There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
JOHN 15:13
The idea of the divine-human friendship originated with God. Had not God first said “Ye are my friends” it would be inexcusably brash for any man to say “I am a friend of God.”
But since He claims us for His friends it is an act of unbelief to ignore or deny the relationship!
Even though radically different from each other, two persons may enjoy the closest friendship for a lifetime; for it is not a requisite of friendship that the participants be alike in all things; it is enough that they be alike at the points where their personalities touch. Harmony is likeness at points of contact, and friendship is likeness where hearts merge.
For this reason the whole idea of the divine-human friendship is logical enough and entirely credible. The infinite God and the finite man can merge their personalities in the tenderest, most satisfying friendship. In such relationship there is no idea of equality; only of likeness where the heart of man meets the heart of God!
This likeness is possible because God at the first made man in His own image and is now remaking men in the image that was lost by sin. Perfection lies on God’s side but on man’s side there are weaknesses of purpose, lack of desire and small faith.
In spite of human frailties we can grow in grace and move progressively toward a more perfect experiential union with God, exercising robust faith in the truths revealed in the Scriptures!1
Yes, so he did, when the Lord rained down manna upon the people in the wilderness. But, my soul, what hast thou eaten, now thou hast been at the table of thy Lord? What did Jesus there entertain thee with? “Wonder, O heavens, and be astonished, O earth!” Thou hast feasted upon the body and blood of Christ! and this is food which angels never ate, neither was such a feast ever prepared for them. Pause over this blessed subject, for it is enough to call up the wonder, praise, and love, of all thine intellectual faculties for ever! When man fell, the earth was made to bring forth thorns and thistles; this was all the inheritance then left us; man was to eat bread in the sweat of the brow. But Jesus interposeth, and removes the curse, in being made “a curse for us.” The curse being removed by him and his cross, the earth is made to bring forth its blessings, and “wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.” But after this, who should have thought, yea, what imagination could have conceived an idea so wonderful and surpassingly rich in mercy, that Jesus should become the bread of life, and the water of life to his people; and feed them, as an heavenly pelican, with his own blood! Think, my soul, of thy privileges; thou art unworthy of the most common blessings of thine own table, which thy Lord hath provided; and yet Jesus feasts thee with the choicest blessings of his. Thou hast merited nothing but “the cup of trembling;” but Jesus giveth thee “the cup of salvation.” Thou art unworthy to gather up the crumbs that fall from thy Lord’s table; but Jesus seats thee at his table with himself, and bids thee eat and drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. Lord, I fall down under the deepest self-abasement at the recollection of thy grace and my undeservings. Oh! thou precious, precious Jesus! this is not angels’ food indeed, but above angels’ food; yea, divine food; thy body and blood! “Lord, evermore give me this bread!”1
“If any man sin, we have an advocate.” Yes, though we sin, we have him still. John does not say, “If any man sin he has forfeited his advocate,” but “we have an advocate,” sinners though we are. All the sin that a believer ever did, or can be allowed to commit, cannot destroy his interest in the Lord Jesus Christ, as his advocate. The name here given to our Lord is suggestive. “Jesus.” Ah! then he is an advocate such as we need, for Jesus is the name of one whose business and delight it is to save. “They shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” His sweetest name implies his success. Next, it is “Jesus Christ”—Christos, the anointed. This shows his authority to plead. The Christ has a right to plead, for he is the Father’s own appointed advocate and elected priest. If he were of our choosing he might fail, but if God hath laid help upon one that is mighty, we may safely lay our trouble where God has laid his help. He is Christ, and therefore authorized; he is Christ, and therefore qualified, for the anointing has fully fitted him for his work. He can plead so as to move the heart of God and prevail. What words of tenderness, what sentences of persuasion will the anointed use when he stands up to plead for me! One more letter of his name remains, “Jesus Christ the righteous.” This is not only his character but his plea. It is his character, and if the Righteous One be my advocate, then my cause is good, or he would not have espoused it. It is his plea, for he meets the charge of unrighteousness against me by the plea that he is righteous. He declares himself my substitute and puts his obedience to my account. My soul, thou hast a friend well fitted to be thine advocate, he cannot but succeed; leave thyself entirely in his hands.1
OUR Saviour continued to instruct his disciples as to the solemn judgment of the last great day, and in so doing he delivered the instructive parable which follows:—
Matthew 25:1–13
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
As attendants on the bride they represented her, and went forward to meet the Bridegroom, even as many profess to belong to the church and to be waiting for the coming of the Lord.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. (“The oil which the wise virgins carried in their vessels, as distinguished from that which burned in their lamps, points to the Holy Spirit, as a spirit of grace and supplication dwelling in a believer’s heart. All the ten virgins experienced convictions, and made profession, as is indicated by the lamps lighted and borne aloft; but some had nothing more than convictions and professions, while others had passed from death unto life, and had received that life which is hid with Christ in God.”)
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. (Either having grown weary through the weakness of nature, or else having given way to sloth they fell asleep.)
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. (When the Lord is proclaimed as near at hand all classes of professors begin to examine themselves to see if they are really ready for his presence.)
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. (As an old writer says, “They turn themselves to the wise, whom, perhaps, they had lately laughed at, with the prayer ‘Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.’ They betake themselves, if they are Catholics, to the dead saints, if they are Protestants, to the living, whom they have been accustomed to revere as their guides on account of their wisdom and grace, and they plead, Help us, comfort us, pray for us, that we may be brought into a state of grace. In vain. They answer, Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you. What you desire is impossible. None of us has any surplus merit out of which he could give a portion to another.”)
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. (Their fate was wretched indeed, they were so near heaven and yet lost, so much associated with saints and yet shut out of their bliss. It is vain to be a hearer of the word, a Bible reader, a church member, or a teacher of others, unless the oil of grace be in our hearts.)
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (“Short is life; fleeting is time; quick is death; sure is judgment; long is eternity. Therefore, what thou desirest to do, do it quickly.”)
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (1:17)
Finally, James declares that God is not responsible for our temptations to sin because, as he has already made clear (v. 13), His own nature is incompatible with the nature of sin. Because God is wholly righteous and just, by definition He can have no part in sin, in any way or to any degree.
What comes from God is not sin, but only every good thing given and every perfect gift. The perfect, flawless, holy goodness of God results in His doing and giving only what reflects His perfect holiness and truth. His works reflect His character. Negatively, James is saying that, from temptation to execution, God has absolutely no responsibility for sin. Positively, he is saying that God has complete responsibility for every good thing, and that every perfect gift that exists has come down from above.
The Father of lights was an ancient Jewish title for God, referring to Him as Creator, as the great Giver of light, in the form of the sun, moon, and stars (cf. Gen. 1:14–19). Unlike those sources of light, which, magnificent as they are, can nevertheless vary and will eventually fade, God’s character, power, wisdom, and love have no variation or shiftingshadow. Through Malachi the Lord declares, “I, the Lord, do not change” (Mal. 3:6); through John, we are told that “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5); and through the writer of Hebrews we are assured that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever” (Heb. 13:8). The celestial bodies God created have various phases of movement and rotation, changing from hour to hour and varying in intensity and shadow. God, however, is changeless.
Our Lord promises:
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (Matt. 7:7–11)
Even more than those things—infinitely more than those things—He promises that our heavenly Father will give us His own Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13).
