I've recently not had much time to blog. Truth be told, I've not had much time do anything online. Kate and I have been transitioning into a new ministry; we've been looking for, purchasing, and moving into a new house; and I've been a busy Master's student. My last post was over two months ago! But I did want to check in somehow or another. Because of the busy-ness, I thought that perhaps the healthiest thing I could do in a blog is share from my recent Bible reading.
I spend time every morning in the Word, in the early hours. M'Cheynne inspired me to get up earlier, by pointing out (I think rightly) that the early hours are the best hours of the day, so they should be spent with the Lord. Plenty of Scripture teaches how much of a blessing it is to rise early and spend time alone with God.
In Bible-reading, I typically am covering at least two books at once, if not three. At this point, I'm in the Psalms (as it is always a good practice to keep going through the Psalms), Deuteronomy, and John. I'll share today from my studies this morning.
Thoughts From Psalm 89 and 90
Psalm 89:14 says that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God's throne. I've recently been studying much on the idea of wisdom, goodness, and truth being proof of the existence of God. John 1 calls Jesus the Word of God, through whom the world was made, He himself being "the life, which was the light of men". Colossians 2 has Paul saying that in Christ is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Further, Proverbs 8 has "wisdom" speaking as a person, saying it (he) was with God from the beginning. If one connects Jesus' parallel statements in Matthew 23:34 and Luke 11:49, one finds Jesus calling Himself the wisdom of God (as does Paul in 1 Cor. 1:24).
In the Psalm here, we find that it is righteousness (all that is right, correct, and good) and justice (fairness, balance) that are the very foundation of God's throne. In essence, man's desire for and appreciation of righteousness and justice (and we all passionately long for justice) is at most proof of God's existence, and at least a witnessing tool for God's people to use in bearing witness. "Don't you long for justice, and rightness? The God of the universe is Himself righteousness and justice. All that is well throughout history is seen in His Son Jesus Christ. Anywhere where there has been righteousness and justice practiced has been the result of God's grace in pouring it forth from His throne."
Psalm 90:2 says that before all things were created, "you are God". Time doesn't apply to God, only to the creation. Thus, God is not waiting on the future to come to pass, nor does He look "back" into the past. Rather, God is both up ahead and behind while He is here in the present. This is why His Word never changes, nor does He -- as time marches on, God is. "I am who I am". "Before Abraham was, I am." His putting Himself into conversations of history and action throughout the Scripture is simply His bearing witness to man that He does in fact work in history. This is why the miraculous is so miraculous to us, while it is the snap of a finger to God.
Thoughts From Deuteronomy 6
Deut. 6:1-2 calls the keeping of God's Word "the fear of the Lord". People are thrown off by the idea of "fear", but it is because they don't understand sin and the need for a healthy relationship with their God. As sinners, we must fear God. And yet, it is not the same fear as a scary movie, but the same fear that a son has for a good dad and a good dad has for his precious little daughter. It is reverence and care. It is the fear of the loss of life if the relationship is severed.
God ties up the fear of Him with keeping His Word. If you're to know Him, you must keep His Word. This is why Psalm 19:9 equates the fear of the Lord with the Word of the Lord.
And as you keep His Word, you'll find yourself healthily fearing Him more. His Word will reveal His holiness and goodness, which will keep you continually stunned at His majesty. It will show you your lack of holiness, which will then highlight His grace in forgiveness. "With you there is forgiveness, that you'd be feared" (Psalm 130:3). And it will prove fruitful and blessed in your life. It'll make you grow. In due time you'll yield fruit (Ps. 1:6).
Deut. 6:4, while we are called to keep God's Word, says that our relationship to God is to be one of love from the heart. 6:6 continues, saying that His Words are to be on your heart. God has never wanted an empty observance. He wants the hearts of those created in His image to be captivated by His beauty and glory. He wants to be loved. Again, the implication here is that as you keep His Word, you'll find yourself loving Him more. Think about Jesus' words in John 8:31-32, where He promises that if you keep His word, you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. Your heart will change as you walk with Him. The truth will change you.
Deut. 6:12 has God warning His people as they enter the promised land. He is bringing them into a land of abundance, where they will be richly blessed. Now he warns them to take care when this time comes, lest they forget the Lord. Blessing, while it is a blessing, has been made a curse by the Fall. The sinful flesh under Adam takes God's blessing and abundance, and forgets about Him. As the person has much, they begin to find their identity and fulfillment in the possessions. One needs the Spirit of Jesus to keep their heart soft.
This is exactly why Proverbs 30:9 has the prayer that God would give just what is needed, "lest I be full, and deny you". Jesus pointedly said to pray to God for our "daily bread" (Matt. 6:11), following up shortly by saying to pray to be led away from temptation. The rich young ruler is a good example of the deceitfulness of riches -- he thought he wanted eternal life, but when Jesus said, "Gotta get rid of your riches for your heart to be free in me," he proved where his heart was. He was self-deceived. He couldn't accept that following Jesus means leaving literally everything behind if Jesus says to (see Matt. 19:24).
Our treasure must be in heaven, not on earth. If it is on earth ... and it isn't just riches, but power, control, comfort, whatever "cause" you are undertaking, peoples' opinion of you, affirmation of family, cultural norms, etc. ... you will not believe. "How can you believe, if I tell you heavenly things?" Which leads to ...
Thoughts From John 3
In this familiar story, Nicodemus a Pharisee, from among the many who "believed" in Jesus because of His good works (2:24-25), comes to him by night looking for commendation for coming and knowing Jesus is from God. "We know God is with you". Jesus responds remarkably (and, if it was today, meanly) by telling Nic he needs to be born again, from above. Jesus says that it is by God's sovereign Spirit (meaning man can't force it or do it, but it is something God does alone; see 3:8), and that it is through the cleansing away of idols. Jesus tells him he'll never see God's kingdom if he isn't born again.
Note how Jesus takes Nicodemus right to talking about the Kingdom. Nic wants to talk about earthly things (he can't not). But instead of commendation for saying, "Ooh, teacher, I know the answer! I know who you are!", he got condemnation for not seeking God's Kingdom first.
Jesus appeals to his being "the teacher of Israel", because, in studying the Scriptures, Nicodemus should have seen:
a) the importance of the Kingdom; all throughout the Old Testament, God is more and more revealing the Heavenly Kingdom as the real Promised Land for the people of God. Nicodemus should have understood this. Instead of responding with a question about human birth (trying to oust Jesus) after Jesus' first rebirth statement, he should have responded with a question about the Kingdom.
b) the sovereignty of Spirit rebirth; if man is addicted to his sin (which the Bible repeatedly says), God must give rebirth as a gift. And the good news is that He wants to, and is giving it to people as His Word goes out. Nicodemus should have remembered the language of Ezekiel 36 and 37, where God promises in the Messianic days to put His Spirit in people, writing His Word on their hearts. There God couches these truths with a famous visual image of Ezekiel prophesying God's Word over a valley of dry bones, with God then saying this is the new birth: the preaching of His Word over dead people, and through it He puts His Spirit in them. Jesus is graciously telling Nic that he should be thinking in these terms.
c) that if our eyes are on earthly things, our eyes can't receive Jesus' testimony and God's Word. "I speak of heavenly things and you don't receive it... if I've told you earthly things and you don't receive it, how can you receive it?" (3:11-12). It is the same as Romans 8:7-8 and 1 Corinthians 2:14, where Paul says that if the mind is on the flesh (earth, this life, self, etc.), it can't accept the things of God's Spirit. This is a witness to us of the importance of making sure our eyes are on heavenly, Kingdom things, lest our hearts harden and our minds darken so that we are no longer able to hear God's truth (cf. Rom. 1:21-23).
God's Word is such a rich treasure. If you want to grow in your fear of Him, it'll have to be through His Word. If you want to know Him, it'll have to be through Jesus. Go to him, for His arms are open to the truly repentant. "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things from your Law" (Ps. 119:18).
Scott Stine - PhD, Pastor of Darlington Congregational Church, Pawtucket, RI. Follower of Jesus; husband, daddy, distracted by basketball. My book "Christ and Theology: Toward Typological Realism" (Wipf and Stock) is available most places.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Mrs. Butterfield, and A Timely Testimony
In light of the recent conversation among believers about sexuality, I thought this interview was appropriate to post. You might have heard of Rosaria Butterfield -- the ex-lesbian college professor who became a Christian and now writes books and speaks extensively about God's effectual grace. Her testimony is powerful and clearly God-ordained, because it was the Gospel that got her, and not man-made religion.
In the conversation about Biblical sexuality, Christians typically fall under one of two categories: There are Christians who say gay people are just choosing to sin, and they need to be "fixed" by choosing repentance instead; and then there are Christians who say that gay people are "created this way", so since it is natural, it isn't a sin. The latter believes, "Since they can't help it, how could it be wrong?" while the former believes, "They can help it -- they just have to choose to."
