Category Archives: Life & Love

Life & Love, Who is God?

Will God Really Forgive Me?

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Over a week or so ago, a plumber was at home to fix a plumbing fixture. The landlady normally calls for him to fix whatever problems we may have with our rented apartment.

After he had checked the plumbing problem, I was surprised that he lingered a little bit more and was not in a hurry to leave our home. I thought that was a bit odd and I was getting a bit impatient as we both stood at the door engaging in conversation. I was hoping he would leave soon ’cause I had other things to do. I was “busy” hahaha!

Will God Forgive Me of My Past Sins

But then he asked, “Pastor, will God really forgive me of my past sins?” That surprised me because I thought he didn’t know that I was once a full-time pastor. Word gets out fast in the neighborhood I would suppose. He asked me about forgiveness. Anyway, to make a long story short, I assured him that God loves him and that all his past sins have already been forgiven. He need not worry about it. The burden of trying to appease an angry God surely was on his mind. I told him that God loves him so much and that his sins were already forgiven. He felt so relieved to have been given such an assurance. He said his past sins bothered him for many years knowing that he really did something that was really, really bad. He wasn’t sure about God’s forgiveness. Will God forgive him? Will he not enter heaven? These thoughts bothered him.

I saw the joy on his face very much relieved having been given the assurance that God has really forgiven him of his past sins. He finally went out the door very much a happy man knowing what God’s forgiveness truly is all about. I was joyful myself that God has used me in such an unexpected way to share the good news to a man who was conscience-stricken all his life because of his past sins. His face brimmed with joy as he walked out the door.

Truly, knowing the truth does make a man free—free of guilt, sin and shame. Free of living a fearful life wondering all his life if he could enter heaven. God through Jesus Christ gives us the assurance. God loves us and he has already forgiven us. Through Christ, it’s already a reality. The only question that remains is, will you accept this love and forgiveness from a loving God or will you reject it? Will you repent and believe this good news? I’d say receive God’s love and grace and enjoy life and love with the Triune God forever more.

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Life & Love, Who is God?

Do You Blame Others?

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I just got this email today: “Please help me! i need to talk to someone im in a horrible condition and tried to suicide once. Please i need to talk to a psychologist as soon as possible. You may not hear of me anymore in like a week im definitely going to suicide if nobody helps.”

The Blame Game

In my more than two decades of being a pastor, I have encountered a few cases like this (not too many) where a person would think of committing suicide for various reasons that affect them heavily. These are all to be taken seriously when someone tells you they’re attempting to commit suicide. This email writer above was kind of threatening me, warning me, blaming me and telling me that it’s going to be my fault if he commits suicide if I didn’t respond to his email. I don’t even know him. Somehow he got hold of my email address. Of course, I emailed back because it was kind of serious but that was the end of it. I did not get a response from him and I have no idea what happened next.

But let me talk about blaming others.

On Blaming Others

Most people who practice this blame game (blaming others) are the types who easily gets offended. They don’t like it when things don’t go their way the way they want it or the way they have planned it. Their emotional immaturity is obvious to all but the person himself is oblivious to it. They have a hard time relating to other people. Whether at work, in school or in the church, they normally get into trouble with their fellow classmates, workmates or church mates. Relationships are easily ruined. It’s something that is a pattern for this kind of person but the person himself doesn’t know that he has this problem. This person doesn’t know that he has become an expert in “how to lose friends and antagonize people.”

Accusing Others

How about you? Do you sometimes play this blame game too? The truth is, we all can play this game too once in a while without us being aware of it. Do you blame others too for the things that go wrong in your life? “It’s your fault, not mine!” “You have made my life miserable so I’m going to make you miserable too!” That’s how we sometimes act. In this situation, nobody wins. Everyone gets hurt. Relationships are ruined. We all need to grow up out of it.

There is one accuser that I know of. He loves to blame others. He is the accuser of the brothers in the Bible. He accuses us and blames us before God. It’s Satan the devil (Revelation 12:9-10). He can influence our thinking without us knowing it. Let us guard our minds and hearts when we begin to blame others. Stop it! The more we blame others, the more miserable we become. It’s bad for our health.

Grow Up to Maturity

Blaming others is a sign of immaturity. Let’s all grow out of it. Let’s instead grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

Life & Love, Who is God?

Christ For Us in Every Respect

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“Christ in our place and Christ for us in every respect” —Thomas F. Torrance

Many of us who grew up in a Christian environment have been taught since childhood about Christ’s death on the cross. Every year during Holy Week, we hear about the story of Christ’s crucifixion. The atonement of Christ is something we know somewhat. But now that I’m older I thank the Lord for opening my eyes to see a broader and deeper view about the atoning work of Jesus Christ. According to theologian Thomas F. Torrance, “It is curious that evangelicals often link the substitutionary act of Christ only with his death, and not with his incarnate person and life—that is dynamite for them!”

Atonement of Christ

It is only now that I have come to realize that Christ’s atoning work does not only include his death on the cross. The atonement also includes his birth (incarnation), his life, his death (crucifixion), his burial, his resurrection and his ascension. In other words, Christ’s atoning work for all of humanity includes the total person of Jesus Christ who is both human and divine. As Torrance said, “Christ in our place and Christ for us in every respect.” Thanks be to the Lord for this understanding.

Christ For Us in Everything

The atonement involves all that the Lord has done and is doing even up to now as our substitute and representative for all of humanity. The atoning work of Christ did not only begin on the cross. It started even earlier when he was born in Bethlehem. In fact, the atonement began in the triune God’s mind when the Lamb was “slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8).

