No joke, carry at least one gun, and a knife
Sunday, July 22, 2012 1:36 PM
Wow, every time I go to certain places, I can't stop double-checking to make sure I have a round in the chambers. Yeah, that's right, chambers with an "s". One on the ankle, one on the hip. Movie theaters are often filled with very unsettling characters that seem on the brink of violence. But, turns out, most theaters have a company policy not allowing firearms, effectively establishing a no-contest zone for murderers, thugs, thieves and rapists. Neon sign: CRIMINALS WELCOME HERE!!! Why would you go to an unsafe place without a pistol or two? Please help me understand this. Here in SC, Holmes would have discharged maybe 3 or 4 rounds before he received angry return fire, even in the midst of the tear gas. And, furthermore, the men I know would have charged him, and at least one of us would have made it to him during his reload. Then, the always handy knife would have defeated all of his plans. Either way, joker doesn't get out alive in SC, at least not in my part of the state. Question: what if someone had returned fire and ended Holmes' attack, and what if that person had violated the theater no-gun policy in order to save the day? Your thoughts always appreciated. B8
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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Redistribution of Wealth
Saturday, December 04, 2010 11:06 AM
God commands for His people to establish an economy that redistributes wealth. God commands those who own land to open their fields for gleaning. God commands that a portion of the tithe be given directly to a worthy poor person/family to lift them out of poverty. God commands that the local Christian assembly use its stored resources to assist faithful covenant member families: if the extended family is unable or unwilling to help a covenant family, then the local Christian assembly is to use its stored resources to assist the needy covenant family. This is God's designed economic method to care for the poor. If obeyed, it will breed respect and appreciation between poor and rich, between the church and society. If not obeyed, then fallen man will adopt fallen methods to care for their poor, often implementing oppressive and inefficient systems and programs. Most dangerous is when the civil magistrate usurps the responsibility of the family and the church. The Bible forbids the civil magistrate from instituting any INCOME-BASED tax plan. Certainly, the Bible even more forcefully forbids a GRADUATED income tax. The head tax is the Biblical method for funding the civil government. Usurping civil magistrates violate God's Law. Those who condone a usurping civil magistrate and graduated income tax also break God's Law. Theft, taking someone else's property without Biblical warrant, is a violation of God's Law. Go and read the last question of the Communist Confession of Faith to understand the ultimate source of America's current putrid process of decomposition.
by Bahnsen8 | 5 comment(s)
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Marriage, a constitutional right?
Saturday, August 07, 2010 6:26 PM
Really, help me out. Does the constitution say anything about marriage as a basic right? If not, does the US government have any jurisdiction over marriage? I mean, if a state wants to let humans marry pine trees, what business is it of the US government? Furthermore, does the Bible give any authority to the civil magistrate (at any level) to define or endorse marriage? For example, are state-supplied marriage licenses a Biblical idea? Just wondering what you guys think about this? Seems to me the marriage covenant is between the husband, wife and their families, with the Christian covenant community present as a witness to the event, all attesting together that this marriage is according to God's Law. The state would only get involved in cases of violations of God's Law, and thus the families and church would be needed to attest to the reality of the marriage covenant, as witnesses to the state.
by Bahnsen8 | 1 comment(s)
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Wow, over 4 months
Friday, July 16, 2010 5:31 PM
Greetings, steeplefriends. Hope you are all well, clinging to Christ and walking in His ways. How has everyone been?
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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Sermon: Nicodemus, regeneration, free will, and holiness
Tuesday, March 02, 2010 11:27 AM
This teaching is about 55 minutes long. It is an exposition of John 3: 1 - 20. It is about Nicodemus, regeneration, free will and holiness. Any and all feedback appreciated, steeplefriends. May the Lord bless His Word going forth. B8
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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Self-Deception
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 4:42 PM
In Matthew 7, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" I was stunned speechless as I pondered this verse anew recently. Think of the judgment day. Think of being in the very Presence of God. Think of talking with God. O, the depth of self-deception, to actually view God, to actually speak with Him, and to STILL BELIEVE that you are a Christian, but you are NOT. Isaiah fell on his face as dead. John the Baptist declared he could not even touch Jesus' sandal straps. The lost argue with God and point to their prophesies, exorcisms and mighty works, never pondering infinite Holiness and Glory before their face. Jesus points to their hatred for His Law as evidence they are NOT HIS. Jesus says that those who are really His do the will of God. May we all continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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Sandal Straps
Friday, December 25, 2009 12:45 PM
The Lord Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, left the infinite glory of heaven and became flesh, putting on all the difficulties of our frame, and experiencing all the details of life in this realm, save sin. As He was conceived in the virgin womb, Eternity stepped into time. As He parted the womb as a Holy newborn, Omnipotence embraced frailty. As He walked in this dark and depraved realm, Holiness inhaled the stench of deepest wickedness. As He hung upon the vicious cross, Mercy swallowed up cruelty. As He lay in the cold tomb, Patience smiled upon fear. As He arose from the dead, Life burst forth from death. As He ascended to highest glory, Sovereign crowned brokenness, where the Victory Scars shall ever remain. Indeed, we have beheld His glory Who tabernacled in our midst, we lost, selfish, hopeless, distressed, wicked souls. Even with enlightened eyes, the depths of our own deception and depravity are beyond our searching. John the Baptist, having been granted true humility - a right view of Christ plus a right view of his own dark soul - thus, stated, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” This is no hyperbole. May the Lord grant us each such genuine humility as we continue forward for His glory. Immanuel, B8.
