Desiring God Blog

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Wolfhart Pannenberg on Schism

John Piper — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

Of course, the courage of Bonhoeffer to defy the compromising state church of Germany in the early days of Nazism is inspiring. A church that did not stand with the Jews, he said, was not the church of Jesus Christ. So at great risk he came out.

Wolfhart Pannenberg, 84, is the retired professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Munich where he served since 1968. He was very much the rage when I was in seminary, and I was honored to sit in some of his lectures while I was a student in Munich.

The connection I am drawing between Bonhoeffer and Pannenberg is their strong statements about what constitutes the un-churching of a church. For Bonhoeffer it was the failure to stand with the Jews. The “Aryan Paragraph” was a Nazi demand that all Jewish officers and eventually members be excluded from the German church. For Bonhoeffer, that un-churched the church.

For Pannenberg the line is crossed when a church approves of homosexual relations.

Here lies the boundary of a Christian church that knows itself to be bound by the authority of Scripture. Those who urge the church to change the norm of its teaching on this matter must know that they are promoting schism. If a church were to let itself be pushed to the point where it ceased to treat homosexual activity as a departure from the biblical norm, and recognized homosexual unions as a personal partnership of love equivalent to marriage, such a church would stand no longer on biblical ground but against the unequivocal witness of Scripture. A church that took this step would cease to be the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. ("Should We Support Gay Marriage? No")

While Bonhoeffer drew the line at the church-rejection of Jewish ethnicity, and Pannenberg drew the line at the church-affirmation of homosexual behavior, the principle was the same: both the rejection of Jewish ethnicity in the church and the affirmation of homosexual behavior in the church stand in opposition to the cross of Christ.

Christ died to include Jew and Gentile in one body. “He has made us both one . . . that he might . . . reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:14–16). Therefore to exclude Jews is to oppose Christ and his cross.

And Christ died to bring repentant sinners into the kingdom of God. But homosexual behavior excludes people from the kingdom. “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10). To affirm a way of life that excludes people from the kingdom of God, is to stand opposed to the cross of Christ which aims to save people for the kingdom of God.

Should one stay in such “churches” to work against their delusions? Bonhoeffer gave his answer: “If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the opposite direction.”

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Recent posts from John Piper —

Few Things Are More Humbling

Jonathan Parnell — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

Pastor John:

We do not give God authority over our lives. He has it whether we like it or not. What utter folly it is to act as though we had any rights at all to call God into question! We need to hear now and then blunt words like those of Virginia Stem Owens who said in [the] Reformed Journal,

Let us get this one thing straight. God can do anything he damn well pleases, including damn well. And if it pleases him to damn, then it is done, ipso facto, well. God's activity is what it is. There isn't anything else. Without it there would be no being, including human beings presuming to judge the Creator of everything that is.

Few things are more humbling, few things give us that sense of raw majesty, as the truth that God is utterly authoritative. He is the Supreme Court, the Legislature, and the Chief Executive. After him, no appeal.

Excerpted from Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord of Hosts (1984).

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Recent posts from "Piper's Pen" —

What's the Deal with Anxiety?

Jonathan Parnell — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:00:00 -0600

Pastor John explains the nature and effects of anxiety,

Think for a moment how many different sinful actions and attitudes come from anxiety. Anxiety about finances can give rise to coveting and greed and hoarding and stealing. Anxiety about succeeding at some task can make you irritable and abrupt and surly. Anxiety about relationships can make you withdrawn and indifferent and uncaring about other people. Anxiety about how someone will respond to you can make you cover over the truth and lie about things. So if anxiety could be conquered, a mortal blow would be struck to many other sins.

. . . One of the most important texts has been one I underlined when I was 15 — the whole section of Matthew 6:25–34. Four times in this passage Jesus says that his disciples should not be anxious.

Verse 25: "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life."

Verse 27: "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?"
Verse 31: "Do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?'"
Verse 34: "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow."

Anxiety is clearly the theme of this text. It makes the root of anxiety explicit in verse 30: "But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will he not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?" In other words, Jesus says that the root of anxiety is inadequate faith in our Father's future grace. As unbelief gets the upper hand in our hearts, one of the effects is anxiety. The root cause of anxiety is a failure to trust all that God has promised to be for us in Jesus.

Future Grace, (Multnomah, 1995), 53–54, bulleted list added.

John Piper will lead a free seminar on theme of Future Grace March 16–17 at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Watch his invitation.

The Glory of God's Sustaining Grace When Our Prayers Aren't Answered

John Knight — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:50:00 -0600

It doesn't happen often, but it does happen — people see my son Paul and ask if they can pray for him.

At places like WalMart (where it has happened) I usually accept their offer after quietly and quickly assessing their motives and authenticity. And people are usually appropriate.

But a scenario occurred recently where I struggled to respond graciously. The Holy Spirit helped me in that moment as I could feel my pride being challenged. Here’s the story.

A Prayer for Healing

We got to our church service a few minutes late. I plopped Paul down in the seats just outside the sanctuary while we got our bearings on who was going where. A gentleman noticed Paul and asked me what "disease" he had. I quickly told him that Paul is blind and autistic (I only give the full list when we have more time) and he asked if he could pray for healing. He said God heals people from blindness and he’s seen it.

People pray for Paul all the time at church, but generally don’t make such bold pronouncements about healing. I accepted his offer and he proceeded to ask for Paul to be healed of his blindness and his autism right there, through the power of the Holy Spirit and in Jesus’ name. It was very sweet, this stranger praying so fervently for my son.

But my own spirit was not seeing the sweetness then and I was getting irritated. Didn’t he think God created some like Paul just the way he is? Didn’t he think I had faith? Didn’t he think I prayed for my son?

He finished and said that he believed God could heal my son and was genuinely disappointed that nothing had happened. I responded that I knew God could heal him, but sometimes God is more clearly present in the sustaining grace and peace he grants when he doesn’t choose to heal in this age.

And that was it. I entered the sanctuary and didn’t see this gentleman again.

Greater Glory and Greater Help

My wife helped me understand what happened in its proper context: this gentleman saw a need and his immediate reaction was to pray. He wasn’t challenging my faith or accusing me of anything, he just wanted to pray. He believed God could move.

And God answers prayer! Yet, God sometimes brings greater glory to himself — and greater help to his church — when he doesn’t do exactly what we ask of him. The one who knows the end from the beginning is in a much better place to determine how to answer the prayers of his saints. And he is always good, always just, always right, and always capable to do what he has promised.

I’ve decided that I’m glad this gentleman prayed, even if my heart wasn’t exactly right in the moment. And I hope he heard me — that I helped him see God’s sustaining grace is also a wonderful thing, that God's sustaining grace in this age is not at all a lesser gift than healing.

Maybe, in fact, it is a greater gift because we have less temptation to forget how weak we are. We are so utterly dependent on God's daily, continual help.

A. I. M. S. — A New Acronym for Living My Life

John Piper — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

I have a new acronym.

Along with I.O.U.S. and A.P.T.A.T. and A.N.T.H.E.M. I now use A.I.M.S. to help me maintain my Christ-consciousness through the day.

Two times in his second letter Peter said he meant to stir us up “by way of reminder” (2 Peter 1:13; 3:1). This is what I need all day long. Reminders of massive truth.

If my mind is empty or worldly, my faith languishes. My joy in Christ weakens. I need truth. “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

My mind needs glory: “Set your minds on things that are above” (Colossians 3:2). I need to think on excellent praiseworthy reality:. “If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

But my mind drifts into banal and trivial things. And my soul shrivels.

What shall I do? I “will call to mind” amazing things about God (Lamentations 3:21). I will “remember” his all-gracious covenant (1 Chronicles 16:15). I will set my mind on “the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5). I will “consider his wondrous works” (Psalm 106:7).

How?

Among other ways, with A.I.M.S. Through the day I will pause and ask, What are you’re A.I.M.S. And I will answer:

A. I will call to mind the stupendous truth that Jesus is ALIVE. (Luke 24:5–6)

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”

I. I will remember the breathtaking reality that Jesus is IN me. (Romans 8:10).

“Christ is in you.”

M. I will ponder the all-comforting fact that Jesus is MIGHTY. (Matthew 28:18).

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

S. And I will savor the sweetness that Jesus is SATISFYING. (John 6:35)

"Whoever believes in me shall never thirst."

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Recent posts from John Piper —

Jonathan Edwards on the True Excellency of the Gospel Minister

Jonathan Parnell — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

A lot has changed since 1743 — but not everything.

The "true excellency of a minister of the gospel" is the same today as it was back when Jonathan Edwards preached an ordination sermon by the same title for a young Presbyterian pastor in Pelham, Massachuesetts.

Though in our own day we're surrounded by an abundance of resources and leadership tips, we'd do well to hear Edwards as relevant now as he would have been if we were sitting under his counsel 269 years ago.

Below is an outline of his sermon, "The True Excellency of a Minister of the Gospel."

Sermon Text — John 5:35

"He was a burning and a shining light; and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light." (KJV)

There are two initial observations:

Jesus declares what he has taken notice of in John ( cf. John 3:29–30; Luke 1:17)
The purpose for why Jesus does this is to show how great and excellent a person John was and therefore why he was worthy to have his testimony received by the Jewish hearers.

The method of the sermon is described by Edwards in seven steps that I've organized within his two categories of explanation and application.

Explanation

I. Christ has designed the appointment of the order and office of ministers of the gospel that they may be lights to the souls of men.

Edwards writes,

But God in infinite mercy has made glorious provision for the restoration of light to this fallen dark world; he has sent him, who is the brightness of his own glory, into the world, to be the light of the world. "He is the true light, that ligheth every man that cometh into the world" [John 1:9], i.e. every man in the world that ever has any true light. But in his wisdom and mercy, he is pleased to convey his light to men by means and instruments; and had sent forth his messengers, and appointed ministers in his church to be subordinate lights, and to shine with the communications of his light, and to reflect the beams of his glory on the souls of men. (88ff)

II. A "burning light" implies two things.

his heart be filled with much of the holy ardor of a spirit of true piety
he be fervent and zealous in his administrations

III. A "shining light" implies three things.

he be pure, clear and full in his doctrine
he be discrete in all his administrations
he be holy in his manner of life (examples to the flock)

IV. To be both a burning and shining light is manifest two ways.

His ministry is acceptable and amiable in the sight of God and men.
He will be likely to answer the ends of his ministry: by this means his ministry will not only be amiable, but profitable.