As usual, both are wrong and both are right: Sin is in everyone's heart (Genesis 6:5, Ephesians 4:22) making us prone to many unnatural desires that they can't help. But it's also true that everyone chooses to act in light of these indwelling desires (Mark 7:21-23). Instead of it being either/or, it is both. Sin is in each of us, and so we act according to it. Some of us manifest the disease of sin with clearer outward actions, while others of us keep it "secret". But the disease is in each of us, and no amount of good works can rid us of it (Romans 3:9-20). This is true for the homosexual and the heterosexual -- both are prone to sin, and both are guilty of rebellious acts against God's created order.
The Christian believer is bidden by the Gospel to remember that the disease is in each of us, and so we must stop demonizing those with "clearer" outward sinful tendencies. We must remember that we ourselves, before Jesus saved us, were just as "bad" as whoever we think "the worst" is (Titus 3:1-3).
Truth be told, if anyone were to ask me if I think I'm better than anyone else because I belong to Jesus, I would (I think) be the first to say, "No, I'm probably still worse, but the good in me comes from Jesus and His Holy Spirit, and through Him I'm overcoming sin." I think it is with this attitude that believers are supposed to engage non-believers, whatever outward sin indwelling sin has made them prone to.
Most non-believers aren't interested in Jesus, and won't be, no matter how much believers "love on" them and minister to them. But some non-believers really want to know God, and they feel like they can't because of their sin. So they need to hear the good news that Jesus promises a) to forgive us as we are, and b) to give us power to change into what we should be, if we'll trust in Him and plug into His power. He is risen! Let's not block the way to His grace by not showing grace, or block the way to His truth by not speaking truth.
In the video above, note several things about the content of Mrs. Butterfield's interview:
1. She was gay, and is now married to a man, with children. And it isn't because she just "flipped a switch"; but because she sought Jesus, and everything else came along with Him. If we try to save ourselves by stopping sinning, we either fail (and end up worse than before), or succeed, but become self-righteous (which Jesus says is worse than before -- Luke 18:9-14, John 9:41). But if we seek Jesus, we get Him and everything else along with Him: forgiveness, acceptance, freedom, love, truth, etc. "Trying" doesn't accomplish anything in the end. Recognizing your powerlessness and coming to Jesus with your sin in your hands raises you from death to life. In other words, Jesus is the Gospel.
2. How long a time it took from the initial "outreach", to her conversion. Mrs. Butterfield said it took two years of laborious conversations with the pastor before she became a Christian. She said it "didn't look so good" most of the time, meaning that she spent more time wrestling and being skeptical than converting. She also said the first time she spoke with the pastor, he didn't preach the Gospel or invite her to church. And because of that, she trusted him. Of course, he didn't just sit on his thumbs, but was in engaging conversation with her regularly. But he didn't follow "the usual script"; and that made all the difference.
3. How much of the interview is spent talking about the pastor. The whole middle "chunk" of the interview is spent discussing the demeanor, practice, and attitude of the pastor the Lord used in Mrs. Butterfield's conversion. Ken Smith, then a pastor in Syracuse and now the president of Geneva College (here in Southwestern PA), was humble, loving, and accommodating. Prior to her conversion, Mrs. Butterfield was environmentally conscious and didn't believe in air conditioning, so when she came over to Pastor Ken's house, he and his wife turned the AC off. Mrs. Butterfield was also a vegan, so when she came over for dinner, the Smith's served her what she was willing to eat. This is all very accommodating and missional. The word used in the interview was "Christ-like". "He eats with tax collectors and sinners" is drawn to mind.
The point is this: far from diminishing the priestly role of all believers, pastors have a different and higher calling. They are called by God to shepherd His church and feed His sheep. But they are also called to be evangelists. To them God has entrusted a ministry that is to be full (ie, "fulfill your ministry", 2 Timothy 4:5). Pastors, we have a job to do. Let's represent Jesus rightly, and watch what He will do in using us.
4. How much of her theological foundations depend on original sin. I wasn't taught about original sin growing up, and neither did I hear about it in Bible college. To be fair, if it was being taught, I wasn't listening (and this very well could have been the case; but I suspect it was because I was in settings that didn't believe it). Once I got into ministry, I began reading the Bible like it was water and I was in a desert, (and spiritually, this was exactly the case). As I read the Bible, I was reborn. Yes, you read that correctly: I was a professing Christian growing up, all through Bible college, and then in ministry, but was not reborn until later. And it was because I didn't love Jesus and trust Him to save me, and then I realized it.
What got me was the doctrine of original sin -- found virtually everywhere in the Bible -- which teaches that everyone is an unworthy sinner, fallen in Adam into radical disrepair and enslavement to the world and self. And Jesus is God who came into the world to be our Mediator and redeemer, giving us His righteousness as a gift by faith, because He was punished for our sin instead of us (Romans 3:24-25; 1 Timothy 1:15, 2:4-5).
If I'm a fallen sinner who can't save myself, I have to come and get everything from Jesus. And He died and rose again to give it to me, because even though I'm unlovely in God's eyes, He loves me anyway. This is tough theology, but I think it is true.
I agree with Mrs. Butterfield that original sin is "the great equalizer", in that it is the best (and truest) theological foundation upon which Christians can engage non-believers. This is because only this theological underpinning makes Christians who don't think they're better than anyone else, don't have disdain for anyone else, and want to engage anyone and everyone with the truth, regardless of how "different" they may be.
I know you'll be encouraged by Mrs. Butterfield's testimony -- I was. How timely it is!
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Be Strong, and Act Like Men
"Dress for action, like a man" Job 38:3
I've been convicted lately about the lack of men in the American church. Surely there are many things in the American church to be concerned about. But while many of those concerns are spiritual "root" issues, the absence both of men and and manly leadership in the men present is the effect of the root issues. Surely, here "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave no free, male and female", because we are all one in Christ (Galatians 3:28), but Jesus specifically gathered men together to disciple, that they would then lead other disciples. If men are discipled and healthy, the church will be disciple-making and healthy. It probably goes without saying (though I'll say it anyway) that the impotence of much of the American church can be traced back to men not taking responsibility and leading in Jesus' Kingdom-cause.
At the end of Babylonian exile, God's people were sent back to Jerusalem to rebuild His Temple. Ezra was the assigned Bible-preacher during this time. Most men, reading the story, would have a hard time identifying with the preacher, Ezra! But men have no problem identifying with Nehemiah, the man who oversaw the rebuilding. Nehemiah courageously took the initiative to rebuild the Temple, though having at times to stand toe to toe with many adversaries; he was willing, because "God had put it into his heart" (Neh. 2:12).
As in Nehemiah's case, men like tasks where there will be a "finish line". Since the Temple was to be rebuilt, there would be a day when it was done. Ezra, on the other hand, with his task to preach the Word, undertook a job that would never be over -- and it was just as needed. Some men are called to be Ezras, and others are called to be Nehemiahs. But both are waging a battle for God's mission.
Preachers today tend to preach soft sermons, only getting fiery when talking about the many injustices in the world. Injustice must be addressed, but I think one reason injustice is "the issue" to so many preachers and pastors is that, if it is put on the chopping block, we in our church can avoid the chopping block. If all I do is talk about what's wrong with everyone else, I don't have to deal with what's wrong with me. Since many Christians haven't followed Jesus into a life of continual repentance (2 Tim. 2:25), they never second-guess their agendas. So there is no humility ... and there is no Good News because we're avoiding the bad news.
So many men are bored with the church because the church is boring. We fumble around with our feminine contemporary christian worship songs, our flowers on stage, and our soft sermons that never call sin out. Everyone is nice, but no one is holy. And this would be okay if Jesus didn't demand holiness ... perfection ... from us (Matthew 5:48)!
And often, when the church is characterized by this softness, the men who ARE there are so hardened in heart that the first time someone challenges them on any disagreement or character issue, they huff and puff and leave. As John MacArthur has said, "Soft preaching makes hard hearts, but hard preaching makes soft hearts."
How did the disciples obey in the Gospel accounts? They left all to follow Jesus: they wrestled with His words, they recklessly put themselves in harms way for Him, they prayed to Him like He was God, they worshiped Him like He was God, etc. They failed miserably at times, but, save Judas, they always came back, because they couldn't escape Jesus, the God-man. What did Jesus say a disciple was to do? "Obey my words, and then you'll be truly my disciple" (John 8:31). One is a true disciple not just by liking Him, but loving Him; not just by being with Him, but staying with Him.
Many of us have wished that Jesus was still here, in body. But Jesus said it's better for us that the Holy Spirit be here than He (John 16:7). If that's true, then discipleship today must have no excuse to be less rigid than when He walked the earth. Though Jesus is in heaven, men must still renounce all to follow Jesus. This is why Paul was so forward and honest with everyone, from Peter, to the false Christians -- discipleship is the stuff of life or death. Sin is real, hell is hot, and forever is a long time.
Our battle in the church is not against liberals or conservatives, feminists or chauvinists, bad government or even terrorists. For then, our battle would be against "flesh and blood", and Ephesians 6:12 makes clear that our battle isn't.
