The Joshua Victor Theory

  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. What does God have to prove? He doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone, right? He’s GOD after all. But in Romans 3:19-28, it says twice that God proved or showed His righteousness (v. 25-26). What did He do and why? God showed His righteousness by justifying believers in Jesus. On Reformation Day, we continue to contemplate that great word “righteousness” as today we reflect on God’s Righteousness. As we zero in on this aspect, many other facets of this beautiful diamond sparkle unseen. We are only glimpsing the great gift of God’s Righteousness from one angle. Righteousness is a central theme of Romans and Apostle Paul’s ministry itself. It became central to Martin Luther’s Reformation 500 years ago. Not only Paul and Luther beat that drum. This theme of righteousness runs all through the Bible. Two key points today: 1) God’s righteousness is His character, and 2) He imputes or credits His righteousn...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. What does it mean to be perfect? Depending on what you are talking about, you could probably stir up some pretty hot disagreement about that word. What defines a “perfect” work of art? A painting, a sculpture, or a story or a song? How closely it reflects reality? Other’s might argue that “perfection” isn’t even a goal we should aim for. They might find the beauty in the irregularities and imperfections of life, the organic beauty of nature, or the jumbled threads that make up the back of a tapestry. Or what defines a perfect person, or perfect parenting, or a perfect job? We might get into similar arguments about right or wrong methods, about the danger of “perfectionism”, impossible standards, etc. “Perfect” can be a contentious word. Do we resent the idea of “perfection” when almost everyone these days says: “nobody’s perfect!”—or do we just want someone to cut us some slack? Whatever your opinions on tho...