The implication of this passage is this: When we, as God’s children, are so abundantly and continually showered with the most gracious, valuable, and satisfying blessings our heavenly Father can bestow, why should anything evil have the slightest attraction to us?1
17 The contrast between the insidious nature of evil desire and the picture James now paints of God’s nature could not be more stark. As in 1:5, James portrays God as a generous giver—a giver of “every good and perfect gift” (NIV). The author crafts the sentence in Greek poetically (pasa dosis agathē … pan dōrēma teleion), and the NASB maintains the balance of the wording better than the NIV with “every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift.” Commentators point out that James may have adapted a common proverb, something along the lines of “every gift is good and every present perfect,” roughly equivalent in meaning to “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” (Davids, 86). Whether the wording is his own or not, James’s confession is clear: God’s gifts are good, not evil. Whereas temptation—an evil force that leads to sin and death—has its source in human lust, good gifts have God as their source.
These good and perfect gifts “come down from the Father of lights.” James has in mind here the heavenly bodies—sun, moon, and stars—and they are seen as part of God’s good creation (Ge 1:14–18). Further, he tells us that, unlike these heavenly bodies he has created, God’s character does not involve “variation or shifting shadow” (NASB). These words are used only here in the NT, but in the literature of the period they could be used in astrological discussions. The first word means “change,” or, as the NASB presents it, “variation.” The second was used as a technical term in astronomy for the movement, or change of position, of the heavenly bodies and can be translated “turning.” So the “shadow” is caused by the movement, or turning, of the heavenly lights. In both Greek and Jewish literature the heavenly bodies represent the always changing nature of existence. Yet God’s nature is different. He does not shift and move with reference to issues of good or evil; rather, he is immovable in that sense (Dibelius, 102; Johnson 196–97).2
1:17 For moral formation to take place in this situation, James now states, the messianic community must know that God is altogether good. James makes three basic points. In making these points, he assumes that God is good and does not even begin to attempt to prove it. First, James contends that everything good is from God (1:17a); second, that God does not change in his dispensing of good gifts, that is, in his faithfulness (1:17b); and third, that this same good God has formed the readers into a community by the new birth (1:18). This third part reuses apokyei (“gives birth”) from 1:15, and shows what God is actually doing. The contrast could not be clearer: as desire leads to sin and sin gives birth to death, so God “gives birth” to “us” through his Word (1:18). The metaphorical children are death or the community, depending on whether a person chooses “desire” or the goodness of God. We turn now to the assertion that all gifts from God are good because God is constant.
James 1:17 seems to operate with some form of dualistic thinking: some things are attributable to God (good things like wisdom), and some things are not (bad things). The latter would be either the persecutions the readers are experiencing or (more likely) their turning tests into temptations. James begins with this: “every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift” comes from God. There is a neat parallelism here, perhaps stemming from some poetic fragment, which suggests to many that the interpreter should not make fine distinctions between these terms but instead should synthesize what is intended to be a double statement of one thing:
every
giving
good
every
gift
perfect
One therefore need not distinguish “giving” (dosis) and “gift” (dōrēma) as one need not distinguish “good” (agathē) from “perfect” (teleion). But it is interesting that James begins this line by speaking of “gifts.” The notion of gifts has not been on the table, and it suddenly enters here. What I am suggesting is that James wants to begin with this snippet of (what may be) poetry so that he can let this language carry the assumption that God is good and then suggest that the messianic community has experienced and continues to experience God’s goodness in a variety of gifts. That James begins with gifts is a possible window into both his mind and the messianic community itself.
The word “good” with “gift” is often understood as “beneficial” or “generous” rather than just morally good. This permits a connection from 1:17 back to 1:5, where haplōs was understood as God’s simple or generous giving of wisdom to those who ask. When agathos is connected to haplōs in the sense of “beneficial” or “generous,” it permits also an important connection to Matthew 6:22–23 and 7:7–11, where “evil/bad” is understood as stingy and “good” as generous. A similar more economic sense can possibly be found in the root telei- (“mature” or “perfect”) in James 1:4 and 17. If the “perfect” person of 1:4 is one who responds properly to economic stress, then the “perfect” gift of 1:17 might be that which prods the poor to see these (economic non-)gifts as from the hand of a good God who is at work for their redemption and moral formation. At any rate, the connections of 1:17a to 1:2–8 are suggestive.
Most commentators observe that the singular “gift” the readers need is “wisdom” (sophia, 1:5), and 3:15, 17 uses nearly identical language as is found here. Thus,
1:17: Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down.…
3:15: Such wisdom does not come down from above.
3:17: But the wisdom from above.…
Wisdom may be seen in James as an antidote to persecution—in that it can protect from persecution, grant the readers wisdom through persecution, or help them endure persecution (as in 4 Maccabees). And, since they are experiencing tests of all sorts (1:2) and need wisdom for each test (1:5), it is appropriate to speak of “gifts” in the plural (1:17). It is also possible, and rarely observed, that James is thinking of economic gifts, namely, Paul’s “gifts” from Diaspora Christians for the poor saints in Jerusalem, for, that is, the messianic community to which James is writing (Phil 4:15; Gal 2:10; Acts 11:27–30). The implications of this view for reading James 1:2–18 are significant, since then, once again, what James has in mind throughout this section is the economic stresses on the messianic community. James, if this view be accepted, may understand these gifts as a token of the eschatological nature of the messianic community (cf. 1:18: “first fruits”).
James believes God is always good and that it is God’s grace that makes these “gifts” good; in fact, everything from God is good. These gifts, however they might be understood, are “from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (1:17b). James uses “from above” (anōthen) three times (1:17; 3:15, 17), and it describes what is “heavenly” or “from God” in contrast to what is “earthly” and “demonic” (3:15).
If the general image is clear—all good things come from God in heaven—the specifics are not. Trouble confronts the interpreter of “the Father of lights.” In general, there are three options: that “lights” refers to (1) “stars” and planets, (2) human rulers,302 or (3) angels. Few consider the second option viable, and closer scrutiny reveals that the first and third are more similar than they might first appear. The ancients considered the stars to be angels (cf. Judg 5:20; Job 38:7). In fact, as Dale Allison observes, “in antiquity stars were widely thought to be alive.” As stars fall from the sky out of the heavens, so do angels and demons (Genesis 28; Isa 14:12; 3 Macc 6:16–29; Joseph and Aseneth 14:1–7; Revelation 12:4; 18:1; 20:1). James then affirms that God is good/faithful and that every good thing comes down from the Father306 of the angelic lights. Of course, there is inherent to this a reflection on God/Father as creator, and one thinks of the series of similar expressions in Psalm 136 (LXX 135).
The issue for James is not that we can now discern his cosmology. Rather, the stars represent a dramatic exhibition either of the routine, consistent, and constant or of the constantly changing and shifting pattern of the angelic bodies in the skies. With the first, God is like the faithfulness of these fixed bodies in the heavenlies, his goodness can therefore be counted on, and the temptations the community faces are not from God. Or God is unlike the astral bodies with their constant change and is not both a testing and a tempting God. Either way, “the Father of lights” is one “with whom309 there is no variation or shadow due to change,” and the temptations do not derive from God. The logical flow seems to favor the view that James sees God and the stars alike in their constancy, for it would be hard to know why he would bring up the stars if only to say God is not like them. The vocabulary, however, favors the more common view that James has brought up the stars in their changes only to deny their similarity to God. Thus, James sees God as does John in 1 John 1:5: “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.”