Instead, the battle is against Satan, sin, and our sinful flesh. Satan is a liar, destroyer, accuser, and enemy. He is real. He prowls around to devour you, and if you're unrepentant, he's already started. Sin is lawlessness, rebellion, and idolatry. It is deceitful (Heb. 3:13), and typically those who think they're the most righteous are the most in need because they're the most blind. It is not just sexual immorality but lustful thoughts; not just murder, but harbored anger and unforgiveness. And the disease is inside of each one of us. This is why repentance is the command, holiness is the call, and Jesus' death and resurrection is the power.
Men, this is the battle. Put down your video games, and stop spending your days pretending you're a warrior when you're not. Instead, come follow Jesus and be in his army. He'll make you a warrior. It'll be real. He's already won the battle, but until He returns, we must "make our calling and election sure" by following and loving Him. This invitation will change your life, because all that you've been looking for is found in Him. No battle is greater than the call to "die daily" (Luke 9:23), and no reward greater than, "Well done good and faithful servant ... enter into the joy of your Master" (Matt. 25:21).
May the church recover the call that has been here all along. "Dress for action (Heb. "gird your loins"), like a man".
I've been convicted lately about the lack of men in the American church. Surely there are many things in the American church to be concerned about. But while many of those concerns are spiritual "root" issues, the absence both of men and and manly leadership in the men present is the effect of the root issues. Surely, here "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave no free, male and female", because we are all one in Christ (Galatians 3:28), but Jesus specifically gathered men together to disciple, that they would then lead other disciples. If men are discipled and healthy, the church will be disciple-making and healthy. It probably goes without saying (though I'll say it anyway) that the impotence of much of the American church can be traced back to men not taking responsibility and leading in Jesus' Kingdom-cause.
Men line up for "battle".
Men love shooting, hunting, sports, video games, and movies and TV shows about all of them. This is because men are hardwired to do battle. One blogger recently pointed out how quickly men line up at theaters to watch the latest war movie. We love this kind of stuff, because, while most of us live comfortable and predictable enough lives to never flirt with the thin line between life and death, the line feels like home. See movies and books like "the Secret Life of Walter Mitty" for an example of the need for adventure. It's attractive because it's what men really want.At the end of Babylonian exile, God's people were sent back to Jerusalem to rebuild His Temple. Ezra was the assigned Bible-preacher during this time. Most men, reading the story, would have a hard time identifying with the preacher, Ezra! But men have no problem identifying with Nehemiah, the man who oversaw the rebuilding. Nehemiah courageously took the initiative to rebuild the Temple, though having at times to stand toe to toe with many adversaries; he was willing, because "God had put it into his heart" (Neh. 2:12).
As in Nehemiah's case, men like tasks where there will be a "finish line". Since the Temple was to be rebuilt, there would be a day when it was done. Ezra, on the other hand, with his task to preach the Word, undertook a job that would never be over -- and it was just as needed. Some men are called to be Ezras, and others are called to be Nehemiahs. But both are waging a battle for God's mission.
Men are bored with the church.
When most men attend a church, they witness something far different from Nehemiah's and Ezra's stories. Sure, there is an "Ezra" standing up preaching, and there are "Nehemiahs" on the church board who are responsible for building maintenance and all that. But there is no sense of mission-or-bust, as was the case for Ezra and Nehemiah, or for that matter, the New Testament church. The thought of Jesus telling his disciples, "Take up your cross and follow me" is missing. The prayerful attitude of, "Lord..grant your servants to speak your word with boldness while you perform signs and wonders in Jesus' Name" (Acts 4:29-30, paraphrase) is missing. And equally missing is the straight-to-the-point attitude of Peter to both Ananias, ("You have lied not to men, but to God" -- Acts 5:4), and Simon Magus, ("Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you" -- Acts 8:22). Truth, honesty, "go and do" is often nowhere near.Preachers today tend to preach soft sermons, only getting fiery when talking about the many injustices in the world. Injustice must be addressed, but I think one reason injustice is "the issue" to so many preachers and pastors is that, if it is put on the chopping block, we in our church can avoid the chopping block. If all I do is talk about what's wrong with everyone else, I don't have to deal with what's wrong with me. Since many Christians haven't followed Jesus into a life of continual repentance (2 Tim. 2:25), they never second-guess their agendas. So there is no humility ... and there is no Good News because we're avoiding the bad news.
So many men are bored with the church because the church is boring. We fumble around with our feminine contemporary christian worship songs, our flowers on stage, and our soft sermons that never call sin out. Everyone is nice, but no one is holy. And this would be okay if Jesus didn't demand holiness ... perfection ... from us (Matthew 5:48)!
And often, when the church is characterized by this softness, the men who ARE there are so hardened in heart that the first time someone challenges them on any disagreement or character issue, they huff and puff and leave. As John MacArthur has said, "Soft preaching makes hard hearts, but hard preaching makes soft hearts."
The Gospel calls men to faith and repentance.
The Gospel call is first an unveiling of what God demands (holiness and righteousness), then a proclamation of what Jesus has done (living the sinless life, dying the sinner's death, and rising again to give it to us), then a call to men and women to respond to it with faith and repentance. Since man is a sinner, not just in deed and choice, but first in intention and want (Gen. 6:5, 8:21), Jesus alone is the only Savior. He alone makes one righteous before God, to be received in faith (Rom. 3:25), and He alone can grant repentance and faith (Acts 5:31, Phil. 1:30). If He is trusted in, He must be obeyed, like a disciple.How did the disciples obey in the Gospel accounts? They left all to follow Jesus: they wrestled with His words, they recklessly put themselves in harms way for Him, they prayed to Him like He was God, they worshiped Him like He was God, etc. They failed miserably at times, but, save Judas, they always came back, because they couldn't escape Jesus, the God-man. What did Jesus say a disciple was to do? "Obey my words, and then you'll be truly my disciple" (John 8:31). One is a true disciple not just by liking Him, but loving Him; not just by being with Him, but staying with Him.
Many of us have wished that Jesus was still here, in body. But Jesus said it's better for us that the Holy Spirit be here than He (John 16:7). If that's true, then discipleship today must have no excuse to be less rigid than when He walked the earth. Though Jesus is in heaven, men must still renounce all to follow Jesus. This is why Paul was so forward and honest with everyone, from Peter, to the false Christians -- discipleship is the stuff of life or death. Sin is real, hell is hot, and forever is a long time.
The real battle.
So since men are hard-wired for battle, they must be made aware of the battle the church is to wage. The call to discipleship is as simple as "Follow Jesus"; but it is as difficult as "Be holy, as I am holy" (Lev. 11:44), and "Put to death the deeds of the flesh" (Rom. 8:13). In other words, "Give yourself to God continually, find sin in your life, and kill it; and don't ever stop." Practice holiness, and bleed God's Word.Our battle in the church is not against liberals or conservatives, feminists or chauvinists, bad government or even terrorists. For then, our battle would be against "flesh and blood", and Ephesians 6:12 makes clear that our battle isn't.
Instead, the battle is against Satan, sin, and our sinful flesh. Satan is a liar, destroyer, accuser, and enemy. He is real. He prowls around to devour you, and if you're unrepentant, he's already started. Sin is lawlessness, rebellion, and idolatry. It is deceitful (Heb. 3:13), and typically those who think they're the most righteous are the most in need because they're the most blind. It is not just sexual immorality but lustful thoughts; not just murder, but harbored anger and unforgiveness. And the disease is inside of each one of us. This is why repentance is the command, holiness is the call, and Jesus' death and resurrection is the power.
Men, this is the battle. Put down your video games, and stop spending your days pretending you're a warrior when you're not. Instead, come follow Jesus and be in his army. He'll make you a warrior. It'll be real. He's already won the battle, but until He returns, we must "make our calling and election sure" by following and loving Him. This invitation will change your life, because all that you've been looking for is found in Him. No battle is greater than the call to "die daily" (Luke 9:23), and no reward greater than, "Well done good and faithful servant ... enter into the joy of your Master" (Matt. 25:21).
May the church recover the call that has been here all along. "Dress for action (Heb. "gird your loins"), like a man".
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Wrath, Grace, and Obedience
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." John 3:36
It is my conviction that this verse contains in itself a summary of Christian doctrine. If one wants to understand the whole of Christian doctrine within one concise statement, John 3:36 is it.
John's Gospel is the gospel of belief. Each New Testament Gospel account was written with a specific purpose in mind, and John's was to bring the reader to life-giving faith in Jesus. During John's introduction, sandwiched in between glorious statements about Jesus' identity, John says, "...His own didn't receive him. But to those who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God, children...born of God" (1:12-13). Towards the end of the Gospel is what can be understood as somewhat of a thesis statement: "These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His Name" (20:31). It's clear John wrote in order to bring people to faith in Christ as the Son and Lamb of God "who takes away the sins of the world".
With that being the purpose, the Gospel contains is an inner narrative of faith/belief, almost on every page. All throughout John there are people who believe, then they don't anymore; others believe because of seeing Jesus performing a miracle, but will not accept His hard teaching.
In the same chapter as the most famous verse of all time (3:16), John makes the above statement about believing and obeying to avoid God's wrath. While the whole counsel of God is deep, wide, and full of complexity, there is much simplicity for the one who desires to learn the basic truths of Christian doctrine in the Bible. This verse summarizes it for them.
