Psalm 19:14: The Meditations of My Heart

Why American Secularism Shouldn't Scare the Church of Christ

2012-12-07T10:32:00.001-08:00

And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"
(Matthew 27:37-43)

In these seven verses Matthew demonstrates how our Lord and Savior was mocked, ridiculed, and humiliated by mere men seeking to downplay Christ's possession and fulfillment of the offices of prophet, priest, and king. I do not know how many times I have read these words and only generalized the verses as fulfillment of Psalm 22:7, but upon further study there is a goldmine of truth concerning Christ's humiliation and the truth behind Paul's words: "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:8).

Pontius Pilate places an inscription over Christ's head that reads "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews" (John 19:19). The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders mock Christ, taunting Jesus to save himself if he truly is the Son of God. The people of Jerusalem passing by, Israelites who knew the prophets and the prophetic words concerning the Christ, mock His prophecy to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. The irony in Matthew's account of Christ's crucifixion is strong and profound. The earthly king rejects Christ's kingship. The chief priests reject Christ's high priesthood. The people of Jerusalem reject Christ as the prophetical Word.

In these seven verses, we see the very Son of God being tempted to execute his offices of prophet, priest, and king by those who merely held the office as a type; a type that only pointed as a sign to the King of kings, the great High Priest, and the very Word of God. Pilate, as an earthly ruler, was a member of a government that was instituted by God to kiss and serve the very King of kings that he crucified. The chief priests were to faithfully carry out sacrifices at the temple, mediating on behalf of the people, to remind Israel that the sacrifice of goats and bulls cannot take away sin but that God would provide the Lamb for the sacrifice that would be sufficient for the forgiveness of sin. The inhabitants of Jerusalem, the holy city, where God specially dwelled with His people in the Temple, the recipient of numerous prophecies of a coming savior, demand the death of their kinsman redeemer (Mat. 23:37).

It is evident that Matthew purposefully highlights the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as prophet, priest, and king. Matthew purposefully focuses on the irony of the rejection of Jesus' offices of prophet, priest, and king by those who were to receive the promise prophesied, by those ordained by God to serve as mediators, and by those who God placed in ruling authority to bend the knee and recognize Christ the King. Perhaps you, like myself, missed the treasures contained in these seven verses, but let us learn who Christ Jesus is from these people's mistake.

In his commentary, John Calvin writes:

Wicked men demand from Christ such a proof of His power that, by proving himself to be the Son of God, he may cease to be the Son of God. He had clothed himself with human flesh, and had descended into the world, on this condition, that, by the sacrifice of his death, he might reconcile men to God the Father. So then, in order to prove himself to be the Son of God, it was necessary that he should hang on the cross. And now those wicked men affirm that the Redeemer will not be recognized as the Son of God, unless he come down from the cross, and thus disobey the command of his Father, and, leaving incomplete the expiation of sins, divest himself of the office which God had assigned to him. But let us learn from it to confirm our faith by considering that the Son of God determined to remain nailed to the cross for the sake of our salvation, until he had endured most cruel torments of the flesh, and dreadful anguish of soul, and even death itself. And lest we should come to tempt God in a manner similar to that in which those men tempted him, let us allow God to conceal his power, whenever it pleases Him to do so, that he may afterwards display it at his pleasure at the proper time and place.

We often think that Jesus' greatest temptation was in the wilderness, but Christ endured another great temptation while humbling himself to death on the cross. I cannot remember who this reference belongs to, but it has been argued by some theologians that this was Satan's last desperate temptation, recognizing that unless Christ should display His power and forfeit the cross then He would fulfill the prophecy and crush the serpent's head. Although a case might be made based on passages like Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33 where it is obvious that Satan tempts Christ to avoid the cross, nevertheless, the mocking and ridicule that Christ endured on the cross comes from the heart of men. In our sinful nature, we are naturally pre-programmed to reject the notion of a savior. We reject the fact that we are sinners, that our hearts are desperately wicked and deceitful, and that unless God provides the Lamb to be slain, we will die in our sins and trespasses. Therefore, we must first ask ourselves what Christ we believe, serve, and worship: the war leader or the suffering servant.

And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?" At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left him and fled. (Matthew 26:51-56)

If we are worshiping a war hero, then like the disciples, we will tend to flee and run when Jesus demonstrates His power through His death on the cross. Sadly, all of the disciples were seeking Christ as a war leader despite His profound ministry and Gospel message that clearly articulated that He came as a lamb led to the slaughter to lay down His life for His sheep. Therefore, when an army came to arrest Him and Jesus forbad warfare, the disciples themselves doubted Him as the prophet, priest, and king that the Scriptures prophesied would redeem Israel.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus died on the cross as prophet, priest, and king. As a prophet, Christ uttered not a word when the chief priest demanded a prophecy as he struck Jesus. As a priest, Christ nailed our sins to the cross, becoming a curse nailed to a tree in our place. As a king, Christ humbled himself to the excruciating death of a slave on a cross so that His enemies will be His footstool and His people might be His everlasting inheritance. There is far greater power and glory exhibited in Christ's humiliating death on the cross then there would have been if twelve legions of angels gathered the ends of the earth to be condemned for their sins and thrown in the lake of fire for all eternity.

What greater power and glory has the world ever seen than when the very Son of God, bearing the frailties of man's flesh and bearing the putrid sins and God's wrath for them on the cross, humbled Himself to the most painful death, and made Himself vulnerable to the mocking of His creation, His people, His priests, His king, and now from His church? Never ever be ashamed of the cross! The glory of Christ's warfare on the cross is that, like a mere child facing a fully armored giant with a few stones and a sling, His power is perfected in His weakness.

But he said to me, "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. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

God promised the crushing of the serpent's head, but it would require the bruising of man's heel. Is the church today content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ as the Apostle Paul demonstrates here? More and more, I perceive the church trying to demand certain "rights" and "privileges" that we believe we are entitled to because of Christ's offices of prophet, priest, and king. Yes indeed, our Lord and Savior reigns as King of kings, but even He did not demand the trial and death deserved of a king but humbled Himself to the trial and death of a slave. So often, the church gets discouraged when God allows persecution, hardships, insults, and calamities to demonstrate the weakness of His church. Why doesn't God defend His people, never allowing an evil finger to be laid on His children, and protect them from every mocking mouth and wagging head? Why do we demand from God a treatment not even afforded to Christ, the Son, in His death?

Yes, this world will not rest until every remnant of Christ and His church is removed from every tribe and nation. Even America will continue to become more and more secular, will abandon its "Christian" foundation, lose its grip on the Gospel message, and turn to the rest of the world that wants to deny the fact and truth behind Christ's death and resurrection. Removing Christ from "Christmas" (although arguably a good thing) should be the least of our worries. We must learn to be content with weakness, insult, hardship, persecution, and calamity because it does not diminish the power of the Gospel but only perfects it! If Christ had justly demonstrated his offices of prophet, priest, and king on the cross as he was tempted to by mere men, then we would have justly died in our sins and received the eternal wrath of God. As the church serves as stewards of the mysteries of God, we need to recognize the inevitable although it requires the church to appear weak and defeated so that Christ might be glorified.

I am calling the church to lay down their arms, stop trusting in whatever sword they cling to, whether it be warfare, politics, education, media, or publication, and trust that Christ's power was made perfect in His weakness. There is a truth war taking place in the church in North America, and we are clinging to a war leader and not the Lamb of God for salvation. Like the disciples, we too shall run and flee when God reveals that power is perfected in weakness. We need to defend the truth but not for the sake of being right but for the sake of the lost. Christ, although tempted to prove the truth, remained nailed to the cross, bleeding profusely, drinking the cup of God's wrath to the dregs in order to fulfill the promise and to save the lost.

We need to abandon the sword before we abandon Christ! Be content with weakness, because power is made perfect in weakness. In America, a large portion of the church has abandoned Jesus Christ as the Lamb slain and are clinging to Joshua to fight their battles and to lead them into the Promised Land. However, their Promised Land sought is a Christian America, returned to the "Christian" foundation that it once rested upon. Truth is relative in colleges across America, abortions are massively prevalent, God's institution of marriage is no longer recognized nor obeyed, popular ultra-conservative newscasters proclaim on national television that Christianity is a philosophy and not a religion in order to win an argument with an atheist and protect his rights, and Christians spend more time fighting for the right to participate in public prayer than they spend in private prayer. It would seem that we are losing this battle. It would seem that all that we proclaim or should be proclaiming from the pulpit is a farce. Apparently, Jesus is not prophet, priest, or king, otherwise He would save Himself and reveal Himself as the Son of God rather than depending on this weak church. Jesus had to die before the resurrection could occur three days later and His power would be perfectly revealed. The church must become weak before the power of the Gospel is perfected.

The American church is not content with weakness. We feel entitled to be king of the hill of truth because our King reigns over all thrones. That was not the example set by Christ. We feel entitled to speak the truth and proclaim the Gospel in every venue without persecution or calamity. That was not the example set by Christ. We feel entitled to a corner of the market in the mercy ministry, and are tired of the government over-stepping its bounds and illegitimizing the ministry of the church to those who need more than just material needs. That was not the example we learned from Christ. He remained weak, He remained silent, He remained on the cross, and He died so that He might perfect power in weakness.

Christians, the battle is not for rights but for souls. The war is not about the right to speak the Gospel without persecution or ridicule, but the war is about preaching the Gospel without fear of persecution. The world needs to see that they can mock us, ridicule us, persecute us, demoralize us, bring calamity upon calamity against us, but that we will not drop the cross we bear, we will not cease to proclaim Christ and Him crucified, and we will never cease to fear God rather than men.

Teachers, you will never have the right to teach the Gospel in a public school setting, but that should never stop you from taking advantage of every opportunity God provides you to share the Gospel with your students. Employees, you do not have the rightful luxury of protecting your job and your career advancement by refusing to work on the Lord's Day, but you must rest in Christ and obey His commandments. Students, your teachers do not have to proclaim Christ crucified in your philosophy, biology, ethics, literature, or engineering classes, but you must tell your fellow students the truth that is not merely philosophical conjecture! Citizens, the government and this nation will continually strip Christians and the church of rights and privileges that have been luxuriously enjoyed and abused for over 235 years and replace them with secular laws and requirements. Pastors, a time may come when your calling will cost you dearly to serve and preach the Kingdom of God underground, to fear for your life every Lord's Day you preach the Word, and to know the sacrifice other pastors around the world have made for Christ and the Gospel for centuries.

A time may soon be coming when Christians will no longer be protected by their 1st Amendment rights to speak the Gospel freely and attend church without persecution. Will you run and hide like the rest of the disciples, or will you, like Stephen, proclaim the Word of God as truth all the more publicly? Are you clinging to the Prophet, Priest, and King crucified or are you clinging to another Christ? Will you remain by Christ when the battle seems lost? When every "right" you cling to is forfeit, when your worldly sword loses its power, will you deny Christ three times or will you willingly lay down your life so that power is made perfect by weakness?

Let us pray earnestly that God would continue to protect His church throughout the world, and that nations and kings would recognize the Kingship of Christ and provide protection to Christians to worship God and proclaim the Gospel without persecution. However, I think the church in America has placed blinders over our eyes to the church in other countries, to the religious persecution they endure, the blatant weakness they must endure, but how their humility and weakness demonstrates the power of the Gospel. When you forfeit all luxury, comfort, protection, and right that this nation has so far afforded Christians, you will begin to see the Scriptures in a new light, recognizing the tragedy that is taking place in this nation. When you open your eyes and see the church in this nation using the freedoms that this country provides for the public proclamation of the Gospel in order to preach another gospel, to proclaim another savior, and to constantly contribute to the receding influence of the church and God's Word on the culture, government, schools, businesses, and homes in this nation then you will begin to grasp the tragedy that is America. Only then will you begin to accept that power is perfected in weakness. Then you will begin to recognize that persecution and a humble church speaks a better word than a militant church that seeks to protect their rights to proclaim truth in order to proclaim lies.

In America, Christians teach one thing and do another, fight for what is good and right tooth and nail with their heathen neighbors but when it comes to doing the right thing they abandon truth, and are quick to forfeit faith in God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, when they are not delivered from every calamity, suffering, and persecution that Christ promised them in this life. In other nations, Christians fear God rather than men, are willing to risk luxury, comfort, health, financial stability, and even their lives in order to bear their cross and follow their Prophet, Priest, and King to the cross and know that His power is perfected in weakness. They know that they must be weak in order to know the strength of Christ. They know that they are hidden in Christ, and that He is their glorious inheritance no matter what worldly realities might shake them. The men and women that witness their willing sacrifice to faithfully cling to Christ and Him crucified despite persecution, even to the point of death, recognize that their sacrifice speaks louder than American pastors who arrive to church in their BMWs, wearing their fine suits, and preach a health, wealth, and prosperity gospel with their religious freedoms.

You do not have an unalienable right to religious freedom. You do not have an unalienable right to speak the Gospel freely without fearing persecution. These are not inalienable rights afforded to us by God. These rights are only afforded to us as long as the people that surround us are willing to recognize these rights are provided in the U.S. Constitution. When they cease to believe as the Founding Fathers did, then we will see how inalienable these rights are with the rest of the persecuted church throughout the world. Just because governments should never forbid citizens to worship God and preach the Gospel, it does not mean that governments always obey God and fear Him.

The question set before you, then, is will you remain faithful to Christ, being content in weakness, and praying that God's grace will be sufficient for you to bear every persecution and calamity? It is sad to see that all of the disciples stood by Jesus' side and were ready to wage battle and die with him as the warrior redeemer, but when Jesus told them that this battle was to be fought without a sword, they fled and abandoned all willingness to die alongside Him in spiritual warfare. Is this not the case with the church in America? We keep trying to cut off ears here and there, Jesus is restoring them left and right, and is making our swords less and less effective in defeating our enemies. It is beginning to appear inevitable that the Son will by crucified and that He will be exposed to the blasphemous mockery and wagging heads of the enemy. Are you running and hiding, or are you staying put and bearing your cross no matter how much it costs you?

Lest you be discouraged, God's grace is sufficient, believer. Yes, you know that you have feared men rather than God before. You know that you have fled along with the rest of Christ's disciples, but like them too, you shall be restored because Christ remained faithful and died on the cross for His disciples even when they were faithless and abandoned Him. You recognize that you have chosen to keep your mouth shut fearing that you will appear weak and receive mockery for sharing your faith with others, but Jesus still asks, "Do you love me?" and commands you to feed His lambs, tend His sheep, and feed His sheep.

Brothers, I am the most guilty of these things that I now seek to convict you of. It is easy enough to proclaim truth from behind a computer screen, but it is difficult to expose ourselves and make ourselves vulnerable to those around us by sharing our faith to those that will only mock, belittle, and wag their heads at us. How many times have I been too proud or felt too strong to proclaim Christ crucified with friends, coworkers, family, and neighbors? I don't need to be the butt of their jokes and mockery as they deride my Lord and Savior who is the Great Prophet, High Priest, and King of kings. You have no excuse, not even the false premise of avoiding the mockery of the name of Jesus Christ.

You have the freedom to speak the truth and attend worship services and glorify the one, triune God without government persecution. You fight and you would fight for that right tooth and nail, but your mouth remains closed and you neglect the gathering of the saints week after week. Others willingly proclaim a false gospel, using their freedom to spread lies. Ask yourself, would you be willing to die for the words that come out of your mouth and for the Gospel that you cling to by faith should the government strip you of your freedoms and persecute you? Would you preach Christ and Him crucified even if doing so required your death on a cross yourself?

We need to recognize that these questions are mere speculation to American Christians, but these are very real questions to millions of Christians around the world right now. Without rights to hide behind, these believers nevertheless do not recognize any legal prohibition to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and worship God no matter the cost. They would still be standing by Christ after He told them to lay down their swords and pick up their crosses. They would make themselves susceptible to the ridicule of others, humbling themselves to weakness, so that the power of the Gospel may be made perfect. They would count their present sufferings as nothing compared to the glory to be revealed when Christ returns. They would desire to decrease that He might increase. They would and they do day in and day out.

He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. In closing, consider these words from the chief priests and the scribes. These words are very telling about true faith and a false faith in a false salvation. Changing these words into the first person, consider the statement: I trust in God; let God deliver me now, if He desires me. What deliverance are you awaiting? Are you, like the chief priests, waiting for God to specially pour forth His gracious favor towards you by never allowing you to suffer loss, suffer persecution, suffer trials and tribulations, suffer temptation, and miraculously delivering you from every calamity? Is this the deliverance you seek from God? Or are you resting in Christ alone by faith alone, recognizing that God's deliverance is not an observable reality but a spiritual fulfillment that is foolishness to the world, and that despite your perceived weakness, you are truly strong in Christ, in Whom power was made perfect in weakness?

Don't be like Job and his friends, wondering what you did to lose God's gracious favor, on a personal or a national level. God has shown common grace to America in a special way, but let us never forget his saving grace revealed in Christ's weakness. Christ did not suffer crucifixion, humility, and weakness because God's favor had been removed, but rather, Christ suffered according to God's sovereign plan and will. As this nation goes downhill, as the church within it slips down the same slippery slope, and as Christians face more and more persecution, rejection, mockery, and calamity, we must stand fast in God our deliverer. If Christ had not humbled himself to death on the cross as prophet, priest, and king then we would have died in our sins. If Christ had not suffered then we would not be saved. Therefore, as the remnant of the church of Christ seems to dwindle and shrink, we must never forget where our deliverance comes. It is not in government, Christian education, protected displays of public piety, freedom of speech, freedom to worship God, or the church's ability to hold a corner of the market on truth. Our deliverance rests in Him who became weak so that His power might be perfected. Therefore, if the church continues to grow weaker and weaker then why do we conclude that we have lost God's gracious favor due to our disobedience? Rather, trust in God; let God deliver His church now, if He desires them! Either you are waiting for something miraculous or you recognize that God has delivered His church then, now, and forevermore by the crucifixion of Christ, prophet, priest, and king.

Exiles Seeking a Homeland

2012-11-16T18:15:00.004-08:00

"And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying, 'O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.'" (Deut. 3:23-25)

"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city." (Heb. 11:13-16)

"We can hardly imagine the interest of Moses in Canaan. It was the land of the fathers — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was the land God had chosen as the inheritance of Israel. It was the goal of forty years’ wanderings. It was at length, for the second time, and after a faithless generation had perished

in the wilderness, within their sight. It was not God’s will that Moses should live to see the conquest of Canaan."- J. Denny, D.D.

In Deut. 33:23-25, Moses pleads with the LORD that revealed Himself and His name to him at the burning bush to allow him to go over and see the land beyond the Jordan. Because of the disbelief of the people and his own disobedience, Moses would never see the Promised Land that God commanded him and the people to conquest and possess. In verse 26, God gives his reply to Moses, "Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again." Moses never walked in the Promised Land, but God did allow Moses to catch a glimpse of the good hill country he desired to see. Immediately following God's clear and seemingly harsh response to Moses' plea, He commands Moses to go upon Mount Pisgah and see the land that he would never enter. As J. Denny expresses, we can hardly imagine Moses' disappointment. His sin and the disbelief and disobedience of Israel forfeited his life's work and purpose. Let's not forget Moses' calling:

"Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey."' (Ex. 3:16-17)

These are hard things to consider when you believe in a God who is faithful to keep His promises. How could God call Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, promise that He will bring them to Canaan, then tell Moses to climb a mountain, take a good look around, and know that he will never enter the Promised Land? I assure you, Moses saw the Promised Land before Israel ever crossed the Jordan. Moses never set foot in Canaan, but he finally set foot in the better country he was seeking after. The author of Hebrews expounds the story of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, and tells us that, "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth."

Moses did not receive the thing promised. Moses' life's work was to be handed to another man and God made it very clear that Joshua would accomplish what Moses failed to. Moses, however, did not die an angry, bitter, despondent, and betrayed man. Deut. 34:7 tells us, "Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated." The author of Hebrews tells us that he died in faith, having acknowledged that he was a stranger and exile on the earth. Moses' plea shows that he desired a better country. He did not want to die in the wilderness. He just wanted to cross the Jordan, and experience one more mighty act of God before he died. Keeping Hebrews 11 in mind, God's response is not harsh at all but is very gracious and loving. Moses' pleading seems to reveal a lack of faith wherein Moses' sight veered away from the bronze snake on a pole (cf. Num. 21, John 3:14-16), and was only seeking an earthly place to call his home. His life needed an earthly accomplishment; a worldly taste of satisfaction for 120 years of service to God. Or so Moses thought.

