Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

I just returned from checking out a pretty big tree job—removing bit oaks. I’m still not sure how much of it I’ll take on. Maybe none. I enlisted a friend who owns an arborist company with more equipment and a competent crew. We’ll see.

Becki and I were able to get in a walk/jog with Bimbo before I had to take off. The dog did quite well.

Oh my…a guy is here calling for attention right away. I better go. Blessings on your day.

Love. Dad/Ray.

Did Saul become a reprobate by the standard of Romans 1:28? “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved (“reprobate”-KJV) mind, to do what ought not to be done.” (See also Proverbs 29:1; Romans 1:26; 1 Timothy 4:1-3) It’s another way of saying that these rebels actually become God’s enemies. We are free to speculate, but whether or not Saul actually reached that point can only be left to God’s judgment. But we cannot avoid the Biblical truth that such a hopeless condition is possible for one who persists in rebellion against the known will of God. I cannot conceive of a more ominous danger and hopeless state than to be GOD’S ENEMY. Please agree.

Here’s the deal as I see it while wearing my best pair of Biblical worldview spectacles. Perhaps I will turn up the volume and shout these four foundational facts as I see them:

1. THERE CANNOT NOT BE A GOD—HIS WILL, DESIGN, AND POWER HAVE TO BE THE ORIGINAL CAUSE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF EVERYTHING.
2. IT FOLLOWS THAT HE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO RULE AND SET THE RULES.
3. I HAVE BEEN GIVEN BY HIM THE FREEDOM TO SEEK HIM AND CHOOSE TO PLEASE HIM BY SUBMISSION TO HIS RULES, OR OPPOSE HIM BY IGNORING HIM OR DISOBEYING HIS RULES.
4. THE SOUNDEST AND SAFEST BASIS FOR PLEASING HIM IS TO CHOOSE TO LOVE HIM. That is precisely His FIRST RULE. (Could I call these THE FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS?)

A big question is raised in chapter 28: Was the appearance of Samuel as called up by the witch of Endor an authentic one? In answering that, allow me to state another foundational fact of Biblical revelation: THERE ARE ONLY TWO KINGDOMS. That premise assists me greatly in sorting through a lot of difficult stuff in this world. There is little doubt in my own mind that this incident demonstrates the transcendent power of the Spirit of God over the powers of deception and evil—the kingdom of Satan. However we put the pieces of the case together, the message delivered to Saul was one of solid divine TRUTH, which is antithetical to the kingdom of Satan.

A point we made the other day is worth repeating here: “A conclusion to draw is that Biblical truth is true whether or not the teller of truth is walking in truth.”