"but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. (1 Corinthians 13:10 NASB)"
等那完全的来到，这有限的必归於无有了。
ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται.
What is perfect?
Matthew 5:48
“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 19:21
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Romans 12:2
καὶ μὴ συσχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοός εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ εὐάρεστον καὶ τέλειον.
1 Corinthians 2:6
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
1 Corinthians 13:10
but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
1 Corinthians 14:20
Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature.
Ephesians 4:13
μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ,
Philippians 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
Colossians 1:28
And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.
Colossians 4:12
Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
Hebrews 9:11
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;
James 1:4
And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:17
Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.
James 1:25
But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.
James 3:2
For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
1John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Resurrection - Proof of Christ's Divinity
Romans 1:4
and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. (New Living Translation)
and patently marked out as the Son of God by the power of that Spirit of holiness which raised him to life again from the dead. He is our Lord, Jesus Christ (Phillips New Testament in Modern English)
who is marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the rising again from the dead,) Jesus Christ our Lord; (Young's Literal Translation)
按圣善的灵说，因从死里复活，以大能显明是神的儿子。
and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. (New Living Translation)
and patently marked out as the Son of God by the power of that Spirit of holiness which raised him to life again from the dead. He is our Lord, Jesus Christ (Phillips New Testament in Modern English)
who is marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the rising again from the dead,) Jesus Christ our Lord; (Young's Literal Translation)
按圣善的灵说，因从死里复活，以大能显明是神的儿子。
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Two Agnostics
The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one (Psalm 14:2-3 NASB).
Buddha and Confucius are two agnostics who developed some methodology to seek certain truth. They did not use these methodology to seek God (see Psalm 14:2-3, above). Buddha taught Eight-fold path 八正道 to achieve human perfection. Confucius taught Eight Items 八目 to achieve world peace.
八目
Investigation of things 格物、Extend knowledge 致知、诚意、正心、修身、齐家、治国、平天下
Eight-fold path 八正道
Wisdom
Right View 正見, Right Intention 正思惟
Ethical Conduct
Right Speech 正語, Right Action 正業, Right Livelihood 正命
Mental Development
Right Effort 正精進, Right Mindfulness 正念, Right Concentration 正定
Buddha and Confucius are two agnostics who developed some methodology to seek certain truth. They did not use these methodology to seek God (see Psalm 14:2-3, above). Buddha taught Eight-fold path 八正道 to achieve human perfection. Confucius taught Eight Items 八目 to achieve world peace.
八目
Investigation of things 格物、Extend knowledge 致知、诚意、正心、修身、齐家、治国、平天下
Eight-fold path 八正道
Wisdom
Right View 正見, Right Intention 正思惟
Ethical Conduct
Right Speech 正語, Right Action 正業, Right Livelihood 正命
Mental Development
Right Effort 正精進, Right Mindfulness 正念, Right Concentration 正定
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Last Judgement
Matthew 25:31-33 (NASB)
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
Matthew 25:34-40 (NASB)
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Matthew 25:41-46 (NASB)
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
Matthew 25:34-40 (NASB)
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Matthew 25:41-46 (NASB)
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Difference between Saul and David
Their sins
Saul did not kill all that God asked him to:
Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs — everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality. (1 Samuel 15:7-9 NLT)
David commited adultery and murder:
Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, "She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite." Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, "I'm pregnant." (2 Samuel 11:2-5 NLT)
Some of the king's men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite. (2 Samuel 11:24 NLT)
Their reaction when confronted by the prophets:
Saul was interested in looking good before the people.
Then Saul pleaded again, "I know I have sinned. But please, at least honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel by coming back with me so that I may worship the LORD your God." (1 Samuel 15:30 NLT)
David publicly confessed his sins:
Then David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." (2 Samuel 12:13 NLT)
God's response:
God rejected Saul but built a house for David.
Saul did not kill all that God asked him to:
Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs — everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality. (1 Samuel 15:7-9 NLT)
David commited adultery and murder:
Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, "She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite." Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, "I'm pregnant." (2 Samuel 11:2-5 NLT)
Some of the king's men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite. (2 Samuel 11:24 NLT)
Their reaction when confronted by the prophets:
Saul was interested in looking good before the people.