Edwards on the need for light and heat,

If a minister has light without heat, and entertains his auditory with learned discourses, without a savor of the power of godliness, or any appearance of fervency of spirit, and zeal for God and the good of souls, he may gratify itching ears, and fill the heads of his people with empty notions; but will not be very likely to reach their hearts, or save their souls. And if, on the other hand, he be driven on with a fierce and intemperate zeal, and vehement heat, without light, he will be likely to kindle the like unhallowed flame in his people, and to fire their corrupt passions and affections; but will make them never the better, nor lead them a step towards heaven, but drive them apace the other way. (96)

Application

V. How much it concerns gospel ministers to be burning and shining lights.

Edwards,

And hereby our ministry will be likely to be as beneficial as our office is honorable: we shall be like Christ, and shall shine with his beams; Christ will live in us, and be seen in his life and beauty in our ministry, and in our conversation, and we shall be most likely to be the means of bringing others to him, and of their receiving of his light, and being made partakers of his life, and having his joy fulfilled in them. (98)

VI. How gospel ministers go about becoming burning and shining lights.

be diligent in study
be diligent in the work of ministry to which you are called
be very conversant with the Holy Scriptures (i.e., know the Word). He explains, "Ministers, in order to their being burning and shining lights, should walk closely with God, and keep near to Christ; that they may ever be enlightened and enkindled by him" (100).

VII. What local congregations can do for their pastor

pray for him
be grateful

25 Top Quotes from J. C. Ryle

Jonathan Parnell — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

One neat thing about the blogosphere is the increasing accessibility to old gospel resources that would otherwise be buried in libraries. Case in point: J.C. Ryle Quotes.

This blog is a repository of Christ-centered content from the nineteenth-century Bishop of Liverpool — who was also the subject of John Piper's recent biographical message at the Desiring God Conference for Pastors.

In a recent post, Erik Kowalker highlights the top 25 posts over the past few years:

Why Did God Let Paul Become a Murderer?

John Piper — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

We know that before Paul was born God had set him apart for his apostleship.

He who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles. (Galatians 1:15–16).

And we know that Paul became a Christian-hating (Acts 9:1), Christ-persecuting (Acts 9:5), zealot (Philippians 3:6; Galatians 1:14) before he was converted. Forever after he would call himself “the chief of sinners” because of these wicked days (1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:9).

We also know that God broke into Paul’s life dramatically and decisively to bring him to faith (Acts 9:3–19). Which means that he could have planned the Damascus Road encounter before Paul imprisoned and murdered Christians. But he didn’t.

His purpose, therefore, was to allow Paul to become the “chief of sinners” and then save him, and make him the apostle who would write thirteen books of the New Testament.

Why? Why do it this way? Why choose him before birth to be an apostle? Then let him sink into wicked and violent opposition to Christ? And then save him dramatically and decisively on the Damascus road? Why.

Here are six reasons. The first two are explicit in the biblical text. The last four are clear inferences from the first two. God did it this way . . .

1. To put the perfect patience of Christ on display.

“I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience.” (1 Timothy 1:16)

2. To encourage those who think they are too sinful to have hope.

“I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:16)

3. To show that God saves hardened haters of Christ, who have even murdered Christians.

4. To show that God permits his much-loved elect to sink into flagrant wickedness.

5. To show that God can make the chief of sinners the chief of missionaries.

6. To show a powerless, persecuted, marginalized church that they can triumph by the supernatural conversion of their most powerful foes.

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Recent posts from John Piper —

Transition Sale — Remaining Titles

Josh Etter — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:05:00 -0600

There are still lots of great titles available as part of our transition sale. You can read more about the reason behind the sale in Pastor John's update.

French

Portuguese

The Dangerous Duty of Delight $5

Russian

For Your Joy $1

Spanish

Wisdom

Tony Reinke — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

Ray Ortlund Jr.:

Wisdom is more than brains. It is more than morals. We could memorize the whole Bible, and mean it from the heart, without wisdom. Wisdom is skill, expertise, competence that understands how life really works, how to achieve successful and even beautiful results. We see a picture of wisdom in Exodus 35:31, where the word translated “wisdom” in Proverbs 1:2 is used for the skill of an artist adorning the tabernacle. We see wisdom in Jeremiah 10:9 where the expertise of goldsmiths is called “the work of skilled men,” or wise men. We see wisdom in Psalm 107:27 for the know-how of sailors, who use the winds and tides to make their way through the sea to their destination. Whether craftsmanship working with the materials of life or seamanship steering through the currents of life, so to speak, wisdom understands how real life can work well. Wisdom knows better than to walk onto the football field and hope the game will go well somehow; wisdom draws up a game plan that will score more touchdowns than the opponents because that plan takes into account not only the rules of the game but also psychology and timing and strategy and everything it takes to win. That is wisdom.

Ray Ortlund Jr., Proverbs: Wisdom that Works (Crossway; March 31, 2012), 28.

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When Your Son Asks

Tony Reinke — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

Deuteronomy 6:20–21:

When your son asks you in time to come, "What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?" then you shall say to your son, "We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand."

Charles Spurgeon:

Fathers and mothers are the most natural agents for God to use in the salvation of their children. I am sure that, in my early youth, no teaching ever had such an impression upon my mind as the instruction of my mother; neither can I conceive that, to any child, there can be one who will have such influence over the young heart as the mother who has so tenderly cared for her offspring.

We should especially tell our children our own experience… Perhaps, my friend, there is no testimony that you can bear which will be so useful, so interesting and so striking, as the testimony of what you have, yourself, seen and handled of the Word of Life.

Tell the gospel as you find it in the Bible, but set it in the frame of your own experience of its preciousness! Tell your son how you sinned and how the Lord had mercy upon you. Tell him how he met with you, how you were brought to seek his face, how you were born again, how you received a new heart and a right spirit. He will think the more of this great change because it happened to his father, or to his mother, or to some kind friend. And, perhaps, if he is not himself converted as a child, in his later life he may think of what you told him or the remembrance of his mother’s God may rise before him when he is far away from the scenes of his youth and has spent many years in foolish vanities — and he may even then turn to God, beckoned back to the great Father’s House above by the memory of his godly father and mother here below.

Charles Spurgeon, "Brought Out to be Brought In."

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Recent posts from "They Still Speak" —

The Battle We Fight Is Thine! (Richard Sibbes)
The Global Reach of a Praying Mother (Octavius Winslow)
C. S. Lewis on the Danger of Love (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Front-End Developer Job Opportunity

Josh Etter — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:55:00 -0600

Desiring God is seeking an experienced front-end developer to join our web team on-site in Minneapolis. This person will work together with the director of marketing and lead web developer to develop the Desiring God website.

The ideal candidate will . . .

Appreciate that web standards, accessibility, and usability are essential to uphold.
Find joy in taking flat design comps and making them interactive interfaces.
Have intermediate-level skills with XHTML, CSS, Photoshop, and Illustrator that are rooted in best practices, validation, testing, compatibility, and performance.
Be talented users of JavaScript libraries such as Scriptaculous, Protype or jQuery - but especially jQuery (and can write basic JavaScript by hand when necessary).
Keep up with forward-focused technology (CSS3, HTML5, latest CMS versions, APIs, OpenID, semantics, microformats).
Generally have experience with server-side code such as PHP or Ruby on Rails and enjoy learning more from the development team.
Have unparalleled attention to detail when maintaining the sanctity of original designs.
Provide reliable ballpark estimates for front-end tasks/deliverables.
Enjoy variety in their work, but remain committed to projects that take weeks of focused effort to complete.

Qualified candidates will joyfully agree to Desiring God's Affirmation of Faith, as well as embrace the vision of John Piper's book Desiring God. To learn more about the requirements for this position, or to apply, please send Josh Etter an email with your resume.

Pray with Your Books Closed

Jonathan Parnell — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

We shouldn't open our books without praying, but we'd better pray without opened books.

I think B. B. Warfield would give a thumbs up here. In his salty essay, "The Religious Life of Theological Students," Warfield explains that study should be devotional. He says that study itself is a "religious exercise of the most rewarding kind." And while this is all true, he doesn't stop here. He goes on to say there are other religious exercises that demand our "punctual attention." There are other aspects of our devotional life that can't be neglected "without the gravest damage" to ourselves.

Praying Is About Joy

Throw all the aspects of our devotional life into a hat and tell me to draw one. No doubt there are good arguments for why each is non-negotiable. Fair enough. But still, there's a particular emphasis on prayer. We must pray.

Now don't hang your head. And don't be fearful of being incentivized by something that starts like [cue crotchety voice] "Well Martin Luther . . . ".

At the end of the day, we'll pray if we love to pray. So the pitch thrown in this post is a simple fastball. It's the 'bread and butter' four-seamer that claims prayer for the theology student is more a matter of joy than necessity. It's a matter of joy in that we get to know God.

Revelation Isn't Normal

The aim of our study is to know God, not merely things about him. But there is so much about him, so many words, so many commentaries, journal articles, textbooks, lectures, assignments. As the stack of books and papers thicken, presumption sets in like a Canadian cold front. The windshield of our eyes freezes over. We can't see that far ahead so we forget where we're going. Our noggins get stuck down in a book. I mean really stuck. All books and no fun. Loads of information and no sense of revelation. No sense of the miracle that the stuff we're reading about God is about God.

If we don't shake out of it we'll read ourselves to entitlement, as if we should know these things about God, the one whom we as sinners have no business in knowing.

He owes us nothing. Turn the defrost on, we're looking up again. That we can know anything about him! Anything true about him! That we can know him! God calls us into fellowship, not a classroom. He, being rich in mercy and great in love, gives us words that we might delight in the fullness of all that he is for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

For Fellowship Sake

It's not about ideas, it's about a person. And the best way to remember this is to close the book and speak to him.

Pray. Tell the Father all your heart. Thank him for the Scriptures. Cast your Hebrew syntax anxieties on him. Marvel to him that he knows every star and tends his flock like a shepherd. Marvel that he really did choose you in Christ before the foundations of the world. Marvel that he was there the Friday Jerusalem fell dark. Marvel that he saw the empty tomb happen. Marvel that his triune glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Do this for your gladness. Prayer transforms information into intimacy — he is our God, our Father, Jesus our Savior, the Spirit our Comforter. And while we want to keep this in mind while we're reading, pushing aside our books for moments of communion is invaluable. Close your books and pray.

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How to Stay Christian in Seminary:

“He Knows My Name!” A Defense of Church Member Directories

Tony Reinke — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

Compiling church member names and contact information into a directory is useful for a number of reasons: it helps members connect, it reminds pastors of the souls they are accountable for, and as Mark Dever stresses, it encourages pastors and members to pray for one another.

Church directories may be full-color and printed with family pictures, or text-based and photocopied into a booklet, or, more commonly today, posted online in the members’ section of a website. The work required to manage and update the information is no small task, but often it pales in comparison to the task of motivating a whole church to get their pictures taken.

For all its uses and challenges, there’s one fundamental premise behind member directories, and that is the point of Pastor John’s brief article from 1983: “He Knows My Name! He Knows My Name!”

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Recent posts from "Piper's Pen" —

The Battle We Fight Is Thine!