So both “variation” and “shadow due to change” probably (though not certainly) come from language used to describe stars and heavenly bodies in their various sorts of changes and shifts across the sky. Thus Sirach 27:11: “The conversation of the godly is always wise, but the fool changes like the moon.” And, since wisdom from James 1:5 may still be in view, observe that James could be connected to Wisdom 7:29–30:
She [wisdom] is more beautiful than the sun,
and excels every constellation of the stars.
Compared with the light she is found to be superior,
for it is succeeded by the night,
but against wisdom evil does not prevail.
James is saying either that humans can be like the planets and stars in their motion and change by doubting God and accusing him of tempting them (cf. 1:5–8, 13), or that God creates and controls the changes of the stars but does not himself change in his faithfulness), or that God creates and controls the changes of the stars but does not himself change in his faithfulness and so is constantly good and therefore not the one causing these temptations. Or, and there is no reason to choose between the two, James could be saying both: the messianic community can either trust God’s goodness, which never changes in its faithfulness, or be like the stars in their constant fluctuations. A verse like Malachi 3:6 is behind all this: “For I the Lord do not change.”3
God is the only source of goodness (v. 17)
Look at what James has to say: ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights …’ He seems to be calling his readers to conduct something of an inventory. It is as if he were saying, ‘Look around you. What do you call “good”? Make no mistake about it. If you call anything “good”, it comes from God.’
The same truth applies to us. What do we call ‘good’? Good health? Family? Firm and unfailing friendship? Freedom? The smile of a child? The singing of the birds? The thunderous crash of the waves? The majesty of the mountains? The warmth of a fire in the winter and the cool of the breeze in the summer? These all come from God—and thousands of other things, too!
If it is good, it comes from God! That is James’s assertion! And if it comes from God, there is no good that comes from any source other than God!
It was this realization that led Asaph to say to the Lord, ‘Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You’ (Ps. 73:25).
God is the unchanging source of goodness (v. 17)
James adds a glorious dimension to our understanding of God’s goodness by saying that there is ‘no variation or shadow of turning’ with ‘the Father of lights’.
James is stressing for us the constancy, or faithfulness, of God. In calling God ‘the Father of lights’, he is taking to the realm of astronomy. This is a realm of constant variation. Stars vary in brilliance. The moon waxes and wanes. The sun rises and sets. It creates all kinds of shadows and sometimes is eclipsed.
But that which is so commonplace in the realm of astronomy is never true of God. With him there is never any waxing or waning or any kind of eclipse. He is always the same. And that means he is always good.
God does not have days when he has more goodness than on other days. His goodness is always undiminished and unchanged. Kent Hughes says, ‘God does not change like shifting shadows. God’s goodness is always at high noon.’ The devil will tell you otherwise. He will tell you that God has less favour towards you today than he had for you yesterday. And it is your fault!
But listen to James: God is good. He always has been and he always will be. He cannot be anything other than good. And this means that God is being good to us even when our circumstances seem to be shrieking that he is not good.4
1:17 / In contrast to a view of God as sending a test stands the view that God gives good things: Every good and perfect gift is from above. The phrase itself is poetic and may be a quotation from some well-known proverb altered by James to stress from above. To say God gives such good things, of course, is to deny that he gives evil things, for the two are incompatible.
Yet James may intend a deeper truth than “God is good.” He has already stated that God is a gracious giver with respect to all who ask (1:5). The chief good being asked in that context is wisdom, which in 3:15 will again be referred to, this time using the same term that occurs here (from above). Thus the best gift of all, referred to repeatedly in James, is wisdom, which helps one in the test. Therefore the deeper message is: God does not send the test; he gives the good gift of wisdom that enables us to stand in the test. He gives the antidote, not the poison.
Furthermore, the character of God is not subject to change. He is the Father of the heavenly lights. The reference is to creation, and it (and the one to the new creation in the next verse) indicates the extent of God’s goodness. The lights of Genesis 1:18, that is, the sun and moon, were placed there for humanity’s good. But this fact in turn suggests a contrast. The sun and moon were notorious for change like shifting shadows (not the best translation, for while James’ language it obscure it is an astronomical phrase referring to the lack of constancy in the heavenly “lights”), but God, by way of contrast, has no eclipse, no rising and setting, no phases, no obscurity due to clouds. His character is absolutely constant, trustworthy, and dependable.5
1:17Every good and perfect gift. What the NIV has rendered with one idea in English is represented by two slightly different phrases in Greek and could be translated as “every good giving and every perfect gift.” While many commentators agree with the NIV that these two phrases are synonymous, it may be that James intends slightly different nuances. The word “giving” (dosis) focuses on the action of giving (as in Phil. 4:15), while “gift” (dōrēma) focuses on the gift given. The complete goodness of God is seen in the fact that he is the source of every good act of giving as well as every good thing given.
the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. Admittedly, the phraseology is tricky, but the idea is the constancy of God. Although the language James uses (“change,” “shifting shadows,” and “Father of the heavenly lights”) is often found in the world of astronomy, the background is more Jewish theology than Greco-Roman philosophy. Because shadows were associated with changes that came from the fading of daylight (e.g., Jer. 6:4), they often represented instability and impermanence in Hebrew thought (1 Chron. 29:15; Job 8:9; 14:2; 17:7; Pss. 109:23; 144:4; cf. Col. 2:17; Heb. 8:5; 10:1). Often such instability and impermanence in humans was contrasted with the permanence of God and his constancy in fulfilling his purposes and plans.
James may be alluding to Psalm 102 here, a psalm that contrasts human impermanence with God’s permanence. The same themes that James is talking about—God as Creator (“Father of … lights”), who does not fade or change like shadows and who purposes to produce a people for himself—are present in Psalm 102.
The immutability of God is less a Greek philosophical point and more an affirmation of this theology: while we are often confused and uncertain during the trials and temptations we suffer, God is absolutely unwavering in his singular pursuit to create a new people who will praise his name. The focus on the new birth of this new people is where James will now head in verse 18.6
17. The general meaning of this verse is clear: God, whose benevolent character is unchanging and unchangeable, is the source of everything that is good. Many of the details are, however, obscure. The niv conceals the fact that James uses two different Greek words for ‘gift’ here: see rsv, ‘Every good endowment [dosis] and every perfect gift [dōrēma]’. Why these two different words and two different adjectives? Tasker suggests that we understand ‘good’ as a predicate adjective introducing a contrast between the two terms: All giving is good, but every perfect gift comes from God (cf. neb mg.).28 But, if this were the meaning, we would have expected an adversative conjunction, ‘but’ (alla or de), between the two terms. Varner suggests, based partly on etymology, that the first ‘gift’ (dosis) means ‘act of giving’ while the second (dōrēma) means ‘result of giving’. However, it is doubtful if James intends any distinction; he may repeat them for stylistic effect or he may be quoting from an unknown source.
A second difficulty is the punctuation of the verse. The niv, along with most other translations, places a comma after ‘from above’, making the participial phrase ‘coming down …’ an additional, independent description. But the reb joins together ‘from above’ and ‘coming down’: ‘All good giving and every perfect gift comes from above …’ The translation adopted in the niv is probably better, because the alternative leaves the prepositional phrase (‘from the Father of lights’) hanging somewhat awkwardly.