Then Saul pleaded again, "I know I have sinned. But please, at least honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel by coming back with me so that I may worship the LORD your God." (1 Samuel 15:30 NLT)
David publicly confessed his sins:
Then David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." (2 Samuel 12:13 NLT)
God's response:
God rejected Saul but built a house for David.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Buddhist Endpoint - Nirvana / Nibbana
I found this website that write about nirvana:
QUOTE
The death of a Buddha, the great Parinirvana, is neither destruction nor death, else would it be birth and continuation. If it were destruction, it would be an effect-producing deed, which it is not. Neither is it a vanishing nor an abandonment, neither is it attainment, nor is it of no attainment; neither is it of one significance nor of no significance, for there is no Nirvana for the Buddhas.
The Tathagata's Nirvana is where it is recognised that there is nothing but what is seen of the mind itself; is where, recognising the nature of the self-mind, one no longer cherishes the dualisms of discrimination; is where there is no more thirst nor grasping; is where there is no more attachment to external things. Nirvana is where the thinking-mind with all its discriminations, attachments, aversions and egoism is forever put away; is where logical measures, as they are seen to be inert, are no longer seized upon; is where even the notion of truth is treated with indifference because of its causing bewilderment; is where, getting rid of the four propositions, there is insight into the abode of Reality. Nirvana is where the twofold passions have subsided and the twofold hindrances are cleared away and the twofold egolessness is patiently accepted; is where, by the attainment of the "turning-about" in the deepest seat of consciousness, self-realisation of Noble Wisdom is fully entered into,--that is the Nirvana of the Tathagatas.
Nirvana is where the Bodhisattva stages are passed one after another; is where the sustaining power of the Buddhas upholds the Bodhisattvas in the bliss of the Samadhis; is where compassion for others transcends all thoughts of self; is where the Tathagata stage is finally realised.
Nirvana is the realm of Dharmata-Buddha; it is where the manifestation of Noble Wisdom that is Buddhahood expresses itself in Perfect Love for all; it is where the manifestation of Perfect Love that is Tathagatahood expresses itself in Noble Wisdom for the enlightenment of all;--there, indeed, is Nirvana!
There are two classes of those who may not enter the Nirvana of the Tathagatas: there are those who have abandoned the Bodhisattva ideals, saying, they are not in conformity with the sutras, the codes of morality, nor with emancipation. Then there are the true Bodhisattvas who, on account of their original vows made for the sake of all beings, saying, "So long as they do not attain Nirvana, I will not attain it myself," voluntarily keep themselves out of Nirvana. But no beings are left outside by the will of the Tathagatas; some day each and every one will be influenced by the wisdom and love of the Tathagatas of Transformation to lay up a stock of merit and ascend the stages. But, if they only realised it, they are already in the Tathagata's Nirvana for, in Noble Wisdom, all things are in Nirvana from the beginning.
UNQUOTE
QUOTE
The death of a Buddha, the great Parinirvana, is neither destruction nor death, else would it be birth and continuation. If it were destruction, it would be an effect-producing deed, which it is not. Neither is it a vanishing nor an abandonment, neither is it attainment, nor is it of no attainment; neither is it of one significance nor of no significance, for there is no Nirvana for the Buddhas.
The Tathagata's Nirvana is where it is recognised that there is nothing but what is seen of the mind itself; is where, recognising the nature of the self-mind, one no longer cherishes the dualisms of discrimination; is where there is no more thirst nor grasping; is where there is no more attachment to external things. Nirvana is where the thinking-mind with all its discriminations, attachments, aversions and egoism is forever put away; is where logical measures, as they are seen to be inert, are no longer seized upon; is where even the notion of truth is treated with indifference because of its causing bewilderment; is where, getting rid of the four propositions, there is insight into the abode of Reality. Nirvana is where the twofold passions have subsided and the twofold hindrances are cleared away and the twofold egolessness is patiently accepted; is where, by the attainment of the "turning-about" in the deepest seat of consciousness, self-realisation of Noble Wisdom is fully entered into,--that is the Nirvana of the Tathagatas.