Good news seems a foreign concept to many today. Upon watching the local news, it seems that good news is a thing of the past.
But the Christian Gospel is good news. Jesus Christ is the Savior promised from the Old Testament who came to give his life as a ransom for the sins of many (Mark 10:45), that whosoever believes in Him would have eternal life. His death on the cross matters because He died as a perfect and sinless and innocent man, being the only One who could claim so. What makes it good news is that a relationship with His Father -- the Creator God who will one day bring every deed into judgment and even now judges those who reject Him -- is available freely through Jesus' death and resurrection. Those who stop trying to save themselves by their own performance, trusting in His performance in their stead, are made righteous in God's eyes.
There is no "our part" that is to be played if you trust in Christ. Christ died to give righteousness to believers, and rose to give power and His Holy Spirit to them. When one hopes in Him entirely, there is power and purity that will begin to be recognized in them as they plug into Him as the Vine. It all begins with faith that He will do what He has promised, and that without this truth, no one will make it. Without this conviction, no amount of good works means anything as far as eternity is concerned -- truly, they aren't good at all. "We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 15:11). He who has brought me to God (1 Peter 3:18) will finish the work He began.
If there be real faith, there must be obedience. As rebirth is a work of God's Spirit through Jesus' resurrection (John 3:3-5, 5:24; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 Peter 1:3), there has been no real resurrection if obedience to Christ as Lord isn't the product of it. As many have elsewhere said, one can't claim Him as savior without claiming as Lord. I prefer Bonhoeffer's quote: No one has the right to claim that they're justified by faith unless they have left all to follow Him. "Whoever would follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" (Mark 8:34). "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in the world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25).
People tend to want to flatten Biblical theology, believing that either we're saved only by faith (saying that we shouldn't even talk about works because it'll make us self-righteous), or that we're saved by faith and works (saying that faith in Christ isn't enough alone but there must also be works). The former typically cite anything from Paul's letters for proof-texts, and the latter typically cite James 2.
But there is no discrepancy for the one willing to think. If we are to be saved, it must be through the death and resurrection of Jesus alone, or else both Testaments wouldn't spend such boundless energy on the importance and sufficiency of Jesus' death and resurrection. Truly what did He accomplish if He doesn't save us? "By His stripes are you healed"; "I lay my life down for my sheep"; "We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son." Since this is received by faith (Romans 3:24), it can't be added to, or it's null (Romans 4:4-5). So then the works and obedience are what flows from the one with faith.
This is all together in keeping with Scripture. Everywhere a heart full of faith produces good works and obedience. God promises in the prophets that obedience will characterize His people because He'll give them His Spirit and a new heart (Ezekiel 36:25-27). Jesus says that evil actions flow from the heart (Mark 7:21-23), while "a good tree produces good fruit" (Matthew 7:17-20). And Paul says that Christians' salvation is "not a result of works, that no one should boast", but rather that we are "Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He has already prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:9-10). Christians aren't saved by what they do, but for new doings which God already has sovereignly prepared for them. He doesn't adopt children from the orphanage because they're his children (they're not -- they're orphans), but so that they'll be His children, simply because of grace.
This salvation is only in light of the fact that man is inherently alienated from God. Though he depends on God for absolutely everything (Psalm 104:27-30; John 3:27), he doesn't acknowledge this. Truly it is because man can't acknowledge what he himself is intent on taking glory for.
Because God is Creator and Provider, He is angry at the world systems that refuse to acknowledge Him as such. But it isn't as though any individual can claim they're innocent because they're subject to a pagan mindset, culture, family, etc. Truly "what can be known about God is plain" to anyone and everyone. And all have rebelled (Romans 3:9-11). Because of this the wrath of God -- condemnation -- is both already experienced (Romans 1:18-24; 1 Thessalonians 2:16) and yet to be experienced in its fullness (Romans 5:9; Ephesians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9).
And Jesus is the Christ who enters into God's creation and lovingly reveals God's truth, that many would be saved. God, though angry at both sin and the sinners committing it, has loved His creation enough to put on a created body and tell His truth in clear language. No one has ever seen God, but Jesus "has made him known" (John 1:18). What can be known about God is now known fully through the Son who called Himself the Truth, saying He came to reveal truth which belongs to His Father. It is all about Jesus, and those who want access to God must come through Him, listening with faithful obedience to His Word. "My words are spirit and life" (John 6:63).
"No one receives His testimony". There have always been very few ready for Jesus' Gospel. Most are distracted, confused, or bored with the things of God. But to those who are ready for Christ, who believe on His Name, He gives the right to become children of God (John 1:12-13). God is not everyone's father (John 8:38), but He is willing that all would be adopted as His children (2 Peter 3:9). If He were already Father to all, we wouldn't need adoption, forgiveness, and grace.
As it is, we start off alienated, and Jesus comes with the truth, bidding us to know Him and His Father. The angry One is also the loving One. This grace is life-giving and paradigm-shattering, but only to those ready to find God's truth in Jesus. And His Word makes ready. May we all bow humbly before it.
It is my conviction that this verse contains in itself a summary of Christian doctrine. If one wants to understand the whole of Christian doctrine within one concise statement, John 3:36 is it.
John's Gospel is the gospel of belief. Each New Testament Gospel account was written with a specific purpose in mind, and John's was to bring the reader to life-giving faith in Jesus. During John's introduction, sandwiched in between glorious statements about Jesus' identity, John says, "...His own didn't receive him. But to those who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God, children...born of God" (1:12-13). Towards the end of the Gospel is what can be understood as somewhat of a thesis statement: "These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His Name" (20:31). It's clear John wrote in order to bring people to faith in Christ as the Son and Lamb of God "who takes away the sins of the world".
With that being the purpose, the Gospel contains is an inner narrative of faith/belief, almost on every page. All throughout John there are people who believe, then they don't anymore; others believe because of seeing Jesus performing a miracle, but will not accept His hard teaching.
In the same chapter as the most famous verse of all time (3:16), John makes the above statement about believing and obeying to avoid God's wrath. While the whole counsel of God is deep, wide, and full of complexity, there is much simplicity for the one who desires to learn the basic truths of Christian doctrine in the Bible. This verse summarizes it for them.
Justification by Faith: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life"
Good news seems a foreign concept to many today. Upon watching the local news, it seems that good news is a thing of the past.
But the Christian Gospel is good news. Jesus Christ is the Savior promised from the Old Testament who came to give his life as a ransom for the sins of many (Mark 10:45), that whosoever believes in Him would have eternal life. His death on the cross matters because He died as a perfect and sinless and innocent man, being the only One who could claim so. What makes it good news is that a relationship with His Father -- the Creator God who will one day bring every deed into judgment and even now judges those who reject Him -- is available freely through Jesus' death and resurrection. Those who stop trying to save themselves by their own performance, trusting in His performance in their stead, are made righteous in God's eyes.
There is no "our part" that is to be played if you trust in Christ. Christ died to give righteousness to believers, and rose to give power and His Holy Spirit to them. When one hopes in Him entirely, there is power and purity that will begin to be recognized in them as they plug into Him as the Vine. It all begins with faith that He will do what He has promised, and that without this truth, no one will make it. Without this conviction, no amount of good works means anything as far as eternity is concerned -- truly, they aren't good at all. "We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 15:11). He who has brought me to God (1 Peter 3:18) will finish the work He began.
Continual Repentance: "Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life"
If there be real faith, there must be obedience. As rebirth is a work of God's Spirit through Jesus' resurrection (John 3:3-5, 5:24; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 Peter 1:3), there has been no real resurrection if obedience to Christ as Lord isn't the product of it. As many have elsewhere said, one can't claim Him as savior without claiming as Lord. I prefer Bonhoeffer's quote: No one has the right to claim that they're justified by faith unless they have left all to follow Him. "Whoever would follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" (Mark 8:34). "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in the world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25).
People tend to want to flatten Biblical theology, believing that either we're saved only by faith (saying that we shouldn't even talk about works because it'll make us self-righteous), or that we're saved by faith and works (saying that faith in Christ isn't enough alone but there must also be works). The former typically cite anything from Paul's letters for proof-texts, and the latter typically cite James 2.
But there is no discrepancy for the one willing to think. If we are to be saved, it must be through the death and resurrection of Jesus alone, or else both Testaments wouldn't spend such boundless energy on the importance and sufficiency of Jesus' death and resurrection. Truly what did He accomplish if He doesn't save us? "By His stripes are you healed"; "I lay my life down for my sheep"; "We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son." Since this is received by faith (Romans 3:24), it can't be added to, or it's null (Romans 4:4-5). So then the works and obedience are what flows from the one with faith.
This is all together in keeping with Scripture. Everywhere a heart full of faith produces good works and obedience. God promises in the prophets that obedience will characterize His people because He'll give them His Spirit and a new heart (Ezekiel 36:25-27). Jesus says that evil actions flow from the heart (Mark 7:21-23), while "a good tree produces good fruit" (Matthew 7:17-20). And Paul says that Christians' salvation is "not a result of works, that no one should boast", but rather that we are "Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He has already prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:9-10). Christians aren't saved by what they do, but for new doings which God already has sovereignly prepared for them. He doesn't adopt children from the orphanage because they're his children (they're not -- they're orphans), but so that they'll be His children, simply because of grace.