The description of God as the Father of the heavenly lights is unique in Scripture. The niv adds ‘heavenly’ to the simple Greek phōtōn (‘lights’) to make clear that the lights are almost certainly to be understood as the heavenly bodies, probably including sun, moon and stars (see Ps. 136:7–9; Jer. 31:35 [38:36 lxx]). Scripture often alludes to the heavenly firmament as evidence of God’s creative handiwork and his continuing exercise of power (see esp. Job 38:4–15, 19–21, 31–33; Ps. 136:4–9; Isa. 40:22, 26; and, in Jewish literature, Sirach 43:1–12). The description of God as Father can also allude to his creative work (cf. lxx Job 38:28). Thus James’ intention is to remind us of the benevolent power of God that is manifested in his ‘good’ creation (cf. Gen. 1). At the same time, however, James often refers to God as ‘Father’ when he wants to stress his impartiality (see also 1:27; 3:9).
Imagery drawn from the heavenly bodies is carried on in the last phrase of the verse. The Greek text is uncertain. The majority of manuscripts read two nominative nouns, parallagē (‘variation’) and aposkiasma (‘shadow’) separated by the particle ē (‘or’) with a genitive noun, tropēs (‘turning’), dependent on shadow. If this reading is adopted, the genitive tropēs must presumably be construed as source or subjective, yielding the esv translation variation or shadow due to change. But several early and important manuscripts make shadow a genitive (aposkiasmatos). If this reading is adopted, the word ē will probably have to be given a rough breathing, making it a relative pronoun dependent on parallagē. The phrase will then be translated ‘variation that belongs to the turning of the shadow’. The niv may follow this Greek text: who does not change like shifting shadows. Neither reading makes exceptionally good sense, but the former, with its breadth of support, should probably be accepted. The fact that two of the words used in this phrase (tropē and parallagē) are often used with astronomical meaning, along with the reference to the ‘lights’ in the previous phrase, makes it probable that a reference to some sort of astronomical phenomenon is intended. Variation naturally suggests the periodic movements of the heavenly bodies, but whether ‘shadow due to change’ refers to the phases of the moon, the shadow cast by an eclipse or the constant alternation of night and day is not clear. But James’ language is not exclusively technical, so we may suspect that he intends no more than a general reference to the constant changes observed in creation. This changeableness of creation was frequently used to highlight, by contrast, the unchanging nature of God the Creator (cf. Philo, Allegorical Interpretation, 2.33: ‘Every created thing must necessarily undergo change, for this is its property, even as unchangeableness is the property of God’).7
1 MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1998). James (pp. 54–55). Moody Press.
2 Guthrie, G. H. (2006). James. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, pp. 223–224). Zondervan.
3 McKnight, S. (2011). The Letter of James (pp. 123–128). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
4 Ellsworth, R. (2009). Opening up James (pp. 48–50). Day One Publications.
5 Davids, P. H. (2011). James (pp. 37–38). Baker Books.
6 Samra, J. (2016). James, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude (M. L. Strauss & J. H. Walton, Eds.; pp. 14–15). Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group.
Jeremiah 6:16 — ”The old paths” or “the old fashioned way” is still the good way!
Jeremiah 7:2 — Here is Jeremiah, one of the early street preachers, warning them not to trust in the Temple of the LORD (Jeremiah 7:4), but to walk after the LORD of the Temple (Jeremiah 7:6)!
Jeremiah 7:11 — Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 21:13! God doesn’t value “relics;” He values a relationship with us!
Shiloh, the site of the tabernacle, was conquered (Jeremiah 7:12)
The original tablets containing the Ten Commandments were broken by Moses (Deuteronomy 10:2)
The brazen serpent, that Jesus used as an object lesson (John 3:14), was destroyed by a righteous king (2 Kings 18:4)
The Ark of the Covenant will be forgotten (Jeremiah 3:16)
The Temple was cast out of His sight (1 Kings 9:7, 2 Chronicles 27:20) just as Shiloh was (Jeremiah 7:14)
Jeremiah 7:23 — God’s formula for blessing: obedience!
He learned of Higher Criticism, which led him to comment later that his “inherited ideas about the inerrancy of the Bible became untenable.” He also began to doubt the substitutionary atonement; in his words, “it was not taught by Jesus; it makes salvation dependent upon a trinitarian transaction that is remote from human experience; and it implies a concept of divine justice that is repugnant to human sensitivity.”
Yes, through philosophy many were spoiled. Mainline Protestant clergy have almost completely abandoned belief in the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, and may be extinct within just 23 more Easters.
Colossians 2:14 — Jesus nailed our sins to His cross and declared that it was paid in full (John 19:30)!
Psalm 78:21-22 — Would a loving God punish people for not trusting in His way of salvation? He already has!
He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.Isaiah 33:16
The man to whom God has given grace to be of blameless life dwells in perfect security.
He dwells on high, above the world, out of gunshot of the enemy, and near to heaven. He has high aims and motives, and he finds high comforts and company. He rejoices in the mountains of eternal love, wherein he has his abode.
He is defended by munitions of stupendous rock. The firmest things in the universe are the promises and purposes of the unchanging God, and these are the safeguard of the obedient believer.
He is provided for by this great promise: “Bread shall be given him.” As the enemy cannot climb the fort, nor break down the rampart, so the fortress cannot be captured by siege and famine. The Lord, who rained manna in the wilderness, will keep His people in good store even when they are surrounded by those who would starve them.
But what if water should fail? That cannot be. “His waters shall be sure.” There is a never-failing well within the impregnable fortress. The Lord sees that nothing is wanting. None can touch the citizen of the true Zion. However fierce the enemy, the Lord will preserve His chosen.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.Psalm 91:4
A condescending simile indeed! Just as a hen protects her brood and allows them to nestle under her wings, so will the Lord defend His people and permit them to hide away in Him. Have we not seen the little chicks peeping out from under the mother’s feathers? Have we not heard their little cry of contented joy? In this way let us shelter ourselves in our God and feel overflowing peace in knowing that He is guarding us.
While the Lord covers us, we trust. It would be strange if we did not. How can we distrust when Jehovah Himself becomes house and home, refuge and rest to us?
This done, we go out to war in His name and enjoy the same guardian care. We need shield and buckler, and when we implicitly trust God, even as the chick trusts the hen, we find His truth arming us from head to foot. The Lord cannot lie; He must be faithful to His people; His promise must stand. This sure truth is all the shield we need. Behind it we defy the fiery darts of the enemy.
Come, my soul, hide under those great wings, lose thyself among those soft feathers! How happy thou art!
After Witnessing Massive Miracles, ‘We Are Living In Biblical Times’ Has Become A Common Phrase In Israel Most people don’t get the magnitude of what we witnessed Tuesday night. One of my news sources, Hillel Fuld, expressed it perfectly. He wrote, “What we witnessed last night was the equivalent of God splitting the sea right before our eyes.” That is not an exaggeration, despite the attempts of the media to downplay what occurred. Again, as Hillel put it, “Last night was an incredible display of the collaboration between two of the powers that protect the Jewish people: The IDF and Hashem.” Hashem in English means “the Name”. It is God Himself. A common phrase we are beginning to hear around Israel is that we are living in biblical times. Even the most secular Israelis and agnostics are saying it.
