I am thrilled that those ideas are having a wider impact on the world through what he wrote, and hopefully in his church as he preaches on Sundays. I am just saying that if he did in fact rely on my posts for the content of these two chapters in his book, some footnotes would have been nice …

Look, I will fully admit it: As a theologian, I also am a thief.

There are very few ideas bumping around in my head which did not originate in some form or another with other theologians and authors. Even the ideas which I think are original with me owe a large debt to the foundational ideas and writings of other authors and teachers.

In other words, even if I come up with “Idea D” it is only because I learned Ideas A, B, and C from someone else. I could be wrong, but I think this is true of every theologian. This is why I say that all theologians are thieves.

But that’s okay. It’s expected and desired. It’s wanted, even.

sermon stealing

Theology is nothing if not the interplay of ideas and minds over some of the biggest questions about God in our day. Of course, the right thing to do when you steal an idea is to give credit to the people who taught it to you. It’s impossible to do this completely, but that is no excuse for not trying.

I honestly and truly try my absolute hardest to always reference and footnote and give credit to other authors, thinkers, writers, bloggers, and theologians when I know that what I am writing originated with them. It is not uncommon for me to spend hours trying to track down sources for where my ideas came from. I have re-read books, re-listened to podcasts, and spent hours scouring the internet, all in the attempt to remember where I read or heard something.

I am not going to call this author out. I don’t really care too much (Although maybe this post says I care more than I think? Ha!)

I honestly try to live by the principle that Harry Truman once said: “It is amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.”

I am glad that if people find my posts and books helpful, that they turn around and teach the ideas they contain to others.

However, I am always delighted and encouraged when a blogger mentions my ideas in a post or an author includes a footnote to one of my books. I try to my best to do this for others, as I hope you all do as well.

Are you and author, blogger, or writer?

Please, do your best to reference and footnote those to whom you owe a debt of ideas.

You will always miss a few (I know I do), but if you develop this discipline early, it will serve you well throughout your writing life. (In case you are curious, one invaluable tool I use to help me with this is Endnote Software. What a time saver in my writing!)

Has this sort of thing ever happened to you? It happens more often than we think… If you have a story to tell, share it in the comment section below! (Try to refrain from naming names though!)

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The Secret Logic Behind Total Depravity

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regeneration precedes faith

OK, so it’s not that much of a secret, but there still are some things about Total Depravity that Calvinists will often not say when they are first presenting their views to others. To really get at the ideas below, you have to know what questions to ask.

Total depravity sounds biblical until you start to dig around in it and see all the secret logic that goes with it.

So next time you hear a Calvinist talk about Total Depravity, ask some of the hard questions, and see what they say!

The secret logic behind Total Depravity is as follows:

1. People Cannot Do Anything Good for God

First, as sinful, unregenerate human beings, people can do nothing good for God, nothing to earn or merit eternal life, and nothing which might put them in God’s good graces.

Frankly, I agree with this, as do most Christians. It is because Calvinists use this widely-accepted Christian idea that their system of beliefs gains acceptance as well. Usually, once a Calvinist is able to gain assent to this first idea of their doctrine, they quickly move on to the second main point of Calvinism, that of Unconditional Election. We will look at this point in later posts, but for now, we need to slow down and consider several steps within the Calvinistic logic which occasionally go unmentioned.

2. Faith is a Good Work

Based on the idea that a person cannot do anything good to please or appease God or to earn eternal life, the Calvinist, if pressed, will say that this includes faith. They would argue that “believing in Jesus” is a good thing, and since we cannot do anything good, we cannot even believe in Jesus.

In this way, they are saying that faith is a good work, or that faith is meritorious. In an earlier post we looked at several Calvinistic quotes which stated this very thing.

But of course, this is exactly where the discussion of Total Depravity begins to get off course. Faith is not a work, and is not meritorious. We will see why later in this series on Calvinism, but for now, let us continue to follow the Calvinistic logic.

3. Faith is a Gift from God

Following on the idea that faith is meritorious, and therefore impossible for an unregenerate person to do, Calvinists nevertheless recognize that there are scores of passages all over the New Testament which call unbelievers to believe in Jesus for eternal life.

So they say that since God requires people to believe in Jesus for eternal life, but knows that they cannot, God Himself gives the “gift of faith” to people so that they can then believe in Jesus. They have a couple texts they use to defend this idea, one of which is Ephesians 2:8-9, which will be considered tomorrow.

4. Regeneration Precedes Faith

Some people object, of course, to the idea of God giving the gift of faith to unregenerate people, for if unregenerate people can do nothing good—not even believe—then the gift of faith to unregenerate people is worthless, for the unregenerate person would be able to do nothing with it.

total depravity

In other words, if unregenerate people can do nothing good, then they cannot believe even if God gives them the gift of faith. So to solve this problem, the Calvinist says that “regeneration precedes faith.” In other words, God regenerates a person before they believe, in order that they can use the gift of faith which He gives to them.

