Excess Interest in the Present Life: "A symptom...of unbelief"

“The core (of other-worldliness) lies not in what it relinquishes but in what it seeks. Escape from the world here below and avoidance of the evil in the world do not furnish its primary motive. That is true only of the abnormal, morbid type of other-worldliness, that connected with pessimism and monastic seclusion. From an unwarranted identification with these the true grace portrayed by Scripture has been exposed to much ill—considered criticism and fallen into disrepute. If heavenly-mindedness were an upward flight in the ignominious (shameful; crb) sense of the word, it would be the very opposite to the heroism of genuine faith, a seeking for a harbor of refuge, instead of a steering for the haven of home.

It is only right that in some measure the bitter experience of sin and evil should contribute to the Christian’s desire for heaven. The attraction of heaven is in part the attraction of free­dom from sin. And not a little of the contempt poured upon it, while pretending to protest against cloistered withdrawal (i.e. monaticism; crb), springs in reality from a defective percep­tion of the seriousness of sin. Where the eye has not by divine grace been opened to the world’s wickedness, it is easy to look with disdain on the Christian’s world-shyness. But the Christian, who knows that the end of sin cannot come until the end of this world, looks at the question in a light of his own. He is fully warranted in considering ridicule of this kind part of the reproach of Christ and bearing it with joy.

Nor should we forget that an excess of interest in the present life, when shown in the name of religion, is apt in our day to be a symptom of doubt or unbelief in regard to the life to come. Still the principle remains in force, that the desirability of heaven should never pos­sess exclusively or mainly negative significance. It is not something first brought into the religious mind through sin. The lineage and birthright of other-worldliness are of the oldest and noblest. By God himself this traveler’s unrest was implanted in the soul. Ever since the goal set by the covenant of works came within his ken (awareness; crb), man carries with him in all his converse (interaction; crb) with this world the sense of belonging to another. This is but to say that supernaturalism forms from the outset the basis of true religion in man.” – Geerhardus Vos, Grace and Glory, pp. 112, 113.

Has anyone seen "Fugitive Phil"?

Gospel artist Driscoll to face charge

Phil Driscoll is on the run, at least that's what the federal government says. The Knoxville News-Sentinel tells us that "The Driscolls...are accused in the indictments of filing 'false and fraudulent income tax returns as part of a scheme and artifice to evade reporting in excess of $1 million in the Driscolls' personal income.'"

The feds say Mr. & Mrs. Driscoll "'disguised the sale of personal assets,' instead listing the money as 'contributions or donations' to their (three) ministries." And this pattern evolved over quite some time: "The conspiracy spanned from 1993 to May 2002, according to the indictment, and was carried out in Cleveland, Chattanooga and Jacksonville, Fla."

And is Phil owning it? Not quite: "Federal court records list Phil Driscoll as a fugitive. A federal judge has issued arrest warrants..."

The Christian Concert Authority's article on Phil includes this line: "Phil Driscoll spent several years running from his God-ordained purpose". I guess that includes being up front with Uncle Sam.

Christ & apostles: "Unparalleled Redemptive-Historical Perspective"

Vosians are often accused of "reading into the text", and often it is not the case. Biblical theology done rightly attempts to ascertain *how* Christ and the NT authors were interpreting the Old Testament and once the *how* is answered, to mimic their methods. IOW, the exegesis follows the same exegetical methods employed by Christ and the NT authors. G. K. Beale notes 5 presuppositions that Christ and the NT authors had when they interpreted the OT in an essay that encourages us to reproduce the exegetical methods of the NT authors:

“Jesus and the apostles had an unparalleled redemptive-historical perspective on the Old Testament in relation to their own situation…this perspective involved a framework of five hermeneutical and theological presuppositions:

1. the assumption of corporate solidarity or representation.
2. that Christ is viewed as representing the true Israel of the Old Testament and true Israel, the church, in the New Testament;
3. that history is unified by a wise and sovereign plan so that the earlier parts
are designed to correspond and point to the latter parts (cf. Matt. 11:13-14);
4. that the age of eschatological fulfillment has come in Christ;
5. as a consequence of (3) and (4), the fifth presupposition affirms that the
latter parts of biblical history function as the broader context to interpret
earlier parts because they all have the same ultimate divine author who
inspires the various human authors, and one deduction from this premise is
that Christ as the center of history is the key to interpreting the earlier
portions of the Old Testament and its promises.

…"Subsequently, New Testament Scripture interprets the Old Testament Scripture by expanding its meaning, seeing new implications in it and giving it new applications…this expansion does not contravene the integrity of the earlier texts but rather develops them in a way which is consistent with the Old Testament author’s understanding of the way in which God interacts with his people – which is the unifying factor between the Testaments. Therefore, the canon interprets the canon; later parts of the canon draw out and explain more clearly the earlier parts.” (G. K. Beale, The Right Doctrine from the Wrong Texts: Essays on the Use of the Old Testament in the New, pp. 391-393).