Biden warns Bibi not to attack Iran’s nuclear sites, but key US, Israeli leaders say it’s time Is it possible that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu and his Security Cabinet will order the IDF to launch a massive attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities, oil refineries, and even a decapitation strike against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Iranian regime on or around the one year anniversary of the October 7th invasion by Hamas and slaughter of 1,200 Israeli Jews? Yes.
Tim Walz melts down at debate when pressed to explain his China trip, admits he ‘misspoke’ Tim Walz faltered when pressed to clarify his previous claims that he was present in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 during the vice presidential debate against Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. Detractors have scrutinized Walz’s ties to China, pointing out his honeymoon there, his marriage on the Tiananmen Square massacre anniversary and his commendations of China’s communist regime—developments that China experts argue warrant attention as he approaches the White House.
Israel has ‘duty to defend itself’ – Former French President Sarkozy admits France would respond like Israel against aggression Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy emphasized said Israel has a right and duty to defend itself and that France would do so if it were to face similar threats to its population. “Israel has the right to defend itself. It has the duty to defend itself. If we, the French, were in the same situation, we would need to defend ourselves. A country must stand tall, and Israel has the right to live standing tall, to live, period, and to live standing tall.
Khamenei’s base may abandon him Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s inaction has undermined his standing among the religiously conservative youth who uphold his regime. Some blame Reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, but many hold the policies of previous administrations responsible. Some users also noted that Khamenei, not the president, is Iran’s commander in chief.
Strong US backing for Israeli military action against Iranian proxies Three-quarters of Americans want to maintain or strengthen U.S. support for Israel’s military actions against Iran’s proxies, even as the U.S. administration pushes a ceasefire, according to a survey released on Monday. The polling comes as Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, triggered by Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, approaches its one-year mark.
US National Security Adviser calls Iran’s attack against Israel ‘a significant escalation’ Following Iran’s launch of 200 missiles into Israel on Tuesday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called the attack a “significant escalation.” He added, “We have made clear that there will be consequences, severe consequences, for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case,” said Sullivan.
Nasrallah’s reported successor, Hashem Safieddine, targeted in IAF strike in Beirut – report Israel allegedly tried to eliminate former Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah’s successor, Hashem Safieddine, in the Dahieh suburb in Beirut, Israeli media reported early on Friday, citing Lebanese reports. These reports could not be verified. The strikes targeted a meeting of senior Hezbollah leaders, including Safieddine,
IDF jets conduct strike in Tulkarm, eliminate Hamas commander responsible for West Bank car bombing The strike targeted Hamas commander Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi, who led the Hamas network in Tulkarm, the IDF updated. Earlier reports said the strike targeted the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Tulkarm Battalion, Ayyth Radwan. However, he is still being reported as killed in the strike by Israeli media and the IDF confirmed other terrorists had been killed.
Golani Brigade seizes weapons, eliminate Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon ground op. In one such joint operation that involved the Golani Brigade and the IAF, the soldiers targeted a military structure housing Hezbollah commanders, including the local commander, the engineering forces commander, and the commander charged with firing rockets. As a result, the Hezbollah terrorists were eliminated, the IDF said.
Biden says ‘discussing’ possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities Biden said he was discussing possible Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities, in comments that sent oil prices spiking Thursday just a month before the US presidential election. Biden told reporters at the White House however that he was not expecting Israel to launch any retaliation for Tehran’s missile barrage on Israel before Thursday at least.
Nationwide glitch affects thousands of Bank of America customers Thousands of Bank of America customers took to social media Wednesday to report an online glitch that either prevented them from accessing their accounts or showed a zero balance. The problem appears to be nationwide, with some reports showing more than 18,000 customers having been impacted by the glitch so far.
Tropical Storm “Leslie” forecast to become a hurricane in a day Tropical Storm “Leslie” — the 12th named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season — is forecast to become a hurricane in a day or so. As of 15:00 UTC on Thursday, October 3, 2024, the storm was getting stronger and was located about 870 km (540 miles) southwest of the southernmost part of Cabo Verde Islands.
Satellite images reveal widespread destruction in North Carolina, U.S. Hurricane “Helene” has claimed over 205 lives since its landfall in Florida’s Big Bend on September 26, 2024, causing widespread destruction across six states. North Carolina has reported over 100 fatalities linked to the storm, and new satellite imagery has revealed significant destruction in the state.
Typhoon “Krathon” makes landfall in Taiwan, dropping over 1,600 mm (66 inches) of rain over mountainous regions Typhoon “Krathon” made landfall in Kaohsiung’s Xiaogang district of southern Taiwan at 12:40 LT (04:40 UTC) on October 3, 2024, with maximum sustained winds of 126 km/h (78 mph). The slow-moving storm, affecting the island for five days, dumped torrential rains, with mountainous parts receiving up to 1 690 mm (66.5 inches) of rain. At least 2 people have been killed and 129 injured.
FM Katz declares UN chief persona non grata Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday declared UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “persona non grata” in Israel and banned him from entering the country.
Dearborn: Ground Zero for America’s Islamic Threat – Act Before It’s Too Late On September 29, 2024, a vigil in Dearborn, Michigan, honored the death of Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of the Iranian-backed terrorist group, Hezbollah. For over three decades, Nasrallah led this terror organization responsible for numerous attacks, including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Americans.
Dr. Robert Malone Sounds Alarm on Self-Replicating RNA Vaccines: ‘Japan is the World’s Guinea Pig’ Dr. Robert Malone warned at the Rescue the Republic rally that Japan is being used as the testing ground for untested, self-replicating RNA vaccines in a global experiment controlled by pharmaceutical giants, with critics facing censorship, legal threats, and imprisonment, signaling the rise of a new world order that seeks to suppress free speech and impose medical tyranny.
200 German doctors who issued face mask exemptions were put on a state blacklist – the consequences are shocking A “blacklist” of around 200 German doctors who issued mask exemptions was compiled by authorities, leading to house searches and monitoring by state security of those on the blacklist. Many doctors have reported unannounced house searches, physical violence and psychological consequences, including imprisonment and death. Financial implications include hefty fines and legal costs for doctors.
The Sun, not CO2, drives the Earth’s climate, a new study says Experts analyzing data in a report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (“IPPC”) point to changes in the planet’s albedo – the fraction of the Sun’s energy reflected by Earth – as the factor driving the rise in global temperatures.
Committee of 300, One World Government and Paedophilia A tweet posted last month discusses the Committee of 300, its aims of being a One World Government and the conditions its members will foment to bring it about. It lists the members as of 1991 and accuses the oligarchs who are involved in the Committee of 300 of controlling the global child sex trafficking operations.
“If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy.” —Thomas Jefferson (1802)
Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler
Economy
Port strike suspended: On Thursday, members of the International Longshoremen’s Association reached a tentative agreement to postpone their potentially disastrous strike until January. A conditional (and mind-numbing) 62% wage increase has been offered to the union, which will be negotiated over the next 90 days. The union released the following statement: “Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume.” This was the first time in almost 50 years that dockworkers had gone on strike. The suspension of the strike is good news for the economy, as J.P. Morgan estimated that a strike would cost the American economy upwards of $4.5 billion a day.
Another dubious jobs report from the Biden-Harris Labor Department? By the time it gets revised downward sometime after the November 5 presidential election, the damage will already have been done, but Kamala Harris and her fellow Bidenomics proponents are no doubt giddy about today’s jobs report. According to the Labor Department, a far-better-than-expected 254,000 jobs were created in September, well above the forecasted total of 150,000, and the headline unemployment rate fell a tenth of a point, from 4.2% to 4.1%. Today’s strong report greatly decreases the likelihood of another Federal Reserve interest rate cut. As for the politics of it, the next jobs report will come out on November 1, just four days ahead of the presidential election.