Jonathan Parnell — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

Richard Sibbes:

Nothing is stronger than humility, which goes out of itself, or weaker than pride, which rests on its own foundation. . . . And this should be particularly observed because naturally we aspire to a kind of divinity, in setting about actions in the strength of our own abilities; whereas Christ says, ‘Without me ye’, the apostles, who were in a state of grace, ‘can do nothing’ (John 15:5). He does not say, you can do a little, but nothing.

Of ourselves, how easily we are overcome! How weak we are to resist! We are as reeds shaken with every wind. We shake at the very noise and thought of poverty, disgrace or losses. We give in immeditately. We have no power over our eyes, tongues, thoughts or affections, but let sin pass in and out. How soon we are overcome by evil, whereas we should overcome evil with good. . .

Therefore in all, especially difficult encounters, let us lift up our hearts to Christ, who has Spirit enough for us all, in all our [needs], and say with good Jehoshaphat, "We have not might… neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee" (2 Chronicles 20:12); the battle we fight is thine.

The Bruised Reed, 114–115, paragraphing added.

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Recent posts from "They Still Speak" —

The Global Reach of a Praying Mother (Octavius Winslow)
C. S. Lewis on the Danger of Love (Bonhoeffer)
The Indelible Mark of a Mother's Prayer Training (J. C. Ryle)

Left Behind for Now: Tribulation and the Need to Know God’s Word

Jonathan Parnell — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

Tribulation is here, and we need to know God's word.

This is the gist of chapter 7 in Greg Beale's A New Testament Biblical Theology. In 37 pages, he lays out how the eschatological tribulation has been inaugurated with Jesus and the church. It's here, now.

Tribulation Already

Telltale marks of the tribulation, according to Daniel 7–12, include persecution and deception through false teaching. The apostles were mindful of how present these things were in their own day, especially the rise of false teaching. John even drops the A-word (antichrist) in 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7. Though it seems to have not yet reached its climax, the tribulation clearly has begun (the whole period between Christ’s two comings), and Christians are called to persevere.

On the corporate level, a major part of this perseverance is church elders (gently) correcting insidious doctrines that raise their head within the covenant community (see 2 Timothy). As individuals, the best antidote is to understand temptation — and know the Bible.

Deception All Over Again

Beale observes that the same ways Satan deceived Adam and Eve at the beginning of history are reproduced by the biblical authors to characterize his deception at history's end. On this note, Beale shows how we can learn from the initial failure to trust God's word:

Eve was deceived because she did not know God's word sufficiently or did not esteem it highly enough. . . . [W[hen confronted by the satanic serpent, Eve either failed to remember God's word accurately or changed it intentionally for her own purposes. First, she minimized their privileges by saying, “We may eat,” whereas God had said, “You may eat freely.” Second, Eve minimized the judgment by saying, “Lest you die,” whereas God said, “You will surely die.” Third, she maximized the prohibition by affirming, “You shall not . . . touch” (becoming the first legalist in history), whereas God originally said only, “You shall not eat.”

If Adam remembered God's word, then he did not trust it, since he did not come to Eve's aid when she failed to recollect the word rightly in the face of the serpent accusations. Adam and Eve did not remember God's word adequately, and they “fell.” When the defense of God's word is taken away, all kinds of satanic lies come to fill the void, the desire to resist temptation breaks down, and sin inevitably occurs. (222)

Beale explains, "Jesus Christ, however, knew the word and, by obeying it, established himself as God's true last Adam and true Israel. . . . Jesus succeeded against exactly those temptations in which Adam and Israel failed because he remembered God's word and obeyed it" (222).

Know and Believe God's Word

Beale concludes with application for where we live:

The heart of the matter is this: do Christians know God's word, do they believe it, and do they do it? If not, then the lies of the evil one will slip into our lives and churches ever so subtly. When this happens and the process goes unchecked and uncorrected, then the deceptions begin to pour in like an overflowing river (cf. Revelation 12:15). . . Do Christian families make God's word the center of their homes? Do pastors set aside sufficient time to study God's word in preparation for Sunday sermons in order to "be diligent to present yourself approved to God as workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15)? If not, then the false teaching of those "who have gone astray from the truth" will make inroads into the church (2 Timothy 2:18). (223)

Meet Jonathan Edwards

Tony Reinke — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

Spiders, hedonism, revivals, and the mysteries of the trinity — Jonathan Edwards's mind was rich and his writings are prolific. Digestible overviews of his life and writings are always appreciated.

During the recent conversation between John Piper and Douglas Wilson, mention was made of moderator Joe Rigney's trip to New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho in March of 2010. Joe is Assistant Professor of Theology and Christian Worldview at Bethlehem College and Seminary where he teaches undergraduates in the Christian Worldview Program and courses on Jonathan Edwards at the seminary. It was on the trip to NSA that Joe delivered an introduction to Jonathan Edwards, his theology, his writings, and his life and legacy. A video of the lecture and ensuing Q&A session is online. Timestamps follow.

Lecture time-markers —

04:14 — 1. Edwards on the Trinity

14:06 — 2. Edwards on Creation

18:27 — 3. Edwards on God's End in Creation

32:06 — Conclusion

Q&A time-markers —

34:04 — Edwards on typology

37:56 — First recommended Edwards books to read

39:55 — Edwards on God's direct creation and the place of causality

43:00 — Edwards and the classical tradition (Aristotle, Augustine, etc)

45:27 — Dante, Locke, and Edwards's influences

47:02 — Edwards on spiders

49:14 — Edwards's faults and weaknesses

51:36 — The Great Awakening and how Edwards processed it

56:46 — The Enlightenment and its influence on Edwards

59:40 — Edwards's legacy

Joe has also written a series of blog posts on Jonathan Edwards:

Encouragement for Old Sinners to Come to Christ

John Piper — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

If you are old and fear that Christ will not accept you for having sinned away the better part of your life, let Jonathan Edwards compel you. This is from a sermon titled “No Obstacle to the Pardon of the Returning Sinner,” based on Psalm 25:11, “For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.”

I am afraid God will not accept of me, when I offer him only mine old age.

To this I would answer

Hath God said anywhere, that he will not accept old sinners who come to him? God hath often made offers and promises in universal terms; and is there any such exception put in?

Doth Christ say, All that thirst, let them come to me and drink, except old sinners? Come to me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, except old sinners, and I will give you rest? Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out, if he be not an old sinner?

Did you ever read any such exception any where in the Bible? And why should you give way to exceptions which you make out of your own heads, or rather which the devil puts into your heads, and which have no foundation in the word of God?

Indeed it is more rare that old sinners are willing to come, than others; but if they do come, they are as readily accepted as any whatever. . . .

You say your life is spent, and you are afraid that the best time for serving God is past. . . as if it were for the sake of the service which persons are like to do him, after they are converted, that he accepts of them. But a self-righteous spirit is at the bottom of such objections. . . .

But if they are willing to accept of Christ when old, he is as ready to receive them as any others; for in that matter God hath respect only to Christ and his worthiness.

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Recent posts from John Piper —

David Platt on the Doctrine of Hell

Jonathan Parnell — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:15:00 -0600

The doctrine of hell is important — and extremely unpopular.

In this episode of Theology Refresh, David Platt talks about the priority of God's word as we approach this doctrine and faithfully serve the gospel in light of its reality.

Platt explains that hell is the manifestation that our sin against an infinitely holy God warrants infinitely eternal punishment. Moreover, when we minimize the reality of hell, we actually malign the mercy of God — because central to the fact of hell is that it is escapable. Jesus has endured the wrath of God on our behalf so that all who trust in him will be delivered from God's wrath and brought into fellowship with him forever.

Stream or download the 13-minute audio.

Recommended resources on the doctrine of hell:

Hell Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment, multiple authors.
Hell on Trial: The Case for Eternal Punishment, Robert Peterson
Whatever Happened to Hell?, John Blanchard
What Is Hell?, Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson
Erasing Hell: What God said about eternity, and the things we made up, Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle

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Recent Theology Refresh podcasts —

Kids Feel What Parents Expressively Feel

John Piper — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

In this two-minute video that Talitha and I made at home, I give a snapshot of how the Lord teaches me deep things through my little grandchildren. The lesson is simple. But the summons is for a miracle to happen deep in my life — again and again.

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Recent posts from John Piper —

Spiritual Leadership May Be Heartbreaking, but It Is Always Hopeful

Jon Bloom — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

Any time a selfish sinner is tasked with leading other selfish sinners in a Godward direction — whether in families, friendships, small groups, churches, or broader movements — there’s going to be trouble.

Take Moses, for example. No Old Covenant leader was as meek as Moses (Numbers 12:3), had more intimate interaction with God (Exodus 33:11), and was more unjustly and harshly criticized by those he led.

Here’s an overview of Moses’ experience as a spiritual leader:

At first the Israelites rallied behind him (Exodus 4:31), but when Pharaoh increased their work they lost faith (Exodus 5:21).
Then after the Passover Moses was their hero (Exodus 12:28)! But that quickly evaporated on the seashore when Pharaoh’s army showed up (Exodus 14:11).
Then the sea opened for them and closed on the Egyptians and Moses was the best leader ever (Exodus 14:31). That is, until they came to Marah and found bitter water (Exodus 15:24).
But God sweetened the water and that was great! Until they got hungry. Then Moses took a serious dive in the polls (Exodus 16:2).
Then the manna fell and that was marvelous! Until they got thirsty again. Then they wanted to stone Moses (Exodus 17:4).
In Exodus 18, they were wearing Moses out with their disputes. Thank God for Jethro!
Then Moses tarried on Mount Sinai with God. This earned him a “no confidence” vote and the people elected a golden calf to lead them (Exodus 32). Not exactly a high water mark for the majority.
Then they got sick and tired of eating boring old miracle manna. So Moses cried out to God: “I am not able to carry all this people alone… If you will treat me like this, kill me at once” (Numbers 11:14–15). Yikes. God mercifully gave Moses some elders.
Then, to add heartbreak to insult, Miriam and Aaron publicly opposed Moses because of his interracial marriage (Numbers 12).
Next, the twelve spies’ presented their Promised Land Report, And the people threatened to depose Moses and Aaron and stone Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14).
Then Korah led a coup and God wiped out the rebels. But the people blamed… yep, Moses (Numbers 16:41).
Then they got thirsty again at Meribah. So they grumbled against Moses, who lost his temper and struck the rock. The people got water but Moses was barred from Canaan (Numbers 20).
Now, one would think the lesson might sink in, but again the people complained against Moses about food and water. And they got fiery serpents (Numbers 21).
And after all this, many Israelites rejected the Lord and embraced Baal (Numbers 25). Sigh.

Moses is a reminder that spiritual leadership is hard and sometimes heartbreaking. It is accompanied with adversity and opposition. A prophet may have honor, but not usually among those who know him best (Matthew 13:57).