Moses' desire to cross the Jordan was a desire to find an earthly country to call home, and God corrects Moses and sets his eyes on a new direction. Just before he dies, Moses ascends Mount Pisgah one last time. Keep in mind, Moses is now 120 years old. The Scriptures record:

"Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. And the LORD said to him, 'This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, "I will give it to your offspring." I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.'" (Deut. 34:1-4)

Moses saw the Promised Land and greeted it from afar, and the last thing he did before he died in faith was acknowledge that he was a stranger and exile on earth but that he was coming home to a better country, that is, a heavenly one. After 120 years, Moses died in peace and in faith knowing that the Christ would be born in the Promised Land and that He would redeem God's people from their sins. He knew the Christ would impute perfect righteousness to God's people by fulfilling the Law that God wrote on two tablets of stone on Mount Sinai and gave to him and that He would bear the sins of God's people to death, being cursed to hang on a tree for their iniquities (cf. Deut. 21:23, Gal. 3:13). Moses died knowing that he was a part of redemptive history, and that he played a pivotal role in the Biblical narrative of Christ and Him crucified.

A couple thousand years after Moses died, another child was born in Bethlehem that the earthly ruler of the country wanted dead. This child, Jesus of Nazareth, was taken to Egypt by his parents at the command of an angel in order to spare the child's life from Herod. Calvin writes:

"Above all, let us never avoid the cross, by which the Son of God himself was trained from his earliest infancy. This flight is a part of the foolishness of the cross, but it surpasses all the wisdom of the world. That he may appear at his own time as the Savior of Judea, he is compelled to flee from it, and is nourished by Egypt, from which nothing but what was destructive to the Church of God had ever proceeded. Who would not have regarded with amazement such an unexpected work of God?"

However, there was another who was nourished by Egypt as an infant. There was another who was raised for a period in Egypt who set God's people free from bondage and slavery. It is clear that Moses is a type of Christ, and I do not doubt that he saw more than just land as he stood upon Mount Pisgah before dying. He would never set food in Canaan, but he has reached the true Promised Land, the City of God, that city and country in which God dwells with His people, a place where He wipes away every tear from their eyes, death is no more, and there is no more mourning, crying, and pain (Rev. 21:3-4). The author of Hebrews tells us that Moses acknowledged that he was an exile, a sojourner in a foreign land, and that he died in faith seeking a better country, a heavenly one.

Therefore, ask yourself: Are you pleading with God to go over and see your land beyond the Jordan or are you seeking a better country, a heavenly one, with eyes of faith? Have you come to peace that you will never find the rest and home you seek in this life, and have you acknowledged that you are and always will be an exile and stranger on this earth? Are you keeping your eyes on the cross, knowing that a City is being prepared for you, or are you constantly pleading with God to see an earthly city to call home? Remember God's words to Moses, "Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again." Stop looking for the better country in this life and on this earth. God has a far greater Promised Land than this earth has to offer, and you shall not only see it one glorious day, but if you are resting in the finished work of Christ by faith then you shall set foot in it with Moses, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. We are exiles and sojourners seeking a homeland, and Christ is bringing it to us, "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev. 21:2). "Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city" (Heb. 11:16). Greet it from afar for you shall one day set foot in it, believer. Die in faith, and find rest with Moses, exile. You see the Promised Land off in the distance, and you will die before you set foot in it, but set foot in it you shall, nevertheless.

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21)

Good News from a Far Away Country

2012-07-22T13:46:00.003-07:00

Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

Proverbs 25:25

As of late, bad news has been hitting a bit too close to home than I find comfortable. Bad news is always best kept at a distance. Nobody enjoys hearing bad news, but furthermore, if we must hear it, we would prefer that it would be separated from us by many miles and fathoms. In America, many could be considered news junkies. We enjoy reading the headlines, keeping on top of the latest and greatest events taking place around the world, and we almost pride ourselves in just how knowledgeable we are in current events. Reading the newspaper can almost be compared to reading a fiction novel when the news is far away and impersonal. It is full of names of unknown people, political uprisings in countries far, far away, and wars, drugs, violence, disease, persecution, funerals, poverty, and natural disasters that we can only imagine through our media-saturated cultural lenses. It can seem to be the news of a galaxy far, far away.

I am fascinated with the technologies that our modern culture has taken for granted that allow us to know what news is occurring around the world at any given time almost instantaneously. News, anymore, travels around the world in the blink of an eye. To think that Americans can watch video of a revolution taking place in Egypt in real-time is quite remarkable. To imagine that the tsunami that destroyed everything in its path in Japan was breaking news in the States in a matter of minutes is nothing short of impressive. The events can happen so fast and the news spread so quickly that the whole story seems unreal and the news possesses a novelty that our culture devours. However, when the events happen so fast but the news does not need to spread very far or very quickly before you know what has occurred, then the novelty of news loses its splendor and you are left with a sickening feeling that this news is a little more real and personal than you prefer.

The past couple of months have revealed the more realistic side of news that I myself have taken for granted. As many watched broadcast news and read national headlines, they learned of a wildfire wreaking havoc in Colorado Springs, destroying over three hundred homes. However, everyone in Colorado Springs need not watch the news to know about the devastation that the fires were causing. All we needed to do was ask our neighbors, our friends, our families, our school-mates, our coworkers, and our fellow parishioners how we could help them in this time of great need. We saw the devastation up close and personal, and what was front-page news to many around the nation was taking place in many of our backyards. News was all too personal, and it was not good. We watched and prayed as we hoped that our friends and neighbors' houses were still standing after the smoke cleared that destructive Tuesday.

A couple of weeks passed, the fires abated, full containment was accomplished, and the community went back to the way it was. The major news broadcasters packed up their cameras, their vans, and moved on to bigger and better stories. However, unbeknownst to everybody but one sinister man, they would return in a couple of weeks, and less than a hundred miles north.

I awoke sleep-deprived and groggy from the restless night before to learn that there was a massacre that took place at a theatrical screening of the latest Batman movie. The reason I was so tired was because I had attended the midnight screening of the same movie that same day, and I now awoke to go to work. I watched as Good Morning America reported about the shooting, and for some strange reason, I shrugged the story off because lightning does not strike the same place twice. I was very disheartened to hear of another crazed lunatic who was so conceited and depressed that they went out of their way to share their pain with the world by taking weapons and forcefully and violently including innocent people in their misery-laden lives. The video they were displaying was that of an apartment complex surrounded by SWAT vehicles, squad cars, fire engines, and ambulances. I told myself that it looked like the shooting occurred somewhere out East. Chicago? Detroit? Atlanta? Aurora!

After a double take, I could not believe my eyes. Lightning seemed to have struck the same place twice. Our community already had to deal with its fair share of tragedy this year. We did not need this tragedy to further dishearten the fragile hope that was already but a mere flicker in the hearts of many in this community. A few weeks earlier, we watched as hundreds of people's homes and property were destroyed by a natural wildfire. Now, we watched as a dozen families mourned the loss of a member of their family due to the sinfulness and evil in one man's heart. Now, we watched as dozens more were being treated for gunshot and shrapnel wounds that they received from this one man's blatant disregard for the sanctity of life created in God's image. An entire theater complex filled to the brim with people enjoying one of America's favorite past-times left that evening with more questions about life and its chief end then they frankly desired to.

I watched in terror, knowing that there was a good chance that several of my cousins (those from my side of the family and from my wife's side of the family) were at that very theater for the movie premier. Taking advantage of one of our culture's most popular news providers, I logged onto Facebook hoping that everyone was okay. Glory to God on high, everyone was physically safe! One of my cousins was at the theater complex in one of the theaters across the hall, and she and many others will have very traumatic images and emotional reactions to wrestle through in the weeks and months to come.

Bad news is devastating in close proximity. You can hear about violent coups and uprisings happening half-way across the globe where hundreds of families are left homeless and dozens of men and women are losing their lives. When it is that far away, however, it does not seem as real. Try as we may, such stories never cause the reaction they should in the hearts of Christians in America. It is so far away, it is so impersonal, that it does not tug at our heartstrings the way it should. We constantly remind ourselves that the newspaper is not fiction but to no avail. If we watch the news every night without some jaded disposition, then world and national headlines can quickly be depressing and disheartening. My wife often tells me, "Let's stop watching the news so much. It is so depressing." If it bleeds, it leads. That is the journalism mantra. That is what people want to hear about and watch. Our culture is obsessed with violence and sex. Journalists know this more than marketers. If one does not jade themselves somehow from the depressing sight of a world full of sin, suffering, evil, hate, destruction, violence, and all sorts of wickedness, then we would sooner turn the news off and be free from the constant reminder of the curse of sin than watch it day in and day out. Needless to say, however, many a faithful Christian devours the latest headlines, often without batting an eye at the atrocities contained within them.

I have had my fill of bad news in close proximity. But what about the opposite? What about good news from a distant land? Remarkably, when bad news gets too close, what we need the most is good news from a far country. It would seem foolish to imagine that any good news from far away would bring comfort when the local news is saturated with devastation. But, it is like cold water to a thirsty soul! Our hope has been tried and tested the last couple of months here in Colorado. Our souls seem to be as dry and parched as our local forests devoured by wildfires. Our souls thirst for water, they seek some sort of refreshment, they desire good news. There is no good news in this country, so we must turn to a country far away. A country so far distant that it would seem there is no personal relevance in the hope we pursue. The farther away the news the less personal and delicate the news seems to become. How, then, can good news from a far country be compared to cold water for a thirsty soul?

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock."

Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:10-14)

Are you in need of a cold glass of good news? Does hope wither and dry up in your heart as nothing but bad news surrounds you? Does your soul thirst with unquenchable thirst for something good, something personal, something wonderful to refresh its deficiency and drought? Do not pick up a newspaper and hope to find some good news in a far country that will revive your soul. We know all too well that the farther the news, the less applicable, personal, and relevant it becomes. However, there is a far away country that is altogether very near. There is a land flowing with milk and honey that is at our very fingertips yet very far away indeed. There is a city from whence living waters flow that is closer than we may think.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39)

The Spirit has been given because Jesus is glorified! Out of your heart will flow rivers of living water if you believe in the risen, glorified Christ Jesus! Wherefore does cold water for a parched soul and good news for a hopeless exile come from? From the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in those who believe, quickening us speedily to hear, believe, rest in, cling to, and faithfully claim salvation's hope that can be found in Christ Jesus alone. Bad news up close and personal can strike a mortal blow to our hope and faith, but good news from a far county reminds us that we are but strangers, exiles, and pilgrims in this foreign land. This place, whether full of good news or bad news, is not our home. Glad tidings reach us from our heavenly Jerusalem, our foundation of peace. Good news is proclaimed from the top of Mount Zion for all of God's people to hear, to hearken, and to cling to by faith.

Matthew Henry writes, "Heaven is a country afar off; how refreshing is it to hear good news thence, both in the everlasting gospel, which signified glad tidings, and in the witness of the Spirit with our spirits that we are God's children." Do you hear the good news, Colorado? Do you hear the good news, America? Do you hear the good news from a far country, every tribe, tongue, and nation? It is refreshing, like cold water to a thirsty soul!

The good news is that no matter how bad or close the news of the sinfulness of sin and the curse of man's disobedience becomes, our hope and faith rests in the finished work of Christ Jesus alone! If we are devastated by a natural disaster, let us avail ourselves to the good news revealed in the Scriptures. If we are horrified by the evil and malcontent actions of a crazed lunatic who himself is devoid of good news, then let us not be like him, and let us turn to the proclamation of good news preached from behind the pulpits of God's faithful church. If our souls thirst for cold water, for but a glimpse of the glorious promises to God's covenant children, then let us pray together as one body for Christ's return and our steadfastness, faithfulness, and perseverance until that great and glorious day! We sing Psalm 13 when bad news hits too close to home, but we neglect Revelation 22:20: "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Rev. 22:17)

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." (Rev. 14:6-7)

Have you heard the good news this Lord's Day? Christ has risen! Your sins are forgiven if you rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ by faith! Nothing within this world or without can ever separate the faithful from the abundant love of God! All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose! If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Never! Romans 8 is a brook of cold water to the parsed lips of thirsty souls in the midst of devastating, terrible, evil, destructive, diabolical news that is altogether too close for comfort's sake. Listen to the eternal gospel. Fear God and give him glory in this difficult time because the hour of his judgment has come! Worship him who made heaven (the far country that you have been promised) and the earth (the close country full of bad news)! Avail yourself to the springs of water, the water of life, without price, dear child, because whoever believes in Christ Jesus, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water!"

Christianity in a Foreign Land

2012-07-17T17:32:00.001-07:00

Christianity in a Foreign Land

How the Church is Failing to Influence Culture by "Living the Gospel" Rather than Preaching the Gospel

Introduction

In Psalm 137, the exiled psalmist asks, "How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land?" (v. 4, ESV). Crosby (2009) observes that, "our spiritual lives often become disconnected from the rest of our lives so that even though the gospel creates a love for Jesus and ethical behavior, it is irrelevant to the world around us" (p. 3). At least, many Christians today can act in a manner in which the gospel seems irrelevant to the world around us. Dan Merchant's (2008) documentary, Lord, Save Us from Your Followers, demonstrates how Christians today are transforming the gospel into a political agenda to be pushed on everyone else in the civil sphere. For more and more professing believers, Christianity is reserved for Sunday morning worship services, and the rest of the week is reserved for living in the real world apart from our Christian faith.

Paul explains that the gospel is, "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16, ESV). Later in his epistle to the Romans, Paul explains that the gospel message is not merely a way a life, but that it is primarily a message to be preached. Paul asks, "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" (Rom. 10:14). Merchant (2008) mentions Francis of Assisi's quote towards the end of his documentary: Preach the gospel always, if necessary use words. However, Paul does not ask the Romans, How are they to believe in him of whom they have never seen represented by your good deeds? Overall, Christianity's lack of influence on culture today does not stem from the misuse, abuse, political contortion, or the poor example of gospel living, but it stems primarily from a complete lack of the proclamation of the gospel on the lips of those saved by it.

In this paper, I hope to answer the psalmist's question and review what the Lord Jesus Christ Himself teaches His church about interacting with an unbelieving world. First, I will examine what the Bible teaches about singing the Lord's song in a foreign land, and how that relates to proclaiming the good news. In light of what Scripture teaches, I will unfold how the church is to be in the world but not of the world, and how the church is called to be a new society that testifies verbally of another kingdom not of this world. I will then examine Dan Merchant's documentary and explain why I believe 21st-century believers have withdrawn from the culture and reduced the gospel to a protest movement or moralism. Finally, I will endeavor to explain how the church can be a better influence on the arts, business, academia, and other culture-forging institutions of our day by proclaiming the gospel rather than living the gospel.

Sing the Lord's Song

In Psalm 137, the psalmist in exile asks exiled Israel how they can even utter the Lord's song in a land that is not their own, a land without promise, a land without a temple, and a land seemingly forsaken by God. The psalmist reminds his fellow Israelites that they are exiles and sojourners, but a time must come where they can once again sing the Lord's song in the Promised Land. In 2 Peter 2, Peter describes believers as "God's people" (v. 10) and "sojourners and exiles" (v. 11). Therefore, Christians today can relate to the rest of God's people as sojourners and exiles in a foreign land. Christians have been delivered from sin and the sting of death through Christ's mediatorial work on the cross, but we are still sojourners and exiles in a land tainted by sin, death, and suffering. Should we, then, hang up our lyers on the willow trees and pray imprecations against the world that surrounds us?

Crosby (2008) explains that, "Christian community is a means of making Christ known to the world, but it also plays a significant role in how we are to live our life with God and in response to God" (p. 5). What we do as Christians does matter. We need to sing the Lord's song in a foreign land, and we need to act appropriately in response to its proclamation. In the Great Commission, Jesus teaches His disciples to go throughout all nations, baptizing and teaching them to observe all that Christ had commanded. Herein, we see Christ calling the church to proclaim and teach all that He has commanded, therefore, this requires words and deeds.

Paul, writing to the church in Rome, testifies that, "I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, 'Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand'" (Rom. 15:20-21). Paul demonstrates that his mission is to preach the gospel to those who have never been told of Christ or heard of Him. Therefore, as Paul's mission was to preach the gospel to the unreached people's of the world, it is the church's mission to carry on the work he started and continue to preach the gospel to those who have never been told of Christ or heard what He has accomplished for man's salvation.

The church must sing the Lord's song, and we must make Christ known to the world by proclaiming the gospel verbally. Throughout the book of Acts, we see the church growing by the preaching of the gospel. Hardly any emphasis is placed on how Paul and Barnabas acted before the Jews and Gentiles, but the words they spoke and the message they preached is emphasized over and over. In Acts 14, the manner in which Paul and Barnabas lived is not even mentioned, but the words they preached and the message they boldly spoke receive the utmost attention from Luke. If the church today wants to have greater influence on the culture that surrounds it, then they should recognize that they must sing the Lord's song and not merely hum it or dance to it.

Church: The New Society

Lyons (2012) argues that the linchpin of cultural influence requires the church to, "recapture the historical gospel that 'Christians are called to redeem entire cultures, not just individuals.'" However, Lyons' argument would assume that Christians are actually called by God to redeem entire cultures and that it is within the church's ability to do so. Crosby (2009) explains that, "In response to God's call we first devote ourselves totally to him and then, as a result of our devotion we attempt to answer the question 'What am I to do in the world in which I live'" (p. 5). Crosby (2009) goes on to explain that, "All work is intended to create or restore shalom" (p. 6) by promoting human flourishing.

I find both Crosby and Lyons' views on cultural influence lacking a pivotal piece of the puzzle: How do we seek to redeem cultures by restoring shalom without proclaiming the gospel message? Promoting human flourishing is important, but many other religions in the world today also promote human flourishing. Therefore, this is not a way that the Christian church can uniquely influence the surrounding culture. Lyons (2012) challenges the church to, "become connoisseurs of good culture, recognizing and celebrating the good, true and beautiful to the glory of God." Is Lyons, therefore, explaining that the culture has already redeemed itself and the church merely needs to emphasize the good parts of the culture and downplay the bad parts?

Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck (2008) explain that for many in the modern church today, "Being a Christian...is less about faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ as the only access to God the Father and the only atonement for sins before a wrathful God, and more about living the life that Jesus lived and walking in His way" (p. 120). Christians do not influence the culture by living a life that seemingly mirrors the love of Christ, but rather, Christians are to influence the culture by making the church a society completely unlike the world; a city set on a hill. The church is to be a society and a community that is in this world but completely unlike it. The church is not called to influence the world to become more church-like or more Christ-like, but rather, the church is called to proclaim the good news and draw men and women out of the cultures of this world and into the community of Christ our Lord.

Jesus prays, "I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 17:14). This prayer speaks volumes on the subject of the church's cultural influence. Jesus gave the church the Word of God, that the church may be sanctified by truth in this fallen world (v. 17). Jesus prays that the church would be sanctified by the Word, and He also prays, "for those who will believe in me through their (the church's) word, that they may all be one...so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:20-21). Jesus' prayer clearly demonstrates that the world shall believe that He is the Son of God because the church is a church of the Word and united by its truth.

Jesus' mission was not to sanctify the entire world or redeem entire cultures, as Lyons argues. Jesus clearly prays to the Father, "I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours" (John 17:9). The church's mission is not to redeem cultures, but to remain set apart, holy, and grow in sanctification by the Word of truth. The church is called to influence culture by being completely separated from the world, other-worldly, and proclaiming a message that promises salvation from sin in this world and the world to come. Therefore, Christians are not called to merely promote human flourishing, but to promote a holy kingdom represented by the church now but also a kingdom yet to come to full consummation in Christ's return.

21st-Century Believers

Dan Merchant's documentary clearly portrays that there is a section of the modern church that has largely withdrawn from the culture and reduced the gospel to a protest movement or mere moralism. Merchant (2008) demonstrates that more and more Christians are getting involved in the political spectrum, making Christianity more about how Christ would vote rather than focusing on the mediatorial work of Christ as the sacrificial Lamb. Christians are quick to fight for prayer in schools, the public display of the Ten Commandments in courthouses and capital buildings, and against the cultural acceptance of gay marriage, but they are slow to pray in school, read the Ten Commandments, and confess sin in their own lives. Many in the church today are quick to point the finger, proclaim anathemas, and fight against our culture's prevalent sins, but those same Christians are slow to forgive, slow to love, and slow to proclaim the gospel that they cling to for forgiveness themselves.