Government & Politics
Another union snub for Harris: While Kamala Harris made a show of standing with the striking Longshoremen, not all unions, which have historically supported Democrats, are willing to stand with Harris. On Thursday, the International Association of Fire Fighters said it would not be endorsing any presidential candidate this year. The union’s president, Edward Kelly, noted that the executive board voted by 1.2% against endorsement, stating that they “determined that we are better able to advocate for our members and make progress on the issues that matter to them if we, as a union, are standing shoulder-to-shoulder.” He called the decision “the best way to preserve and strengthen our unity.” That is telling. The IAFF represents over 350,000 members in Canada and the U.S.; clearly, a significant number of them do not support Harris. This decision is another significant blow to Harris from unions, the largest being the Teamsters’ choice last month to refrain from endorsing any candidate.
Obama goes to bat for Harris: With the polls essentially showing a neck-and-neck race, Kamala Harris is hoping for a boost from former President Barack Obama to help her chances of victory down the stretch. Next week, Obama will hit the campaign trail, speaking at a number of stops across the country, starting in Pennsylvania. The Keystone State is a critical battleground state and a must-win for Harris. Obama will aim to boost Harris as well as Democrat congressional candidates. Obama also generates cash — the Harris campaign claims that he has helped to bring in over $76 million in donations. While personally popular, Obama’s record with helping get fellow Democrats elected has not been great.
Hope for Trump in PA: There’s some good news for Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. Party registration numbers show that since 2020, Democrats have lost almost 300,000 registered voters. Meanwhile, Republicans have seen an increase of roughly 50,000 registered voters. To put this in perspective, during the last presidential election, Joe Biden bested Trump in the Keystone State by just 80,000 votes. The Republican ground game there is paying off. Across the entire state, registered Democrats have dropped from 4.2 million to 3.9 million. Registered Republicans have risen to 3.6 million, while those registering as independents have seen the biggest increase — now up to 1.4 million. This data should make the Harris campaign very worried.
Trump impeachment witness now supports him: When we think of Trump-hating impeachment witnesses, we tend to think of agenda-driven deep-state whistleblowers like Eric Ciaramella, and we also think of self-important pseudo-patriotic bureaucrats like Alexander Vindman. But we don’t tend to remember Gordon Sondland, who served as Trump’s EU ambassador and who became a star witness against him in his first impeachment hearings. Sondland appeared on MSNBC Wednesday, and he shocked host Ari Melber when asked whether he stood by a prior disavowal of Trump. “No, I don’t stand by it, and I’ll tell you why,” Sondland said. “I’ve now lived four years under the Biden-Harris policies and I have to say that those policies are not only becoming an existential threat to our country’s way of life but to our allies as well.” Apparently, Trump’s first impeachment wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Doug Emhoff denies report he slapped ex-girlfriend outside ritzy overseas movie event (Fox News) | Major media outlets silent on Emhoff assault allegations (Daily Wire)
Biden student loan forgiveness plan gets win in Georgia court (The Hill)
Culture
Melania Trump’s abortion stance aligns with other GOP first ladies: The 2024 election cycle has seen former First Lady Melania Trump play a far more visible role than she did in 2020. Lately, she’s called into question the Biden administration’s efforts to get to the bottom of the recent assassination attempt on her husband, and she’s promoted her memoir, which is due out October 8. In that memoir, she stakes out her position on abortion, which is at odds with that of her husband but in line with recent Republican first ladies. “Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard,” she says in a newly released video. “Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to these essential rights that all women possess from birth. Individual freedom. What does ‘my body, my choice’ really mean?” Sadly, according to Melania Trump and every other proponent of “choice,” it means that the rights of the most helpless human beings among us are subordinate to the rights of the women who carry them.
Fourth university women’s team refuses to play against trans-identifying male (Daily Wire)
Three officers convicted in Tyre Nichols’ fatal beating, but two acquitted of civil rights charges (NY Post)
Good News
Federal judge blocks CA’s anti-satire deepfake law: Yesterday, our Samantha Koch noted the sorry state of free speech in the decidedly unfree state of California. There, Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to ban parody political ads on social media after Elon Musk retweeted a parody ad of Kamala Harris in which an AI-generated version of her voice was used for some hilarious self-incrimination. Recently, Newsom signed two speech-suppressing bills into law, but that didn’t sit well with U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez. He “halted California’s new law targeting deepfake satire and parody videos, saying it likely tramples on the First Amendment,” reports The Washington Times. “Mendez said deepfakes, which manipulate video to create scenes that never happened, can be abused for nefarious purposes. But he said California’s attempt to shut it down was ‘a blunt tool that hinders humorous expression and unconstitutionally stifles the free and unfettered exchange of ideas.’” Thus, it appears that the reports of the death of free speech in the Golden State have been greatly exaggerated.
Misc.
Biden blames Hurricane Helene damage on “climate crisis,” calls deniers “brain-dead” (Christian Post)
Pennsylvania town grapples with Trump assassination attempt ahead of his return (AP)
Last Thursday, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida and proceeded to dump rain and cause flooding throughout the Southeast over the next few days. North Carolina was especially hard hit with flooding. Roads were decimated, utilities were cut off, and entire towns were wiped off the map. The death toll as of this morning is 215 and counting.
Last Friday, Kamala “Not the Border Czar” Harris finally visited the border, which coincided with a damning report about the hundreds of thousands of criminal aliens still in the U.S. perpetrating theft, rape, and murder.
As it turns out, the two stories are related, and not just because Harris has been largely AWOL in each case.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made the connection implicit when he warned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “does not have the funds” to fund recovery efforts. “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have,” Mayorkas said. “We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” he added. “We do not have the funds. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season and what — what is imminent.”
Isn’t he the same guy who, in July, said FEMA was “tremendously prepared” for hurricane season? Yes, he is.
Why has that changed? It has a lot to do with the fact that the agency has spent more than $1.4 billion over the last two years dealing with the Biden-Harris open border. That includes $640 million just this year to help state and local governments address the flood of asylum seekers.
“This is easy,” retorted Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott. “Mayorkas and FEMA — immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by the hurricane. Put Americans first.”
It certainly would cost American taxpayers a lot less if the Biden-Harris administration would enforce the border laws already on the books and keep out illegal entrants. Don’t create an emergency by lawlessness and then spend all our money addressing it.
“These claims are completely false,” DHS replied (of Republican objections, not Mayorkas’s assertion). “FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters.” Money for migrants, DHS insisted, is “completely separate” from disaster relief.
Representative Jim Jordan isn’t convinced. “The Biden-Harris administration took more than a billion tax dollars that had been allocated to FEMA for disaster relief and used it to house illegal aliens,” Jordan said. “Now, they’ve abandoned American hurricane victims in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee.”
The Associated Press also isn’t convinced. “Congress recently replenished a key source of FEMA’s response efforts,” the AP reported, “providing $20 billion for the agency’s disaster relief fund as part of a short-term government spending bill to fund the government through Dec. 20. The bill also gave FEMA flexibility to draw on the money more quickly as needed.”
