Happy Father's Day Dad!

I am not naïve enough to overlook how ‘lucky’ I was growing up. We had both mom and dad at home, they loved each other, and there was no alcoholism or drug abuse. But not just that, there was genuine love and a stable environment. Sure, we had our problems as everyone does. But I thought I would just take a minute and express my gratefulness for my father. It’s Father’s Day after all, and the Bible commands us to ‘honor our father and mother’ (Eph 6:2). So allow me to introduce my father.

Gene Bonham, Jr spent most of his career in Criminal Justice, starting out as a parole officer and administrator of a corrections program before taking his knowledge to academia. He is now a grad-school professor at the University of Central Missouri holding a Ph.D.



Very cool! (by the way, I always thought he looks a little like D.A. Carson. How cool would it be to get those two brains together to talk about the meaning of life!) But I digress ...

My Dad put up with a lot from us boys growing up. I was definitely the most argumentative and self-centered of the four boys and I am blown away when I look aback at his patience with us, especially me. He demonstrated wisdom in knowing how to pick battles with us boys and with Mom. He exercised restraint and showed humility in not having to ‘win’ every argument.

Dad taught the importance of education and study, by example. He could often be found marking up a thick book on this or that. I am grateful for the rather ‘nerdy’ qualities he passed on. I still can remember the day I finally beat him in chess! Sure, we threw the baseball around at times but I owe my love of books to Dad.

The way Dad treats his wife is especially commendable. He simply will not tolerate her to be disrespected and has shown us boys that he will come after us when we fall short of that respect!

There are a lot of other things I can talk about, but I never quite learned from Dad’s aversion to procrastination! Need to run help get those kids to church!

Dad, I am glad you are my dad and I truly love you. I wasn’t 'lucky' to have been born into your family, it was exactly the way God designed it. I am grateful He did not leave it to chance! In fact, even if it wasn’t predestined, I would still choose you 999 times out of 1,000 (just once I would choose a family where the gene pool allowed for a 40-inch vertical!)

A tour of RC Sproul's office

This is very cool to see. RC Sproul is a hero of mine. Cardinals fans might even note the appearance of a St Louis cardinals hat signed by the famous ... sorry, his name eludes me. You will have to watch and see for yourself.

R.C. Sproul - Study Tour from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Happy 13th Birthday Adriana!

Adriana turns 13 today from Mike Bonham on Vimeo.

Were we created sinners?

Dr Joe Mizzi answers this question:

Question: If God so loved the world why did he create us imperfect sinners? If you believe the story in the Garden of Eden, then you have to admit that God set us up for failure. What kind of loving God would do such a thing? What kind of God would stand by and allow something like the holocaust to occur? The fact is that whether or not there is or is not a God, it doesn't really matter.

Answer: The Bible does not teach that God created man imperfect or sinful. As a matter of fact, the Bible clearly teaches than man was originally created good and upright. "Truly, this only I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes" (Ecclesiastes 7:29). “God created man in His own image...then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:27, 31).

Something happened after creation that ruined the image of God in us. Like God, we were created holy and righteous; but that image was defaced by sin. Man voluntarily chose to disobey God, even though he had been warned about the terrible consequences that would follow. The first man, Adam, sinned. He could choose to obey and disobey. He freely chose to disobey the Creator. It is his fault, not God’s.

Moreover, since Adam is our head and father, he is the representative of all the human family. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). We repeated and ratified his sinful choice a million times. We have no-one to blame but ourselves.

The diseases, trouble, decay, the holocaust and death are the consequence of our sin. It is our responsibility, and we deserve worse than that. Indeed, unless God is merciful to his rebellious creatures, we will all perish in Hell forever.

What kind of God would stand by and allow something like the holocaust to occur? The same God who stood by His beloved Son while he cried out, "My God, My God, why have thou forsaken me!" God did that for the love of sinners who would believe in Him; God gave His Son to liberate His enemies from the debt and penalty of their sins, which were transferred to Jesus on the cross. God loved the world that much!

Is God irrelevant in the face of the cruelties and injustices in our world? This thought is as foolish as it is arrogant. On the contrary, the existence of an all-powerful and just God is the sure guarantee that one day justice will prevail, just as He promised. Moreover, God is the hope of redemption from personal guilt and the miseries of this world and the world to come, to them who, instead of accusing God, admit their sinfulness, repent and trust His beloved Son.

From Just For Catholics

Dr Joe's website, Just for Catholics, is intended for his Catholic friends. He lives and ministers in Malta, which is 98% Catholic. The website, Just for Catholics, is full of helpful information to help someone compare the Scriptures with the teachings of the Roman Catholic church. Search the Doctrine section to see how the teachings about salvation by works, Mary, the Pope, etc line up with the Bible.

The Lord will Provide

The Lord will Provide (Hebrew: Yahweh-Jireh)
This name was ascribed to God by the patriarch Abraham in Genesis 22:14. In obedience to God’s command, Abraham placed his son Isaac on the altar as a sacrifice. Before Abraham could strike his son, God detained him and provided a ram in his place. The redemption that God provided that day on Mount Moriah motivated Abraham to call the place Yahweh-Jireh. Although it is true that God is powerful and faithful to supply all our needs, the name Yahweh-Jireh is not a promise of economic prosperity, but a promise of redemption from sin. We should die for our sins (Romans 6:23), but Yahweh-Jireh has provided a sacrifice in our place – His only begotten and beloved Son. He is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). It is near blasphemy to emphasize economic prosperity over redemption. Jesus did not shed His blood for our monetary gain, but for the salvation of our souls – the redemption of the soul is costly (Psalm 49:8).
From The One True God by Paul Washer

How strong is your faith?

A friend gave me a copy of Justification and Regeneration by Charles Leiter, and it is living up to the frequent recommendations. Here is a very helpful section on how justification is based on the blood of Jesus.

There is nothing in man that causes God to justify him, including his repentance and faith. Repentance does not pay for sin. A criminal's remorse for his crimes adoes not satisfy the just demands of the law. Neither does faith pay for sin! Only the blood of Jesus can pay for sin! Justification is based on the blood of Christ.

Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save and Thou alone.
Augustus Toplady

This explains why a person can have a very weak faith and still be justified. Imagine two bridges crossing a chasm: One is very weak and untrustworthy; the other is very strong. A man may have a very strong faith in the weak bridge and confidently step out onto it. His strong faith will not keep him from plunging to his death. On the other hand, a man may have a very weak faith in the strong bridge and only barely manage with fear and trembling to venture forth upon it. The bridge will hold him securely, regardless of his weak faith. All that is necessary is for him to have enough faith to get him onto the bridge! When someone told Hudson Taylor that he must be a man of great faith, he replied, "No, I am a man of very little faith in a very great God."

When the Death Angel passed through Egypt on the night of the Passover, God was looking for only one thing--the blood on the doorposts. "When I see the blood, I will pass over you. (Exodus 12:13)" Those inside the house might have been full of fear and trembling, but it made no difference as long as the blood had been applied. (p 34-35)

So the question is not how strong is your faith, but how strong is the object of your faith? If that object is not Christ (John 14:6), and Christ alone (Acts 4:12), you will not make it across the bridge.

God is Love ... right?

The Bible makes this great affirmation: God is Love (1 John 4:8)! But as Tim Conway* points out in this short video, He is more than just loving and His love is greater than our human minds can comprehend. He is more glorious than that one aspect.

*Sorry, Carol Burnett fans, this is a different Tim Conway. This one preaches the Gospel at Grace Community Church in San Antonio, TX.