Jesus taught his disciples that, "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:17). One day, Christ will return to condemn the world and cast out the unbelievers to the fires of Hell, but that day has not yet come. Therefore, the church's mission is not to judge the wicked to hellfire, but to provide the gospel message of hope, forgiveness of sins, and love to all peoples. Many churches and Christian organizations have held such a harsh position on gay marriage and homosexuality that the American culture's understanding of the Christian position on the subject has grown quite negative. Merchant (2008) reviewed how a large Christian youth rally in San Francisco was ill-received by the homosexual population in the city, and many of the homosexuals responded with a semi-violent protest across the street from the rally. To a certain degree, the world will always react to the gospel message negatively in some respects (e.g. nobody likes to be called a sinner), but a large portion of the culture's animosity towards Christianity is due to the church's poor record of practicing what they preach.

Crosby (2009) argues that, "If we are to live effective lives we must understand what it is that Jesus expects, in contrast to what it is that those people around us, who live according to the world system, expect" (p. 21). In regards to the homosexual movement in our culture, the church today must understand that homosexuals expect the gospel to be applicable to them just as they are because they reject the notion that homosexuality is a sin. Scripture, however, clearly teaches us that homosexuality is sexual immorality and that professing believers must, "Flee from sexual immorality" (1 Cor. 6:18). Therefore, homosexuality is a sin and Jesus expects the church to minister to sinners in and by His name, but He also expects believers to put off sexual sins.

The message, therefore, that the church should proclaim is that Jesus' mediatorial work can atone for the sins of homosexuals, rather than the message that seems to come across: homosexuals have no place in the Christian church. On the other hand, some Christians give the homosexual community exactly what they expect from Christ, and provide the message that Jesus loves them just the way they are, and that they can continue living in sin. Newman (2011) explains that, "This kind of message may sound good at first, but ultimately, it may inoculate people against the gospel" (loc. 1304). Overall, we must include homosexuals in the gospel message, but not so far as to render the gospel message superfluous by failing to reveal what they need salvation from. Homosexuals need the forgiveness of real sin just as much as every member in the church before them has as well.

How Do We Influence Culture?

Greer (2003) explains that, "As the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Jesus Christ is the personification of truth par excellence, the One who is to be loved and known, but never mastered" (p. 217). Merchant (2008) clearly demonstrates in his documentary that the American culture resonates with Jesus, but they hate His followers. The church is focusing on What Would Jesus Do, living the gospel, and walking in Jesus' footsteps, but the culture apparently feels that Christians are giving Christ a bad name. Therefore, it would appear that the American culture is vying to know Christ, but the church is so busy trying to act like him—and doing such a poor job of it, I might add—that the culture is left hungering and thirsting for gospel truth. Merchant's documentary shows that the American culture knows there is more to Jesus than the church is representing, and they want to know who Jesus truly is despite how the church tries to influence them.

The church today is doing a great disservice to Christianity by over-emphasizing works and under-emphasizing words. Too many Christians are trying to change the arts, business, academia and other culture-forging institutions by acting like good, moralistic, pious people. All that the church has accomplished is demonstrating that Christians can be the most hypocritical, sinful, unloving, and judgmental people on the face of the planet. Historically, the emphasis has always been on the preaching of the gospel by spoken word to influence culture, but lately the church has turned to works without words. Schaff (2011) quotes John Wyclif teaching that, "A priest should live holily, in prayer, in desires and thought, in godly conversation and honest teaching, having God's commandments and His Gospel ever on his lips" because, "When the Gospel was preached, as in Apostolic times, the Church grew" (loc. 65261).

Overall, we cannot influence culture by living the gospel or by preaching the gospel at all times and only using words if necessary. The gospel message is that, "while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6). How can Christians simply act this truth out without proclaiming it verbally? Without words, the world is only receiving half of the gospel. It is not enough for the church to merely seek to influence culture by trying their best to follow Christ's example and be moral people. Ultimately, the church will fail miserably to demonstrate Christ's love for sinners if we only act the gospel out like a game of charades. Rather than opening our mouths and proclaiming Biblical truth that is infallible, the church seeks to represent the gospel by demonstrating it with their own fallible and still sinful lives.

Therefore, rather than trying to enable our lives to speak the volumes that only the gospel provided in the Scriptures can, the church needs to learn to open its mouth and preach Christ and Him crucified. We can perfectly love our neighbors as ourselves, but if we never proclaim the gospel, then we have failed to teach our neighbors that faith in Christ alone is the only means of salvation. The more and more Christians proclaim the gospel verbally to the surrounding world, the more and more we can expect to see the gospel influence the culture that surrounds us. Culture cannot be influenced by a mere game of charades. Christian lives—I can probably attest to this most of all—are poor representatives of the glorious truth of Christ's mediatorial sacrifice for the salvation of sinners. Therefore, we change the arts, business, academia, and other culture-forging institutions by what we say and what we do. Our deeds should reinforce the message being proclaimed, but the church today has chosen, rather, to substitute the message with moral deeds. The result is Christians are hated by the world, and the world has no real sense of who Jesus really is, what He accomplished on their behalf, or what He has commanded.

Conclusion: Preach the Gospel!

Waltke (2007) points us to the Westminster Catechism, noting that it, "teaches that 'the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever,' but it needs to be clarified that humanity glorifies God by subduing the earth by words and by work" (p. 221). Waltke (2007) goes on to explain that the cultural mandate and the Great Commission do not compete against each other but, rather, they complement each other. The means by which we are to subdue and have dominion over the earth is by making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that Christ commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). Therefore, the key to fulfilling the cultural mandate and the Great Commission rests in how the church goes about making disciples of all nations. Paul, arguing that it does not matter who receives credit for the faith of the Corinthians, explains that, "we preach and so you believed" (1 Cor. 15:11).

The church has lost all influence in the surrounding culture because we have abandoned the means that God gave the church in order to fulfill the Great Commission and the cultural mandate. The gospel is no longer preached in season or out of season (1 Tim. 4:2). The gospel is not proclaimed on the lips of Christians in the workplace, at home, at school, or even at church. Instead, the church has embraced the Christian charade, and ministers teach their flocks how to better demonstrate the Christian faith without words at work, at home, and at school. The church expects to live holy, God-honoring and glorifying lives, and for the world to fill in the blanks. Pastors preach more and more about ten-step programs to healthier, more fulfilling, and more relevant Christian lives. They send their parishioners to participate in kingdom building by living the gospel, loving their neighbors, and by promoting human flourishing. However, they shut the author and finisher of their faith behind closed lips.

The gospel message is that while we were still sinners, God sent His only begotten Son to redeem sinners and reconcile them to a right relationship with their Heavenly Father. Francis of Assisi's famous quote, therefore, needs some added clarification. Preach the gospel always, and if necessary use words—it is always necessary to use words! Merchant's documentary clearly demonstrates that the lives of professing Christians are probably the worst representations of the gospel to an unbelieving culture. Calvin (2005) writes that, "we cause ourselves to be despised together with the gospel, through our profane liberty of evil living" (p. 205). Our lives as Christians are important, but they are meant to supplement and reinforce the message that we proclaim, rather than substitute and replace the message we are keeping quiet. If the church desires to influence culture, then they must stop relying on their lives to proclaim the Christian message of salvation in Christ alone and return to the Apostolic example of proclaiming Christ and Him crucified on their lips to all peoples at all times.

References:

Calvin, J. (2005). Commentary upon the acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

Crosby, P. (2009). Calling and career. A Public Faith Curriculum , 1-12.

Crosby, P. (2009). Gospel of new life. A Public Faith Curriculum , 1-37.

Crosby, P. (2009). Redemptive community and the kingdom of God. A Public Faith Curriculum , 1-20.

Crosby, P. (2009). The kingdom story. A Public Faith Cirriculum , 1-20.

DeYoung, K., & Kluck, T. (2008). Why we're not emergent: By two guys who should be. Chicago: Moody Publishers.

Greer, R. (2003). Mapping postmodernism: A survey of Christian options. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Lyons, G. (2012). Influencing culture: An opportunity for the Church. Retrieved July 2, 2012, from Ideas for the common good: http://www.qideas.org/essays/influencing-culture.aspx

Merchant, D. (Director). (2008). Lord, save us from your followers [Motion Picture].

Newman, R. (2011). Bringing the gospel home: Witnessing to family members, close friends, and others who know you well. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

Schaff, P. (2011). History of the Christian Church: Complete in 8 volumes. Plantagenet Publishing.

Waltke, B. (2007). An Old Testament theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Postmodern Exegesis (Or is it Eisegesis?)

2012-06-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

Below is a response to a prompt for a paper in the class I am taking right now. The class is focusing on postmodernism and how it should or should not influence the church. Overall, postmodernism within the church allows for a plurality of theologies that are all viable and valid interpretations of what Scripture teaches. According to postmodernists, truth is articulated via language, and language is always interpreted. The interpretation of all language is tainted by cultural and historical perspectives that allow for different yet valid interpretations of the same truth. I hope that my response to the prompt does an adequate job of showing how the postmodern approach to Biblical interpretation validates all interpretations as acceptable eisegetical interpretations because purely exegetical interpretations are impossible. If this is truly the case, then how are we to know what "sound doctrine" is?

In what respect does a pure intratextuality tend to domesticate the biblical worldview to one’s own spiritual experience?

Greer (2003) explains that Volf sees a problem with conservative theology's tendency to define theology in intratextual categories. The problem of using the Bible as the hermeneutical control, according to Volf, is that, "Reality is thereby interpreted in terms of the Bible" (Greer, 2003, p. 107). Volf argues that it is impossible to let Scripture interpret Scripture, and that those who insist upon pure intratextuality do not recognize, "The influence of one's culture taking on a clandestine role in one's interpretation of Scripture" (Greer, 2003, p. 107).

Volf continues to argue that, "We can look at our culture through the lens of religious texts only as we look at these texts through the lens of culture" (Greer, 2003, p. 108). We can never strip the cultural lens from our eyes, and therefore, at best we can only interpret Scripture with Scripture through the cultural lenses we wear. Greer (2003) explains that, "This does not mean that we are condemned to our own culture and can never make contact with the biblical culture, but rather that we must admit that everything we see is always colored by the seer" (p. 108).

The conclusion that Volf reaches is that, "exegesis and...eisegesis are inseparable compatriots as one studies the Bible" (Greer, 2003, p. 107). That is to say, one cannot help but read into Scripture some of the cultural predispositions that they possess even when trying to exegete Scripture with Scripture. Volf maintains that, "The notion of inhabiting the biblical story is hermeneutically naive because it presupposes that those who are faced with the biblical story can be completely 'dislodged' from their extratextual dwelling places and 'resettled' into intratextual homes" (Greer, 2003, p. 108).

Therefore, Volf argues that a pure intratextuality tends to domesticate the biblical worldview to one’s own spiritual experience. Greer (2003) argues that, "A sense of foolish arrogance naturally develops (e.g., the flat-earth society) as we insist on interpreting our social environments from only our intratextual perspectives" (p. 109). If our intratextual perspectives are actually shaped by extratextual categories then we are subconsciously reading our own spiritual experiences into what we believe to be a biblical worldview.

To some degree, I can agree with Volf's thought process as a warning to every theologian seeking to exegete a passage of Scripture. However, I do not agree that pure exegesis is an impossibility. I do recognize that every exegetical hermeneutic must guard against eisegesis, but I do not believe that every exegesis is subject to subconscious eisegesis stemming from the interpreter's cultural lens reading into Scripture his or her own spiritual experiences.

Given, some passages of Scripture are more prone to subconscious extratextual interpretation than others. For example, investigating the narrative of Jesus' birth, Bailey (2008) ponders, "Have the centuries added meanings to our understanding of the text that are not there?" (loc. 210). Bailey (2008) argues that the source of the misinterpretation of the account of Jesus' birth stems from a novel written two hundred years after the birth of Jesus titled The Protoevangelium of James. Bailey (2008) explains that, "The average Christian, who has never heard of this book, is nonetheless unconsciously influenced by it" (loc. 240). Due to extratextual interpretations of the biblical account of Jesus' birth, many Christian today believe that Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn for Mary and Joseph. However, Bailey (2008) shows how the intratextual-cum-extratextual approach to the passage actually demonstrates that, "Jesus was born in a simple two-room village home such as the Middle East has known for at least three thousand years," and that this can be seen by stripping away, "layers of interpretive mythology that have built up around it" (loc. 369).

However, not every Biblical passage is laden with cultural nuances that must be discovered, researched, and interpreted before the passage can be understood in a pure exegetical sense, devoid of eisegesis. For instance, consider Romans 7:24: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (ESV). Volf maintains that, "We always see the biblical story through the lens of culture" (Greer, 2003, p. 108). However, many passages, like this one, are not tainted or obscured via our cultural lens. What does Paul mean in this passage? Am I subconsciously infusing my cultural lens and spiritual experiences on this passage if I maintain that Paul recognizes that he is spiritually dead and in need of a savior? Am I reading myself into Paul and missing Paul's point completely? Is there enough wiggle room in the cultural variation between Paul and myself that the meaning of his words here are no longer perspicuous to me?

It seems to me, Volf is seeking to excuse pluralism in our theologies by blaming his perceived inadequacies of timeless languages to convey truths across generations and cultures. However, how do I know he is not just reaching this conclusion by subconsciously reading into Biblical exegesis his cultural predisposition to postmodern thought concerning semiotic languages? How do I know that his position on, "the inevitable role of extratextualities upon our interpretation of the Bible" (Greer, 2003, p. 109) is not reached by a subconscious influence of his own spiritual experiences? In the postmodern world, everything is suspect and there is no concrete foundation on which to build upon. Paul's language in Eph. 2:20-21 turns us to Scripture as the foundation on which to build the household of God.
Therefore, I am willing to reject Volf's assumption that, "No single theology is categorically correct" (Greer, 2003, p. 109) and rest by faith that Paul directs us to Scripture because its teachings are perspicuous. Why would Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, direct us to Holy Scripture as our foundation if it would lead to a plurality of "diverse, changeable, and individual" (Greer, 2003, p. 109) cultural interpretations that were all equally valid? Paul exhorts Titus to, "Teach what accords with sound doctrine" (Tit. 2:1). Therefore, we can assume that Titus was to avoid teaching doctrine that was not sound. How was Titus to know if his teaching was sound or not? If he met Volf, he would be in a constant state of worry, wondering if he is subconsciously interpreting Paul's words extratextually rather than intratextually and eisegeting rather than exegeting Scripture. I, therefore, maintain that Scripture is to be our guide and that Paul's exhortation to Titus to teach sound doctrine implies that theologians can exegete sound doctrine from Scripture intratextually without completing obscuring the meaning with their own cultural and spiritual experiences in a way that renders acceptable theological plurality.

References:

Bailey, K. E. (2008). Jesus through Middle Eastern eyes: Cultural studies in the Gospels. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Greer, R. (2003). Mapping postmodernism: A survey of Christian options. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Spiritual Infidelity: Such were some of you

2012-01-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? 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. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Cor. 6:9-11

Such were some of you. Were. Sexually immoral, idolatrous, adulterous, and homosexual men and women will not inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you. Were.

What if the word "were" does not really apply to you and your current situation? What if you were sexually immoral, idolatrous, adulterous, and/or homosexual before you were a Christian, and now you are still struggling with these sins today as a Christian? As someone struggling with sexual sins or temptations, it can be disheartening to hear Paul use the word "were" rather than the word "are." Paul seems to be drawing the line in the sand. On one side, you have the unrighteous and on the other side you have the righteous. The unrighteous are men consumed by lust; lust for sex, money, drink, esteem, and power. If you are struggling with sexual sins or temptations, then it would seem that Paul is drawing the line and telling you that, until you put these things behind you, you have no right to cross the line and join the righteous.

So it would seem. If you stopped reading the passage there, then you would have great reason to be disheartened and fear God and His wrath towards the unrighteous. However, Paul does not stop there but continues on: "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Amen and hallelujah! Paul does not say, "But you put all of that behind you, you cleaned up your act, and you overcame your sinfulness all by yourself. Now you may enter the kingdom of God." Nor does he tell us that, "You were unrighteous because you were sexually immoral, idolatrous, adulterous, and some of you practiced homosexuality, but now that you stopped doing all of that on your own, God can love you, wash you, justify you, and sanctify you."

Brothers and sisters, if you are struggling with sexual immorality, find great hope in this passage rather than a loss of hope. Right before your very eyes is the glorious truth of the Gospel. What separates the righteous from the unrighteous is not the deeds of the flesh but the finished work of Christ Jesus! We are not made pure and holy by overcoming our own sin, but having another's righteousness and holiness imputed to us despite our most deplorable sinful record. We were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God!

Before, the word "were" seemed disheartening because at times it can seem that you still are all of these attributes that Paul lists off as unrighteous. You are still struggling with sin now and today. You are still struggling with sexual temptations as a Christian, and you still fall. Find solace, brothers and sisters, in the fact that you are now struggling with these things. You are struggling because the Holy Spirit is at work within you. You are now consecrated as a holy temple to the Lord, and the Holy Spirit is sending the money changers packing who still desire to desecrate the house where He now resides. Remember, before you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ there was no struggle. You were immersed in the path of unrighteousness without a care in the world. In fact, you found enjoyment in succumbing to temptation. It was not a fall before, but rather an indulgence. Rejoice, brother and sister, that you are now struggling because you have been washed, sanctified, and justified by the Spirit in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Once again, Paul uses the word "were" as he tells us that our regeneration, justification, and sanctification happened in the past. You were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified. It is a classic case of the already but not yet. Notice that you are not yet glorified. That is to say, your redemption is not yet complete. In Christ and by the work of the Holy Spirit, you have left the valley of dry bones where sinners are not able not to sin, completely dead in their trespasses and sins. Nevertheless, you have only just begun your journey to a promised land where you will be sinless and not able to sin, glorified in the perfect image of God almighty. You are a pilgrim, now. You are a justified Christian who is now able not to sin by the power of the Holy Spirit, but you are still able to sin just as well. You are now able to overcome temptation, but tempted you will be, nonetheless. Paul had just written to the Corinthians upon this very subject:

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 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. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. (1 Cor. 10:12-14)

The Christian walk and pilgrimage is not marked by an inability to stumble, an inability to get lost along the way, or an ability to overcome each and every obstacle that gets in our way. The path is now more narrow than ever. The path is now more difficult to travel on than the path once taken. The gate we approach is narrow, and the path is treacherous. The Christian walk and pilgrimage is marked by faith, and faith in Christ and Him crucified. It is one thing to continue to struggle with certain sins after you have been washed, justified, and sanctified. However, it is another thing entirely to turn to yourself for a solution to this struggle. We are not made righteous by what we do, brothers and sisters, but we are made righteous by Christ's atoning sacrifice upon the cross for our sins, those before our justification and those after. After our justification, we are not made unrighteous by what we do, but by placing our faith in ourselves or other false hopes. And those who continue down the path of self-righteousness were never justified to begin with, because true saving faith points us to the true Savior and to none other (1 John 2:19).

Your righteousness rests in the finished work of Jesus Christ and none other. So much as you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of our God, then you are now righteous. The determining factor in your inheritance in the kingdom of God is not whether or not you struggle with sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, and/or homosexuality. The determining factor is whether or not you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

You were sexually immoral, idolatrous, adulterous, and perhaps homosexual. But now, having been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ, you are Christ's. "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:19-20). That is the call. That is the command. You were not thrown a life preserver as the waves overcame you, but you have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit that allows you to walk on water. The call is not to use what you now have and to save yourself. The call is to have faith in the Savior that stands before you, standing upon the waves of temptation and struggles with sin.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Heb. 4:15

Salvation lies on the other side of this terrible tempest of sin. There is a great sea of death and sinfulness that separates us from eternal life in the eternal love of God the Father. No man can swim across this torrent because its length is unimaginable and every wave that crashes upon us sends us deeper and deeper into its unfathomable depths. Man's current nature makes it impossible for him to overcome this obstacle. However, faith in Christ Jesus makes man able to walk on water as if it were dry land. As Israel crossed the Red Sea and Peter walked on water out to his Lord, we too traverse over this sea to a land flowing with milk and honey. Christ told Peter to "Come" and Peter obeyed. The Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel to "Go forward." Peter walked on water. Israel traversed upon dry ground. They did not do so by their own strength but by resting in the power and glory of God by faith. All others who seek to traverse these waters apart from the power of God will meet the demise that the Egyptians did.