by Bahnsen8 | 1 comment(s)
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Bait and Switch, Round Two
Thursday, November 19, 2009 3:33 PM
Bait and switch, round two. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Dems set focus on the abortion clause. Dems don't care if abortion clause is included. Dems want take over of health care. The whole bill is a giant excrement pile. The abortion clause is the most infected, oozing part of the odious pile. After the brave "conservative" Dems fight off the abortion clause, they will happily eat the rest of the excrement. Same fiasco as took place in the House. Hopefully, the Republicrats and Lieberman will filibuster and refuse to force this stool sandwich on America. Otherwise, open wide...
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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More "praise" for Lincoln
Thursday, November 12, 2009 10:27 AM
China offers More praise for saint Abe. And, China presses Obama to be true to his adoration and emulation of Lincoln. Wow, for those who just love Lincoln, how do you respond when China, maybe the most advanced tyrant system on earth, uses Lincoln to justify despotism?!
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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Semper Plene Radix response to satanic murders at Fort Hood
Saturday, November 07, 2009 10:03 AM
Of course, this barbarous crime flows forth straight from the pits of hell. But, we must remember that satan is only God's servant. Satan can never do other than the foreordained will of the Supreme King of all things, Almighty God. As satan attempts to destroy the Kingdom of God, satan's work ultimately builds the Kingdom of God, and this is all according to the infinite foreknowledge and providence of our Omniscient Creator. More specifically, the satanic murders at Fort Hood represent God's actions of mercy toward an unfaithful people, attempting to call us back to His ways. Listen to His promised curses upon those who turn away from Him: "“The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away." (Deuteronomy 28: 25, 26) In this section of chapter 28, God tells His covenant people how He will chastise and discipline them if they turn away from Him, and one of the ways is via being "defeated before your enemies." Sounds like a very accurate description of what happened at Fort Hood two days ago. May God grant us repentance, real and pervasive, that we may turn back to Him and keep covenant with Him, walking blamelessly before Him in all His statutes and commandments, that we may know His favor upon this land once again. If we do not, we can expect the final outcome of Deuteronomy 28: "Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. 67 In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see. 68 And the Lord will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”
by Bahnsen8 | 2 comment(s)
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Toppling Idols
Friday, November 06, 2009 9:23 AM
We are governed by callous children. This is an excellent article, because it is true in fact and in interpretation. Idolatry comes in various forms. Wooden totems with scary faces are nothing compared to the stone-hearted American leaders we have come to idolize. Party politics is bankrupt. The Democrats don't have the answer. The Republicans don't have the answer. But, the greatest shame is that Christians, those who are SUPPOSED to have the answers, are silent, or worse, argue AGAINST the ONLY hope for any people. The only politic of hope must come from the only Living God of Hope. Maybe it is a sign of God's mercy that Americans are awakening to the hopelessness and emptiness of the current civil magistrate. They see that all the "new answers" are really old, recycled failures. Hybrid liberalism/socialism cannot survive because it eats itself. Americans, even the liberal/socialists, see this. They just hope they get their piece of the pie before they die and before the system devours its own heart. Libertarianism cannot survive because it urinates on itself, with personal freedom as its only compass. "At least the urine keeps me warm in the winter", they say. What is missing? Everyone knows that something is missing. Well, we Christians, we who have been given the words of eternal life, we who have been made one with the very King of kings, the Eternal Creator of the universe, we know what is missing, if we will listen to His Words to us. Psalm 2 says, "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." We must take refuge in Christ, not only as our soul's Savior, as our family's treasure, and as our life's only joy, but also, we are to take refuge in Christ, as the only King of our land, submitting to Him and His Word, and electing civil leaders committed to Him and His Word as the only authoritative guide for all legislative, executive and judicial functioning. THIS is the ONLY politic of hope.