So if we believe that, who in the world would want to be a Christian leader? Only a servant (Matthew 23:11).

A servant-leader:

like Jesus, doesn’t hope in people’s approval (John 2:24–25), he hopes in God (Psalm 43:5);
is not defensive, but leaves his vindication to God (Isaiah 54:17).
like Moses, he faithfully teaches and lives by God’s word (Deuteronomy 32:47);
doesn’t hope in his own giftedness, but “in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9);
believes that he is God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10);
believes that God is always at work in his work (Philippians 2:13);
believes that humble, faithful planting and watering (1 Corinthians 3:6) in reliance upon Jesus will yield fruit (Matthew 25:21), even in the midst of painful controversy and resistance;
and ultimately, he believes that the cross of Jesus — the worst rejection, adversity, and opposition ever faced — and his triumph over death guarantee us that no labor in the Lord will ever be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Spiritual leadership may be hard and heartbreaking, but it is always hopeful because of where the hope is anchored. Moses’ reward was not the peoples’ admiration, and not even the Promised Land. God was his reward (Hebrews 11:26). And any servant-leader whose reward is God can weather the storms with overcoming faith and joy.

Any leader whose reward is something else will not last.

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Previous posts from Jon Bloom —

Read the Bible Devotionally — and No Less Critically

Jonathan Parnell — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:30:00 -0600

In the current series "How to Stay Christian in Seminary," we've been sharing some ways that those in the midst of theological education might grow in grace. David Mathis recently sat down with Don Carson and asked for his counsel:

Carson: "You should never be doing anything with the word of God that is less than devotional, or less than critical."

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How to Stay Christian in Seminary:

Psalm 40: Obedience Better Than David’s

David Mathis — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

Psalm 40:6–8,

In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”

For many of us, Psalm 40:6–8 is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma — as Winston Churchill once said of Russia.

Verses 1–10 are David’s song of thanks to God for rescuing him from dire straights. Verses 6–8 then raise the issue of what should David do in response to God’s life-saving rescue. Slaughter another sheep? Sacrifice a bull or goat? Is that really an apt response to God pulling him up from the very pit of destruction (verse 2)? Thanks for saving my life, God. Here’s a goat. It doesn’t work.

A Gap to Be Filled

What David is sensing is that there’s a gap between the magnitude of the divine deliverance and the paucity of mere animal sacrifice as the human response. David has put his finger on a tension, and it is a dissonance that is growing throughout the Old Testament (in places like 1 Samuel 15:22 and Psalm 51:16 and more). Sacrificing another animal isn’t sufficient. At best it’s provisional. It is plainly not ultimate. It screams for fulfillment, for resolution, for satisfaction. It’s tangibly prophetic. And here in Psalm 40, David is recognizing that it can only be self-sacrificial obedience — the giving of one’s all — that will even begin to fill such a gap.

David’s Unique Role

The superscription is important: David, the psalmist, is also Israel’s king, and the mediator between God and the people. And the old covenant mediator has the gall to say to God, in the presence of his people, “In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted.” “What you really want is not the sacrifices of the old covenant, but me — all of me.”

And as mediator, he’s aware of his unique role, which he mentions in verse 7 when he says it is written of him in the scroll of the book (likely a reference to Deuteronomy 17:14–20).

Ready to Offer Himself

In his great zeal, inspired by his deep gratitude, David is ready to step forward to bridge the gap between the magnitude of God’s deliverance and the inadequacy of animal sacrifice. He is ready to offer his whole self, rather than bulls and goats. And so he says, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me; I desire to do your will, O my God; you law is within my heart.” David himself is the offering.

But it is enough? Can David really be the one who steps forward? Broadly speaking, what he has to say in verses 6–8 is true. The covenant of animal sacrifice is unavoidably temporal and passing away. There is a greater sacrifice required and inevitably coming, and the role of the mediator is to represent God to the people and the people to God. Yes, what David says is true, but if we press it hard enough, we see that he is speaking beyond himself in a kind of sanctified hyperbole — or better, a prophetic pointer. Verses 6–8 are about David, yes, but there’s a true and better David that embodies verses 6–8 more than David ever could.

The Better David

When the better David says, “Behold, I have come,” he doesn’t mean that a mere human king has come onto the scene of history, but that in an utterly unique way, the divine has come down from heaven and taken on humanity. And when the better David says, “in the scroll of the book it is written of me,” he means not only Deuteronomy 17:14–20, or various obscure parts of the Pentateuch relating to kingship, but he means, as in Luke 24, “all the Scriptures” (24:27) — “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” (24:44). And when the better David says, “I desire to do you will, O my God” — or “Not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39) — he does so in Gethsemane on the eve of his crucifixion, dying as the mediator of a new covenant for the people he represents.

Perhaps the most profound difference between David and this better David, named Jesus, is that David’s body can’t cash the check his zeal is ready to write. David can’t bridge the gap between God’s mercy and man’s need that his burst of gratitude has him fired up for. But Jesus can. Jesus does live a perfect life. He does not have the iniquities that David confesses in verse 12. Jesus is not only able to offer himself, but able to be fully accepted by God as the perfect sacrifice.

Jesus’ Saving Obedience

And so David, in his zeal to obey God, models for us faintly the kind of zeal to obey God that not only led Jesus to empty himself of divine prerogative, but humble “himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7–8), and in doing so, become the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

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Previous posts in "Seeking God in the Psalms" —

Five Reasons I Believe Romans 11:26 Means a Future Conversion for Israel

John Piper — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

Romans 11:26 says, “And in this way all Israel will be saved.” I take this to mean that someday the nation as a whole (not necessarily every individual; see 1 Kings 12:1; 2 Chronicles 12:1) will be converted to Christ and join the Christian church and be saved.

This was J. C. Ryle’s view published in 1867:

[The Jews] are kept separate that they may finally be saved, converted and restored to their own land. They are reserved and preserved, in order that God may show in them as on a platform, to angels and men, how greatly he hates sin, and yet how greatly he can forgive, and how greatly he can convert. Never will that be realized as it will in that day when “all Israel shall be saved.” (Are You Ready for the End of Time? [Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2001], 137–138)

One reason this matters is that Paul made this claim “lest you [Gentiles] be wise in our own sight” (Romans 11:25). Rightly understanding the historical process of how God saves Gentiles and Jews undercuts Jewish and Gentile pride.

So here are five of the reasons I commend this view to you. You can read other arguments for the same position in the commentaries of John Murray, John Stott, Douglas Moo, and Thomas Schreiner.

1. The term “Israel” in verses 25 and 26 most naturally refers to the same thing.

Verse 25: “Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel. . . .” That must refer to the nation as a whole from generation to generation. He continues, “. . . until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (26) And in this way all Israel will be saved.” I don't think the meaning of Israel changes between verses 25 and 26. The hardened Israel (the nation as a whole) will be the saved Israel (the nation as a whole).

2. The reference in verse 26 to banishing ungodliness from Jacob fits with the national view of “all Israel.”

Verse 26: “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.’” This seems most naturally to be a picture of the second coming. Christ’s banishing ungodliness from Jacob refers most naturally to the removal of the hardening referred to in verse 25. “Jacob” is not a natural or typical reference to the elect remnant of Israel. The hardening lasts until the full number of the Gentiles comes in (the climax of world missions), and then Christ lifts the veil and removes the hardening — he banishes ungodliness from Jacob, from “all Israel.”

3. The parallel between the two halves of verse 28 point to all Israel as the nation as a whole.

Verse 28: “As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake.” Now this half of the verse surely refers to the nation as a whole — they are enemies of God. So the second half of the verse surely refers to the nation as a whole as well: “But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.” The point of this verse is to show that even though Israel now is a covenant-breaking, unbelieving nation, it is going to change. The nation that are enemies now will be converted later because of election and love.

4. The parallels in verse 12 point in the same direction.

Verse 12: “Now if their [the Jewish nation’s] trespass means riches for the world [salvation for the Gentiles], and if their [the Jewish nation’s] failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion!” Here “their full inclusion” most naturally refers to the same nation as “their trespass” and “their failure.” So “their full inclusion” refers to the salvation of “all Israel” and is national.

5. The same thing is true about the parallels in verse 15.

“For if their [Jewish nation’s] rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their [Jewish nation’s] acceptance mean but life from the dead?” The nation now rejected will be accepted. So the “acceptance” of the Jewish nation most naturally refers to the salvation of “all Israel” — the salvation of the nation as a whole some day.

Implications

How is this going to happen? I don't know the details, but it seems to me that Paul does mean that in connection with the second coming of Christ there will be a great turning of Israel to Christ. Just how it works, I don't know. But I find certain prophecies very suggestive.

For example, Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” And Isaiah 66:8, “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.” And Matthew 23:39, where Jesus says to the hardened nation: “I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”

I don't want to speculate about details we are not given. I am not sure about the precise "when and how" of Israel's conversion. But that it is coming and that it will be given by Jesus Christ, the deliverer who banishes ungodliness and forgives sins — I feel sure.

We should pray for it — that the full number of the Gentiles comes in and that the hardening be lifted from Israel. We should work for it with missions to the nations and witness to Israel. We should put away all conceit and presumption over Jewish unbelievers but realize that God is aiming to save them through our salvation.

For now, then, let us give ourselves to prayer and to the great work of gathering the fullness of the Gentiles, if by any means we might make Israel jealous of her treasures in Christ so that they believe and be saved.

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Recent posts from John Piper —

Interview with Don Carson on the TGC Women's Conference

Tony Reinke — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

The first Gospel Coalition National Women's Conference is approaching (June 22–24 in Orlando, Florida). Don Carson, the president and co-founder of TGC, answered a few questions about the conference and the priority of training women for ministry.

Explain for us the origin of the women's conference and how it serves the broader vision of TGC?

Don Carson: TGC aims to reform evangelicalism, putting the "evangel" (the gospel) at the center of our thinking and practice — and that means focusing on Scripture, on Christ, on the cross and resurrection, on the God who redeems his people. If we are going to contribute to the reformation of evangelicalism, we must aim to teach women as well as men.

Is the 2012 conference primarily for a general audience of Christian women, or is it targeted to women who are formally involved in ministry?

DC: It targets all women who want to know their Bibles better, who want to encounter the living God through the great "theophany" passages — passages where God displays himself in spectacular revelation. Nevertheless those who are formally involved in vocational ministry will be strengthened by exemplary teaching, and some of the workshops are aimed at helping such women.

What do you hope women will gain from this particular conference?

DC: From the plenaries, (1) a renewed vision of God and his sweeping purposes of redemption; and (2) for those with eyes to see, some models of how to handle Scripture faithfully and tellingly. From the Workshops, a wide variety of stimulating help for Christian women — on their marriages, on how to lead Bible studies, on gospel outreach to people who do not look like you, on Scripture memory, on singleness, and much more.