And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
Exodus 14:13-14

Like Peter, you too may have moments where you are sinking into the ocean depths below you. Undoubtedly, Peter began to sink like a rock in the ocean as fear, doubt, and sin began to overcome his faith. There Jesus stood right before him on the same waters that he thought were impossible to stand upon. He has already made several steps toward Christ when a strong wind diminishes his faith. He sinks into the waters below. What would Peter do? Surely he would place his faith in Christ who stands before him, still standing on the waters. No, perhaps like the rest of us, he might fall into the water and try his best to start swimming. The storm would still rage around him, and waves would come crashing down upon him without ceasing. He would flail around, struggling to keep his head above water, but no matter what he did, he would no longer able to walk on water without faith in Christ. No matter how hard he tried on his own, he could not keep his head above water, let alone restore his stance upon the surface once more. But Scripture tells us that Peter never had to react to dropping into the dangerous waters below. He hadn't the chance before God intervened.

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Matt. 14:31

If you are struggling with sexual immorality, and you feel like you started to walk on water but a great temptation has overcome you and you find yourself sinking, are you flailing around like someone who does not know how to swim? The point I wish to convey is that Christ does not teach you to swim so that you can swim these dangerous waters in order to inherit the kingdom of God, resting on the other side. Christ gives you an ability to walk on these waters, following Him every step of the way by faith. Therefore, when you lapse in your faith and you begin to doubt the work Christ has done on your behalf, it is not a matter of swimming on your own in order to restore you above the waves. If you begin to sink, Jesus will immediately reach out his hand and take hold of you lest you drown.

Brothers and sisters, truly truly, such were some of you. Some of you were sexually immoral, adulterous, idolatrous, and homosexual. You were drowning. But you were also washed, justified, and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. You were drowning in the sea of sin and you did not even know it. Now you have been made to walk upon it by faith in Christ. Like Peter, you too will doubt at times. But your reaction should not be to try to restore yourself by your own works, but resting by faith, knowing that Jesus will immediately reach out his hand and take hold of you lest you perish.

There is more to be said upon the passage before us in 1 Cor. 6:9-11, and we will come back to it. Currently, I want to emphasize these key points from the passage, however: 1) The righteous are not set apart by their own works but by the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit. 2) A struggle with sexual sins after having been washed, justified, and sanctified is not a disqualifying mark but rather a bittersweet assurance that we are now struggling with the sins in which we once flourished in without regret. 3) Our ability to overcome sin and temptation does not depend upon ourselves (i.e. swimming) but upon the finished work of Christ our redeemer (i.e. walking on water). 4) Finally, when we fall to temptation as Christians, and if we still continue to struggle with the sins that we once were prone to, then our reaction should be to depend upon Christ taking hold of us rather than trying to restore ourselves above the water by attempting to do that which we were never capable of doing in the first place (swimming).

The work begun by faith is perfected and finished by faith. I want to establish that first and foremost before I delve deeper into this subject. If you are struggling with sexual sins today and you are reading this now, hoping that I am going to provide a step by step program that will help you overcome sexual temptation and sins,then you will be sadly disappointed. As Paul reminded the Galatians:

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Gal. 3:2-3

You must have this attitude going into this battle with sin. If you truly desire to mortify sin in your life, then you only must remain silent and let the Lord fight for you. It is good that you struggle with these sins, but how are you struggling? Are you waiting patiently on the Lord, or are you flailing around like a person who cannot swim? Like quicksand, trying on your own will only immerse you deeper and deeper into the depths below. Wait on the Lord and He will snatch you out of the quicksand and restore you to dry ground above the seas.

My hope is not that these blogs spell out steps that you can take to overcome sexual sins in your life as a Christian. My hope is that if you are struggling with these things, that you will stop doubting Christ's death on the cross on your behalf, but, instead, rest in it. Know that lest Christ reach out and save you, you will drown no matter how hard you struggle to keep your head above water. Know that Christ will never let you drown. Know that, like Peter, you too will be restored above the waters by the firm and loving grasp of your Savior who alone makes you able to walk on water. I close with these encouraging words from Octavius Winslow to Christians who are struggling with trials and temptations:

That heart of yours belongs to him- he bought it at a costly price; it belongs to him- he conquered and subdued it by the omnipotence of his Spirit; it belongs to him- he has sealed it with his precious blood. And he would have you know this, too, by deep and sweet experience. He would have you know how he has loved you, and loves you still; he would have you know that you are his; his by eternal election; his by gift- by purchase- by conquest- by a covenant that all your departures, all your unfaithfulness, all your unworthiness, all the changing scenes through which you pass, shall never, and can never alter. All this, it is his will you should experience.

Spiritual Infidelity: You Know Who You Are

2012-01-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"--and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1Cor. 6:12-20

Part One: You know who you are

You might be reading this blog right now because you are interested to read what I might have to say about the subject of sexual sins and their affect on the church and the Christian. Others of you might be reading because you know of someone who has confided in you a confession of sexual sin that they are scared of confessing and you do not know how to approach the subject. Some of you might be reading because you fear that someone you know is secretly struggling with sexual sins and you do not know how to broach the subject with them. Finally, others of you might be reading because you recognize the sinful habit of sexual immorality in your own life and you desire (some fervently, some reservedly) to mortify your sin and cling more and more upon Christ and the grace of God that has been showered upon you in Him. With such a wide and broad audience of readers with different reasons for reading further, who do I speak to now?

I am speaking to you, dear brother or sister, and to no other. You might have had another purpose or design behind reading this note today, but rest assured that I am going to speak to you personally. I am truly convinced that there is not a single Christian in the U.S. that does not struggle with sexual immorality in one form or another. You might have been reading initially in order to address another person's sin, but know now that I am now addressing you personally and your problem with sexual sins. This is not a subject that many of us fall innocent to. Sadly, in this culture (much like the Corinthians), the church finds itself in the middle of a fest of debauchery and sex. Sex is all around us all of the time. There is nowhere you can run from it or hide from it. You might be thinking to yourself, "We do not have a television or the internet, so I do not have this problem." You are only kidding yourself if you think that you can escape our culture's complete inebriation of sex.

Some of us are more immersed in the popular culture than others, but no one is completely alienated from it. Much like the Corinthian church that Paul addresses in 1 Cor. 6:12-20, the American church has a very real and very dangerous problem: we exist within a very tempting and alluring licentious culture. By the grace of God, we have been saved from our bondage to sin by the finished work of Christ Jesus, nevertheless, "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 25:41). We are now Christ's, and you should never forget, "that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Pet. 1:18-19). Our call, therefore, as Christians is to be obedient to the Word of God, not to, "be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Pet. 1:14-16).

We are all called to be holy in all of our conduct. We are all called to glorify God in our bodies. Therefore, each of us can profit from pointing the finger at ourselves (as it certainly properly points) and wrestling with these sexual sins that arguably all of us struggle with. We all struggle in different degrees, and we only lie to ourselves and deceive ourselves if we think that this subject does not apply to us.

Sexual sinners, you know who you are.

You are a young man or a young woman with a curious passion and desire for all things sexual because it is a great mystery to you. Perhaps you are curious about the opposite sex and you must admit that you have gone a little too far at times in your pursuit of extinguishing your curiosity. You speak about sexual subjects that are not edifying with your friends and you do not hesitate to tell or hear a sexual joke. You might not go out of your way to find a picture of a scantly clad woman or man, but when you happen upon one in an advertisement or magazine at the grocery check-out, you do not hesitate to take a moment or two to let you imagination go wild. If this is you, and you know who you are, then you are guilty of sexual sins.

Maybe you are more "innocent" when it comes to sexual sins as a teen. You are content without knowing about sex and giving into your sexual curiosity.The Lord has blessed you with a contentment to keep sex a mystery until you are married. You do have a great desire to get married, though. Searching for that special someone that you hope to spend the rest of your life with, you have gone on a few dates or "outings" with someone that seems to peak your interest. Your intentions are innocent enough as the night begins, but as the night progresses you find yourself being tempted to think of your date in other ways. Perhaps you hold hands. Perhaps you even kiss. You never thought that you would have to admit this, but sexual thoughts about your date did cross your mind at several points throughout the night. If this is you, and you know who you are, then you are guilty of sexual sins.

Perhaps you are a young man or a young woman and your interest in the sexual realm is not as "innocent." You are a hypocrite through and through. You profess faith in Christ and you believe that all sexual sins are abominable in public, but your private life tells a much different story. You play the role of a pious Christian very well around your friends at school and at church, but when nobody is watching, you indulge in the most vile and putrid habits: sexual sin! You find yourself enjoying movies with nudity, indulging in pornographic material on the internet, and you have no desire to stop any time soon. You feel like you are addicted, and part of you wants to stop but the other part desires to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes. In public your profess Christ but in private you are the devil's. Perhaps you feel like you are fighting a battle or perhaps you feel like you have already surrendered to the enemy. You wish you felt more torn about your sexual and sinful problem, but sadly, you have grown quite accustomed to it. If this is you, and you know who you are, then you are guilty of sexual sins.

Perhaps you are not young anymore. You are a grown man or woman. Maybe you are even married. Sex is no longer a mystery to you and all curiosity has been abated. You are happily married and you are very thankful for the man or woman that God has blessed you to spend the rest of your life with in holy matrimony. You are sitting there, watching your favorite TV show and a commercial comes on for Victoria's Secret. Or maybe you are checking your email and an annoying pop-up shows up on your screen. Maybe you are walking around the mall and a group of teenagers dressed less than modestly catches your eye. Perhaps you went to see a movie that your friend suggested and one scene was more provocative than you were expecting. You hate to admit it, but lust filled your heart. Perhaps it was for a nano-second, but for that nano-second your heart was filled with lust for another woman besides your wife. For that brief moment, you had eyes for another man that is not your husband. If this is you, and you know who you are, then you are guilty of sexual sins.

The list can go on and on. We can all guard ourselves from sexual sins, but we all have a tendency to fall. This series is not going to be as nit-picky as these examples seem to be. I merely want everyone to see that we are all not as "innocent" as we think when it comes to sexual sins. There is no such thing as a trivial sin. If all Adam did in the Garden of Eden was think for a brief second about what it would have been like if he was married to Trudy instead of Eve, then man would be just as fallen as we are today. There is no sin so small or so insignificant that God would have let is slide and spared His only begotten Son for our redemption. We need to take all sin seriously. Every sin is an abomination in God's eyes. If Adam's heart had been filled with lust for less than a second for another woman, then Christ's death upon the cross would be necessary for our salvation. If we lived a perfect life and all we did was take a second glance at a Victoria's Secret ad in the newspaper, the most precious blood of Christ would be required to redeem us from sin and God's wrath toward sinners. Take it seriously because it is serious. Never think that you are off the hook, because more than likely, you are not. This applies to you, and the repercussions of your sinful actions are terrible, personally and corporately.

If this subject applies to you, and you know who you are, then take some time to read 1 Cor. 6:12-20 and think about how this passage applies to you and your union with Christ. Consider the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and what state the temple of your body is in and how you are furnishing your heart for the Lord. This subject applies to all of us. We are all guilty of sexual immorality. Some of us more than others. Read this passage, meditate upon in, and pray about it.

We will look more closely at this passage in the next part, but I thought it was necessary and appropriate to first include everyone in the "guilty" category for two reasons. First, none of us should find pride in thinking that we are above this problem and that we are not tempted to sin in a sexual manner. Secondly, those who are suffering with sexual sins in a worse degree than others should certainly not find excuse knowing that they are not the only ones struggling but they hopefully will find it encouraging that they are not alone. Sexual sins are sin, and there is no certain degree of severity to them. The Word of God does not rate sins on a scale from one to ten, making some more heinous and less forgivable than others. The examples I have provided should suffice enough to include everyone in the category of fallen sinners in need of the grace of God. You may think that your sexual sins are so much worse than others, that they require a special wrath of God, and render your salvation and forgiveness more difficult to obtain. Rest assured, there is no sexual immorality that is beyond the saving power of Christ and Him crucified. Salvation and forgiveness is not for us to obtain but to receive. It is a gift from God. No man is worthy of the gift. Paul tells us that while we were still sinners and completely putrid filth in the sight of our holy Father, devoid of all loveliness, Christ died for us and atoned for all of our wickedness by bearing our iniquities on the cross (Rom. 5:8).

In part two, recognizing that 1 Cor. 6:12-20 applies to each and every one of us as Christians, we will look at how sexual immorality is portrayed as spiritual infidelity. Why is unrepented and unmortified sexual sin in the church so destructive? Does sexual immorality differ from other sins of the flesh, and how? Is adultery in a Christian marriage more destructive than adultery in a non-believing household? Does someone have to been married in order to be guilty of adultery? What does all of this mean for our Christian walks? What does all this mean for the Christian church? If this sin is not mortified either personally or corporately, then what is the effect on the church? Is sexual immorality tantamount to idolatry? Hopefully, part two will answer all or at least most of these questions.

Am I my brother's keeper?

2011-12-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

Preface

For some, surely an exhaustive list comes to mind when you read or hear about a problem that is plaguing the church today. As reformed believers and church reformers, the modern global church often thinks of us as the inevitable pessimists we can tend to be, sometimes. All the reformed church can possibly talk about is what is wrong and never what is right in Christ's body. Or so it can seem at times. So, before I continue down this road, and expose a "clandestine" problem that is plaguing the church today (most likely, even plaguing your own local congregation in one form or another), I want to remind us who the Head of the church is and in whom salvation of sinners individually and the church corporately lies:

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Eph. 1:16-23

We are members of Christ's church, sustained by the power of God and not by the will of men. Therefore, lest we be tempted to view the church institutionally rather than spiritually, I wish to begin by laying this problem at the throne of grace. God has willed this problem to inebriate the church in one form or another according to His righteous plan and will, but I pray, nevertheless, that He might use me, a reckless deviant from the truth who was drawn by name from the pit that I had fallen into head-first by the effectual calling of my gracious Lord and Savior, the Great Shepherd of the flock, Christ Jesus.

Lest we be tempted to grumble like the Israelites in the wilderness, provoking God in His infinite wisdom to account for the state of the church today, we must rest assured that Christ is head over all things to the church, and that He is certainly "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." The state of the church today is precisely where the Lord wills it, and may we recognize that the same spiritual suffering that sanctifies the saint individually is at work in the "washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:26-27). As the Christian life is marked with suffering and trial, so must we recognize that the true church of Christ will always be marked by a constant struggle to uphold the truth and defend the faith. May Christ ultimately be glorified in the short-comings and failures of His church, for no matter how many sinful men abuse the church from within or without, Christ Jesus is forever Lord and there is no violation of this heavenly institution which our Lord and Savior cannot utterly erase and cleanse from sin by His shed blood upon the cross.

With this said, I want it to be recognized that I do not desire to write about yet another problem in the church that is hopeless and risks the church's utter destruction. At the same time, I want to emphasize the perilous path the church ventures down as long as the problem that I desire to expose is not corporately mortified. The individual sins of each member of the body has a detrimental effect upon the whole body. As the Apostle Paul relays, "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" (1 Cor. 12:26). It is my hope and prayer that we would all sooner rejoice together than suffer together. It is my prayer that the following series of blogs will not only cause many saints to individually and humbly seek the Lord's forgiveness for their sins but also that the corporate communion of the saints would welcome back and embrace those who were once lost and now have been found as was the prodigal son.

It is my desire that hypocrites like I once was (and can tend to be) would not only be exposed, but that they would be convicted of their sins, that they would mortify the deeds of their flesh by faith, and that the church would actively involve itself in their preservation by faith as well. The church is spoken of as an individual consisting of many members rather than many individuals making up a corporation. Therefore, each member is not an individual amidst many others but is a member of the individual church itself. Therefore, accountability is not only influential but is necessary within the church, because whether we like to admit it or not, the Christian walk of our brother and sister directly influences our walk with the Lord as well. We are not all disconnected ligaments, tendons, and sinews of the body that just sit upon each other. We are not like a towering skyscraper that looms over the city below having been built by just resting steel upon steel without weld or screw so that the smallest wind at the top sends the whole structure plummeting to the earth. No, we are all connected. The tendons connect muscle to muscle as the ligaments connect muscle to bone. The church functions much the same way, as Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 12. One muscle of the body cannot move on its own without involving the other muscles that surround it. Therefore, one member of the body cannot struggle without involving all those who surround him or her.

Have you recognized this in your own congregation? Have you noticed that the struggles of one member becomes the struggle of every member? As one muscle moves another, like dominoes, the chain reaction surges through the whole body until every member in the church feels pulled in one direction or another. Therefore, we can see how important it is that we not only pray for our brother or sister in the Lord, but that we seek to encourage them in their Christian walk as much as we can. One person's sin problem is not just that one person's problem. It affects us all. If your brother or sister is struggling with sin then you too are struggling with that sin as well. We are not only connected but intertwined together as the body of Christ. In this sense, accountability is necessary within the church. When was the last time you asked someone how their walk in the Lord is going? Or if you have been asked that question, how honest were you with the person who asked you? Am I my brother's keeper? We are not responsible for our brother's and sister's sins, but at some point we must ask, "If I am not part of the solution to their problem then must I inevitably become a cause of their continued struggle?" As long as they struggle, you too will struggle.

With this in mind, I want to begin a series of blogs and "short" writings that focus on a problem that I am but all too acquainted with: sexual sins. I am willing to attest with some confidence that each and every congregation across this country has at least one member who is direly struggling with some sort of sexual sin (even within reformed churches). They struggle as an individual, and their struggle, whether known or not, becomes a struggle for the whole body. Whether it is pornography on the internet, premarital sexual relations, or an insatiable lust of the heart and flesh towards members of the opposite sex, I am willing to venture that this problem is a predominate cause of struggle amidst the Body of Christ today.

Sexual immorality within the church has become a taboo subject. The church as a whole would rather believe that we are devoid of these kinds of problems then recognize the influence these unabated problems are rendering within the church. When was the last time your pastor preached upon one of the numerous passages throughout the Scriptures that allude to the destructive power of sexual sins? Paul tells the believers in Corinth:

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you."
1 Cor. 5:9-13

What does this passage have to do with a lack of pastoral teaching upon the subject of sexual immorality? Well, as a Christian struggling with sexual immorality, you might feel like you are fighting this battle alone, and if anyone in the church were to find out about your struggle with sexual sins then you would be purged from your very dear Christian family and that you would be disassociated from the church.

What about this passage from Ephesians:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
Eph. 5:1-11

Without Biblical exegesis of this passage, can you see how a Christian struggling with sexual sins could feel like they are out of place and must keep their sin hidden lest they be ejected from the church? If only they knew that these passages that would seem to remove them from the church truly mean to include them by calling them to repent, to put off the old self, and to put on the new self in Christ. Compare these passages with Paul's exhortation to Christian believers in Colossians:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Col. 3:1-8

How many pilgrims on their way have been discouraged by the church's avoidance of the subject of sexual immorality? Paul exhorts us to put to death or mortify these sins. That is to say, if you are struggling with these things then it is not because you are outside of Christ but because your sanctification has just begun. You once walked in these things when you were living in them, but now you must mortify them all. The church must recognize that the public profession of faith is not the culmination of the pilgrimage of faith but that it is merely the very establishment of it. When we hear our children or our new-found brother or sister stand before the congregation and give their public profession of faith, we must never hear it as the victory proclamation over sin but as the declaration of war with sin. Our baptism symbolizes our death to sin and our resurrection unto life in Christ. "You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God...Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness." Now that you are hidden with Christ in God you are thoroughly equipped for the work of the Spirit in your life to put to death that which is earthly in you.