God Is Not Universal Father: "The wrath of God remains on him"
This salvation is only in light of the fact that man is inherently alienated from God. Though he depends on God for absolutely everything (Psalm 104:27-30; John 3:27), he doesn't acknowledge this. Truly it is because man can't acknowledge what he himself is intent on taking glory for.
Because God is Creator and Provider, He is angry at the world systems that refuse to acknowledge Him as such. But it isn't as though any individual can claim they're innocent because they're subject to a pagan mindset, culture, family, etc. Truly "what can be known about God is plain" to anyone and everyone. And all have rebelled (Romans 3:9-11). Because of this the wrath of God -- condemnation -- is both already experienced (Romans 1:18-24; 1 Thessalonians 2:16) and yet to be experienced in its fullness (Romans 5:9; Ephesians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9).
And Jesus is the Christ who enters into God's creation and lovingly reveals God's truth, that many would be saved. God, though angry at both sin and the sinners committing it, has loved His creation enough to put on a created body and tell His truth in clear language. No one has ever seen God, but Jesus "has made him known" (John 1:18). What can be known about God is now known fully through the Son who called Himself the Truth, saying He came to reveal truth which belongs to His Father. It is all about Jesus, and those who want access to God must come through Him, listening with faithful obedience to His Word. "My words are spirit and life" (John 6:63).
"No one receives His testimony". There have always been very few ready for Jesus' Gospel. Most are distracted, confused, or bored with the things of God. But to those who are ready for Christ, who believe on His Name, He gives the right to become children of God (John 1:12-13). God is not everyone's father (John 8:38), but He is willing that all would be adopted as His children (2 Peter 3:9). If He were already Father to all, we wouldn't need adoption, forgiveness, and grace.
As it is, we start off alienated, and Jesus comes with the truth, bidding us to know Him and His Father. The angry One is also the loving One. This grace is life-giving and paradigm-shattering, but only to those ready to find God's truth in Jesus. And His Word makes ready. May we all bow humbly before it.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
"..and it's been a while..."
Indeed it has -- four months by my count. Whereas I was at one time blogging every couple of weeks (and at least once a month), it's been four months. Two recent life events have led to this reality: First, I've begun seminary work towards a Masters in Theological Studies. While I only am taking nine hours this Winter quarter, I took twelve in the Fall, which involved reading thousands of pages, and writing many. It has been grueling thus far (as all Masters work is), but well worth it. I have outstanding professors and have made friends with countless godly men and women (well, not countless -- it's a small seminary). Secondly, the last couple of months I've undergone a difficult ministry transition. I've left one church and moved on to another in the same city, which has involved the severing of some relationships and the magnifying of some others. This is the kind of stuff Bible college (or seminary for that matter) can't train one for. It can only be experienced with fear and trembling, prayerfully aiming to take every thought captive for obedience to Christ.
Often the greatest struggle of our trials is our inability to organize/file the circumstances and our emotions rightly. For example, "how this situation went down, was that person wrong or was I...or both?", or "is my anger justified, or is it self-pity?" It's hard to know whether we're thinking rightly, dealing rightly, etc. Anyone who has been through difficult trials of any kind knows this struggle well. This is an important step in trials because often, even if we've been wronged, we ourselves do need to change. This is truly what separates the men from the boys when it comes to Christian faith (or the girls from the women) -- the willingness to face our need for repentance. This is why afflictions are many for the righteous, and trials for those entering the Kingdom as fellow heirs with Christ.
And yet, while the Psalm 34 passage above promises many afflictions to the righteous, the rest of the verse reads, "..but the Lord delivers them out of them all". There is no room, during Christian trials, for fear that "this" will never end. It will, because the same verse that promises what you're experiencing now (the trial), also promises deliverance. Our God is faithful, strong, powerful, wise, and with us. Jesus' blood was not shed in vain or without a purpose. It was shed so that death would be defeated, and that the sinful tendencies in us that, in the midst of trial, would easily hamstring us away from Christ, would be made impotent. The sin is always there, the flesh making war on the Spirit. But for those who walk by the Spirit (which begins with receiving Christ crucified with faith -- Galatians 3:1-3) the battle is already won, because the grave is empty and Jesus is alive! So all things work for good for us who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Of course this sounds foolish to the world, but it is the wisdom of God which makes foolish the so-called wisdom of men (1 Corinthians 1:18-24).
Prayer has a way of doing this. I'm convinced that my prayers don't change Gods mind any more than a mothers mind changes when her son asks her to make a certain dish for dinner, and she says "yes", already having planned to, sensitive to his wants and needs. God hears my prayers when they're according to His will (1 John 5:14), and if His will is primarily my holiness and thankfulness (1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:18), then something must happen for me to have these as my primary requests. Since the carnal mind naturally isn't thankful (Romans 1:20-23) or desirous of holiness (Romans 8:7-8), how can I be? God must give repentance to my heart, and what other way does He, but through the humbling of my heart in circumstantial trials, which drives me to prayer and Bible study, focusing my attention on what He wants and desires? My prayers don't change Gods mind, but when prayer focuses me on His mind, it changes me.
But you will only appreciate Genesis if you want your story to be a part of Gods greater, more important story.
The natural mind takes his or her self too seriously, because "you only live once". Since YOLO we are responsible to make every moment, every decision, every conversation, every action, count. So nothing could be important than making right choices, experiencing all we can, and leaving a legacy. But what kind of pressure does this create? Too much. And you will go one of two ways -- either you'll self-righteously think you've succeeded, and your heart will harden into pridefully thinking you're god (which makes you insensitive and unloving), or you'll feel your failure and lapse into the deep darkness of Camus' search for meaning in the midst of meaninglessness (which also makes you insensitive and unloving, and depressingly so).
But if you receive the invitation into a greater story -- God's -- where He promises to love you, accept you, keep you, sustain you, and make all things new one day, you will get meaning, purpose, and the love and sensitivity you wish everyone else had anyway. And most importantly you'll get God and eternal life in a redeemed and glorious city (Revelation 21:1-4, 22:1-5).
So the command is to receive Jesus' Kingdom by faith, with the promise that one day His Kingdom will receive you by grace. For the joy set before Him (a full Kingdom) He endured the cross (suffered). Our call in the mean is to fix our eyes on Christ until we believe, are filled with His Spirit, and find ourselves full of a joy that can't be expressed (1 Peter 1:8). And often it takes trials to bring us to the poverty of spirit necessary to receive it by faith. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs (Jesus' Kingdom is their Kingdom) is (presently) the Kingdom of heaven". Nothing else can give this to you. So lets together stop our foolish pursuits thinking they will.
Trials Promised
Certainly the Scripture teaches that all of those in Christ Jesus will experience trials. One could argue that the Bible's two favorite topics are the holiness of God and the trials of those walking in His light by His Word. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous" (Psalm 34:19); "through many trials we must enter the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22); "(we are) heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him" (Romans 8:17).Often the greatest struggle of our trials is our inability to organize/file the circumstances and our emotions rightly. For example, "how this situation went down, was that person wrong or was I...or both?", or "is my anger justified, or is it self-pity?" It's hard to know whether we're thinking rightly, dealing rightly, etc. Anyone who has been through difficult trials of any kind knows this struggle well. This is an important step in trials because often, even if we've been wronged, we ourselves do need to change. This is truly what separates the men from the boys when it comes to Christian faith (or the girls from the women) -- the willingness to face our need for repentance. This is why afflictions are many for the righteous, and trials for those entering the Kingdom as fellow heirs with Christ.
And yet, while the Psalm 34 passage above promises many afflictions to the righteous, the rest of the verse reads, "..but the Lord delivers them out of them all". There is no room, during Christian trials, for fear that "this" will never end. It will, because the same verse that promises what you're experiencing now (the trial), also promises deliverance. Our God is faithful, strong, powerful, wise, and with us. Jesus' blood was not shed in vain or without a purpose. It was shed so that death would be defeated, and that the sinful tendencies in us that, in the midst of trial, would easily hamstring us away from Christ, would be made impotent. The sin is always there, the flesh making war on the Spirit. But for those who walk by the Spirit (which begins with receiving Christ crucified with faith -- Galatians 3:1-3) the battle is already won, because the grave is empty and Jesus is alive! So all things work for good for us who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Of course this sounds foolish to the world, but it is the wisdom of God which makes foolish the so-called wisdom of men (1 Corinthians 1:18-24).
