Trails Church Base Camp

Welcome to BaseCamp, the equipping ministry of the Trails Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This podcast channel is meant to come alongside of our normal rhythms as a church and is geared towards equipping us, as christians, in understanding the Gospel, the Bible, and how Christians ought to live as a response of what we believe to be true from the Bible, while holding out the truths of the Gospel to those that have not placed their faith and trust upon Jesus.

Two opening questions:

1) What does it mean to be a man?

2) What does it mean to be a woman?

PRELIMINARIES

First, let me explain how I’m using that word “gender.” As I’ve mentioned, some today differentiate between “sex,” and “gender,” arguing that sex is only biological while gender refers to cultural, psychological and behavioral aspects of masculinity and femininity. I understand that distinction, and that is how many employ these terms now, but what I want to argue in this class is that gender is a more comprehensive category. It includes the sex of our bodies, whether we are born as men or women and it also extends to the dispositions that God has designed us to have as men and women. So I’m using gender to refer to both sexual differentiation and the dispositions and roles God has given to us.

How? What’s our methodology? In this series, we will rely on the sufficiency of Scripture - we are a people of the Book, we trust and love the Bible - and we believe that the Bible is authoritative and completely true, inerrant and infallible and sufficient for all that we need for life and for godliness. As Paul told Timothy, scripture equips the man of God for “every good work.” And we pray that it will continue to do so for us.

 - prescriptive and descriptive

Main outline of episode:

A. Creation.

B. Fall.

C. Redemption in Christ.

D. Restoration.

Resources:

Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey: https://www.amazon.ca/Love-Thy-Body-Answering-Questions/dp/0801075971/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu9bClqmr9QIV4MmUCR21IgjIEAAYAiAAEgKSNPD_BwE&hvadid=249463820851&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9001173&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1436551444225065368&hvtargid=kwd-397001323824&hydadcr=21195_10682716&keywords=love+thy+body+nancy+pearcey&qid=1641959875&sr=8-1

God Made Boys and Girls: https://www.amazon.ca/God-Made-Boys-Girls-Understand/dp/164507031X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AM6QPXVMIW87&keywords=God+made+boys+and+girls&qid=1641959910&sprefix=god+made+boys+and+girls%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-1

Is God Anti-Gay? https://www.amazon.ca/God-Anti-Gay-Sam-Allberry/dp/1908762314/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NS9YRAF2YG89&keywords=is+god+anti-gay+by+sam+allberry&qid=1641959933&sprefix=Is+God+an%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-1

In this episode, we will consider two main things:

What is Providence? Specifically, when we talk about “providence”, we are talking about God’s Ongoing Relationship with Creation

God’s providence causes to continue what has already been called into existence, and He does it by (1) sustaining it; (2) working in and through it; and (3) directing it for his good purposes. These three avenues are called (1) preservation, (2) concurrence, and (3) government.

1. Preservation: God Upholds and Sustains All Things

(Heb 1:3; Col. 1:17; Neh. 9:6; Job 34:14-15)

2. Concurrence: God Works In and Through All Things

(Gen. 45:5; Eph. 1:11; Job 37:6-13; Prov. 16:9, 33; Job 14:5; Phil. 2:13)

- Primary and Secondary Causes

3. Government: God Rules and Directs All Things; thus, He is directing all things for His good purposes; He governs and directs all things according to their appointed purpose.

(Dan 4:35; Rom. 8:28; Ps. 103:19)

A. God’s governing activity is universal and does not merely extend to his own people. It extends to all matters and all men

B. God is good in his government.

C. God is personally concerned about those who are his

D. God is sovereign in his government.

Why does this matter?

1) Belief in God’s providence means that we can trust God for all things because he has already handled our biggest problem … sin.