As I continue on in this series, I want accomplish two things. First, I want those in the church who are struggling with sexual sins to feel the weight of their sins, be convicted by the authoritative Word of God and a scriptural treatment of sexual immorality, and hopefully, turn from their walk in unrighteousness and cling ever more to the author and perfecter of their faith, Jesus Christ. Secondly, I want to encourage Christians everywhere to rethink their approach to sexual immorality within the church. I want to challenge Christians everywhere to consider what they should do if and when they find out their brother or sister is struggling with sexual sins. I want them to consider how they can approach and broach the subject with someone that they suspect might be struggling with sexual sins. I want to challenge parents to consider their covenant children's vulnerability to sexual sins and to consider whether they are relying upon faith or works to protect their children. I want to challenge covenant children and young adults to consider their vulnerability to sexual sins and to consider whether they too are relying upon faith or works to guard their hearts. Finally, I want to challenge young and older people in the church alike to consider their role in the life and faithful walk of a brother or sister that has confessed a struggle with sexual sins.

The question that lies ahead of us is not only will you hold your brother or sister accountable with their sinful struggles, but are you accountable for being your brother's or sister's keeper in this regard?

Next post: Sexual Sins: Spiritual Infidelity (1 Cor. 6:17-20)

Do you choose the Christian church, or does the Christian Church choose you?

2011-11-22T05:40:00.000-08:00

            I am noticing that a lot of a church's ecclesiology stems from their theology, and not necessarily their theology of the church. Michael Jinkins (2003) quotes John Locke's argument that, "if afterwards he discover anything either erroneous in the doctrine or incongruous in the worship of that society to which he has joined himself, why should it not be as free for him to go out as it was to enter?" (p. 182). When John Locke wrote these words, there was a very real and very oppressive state church dictating what everyone should believe. If someone were not a member in the state church then they were practically alienated from the state and their citizenship was void. Jinkins (2003) writes that, "herein lies also a hint of the alienation of persons, the dissension and spirit of schism, as well as the impulse to exclusion that has been inseparable from the story of Protestantism in general and of North American evangelicalism in particular" (p. 183). Jinkins recognizes a stark difference between applying John Locke's quote to believers whose faith was oppressed and stifled in the state churches of his time and the individualism and voluntarism that plagues much of the church today. Anymore, church is not about worshiping God and the communion of saints, but for some it is about what makes them feel good during worship and the communion of like-minded people (whether they are saints or not).
            I am sure almost every congregation either is dealing with or has dealt with the problems that individualism and voluntarism present to the church. Our congregation has experienced many different types of people with a mindset that the church is most importantly about what they are comfortable with both theologically and ecclesiologically. For example, on more than one occasion, we have had families come and visit who have tried to persuade the whole congregation and the session that their doctrinal convictions are right and ours are wrong. This form of individualism is worse than most because most individualism in the church is expressed by vagabond Christians who just cannot seem to find a place to worship because nobody else is as picky as they are on just the right doctrines and church polity. There was one gentlemen that visited our church for a good month or two who was an ardent dispensationalist. Our Sunday school class at the time was about the Temple, and every week, this gentlemen would go out of his way to speak up and try to persuade all of us that his ideas were right and that our approach was all wrong. Such behavior and arrogance was not edifying whatsoever, but became a constant nuisance. Eventually, although we would have been more than happy if he decided to stay and continue worshiping with us, the session told the man that we are a confessional church and we will never be dispensationalists because we adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith. If he wanted to worship in a church with like-minded people, he would never really feel comfortable with us.
            Returning back to my first point, however, we are what we believe. If we believe that the church is a representative body of Christ, united to Him by the Holy Spirit, and chosen from before the foundations of heaven and earth by the Father, then our ecclesiology and polity will reflect that belief. If we believe that the church is more about the individual, to come and go as they please, to worship where they feel the most comfortable with others who believe in the same things they do, then our ecclesiology and polity will reflect that belief. Of course, to a certain degree, we all choose a church, respectively. However, in a broader context, the universal church chooses us. That is to say, Christianity is not a choice but a calling. The problem I see with the individualism and voluntarism that seems to be running rampant in the church is that it does not bring us closer together as one Body of Christ, but rather breaks us down into more and more divisions. If the church is all about the individual's free choice and voluntary right to choose, then what happens is churches stop preaching the Gospel truth and instead they start marketing to a world full of individuals. The church down the street is not seen as another flock of Christ but as competition. Instead of feeding the lambs, pastors water down their sermons to the point where there is not even milk in them anymore lest they offend someone and those individuals move onto another church. Then you have other individuals who go from church to church, looking for someplace to attend, but nobody seems to be the Goldilocks church for them and "just right." Therefore, they decided to start their own church to suit their own needs. But what if the reason that there is no church that is "just right" for them is because they're everything but right when it comes to their stance on ecclesiology, worship, or other doctrinal convictions?
            Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Eph 1:3-6)
            God chose us to be members of His family in Christ before the foundation of the world. The true body of Christ has been chosen. If you are Christ's, then the church (the body of Christ) chooses you. I am sure that many who read this will completely disagree with the idea of predestination and effectual calling. After reading through the texts for this class, however, it seems like this theological principle is a major architect of your approach to ecclesiology and polity. If salvation is asking Jesus into your heart and seeking after a personal relationship with God then your ecclesiology will most likely resemble your voluntarism and individualistic salvation. If nothing else, let me ask you to consider this: what child ever puts itself up for adoption? What child ever sits at an orphanage voluntarily and waits for the right parents to come along and when they do, has the ability to force them to adopt it? "In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will (not ours), to the praise of his glorious grace (not our individuality and ability to choose), with which he has blessed us in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). So, yes, we might choose what church we wish to worship at, but the Body of Christ chooses us. We are engrafted into the vine. We are not wandering limbs looking for a tree to attach ourselves to. So, does, "one only [become] a Christian by a conscious and individual act" (Jinkins quoting Tracy Strong, 2003)?

References:

Jinkins, M. (2003). The "gift" of the church: Ecclesia crucis, peccatrix, maxima, and the missio dei. In J. J. Stackhouse, Evangelical ecclesiology: Reality or illusion? (pp. 179-212). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

On Church Schism

2011-11-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

Schism has been an unwelcome and crippling mark of the universal church since the beginning. Even Corinth, one of the first organized Christian churches, was plagued by schism and division of the communion of the saints. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human?" (1 Cor. 3:4). In this verse, Paul recognizes the cause for schism and division within the church: mere humanity. Division within the body of Christ is a effect of many human errors, but perhaps above all, it is the fault of pride within our fallen hearts. In James 4, James recognizes quarrelling among believers in the church, and in both verse six and verse ten, he reminds us that God gives grace to the humble and exalts those who approach Him in humility. Each denomination and division within the church proudly boasts of having a more perfect and more correct knowledge of theology and therefore a more pious praxis of their faith. Throughout history, the church has found it better and more acceptable to dismember the body of Christ than to humbly bear with their brother's perceived error on certain doctrinal convictions. John Calvin (1989) writes, "whenever ecclesiastical unity is commended to us, the thing required is, that while our minds consent in Christ, our wills also be united together by mutual good-will in Christ." Throughout Scripture, we read of "one body and one Spirit" (Eph. 4:4) and "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:5). We are taught to be of one mind and one accord (Phil. 2:2), and to "do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves" (Phil. 2:3). Of all the doctrines that support the buttress of our faith that are worthy of being defended to the uttermost without compromise, the unity of the body of Christ is often the most neglected and most abused. We divide and divide and divide some more that which should never be torn asunder.

Calvin (1989) writes that when, "schisms arise, it is because men return not to the origin of the truth, because they seek not the head, because they keep not the doctrine of the heavenly Master." In order to more fully and more elegantly describe this idea, Calvin (1989) quotes Cyprian:

There is one Church, which by increase from fecundity is more widely extended to a multitude, just as there are many rays of the sun, but one light, and many branches of a tree, but one trunk upheld by the tenacious root. When many streams flow from one fountain, though there seems wide spreading numerosity from the overflowing copiousness of the supply, yet unity remains in the origin. Pluck a ray from the body of the sun, and the unity sustains no division. Break a branch from a tree, and the branch will not germinate. Cut off a stream from a fountain, that which is thus cut off dries up. So the Church, pervaded by the light of the Lord, extends over the whole globe, and yet the light which is everywhere diffused is one.

Calvin used the example of the Old Testament prophets, priests, and kings in order to convey the necessity of church unity despite doctrinal disputes. Throughout the Old Testament, the land of Israel saw many abuses and constant adultery with false religions. Faithful men like Elijah, Hezekiah, and Hilkiah did not respond to the complete desecration of the Temple, of the Kingdom of Israel, and of the lying tongues of false prophets with schism but with reform. These men would not abandon the rest of the people of God, they would not split from the rest of the people even though all hope of turning the people back to their holy God seemed lost, and they did not separate from the rest of Israel to establish a new, truer Israel. No, the Old Testament shares the stories and accounts of faithful prophets, priests, and kings who endured terrible persecution from their own people while trying to draw the people back to God through the Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and life. It would have been easier for these men to split from the nation of Israel and establish a new nation of Israel, one that remembered the promises of God towards those who are faithful, one that did not desecrate His temple with prostitutes and all vile idolatry, and one that did not have a king that abused his power and authority over God's people. If anyone had reason to separate from the visible people of God because of abuses within the church, it was these men. But recognizing that there was no precedence in Scripture for separating the promise of God into smaller entities, even for the sake of seeking to purify a nation plagued with false doctrines and terrible idolatries (heresies) by starting anew, these men risked their lives to reform the nation of Israel rather than form a new nation of Israel.

Sadly, today's church is plagued with exponentially worse divisions than those that are acted on the grounds and for the sake of true doctrine. Today's church is plagued with marketing ploys and church divisions that center around meeting the needs of individuals rather than caring for the body of Christ. Niche marketing endeavoring to draw a certain crowd into a building for worship is becoming more and more popular Not only is the church universal being compartmentalized into denominations to suit every doctrinal fancy, but now denominations and even local church congregations are being further divided into services to meet different age groups and social genres. There are now services for young men, young women, young couples, older couples, families, and even single mothers.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for claiming that He was casting out demons by the power of Satan by telling them that, "if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand" (Mark 3:25). Nevertheless, Christians neglect this teaching more and more as denomination attacks denomination, and brother attacks brother over doctrinal disagreements. There are certainly doctrines that are necessary for the Christian faith; doctrines that separate the sheep from the goats. However, many of the divisions in the church have not been on account of the doctrine of the Trinity, but rather, on the doctrine of baptism or the doctrines of worship. It is no wonder the modern church is straying farther and farther away from the study of theology, creeds, confessions, and catechesis. As the church continues to divide, the schisms are blamed on doctrine. But is it doctrine or is it proud, mere men? Is it the doctrines that divide the church or is it the men who cannot stand the thought of worshipping the same triune God, resting in the same grace of the Father, faithfully remembering the same risen Savior, being united to Him by the same Holy Spirit, hearing the preaching of the same Word of God, communing at the same Lord's Table, and being baptized by the same baptism with another man that does not have the same doctrinal convictions as he? The church must regain its focus on the head of the church, the trunk of the tree, the sun of the rays of light, and the fountain head of the waters of life. A house divided against itself cannot stand, and yet we willfully tear apart the body of Christ, dismembering it and inflicting more damage to it than any non-heretical disagreement could ever sustain. The church is divided because of man, but thankfully, the church will be united once more because of Christ, the Great Shepherd of the flock, the Head of the Body, the King of the Kingdom of Heaven, the Redeemer of the People of God, the Vine of the Branches, and the only begotten Son of God who preserves the church despite its self-destructive behavior. In closing, Philip Schaff says it best when he writes:

The infallible word of promise, confirmed by experience, assures us that all corruptions, heresies, and schisms must, under the guidance of divine wisdom and love, subserve the cause of truth, holiness, and peace; till, at the last judgment, Christ shall make his enemies his footstool, and rule undisputed with the sceptre of righteousness and peace, and his church shall realize her idea and destiny as "the fullness of him that filleth all in all."

References:

Calvin, J. (1989). Institutes of the Christian religion. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Schaff, P. (2006). History of the Christian church. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.

Effectual Calling: I'll be brief

2011-10-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:17-20)

Young men and women, this is an especially pertinent passage to meditate upon. How many times have we all come across this passage and just glossed over it? We heard it in our childhood, and we were more interested in the fact that Simon and Andrew were fishermen than we were in the miracle herein contained. We will briefly dissect this passage in order to see the glorious truths contained within it, and we will start by considering Jesus' sermon.

It is a brief sermon. His preaching is concise. It is to the point. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." It is not sophisticated. It does not require a lot of thought to digest. Initially, it strikes you as something that your pastor has included in at least a half dozen of his sermons. There is nothing out of the ordinary about this message. It is the same old doom and gloom message that we have all heard before. You think to yourself sarcastically, I better repent or else I will not enter into heaven. As you hear the words of Jesus, you may even picture a shaggy looking man holding a doom and gloom poster on the corner of the street screaming out to all passers by, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

You have heard these words before, and they had no effect on you. What have you to repent from? Why should you repent? How can you repent? What does repentance have to do with the kingdom of heaven? How can Matthew say that Jesus began to preach and record only one sentence?

Surely there must have been more to Jesus' preaching than this. This is not the kind of preaching we hear in churches anymore. This is doom and gloom prophesy. This is almost as bad as Jonathan Edward's Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. There is no choice set before you, but rather, a command. Repent! Repent from sin. Repent from sin because the kingdom of heaven is at hand and the goats will be separated from the sheep. Repent by turning from your wicked and sinful ways and rest wholly and completely upon the finished work of Christ your risen savior. No man or woman shall ever enter the kingdom of heaven stained and blemished by sin, and apart from Christ, there is no holiness or perfect righteousness. The preaching of Jesus is the same as the preaching of John the baptist. The same message is proclaimed. You grow tired of hearing it, and yet for all the times you have heard those words you have never considered their weight. Your ears are deaf and your eyes are blind to the glorious truth contained in this very simple sentence. You think that it will take more than one sentence to persuade you to consider accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. It will take more than a doom and gloom sermon to cause you to ask Jesus into your heart. More than this message from Christ will be necessary before you consider having a personal relationship with God. If these are your thoughts, then rest in peace. Put your mind at ease. Do not trouble your heart or soul. Rest easy, my friend, because the choice is not yours.

Jesus' words are not a choice put before you, but a command. The statement is not conditional. If you will repent, then you will enter into the kingdom of heaven. Or, if you desire to enter into the kingdom of heaven, then you must repent. No, the command is strong! The command is succinct! The command is strict! REPENT! It is not a choice of whether or not you will ask Jesus into your heart. Will you repent? Will you obey? Will you see the kingdom of heaven at hand? Will you see the stain of sin upon your person? Will you see that there is no cleansing of this stain without the pure blood of Christ? You do not have the luxury of time. You do not have the ability to wait and contemplate whether or not you will obey the command. Christ is calling you. Repent sinner, for the time is now at hand! Do not put it off another day! Do not wait until later to take your eternal state into consideration. You think you have until tomorrow. You think you can wait until another day to consider these things more in depth. The kingdom of heaven is at hand, now! This calling requires your immediate attention. This now brings us to Simon and Andrew.

Imagine, you are sitting in a boat. You are a fisherman, and this is not out of the usual. In fact, this is normal. You do this every day of the week. You get up early in the morning, tend to the nets, tend to the boat, cast off into the sea, and fish. You know your trade well, and it is all you really know. You have done it all of your life and you cannot see yourself doing anything else.

Along comes a man, walking along the shore. He yells out to you and your brother, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Who in their right mind would stop what they are doing, return to shore, throw their entire life aside, and follow a complete stranger? Were Simon and Andrew so desperate to quit the only trade they ever knew and follow the first person to come along with a different approach to life? Surely, Simon and Andrew thought, "Fishers of men? Sounds legitimate to me!" and got to the shore as fast as possible.

Matthew records the duration of time between Jesus' calling and their response. Immediately. Without hesitation. Straightaway. As soon as Jesus called them, they answered and followed.

There is no reasoning. There is no contemplation. Jesus did not call out to Simon and Andrew, "Hey guys? You want to be friends?" Jesus spoke with authority. Follow me. Simon and Andrew did not ask questions. They followed Him, and they did so without a moment's hesitation. They did not consider the costs. They did not hesitate to leave their lives behind. They did not ask questions or seek sound reasoning behind Jesus' command. To the world, their response is sheer foolishness, but to many a man and woman that has heard the same calling and responded in the same way, it is effectual calling.

Repent! Follow me! This is the calling to you. You will either obey or not. You will either answer or not. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. The king of the kingdom is calling you. Bear his cross daily, lose your life, and you will gain it. Leave your tackle box, your fishing rod, and all you have ever known, and fall in rank immediately. If the King of the kingdom of heaven comes before you and tells you to repent and to follow him, will you ask, "Why should I? What's in it for me? What can you offer me that all these other religious figures can't? Why do I even need to follow a king? Why can't I just live my life any way I want and be content with that? Surely, there is not more than this life. What more could there possibly be? Could there be an eternity more? If there is, who is to say which faith is the right one? Why should I follow Jesus and not Buddha?" If these are your thoughts, you need not ask so many questions. The king is no longer present. He has called you to repent and follow him, and as you pondered the idea, the ranks have passed you by. If you do not fall in rank immediately, then this army is not for you. For if you were a loyal subject to this king, you would obey his command.

Surely, there is much much more to the doctrine of effectual calling that I have not included in this brief look. Christ Jesus knows his sheep by name. If they are His, they will answer when He calls. Only those who are enlisted will fall into rank. Only those who are predestined will immediately respond to Christ's call. With this in mind, will you follow immediately or wait for the next king to pass by and consider joining his ranks. There is only one kingdom of heaven and there is only one true king. The commands are very simple. Repent! Follow me! Do not make it harder than it is. Turn to Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit would regenerate your heart, replacing your heart of stone with a heart of flesh. Pray that God the Father would declare you righteous, pardoning your sin and imputing the righteousness of Christ upon you. Pray that all the rest of your days would not be spent contemplating the meaning of life and what there is possibly after life, but resting instead upon the work of the Holy Spirit conforming you more and more into the image of your great, eternal, and glorious King Jesus!

Do not wait, but let your response be immediate like Simon and Andrew! Let it be said of you:

Immediately they left their nets and followed Him!

Or have I?

2011-05-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
Psalms 40:9-10

Or have I?

Reading these verses today was very convicting. These are clearly not my words. These are clearly not my thoughts. I honestly had my fair share of opportunities to share glad news of deliverance today...but I did not. I have hidden God's deliverance within my heart. Like Jonah, I keep running away. God keeps telling me to go to Ninevah, but I keep turning my back on what God commands and run to Tarshish. Am I like Jonah? Do I fear that the people I share the glad news of deliverance will hear it and believe? Do I fear that God will relent of His anger towards them, draw them to Himself by the Spirit, reveal the precious blood of Christ poured out for our salvation, and they will look upon the cross with eyes of faith and be saved?

All of the 'haves' of David are 'have nots' for me, and vice versa. I have not told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation. I have restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. I have hidden your deliverance within my heart. I have not spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation. I have concealed you steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. I have buried my talent, only to return it to you when you return. Others around me are investing their talents, and are using the talent you gave them to gather more and more for you. My talent lies in the dirt, not even collecting interest in a bank. What is the outcome to be expected? Will you not return and remove the talent from me and give it to the one who earned the most?

What are we so afraid of? Is being a Christian such a crime? Is sharing the good news with those you care about "pushing your religion on others"? Is the Gospel not cool enough? We do not want to be judgmental Christians. We do not want others to think that we are better than them. But where is there room for me in the Gospel? What do I have to proclaim by sharing it besides the glory of God?! Sharing the Gospel is not about saying, "Look at me! Look what I have done! Jesus died for my sins and accepted Him into my life! What a good person I am!" Heaven forbids! Sharing the Gospel is proclaiming, "I am a sinner. I was born in sin. Conceived in sin! I was dead in my trespasses and sins. I did not seek God, but rather, I rebelled against Him. I hated Him. He was my enemy. And yet, He loved me. With no warrant of my own, He loved me. He sent His Son to become the propitiation for my sins. Jesus fulfilled the Law that I broke no matter what, and He imputed His righteousness to me. Jesus placed pure vestments upon my shoulders and placed my filthy rags upon His. He became a curse for me, nailed my sins to the cross, and bore the punishment of God's wrath for my sins. He died. He was buried, but in three days He rose again. His disciples witnessed the risen Christ, and one of the church's greatest persecutors, the chief of all sinners, witnessed the risen Savior. Jesus ascended into Heaven, sending the Spirit as our helper and comforter as we now await Christ Jesus' return. The Spirit is with me, effectually calling me from death, placing the promise of salvation in Christ Jesus as a gift of grace upon me, and leading me out of sin, and conforming me more and more into the image of my Lord and Savior through my sanctification. Look at me. I did nothing. I am a sinner. But by the grace of God, Christ's righteousness has been imputed to me for salvation. Believe and be saved, fellow sinner. Fear God and kiss the Son lest you perish in your ways!"