The unfolding plan of redemption provides the backbone for this conference theme. How will biblical theology particularly serve women, and especially those in ministry roles?

DC: If we leap too quickly to personal application without reflecting on how any biblical passage fits into the Bible's grand history and plan of redemption, we almost always end up (however unwittingly) distorting the Bible. Worse, we lose sight of the way Scripture flows toward Jesus. The best application of Scripture takes place after coming to grips with how any text fits into the God-given big picture.

In the past you have talked about the difficulty of holding complementarian convictions (men and women are not interchangeable) and yet at the same time encouraging women to pursue ministry opportunities. In the last few years, where has your own thinking changed or been sharpened here?

DC: I don't think my views have changed much. On the other hand, I increasingly recognize that:

It is important not to become silent on the issue; it is possible for the complementarian position to lose by default.
We must so handle Scripture that the relevant passages are convicting, transforming, and seen to be for the good of both men and women, for God makes no mistakes. Recently Bob Yarbrough and I were the speakers at a conference for ministers dealing with these themes; the material will be available shortly on the TGC website.
It is very important that the complementarian stance not be reduced to a cheap parody, where all we are saying is "No!" I would love to see far more churches utilizing the gifts and training of women, whether in paid staff positions or not — positions that are shaped by complementarian confessionalism and simultaneously encouraging, liberating, gospel-focused. Our churches could do with a lot more women in the heritage of Priscilla, Phoebe, Euodia, and Syntyche. (Why do we remember the latter two only for their bickering, and not only for their ministry of contending for the gospel at Paul's side?)

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The first Gospel Coalition National Women's Conference is scheduled for June 22–24 in Orlando, Florida. Women can register for $125 through the end of February, at which point the rate increases to $175. Students and women who live outside the United States can register for $100 (no deadline).

The Global Reach of a Praying Mother

Tony Reinke — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

Octavius Winslow:

Christian mothers, your child may be far away from the sheltering home, voyaging on the stormy sea, or dwelling in some distant climate beyond your voice. But he is still within the reach of the mightiest power a mother can wield – the power of prayer! And although you cannot throw around him your maternal arms to shield him from the evil of the world, you can invest him with your wrestling believing petitions, and secure on his behalf the Arm which encircles the globe, and is mighty to save. Oh that the Church of God may be filled with such praying mothers!

Octavius Winslow, "The Christian Family."

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Recent posts from "They Still Speak" —

C. S. Lewis on the Danger of Love (Bonhoeffer)
The Indelible Mark of a Mother's Prayer Training (J. C. Ryle)
Where There's a Praying Mother, There's Always Hope (J. C. Ryle)

He Finished Well: A Tribute to Mike Stohlmeyer

Jon Bloom and Matt Heerema — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

On February 11, 2012, at age 61, Mike Stohlmeyer, a good friend of and mission partner with us at Desiring God, entered the joy of his master, Jesus Christ. After a 39-year battle with Crohn’s Disease, Mike’s body finally succumbed but his spirit did not. He finished well and no doubt was greeted with the words “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

Mike lived in Ames, IA, with his beloved wife, Maureen, who beautifully and faithfully served with and cared for Mike during their 34-year marriage. Mike served as a pastor and passionate teacher of God’s word at Stonebrook Church in Ames until weakened health forced him to step down in the mid-1980’s.

But Mike didn’t waste his Crohn’s Disease. This battle drove him deeper into the Scriptures where he discovered a gracious and sovereign God who determines all things that come to pass for his glory, and the good of those he loves. And he passed on the glory he saw through devotional teaching and, as an award-winning artist, through painting, especially Midwestern landscapes.

When Pastor John heard of Mike’s passing, he wrote the following:

Michael Stohlmeyer has been a presence in our lives for a long time. First, as an encourager, because of his faith in the face of so much pain. Second, because of his gracious support for Desiring God over the years. And third because his gift as an artist has brightened our living room for years. This [below] is our favorite painting. Michael sent it to us in 2006. On the back of the frame he had written "The Heavens Declare the Glory". It was hanging over our mantle when he died February 11, 2012. Now the glory is immediate. No art and no eyes needed to see what you see. I am eager to join you. Thank you, Maureen, for being a faithful support for this remarkable man.

In 2007, Desiring God produced a series of “Don’t Waste Your Life” videos, including a 4-part interview with Mike, who shared his reflections on the sovereignty of God and suffering. Each section is only a few minutes long but they are powerful (see Part 2 to hear Mike’s tender tribute to Maureen) — Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4.

Thank you, Father, for the life of Mike Stohlmeyer. His life has been a powerful example and encouragement to us. He has fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Now he is free. And someday we will be too. Grant us grace to finish as well as Mike did. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Well done, Mike. You will be missed.

All Spheres of Life — Even Pro Basketball

David Mathis and Tony Reinke — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 -0600

They're calling it "LinSanity" in New York, and it hit fever pitch tonight after Lin's game winning 3-pointer with less than a second to play in the Knicks win. He finished with 27 points and a career-high 11 assists.

But despite the "LinSanity" he seems to have his head on straight.

The Knicks overnight phenom Jeremy Lin quotes from a section of John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life in an online testimony recorded last June:

God created us to live with a single passion to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life.

Lin then adds the following commentary about his coming to treasure Jesus more than basketball success:

When Paul wrote in Philippians to press on for an upward prize, he was living for that, and it made his life meaningful (Philippians 3:15). And I realized I had to learn to do the same. I had to learn to stop chasing the perishable prizes of this earth, I had to stop chasing personal glory, I had to learn how to give my best effort to God and trust him with the results. I have to learn to have enough faith to trust in his grace and to trust in his sovereign and perfect plan. I had to submit my will, my desires, my dreams — give it all up to God and say, "Look, I am going to give my best effort, go on the court and play every day for you, and I'm going to let you take care of the rest." This is something I struggle with every day. . . . Playing for great stats is nice, but that satisfaction — that happiness — is only from game to game. It's temporary.

Indeed, only in God's presence is there "fullness of joy," and only at his right hand are there "pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).

An Update from John Piper

John Piper — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:00:00 -0600

Increasingly, our vision for Desiring God is global. The Internet is our main way of spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. And the Internet is global. We are continually amazed who is downloading articles and messages.

Jesus has global goals for his church. He has all authority in heaven and on earth. No inch of the planet is not his! And he promises that his gospel will reach all the people groups of the world as a testimony (Matthew 24:14). And he commands that we teach everything he has commanded to all these groups (Matthew 28:20). So we see our Internet presence as bearing that "testimony" and broadening that "teaching."

We are only one voice. There are thousands of others. We want to be faithful with what God has given us. We love the truth he has shown us in the Scriptures. And we love to say it in creative ways around the world. But we are only one voice, and it will take a mighty chorus of voices to finish Jesus' mission. We are glad to be a small part of this great company.

Seasons at Desiring God

We've had a couple of distinct seasons in our ministry. We began as a tape ministry with a catalog and a mailing list in 1994. Call that DG 1.0. In 12 years, we distributed roughly 500,000 tapes and CDs. Small, but sweet, beginnings. Along the way, we have always had conferences and a local bookstore. But the central strategy for spreading has clearly become the Internet.

In 2006, we put all of our digital resources online for free. This solidified the Internet as the main megaphone for our message. Call that DG 2.0. In recent months, we have clarified this Internet focus. This clarification has resulted in a riveting of our resources on making the Web as globally effective as we can. This includes the goal of translating our Web resources into the major trade languages of the world. Call it DG 3.0.

World Internet Users

A few statistics. The population of the world just crossed the seven-billion mark. There are currently an estimated 2.26 billion Internet users worldwide — one billion of which are from Asia, and only 273 million of which are from North America. Here's the current breakdown for Internet use globally:

Asia: 1 billion Web users (26% penetration)
Europe: 500 million Web users (61.3% penetration)
North America: 273 million Web users (78.6% penetration)
Latin America: 235 million Web users (39.5% penetration)
Africa: 139 million Web users (13.5% penetration)
Middle East: 77 million Web users (35% penetration)
Australia: 23 million Web users (67% penetration)

Sources: Nielsen Online, UN International Telecommunications Union, GfK, local Regulators and other reliable sources.

Last year Desiring God had 14,856,000 visits to our Website. We tremble as we ponder Jesus' words: "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more" (Luke 12:48).

But when you consider the world, this "much" we have been given is a tiny fraction of what is yet to be done. So at age 66, I feel, perhaps, like Joshua when the Lord said, "You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess" (Joshua 13:1). Yes. A whole Worldwide Web awaits. And to any thought of coasting home, or sailing off into the sunset, we say with John Paul Jones from the deck of the Bonhomme Richard, "We have not yet begun to fight."

Transition from Selling

We'll tell you more in the months to come. But here's one implication of this clarified focus on the Web. We've decided that this ship could sail faster and farther if we stopped carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of book inventory. For years, we have had a store as part of our Website. I have always said to our guys: Let's have the lowest prices on the Web. Beat Amazon's prices. And we have — but only by pennies. But we can't beat Amazon's service. And we've simply decided that there's no need to. Let's not compete; let's partner.

So the "store," as such, is going away. Instead, we will have improved "product pages" — an online catalog of sorts — on each book and other products where you will have several of options: read descriptions, watch video introductions, download free PDFs, and click to order the product from Amazon, or other partnering retailers. In other words, you lose no accessibility, you gain information and possibilities, and we off-load the inventory, so to speak, so the ship sails faster and farther. We'll keep on doing the amazing bulk offers from time to time, but even those will be for suggested donations. We are leaving the selling business.

Speaking of dumping the inventory, we are putting all of our books and resources on sale for $5 or less. Think of this as a transition sale. We'd be thrilled if you would take advantage of this and help us lighten the ship.

More to come in the next few months. Exciting new technology will be coming online soon. We are predominately donor-funded from folks who love what we stand for — even more so now with moving away from having a store. If you're one of those lovers of the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him, it would make us really glad if you'd consider partnering with us in our mission to reach the world.

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Recent posts from John Piper —

C. S. Lewis on the Danger of Love

Jonathan Parnell — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

If you were having a cup of tea with C. S. Lewis on Valentine's Day, and you asked him sincerely, "Mr. Lewis, am I better not to love because it's so risky?" — he might say something like this:

Of all arguments against love none makes so strong an appeal to my nature as “Careful! This might lead you to suffering.”

To my nature, my temperament, yes. Not to my conscience. When I respond to that appeal I seem to myself to be a thousand miles away from Christ. If I am sure of anything I am sure that his teaching was never meant to confirm my congenital preference for safe investments and limited liabilities.…

There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

The Four Loves, (New York, Harcourt, 1960), Kindle Location 1541.

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Recent posts from "They Still Speak" —

The Indelible Mark of a Mother's Prayer Training (J. C. Ryle)
Where There's a Praying Mother, There's Always Hope (J. C. Ryle)
Christianity Without Discipleship Is Christianity Without Christ (Bonhoeffer)

Study the Word for More Than Words

David Mathis — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

Learn a lesson from Jerry Seinfeld. Daily Bible intake is about soul survival.