Again, there are numerous quotes in the post called “Regeneration Precedes Faith” which allows Calvinists to explain this idea in their own words.

No matter how it is explained, however, this idea is more blatantly wrong than any of the other logical steps leading up to it. Scripture everywhere states that people are given life (or regenerated) in response to their faith; not as a precondition to it. In Colossians 2:12, for example, Paul states that we were raised with Christ (that is regenerated, or “made alive,” 2:13), through faith (cf. John 3:16-17; Acts 5:32; 15:7-9; 16:30; 1 Pet 1:22). People are regenerated by God because they believe; not so that they can believe.

One of the key texts to support his idea is Ephesians 2:5, which we will look at tomorrow.

Was Any of this a Secret to You?

If you have done much reading on Calvinism, none of this was probably new to you. But if you haven’t read much about Calvinism, was any of this new? Had you heard any of this before? What are your initial thoughts? Let me know in the comment section!

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Removing the Veil from the Gospel – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

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gospel is veiled 2 Corinthians 4It is common among Calvinistic teachers and authors to say that the reason unbelievers cannot believe the gospel is because their minds have been darkened by the god of this age.

The primary proof text for this idea is 2 Corinthians 4:3-4.

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

Calvinists focus in the statement about the minds of the perishing being blinded by the god of this age, and from this, teach that unregenerate people need the divine gift of regeneration before they can believe the gospel. Here is one such explanation from John Piper:

Since men are blind to the worth of Christ, a miracle is needed in order for them to come to see and believe. Paul compares this miracle with the first day of creation when God said, “Let there be light” (Piper, Five Points, 34).

But if this is not what Paul is teaching in 2 Corinthians 4:4, what is he saying?

The Veil on the Gospel

First, as with all the other passages which Calvinists quote, it is critical to understand the surrounding context. In the immediately preceding passage, Paul is explaining that the new covenant in the Spirit has replaced the old covenant of the law (2 Corinthians 3:6). He goes on to say that even though the new covenant is exceedingly more glorious than the old covenant, the Jewish people do not accept it because their minds have been veiled (2 Corinthians 3:14-15).

In fact, Paul even says that their minds are veiled regarding the proper way to read the Old Testament as well (2 Corinthians 3:14). The only way to read the Old Testament, he says, is through Jesus Christ. If someone does not believe that Jesus is the Christ, the veil remains.

The Gospel is Veiled to those who are Perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

This helps us understand what Paul is referring to when he says in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 that the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing, and their minds are blinded. While Paul could be referring primarily to the Jewish people who are still unable to properly read and understand the Old Testament because they do not read it through the lens of Jesus Christ, it seems more natural to read Paul’s statement in light of his ministry to the Gentiles. “The ‘veil’ doesn’t just apply to Jewish people … it applies to people of all sorts” (Wright, 2 Corinthians, 42).

Paul, as the apostle to the Gentiles, undoubtedly ran up against this blindness on numerous occasions, and he is providing a brief explanation here for why some people do not respond to the gospel when it is proclaimed to them.

How to Remove the Veil on the Gospel

Paul, however, does not say that these people can never believe and will never believe. Quite to the contrary, Paul has clearly stated how the veil is removed, thereby implying that it can be removed. How is this? Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:16 that “when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” While initially it might seem that Paul is referring to the initial act of faith in Jesus Christ by which people receive eternal life, the following verse shows that this is not at all what Paul is referring to.

In 2 Corinthians 3:17, Paul clarifies that “the Lord” he has just mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3:16 is not Jesus, but the Holy Spirit. He says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit” (N. T. Wright argues that the Spirit of the Lord is active in the fellowship of the saints, and this is where and how the veil is removed. See Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God, II:726).

gospel is veiledWhat this means is that when Paul talks about blindness and the veil in 2 Corinthians 3–4, he is not talking primarily about how a person receives eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ, but about all the other truths of the gospel which are contained in the rest of Scripture, and which are centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The “gospel,” remember, is not simply the message that eternal life is given to those who believe in Jesus for it. This truth is central to the gospel, but it is not the entirety of the gospel. The biblical gospel contains everything related to the person and work of Jesus Christ and the ramifications of these truths for our lives as His followers.

With all of this in mind, what Paul is saying is that nobody can understand the gospel unless they turn to the Holy Spirit for illumination and guidance. Once we do this, He not only removes the veil from our minds, but also helps us live out the truths of the gospel so that we are transformed “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul is saying that people who do not want to see the glorious truth of the gospel will remain darkened in their mind because the god of this age is certainly not going to reveal it to them. If they want to understand the gospel, all they need to do is turn to the Spirit of God for understanding, and he will remove the veil from their hearts and the blindness from their eyes so that they might be understand and obey the gospel of God. “Paul knew that … the gospel could and did pierce the veil” (Wright, 2 Corinthians, 42).