What's so hard about that? That is good news! And judging from what I see every morning on the national news, our friends and families could use some real good news. Pray for me, as I also pray for you, brothers and sisters. Let Christ's Gospel be on our tongues. Let us pray that the Spirit would enable these words to be on our tongues. Let us share glad news of deliverance. Let God's kingdom reign now and forevermore. Let us share the good tidings we have to bring with those we love but yet live in sin. The lost cannot find hope if those that have been given hope remain silent. Conceal this truth not. Let it be proclaimed. No matter the cost. To live is Christ, and to die is gain. There is no greater call than this!

The Emergent Church and the Decline of Biblical Hermeneutics

2011-04-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

A new conversation is brewing within the Christian community in America. The conversation started small and insignificant, but the ideas, orthodoxy, and mission of this once small voice have transformed into a loud and convincing conversation that is "a powerful force in North American Christianity with the potential to bring radical changes to churches across the continent," (Barbour & Toews, 2010, p. 33), and "has the potential of being to North American Christianity what Reformation Protestantism was to European Christianity” (2004, Tickle). This conversation, more commonly known as the Emergent Church movement, is seeking to rebuild the Christian faith from the ground up by first demolishing the "foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20, ESV); the very foundation the Christian church rests upon. According to Travis Barbour and Nicholas Toews (2010, p. 32), graduate students from Columbia Bible College, "the Emerging Church movement is about forming church communities that fit the postmodern cultural context"; a context that clings to the rejection of "an unassailable basis on which all other knowledge can be built" (p. 34). The Emergent Church appeals to postmodern thought by rejecting foundationalism, and therefore, they deny the self-sufficiency, infallibility, and supreme authority of Scripture as the Word of God, placing Scripture under the authority of the church community. As the Emergent Church movement continues to gain momentum and as emergent leaders gain more notoriety through their book sales one must ask if their rejection of unassailable truth and their method of Biblical interpretation are legitimate uses and understandings of the Holy Scriptures, and if not, what harm could result within the Christian church.

Kevin DeYoung (2008), senior pastor of University Reformed Church in Michigan, writes that, "Defining the emerging church is like nailing Jell-O to the wall" (p. 17). The Emergent Church movement is new, it "[does] not see the need for centralized, pastoral leadership" (Barbour & Toews, 2010, p. 33), and "Emergent authors, bloggers, and pastors do not see themselves as leaders or authoritative theologians, but as talkers" (DeYounge & Kluck, 2008, p. 17). The movement is purposefully vacuous and devoid of form and foundation precisely because of its anti-foundational and postmodern approach to doing church. The Emergent Church does not want to be seen as an institution, but rather, they would like to be seen as a new idea and a new, open discussion forum about what Christianity is and what Christians ought to believe. Tony Jones (2008), pastor of an Emergent church in Minnesota, writes that, "Emergents believe that church should function more like an open-sourced network and less like a hierarchy or a bureaucracy" (p. 108). However, "once you start selling thousands of books, speaking all over the country and world, and being looked to for spiritual and ecclesiastical direction, you're no longer just a conversation partner" (2008, p.17), argues DeYoung and Kluck. Therefore, the Emergent Church is best defined by the conglomeration of numerous pastors, authors, and leaders in the movement, and "its spirit is surely captured in authors like Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Peter Rollins, Spencer Burke, David Tomlinson, Leonard Sweet, Rob Bell, and Tony Jones" (2008, p. 19).

Although there is no written, concrete constitution or creed of the Emergent Church, the leaders in the Emergent Church have published dozens of books that outline, describe, and defend what they believe about many Christian doctrines, including their views on Scripture. In order to get a firm grasp of what the Emergent Church believes about Scripture's authority, inerrancy, and sufficiency, one must first turn to the published works of many of the Emergent Church leaders.

Brian McLaren (2004), founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church and a member of the board of directors for emergentvillage.org, writes that, "Scripture is something God has ‘let be,’ and so it is at once God’s creation and the creation of the dozens of people and communities and cultures who produced it” (p. 180, emphasis original). This claim would seem to propose that the Scriptures are not entirely God's Word but also the words of the men that injected themselves into it while writing it. Similarly, Rob Bell (2005), founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Michigan, writes that, "The Bible is a collection of stories that teach us about what it looks like when God is at work through actual people" (p. 65, emphasis original), and that the Bible's authority flows from the fact that "it contains stories about people interacting with the God who has all authority" (p. 65). Both McLaren and Bell emphasize that the Bible's authority rests not upon God alone but also upon the witness of the people of God who actually put pen to paper. To solidify his point further, Bell (2005) argues that "when people say that all we need is the Bible, it is simply not true" (p. 68) because "we got the Bible from the church voting on what the Bible even is" (pp. 67-68).

Bell (2005) also argues that "the Bible is open-ended" (p. 46) and it is the church's duty to foster discussion on how to interpret the Bible for each culture, generation, and individual. That is to say that, "God has spoken, and everything else is commentary" (p. 52), and that "the Bible has to be interpreted [and] decisions have to be made about what it means now, today" (p. 55). Bell also argues that the Bible is not perspicuous (clear and understandable) but that Christians require the community of the church in order to fully grasp and understand what the Bible teaches. Bell rejects the notion that "a person can simply read the Bible and do what it says - unaffected by any outside influences" (p. 54), and "that there is a way to read the Bible that is agenda- and perspective-free" (p. 53).

The Emergent Church's perspectives on the perspicuity, authority, and self-sufficiency of the Word of God stem from their postmodern understanding of "truth". Bell (2005) portrays postmodern "truth" when he compares truth to "a pool that you dive into, and you start swimming toward the bottom, and soon you discover that no matter how hard and fast you swim downward…the bottom will always be out of reach” (p. 33). Bell believes that God is truth, but "because truth is insight into God and God is infinite and God has no boundaries or edges...truth always has layers and depth and texture" (p. 33). Bell clearly articulates the Emergent Church's acceptance that God is the absolute truth, but because He is infinite and boundless and we are bound to this world and finite creatures we cannot understand Him as He is. "The mystery is the truth," (Bell, 2005, p. 33), and "being a Christian then is more about celebrating mystery than conquering it" (p. 34). With this view of the truth, the Bible is no more infallible than the person that reads it. The Bible contains truth in the Emergent Church, but finite men can only fallibly interpret and understand it. Therefore, the community of the church must come along, foster discussion on what the Bible means, and the majority interpretation of the church determines the authority of the Scriptures. According to McLaren (2010), "It becomes clear that the Bible, if it is truly inspired by God, wasn’t meant to end conversation and give the final word on controversies" (p. 92), but, rather, it was given to us by God and men as a tool to stimulate conversation within the community of God's people.

The Emergent Church's communal view of Scripture's authority, sufficiency, and perspicuity is a detachment from the classic orthodox understanding of Scripture. Regarding the Bible's authority, the Scriptures do not rely on the external authority of the church, but, rather, rely on the internal authority and evidence within both the Old and New Testaments that they are the very Word of God (2 Sam. 23:2, John 14:26, 1 Thess. 4:8, 1 Cor. 2:13, 2 Pet. 3:15-16). The external evidence of the church is important, but is subordinate to the internal evidence contained within Scripture itself of being God's Word.

Concerning Scripture's sufficiency, G.I. Williamson (2004), an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, demonstrates that "Christ said that he was 'the truth' (John 14:6), and we believe he embodied the whole truth (Col. 2:9)" (p. 14). Christ has revealed the truth in its entirety and He has revealed all that God the Father has spoken (John 15:15) that we might know God (John 14:7). Therefore, the whole truth is known in the Scriptures. How else could Paul command believers to put on the whole armor of God in Eph. 6:11 if the sword of the spirit was not solid and sufficient to combat "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (v. 12)?

Finally, concerning Scripture's perspicuity, Cornelius Van Til (1974), a professor of systematic theology and apologetics, writes that, "No human interpreter need come between the Scripture and those to whom it comes" (p. 140). The Apostle Paul teaches us that all Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). In verse 15, Paul points out that even children are capable of being acquainted with the teachings of Scripture. There is no mention of the mediation of a communal interpretation or the necessity of the church to discuss how to properly understand what the Bible teaches before it is made profitable. As Williamson (2004) argues, "It is the original lie of Satan that God, speaking in his Word, needs an interpreter to give man infallible guidance (Gen. 2:17; 3:4)" (p. 17).

The Emergent Church's understanding and appreciation for the authority, sufficiency, and perspicuity of Scripture is an obvious detachment from the classic views of Scripture. The Emergent Church's view on Scripture more closely resembles Roman Catholic views on Scripture than Protestant views. Williamson (2004) notes that the Roman Catholic Church recognizes that God has spoken to men in the Bible, but they "teach that God has not made clear what he means, and so above the Word of God must stand the authoritative interpretation of the Church" (p. 17). This is precisely what Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and the Emergent Church are proposing as an alternative to the classic orthodox view of the infallible, authoritative, self-sufficient, and perspicuous Word of God. Therefore, "Rome (and the Emergent Church) would have us trust in the clear word of man rather than the obscure Word of God" (p. 17). However, where the Roman Catholic Church would claim to have the only infallible interpretation of Scripture, the Emergent Church claims that all interpretation of Scripture is fallible, including their own. They also argue that it is more important to discuss Scriptural interpretation within a church community and ask questions than to try to know something about God that is not contained in Scripture to be known. That is to say, it is better to discuss Scripture and not come to a concrete and affirmative conclusion than it is to use Scripture as infallible truth to end Biblical controversies.

Is the Bible open-ended or is the canon (written and revelation) closed? Is Scripture perspicuous and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness by its own account as the Word of God or does it require the mediation of the church in order to be effective? Is the truth revealed in Scripture vacuous, infinite, and unknowable or is the truth absolute, concrete, completely revealed, and unavoidable? Perhaps the most important question to ask is: What is the Christian church without the Word of God?

The Emergent Church is still somewhat small in regards to the number of congregations and members. According to Andy Crouch (2004), a columnist for Christianity Today, "McLaren guesses that 'only a few dozen' churches across the country are fully committed to the theological journey he sketched in A New King of Christian" (p. 41), but the sales of his books and those of his fellow Emergent leaders would suggest that the numbers are much higher, possibly within the tens of thousands. As they continue to write books (like Rob Bell's controversial book Love Wins that received national notoriety), start churches across the continent, and speak at national and global church and pastoral conferences, their ideas on truth, Scripture, the church, the church's mission, and the Gospel will continue to spread across the continent and across the globe.

Michael Horton (2011), professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, recognizes a grave danger in the Emergent Church's communal view of interpreting scripture when he writes that, "In numerous variations, across the theological spectrum, we often imagine as believers and as churches that our speaking is more relevant for our contemporaries than God’s speaking" (p. 200). Instead of accepting Christ as "the most decisive cultural-linguistic location for the covenant people" (p. 201), the church too often seeks to be relevant to the world in a different manner. The Emergent Church seeks to be relevant to modern culture by "forming church communities that fit the postmodern cultural context" (Barbour & Toews, 2010, p. 32). Abandoning the Gospel as it is truthfully, clearly, authoritatively, and self-sufficiently revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament renders the Christian faith innocuous and devoid of any substance worth believing. It becomes nothing more than another idea, another religion, and just another philosophical way of life. Jesus is no longer the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) but is merely "our connection to how things truly are at the deepest levels of existence" (Bell, 2005, p. 83). As Horton (2011) so clearly articulates, "When tradition and culture are given authoritative roles alongside Scripture…the church easily becomes indistinguishable from the world instead of a witness to Christ in the power of the Spirit” (p. 203).

Christians must be valiant for the truth as it is clearly revealed in Scripture. We should diligently search the Scriptures, seek the truth revealed in them, desire to sit under the preaching of them as an effectual means of grace from God (Rom. 10:17), and desire to be taught, reproved, corrected, and trained in righteousness by them through the indwelling of the Spirit. That is not to say that we will not come across anything hard, profound, or difficult to wrestle with in Scripture. The Apostle Peter tells us that there are hard things to understand in Scripture (2 Pet. 3:16). As Williamson (2004) enumerates, "The fact that God has spoken clearly about hard things does not make them easy" (p. 18). To throw in the towel, accept that the truth will always remain mysterious, enter into useless dialogue with others who have also given up on knowing the truth, and then conclude that truth is unknowable and "we have to let it be what it is" (Bell, 2005, p. 34) is not the solution. Bell concludes that "being a Christian then is more about celebrating mystery than conquering it" (p. 34) and embracing Scripture as an enigma. The Westminster Divines, on the other hand, argued that "the infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly" (Williamson, 2004, p. 24). We, as Christians, would do better to search the Scriptures, seeking out the truth revealed therein as the infallible, authoritative, self-sufficient, and perspicuous Word of God, knowing with full surety what God requires of us as His created image bearers, how we have so terribly fallen into sin as to render us unable to restore ourselves into His perfect communion, and how He has worked mightily and gloriously in redemptive history to restore us to Himself once more through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Immanuel!

McLaren (2010) argues that the Bible “was inspired and intended to stimulate conversation, to keep people thinking and talking and arguing and seeking, across continents and centuries” (p. 92). John Calvin (1989), the 16th century reformer, argues that God uses "the light of his Word in order that he might make himself known unto salvation, and bestowed the privilege on those whom he was pleased to bring into nearer and more familiar relation to himself" (p. 64). The contrast between these two differing views on the purpose and usefulness of Scripture is stark. Is the Bible just a conversation piece, a place to start talking about who God is, how we should approach Him, and what we think we should do to be relevant and carry on the Christian message to a new generation that does not believe in an unassailable, knowable truth? Or is the Word of God the special revelation of our Holy Creator, who spoke us into existence, who requires our perfect obedience, and who has promised eternal life to those that place their faith upon Jesus Christ, resting in the truth that He became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13) and bore the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:6) so that we may once more enter into the presence of God, worshiping Him forevermore? God is not a mystery. God is not unknowable, and the Scriptures do not just propound this problem. God became man, and just as sure as the disciples could see the Son of God and know Him, they could see and know the Father through Him (John 14:7).

In the first chapter of John's Gospel we learn that Jesus is the Word of God. The very voice that spoke the world into existence is the voice that cried out "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" upon the cross. Rob Bell (2005) argues that, "The Christian faith is mysterious to the core," and "it is about things and beings that ultimately can't be put into words" (p. 32). The Emergent Church argues that words fail and language is too subjective for anyone to effectively communicate the truth. All language has to be interpreted by someone in order to truly understand the meaning, and because we are not infinite beings like God, we cannot understand the Words of God as they are perfectly portrayed in the Scriptures. However, John articulates, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). This verse is a direct contradiction to the teachings of the Emergent Church on the stance of our inability to know truth and to know God. The truth is not a mystery, but has bore our own finite flesh, and has redeemed body and soul to the infinite, perfect image of God our Father. Adam was infinite and became finite. Christ Jesus was made finite for our sakes and became infinite, everlasting life, and we through him. In Adam, all men died, but in Christ, all men are alive (1 Cor. 15:21-22)! This is the truth of Scripture! This truth is not only knowable but unavoidable. The church must confess and defend this truth rather than suppress and embrace an unnecessary mystery. If we embrace the Emergent Church and their views on Scripture, then the Christian faith worldwide will be altered from a proclamation of the Gospel truth to the lies of an unknown salvation from an unknown God. May God's glory, truth, and Word be raised on high forevermore!

References:

Barbour, T. I., & Toews, N. E. (2010). The Emergent Church: A methodological critique. Direction , 32-40.

Bell, R. (2005). Velvet Elvis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Calvin, J. (1989). Institutes of the Christian religion. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Crouch, A. (November 2004). The emergent mystique. Christianity Today , 37.

DeYoung, K., & Kluck, T. (2008). Why we're not emergent: By two guys who should be. Chicago: Moody Publishers.

Horton, M. (2011). The Christian faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Jones, T. (2008). The new Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent frontier. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

McLaren, B. (2004). A generous orthodoxy. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

McLaren, B. (2010). A new kind of Christianity: Ten questions that are transforming the faith. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Tickle, P. (2004). Foreward by Phyllis Tickle. In B. McLaren, A generous orthodoxy (pp. 9-12). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Van Til, C. (1974). Introduction to systematic theology. Nutley, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed.

Williamson, G. (2004). The Westminster confession of faith for study classes. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

Why it is annoying to read Rob Bell's "Love Wins" (A continuation)

2011-04-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

Many of you might have felt that I had said enough in my last post. I have no doubt that I said more than enough about the passage. But to be fair, Rob Bell does continue his exposition on the passage in later pages. And to be fair, his exposition of Matthew 19 does not get much better. (If you have no idea what I am referring to, I strongly suggest you look at my previous post.)

First things first. Bell does come back to the fact that Jesus questioned the rich man about five out of the six commandments contained in the second table of Ten Commandments. So, in correction, Bell does further elaborate on Jesus' specific omission of the tenth commandment. He first brings the subject up on page 28, but continues the discussion on page 41. There is a lot in between, and I will go back and outline what he claims in those pages. I want to set the record straight, though, that Bell does not dismiss the importance of the omission of the tenth commandment when Jesus listed the commandments to keep.

Bell recognizes that Jesus "leaves out the last command, which prohibited coveting" (p. 41). He got the right answer, but he takes the discovery and goes south with it. There are several observations that Bell makes concerning the omission of the tenth commandment. First, Bell writes that "rich people were rare at that time, so there is good reason to believe that Jesus knew something about (the rich man) and his reputation" (p. 41). This is a very crucial comment that leaves much to be observed about Bell's theology. This one sentence tells us a lot about Bell's knowledge of history, knowledge of credibility, and his belief that Jesus was wholly man and wholly God. What do you mean? Thanks for asking. Let's dissect this one sentence.

Rich people were rare at that time? Who says? Rob Bell does and I guess we are supposed to take his word for it. Unfortunately, there are no footnotes, endnotes, or citations concerning this quite extraordinary claim. I guess every one was poor back then and there were only a handful of rich people at that time. Actually, ironically, Peter's response to Jesus' remark that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God does not seem to concur with Bell's claim. In verse 25, Peter responds, "Who then can be saved?" Looking at Jesus' response to this question we can see in what manner Peter asked the question. It does not appear that Peter asks in the manner "If rich men cannot be saved, then what kind of men can be saved?" but it appears that he is asking "If that's the case, then we're all doomed!"

The fact that Bell makes this claim without providing sources renders his claims suspect. I do not want to make a claim that is too critical, but I will make the observation that there are only a few kinds of people who make substantial claims and think that they are above credibility and the need for referencing, citing, and substantiating their claims. One of which is someone coming up with something completely new, completely unable to be reinforced by others, and completely made up. Another option is someone that is proposing something to a group that he could reinforce but only by people that the group has already rendered without any credibility and unreliable as a reference. It's like positively referencing Al Gore's view of government spending during the GOP National Convention. All I can know for sure is that Bell keeps making historical and theological claims without any references or citations. Leaves his statements suspect.

Finally, Bell's observation that since rich men were a rarity in those days that there was a good chance that Jesus knew who the man was blows me away! What about the fact that Jesus was God?! What about the fact that Jesus' voice created that man's heritage thousands of years past? What about the fact that Jesus was the life that flowed and pulsated through the man's veins? Bell's own words seem to imply that he does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ. Bell also makes this startling comment just prior that further renders his view on the Gospel suspect:

"How do you make sure you'll be part of the new thing God is going to do?...The standard answer was: live the commandments. God has shown you how to live. Live that way. The more you become a person of peace and justice and worship and generosity, the more actively you participate now in ordering and working to bring about God's kind of world, the more ready you will be to assume an even greater role in the age to come" (p. 40).

I know that that whole comment needs a little bit of context, so I am going to do my best to explain what Bell has articulated earlier. I'll try my best to explain Bell's train of thought, but he jumps around so much that it is going to be hard.