Very Much into Just Surviving

When his wildly successful sitcom ended, Seinfeld went on a nationwide stand-up comedy tour called “I’m Telling You for the Last Time.” The routine was recorded for compact disc (remember those?) at New York’s Broadhurst Theater in August of 1998. At the end is a question-and-answer segment, where a zealous fan shouts, “Do you have favorite Seinfeld episode?”

Seinfeld answers,

I get this question quite often. I don’t really have a favorite; they’re all kind of my babies. I did the best I could with each one. [Audience applauds.]

You know, comedy is kind of a survival industry. Comedians are very much into just surviving. It’s like if I were to ask you, “What is your favorite breath of air that you’ve ever taken?” You would say, “Whichever one I’m taking that gets me to the next one.” That’s kind of the mindset.

And that kind of mindset, alongside others, is a wise one for the seminary student (indeed, every Christian) to embrace. That you took a deep breath an hour ago won’t be much appreciated unless you’re still breathing. A great meal a month ago won’t do you much good if you haven’t eaten since. And delighting in God through taking in his word isn’t an annual, monthly, or even weekly event for the healthy Christian, but a daily rhythm.

Keeping Your Soul Alive

There is more to say about seminary, and the whole of the Christian life, than just the necessity of pursuing daily soul-survival in the Scriptures, but this need must not be overlooked. An otherwise impressive theology degree is utterly unimpressive if your soul has shriveled in the course of study.

As Christians, daily Bible intake is to our souls what breathing, eating, and drinking are to our physical bodies. As the Word Incarnate himself says, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Our souls will die without the word of God. And so, like Seinfeld says about comedians, seminarians also should be “very much into just surviving”—at least in this sense.

Making Your Studies Devotional

First, seek to make your seminary studies devotional. Pray for God’s help before class and during, before studying and during, before writing a paper, or taking a test, and during. Continually consecrate your studies to Jesus, and ask him to freshly meet you in it, keep your spiritual blood flowing, and keep you soft to his grace.

Important for every Christian, and perhaps especially for seminary students, is never coming to the Scriptures with anything less than a devotional approach. Whatever the assignment, intentionally seek the growth and warming of your soul. There’s no spiritually neutral gear when handling the Bible. We either survive or shrivel. Don’t repeat the lesson far too many have learned about trifling with holy things.

Keeping Space for Daily Devotions

So, by all means, make your studies devotional, but secondly, do take at least a brief season (daily if possible) to focus just on feeding your own soul. Find a good patch in the Scriptures (maybe through a Bible-reading plan), where you’re not preparing for class or for a test or a sermon, and graze a while, just for the survival of your own soul—knowing that crumbs from such a meal will inevitably bless those you minister to, but not having your future flock (or present internship) as your explicit focus in your study. The aim is the daily strengthening and sustaining of your own soul.

And often a helpful reminder to seminary students is to not read merely for information. Seek spiritual sight of the living Christ. Be on the unashamed lookout for Jesus, for soul-satisfaction in him that runs up verses and doctrines to a person, the God-man, rather than terminating on concepts and ideas.

In such an explicitly “devotional” time, set out to explicitly enjoy Jesus in the Scriptures as your great end, not as a means to anything else, whether some assignment or ministering to others in some way.

More Than Words

And keep in mind that having a daily “quiet time” or “devotions,” without communing with Jesus, won’t keep your soul alive. Mere reading and studying won’t do it. By itself, new information about God—glorious as it is—won’t keep our hearts soft and our souls breathing. We need the person of Jesus himself whom we find in and through the Scriptures. Our souls long for a living connection with the living God-man. We were made for this.

We can never afford to settle for anything less than the words of the Bible, but extreme as it may seem, our souls need more than words, more than facts, more than studies and new head knowledge. We need the Word himself. Our souls need Jesus to survive. And for now, the devotional imbibing of the Scriptures is an essential place to find him.

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How to Stay Christian in Seminary:

Translation Is Not an Option

Tyler Kenney — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

English is the most dominant global language ever. So why are we at Desiring God doing so much work to translate our resources into other tongues? Why not just spend the same amount of time, money, and effort teaching people to read our English resources rather than doing the hard (and sometimes messy) work of translation?

To answer this and other questions about translation, I've written an article titled "A Justification for Translation." It is mainly an attempt to distill the wisdom that scholars Andrew Walls and Lamin Sanneh have shared on the subject.

If you're pressed for time and just want the main idea, here's an outline:

Translation is essential to the Christian faith because it is a central component of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Jesus' incarnation was an act of translation, and translation work is the means by which he will be incarnated into every language and culture.
- Jesus came to common people in his incarnation, and translation into vernacular languages is the only way Jesus will reach common men, women and children today.
Translation is essential to the Christian faith because it is God's appointed means for sustaining and maturing his people.
- History shows us that for the church to survive and flourish it must be constantly moving from one culture to another, which requires translation.
- As local churches cannot grow up into the fulness of Christ unless every part is present and contributing, so too the global Body of Christ will not reach maturity until every tribe, tongue and nation is contributing it's God-given, unique gifts.
Application
- We should care about and prioritize translation work, especially Bible translation.
- We should translate John Piper’s (and others’) content, in addition to the Bible, because of how it helps people read and understand Scripture for themselves.

Read the entire article, "A Justification for Translation: Why Every Christian Should Care About Gospel Resources in Languages Beyond Their Own."

Consider the Glory of God

Jonathan Parnell — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

Consider:

the glory of his eternality that makes the mind want to explode with the infinite thought that God never had a beginning, but simply always was;

the glory of his knowledge that makes the Library of Congress look like a matchbox and quantum physics like a first grade reader;

the glory of his wisdom that has never been and can never be counseled by men;

the glory of his authority over heaven and earth and hell, without whose permission no man and no demon can move one inch;

the glory of his providence without which not one bird falls to the ground or a single hair turns gray;

the glory of his word that upholds the universe and keeps all the atoms and molecules together;

the glory of his power to walk on water, cleanse lepers, heal the lame, open the eyes of the blind, cause the deaf to hear, still storms with a word, and raise the dead;

the glory of his purity never to sin, or to have a two-second bad attitude or evil thought;

the glory of his trustworthiness never to break his word or let one promise fall to the ground;

the glory of his justice to render all moral accounts in the universe settled either on the cross or in hell;

the glory of his patience to endure our dullness for decade after decade;

the glory of his sovereign, slave-like obedience to embrace the excruciating pain of the cross willingly;

the glory of his wrath that will one day cause people to call out for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them;

the glory of his grace that justifies the ungodly; and

the glory of his love that dies for us even while we were sinners.

List excerpted from John Piper, "The Surpassing Goal: Marriage Lived for the Glory of God," Building Strong Families, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2002). 93.

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Recent posts from "Piper's Pen" —

Announcing the Desiring God App

Josh Etter — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

Watch, listen to, or read all of Pastor John's sermons, articles, online books, blog posts, and more on the new Desiring God App for the iPhone and iPad.

The app is free, but due to its size (27 MB) a WiFi connection is required for the download.

Pastor John introduces and demonstrates the new app in this video:

As Pastor John mentions, the new app meets a growing trend among Desiring God web users:

In 2009, less than 1% of website visits came from mobile devices.
In 2010, just under 5% of website visits came from mobile devices.
In 2011, 13% of all website visits originated from mobile devices.

These numbers reflect a growing trend in international mobile technology. A few stats to consider:

Smartphones are expected to increase from 23% of total phone shipments in 2010 to 45% in 2015. (Source)
Mobile application downloads are expected to reach nearly 48 billion in 2015. (Source)
The number of smartphones set to rise from today’s global estimate of 500 million handsets in use, to almost two billion by 2015. (Source)
By 2010, 73% of total mobile cellular subscriptions were from the developing world. (Source)
Smartphone connections to Wi-Fi hotspots will soon overtake laptops globally. Laptops now represent less than half (48%) of the connections to hotspots, smartphones account for 36 percent and tablets 10 percent. (Source)
Out of 6.8 billion people on the planet, 5.1 billion of them own a cell phone. Only 4.2 billion own a toothbrush. (Source: Mobile Marketing Association Asia)
There are 1.2 billion mobile web users worldwide; Asia is the top region. (Source)
Four billion mobile phones are in use, 1.08 billion of which are smartphones. (Source)
There are more mobile phones on the planet than TVs. (Source: Jupiter)
There are 5.9 billion mobile subscribers worldwide. China and India account for 30% of the world's subscriptions. (Source)
9 in 10 American adults now have mobile phones, up from 7 in 10 in 2006 (+21%). 1 in 5 kids ages 6 to 11 now have a mobile phone. (Source)
It is predicted that mobile users will outnumber desktop computer users by 2014. (Source)
91% of all U.S. citizens have their mobile device within reach 24/7. (Source: Morgan Stanley)
On average, Americans spend 2.7 hours per day socializing on their mobile device. (Source)
One half of web searches are done via a mobile device. (Source)

Thanks to Jeff McFadden, Mark Priestap and Matt Heerema for their hard work. As we work on future releases, we'd appreciate your feedback about features you'd like to see added to the app.

How God's Glory Shines in Christian Marriage

Jonathan Parnell — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

Pastor John:

There are two levels at which the glory of God may shine forth from a Christian marriage:

One is at the structural level when both spouses fulfill the roles God intended for them — the man as leader like Christ, the wife as advocate and follower of that leadership. When those roles are lived out, the glory of God's love and wisdom in Christ is displayed to the world.

But there is another deeper, more foundational level where the glory of God must shine if these roles are to be sustained as God designed. The power and impulse to carry through the self-denial and daily, monthly, yearly dying that will be required in loving an imperfect wife and loving an imperfect husband must come from a hope-giving, soul-sustaining, superior satisfaction in God.

I don't think that our love for our wives or theirs for us will glorify God until it flows from a heart that delights in God more than marriage. Marriage will be preserved for the glory of God and shaped for the glory of God when the glory of God is more precious to us than marriage.

Excerpted from John Piper, "The Surpassing Goal: Marriage Lived for the Glory of God," Building Strong Families, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2002). 96.

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Recent posts from "Piper's Pen" —

Preaching About Racial Diversity in Mono-Ethnic Contexts

Jonathan Parnell — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

Why should pastors preach about racial diversity if they're in contexts made up of the same ethnicity?

John Piper gives four reasons:

Christians everywhere should have a global mindset.
Distant from diversity tends to disguise racism issues.
World conflicts are ethnically oriented and we should care about them.
To be a faithful expositor, pastors must deal with what's in the text.

Get the book, Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian, available at Amazon and WTS Books.

Help Revise Future Grace

David Mathis — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0600

John Piper is on writing leave until the first week of March — and he could use your help!