2 Corinthians 4:4 and the Light of the Gospel

That this is the proper way to read 2 Corinthians 4:4 is supported by the verse itself. Paul writes that those who are perishing “do not believe, lest the light of the gospel … should shine upon them.” Paul does not write that they do not believe because they cannot believe, or because the god of this age is preventing them from doing so.

No, Paul says they do not believe, because they do not want the light of the gospel to shine into their lives, thereby calling them to submit to Jesus Christ and Lord and follow Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Paul is not the only one to make this sort of statement in Scripture. The Apostle John writes similarly in his Gospel, where he explains that although Jesus came unto His own people, they did not accept Him (John 1:1-8). And why did they not accept Him.

John explains why later. He says that they did not accept Him because their deeds were evil and they loved darkness rather than light (John 3:18-21). They did not want the light to shine in their lives, because they knew that if it did, they would have to change their beliefs and their behaviors, and so they chose to remain in darkness. Nevertheless, such a condition is not permanent. Jesus himself says that veil of darkness can be removed when the gospel is preached (John 6:45).

All of this is exactly what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3–4.

So does 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 teach the total inability of humanity? No, it teaches the necessity of the Holy Spirit to understand and live the Gospel.

If you want to read more about Calvinism, check out other posts in this blog series: Words of Calvinism and the Word of God.

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A True Foot Washing Service

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mental illnessI deal with men who are mentally ill on a weekly basis at my job. Recently, a young man named Daniel came into my office and said he had a message for me from God. He handed me a note, which said this:

John, as an honor, asked him how might it be that I should wash your feet. He asked, I am. Would you have your brother too, be he, whom would be left to the way? No, say I! Not thy will, but albeit, your will be done, Lord. Amen.

I thanked Daniel for the message from God. He smiled and left.

You might recognize bits of that message as coming from John 13, where Jesus sought to wash the disciples’ feet and Peter objected.

When people say that they are giving me a message from God, very rarely do I think that it is actually a message from God. But with this message from Daniel, I tend to think it was.

“What!?” You might say. “It’s gibberish. It doesn’t make any sense! God wouldn’t do that!”

Wouldn’t He? Have you read the book of Revelation recently? … But this post isn’t about bibliology, so let’s move on…

Thinking about Foot Washing Services

I think it truly was a message from God because that very week I had been thinking about these “foot washing ceremonies” which we sometimes have in church. Can I be frank? I think they’re stupid. I think that foot washing ceremonies completely miss the point of why Jesus washed the disciples’ feet.

Jesus performed that task because it was the most menial task that a household servant could perform at that time. You’ve heard the cultural background, I’m sure. People wore sandals as they walked around in the dusty streets, which were also full of animal droppings. Nobody wanted all this tracked through their house.

Besides, they ate meals at low tables while they reclined on the ground. Which means that everybody was down near foot level. Imagine how feet must have stunk! So they had the lowest of the low household servants wash everybody’s feet as they entered the house.

To show his disciples how much He loved them, He washed their feet. That is, He became the lowest of the low servants in the house.

foot washing ceremonyDoes a modern foot washing ceremony do this? Hardly. More often than not, people who attend these foot washing ceremonies make sure that they washed their feet in advance and scraped all the gunk out of their toenails. Then they wear a clean pair of socks and shoes.

A True Foot Washing Service

If have often thought that if we really wanted to follow the spirit and symbolism of that first foot washing ceremony, we would find the dirtiest and most menial tasks in our churches, our neighborhoods, or our homes, and do those.

I have heard of pastors who pick up cigarette butts from the church parking lot, and go change diapers in the nursery. That’s foot washing! I have heard of youth pastors who led their youth group on a mission’s trip to the local outhouses near where the homeless people live and cleaned them up. That’s foot washing! My friend, Sam Riviera, often walks around where the homeless are and picks up trash along the street. He says it is not uncommon to find used condoms and syringes. That’s foot washing!

But let me get back to Daniel and his note. His note to me from God reminded me that washing someone else’s feet is not just about what you do, but whom you do it for. Yes, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, but remember, Judas was there too. Do you think Jesus skipped Judas as being “unworthy”? I doubt it.

It seemed to me that Daniel’s note was an invitation for me to “wash the feet” of the mentally ill I encounter every week. How? By listening to them with patience, even when I don’t understand a word they are saying. The mentally ill are often mocked, neglected, and abused by those who should love, protect, defend, and care for them. Maybe I can be a kind voice. A helping hand. A listening ear. A pat on the back.

If you don’t know anyone who is mentally ill, that’s okay. There are other people whose feet you can wash. Maybe you could “wash the feet” of Muslim neighbors by being kind to them (without trying to convert or condemn them). Maybe you could “wash the feet” of homeless people by giving them a meal, even when you know they waste all their money on drugs.

There are thousands of ways to wash people’s feet, and billions of people who need their feet washed.

Open your eyes. Look around. There is pain and fear all around, just waiting for someone to wash it away. After all, “Would you have your brother too, be he, whom would be left to the way?”

This post is part of the October 2014 Synchroblog. Below is a list of other contributors. Go read them all!

 

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