The whole point of this chapter (Here is the New There) is to clarify to all of us that Heaven is not a place somewhere else, but rather, that it is right here. Going through Matthew 19, Bell is trying to exposite the rich man's conversation with Jesus to show that even Jesus talked about a heaven in a way that does not agree with the widely accepted concept that the Christian church has held for the past two millenniums (that being that heaven is a place outside of this world). First, Bell talks about how "heaven, for Jesus, was deeply connected with what he called 'this age' and 'the age to come'" (p. 30). Bell claims that "another way of saying 'life in the age to come' in Jesus's day was to say 'eternal life'" (p. 31) and references the use of "this age" and "the age to come" in Luke's rendering of the rich man and Jesus in Luke 18:30.

Bell then goes on to observe that Jesus wasn't the first person to speak about this age and then another age to come: "He came from a long line of prophets who had been talking about life in the age to come for hundreds of years before him" (p. 32). He then claims that Isaiah 2:4 talks about peace on earth (kind of an ironic chapter for him to use considering the way Isaiah prophesies the terror in which God will judge the earth and that the whole premise of his book is that God loves us too much to destroy us forever in Hell). He also misapplies Isaiah 11 and 25 as a reference to Biblical examples of peace on earth. He further misapplies other prophets to say that "people will be given grain and fruit and crops and new hearts and new spirits" and "everything will be repaired and restored and rebuilt and 'new wine will drip from the mountains'" (Ezekiel 36 and Amos 9). After he does so, he writes, "Life in the age to come. If this sounds like heaven on earth, that's because it is. Literally" (p. 33).

Following this statement, he makes these three observations about life in the age to come: 1) "They spoke about 'all the nations.' That's everybody" (p. 34, emphasis original). 2) "One of the most striking aspects of the pictures the prophets used to describe this reality is how earthy it is" (p. 34). 3) And finally, "much of their visions of life in the age to come was not new" (p. 35), after which he observes that Adam and Eve were told to name and order the animals, and in a similar manner, we are going to have to make this world what we want it to be. Oh wait, if you think that's bad, check this statement out: "This participation is important, because Jesus and the prophets lived with an awareness that God has been looking for partners since the beginning, people who will take seriously their divine responsibility to care for the earth and each other in loving, sustainable ways" (p. 36). The god that Bell worships is going to be waiting for a very long time.

What follows? After all of that, Bell articulates his views on the day of the Lord. He claims that on that day God will finally say "Enough is enough"! From this point we can see that Bell has a very low estimation of sin and wickedness. The only people that are sinful before God are the warriors, the rapers, the greedy, the unjust (how he defines it, I don't know), the violent, the proud (see note on unjust), the divisive, the exploiters, and the disgraceful. He then describes God's wrath pouring out on oil spillers, those who sexually assault women, leaders who used political genocide, institutions that seek profit rather than take care of their employees, and "every time we stumble upon one more instance of the human heart gone wrong" (p. 38). That's Bell's God of judgment. How God punishes the guilty, he hasn't articulated yet.

Bell's God of anger is one that pours out wrath on those that have not been loving to their neighbor. As Bell articulates it, God's anger and wrath are only poured out in order to protect the underdogs of the world. His anger is not poured out on all who reject His Son and refuse to kiss the King of Kings. Bell believes that God's anger protects man rather than bringing our holy God glory through his wrath and destruction of sin and unholiness.

To sum up his little exploration of the prophets' supposed view on the "life to come" Bell claims that "[the prophets] did not talk about a future life somewhere else, because they anticipated a coming day when the world would be restored, renewed, and redeemed and there would be peace on earth" (p. 40). (Mind you, we have not even gotten to the part of the book where Bell claims that God's love will eventually save all men.) And this brings us to the previously quoted comment. Scroll up and read it again now that you know the context of Bell's claims about heaven and salvation.

After this long tangent, Bell finally returns to Matthew 19 and Jesus' conversation with the rich man. As he interprets it, Jesus tells the rich man to sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor because "he hasn't learned yet that he has a sacred calling to use his wealth to move creation forward. How can God give him more responsibility and resources in the age to come, when he hasn't handled well what he's been given in this age?" (p. 41). He's not ready for the treasure in heaven if he cannot correctly appropriate the treasure he has now. To close the section, Bell asks the question "What does Jesus mean when he uses that word 'heaven'?" (p. 42). That is where I have stopped and had enough Rob Bell for the day.

Returning to my prior observation, however. I want to use all of this information to deduct Rob Bell's view on sin, Christ, and salvation. Bell does not seem to think that sin is disobedience to God and nonconformity to His will, but rather seems to see it merely as social injustice. Sin is not a detestable act against our Holy God and Creator, but is rather a social crime against the people that surround us.

Bell's view of salvation stems from his view of sin. Instead of man being born in sin through the sins of our first head (Adam) in the garden, Bell seems to believe that some people just make bad decisions. Instead of man's heart being desperately deceitful, he teaches that man just needs to get his act together. Instead of being completely devoid of righteousness and unable to return to communion with our perfect Creator, seeking to glorify Him with unblemished and acceptable worship, and unable to keep the Law of God perfectly, constantly failing and further cascading into the depths of eternal judgment, Bell seems to believe that the only salvation we need is a cleaner, nicer, more peaceful existence on this earth.

In Bell's view of salvation, Jesus has no role to play. He is an example that you could take or leave, but in the long run, God's love will render everyone lovely (that's where the book is headed). Man is self sufficient in Bell's theology, and we are capable of saving ourselves. The Bible teaches us that our good deeds avail nothing and are nothing but (I don't mean to be crass, but this is the literal translation) dirty menstrual clothes (Isa. 64:6) before God, and that no man seeks righteousness or God without the work of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 3:10-11). In our fallen state, we are unable to do any good even if we wanted to, and none of us seek after God apart from being called. If we cannot seek after God and we are unable to do anything that God will accept to make propitiation for our sins and faults, then how in the world are we supposed to be saved? You must look outside of this world. Unlike Bell's theory about heaven on earth, Jesus says, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). The solution is out of this world!

Unlike Bell's world, we need salvation from sin in our world. And we cannot accomplish salvation on our own. Someone has to come along, fulfill the Law of God perfectly, be above the curse of death for disobedience, and he must die our death for us. Not only this, but this man must place his holiness and righteousness upon us as our own and take our filthy, feces covered rags and place it upon himself. He must become the propitiation for our sins, pay the ransom, bearing the penalty and wrath of God for our iniquities. Such a man has come, and he is not (as Bell would have us believe) a mere man, but he is the very eternal God incarnate, Jesus Christ! There is so much more to write about a proper view and understanding of Christ's substitutionary atonement, divinity, and work of redemption, but there are much better authors who have written about it than I. I will leave you to refer to them.

In conclusion, I do not have time to refute everything that Bell writes. In a few pages he takes passage after passage out of it's proper context and misapplies it to meet the needs of his own agenda. He uses the Word of God like someone else I know. Read Genesis 3, Matthew 4, and Luke 4 and I am sure you can catch on to who I am speaking of. No, I am not saying that Rob Bell is Satan nor am I saying that he is the antichrist. However, (I will leave you to make your own judgments concerning what he has written and what he has claimed about Christ) I will contend that his denial of Jesus' divinity and His redemptive ministry and sacrifice renders him an antichrist.

How deplorable it is that this man is trying to tear down the kingdom from the inside out! If this is where the American church is headed, then we have not reached the sinful climax of the wickedness that "Christian" churches can function as synagogues of Satan yet. I wish I had the complete quote, but in Michael Horton's Christless Christianity he speaks about what a Satanic church would look like. It would not be a church in which reckless sin is rampant and there is complete disregard for law and ethics, but rather, it would be a church in which everyone dresses nice, puts on a hypocritical show, pretends to love each other, and the pastor gets up before the congregation and preaches a Christless gospel, a gospel where no one needs Christ, no one is sinful, and God ceases to matter. That is what we are up against. And so much of it could be abated if the people of God would simply open their Bibles up and read it for themselves! So much of it could be abated if the people of God would take advantage of the true means of grace given to us through the preaching of the Word! Satan can take the Word of God and use it against us if we don't understand what it means. He tried it on the Word himself, so why wouldn't he try it on God's people? We need to listen to John's warning and take it to heart:

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:1-6

God does love us, but he manifests this love by "[sending] his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10). Anything else is a lie. Rob Bell (as genuine as his intentions may appear to some) is telling a lie and evidences a spirit of error. He does not confess Jesus is from God, and, therefore, John calls him an antichrist. Harsh words, but harsh words are needed to reveal dangerous circumstances. The church must be very careful to label an idea heretical and it's origin "heretic," and only the church as a whole has the authority as administers of the Word and having the keys to the kingdom have the ability to do so. It is my prayer that the greater American Christian church would be united against this front. We have our many quarrels and disagreements, but I hope and pray that God would reveal the ideas of Rob Bell (and the rest of the Emergent Church) to be of the spirit of error, anti-Christ, and a direct opposition to the kingdom of God. It is also my prayer that Bell would be corrected by the spirit of truth that flows through the Holy Spirit, that he would recant all that he has claimed, repent of his previous stances on Jesus and our salvation, and that God would use him as a true builder of his kingdom. If he won't repent, it is my prayer that his thoughts and beliefs would be short-lived, that he would find no accomplishment in seeking his own kingdom, and that God would destroy Bell's ideas, church, and idolatrous god.

Thanks for reading again. I think I am done writing about what Rob Bell writes (unless he says something else that is so blatantly unChristian that I cannot believe that professing believers fail to see its error and believe it...which is more likely than not). If I do write more, it won't be for a while. I would rather read spirit-guided, humble, scholarly, and godly men who have a passion for the Word of God, the redemptive history revealed within it, and who don't desire to see people believe a new gospel but, rather, believe in the "good news" of the one, true Gospel! I've had enough Rob Bellism for a while. It's time for some good, solid, glorious, truthful, Christ-centered Christianity!

Why it is annoying to read Rob Bell's "Love Wins"

2011-04-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

My wife and I decided to head out to the park today because the sun was out and it was the first day that we have had a chance to get out and wear our flip flops (Saturday was nice too, but I couldn't wear my flip flops then). Rachel brought a stack of papers to grade with her and I brought a couple of books to read. One of them, I highly recommend. The other...well, I recommend it too but not for the same reasons.

Although this really is not about the books I am reading, I cannot pass up the opportunity to advertise good, thought-provoking, Biblical, and encouraging Christian literature. War Psalms of the Prince of Peace: Lessons from the Imprecatory Psalms by James E. Adams is a wonderful read! It is useful for learning about how all of Scripture is God-breathed and "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16) (including the imprecatory Psalms), how "Christ himself prayed them (the Psalms (including the imprecatory ones)) through his forerunner David" (Dietrich Bonhoeffer), and how we too should "pray for our angry enemies, not that God protect and strengthen them in their ways, as we pray for Christians, or that He help them, but that they be converted, if they can be; or, if they refuse, that God oppose them, stop them and end the game to their harm and misfortune" (Martin Luther). Adams' book is very helpful, not only in regards to the imprecatory Psalms, but also in regards to many facets of the Christian walk, to include: prayers, worship, evangelism, reading Scripture, and more. I highly recommend it to you all.

The other book that I am reading is Rob Bell's Love Wins: A book about Heaven, Hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived. Why in the world are you reading that? See, I know what you're thinking. Spooky, huh? I am reading Rob Bell for several reasons: 1) I am writing a paper for school on the Emergent Church, and Rob Bell pastors a large emergent congregation and has written several books that are advancing the emergent movement. 2) It is a controversial book with many ideas that several scholars and people have deemed heretical. I always want to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I am not one to take hearsay and believe that the book is heretical or all that dangerous unless I read it for myself (by the way, I can concur with all the hype...not good theology...not Christian for sure...). 3) Finally, it scares me when Andy Crouch of the New York Times writes that "Rob Bell is a central figure for his generation and for the way that evangelicals are likely to do church in the next twenty years." If this is where the church is headed, I better be on top of my Rob Bellism so that I can properly refute its position on so many central characteristics of the Gospel.

Now, to the good part.
Oh no...
I am beginning to write...
Like him.

Just a little bit of literary style humor. I know, I am the only one that thought that was funny.

If you have Bell's book, I invite you to follow along in this adventure of four-wheeling through the bumpy and muddy chasms of Rob Bell's exposition of beautiful, clear, glorious Scripture. Why do I say that? Because Bell has a tendency to make clear, articulate passages of Scripture ambiguous, puzzling, and unclear. Don't just take my word for it. Read it for yourself. I am starting in the third paragraph on page 26:

"In Matthew 19 a rich man asks Jesus: 'Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

Now, before we go further down Bell's road, let's take a break and see what passage in the Scriptures he is referring to:

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." He said to him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." The young man said to him, "All these I have kept. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Then Peter said in reply, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?"
Matthew 19:16-27

Okay. Now back to Bell's interpretation and exegesis on this passage. Rob Bell grasps that the man is asking Jesus how he can get to heaven and have eternal life. As Bell (2011) writes, "The rich man's question, then, is the perfect opportunity for Jesus to give a clear, straightforward answer to the only question that ultimately matters for many" (p. 27). Bell then follows a sarcastic and facetious tangent about how Jesus is going to give the man a lesson about salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone. After Jesus tells the man that, he will then take the man aside, invite him to confess his sins, repent, and accept Jesus Christ as his savior. I think Rob Bell is poking fun at something. I cannot quite put my finger on it, though. "Jesus, however, doesn't do any of that," (p. 27) Bell continues to exposite.

He quotes Jesus' response: "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments" (v. 17). Again, in sarcasm, Rob Bell acts surprised and writes, "This wasn't what Jesus was supposed to say" (p. 27). Jesus changes the subject and answers the man's question about obtaining eternal life by asking him a strange question (the emergent church likes answering questions with more questions) and bringing up the subject of the commandments. The man then asks which commandments he should follow. Bell then shares a bit of Bible knowledge that I didn't know: "There are 613 [commandments] in the first five books of the Bible" (p. 28). After giving us this information, he continues to dance around the point of Jesus' answer. It is like a fast ball right in the sweet spot, and he swings and misses terribly.

Continuing on...

Bell then talks about how the man wanted to know which of the 613 commandments Jesus was telling him to keep. He goes off on another tangent, but I won't follow that one because it leads me to another study of Sabbath keeping and another passage exposition. Bell writes, "The Ten Commandments were central to this discussion because of the way in which they covered so many aspects of life in so few words" (p. 28). I wish I could abridge Bell and write, "Bell writes, 'The Ten Commandments were central to this discussion because of the way in which they [concisely summarized the entire Law of God] in so few words." That's not what he said, though. He is not wrong, the law is a crucial aspect of our life, but that is not why they were central to the discussion between Jesus and the rich man. However, this is not the place for my commentary. I apologize. I'll let Bell finish, and then I will say my peace (or write it, rather).

Bell notices that Jesus lists five of the six laws in the second table of the Law "dealing with our relationships with each other" (p. 28). However, he does not complete his thought. He notices one is missing, but he doesn't pin point which one is missing. Let's look: "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (vv. 18-19). Quiz yourself before you look up the answer. Which one is missing? Honor father and mother? Check. Do not murder? Check. Do not commit adultery? Check. Do not steal? Check. Do not bear false witness? Check. Do not covet your neighbor's belongings? Check? Certainly loving your neighbor as yourself is part of not coveting your neighbor's belongings, but it is mostly a summation of every law in the second table. Remember Jesus' answer to the Pharisees about the greatest commandment in the law (Matt. 22:36-40)? So, it would seem that Jesus does not mention the commandment about not coveting your neighbor's belongings. More about this later (because it is important concerning proper exegesis of the passage (oh man, I gave it away. Now everyone knows that I don't like Bell's exegesis...)).

Right after Bell notes that Jesus only lists five of the six commandments in the second table, he briefly records the man's answer that he has kept them all, and then he comments about Jesus' response to the man's answer: "Go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." He is right, that is partly what Jesus said. The ESV reads:

Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
Matthew 19:21

That will come to play later in my understanding of the passage too. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Bell then writes (somewhat sarcastically again), "Shouldn't Jesus have given a clear answer to the man's obvious desire to know how to go to heaven when he dies?" (p. 29). He follows that by poking fun again with the statement "Jesus blew a perfectly good 'evangelistic' opportunity" (p. 29). Are you ready for the bumpy, muddy road of Rob Bell theology? Here we go. "How does such a simple question -- one Jesus could have answered so clearly from a Christian perspective -- turn into such a convoluted dialogue involving commandments and treasures and wealth and ending with the man waling away?" (p. 29). I personally do not find Jesus' response to the man that confusing (especially if you look at what the man is really asking), but if Bell will make an enigma out of it then let's see where he goes with it...

Rob Bell then approaches his grand finale'! Bell has a tendency to take a clear passage of Scripture, make it seem convoluted (which sometimes seems to work with all of his convoluted exegesis and confusing tangents), and then when you just about give up on the passage, he pulls the rabbit out of his hat and says, "Tada"! The problem being that this Tada moment is often characterized by something that Bell makes up out of thin air rather than from the Biblical passage. For example, thanks to the all-knowing Rob Bell, we finally have the answer to this very convoluted, unclear, and confusing dialogue about how to get to heaven (sarcasm is a two-way street sometimes)! Rob Bell concludes:

When the man asks about getting "eternal life," he isn't asking about how to go to heaven when he dies. This wasn't a concern for the man or Jesus. This is why Jesus doesn't tell people how to "go to heaven." It wasn't what Jesus came to do. Heaven, for Jesus, was deeply connected with what he called "this age" and "the age to come" (p. 30).

Like I said, I am very glad that Bell has some inside knowledge into the text that the rest of us don't have. I don't know what copy of the scriptures he has, but it seems to be an annotated copy from God. Otherwise, I don't know where he comes up with the conclusion that neither the man nor Jesus are concerned about how to go to heaven (that is, unless he's making it up).

The word "heaven" is not in the question, but eternal life is an inheritance to be given to those who are resting in Christ for salvation. That everlasting inheritance is held in heaven in the person of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:4). So, if you want eternal life (which the man is asking about) then you have to go to where it is being guarded by the power of God. The man doesn't specifically ask, "Jesus, which way to heaven?" (to which John 14:6 would be the reply) but his question implies heaven because that is where eternal life is to be enjoyed.

If we look at verse 23, Jesus himself tells us that the rich man wanted to enter heaven, and it was not going to be easy. In verse 25, the disciples go on to ask about eternal life's relation to salvation and ask Jesus who can be saved. Jesus replies that eternal life, entering heaven, and salvation are impossible for man but possible for God to accomplish for man. In order to understand and grasp Bell's exegesis of the passage, one must put blinders on to the rest of the passage. The very same scripture passage that Bell uses to refute a historical view of heaven as a real place completely refutes his very own position. The saddest part, however, isn't that Bell is so obviously wrong in his views, but that many people will be completely duped by what he is proposing even though the refutation of his whole exposition follows just verses after he comes to his arrogant and boastful conclusion.

Furthermore, claiming that heaven wasn't a concern for the man or Jesus, Bell must account for why Matthew records this dialogue for us? Is this just a useless story in Scripture? Better yet, is this story misleading? Rob Bell would have us believe so. I haven't read much further in his book than that, but I know where Bell is headed with this. To begin the chapter, Bell nonchalantly proposed that Heaven is not really a place outside of this world. He disagrees with pastors who think, "it will be unlike anything we can comprehend, like a church service that goes on forever" (p. 25). Bell follows his very very poor exegesis of Matthew 19 with rapid-fire poor exegesis of Matthew 13, 28, 24; Luke 20, 21; and Mark 9, which he claims all support the idea he's about to bombshell us with: Heaven as we know it doesn't exist and Jesus has always been talking about Heaven as a state of mind in a Christian life. Some of you might be thinking, That's a bit presumptuous of you, don't you think? Considering that I haven't read to the end of the chapter (because I can only take so much of his nonsense and poor scriptural exegesis for so long before it annoys the patience out of me), you're right. However, the title of this chapter is Here is the New There, so, I'm pretty comfortable with my presumption. I'll let you know if I am wrong.