Cue Joe Biden, the president few remember is even there. “In a moment like this, we put politics aside. At least we should put it all aside, and we have here,” he said before launching into a political insult: “Nobody can deny the impact of [the] climate crisis anymore — at least I hope they don’t. They must be brain-dead if they do.”
[Insert obvious joke about who’s brain-dead.]
This is the same president who angrily rebutted criticism of his absentee leadership by saying, “I was commanding it. I was on the phone for at least two hours yesterday and the day before as well. I command it. It’s called a telephone.”
Two hours? On the phone? Wow, Mr. President, don’t pull a muscle.
How about the sitting vice president? Harris was attending a campaign fundraiser while Helene swamped a path across the South, but almost a week later, she showed up there to offer comfort. At least she didn’t wait a year as Biden did with East Palestine, Ohio.
Her comfort was to announce $750 for people affected by the storm. Yeah, seven hundred fifty bucks. In Augusta, Georgia, she said, “The federal relief and assistance that we have been providing has included FEMA providing $750 for folks who need immediate needs being met, such as food, baby formula, and the like.”
As her other remarks made clear, that’s not all the aid that will be disbursed. It’s merely a quick payment to help people meet their immediate needs. That said, $750 doesn’t go nearly as far as it did before Vice President Harris, the Senate tiebreaking vote, lit the fire of inflation. And when you consider the millions and billions of dollars going to deal with illegal migrants here and to far-away places like Ukraine, it feels more like an insult added to injury.
If you lost your home and your insurance doesn’t cover it, just speak a little Spanish when you tell ‘em you have an unpaid student loan, and you’ll be fine.
On a serious note, the best work being done in ravaged areas is by private citizens helping each other. That, not waiting for or complaining about government aid, is the American Spirit. The people cutting trees, shoveling mud, distributing basic necessities, and flying helicopters or piloting boats to rescue people or recover bodies are the ones to be commended here. Honestly, that’s as it should be. Self-reliance is what made America great, and it’s what will make America great again.
Brian Mark Weber: George Soros Interferes in Our Election — Joe Biden’s FCC has fast-tracked the purchase by Soros of more than 200 radio stations featuring on-air talent such as Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin.
“In a moment like this, we put politics aside. At least we should put it all aside, and we have here. … Nobody can deny the impact of [the] climate crisis anymore. At least I hope they don’t. They must be brain-dead if they do.” —brain-dead Joe Biden, putting aside politics…
The BIG Lies
“Their Project 2025 is going to have a registry of pregnancies.” —Tim Walz
“I found out in the first debate Kamala’s a hunter.” —Tim Walz
For the Record
“A lot of jokes have been made about Walz saying, ‘I’ve become friends with school shooters.’ But in a symbolic way, he is a friend to school shooters. Vance’s solution to school shootings is the most obvious and easiest: Hire more school resource officers who could stop shooters. Walz shook his head and said children shouldn’t have to go to school ‘in a fortress.’ School shooters will thank Tim Walz because, if he’s in charge, they won’t have to worry about an officer in the school trying to stop them.” —Gary Bauer
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
“Who wants a Vice President who admits that he gets caught up and is a knucklehead?” —Allen West
“Does Kamala still believe all women now that a woman has accused her husband of slapping her after a party?” —Clay Travis
And Last…
“Israel in the post-Oct. 7 era is not the Israel of before. It is a state unwilling to risk its future on the bet that its enemies will act with reasonable caution. It can no longer afford such bets. And so Israel has set about a mission the West has not pursued in decades: victory. Israel will not back down and cut deals that merely delay the inevitable, buying time for her enemies to arm up. Israel has struck at its enemies and will continue to do so. … Peace results from the credible threat of use of overwhelming force, not from empty words around glossy tables.” —Ben Shapiro
President Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America, and Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp will visit Evans, Georgia to receive a briefing on the devastation of Hurricane Helene, and deliver remarks to the press on Friday, October 4, 2024, at 3:45 p.m. ET. Watch LIVE on RSBN starting at 2:00 p.m. ET.
We have over 200 people dead, millions of homes without power, 27 water plants closed, 160 boil advisories, and countless destroyed homes and properties in Helene’s 500-mile path.
A whistleblower report was just released by Matt Gaetz office from a FEMA employee detailing the massive incompetence and disregard for the people in Appalachia.
On today’s NEWSMAX Daily podcast:
[1:19] -Missouri congressman Mark Alford: “Joe Biden, please grow up and show some leadership.” [Newsline]
[4:15] -Donald Trump at Saginaw, Michigan rally says, “Kamala spent all her FEMA money on housing for illegal migrants.” [Newsmax Breaking]
[5:32] -Trump praises JD Vance’s debate performance and encourages young people to vote. [Newsmax Breaking]
[7:43] -Newsmax’s Carl Higbie: “Abandoned in the storm, Biden Administration puts America last in a hurricane crisis.” [Carl Higbie Frontline]
[12:54] -Biden appears confused when asked about the storm and what Americans need.
Currently Russian forces have advanced to merely within a few a few kilometers of Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian logistical hub in the region. As we’ve highlighted before, the collapse of Pokrovsk will likely portend a Russian takeover of the whole of Donetsk.
On Wednesday the Ukrainian army announced that it has fully withdrawn from the eastern town of Vuhledar, describing that it abandoned the area after being almost fully encircled, and coming under heavy Russian artillery bombardment.
“The High Command gave permission for a maneuver to withdraw units from Vuhledar in order to save personnel and military equipment and take up a position for further operations,” a Ukrainian unit deployed there said in a Telegram post.
It cited specifically the “threat of encirclement” and heavy troop losses, and there are reports that Russian forces had already taken control of Vuhleda by the time the Ukrainian announcement was made.
Vuhleda is a significant achievement, and suggests Russia forces will continue to plow through Ukrainian defenses, given it was dubbed a “fortress” city given its long having heavily-fortified surroundings and being in an upland position.
Even The Daily Beast recently underscored that while President Zelensky was pitching his ‘victory plan’ in Washington, his forces were suffering loss after loss:
On a visit to the U.S. last week, Volodymyr Zelensky gave the hard sell to his “Victory Plan” for Ukraine. In meetings with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and an awkward encounter with former President Donald Trump, the Ukrainian leader insisted his country could still–with Western help–emerge victorious in its long-running war with Russia.
…After two and a half years of war, soldiers are tired. The same soldiers who gave Vladimir Putin’s forces a bloody nose after the February 2022 invasion, and pushed the invaders from Kyiv and Kharkiv, say they are under-equipped and complain that they are being ordered to carry out impossible missions as Kyiv struggles to supply the military with new recruits and acquire more Western weapons to ward off Russian advances.
Surviving political landscapes as a Christian has always been challenging (ancient Rome was harsh, y’all!). However, this U.S. presidential election cycle feels like the most difficult in recent history, and the American political landscape seems to grow more contentious every year. So, how do we navigate this minefield with truth, love, and joy? It’s not easy, but it can be simple.
First, let’s address the elephant (and donkey) in the room. Should Christians even get political? I mean, doesn’t Romans 13:1-7 basically tell us to obey the government God has allowed to rule over us? Yes, and no. Yes, we are absolutely to obey the government authorities unless they are asking us to violate God’s laws. However, we have a totally different form of government than the Roman Empire during the first century. The early church had no say in their government. They were under authoritarian control and could do little more than choose their attitude of servitude. However, the U.S. was founded as a democratic republic and expects participation as part of our civic responsibilities. We should voice our thoughts in various ways, including contacting our legislature and voting for the candidates we wish to represent us.