Blessing From Trials Promised
That being said, recent trials have brought me into a sweeter fellowship with my Lord. I'm under no illusion that you reading find the discipline of prayer and meditation any easier than I do. I'm not talking about praying throughout the day as you're going from here to there (which every Christian does). I'm talking about getting into your prayer closet, closing the door, and spending time fixing your eyes on your Father, as our Lord commanded (Matthew 6:6-8). The promise in the passage is a great reward from God, as it has always been promised in the Scripture to those who humble themselves and approach their Father with reverence and awe (2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 1, 18:27; Isaiah 66:2). I've always struggled with prayer and meditation, and I'm sure you have as well. But recent months has driven me to the Word and prayer, and the Lord has met me. It isn't that I've recently received a greater power than before or that I'm happier. It's that Christ has been seen clearer and this has brought greater joy. When you see clearer Him who made an end of all your sin and death, you rejoice to even suffer the loss of all things for His sake, if only fellowship with Him and His Father is attainable.Prayer has a way of doing this. I'm convinced that my prayers don't change Gods mind any more than a mothers mind changes when her son asks her to make a certain dish for dinner, and she says "yes", already having planned to, sensitive to his wants and needs. God hears my prayers when they're according to His will (1 John 5:14), and if His will is primarily my holiness and thankfulness (1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:18), then something must happen for me to have these as my primary requests. Since the carnal mind naturally isn't thankful (Romans 1:20-23) or desirous of holiness (Romans 8:7-8), how can I be? God must give repentance to my heart, and what other way does He, but through the humbling of my heart in circumstantial trials, which drives me to prayer and Bible study, focusing my attention on what He wants and desires? My prayers don't change Gods mind, but when prayer focuses me on His mind, it changes me.
Gods Greater Story
The last several months have me preaching through Genesis. Genesis is really an incredible book, because every core doctrine in the Bible finds its beginning there, and practical application for every Biblical command is witnessed in the lives of Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Whether the command to trust God's Word, follow His call, or keep His ordinances, Genesis has it. Whether the point of the story is Gods transcendent holiness, Gods love for His chosen people, or His sovereign power to turn peoples' hearts wherever He wants to, it's there.But you will only appreciate Genesis if you want your story to be a part of Gods greater, more important story.
The natural mind takes his or her self too seriously, because "you only live once". Since YOLO we are responsible to make every moment, every decision, every conversation, every action, count. So nothing could be important than making right choices, experiencing all we can, and leaving a legacy. But what kind of pressure does this create? Too much. And you will go one of two ways -- either you'll self-righteously think you've succeeded, and your heart will harden into pridefully thinking you're god (which makes you insensitive and unloving), or you'll feel your failure and lapse into the deep darkness of Camus' search for meaning in the midst of meaninglessness (which also makes you insensitive and unloving, and depressingly so).
But if you receive the invitation into a greater story -- God's -- where He promises to love you, accept you, keep you, sustain you, and make all things new one day, you will get meaning, purpose, and the love and sensitivity you wish everyone else had anyway. And most importantly you'll get God and eternal life in a redeemed and glorious city (Revelation 21:1-4, 22:1-5).
So the command is to receive Jesus' Kingdom by faith, with the promise that one day His Kingdom will receive you by grace. For the joy set before Him (a full Kingdom) He endured the cross (suffered). Our call in the mean is to fix our eyes on Christ until we believe, are filled with His Spirit, and find ourselves full of a joy that can't be expressed (1 Peter 1:8). And often it takes trials to bring us to the poverty of spirit necessary to receive it by faith. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs (Jesus' Kingdom is their Kingdom) is (presently) the Kingdom of heaven". Nothing else can give this to you. So lets together stop our foolish pursuits thinking they will.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Justifying Job
My personal Bible studies have landed me in the book of Job recently. Job is a 'fan-favorite' because he famously suffered, and everyone feels that they suffer in similar ways. Job was a "blameless and upright man" (1:1), and yet because of a wager between God and the fallen angel Satan, his family was killed, his possessions were lost, and all that was left for him was an unsupportive wife, and some friends who were as useless as they were ruthless. I read how Jobs friends responded to Job's complaints with (an attempt) at theological correction, and when Job pushed back and they sheepishly didn't have anything further to say, I think to myself, "these guys would make excellent pastoral staff in a church today"!
Job spends much of the book (which is perhaps the earliest written book of the Bible) searching for answers regarding his plight. He questions God and rebukes his friends when they fail to counsel him in a godly way, but all is wrapped up right before God sends a prophet in 32:1-2 with the story-teller telling us "these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes...(and) he justified himself rather than God".
Job justified himself, and not God. He considered himself to be in the right, and God to be in the wrong. For how many of us is this the case with our suffering or hardships! (Apparently this has been mans' battle for a long time). Even after his friends' counsel, they found their selves at a loss because Job just wasn't having any counsel from them. After all, Job was "blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil" (1:1), right? But we have to remember that God often makes judgment calls in Scripture based on the generation of the person he's talking about. For example, Noah was "a righteous man, blameless in his generation" (Genesis6:9), but later he proved to be a drunk in 9:20. He was good compared to everyone else, but compared to a holy God, the judgment would be pronounced a little different.
I believe Job to be similar to his judgment of Noah for two reasons:
a) although he had a solid theology at the first part of the suffering (see 1:21 and 2:10), as the suffering continued he found himself questioning God, justifying himself and not God, and "multiplying words without knowledge" (35:16) to the point that at God's rebuke, he repents for having "uttered what I did not understand" (42:3), despising himself and repenting in dust and ashes (42:6). When the heat got hotter, he was just as weak as the next person. And later he repented, despising himself. Sounds like he was convicted because he had a lot to be convicted of! And...
b) 22:6-9 and 34:7-9 show ways in which Job was involved in ungodly activity even before the suffering and testing came on him: he took part in unfair deals towards weaker people, was no help to the poor and needy, scoffs at the things of God, etc.
Again, how much is this like many of us! We like to think we're pretty righteous, but if we were laid on a just balance, we'd be found wanting in many areas of our lives. We put up blinders to our own sin so that we can't see how we're wrong, though we're experts in how others...especially God...are wrong.
In the midst of this, Elihu tells Job, "I desire to justify you" (33:32), which is remarkable to me, because Job's problem is that he's been justifying himself! Why does Elihu say this? Because in getting a correct view of God, we will see ourselves correctly in the light of His Lordship and purpose. When God is justified, Job will be justified; but if Job is defending himself, he'll get neither. This could be helpful for you--if you'd stop defending yourself to God, and come up underneath His grace and mercy in Christ, you'd find that you have Him as your defense (and no one can speak a word against Him). But as long as you keep fighting God, it's going to be a constant war that never ends.
In Luke 10:29, after Jesus has been teaching of the need to love your neighbor, a man "desiring to justify himself" asks Jesus, "who is my neighbor?" Do you see why he's saying this? It's because he hasn't loved and doesn't want to, and so the easiest way to wiggle off the conviction hook is to throw your arms in the air and say "I don't know who my neighbor is, so I don't have to!" That's self-justification. Jesus later tells the Pharisees, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your heart" (16:15). Since no one else can see your heart, you can make excuses and get by with it, and most of us do (we're such liars!). Man's heart is deceitful above all things...but God searches the heart! (Jeremiah 17:9-10). Job is in a similar boat, making excuses before his friends, and they believe him, because they can't see his heart. But Elihu is sent to prepare the way for God--as a prophet, God has put His words in his mouth, and God sees Job's heart clearly.
When talking about what true justification (being really justified before God) looks like, Luke gives us two pillar truths:
a) You being justified comes from humbling yourself and crying out for mercy (18:13-14), which is to assume that God owes you nothing but even with your suffering has richly blessed you with life, provision, loved ones, food, etc. (even if you are rebelling in your faith right now); Jesus says that if you humble yourself and cry out for mercy from the Living God, you will be counted right in God's eyes right on the spot.
b) Accepting the purpose of God is to "declare God just" (7:29-30--"when the people heard this, they declared God just...but the Pharisees and tax-collectors rejected the purpose of God). Job justified himself, and not God, when God is perfectly just in all He does. To declare Him just is to accept His purpose without needing every answer.
Elihu tells Job in 33:19-30 that God gives hard times as a way to to shake us up and awaken us out of our comfortable slumber where we are lord of our own lives while God the genie is kept in his bottle on our table (ie, a dusty Bible). "God does these things twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted from the light of life" (33:29-30).
Do you think this was cold comfort for Job? Do you think it's cold comfort, period? Maybe it is. But maybe it's the truth. Maybe when the testing comes and that which is good is taken from us, our doubt and anger arises from our forgetting that the good He took from us was all a gift in the first place anyway! Job lost not only properties, livestock, etc...but he also lost family members (2:18-19). And yet, it's true. Our problem is often that important things become ultimate things in our hearts, while God (the most important) remains trapped in his genie bottle. His will is our having a correct view of Him so we can have a correct view of all else, and so that's why He tests us and tries our faith to bring us to that point. But until that realization, we'll continually reject God's good purposes and struggle with whether or not He loves us.
Elihu's point in chapter 33 is that there is a purpose in this. And you know what this is. Maybe you're going through this. But remember, if you love Him and if you are connected to the Father through the Mediation of His Son alone, even this is working for your good! Surely Joseph struggled with believing this when his brothers sold him to slavery and he was naked and alone. But later it was clear that God was at work. The secret is not listening to your heart, but remembering His. His heart is to minister to you and make you godly. Often it hurts, but it is meant to be effective, and there will be a harvest of righteousness for those who endure.