Nirvana is where the Bodhisattva stages are passed one after another; is where the sustaining power of the Buddhas upholds the Bodhisattvas in the bliss of the Samadhis; is where compassion for others transcends all thoughts of self; is where the Tathagata stage is finally realised.
Nirvana is the realm of Dharmata-Buddha; it is where the manifestation of Noble Wisdom that is Buddhahood expresses itself in Perfect Love for all; it is where the manifestation of Perfect Love that is Tathagatahood expresses itself in Noble Wisdom for the enlightenment of all;--there, indeed, is Nirvana!
There are two classes of those who may not enter the Nirvana of the Tathagatas: there are those who have abandoned the Bodhisattva ideals, saying, they are not in conformity with the sutras, the codes of morality, nor with emancipation. Then there are the true Bodhisattvas who, on account of their original vows made for the sake of all beings, saying, "So long as they do not attain Nirvana, I will not attain it myself," voluntarily keep themselves out of Nirvana. But no beings are left outside by the will of the Tathagatas; some day each and every one will be influenced by the wisdom and love of the Tathagatas of Transformation to lay up a stock of merit and ascend the stages. But, if they only realised it, they are already in the Tathagata's Nirvana for, in Noble Wisdom, all things are in Nirvana from the beginning.
UNQUOTE
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Agnostic's Guide to True Religion
There may seem to be many religions and gods, but your fellow agnostic, Confucius, said that we should always begin at the classification of things (格物).
If you look carefully at all the religious systems of the world, you can actually divide them into two classes:
1. Creator religion: eternal creator (god or gods) who created the universe but not part of it;
2. System religion: an eternal system of rules exists from which the current universe is built upon.
So it is a chicken and egg problem - is there is some intelligent personality (a god or some gods) who create the system, or the system is always there, and the god or gods and the universe arise out of the system.
Common sense tells me that things are always made by some intelligent personality. I am sure many heard of the watch implies a watchmaker analogy. Critics of this analogy like to point that the watchmaker would likewise need another maker, and so on ad infinitum. Well, mathematics tell me that the largest number n, will always have a larger number, n + 1. But we define "infinity" to resolve the issue. Likewise, if a maker always have another maker, then it will stop at the infinite maker, which is God.
If we agree that there is some intelligent personality creating the universe, then our next job is to identify this intelligent personality. Among all the religions that claim to have some intelligent personality that create the universe, which is the most probable?
First, let us eliminate false creators. An example is Pan Ku (盤古, 盘古), the creator in Chinese mythology. He was formed from an egg which was formed from a formless chaos. In another word, he was created within a pre-existing system. Thus it is not a true creator religion, but a system religion. Likewise are the creation accounts of many polytheist religions, which seem to accept a system from which our world, gods and people, exists.
Common sense tells me that things are always made by some intelligent personality. I am sure many heard of the watch implies a watchmaker analogy. Critics of this analogy like to point that the watchmaker would likewise need another maker, and so on ad infinitum. Well, mathematics tell me that the largest number n, will always have a larger number, n + 1. But we define "infinity" to resolve the issue. Likewise, if a maker always have another maker, then it will stop at the infinite maker, which is God.
If we agree that there is some intelligent personality creating the universe, then our next job is to identify this intelligent personality. Among all the religions that claim to have some intelligent personality that create the universe, which is the most probable?
First, let us eliminate false creators. An example is Pan Ku (盤古, 盘古), the creator in Chinese mythology. He was formed from an egg which was formed from a formless chaos. In another word, he was created within a pre-existing system. Thus it is not a true creator religion, but a system religion. Likewise are the creation accounts of many polytheist religions, which seem to accept a system from which our world, gods and people, exists.
The only true creator religions that I know of are the monotheistic religions. The most likely candidates for creator God are the God of Abraham and the God of Sikhism. Thus the Agnostic can start by studying all the monotheistic religions. This should narrow down the scope.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)