2) God’s providence also means that we can be patient in adversity. I

3) This also leads us to gratitude

4) the doctrine of providence is meant to lead us to hope

Recommended Resources:

Spectacular Sins (free Ebook by John Piper): https://www.desiringgod.org/books/spectacular-sins

Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology: https://www.amazon.ca/Systematic-Theology-Introduction-Biblical-Doctrine/dp/0310286700/ref=asc_df_0310286700/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292994319506&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1291156945323154158&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001173&hvtargid=pla-434015156820&psc=1

Today, we are picking back up on that thread as we are thinking through what God’s relationship is like with the creation that he has made? And How we understand that question makes all the distinction between Christianity and false religions. And so first, we’re going to look at four view non-Christian views. Then we’ll look specifically at how the Bible describes God’s relationship to creation. And finally, we look at the crown jewel of creation – humankind. Specifically, how God created male and female in his image to extend his kingly dominion over creation. And our big, overall question is: what does that mean for us and who we are?

Four Non-Christian Views of God

1. Pantheism - and this view teaches that God is everything (so, the word “pan” means “all” and “theism” is that root word of “theos”, or “god”); thus, this view holds that everything is God.

One great challenge to Pantheism is that the divine exists as much in the most morally reprehensible acts as it does in beauty or delicious food. Even more importantly, there’s no God on the outside who can break in and rescue us; thus there is no ultimate justice and no hope of deliverance; there is only acceptance.

2. Dualism – Dual = 2 (Good and Evil). Duel = A Battle. Thus dualism is a battle b/w good and bad. And good and evil are in a long, protracted cosmic battle for supremacy.

- Star Wars

3. Deism – Deism is the view that God is not presently involved in creation. He created it, but is now distant and removed from what He made. God created the world, but he doesn’t have anything to do with it anymore (divine clockmaker)

4. Materialism (or naturalism). Materialism says we live in a closed world. No force from the outside, call it God or whatever you like, can enter in and disturb the physical world. Our lives are governed purely by impersonal laws operating over strictly natural phenomena.

Undoubtedly, then, you can see how these four views run contrary to the Biblical account, for they either deny God’s superiority over his creation or they obliterate his relationship with it.

II. God’s Relationship to Creation

Transcendence

Immanence

II. How God created male and female in his image to extend his kingly dominion over creation.

Genesis 2:7, 21-22, 1:27

3 things in particular. We image God:

Conclusion: Why does the doctrine of creation matter?

In this episode, we bring to a close our parenthood series and, as we do, we don't give a list of things to "do"; rather, we give 7 things that we should "NOT" do as Parents:

1. Don’t miss it.

2. Next, as parents, Don’t be hypercritical towards your kids.

3. The third is: Don’t be surprised by disobedience.

4. Fourthly, Don’t assume you know how your kids will turn out.

5. Fifthly, Don’t fear.

6. Sixthly, as a parent, don’t pretend that you have it all together - besides, your kids know that you don’t!

7. Don’t just be “transcendent.”

Literal 6 days?  Not a literal 6 days?  Old Earth?  Young Earth?  

We started our Systematic Theology podcast series by understanding the importance of the Bible and seen some of the attributes of God. 

Now, we turn to study the topic of many hotly debated texts: Creation.

In this discussion, we discuss:

7 BIBLICAL TRUTHS ABOUT CREATION

1. God created the universe out of nothing.

2. Secondly, God created all things --- both visible and invisible, both in the heavens and the earth.

3. God created time.

4. God created by his word.

5. Creation is a Triune Act

6. Sixthly, The Universe God Created was “Very Good.”

7. And our last point: God Created the Universe to Show His Glory.

Various Christian views on Creation:

(1) Theistic Evolution.

(2) The Gap Theory.

(3) Day-Age View.

(4) Literary-Framework View.

(5) Young-Earth Creationism.

(6) Historic-Creationism.

Commonalities in all six views that demarcate them as “Christian”:

1) God is the creator over everything

2) He created everything as Good

3) God created Mankind in His image (imago dei preserved)

In this episode, we are continuing our Parenthood study and talking about how we navigate the tricky waters of technology with our kids.

Is Technology helping us:

Bonus Question: Is technology helping me to be holy?

________

Examples for “Digital Boundaries”

• Do not check my smartphone until after my morning devotions.

• Try to end my digital day by 9:00 p.m.

• Don’t check my smartphone when having lunch or dinner with a friend, or leave phone in car.

• Take a digital fast every Sunday (or start with every Sunday afternoon)

• No digital gadgets at mealtimes.

• Limit checking emails or texts to once an hour.

• Try not to talk on the phone to virtual people when real people are in front of me.