While the death of Christ is very important, I now realize that something is missing if I only focus on the crucifixion and not on the total person of Jesus Christ. It is equally missing the point if I focus on the incarnation alone or maybe on Christ’s resurrection alone. I now have come to realize that I should look at the atonement of Jesus Christ as a whole, as one complete atoning work of the incarnate person Jesus Christ for all of humanity. It is always good to have a holistic view of salvation.

Christ is Our High Priest Right Now

Right now the Lord Jesus Christ is our High Priest who is busy interceding for me and for all of us. He is our only Mediator between God and man and we don’t need any other mediator whether it be saints or whoever. We only have one High Priest and Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). Through the Holy Spirit, God is busy leading us, guiding us, transforming us to become like Christ — until Christ is formed in us (Galatians 4:19). When the Lord Jesus comes back, our atonement with God will have been finally, completely and fully realized. This is the final fulfillment of our “at-one-ment” with the Lord when he returns. We shall see him face-to-face, and we will be with the Lord forever (1 John 3:1-2).

This is something I look forward to even as I am now enjoying atonement, reconciliation, union and communion, life and love with God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Spirit as his beloved child in Christ at the present time. Isn’t that great?! Hallelujah!

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Updated: 2/02/2020

Life & Love, Who is God?

The Teacher’s Triad

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Teacher's Triad
Dr. Lydia Mapile, Asian Theological Seminary

In one of the seminary subjects called “Educational Principles and Methods,” I learned something of great value from a great teacher, Dr. Lydia Mapile. We fondly called her, Ate Lyds. She always told us that she was our “classmate.” On one or two occasions, my college-age daughter was with me and instead of waiting outside, Ate Lyds invited my daughter in not just to sit in but also to participate in class — and my daughter did so hahaha! That was amusing and fun for me as a dad. Ate Lyds is well loved by many at the Asian Theological Seminary.

Teacher’s Triad

Anyway, she called this principle as the “teacher’s triad.” She said that each lesson plan should contain these three elements together. I found this teaching of great value for those who are in the teaching profession. If you want to be a great teacher, I think you need to learn this .

These are the three elements of a good lesson plan: head, heart and hand. These three must go together in a good lesson plan. In a nutshell, my professor said that the head  stands for that part of the lesson where the teacher gives the basics (facts, information, head knowledge) of what the lesson is all about. The heart stands for that part of the lesson where the teacher touches the heart or the feelings and emotions of the students. And lastly, the hand part of the lesson stands for practical application or the doing part of the lesson learned — the call to action part of the lesson.

Knowing, Being, Doing

I like to  call these three also as: knowing, being and doing.

Knowing has to do with the “head.” We begin by knowing the facts — the information, the truth. A good teacher teaches his students about the basics of a certain topic — what is good, what is bad, what is important, etc. This is head knowledge. This is usually where we start — a good start. But we must not end there.

Head knowledge is not the end goal but instead another ingredient should be added to it and that is, the “heart”—or the “being” aspect of the teacher’s triad. Our head knowledge should sink in and go deep into our hearts. We “internalize” what we have learned. It becomes part of us — part of our being. It becomes part of who we are.

Head, Heart, Hand

Because of what we know (head), our being is affected (heart) which moves us to action (hand). These are the three ingredients of a good lesson plan—head, heart, hand—the teacher’s triad. According to my teacher Ate Lyds, a good lesson plan should say something about the head (basic facts), about the heart (touch the heart) and about the hand (appeal for action, practical application).

Updated, 11:30 p.m., 9/29/2018
I have just received news that Ate Lyds has gone home to be with the Lord just an hour or so ago. I wrote this blog in 2012 to honor her as a great teacher and servant of the Lord. She was my teacher in the year 2001.

Life & Love

Migz Zubiri’s Eulogy on Capt. Jess Bahinting

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Last Monday, I attended a memorial service in Ginatilan, Cebu for my good friend Capt. Jessup Bahinting who was the pilot of the twin-engine Piper Seneca plane that crashed along with Sec. Jesse Robredo.

A Taste of Media Mob

When former senator Migz Zubiri gave his eulogy about Capt. Bahinting, I tried to hold my camera with a video capability high up over the heads of people in front of me so I can record his message. The room was jam-packed with people. I was near the door. I was enjoying a good view alone at first but after a couple of minutes, the media men forced their way in and rudely blocked my view with their bigger video cameras! That was a bit surprising and annoying but at the same time I was amused. I did not really get mad—I was actually more amused. I felt like I have become one of them fighting over a good spot to cover an event hahaha! I used to see this thing happening on TV but now I was one of them! No I didn’t actually “fight.” It was more of a struggle to get a good view.

So, what did I do? Well, Migz Zubiri’s voice continued to be audible thankfully and so I focused instead on the small monitor screen of one of the media men’s videocam that was blocking my view. Ingenious! I thought to myself amusingly hahaha!

Video Recording Migz Zubiri’s Eulogy

Anyway, Migz Zubiri’s message lasted for about 6 minutes and 46 seconds and after holding both my hands high up over the heads of people for some time, my hands began to be shaky. It was also my first time to use this camera with a video capability so I was actually also experimenting on how to use it.

Oh well, that was my first experience in video recording an important personality. Thankfully, Migz Zubiri’s eulogy on just how wonderful a person Capt. Jessup Bahinting was can be heard clearly and can encourage us all as we grieve over the loss of a great friend and brother-in-Christ.