Rebecca Writes

Cranberries
Last evening the dog and I went on a cranberry scouting expedition. What did we find? The berries aren’t quite ripe yet, but there is a bumper crop this year—big berries and plentiful—like I haven’t seen since 1987.

And yes, I remember the exact year, because several years later I still had bags of cranberries in the freezer labeled, “Cranberries, September 1987.” Oldest daughter and her friend were ten years old, and for a couple of weeks in early September they’d disappear into the bush together whenever it could be arranged, and waddle home a couple of hours later, side by side, carrying a 5-gallon bucket of berries between them. (That was back in the days when reasonable parents still let their kiddies wander the bush unsupervised all afternoon as long as they were home for supper.)

Watermelon
All the watermelon I bought this year was disappointingly bland and flavourless and not very juicy. Even the big watermelon fans in the fam didn’t like it much, and I ended up throwing some away.  Do they even grow the slurpy, full-of-flavour, seeded melons like I grew up with anymore?

Peaches
I have been shamelessly admiring all the jars of canned peaches (and strawberry-rhubarb jam, too) lined up on a little table in the kitchen. What’s the point of slaving over the canner if you can’t admire your handiwork for a while before you store it away on a cool dark shelf in the basement?

I still plan to do a post on canning peaches, but it is taking longer than I expected to get it together. In case you are waiting for my instructions before canning peaches and your peaches are in danger of spoiling while you wait, let me recommend the book Putting Food By by Janet Greene. It is the very best resource there is on canning, preserving, freezing, drying, curing, smoking or cold storing food of all kinds—fruit, vegetable, or meat. If this book doesn’t have instructions for it, you don’t want to do it.

Time to post the answers to Monday’s quiz on the Trinity. Here are a few definitions of the Trinity that may be helpful in explaining the correct answers to the quiz.

The source for this definition is James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries.  (The whole of the linked article may be helpful to you as well.)

Wayne Grudem gives three statements that summarize the Biblical teaching on the Trinity in his Systematic Theology. 

1. God is three persons
2. Each person is fully God.
3. There is one God.¹
   

(1) God is one; (2) God is three; (3) the three persons are each fully God; (4) each of the persons is distinct from the others; and (5) the three persons are eternally related as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.²

Longer than these summary statements, but extremely important, is the historical Athanasian creed. Quoting from the section that pertains to the Trinity:

Now onto the answers, although I’m betting that if you read through those statements quoted above, you already know most of the answers.

Remember, the point was to determine which statements are untrue according to the Biblical and historical doctrine of the Trinity. I’ve given short defenses of some of the answers, but doing it for every one seemed unnecessary and repetitive. If you want to know the reasoning behind any of the undefended answers, just ask.

…and that they shall persevere therein unto salvation?

Such as truly believe in Christ, and endeavor to walk in all good conscience before him,[1] may, without extraordinary revelation, by faith grounded upon the truth of God’s promises, and by the Spirit enabling them to discern in themselves those graces to which the promises of life are made,[2] and bearing witness with their spirits that they are the children of God,[3] be infallibly assured that they are in the estate of grace, and shall persevere therein unto salvation.[4] 

Click to read more ...

I’m in the quiz making business again and this one’s on the Trinity. The directions are simple: Indicate which of the following statements are not true according to the Biblical and historical doctrine of the Trinity.

1. There is one God.
2. God is one person.
3. God is one being.
   
4. There are three persons in the Godhead.
5. The three persons in the Godhead are related eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 
   
6. Each of the three persons of the Godhead is one-third of God.
   
7. The Father is fully God.
8. The Father has the whole fullness of God’s being in himself.
   
9. The Father is eternal.
10. The Father is not the Son.
11. The Father is not the Holy Spirit.
    
12. The Son is fully God.
13. The Son has the whole fullness if God’s being in himself.
    
14. The Son came into being at the time of the incarnation. 
    
15. The Son was brought into being in eternity past.
    
16. The Son is eternal.
17. The Son is not the Father.
18. The Son is not the Holy Spirit.
    
19. The Holy Spirit is fully God.
20. The Holy Spirit has the whole fullness of God’s being in himself.
    
21. The Holy Spirit is eternal.
22. The Holy Spirit is not the Father.
23. The Holy Spirit is not the Son.
    
24. The persons of the Trinity are distinct.
25. In their nature, the Son and the Holy Spirit are co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.           
    