A similar experience happened in Paul's life. After experiencing incredible affliction and discomfort in a ministry experience among haters, Paul can say, "We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God, who raises the dead" (2Corinthians1:9). Hindsight is 20/20, but remember that one day this will be hindsight! So cling to Christ and stand fast through faith. God will not let fall by the wayside that which He began. It was for the joy set before Him that Christ endured the cross for us...so you endure through this, knowing there is joy on the other side. And the key is to continually declare God just, remembering His perfect purpose. Like Abraham, don't waver in faith, but give God the glory, and you'll grow stronger in faith, "fully convinced He's able to accomplish that which He promises" (Romans4:20-21).
You may doubt, question, shake your fists at God, etc. But the grace of God is that because you are called according to His purpose, He will send His Spirit of Truth to bring you under conviction by remembering His purpose. Job is a perfect example of this. Even though his faith was tried and found wanting, the grace of God overflowed for him with truth. God told Satan, "Job will endure", and then He sent the grace and truth necessary for him to endure. Christian, you will endure, because His grace is never in vain.
Job spends much of the book (which is perhaps the earliest written book of the Bible) searching for answers regarding his plight. He questions God and rebukes his friends when they fail to counsel him in a godly way, but all is wrapped up right before God sends a prophet in 32:1-2 with the story-teller telling us "these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes...(and) he justified himself rather than God".
To Justify
Justified is a word that we don't typically use in Western culture today, but it is one that must be understood if you'd be a student of the Bible. It has a couple of different meanings in Scripture (depending on context), but the most oft-used meaning is "to declare right". It's a statement of judgment, where one is judged to be in the right--when a judge is presiding over a case, all the evidence is laid out before him, he hears the witnesses and arguments, and then he will execute justice based on what he declares to be right. He will either justify the defendant or the plaintiff as in the right. It's a declaration, and a sentence based on the declaration.Job justified himself, and not God. He considered himself to be in the right, and God to be in the wrong. For how many of us is this the case with our suffering or hardships! (Apparently this has been mans' battle for a long time). Even after his friends' counsel, they found their selves at a loss because Job just wasn't having any counsel from them. After all, Job was "blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil" (1:1), right? But we have to remember that God often makes judgment calls in Scripture based on the generation of the person he's talking about. For example, Noah was "a righteous man, blameless in his generation" (Genesis6:9), but later he proved to be a drunk in 9:20. He was good compared to everyone else, but compared to a holy God, the judgment would be pronounced a little different.
I believe Job to be similar to his judgment of Noah for two reasons:
a) although he had a solid theology at the first part of the suffering (see 1:21 and 2:10), as the suffering continued he found himself questioning God, justifying himself and not God, and "multiplying words without knowledge" (35:16) to the point that at God's rebuke, he repents for having "uttered what I did not understand" (42:3), despising himself and repenting in dust and ashes (42:6). When the heat got hotter, he was just as weak as the next person. And later he repented, despising himself. Sounds like he was convicted because he had a lot to be convicted of! And...
b) 22:6-9 and 34:7-9 show ways in which Job was involved in ungodly activity even before the suffering and testing came on him: he took part in unfair deals towards weaker people, was no help to the poor and needy, scoffs at the things of God, etc.
Again, how much is this like many of us! We like to think we're pretty righteous, but if we were laid on a just balance, we'd be found wanting in many areas of our lives. We put up blinders to our own sin so that we can't see how we're wrong, though we're experts in how others...especially God...are wrong.
Justifying Self vs. Justifying God
After Job is done singing the blues and his friends sissy out, a young man by the name of Elihu shows up, and he's a prophet sent by God before God himself shows up (Elihu is kind of like John the Baptizer, preparing the way). Elihu arrives furious at Job's fickle faith and the friends' Jello backbones, and his mission ("I'm full of words...my belly is like wineskins with no vent...ready to burst--33:18-19) is very similar to the prophet Jeremiah, for whom the Word of God had become like "a fire in my bones...I'm weary of holding it in, and I can not" (Jeremiah20:9). He proceeds to preach hard truth about the sovereignty of God and His eternal purpose in a not so gentle way, which is often what's needed when men are too busy feeling sorry for themselves to listen to truth.In the midst of this, Elihu tells Job, "I desire to justify you" (33:32), which is remarkable to me, because Job's problem is that he's been justifying himself! Why does Elihu say this? Because in getting a correct view of God, we will see ourselves correctly in the light of His Lordship and purpose. When God is justified, Job will be justified; but if Job is defending himself, he'll get neither. This could be helpful for you--if you'd stop defending yourself to God, and come up underneath His grace and mercy in Christ, you'd find that you have Him as your defense (and no one can speak a word against Him). But as long as you keep fighting God, it's going to be a constant war that never ends.
In Luke 10:29, after Jesus has been teaching of the need to love your neighbor, a man "desiring to justify himself" asks Jesus, "who is my neighbor?" Do you see why he's saying this? It's because he hasn't loved and doesn't want to, and so the easiest way to wiggle off the conviction hook is to throw your arms in the air and say "I don't know who my neighbor is, so I don't have to!" That's self-justification. Jesus later tells the Pharisees, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your heart" (16:15). Since no one else can see your heart, you can make excuses and get by with it, and most of us do (we're such liars!). Man's heart is deceitful above all things...but God searches the heart! (Jeremiah 17:9-10). Job is in a similar boat, making excuses before his friends, and they believe him, because they can't see his heart. But Elihu is sent to prepare the way for God--as a prophet, God has put His words in his mouth, and God sees Job's heart clearly.
When talking about what true justification (being really justified before God) looks like, Luke gives us two pillar truths:
a) You being justified comes from humbling yourself and crying out for mercy (18:13-14), which is to assume that God owes you nothing but even with your suffering has richly blessed you with life, provision, loved ones, food, etc. (even if you are rebelling in your faith right now); Jesus says that if you humble yourself and cry out for mercy from the Living God, you will be counted right in God's eyes right on the spot.
b) Accepting the purpose of God is to "declare God just" (7:29-30--"when the people heard this, they declared God just...but the Pharisees and tax-collectors rejected the purpose of God). Job justified himself, and not God, when God is perfectly just in all He does. To declare Him just is to accept His purpose without needing every answer.
Elihu tells Job in 33:19-30 that God gives hard times as a way to to shake us up and awaken us out of our comfortable slumber where we are lord of our own lives while God the genie is kept in his bottle on our table (ie, a dusty Bible). "God does these things twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted from the light of life" (33:29-30).
Do you think this was cold comfort for Job? Do you think it's cold comfort, period? Maybe it is. But maybe it's the truth. Maybe when the testing comes and that which is good is taken from us, our doubt and anger arises from our forgetting that the good He took from us was all a gift in the first place anyway! Job lost not only properties, livestock, etc...but he also lost family members (2:18-19). And yet, it's true. Our problem is often that important things become ultimate things in our hearts, while God (the most important) remains trapped in his genie bottle. His will is our having a correct view of Him so we can have a correct view of all else, and so that's why He tests us and tries our faith to bring us to that point. But until that realization, we'll continually reject God's good purposes and struggle with whether or not He loves us.
All Things For Good
Paul famously writes in Romans 8:28 that all things work for good for those love God, who are called according to His purpose. All things. For good. Do you believe that? Maybe the problem with Job was that he loved God, given certain circumstances. His theology weakened as the story-arc travels down. The real tragedy in the Job storyline isn't the loss of his stuff, but the loss of his faith and the rise of his self-righteous rejection of Gods purpose. Are you in the same boat?Elihu's point in chapter 33 is that there is a purpose in this. And you know what this is. Maybe you're going through this. But remember, if you love Him and if you are connected to the Father through the Mediation of His Son alone, even this is working for your good! Surely Joseph struggled with believing this when his brothers sold him to slavery and he was naked and alone. But later it was clear that God was at work. The secret is not listening to your heart, but remembering His. His heart is to minister to you and make you godly. Often it hurts, but it is meant to be effective, and there will be a harvest of righteousness for those who endure.
A similar experience happened in Paul's life. After experiencing incredible affliction and discomfort in a ministry experience among haters, Paul can say, "We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God, who raises the dead" (2Corinthians1:9). Hindsight is 20/20, but remember that one day this will be hindsight! So cling to Christ and stand fast through faith. God will not let fall by the wayside that which He began. It was for the joy set before Him that Christ endured the cross for us...so you endure through this, knowing there is joy on the other side. And the key is to continually declare God just, remembering His perfect purpose. Like Abraham, don't waver in faith, but give God the glory, and you'll grow stronger in faith, "fully convinced He's able to accomplish that which He promises" (Romans4:20-21).