Future Grace (part of "the Piper Trilogy" along with Desiring God and The Pleasures of God), was published in 1995 and is quickly going on twenty years. So this month Pastor John is preparing a revised version for release this Fall, in time for our Desiring God National Conference on sanctification (called "Acting the Miracle: God's Work and Ours in the Mystery of Sanctification").

Here's how you could help...

If you've read Future Grace, we're eager to hear your general and/or specific questions about the book. We're also eager to hear if you have any specific recommendations for revision.

We can't promise you that Pastor John necessarily will address your question, or suggested revision, but we're eager to read them all with care, and pass along to him the most salient.

This is a unique opportunity for you to be involved in the Piper publication process, if you're so inclined.

Send email questions or suggestions to mail@desiringGod.org

Theme of the 2012 Desiring God National Conference

Jonathan Parnell — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

In this one-minute video, John Piper introduces the theme of the 2012 National Conference:

Acting the Miracle: God's Work and Ours in the Mystery of Sanctification

Save the date: September 28–30 in Minneapolis (more information about the conference is forthcoming).

12 Songs Featuring (or Influenced by) John Piper

Tyler Kenney — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

Tim Challies has done a helpful work in compiling a list of at least 12 songs (10 of which are hip-hop) that either feature John Piper preaching or have been directly influenced by him or one of his books.

The list consists of

"Don't Waste Your Life" by Lecrae
"Make War" and "This Song's for You" by Tedashii
"All-Consuming Fire" and "My Portion" by Shai Linne
"Who He Is" by Json
"Unstoppable" and "Desiring God" by Voice
"Sanctification" by Timothy Brindle
"Actions Speak Louder" by Swoope
"The Glory of God" by Matt Papa
"The Best Is Yet to Come" by The Joy Eternal

See Challies' post for links to watch or listen to these songs.

The Indelible Mark of a Mother's Prayer Training

Tony Reinke — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

J. C. Ryle:

Prayer is, of all habits, the one which we recollect the longest. Many a grey-headed man could tell you how his mother used to make him pray in the days of his childhood. Other things have passed away from his mind perhaps. The church where he was taken to worship, the minister whom he heard preach, the companions who used to play with him — all these, it may be, have passed from his memory, and left no mark behind. But you will often find it is far different with his first prayers. He will often be able to tell you where he knelt, and what he was taught to say, and even how his mother looked all the while. It will come up as fresh before his mind’s eye as if it was but yesterday.

J. C. Ryle, The Upper Room, chapter 16.

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Recent posts from "They Still Speak" —

Where There's a Praying Mother, There's Always Hope (J. C. Ryle)
Christianity Without Discipleship Is Christianity Without Christ (Bonhoeffer)
What Is Essential to Being a Christian? (Jonathan Edwards)

Don’t Give Up

Jon Bloom — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints” (Revelation 14:12).

We all long for rest and refreshment. That’s a God-given longing that he promises to fulfill: “I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish” (Jeremiah 31:25).

And in a very real way Jesus gives rest to “all who labor and are heavy laden” and come to him (Matthew 11:28). But in this age, it is not the complete rest.

In this age, Jesus grants us the gospel rest of ceasing the impossible labor of self-atonement for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). But in embracing the gospel we find ourselves also drafted into a war — a war to keep believing the gospel and a war to spread it to others. In this age we “strive to enter that [complete] rest” of the age to come (Hebrews 4:11).

And wars are exhausting — especially long ones. That’s why you are often tired. Most soldiers who experience the fierceness of combat want to get out of it. That’s why you feel urges to escape or surrender. That’s why there are times you’re tempted to give up.

But don’t give up. No, rather “take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7).

Don’t give up when that familiar sin, still crouching at your door after all these years, pounces again with temptation.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Don’t give up when you feel that deep soul weariness from long battles with persistent weaknesses.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:8–9).

Don’t give up when your long prayed-for prayers have not yet been answered.

And he told them [the parable of the persistent widow] to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1).

Don’t give up when the devil’s fiery darts of doubt land and make you reel.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day…in all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:13,16).

Do not give up when the fragmenting effect of multiple pressures seems relentless.

But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger . . . (2 Corinthians 6:4–5).

Do not give up when the field the Lord has assigned you to is hard and the harvest does not look promising:

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

Do not give up when you labor in obscurity and you wonder how much it even matters.

Your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:4).

Do not give up when your reputation is damaged because you are trying to be faithful to Jesus.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account (Matthew 5:11).

Do not give up when waiting on God seems endless.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30–31)

Don’t give up when you have failed in sin. Don’t wallow. Repent (again), get your eyes off yourself and back on Jesus, get up and get back in the fight.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9); if we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13).

Jesus knows your works (Revelation 2:2) and he understands the war (Hebrews 12:3). “Fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). Finish the race (2 Timothy 4:7). “By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:19).

Don’t give up.

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Previous posts from Jon Bloom —

Psalm 103: Learning How to Talk (to Yourself)

Ryan Griffith — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

Do you talk to yourself?

I don’t mean when you’re wrestling through your taxes or walking through your to-do list. But do you talk yourself, really? When you are fearful, do you command your soul to trust in the Lord? When your affections are low, do you command your heart to bless the Lord? As Paul Tripp is fond of saying, “no one is more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do.”

In the particularly difficult moments of the day, how do you talk to yourself? How do you specifically exhort yourself to hope in God?

Psalm 103 has been immensely helpful for me as a pattern for commanding my soul in seasons of low affection. The Psalm begins (Psalm 103:1–2) and ends (Psalm 103:20–22) with David’s exhortation to his own soul to bless the Lord. While there is much to draw out of this rich text, I’d like to highlight two observations:

1. Remind yourself of what the Lord has done

Sin, pain, or sorrow can blind us to God’s present working and, occasionally, even the miraculous ways he's worked in our lives in the past. And while we might argue with our journal or with our memory, God’s work in redemptive history is unassailable. David helps us by reminding himself (and us) of God’s irrevocable work for his people in history:

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.

David takes us (and himself) back to the most pivotal event he can think of. And it's not in the valley of Elah with three smooth stones in his hand and a sling by his side. In fact, it's not even an event from his lifetime.

Instead, David brings us back to Sinai (see Exodus 6:6–9). He brings us back to the moment when the Lord worked powerfully and victoriously and decisively to redeem his people out of Egyptian bondage. He brings us back to the moments when God demonstrated his covenant-keeping love.

In the fight to command our souls to bless the Lord, we not only call to mind the things in general that are true about the Lord (see Psalm 103:3–5), we follow David’s example to get our arms around concrete, unassailable realities of his work in redemptive history. We lift our gaze above our own circumstances and fix it upon the Lord’s acts of provision and deliverance in the past. We tell ourselves what God has done — in history, for us.

2. Hold fast to a specific truth about the Lord

David does something very instructive next. Having reminded himself of who God is and what God has done in redemptive history, he latches on to a particular text, specifically Psalm 103:8,

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

David is quoting Exodus 34:6. At the heart of David’s self-exhortation (cf. also Psalm 145:8!), he has a particular text in mind — one frequently recalled by Old Testament authors in the midst of sin (Joel 2:12), sorrow (Lamentations 3:21–23), and pain (Psalm 86:15).

David, Moses, Jonah, Jeremiah, Joel, Nehemiah, and Hezekiah — they all went here for help (Jonah 4:2; Nehemiah 9:16; 2 Chronicles 30:9). And David, having to mind this text, begins to spin out all its implications — God’s anger does not last forever, sin has been cast as far as the east is from the west, God’s compassion will not fail because David is his (see 103:9–19).

David is moved. A heart that was faltering is now soaring. A deeply wrought gratitude now swells up to expression. He cannot keep it in: “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (see Psalm 103:20–22).

When you’re talking to yourself, are you reminding yourself of what God has done for you in Christ Jesus? Do you have specific texts with which you exhort your soul? When the days are darkest, don’t let your soul take command. Summon your soul to bless the Lord. Find specific texts by which you can fight the fight of faith — perhaps some short ones like these: Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5–6; Isaiah 41:10) and long ones (Romans 8:26–39; John 10:7–18; Psalm 103!.

"May the word of Christ dwell in you richly. . ." (Colossians 3:16).

Ryan Griffith serves as the Assistant Professor of Christian Worldview and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, MN.

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Previous posts in "Seeking God in the Psalms" —

The Journal of Biblical Counseling Is Back

Tony Reinke — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

After a four year hiatus, the Journal of Biblical Counseling is back. Beginning with the new Winter 2012 issue, each new publication will be posted online, free to read and free to download. David Powlison announced the re-launch and new format in this video:

A number of JBC articles have appeared in Pastor John's messages and books over the years, these four in particular (posted with permission):

Ed Welch, “Self-Control: The Battle Against ‘One More’” (Winter 2001)
David Powlison, “‘Peace Be Still’: Learning Psalm 131 By Heart" (Spring 2000)
Ed Welch, “Counseling Those Who Are Depressed” (Winter 2000)
Ed Welch, “Words of Hope for Those Who Struggle with Depression” (Winter 2000)

Pray and Ponder Yourself into Sync with Paul’s Sense of Wealth

John Piper — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:50:00 -0600

When the apostle Paul thinks about “wealth” or “riches” what springs to his mind? What should spring to ours? Where should our efforts at enrichment be invested?

Here are all the uses of Paul’s favorite word for “riches” (ploutos). Taste and see what he lives for.

The riches of God’s kindness and forbearance and patience. (Romans 2:4)
The riches of God’s glory for vessels of mercy. (Romans 9:23)
The riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! (Romans 11:33)
A wealth of generosity on their part. (2 Corinthians 8:2)
The riches of God’s grace. (Ephesians 1:7)
The riches of God’s glorious inheritance in the saints. (Ephesians 1:18)
The immeasurable riches of God’s grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)
The unsearchable riches of Christ. (Ephesians 3:8)
The riches of God’s glory. (Ephesians 3:16)
God’s riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
The riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
The riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ. (Colossians 2:2)
The rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17)

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Recent posts from John Piper —

A Conversation with Doug Wilson and John Piper

Tony Reinke — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

The recent Conference for Pastors concluded with this two-hour-long conversation between John Piper and Douglas Wilson, moderated by Joe Rigney. Download the audio and video.

Time-markers —

0:01:06 — Unpacking the meaning behind the individual mission statements.

0:07:09 — The differences in how those mission statements are framed.

0:10:48 — Unpacking, comparing, and contrasting two sub-themes: "Don't waste your life" (Piper) and "Living out the good life one family at a time" (Wilson).

0:19:14 — Counteracting the negative tendencies of these sub-themes (burnout/comfort).

0:23:00 — The shaping influence of Jonathan Edwards.

0:31:50 — On making the doctrine of the trinity prominent in ministry.