Everyone promotes their values and beliefs in the public sphere, whether those values and beliefs flow from truth, feelings, or faith. Our values are shaped by what we believe is true about the world and everything in it. If we believe the Bible is objectively true about God, the universe, and everything, we would be terrible citizens (much less Christians) if we didn’t use it to inform our values on laws and policies. Remember, there is no neutral. Every citizen uses their strongly held beliefs to determine how to interact in our political sphere. Christians have every right to do so as well, and even a mandate to do so as salt and light! (See Matthew 5:13-16.) Ask “How is the way I’m voting preventing decay in our society?” Political discourse is a good opportunity to demonstrate for your children how our faith is active in all parts of our lives, not something we put into a compartment and take out only on Sundays.
We do not have to hold our values quietly just because we believe they were instituted by God. While our primary citizenship is in God’s kingdom (and this earth for sure ain’t it!) we can strive to promote the best values possible while we reside in the here and now. In fact, everywhere biblical Christian values have been used as the foundation, society has flourished.1 They are verifiably good values to promote. (Note: Some books for further reading include Faithfully Different by Natasha Crain and We Will Not be Silenced by Erwin Lutzer.)
Yes, Get Political. But how?
So yes, we can get political, but how do we do so in ways that reflect Christ and spread the benefits of His morality?
Step 1 – Be loving and reasonable. Jesus told us that people should recognize Christians by our love (John 13:35), so first, as Mama Bear Lindsey Medenwaldt puts it plainly in her book Bridge-Building Apologetics, “Don’t be a jerk for Jesus.” Secondly, as much as it is up to us, we are to be at peace with all people (Romans 12:18). While we are called to defend our faith in 1 Peter 3:15, we should do so with gentleness and respect. Our tone should always be loving, kind, and reasonable, even when we need to be bold and unapologetic.
Philippians 4:5 reminds us that our reasonableness should be evident to everyone and that we should not be anxious for anything. We are on the side of truth, and the truth is on your side. We do not need to get frustrated or angry when people don’t agree with us, but rather should seek to be persuasive in how we communicate that truth. One of the best ways to do that is by using questions. Ask people what they believe, why they believe it, and how they came to that conclusion. And then be willing to amend your conclusions if someone presents evidence that you hadn’t considered before! Sometimes asking questions can gently reveal that a person’s beliefs are not built on solid foundations like logic or factual arguments. We also get the added benefit of building a relationship by listening to each other instead of just seeking to make our own point.
Step 2 – Don’t be silent. Once, I was chaperoning a field trip and had several unknown students assigned to my bus. While calling roll, I could not imagine how to pronounce the name L-a. When I cautiously asked for La, I was corrected, “It’s Ladasha. The dash don’t be silent, Miss.” While this was a humorous lesson for me in creative spelling, I couldn’t let go of the idea that the dash shouldn’t be silent. One of the most powerful speakers at the Reality Student Apologetics Conference this spring, La Nej Garrison, spoke about the dash between our birth date and death dates representing our lives. And that our lives should not be silent. God has given each of us a voice and a sphere of influence that includes your children, your friends, maybe even a public audience. Are you using your dash to glorify God and make Him known?
Your primary commission from Jesus is to go into the world and make disciples. While it’s tempting to create a small circle echo chamber of like-minded friends, that does nothing to spread the gospel message. Be willing to get uncomfortable and make friends with people who might disagree with you. Share the gospel. Love them loudly. Don’t be silent in the face of evil. Be the first to stand for what is true and good. Let your life speak volumes. People are listening and your children will learn how to live from your example.
Step 3 – Do your own research. If we want to have reasonable, powerful conversations with our friends and family, we need to know what we’re talking about. While we live in the information age and anything we want to know is at our fingertips in a moment, there is too much information of varying quality, and everyone has a platform. It’s very important that you know who is worth listening to.
Start tracking reliable sources. Look for people who do not use outrage as clickbait. Reporters should stick to the facts and leave editorializing to the editorial page. Most of mainstream media tends to be biased, so make sure you are doing things like reading articles from both sides of the spectrum and watching C-Span instead of CNN. Try to find neutral outlets as much as possible.
Also, read the original documents when possible, like the Constitution or the text of a proposed bill. Don’t settle for some talking head telling you what a law says or what a candidate endorses. Read the law, platform, or speech for yourself. The media tends to name things in pithy ways that influence most people who never take the time to read them for themselves. People allow their opinions to be decided by the commentators’ name for a bill or the title of an article rather than individual research. (See our post about the 2022 Florida “Don’t say gay” bill. What people sensationally claimed was is in the bill didn’t show up anywhere in it.) Know what you’re promoting and voting for.
Step 4 – Consider the platform, policies, and personnel over the person. This year especially, our choice of presidential candidates leaves something (okay, a lot!) to be desired. Neither one seems to be appropriately moral (at least not in their pasts), and both are prone to exaggeration, misdirection, and straight up deceitfulness. Frankly, trying to listen to either of them talk is often unpleasant, but we’re voting for more than the person. (See John Ferrer’s article here on how we are voting for policies, platform, and personnel (like 4000 of them…). Which of these candidates has ideas that you want to duplicate in all spheres of government, like 4000 times?
It would be LOVELY if we had a candidate that reflected Christ, didn’t have a messy past, was bold and confident while also being kind and reasonable. But as a nation, we didn’t vote to put those people on the ballot. SIGH. We have the choices we have.
Remember, Jesus Christ is King.
We do not serve a fallen god or a dead king. We serve the risen Jesus who is seated on His throne at the right hand of the Father right now. Nothing happens on this Earth that is not under His sovereignty. The same God who allowed Nebuchadnezzar to conquer His people rules over our elections, too. Sometimes, God needs to show His people how far we’ve fallen in order to call us to repentance. (And if there is one thing our nation needs, it’s a call to repentance!) Do not despair. You were born for such a time as this. Raise up your dragon slayers to slay the dragons of this world that oppose our God. Be bold. A wonderfully wise speaker, Laura Zifer Powell, at the Women in Apologetics conference this month made a statement that really inspired me. I’m paraphrasing here, but she said “why are you sitting on the couch watching superheroes battle the forces of darkness. You get to do that! Get off your couch and do spiritual warfare!”
Get into the fray, Mama Bears. No matter how the election results roll in we can influence those around us and strive to improve our country and win souls to Jesus. In fact, we often do best at winning souls when it looks like our side isn’t winning at all. Remember ancient Rome? When people saw the Christians facing their deaths singing worship to God, Christianity began to spread like a wildfire. I’d rather see that wildfire than win at the polls. If we could have both, that would be nice, but Jesus wins in the end. And we want to be Team Jesus most of all.
Recommended Resources:
Correct not Politically Correct: About Same-Sex Marriage and Transgenderism by Frank Turek (Book, MP4, )
Jennifer DeFrates is a former English and Social Studies teacher turned homeschool mom and Christian blogger at Heavennotharvard.com and theMamapologist.com. Jennifer is a 2x CIA graduate (the Cross-Examined Instructors Academy) and volunteers with Mama Bear Apologetics. She has a passion for discipleship through apologetics. Her action figure would come with coffee and a stack of books. She is also the reluctant ringleader of a small menagerie in rural Alabama.
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