You may doubt, question, shake your fists at God, etc. But the grace of God is that because you are called according to His purpose, He will send His Spirit of Truth to bring you under conviction by remembering His purpose. Job is a perfect example of this. Even though his faith was tried and found wanting, the grace of God overflowed for him with truth. God told Satan, "Job will endure", and then He sent the grace and truth necessary for him to endure. Christian, you will endure, because His grace is never in vain.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Good Books, part 3
Well now is the time for the last post in my "good books" series. Today I'll be showing my list of recommended reading regarding both Marriage and Ministry. There is no shortage of either Christian marriage or Church ministry books, so these will be shorter lists (as it's difficult to narrow down to just a few).
When I say "marriage" what I don't mean is that which is discussed continuously today as a moral and political conversation (ie, what is marriage?). What I do mean is books on how married couples can build a God-honoring and Christ-exalting marriage from day one, on the principals their Creator designed for them to flourish.
-Tim and Kathy Keller's The Meaning of Marriage--a little larger in size than Piper's, the Manhattan pastor and his wife wrote this together to provide the theology (the Biblical definition) behind a healthy marriage. I don't own this title, but I've read much of it at bookstores and recommend it anyway. Keller is known for writing in an engaging way that communicates deep truths to the post-modern mind that not used to going deep.
-Les and Leslie Parrott's Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts--this was the book I read in my pre-marital counseling. I liked it because the book is written answering 7 important questions that every marriage "candidate" should ask themselves before tying the knot. The questions are pointed at the individual before the married couple (ie, relating to the marriage myths, communication, commitment, etc.).
-Eric Mason's Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole--I know this seems like an odd choice, but it actually was an obvious one for me. Most often the problem with marriage is men having lost a sense of what it means to be a man as God defines it (if they ever had it begin). Surely marriage is between two sinners in need of grace, but we all know us men need more of it a) because we're stupid, and b) because we're called to rise up, lead, and represent God as husbands/fathers. Mason (in this his first book) deals very well with the Bible's definition of manhood, and Manhood will help any marriage almost as much as any marriage book.
-(for other helpful "manhood" titles, see also John Eldredge's Wild at Heart, Stephen Arterburn's Every Mans Battle series, Darrin Patrick's The Dude's Guide to Manhood, and Piper and Wayne Grudem's Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.)
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together--as with many other readers, this book brought me an incredibly richer understanding of the communal aspect of the Church (and by that I mean the communal nature of the Church--it is communal). This was written to crush any notion of individual stardom among Christians in community, save that which belongs to Christ. The rest of us are to exercise mercy, truthfulness, and grace, as He does with us (and this communal commitment is often the means through which Christ gives it to us). One could argue that this was the best book Bonhoeffer wrote. Short and concise, I've given this book away countless times (okay, maybe like 4 times).
-Kevin Deyoung and Greg Gilbert's What is the Mission of the Church?--as the Western world continues to shift cultures, the new definitions of the Church's mission actually aren't new at all, but the dividing lines drawn by them are making it more and more difficult to discern what exactly is the Church's true mission. Deyoung and Gilbert masterfully write to show from Scripture that the mission of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to Jesus' Kingdom, period. This doesn't exclude ministries of mercy, age-focused ministries, etc., but rather this defines what the end of those endeavors should be: the Gospel and repentance into Christ. All that the Church does is to be focused on bringing people to know Christ (or else our endeavors will only be helping people into acquiring, at best, perishable riches).
-Alexander Strauch's Biblical Eldership--the New Testament makes clear at several points that each Church body is to be led by qualified men who take it upon themselves to shepherd, oversee, and serve first. Strauch wrote his book to define what an elder is, what ministry in the Church is, and how the first fits into the context of the second, and vice-versa. The reason I include this in my "ministry" list is that a Church body needs to know what God's Word says about leadership, because "when there is no vision, the people cast off restraint" (Proverbs 29:18). Many churches don't have "elders" per se, and many denominations don't adhere to that model. While I do know that Jesus builds His Church and does bless these churches and denominations, I believe individual church eldership to be Biblical and a true mark of health without which much fruit can (and will) be missed.
Thank you for reading! Grace and peace in Christ
Scott
When I say "marriage" what I don't mean is that which is discussed continuously today as a moral and political conversation (ie, what is marriage?). What I do mean is books on how married couples can build a God-honoring and Christ-exalting marriage from day one, on the principals their Creator designed for them to flourish.
Marriage
-John Piper's This Momentary Marriage--this book is simply the best I've read on the Christian view of marriage. Anyone who's read Piper knows that his pages are saturated with Scripture, not in a forced way, but in a way that shows he only sees the world through the lens of the Bible. The best books are those where the writer writes on a topic with the intent of simply showing what God's Word says about it. The title suggests Piper's main point throughout: marriage is intended to be a temporary covenant to be enjoyed while preparing us for the final Marriage of Christ with His Church. Being a Reformed Baptist, Piper has many opponents, but I would encourage everyone to give this title a try. I use it for premarital counseling. It's short and accessible. Each chapter begins with a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer (which is always a treat).-Tim and Kathy Keller's The Meaning of Marriage--a little larger in size than Piper's, the Manhattan pastor and his wife wrote this together to provide the theology (the Biblical definition) behind a healthy marriage. I don't own this title, but I've read much of it at bookstores and recommend it anyway. Keller is known for writing in an engaging way that communicates deep truths to the post-modern mind that not used to going deep.
-Les and Leslie Parrott's Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts--this was the book I read in my pre-marital counseling. I liked it because the book is written answering 7 important questions that every marriage "candidate" should ask themselves before tying the knot. The questions are pointed at the individual before the married couple (ie, relating to the marriage myths, communication, commitment, etc.).
-Eric Mason's Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole--I know this seems like an odd choice, but it actually was an obvious one for me. Most often the problem with marriage is men having lost a sense of what it means to be a man as God defines it (if they ever had it begin). Surely marriage is between two sinners in need of grace, but we all know us men need more of it a) because we're stupid, and b) because we're called to rise up, lead, and represent God as husbands/fathers. Mason (in this his first book) deals very well with the Bible's definition of manhood, and Manhood will help any marriage almost as much as any marriage book.
-(for other helpful "manhood" titles, see also John Eldredge's Wild at Heart, Stephen Arterburn's Every Mans Battle series, Darrin Patrick's The Dude's Guide to Manhood, and Piper and Wayne Grudem's Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.)
Ministry
-Mark Dever's 9 Marks of a Healthy Church--this book changed my whole thought-process regarding what Christian ministry is. The title itself almost turned me away (as it sounded cliche and sales-driven), but through wise counsel from a good friend, I started reading, and my whole paradigm was shattered, with a new one set in its place. Dever (rightly) assumes that one's theology drives their ministry, and so one must have a proper understanding of God, man, sin, Christ, the Church, the Kingdom, repentance, etc. in order to be a minister of the Gospel. This is why "Mark 1" is "Expository Preaching"--the preaching of the pages of Scripture, verse-by-verse. He even says in this first chapter, "if you only read one chapter in this book, make this the one, and the rest will follow". This is because if a church has the Bible open, not skipping over any verses (ie, ones that may be difficult to swallow), the same Word of God that created all things and calls sinners to Christ will build the Church healthy on a solid foundation. Almost every "mark" is theological in nature (Biblical conversion, Biblical theology, Biblical eldership, Biblical Church membership, etc.). Like Piper, as a Reformed Baptist, Dever has many opponents, and he doesn't pull any punches with his theology in 9 Marks (which incidently has become the name of His inter-church organization).-Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together--as with many other readers, this book brought me an incredibly richer understanding of the communal aspect of the Church (and by that I mean the communal nature of the Church--it is communal). This was written to crush any notion of individual stardom among Christians in community, save that which belongs to Christ. The rest of us are to exercise mercy, truthfulness, and grace, as He does with us (and this communal commitment is often the means through which Christ gives it to us). One could argue that this was the best book Bonhoeffer wrote. Short and concise, I've given this book away countless times (okay, maybe like 4 times).
-Kevin Deyoung and Greg Gilbert's What is the Mission of the Church?--as the Western world continues to shift cultures, the new definitions of the Church's mission actually aren't new at all, but the dividing lines drawn by them are making it more and more difficult to discern what exactly is the Church's true mission. Deyoung and Gilbert masterfully write to show from Scripture that the mission of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to Jesus' Kingdom, period. This doesn't exclude ministries of mercy, age-focused ministries, etc., but rather this defines what the end of those endeavors should be: the Gospel and repentance into Christ. All that the Church does is to be focused on bringing people to know Christ (or else our endeavors will only be helping people into acquiring, at best, perishable riches).
-Alexander Strauch's Biblical Eldership--the New Testament makes clear at several points that each Church body is to be led by qualified men who take it upon themselves to shepherd, oversee, and serve first. Strauch wrote his book to define what an elder is, what ministry in the Church is, and how the first fits into the context of the second, and vice-versa. The reason I include this in my "ministry" list is that a Church body needs to know what God's Word says about leadership, because "when there is no vision, the people cast off restraint" (Proverbs 29:18). Many churches don't have "elders" per se, and many denominations don't adhere to that model. While I do know that Jesus builds His Church and does bless these churches and denominations, I believe individual church eldership to be Biblical and a true mark of health without which much fruit can (and will) be missed.
Thank you for reading! Grace and peace in Christ
Scott
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)