0:35:50 — Edwards on the Trinity.

0:39:12 — The shaping influence of C. S. Lewis.

0:52:00 — Defining Christian hedonism, differences and similarities.

1:02:05 — Does gratitude for material gifts lead to joy in the Giver? Or, does joy in God lead to enjoyment of the material gifts?

1:09:52 — On the role of self-denial in the Christian life.

1:15:22 — Discussion over Wilson's statement: "God is most glorified in me when I love what he has given to me, for its own sake."

1:32:05 — God delights in us because of Christ. But does he love me for me? Does he even like me, my personality, etc?

1:40:35 — Engaging the public square on social issues. Go deep on a few key issues (race, abortion), or address a broad range of issues (taxation, climate change, etc)?

1:49:00 — Responding to cultural sins with tears of sorrow or stinging satire?

1:58:53 — Closing prayer (Piper)

This Momentary Marriage — Small Group Special

Josh Etter — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:10:00 -0600

In This Momentary Marriage Pastor John unpacks the biblical vision of marriage, with all of its unexpected contours and weighty implications, for married and single folk alike.

Pastor John:

Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God. And ultimately, marriage is the display of God. It displays the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his people to the world in a way that no other event or institution does.

To encourage churches to use this resource for small group studies, we are making the book available as affordable as possible — 24 books for a suggested donation of $75. Shipping is free within the Continental United States.

To order, please call 888.346.4700 Monday to Friday, 9am – 3pm (CST).

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Other case specials —

Finally Alive (60 books for $160)
Don't Waste Your Life (52 books for $150)

Where There's a Praying Mother, There's Always Hope

Tony Reinke — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

Mark 7:26,

". . . Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter."

J. C. Ryle comments,

The woman who came to our Lord, in the history now before us, must doubtless have been in deep affliction. She saw a beloved child possessed by an unclean spirit. She saw her in a condition in which no teaching could reach the mind, and no medicine could heal the body — a condition only one degree better than death itself. She hears of Jesus, and beseeches him to “cast forth the devil out of her daughter.” She prays for one who could not pray for herself, and never rests till her prayer is granted.

By prayer she obtains the cure which no human means could obtain. Through the prayer of the mother, the daughter is healed. On her own behalf that daughter did not speak a word; but her mother spoke for her to the Lord, and did not speak in vain. Hopeless and desperate as her case appeared, she had a praying mother, and where there is a praying mother there is always hope.

Expository Thoughts on Mark (1859).

Stream or download John Piper's recent biographical sketch of J. C. Ryle.

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Recent posts from "They Still Speak" —

Christianity Without Discipleship Is Christianity Without Christ (Bonhoeffer)
What Is Essential to Being a Christian? (Jonathan Edwards)
The Leading and Quenching of the Spirit (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Free Seminar on Future Grace on March 16-17

Josh Etter — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:00:00 -0600

On March 16-17 at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Pastor John will be giving a free, two-day seminar on the theme of Future Grace —

Details

Bethlehem Baptist Church
720 13th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55415

Day 1
Friday, March 16
7:00 - 9:00pm (two sessions, + Q&A)

Day 2
Saturday, March 17
9:00am - 12:00pm (three sessions)

Register

Please register online. There is no cost to attend, and included in your registration is a free copy of the book Future Grace.

Recommended Hotels

Comfort Suites
425 South 7th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55415
612.333.3111

Holiday Inn Metrodome
1500 Washington Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55454
612.333.4646

Hilton Minneapolis
1001 Marquette Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612.376.1000

Q&A with Pastors Conference Speakers

Jonathan Parnell — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0600

One highlight of the Conference for Pastors is the hour-long panel where speakers interact with questions from the pastors in attendence. Download the audio and video.

Time-markers —

00:50 — What is biblical femininity? (Wilson, Patrick)

05:12 — Does Christianity have a feminine feel? (Piper, Loritts, Patrick)

11:25 — How can fathers best care for their daughters? (Wilson, Patrick, Loritts)

15:44 — How do we know to apply strictness or mercy? (Wilson, Piper, Loritts)

24:55 — How do we model Christ in parenting foster children? (Piper, Wilson)

28:40 — Lessons for courage, boldness, and wisdom. (Atallah)

30:56 — How does Christian worship threaten the pattern of this world? (Wilson)

33:43 — How does masculinity relate to our worship music? (Piper, Wilson)

40:45 — What are strategies for building godly men? (Loritts, Patrick)

43:45 — How do we surround ourselves with godly men? (Patrick, Loritts, Wilson, Atallah)

52:53 — Counsel for fathers who want to rebuild relationships. (Wilson, Loritts, Piper, Patrick)

59:00 — Closing prayer. (Piper)

No, We're Not God

John Knight — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

When the Journal of Medical Ethics released the article, “What makes killing wrong?” in January, they set off a mini-storm of outrage and controversy. The authors, from Duke University and the National Institutes of Health, asserted that ‘universally and irreversibly disabled people’ could be killed for the sake of retrieving their organs for people who are not totally disabled.

On the whole, the issue raised is when it becomes appropriate to retrieve organs from one person for the sake of another. The governing rule that a person must be dead before vital organs can be removed, known as the ‘dead donor rule,’ has many difficult aspects to it that make even its proponents uncomfortable.

But a dry journal article on the philosophical and ethical issues around such an issue would not have been interesting.

So, these authors created a provocative scenario involving a poor crime victim named Betty who becomes ‘universally and irreversibly disabled.’ They argue that her condition is equal to (or possibly worse then) being dead. Thus, it does not harm her to kill her and take her organs.

A Larger Issue

If they were trying to solicit outrage they succeeded. Too many of us took the bait and responded rashly, calling the authors evil, misguided, immoral. While they may be all of those things, there is a larger issue in the article that changes the way we think about this and any other issue related to human life and disability.

The larger issue is simply a matter of who is in control. The authors conclude that "we" are. But you might ask, "who is we?" Answer: the strong, the capable, the wise, the educated. The article attempts to subtly draw everyone into this presumption of human control.

The logical fallacies that abound in their article are too numerous to address and ultimately distracting from that core issue of control. The idea of God or religion having authority is dismissed in a single sentence: “However, these arguments have no force at all for those of us who prefer our moral theories to be independent of religion.”

From this standpoint, how can they lose? They are not governed by any authority except their own. Further, they also get to govern anyone who disagrees with them because our appeals to a different authority have been rejected.

Drawing a New Line?

The whole article could be considered absurd and not worth the time to read, except for their closing assertions about organ donations and people with disabilities:

Critics might object that abandoning the dead donor rule will take us down the slippery slope to procuring vital organs from the mentally retarded or other groups of vulnerable individuals with disabilities. Absolutely not. We can hold the line for vital organ donation by continuing to restrict it to those in a state of total (universal and irreversible) disability. It is only these donors who would not be harmed or wronged by vital organ donation, since all other donors have abilities to lose.

In other words, they assert that the "we" who have created the artificial line between worthy life and unworthy life can also be trusted never to move that line. The very fact that they have created a new line proves how illogical and disingenuousness the very statement is.

Only God Is God

Have we learned nothing from history? Once we hand over authority on such basic matters as what constitutes life and its value, we should not be surprised when the line moves for the ‘good’ of others. Eugenics, the Holocaust, abortion — and it could get worse.

End-of-life issues are horribly complex and emotionally devastating. But we shouldn't confuse that issue with what these authors have raised. We also shouldn't begin to assume that end-of-life issues are the same as the issues related to living with disabilities.

Ultimately, the authors of the article are trying to be God. They're attempting to assert an independent authority over life. But worse, it's a high-handed takeover of lives that are weaker than their own. They want us to believe we have that authority as well.

Let us remember — and then winsomely remind others — that God alone has such authority over his creation. And that we will not let the vulnerable among us be abused, no matter what title the oppressor carries, nor how many times they'd tell us it is for our 'good.'

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Recent posts from "The Works of God" —

Desiring God Blog

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Wolfhart Pannenberg on Schism

Few Things Are More Humbling

What's the Deal with Anxiety?

The Glory of God's Sustaining Grace When Our Prayers Aren't Answered

A Prayer for Healing

Greater Glory and Greater Help

A. I. M. S. — A New Acronym for Living My Life

Jonathan Edwards on the True Excellency of the Gospel Minister

Sermon Text — John 5:35

Explanation

Application

25 Top Quotes from J. C. Ryle

Why Did God Let Paul Become a Murderer?

Transition Sale — Remaining Titles

Arabic

Chinese

Creole

English

French

Portuguese

Russian

Spanish

Wisdom

When Your Son Asks

Front-End Developer Job Opportunity

Pray with Your Books Closed

Praying Is About Joy

Revelation Isn't Normal

For Fellowship Sake

“He Knows My Name!” A Defense of Church Member Directories

The Battle We Fight Is Thine!

Left Behind for Now: Tribulation and the Need to Know God’s Word

Tribulation Already

Deception All Over Again

Know and Believe God's Word

Meet Jonathan Edwards

Encouragement for Old Sinners to Come to Christ

David Platt on the Doctrine of Hell

Kids Feel What Parents Expressively Feel

Spiritual Leadership May Be Heartbreaking, but It Is Always Hopeful

Read the Bible Devotionally — and No Less Critically

Psalm 40: Obedience Better Than David’s

Five Reasons I Believe Romans 11:26 Means a Future Conversion for Israel

1. The term “Israel” in verses 25 and 26 most naturally refers to the same thing.

2. The reference in verse 26 to banishing ungodliness from Jacob fits with the national view of “all Israel.”

3. The parallel between the two halves of verse 28 point to all Israel as the nation as a whole.

4. The parallels in verse 12 point in the same direction.

5. The same thing is true about the parallels in verse 15.

Implications

Interview with Don Carson on the TGC Women's Conference

The Global Reach of a Praying Mother

He Finished Well: A Tribute to Mike Stohlmeyer

All Spheres of Life — Even Pro Basketball

An Update from John Piper

Seasons at Desiring God

World Internet Users

Transition from Selling

C. S. Lewis on the Danger of Love

Study the Word for More Than Words

Very Much into Just Surviving

Keeping Your Soul Alive

Making Your Studies Devotional

Keeping Space for Daily Devotions

More Than Words

Translation Is Not an Option

Consider the Glory of God

Announcing the Desiring God App

How God's Glory Shines in Christian Marriage

Preaching About Racial Diversity in Mono-Ethnic Contexts

Help Revise Future Grace

Theme of the 2012 Desiring God National Conference

12 Songs Featuring (or Influenced by) John Piper

The Indelible Mark of a Mother's Prayer Training

Don’t Give Up

Psalm 103: Learning How to Talk (to Yourself)

1. Remind yourself of what the Lord has done

2. Hold fast to a specific truth about the Lord

The Journal of Biblical Counseling Is Back

Pray and Ponder Yourself into Sync with Paul’s Sense of Wealth