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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John Calvin comments on the 2nd Commandment
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 9:10 AM
"There is no contradiction in the sense, that he should first of all altogether forbid that idols should be made; and, secondly, speak only of worshipping and adoring them; for it is already in itself a wicked error to attribute any image to God; and another superstition always accompanies it, that God is always improperly worshipped in this visible symbol. There is a strong confirmation here of what I have previously stated, that whatever holds down and confines our senses to the earth, is contrary to the covenant of God; in which, inviting us to Himself, He permits us to think of nothing but what is spiritual, and therefore sets His voice against all the imaginations, whereby heathen nations have always been deceived; because they have been deprived of the light of that doctrine which would direct them to the heavenly greatness of God Himself. But those who have been taught by God’s Law, not only that He alone is to be worshipped, but that He may not be represented by any visible effigy, are justly accounted covenant-breakers, if they do not confine themselves within these bounds; for they violate that Second Commandment by which they are commanded to worship God spiritually; and consequently are forbidden to make to themselves likenesses, or images, whereby they would deface and pollute His glory."
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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Obama's Lincoln Impersonations Continue
Friday, October 23, 2009 11:29 AM
This Conservative Black Woman presents the facts on saint Abe. Looks a lot like Obama's Lincoln Impersonation.
by Bahnsen8 | 3 comment(s)
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A Sabbath Moment with Bahnsen
Sunday, September 27, 2009 4:22 PM
"Nobody argues, for example, that the ancient case laws governing fenced rooftops, goring oxen and flying ax heads are themselves directly applicable today. Instead, theonomists argue, they have a literary character which requires us to discover how the general principles illustrated by those ancient laws should be applied in contemporary culture. [Critics] have asked for examples of practical application of theonomic ethics today. Let us close with a few, and with a challenge of our own. Here are a few suggestions; study God’s Word and see if you agree. · Homosexuality is not a civil right (Lev. 20:13). But readers should be careful here. No one should claim this part of God’s law to be applicable today if he is not willing to claim the same for the rest of the Biblical context. · Prisons should be replaced with a system of restitution (Exo. 22:1-4, 7-9). · Compensation should be made for industrial pollution (Exo. 22:6). · Malicious malpractice charges against doctors should be punished with a fine equal to that the doctor would have had to pay (Deut. 19:16-21). · Elective abortion is not a constitutional right (Exo. 21:22-25). · Skyjackers should be executed (Exo. 21:16), as should rapists (Deut. 22:23-27). · Loan sharking to the poor should be forbidden (Lev. 19:9-10; 25:35-43), along with favoring the rich in the courts of the land (Exo. 23:6, 8; Lev. 19:15). · Debased, inflationary currency should be forbidden (Isa. 1:22) so as to gain just weights and measures (Deut. 25:13-15). If critics of theonomic ethics find these requirements inapplicable, on what other basis do they presume to speak to such social ills today? If critics object to this choice of examples because they are so obviously just and right, we ask: What else would you have expected from the Lord? Let us go on with the rest of His law, applying its rich details to all our lives. And if critics feel that some of the law’s provisions are binding, but not others, then it is their task to explain the principled basis on which they pick and choose among God’s righteous commands (Deut. 12:32). What did Jesus mean when He warned believers against teaching the breaking of even “the least of these commandments”? We cannot get to the heart of the issue until serious attention is paid to the extensive Scriptural support, theological reasoning and confessional insights set forth by advocates of theonomic ethics. Critics of the position have not responded in kind, at either the book or the article level. Until they do, what professor John Frame wrote in his review of Theonomy in the Journal (Aug. 31, 1977) still holds: “For those who disagree with Bahnsen’s position – well, the ball is in their court.”
by Bahnsen8 | 21 comment(s)
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A Sabbath Moment with Spurgeon
Sunday, September 27, 2009 4:12 PM
"Dear brethren, is it not a very high honor put upon you, as soldiers of the cross, that you should be allowed, nay, commanded to take the sword of the Spirit? The raw recruit is not trusted with the general's sword; but here are you armed with the weapon of God the Holy Ghost, and called upon to bear that sacred sword which is so gloriously wielded by the Lord God himself. This we are to bear, and no other. Does the timid heart enquire, "Wherewithal, my Master, shall I meet my adversaries"? "Here," saith the Holy Ghost, "take this! This is my own sword; I have done great marvels with it; take it, and nothing shall stand against you." When you remember the potency of this sword, when the Spirit tests it upon yourself, you may take it with confidence, and use it in your holy war with full assurance. That Word of God which could convert you, can convert anybody; if it could kill your despair, it can remove another man's despondency; if it has conquered your pride and self-will, it can subdue the like in your children and your neighbors. Having done what it has certainly done for you, you may have a full persuasion that, before its power, no case is hopeless. Wherefore, see to it, that you use from this day forth no other weapon than the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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