Recommended Reading:

Welcome back to basecamp as we are continuing our study of systematic theology as a church and are exploring, in this episode, part two of last week’s discussion and diving in to examine some of the attributes of God.

1. The Unity of God

Everything God does is fully consistent with all of his attributes; there are no contradictions in his character. Exodus 34:6-7

2. God is Triune

3 questions:

A. What does the doctrine of the Trinity mean?

Wayne Grudem’s definition: “God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.” Deut 6:4; Isaiah 45:5, 21.

But this God is a unity of three distinct “Persons.” The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. But the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. Each person plays a distinct role in the harmonious work of redemption.

The Belgic Confession of 1561 put it this way: “The Father is the cause, origin, and source of all things, visible as well as invisible. The Son is the Word, the Wisdom, and the image of the Father. The Holy Spirit is the eternal power and might, proceeding from the Father and the Son. Nevertheless, this distinction does not divide God into three, since Scripture teaches us that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each has a distinct subsistence [which means personhood] distinguished by characteristics—yet in such a way that these three persons are only one God…. These persons, thus distinct, are neither divided nor fused or mixed together.”

B. How does Scripture teach the doctrine of the Trinity?

Tertullian

Matt 3:16-17

Matt 28:19

John 14-17

C. Why does the Trinity Matter?

More attributes of God’s Character:

3. God’s Omniscience – His Perfect Knowledge

4. Truthfulness

5. Wisdom

6. Holiness

Jonathan Edwards: Religious Affections and Writings on the Trinity, Grace, and Faith

7. Justice/Righteousness

8. Goodness/Love

Don Carson’s, The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God (FREE PDF: https://s3.amazonaws.com/tgc-documents/carson/2000_difficult_doctrine_of_the_love_of_God.pdf)

In this episode, we examine the unique call we have to pastor our teenagers.

Proverbs’ teaching about Youth:

Goals with our Teenagers:

Goal 1: Focus on the Spiritual Struggle.

Goal 2: Develop a heart of conviction and wisdom (p128).

Goal 3: Teach our teenagers to understand and react redemptively with their culture.

Goal 4: Try to develop a heart for God and godliness in your teen.

Goal 5: Prepare your teenagers to leave home.

Practical thoughts:

In this episode, we build upon our former discussions and begin answering these two questions:

If someone were to ask you how you know God exists, what would you say?

1.) generally to all men by creation and providence;

2.) propositionally in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments;

3.) personally in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; and

4.) and savingly through the work of His Word and Spirit. (repeat)

Proofs of God: Creation and Conscience (General Revelation)

General revelation is that unveiling of God, the knowledge of God’s being and will which is given to all people everywhere, at all times, through the ordinary experience of being alive in God’s world. [Ps. 19:1, 2; Rom. 1:19, 20; 2:14, 15]

Special revelation is this: it is how God has made himself known by particular acts and words, especially the Word of the Lord (Scripture), and the Lord of the Word (Jesus).

Romans 1-2 discussion.

Helpful Resource: The God who is there by DA Carson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO2ZodTbNdU

God’s Incommunicable Attributes

1. The Independence or Self-Existence of God (Ex 3.14; Ps 50:8-15; See Also Ps. 33:11; 115:3; Isa. 40:18 ff.; Dan. 4:35; John 5:26; Rom. 11:33-36; Acts 17:25; Rev. 4:11.) God’s existence and character are determined by Himself alone and are not dependent on anyone or anything else.

2. God is immutable. God in his nature, character, and purposes, does not change.

3. God is Infinite: Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Eternal

- omnipresent (present-everywhere). This means that God transcends spatial limitations, is without size, and is present at every point of space with his whole being.

- omnipotent (all-powerful). God is able to do all that He decides to do. God can do everything that He wills to do and is consistent with his character.

- eternal. God transcends the very limitations of time. He has no beginning or end.

Resource: AW Tozer's book "Knowledge of the Holy" as FREE PDF: https://www.restoringthecore.com/wp-content/restored/AW-Tozer-Knowledge-of-the-Holy.pdf

Picking back up on our discussion around Parenthood and gender roles in this episode.

References to these books are made:

Carolyn Mahaney: Feminine Appeal