26. The Son and the Spirit are subordinate to the Father in their essence or nature.
27. The Trinity is unique.
28. There is both unity and diversity in the being of God.
    
29. The persons of the Trinity have distinct primary roles.
30. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are simply different names for the one person of God showing himself to us in three distinct roles.
    
31. A right understanding of the Trinity is vital to right worship of God.
32. A right understanding of the Trinity is vital to a right understanding of redemption.
    
33. Any analogy used to explain the Trinity will not represent it completely accurately.
    
34. The doctrine of the Trinity cannot be derived from the Biblical text.

Look for the answers to be posted on Wednesday or thereabout.

Like theology quizzes? Here are some that were posted  previously:

• On Justification
• On Christ’s Work
• On Christ’s Humanity
• On the Person and Work of Jesus Christ
• On Original Sin
  

….or ask and you shall receive.

All the vegies (and the raspberry eyes) were picked yesterday from the garden. Would you like to play along, too? See the details here.

More food news: I’ve been canning peaches and I’ve taken photos so that I can post a peach canning tutorial next week.

My box is all filled up, and the mail server won’t let me in to empty it. I spent a big chunk of time yesterday trying to fix the problem, but I was unsuccessful.

If you emailed me in the last few days, there’s a good chance I didn’t get it. When the problem’s solved, I’ll let you know, okay?

…and the many temptations and sins they are overtaken with, fall away from the state of grace?

True believers, by reason of the unchangeable love of God,[1] and his decree and covenant to give them perseverance,[2] their inseparable union with Christ,[3] his continual intercession for them,[4] and the Spirit and seed of God abiding in them,[5] can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace,[6] but are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.[7]

Click to read more ...

I’ve listened to many mp3 lectures, sermons, or Sunday school lessons over the past few months. Here are a few that I think are particularly interesting, informative, and valuable.

D. A. Carson (I’ve included links to my notes posted on each of these, too.)

• The Ironies of the Cross and notes.
• On Being Prepared for Suffering and Evil, Part 1 and Part 2, and notes on Part 1 and Part 2.
• What is the Gospel? and notes.

John Piper on Romans 9 (From Desiring God Radio)

• Freedom/Justice of God in Unconditional Election, Part 1, Part 2
• The Fame of His Name and the Freedom of Mercy, Part 1, Part 2
• The Hardening of Pharoah and the Hope of the World, Part 1, Part 2
• How God Makes Known the Riches of His Glory to the Vessels of Mercy, Part 1, Part 2

Dan Phillips

• Why Does It Matter That Jesus is a Ransom?

David Wells

• The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World

Phil Johnson

• A Survey of Heresies: Six lectures on five historical (yet recurring) heresies.

• This is a long weekend in the Yukon and today is a holiday—Discovery Day. I’ve taken advantage of the lovely late summer weather to do things outdoors, including prepping and painting yet another deck. And so the spotty blogging. 
• I have buckets of fresh broccoli from the garden, but no heads on the cauliflower yet. The heads on the cabbage are still quite small, too. Apparently cauliflower and cabbage need more sun than broccoli. I would post photos, but all the digital cameras in the house are being used elsewhere during this long weekend.
  
• Oldest daughter ordered a new iPod, and it arrived last Thursday. According to the Purolator delivery man, her parcel came here along with hundreds of iPods intended for destinations all across Canada, but directed here by the 96W code for Whitehorse printed on them. Hers, it seems, was the only one that really belonged here.