Scripture

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

~1 Corinthians 13:12, LSB

Quote

“I know that I know nothing.”

~Plato

I was laying in bed the other night thinking about a question that someone asks after our study in MERE CHRISTIANITY. I gave the right answer but it was not very clear. I readily admit that small children can asks me questions that I can’t answer and it was not until the last twenty years or so that my ignorance has become so apparent to me. I was not a good student in my youth. I never did my homework. Mother raised seven children of her own and part of the neighbor’s kids. She was tired by the time I came along and didn’t have time or energy to make us do homework and daddy just didn’t care. He didn’t have much respect for education period. Around the age of 40 things changed: I began to want to learn. I became a student, a reader and a learner but there is the lingering regret of those wasted years watching TV and especially sports on TV. Some years ago it dawned on me that I would never be able to overcome my ignorance. My ignorance is infinite: it has no bounds or limits. I began to feel like Albert Einstein, what I know compared to what I don’t in infinitesimal. I don’t know what the ratio was for Albert, but I can tell you that he didn’t know 1% of what there is to know, and although it is a pure guess, I doubt that he knew 0.1 % of all knowledge or even 0.0001 %. So how ignorant am I? Only God knows.

I will tell you what I do know. I know beyond any shadow of doubt that I do not know. That is number one: I know that I do not know. Number two on this descending scale is that I know there is evil in this world. Number three, I know that evil is in me, I know that I am a death and hell deserving sinner and that I cannot, no matter how hard I try, perfect myself.  I don’t need any faith to believe it, I know it. You can look me straight in the eye and say, “Bro. Jack, you are a good man and I want you to stop talking like you are a sinner.” It will not change a thing, I will walk away convinced that I am a sinner. Number four is the fact that the Bible is about Jesus from Genesis one to Revelation twenty-two. In there a God of loves us? Is Jesus the Son of God? Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? I don’t know empirically and neither does anyone else. I do believe strongly that God loves us and that Jesus is indeed His son. I also believe in heaven and hell. Abraham set his eyes of faith upon a City with an unshakable foundation and whose builder and architect was God. Did he ever find that City here on earth? Could he verify the existence of this city with empirical data? Did he see it before he died? No, he died believing although he never saw the City of God or the nation Israel. God promised  that He would make Abraham a great nations and then later, many nations but Abraham didn’t live to see it. We live by faith not by sight.

So the Bible is filled with mysteries and there are a million question that I or no one else can answer but if you believe the Bible, you better make Jesus the center of your theology. The Bible makes it crystal clear on the subject: no one is going to heaven a part for Jesus and His shed blood. Only Jesus can make us righteous. I love the doxology in Jude, Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to Him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are His before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Extra

Yesterday was Junior William Hill day for me. It was a day of reflection, worship and celebration. Junior suffered a lot in the latter years but I never heard him complain. Very simple things under ordinary conditions became extremely difficult and even painful but Junior is at rest now, praise the LORD. No more suffering for Junior. The COLS was a fine tribute to Junior and a high moment of praise and worship. I thought Michael Mason hit the apex with his version of Beulah Land. I’ve never heard anything better. It was all good. One of the speakers said, “I get to tell my stories, you don’t.” I thought to myself, “Wrong, I have my own venue and I get to tell all I can remember.”

Cold weather coming so brace yourself. I enjoy the 50 degree and no wind days but they are predicting sub-twenty degrees. I hope you have a good Wednesday and thanks for reading the blog.

Junior Hill

My first story of Junior happened 51 years ago. Junior was with us in revival in Lena, Mississippi. We were having lunch in the home of Willie and Belle Sessums. Mrs. Belle was a fabulous cook. Her fried chicken and homemade rolls were out of this world. At the table Junior keeps starring at Mrs. Belle’s daughter-in-law. She was mid-twenties, blonde hair and very attractive. After a while she stopped eating and said, “Bro. Hill, why are you staring at me?” {she had taken the bait} Junior said, “Because I can not get over the remarkable resemblance between you and my wife.” Well, she seems satisfied and first and continues to eat but in a moment she stops and says, “Do you have a picture of your wife?” Junior said, “As a matter of fact, I do.” Then he pulled out his billfold, opened it to a picture and hands it to Mary. She looked at picture and gasp; her face turned blood red. No one knew what was going on or what to think. After a few moment of horrid silence, Mary laughed and said, “Is this really your wife Bro. Hill?” Junior had a picture of the most unattractive female I have ever seen and that is what he showed Mary. She passed Junior’s billfold around the table and everyone had a big laugh. I wish I had the picture to show to you.