So, that was Bell's take on Matthew 19, and it is so annoying to read it because so many professing Christians do not read their Bibles and will buy into Bell's theology hook-line-and-sinker. They will buy Bell's book, read what he has to say about the Bible, take his word at it (after all, he went to seminary and he's a pastor), and then have a very wrong view of Heaven, Hell, and our eternal redemption and damnation. Overall, what is at stake is the Gospel. Bell is changing what it means to have eternal life, what it means to be in perfect communion with God the Father, and is changing the way to the Father from Christ's atoning work upon the cross to a source outside of Jesus Christ (if you wonder about this, see my third part of the Emergent Church). If he follows my hunch and proposes that Heaven is here on earth if we make it heaven on earth, then he has a contorted view on man's sinfulness and the depravity and curse of this world. If this place we call earth has potential to become Heaven, then it cannot really be all that bad. If it is not all that bad, then sin can't be all that bad. It's just a black spot on our existence that can be dry-cleaned out if we find the right cleaning solution. If sin isn't all that bad, then Jesus isn't all that wonderful. You see where I am going? I assure you that I will keep you posted on exactly what Bell has to say in his book. I am sure that there are plenty of other opportunities to come to show just how dangerous Bell's theology, Christology, hermeneutics, and beliefs are to the church.

Bell believes that God is love, as John writes so clearly in 1 John 4:8. However, he does not believe that God manifests His love for us by "[sending] his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10). For Bell, God is a concept to be grasped and not our Holy Father that reaches out to a fallen and sinful creation through the blood, death, and resurrection of His only begotten Son. Unfortunately, he will contort and poorly exegete scripture in order to persuade Biblically illiterate "Christians" to jump on his bandwagon full of error. More about this later, though.

I would like to persuade you of another exposition of Matthew 19. Scroll up, and re-read the passage and let's see if we can understand why Jesus responds to the rich man the way he did.

The man asks Jesus, "What good deed must I do to have eternal life?" Right from the get-go, the man is asking the wrong question. The man is basically asking how he can acquire eternal life through works. What thing can I do in order to earn eternal life? Jesus' answer, therefore, is not as off-the-wall as Bell makes it out to be. After all, under the Covenant of Works, man was able to merit eternal life. However, man failed miserably after eating the fruit in the Garden of Eden that he was commanded not to eat, and all of humanity plunged into total depravity through him (Rom. 5). Jesus answers the man's question exactly as the man asked it: "If you would enter life, keep the commandments." Basically, Jesus is telling the man, If you want to obtain eternal life by doing something good, then keep all of the commandments, unlike your forefathers. If you can keep the law flawlessly and be perfect, that good deed will earn you eternal life. Of course Jesus knew that no man can do that because we are conceived in sin, but He is answering the man's question according to the way the man asked. Jesus knew the man's heart. The man was legalistic (as we shall soon see) and wanted to obtain eternal life by doing something. He asked a legal question, and Jesus is going to give him a legal answer.

So, after Jesus tells the man to keep the commandments, the man (still not catching on) asks, "Which ones?" Jesus seems to let the man off the hook for his inability to keep any of the first four of the Ten Commandments. After all, Jesus tells us later in Matthew that we are to love God with all of our heart, mind, and soul (Matt. 22:37). If everyone else is like me, I cannot even love God with the complete perfection of my heart, mind, and soul for a second of time without something else distracting my love's attention elsewhere let alone an entire lifetime. It is as if Jesus did not want to completely dash the man's hope. Jesus lists almost all of the commandments in the second table concerning man's duty to love his neighbor. All except for one: You shall not covet your neighbor's belongings. This is very telling of what Jesus commands the man to do next: "Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me" (Matthew 19:21).

The ten commandments are a concise summary of the complete Law of God. For each command, there is a positive and a negative command. For example, we are not only commanded no to murder our neighbor, but we are also commanded to support, protect, and ensure our neighbor's health and life. The Westminster Larger Catechism helps draw out what all is entailed in the tenth commandment. Question 147 reads:

What are the duties required in the tenth commandment? Answer: The duties required in the tenth commandment are, such a full contentment with our own condition, and such a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbor, as that all our inward motions and affections touching him, tend unto, and further all that good which is his.

The man claims he has kept all of the commandments. Jesus responds, Oh really? Take everything you have and give it to the poor and then you will be perfect! Jesus wants the man to see that he must be perfect according to the Law if he desires to accomplish eternal life by doing good deeds. That is, after all, what the rich man asked. If you want to be perfect and have eternal life, then you have to keep the commandments. The young man heard this and went away sorrowful because he was rich and he did not want to keep the tenth commandment. Perhaps he went away sorrowful knowing that Jesus had just called his bluff and revealed him as the sinner he is. Perhaps he went away sorrowful because he finally saw that his whole approach to legalism was of no avail because no matter what he did, he was not going to be able to keep the Law perfectly. He went away sorrowful, but perhaps this was the wake-up call that he needed. The rest of the story is speculation, so I will not speculate. All we know is that this passage does not teach us that Jesus is confusing, convoluted, unclear, and wants us to do anything so that we can have eternal life. Rob Bell misses the whole point that Jesus is trying to reveal to the rich young man: You, as a sinner, can do nothing to earn eternal life! Jesus' last words to the rich man are, "Follow me." The rich man went away and did not follow him. Jesus is the only way to the Father and everlasting life. This we know.

The passage of the rich young ruler has much to teach us. One important point is that we, as sinners, can do nothing in order to earn eternal life. Eternal life must be bought with a price. Substitutionary atonement is required to reconcile man to God. One must not only fulfill the Law of God, but he must impute his righteousness to sinners for the forgiveness of sins and must impute our sin to himself and become the propitiation for our sins. This work has been accomplished through the work of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and is given as a free gift to those God has called. Read Romans 5 (the whole book, for that matter) if your heart truly desires to know how you have been ransomed from sin through the death of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, Rob Bell cuts the narrative short. If we read on, Jesus turns to his disciples (those that did not leave him sorrowfully but left their families immediately when Jesus called them) and Matthew records the rest of the story:

And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Then Peter said in reply, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." Matthew 19:23-30

This is just a very brief exposition of this wonderful passage, but I only hope it serves to show that Rob Bell twists and contorts the passage into something that it is not. He does it all the time, and it is so annoying. For better expositions than Bell's and mine, please avail yourself to J.C. Ryle's expository thoughts and Calvin's commentary. Both, I believe, are available online free of charge. Thank you for reading. Continue your heartfelt and fervent prayers for the church, and that God would continue to call godly men to the ministry to be ministers of the Word, that he would silence the lips of those who seek their own will and to build a kingdom of their own, and that He would always continue to strengthen his true church (both free and persecuted), as the body of Christ, through the work of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Reference:

Bell, R. (2011). Love wins: A book about Heaven, Hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived. New York: HarperOne.

The Emergent Church in Their Own Words: Part Three

2011-03-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Matthew Stickel

Colorado Christian University

In John 14, John records Jesus' conversation with Thomas pertaining the way to the place Jesus was preparing in His Father's house for believers. Thomas asks Jesus how he can know the way to a place if he does not know where the place is and has never been there before. Jesus responds, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6, ESV). This is a pivotal passage in the Scriptures pertaining to the question of what truth is, where our salvation comes from, and how we receive our salvation. Unequivocally, Jesus states that he is the way, the truth, and the life. Furthermore, he states that there is no other way to the Father except through him. However, within the Emergent Church movement, stifled by a postmodern understanding of truth and a complete embrace of unending mystery, Jesus' clear claim to be the way, the truth, and the life is greatly debated. Is Jesus' claim in John 14 exclusive in the sense that there is no other way to the Father except through him, or is this a common misperception and false translation of a verse of Scripture that merely suggests the Jesus is the best way (but not the only way)?

Within the Emergent Church, mystery and doubt are lifted up while truth and certainty are downplayed as philosophically modern figments of our imaginations. According to Rob Bell (2005), the pastor of a large emergent congregation in Grandville, Michigan, "the mystery is the truth" (p. 33). Similarly, Brian McLaren (1999), a highly publicized leader of the Emergent Church, writes, "God can be experienced through doubt and other spiritual 'diseases'" (p. 72). The Emergent Church's postmodern approach to theology nullifies all truth claims on the basis that searching for truth in scripture is like trying to swim to the bottom of a bottomless pool (Bell, 2005). As Bell notes, "The bottom will always be out of reach" (p. 33) and you will never know anything about an infinite God with any degree of certainty because we are merely finite creatures and completely unequipped to fathom our eternal creator.

Therefore, the Emergent Church embraces mystery and doubt as a means to experience God, abandoning truth and certainty. As Bell (2005) observes, "Truth is insight into God and God is infinite and God has no boundaries or edges" (p. 33). This approach to truth would seem to leave Christians with an infinite amount of unanswerable questions. Bell expresses this facet of his understanding of the Christian faith as a good thing because "true mystery, the kind of mystery rooted in the infinite nature of God, gives us answers that actually plunge us into even more...questions" (p. 32, ellipses in original text). The answer to all of our questions about God are more questions, and "this is why questions are so central to faith" (p. 30). A faithful Christian, according to Bell, asks questions not looking for definitive answers, but only seeks more questions because "questions bring freedom. Freedom that I don't have to be God and I don't have to pretend that I have it all figured out" (p. 30).

It would seem that Rob Bell, therefore, believes that those who look to Christ as the answer to all of our questions about the way, the truth, and the life are mere pretenders and do not really have it all figured out. How do Rob Bell and Brian McLaren tackle Jesus' statements in John 14 to be the way, the truth, the life (v. 6), the only way to God the Father (v. 6), the living embodiment of God almighty (vv. 9-11), and the perfect finite image bearer of our infinite God (v. 7)? Jesus says that we can know him (vv. 7,9), we can know the Father through him(v. 7), we can know truth with certainty (v. 6), we can know the way of salvation with certainty (v. 6), and there is no other truth, way, or life outside of Him (v. 6). Where does this verse leave the Emergent Church's infinite questions and uncertain grasp for an unknowable god?

Knowing that this verse cripples his postmodern approach to the Christian faith, Bell (2005) argues that "Jesus was not making claims about one religion being better than all other religions...Rather, he was telling those who were following him that his way is the way to the depth of reality" (p. 21). McLaren (2004), similarly, follows suit when he writes that Jesus' statement in John 14 does not mean that, "I (Jesus) won't let anyone get to God unless he comes through me" (p. 78). Both of these leaders of the Emergent Church seem to be at odds with what Christ is saying and what he means by it in John 14:6. Bell seems to believe that Jesus is not claiming to be the way, the truth, and the life, but is only claiming to be the way to the depth of reality. Furthermore, when Jesus tells us that if we have seen him then we have seen the Father (v. 9), Bell interprets that "[Jesus] claimed to be showing us what God is like" (p. 21). According to Bell, Jesus' life and ministry were merely an example of "the best possible way for a person to live" (p. 21). McLaren seems to believe that Jesus is not claiming that there is no other way to the Father except through him, but Jesus' life and message "resonated with acceptance, welcome, and inclusion" (p. 78). However, both of these observations seem to be direct contradictions of precisely what Jesus is claiming in very clear and unambiguous terms.

In John 14:6, is Jesus claiming to be the best way, a mere example of who God is, the closest thing we have to true acceptance of the mysteriousness of God, and an all-inclusive, accepting, and welcoming guide to the path to communion with God the Father, as the Emergent Church would persuade us to believe? Michael Horton (2011), professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Westminster Seminary California, argues, "Jesus Christ did not offer himself merely as a teacher of the path to truth and happiness, but as 'the way, and the truth, and the life,'" and that "he is not only the guide; he is the destination" (p. 106). Furthermore, Marvin Vincent (2009), a professor of sacred literature at Union Theological Seminary, exposits the original Greek text to mean, "[Jesus] embodies what men ought to know and believe of God" (p. 241, emphasis original), and not that Jesus is merely claiming to be the way to a deeper reality of an unknowable god. Contrary to Bell and McLaren's exegesis of this passage, J.C. Ryle (2007), a 19th century pastor and scholar, undermines the Emergent Church's emphasis on asking questions to delve deeper into our understanding of the unknown god, and argues that in John 14, we learn that "all believers are apt to undervalue the work of the Spirit in their own souls, and to fancy they know nothing because they do not know everything" (p. 58).

John Calvin (2005), the 16th century reformer, writes in his commentary on John 14:6, "all theology, when separated from Christ, is not only vain and confused, but is also mad, deceitful, and spurious; for, though the philosophers sometimes utter excellent sayings, yet they have nothing but what is short-lived, and even mixed up with wicked and erroneous sentiments" (pp. 85-86). Rob Bell and Brian McLaren, noted leaders of the Emergent Church, claim that Jesus is not the only way, the only truth, and the only life. They claim that Jesus Christ is not the only way to salvation and perfect communion with God the Father. In certain words, they claim that Jesus is not God but merely a very good example of what God is like. What's more, they make these substantial claims directly after quoting Christ's crystal words in John 14:6, as if Christ's statement is an enigma and unclear. In the words of Calvin, "men contrive for themselves true labyrinths, whenever, after having forsaken Christ, they attempt to come to God" (p. 85). It would seem that the Emergent Church would have us embrace this labyrinth rather than seek the way out, and they will disguise the truth, the way, and the life as best they can so the doubter of the mystery of grace will never recognize his true savior in Christ Jesus.

References:

Bell, R. (2005). Velvet Elvis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Calvin, J. (2005). Commentary on the Gospel according to John, Vol. 2. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Company.

Horton, M. (2011). The Christian faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

McLaren, B. (2004). A generous orthodoxy. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

McLaren, B. (1999). Finding faith - A search for what is real. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Ryle, J. (2007). Expository thoughts on the Gospels: John 10:31 - John 21:25. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Company.

Vincent, M. (2009). Vincent's word studies in the New Testament, Vol. 2. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.

The Emergent Church in Their Own Words: Part Two

2011-03-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

Tough Questions Without Definitive Answers

Matthew Stickel

Colorado Christian University

In 2 Timothy, Paul writes to his dear friend and student, Timothy, and encourages him to continue practicing and believing all that he has learned from "the sacred writings" (2 Tim. 3:15, ESV). Paul further elaborates that Timothy has known and studied these writings since he was a mere child. The sacred writings that Paul refers to are also "able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 3:15). Marvin Vincent (2009), a professor of sacred literature, writes that the original Greek that is interpreted "to make you wise" means "[to] give thee understanding of that which lies behind the letter; to enable thee to detect in the O.T. books various hidden allusions to Christ" (p. 316). Paul finally concludes his imperative to Timothy by establishing that, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17, ESV).

In but a few verses in his second epistle to Timothy, the Apostle Paul has established that the Bible is "the only rule of faith and obedience" (Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, 2004), able to make wise the foolish through faith in Christ Jesus, and able to be read and known by mere children. That the redemptive story of Jesus Christ contained within the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament is able to be known, studied, understood, and practiced through faith by all who read it (adult or child) is a characteristic of the Scriptures referred to as their perspicuity. Paul makes it very clear that Scriptures can be understood by babes, and that all of it is profitable for teaching, reproof, and correction so that Christians may be competent of our faith and for our walk of obedience.

However, this is not to say that everything contained in the Scriptures is easily comprehended and fathomable. For example, the Scriptures contain numerous allusions to the triune God, existing as one God with three equal, immutable, perfect persons in the Godhead. This is a hard concept for Christians to wrap our heads around, but nonetheless, we know these things to be true because they are revealed to us in Scripture, and not because our intellect and intelligence can fully comprehend them. It is a matter of faith, and faith, being the work of the Holy Spirit within Christians, is a prerequisite for any person to believe, understand, and comprehend the glorious revelation of God made evident to us through the Word. Johannes Vos (2002), a chair of the Bible department at Geneva College for 19 years, articulates that "the Word of God does not have any inherent power of its own, apart from the inward work of the Holy Spirit in a person's heart, to accomplish anything toward a person's salvation" (p. 436). Therefore, the Scripture's perspicuity depends not on man's level of intelligence, but upon God's work of revelation through the indwelling of His Spirit within us.

An understanding and an appreciation for the perspicuity of Scripture is of the utmost importance in order to establish that "there is no body of men who are either qualified, or authorized, to interpret the Scriptures, or to apply their principles to the decision of particular questions, in a sense binding upon the faith of their fellow Christians" (Hodge, 1999, p. 86). In other words, the church is neither qualified or authorized to interpret Scripture to fit their whims and to bind Christians to follow their own interpretation of Scripture rather than Scripture's own interpretation of itself.

The Emergent Church takes a different approach to the Bible, however. Rob Bell (2005), the pastor of a large Emergent church in Michigan, argues that the stance on "Scripture alone" cannot guide our interpretation and understanding of the principles contained therein because the Bible did not just drop out of the sky, but "we got the Bible from the church voting on what the Bible even is" (pp. 67-68). John Calvin (1989), the 16th century reformer, uses Eph. 2:20 to argue for Scripture establishing the Church rather than the other way around when he states that, "If the doctrine of the apostles and prophets is the foundation of the Church, the former must have had its certainty before the latter began to exist" (p. 69). The Emergent Church, much like the Roman Catholic church of Calvin's day, dismisses the Bible as the only perspicuitous rule for faith and obedience, and places its interpretation under the authority of the church. Bell concludes that interpreting what the Bible teaches must be approached in a communal manner rather than having a pastor stand in front of a congregation and preach and teach them what appears to be his own interpretation. The church, Bell argues, is a community and interpreting and understanding what the Bible teaches is dependent on the whole spirit-guided community of the church to lead the discussion. In his own words, Bell expresses his view of Biblical interpretation as "God has spoken, and the rest is commentary" (p. 87).

Central to the Emergent Church's approach to practicing the Christian faith is the art of questioning God (Bell, 2005). As Bell puts it, "The Christian faith is mysterious to the core" (p. 32) and "[the] mystery is the truth" (p. 33). Bell compares seeking definitive answers about our infinite God to swimming to the bottom of a bottom-less pool. "Because truth is insight into God and God is infinite and God has no boundaries or edges" (p. 33), finding some truth about our infinite God leads us to search for more truth, and therefore, more mystery and uncertainty. Thus, Bell clearly summarizes the postmodern approach of the Emergent Church, and their stance on the unknowability of mysteriousless truth. By the observation of John Bohannon (2010), an instructor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, "Mystery is allowed to belittle, if not replace, the 'What is truth?' question for postmodern preaching—pretentiously leaving it unanswered, at least in part, if not in whole" (p. 73).

By rejecting "Scripture alone", the Emergent Church rejects Scripture's perspicuity and its ability to interpret itself. Without the perspicuous Scripture's ability to interpret itself, the commentary depends on the discussion and decisions of the church. The postmodern church, however, views truth and mystery almost synonomously, practically stating that the best way you can answer the question is by asking more questions. With this approach, the Emergent Church's ability to interpret and understand Scripture with any sense of certainty is amorphous and devoid of any real form. If the mystery of the Christian faith is truth, as the Emergent Church proposes, then the truth of the Christian faith is a mystery. However, Luke, seems to write to Theophilus so that he "may have certainty concerning the things [he has] been taught" (Luke 1:4). Likewise, the Apostle Paul warns the Galatians to discern the teaching of others. In harsh and damning language, Paul tells the Galatians that should any man (even an angel) preach to them a contrary gospel, to let that person be accursed (Gal. 1:8). This seems like a ruthless punishment for misleading believers in a mysterious truth.

The problem with the Emergent Church is not the fact that they want to question every Christian doctrine and dogma, but that they want to answer their questions by rejecting the Bible's authority and place their postmodern intellects in its place. The questions are not the problem, but the uncertain and vacuous answers are. As Travis Barbour and Nicholas Toews (2010), graduate students of Columbia Bible College, state, "The conversation that defines the Emergent Church will be reduced to mere jabbering, and it will have rejected the monologue of modernity without being able to offer a viable alternative" (p. 38).

References:

Barbour, T. I., & Toews, N. E. (2010). The Emergent Church: A methodological critique. Direction , 32-40.

Bell, R. (2005). Velvet Elvis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Bohannon, J. (2010). Preaching and the Emergent Church -- An examination of four founding leaders: Mark Driscoll, Dan Kimball, Brian McLaren, and Doug Pagitt. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from The Resurgence: http://theresurgence.com/files/pdfs/6x9-Full-Online-Ebook.pdf

Calvin, J. (1989). Institutes of the Christian religion. Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Hodge, A. (1999). Outlines of theology. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust.

Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America. (2004). The Westminster larger catechism. In The Constitution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (pp. B-1). Pittsburgh: Crown and Covenant.

Vincent, M. (2009). Vincent's word studies in the New Testament, Vol. 4. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.

The Emergent Church in Their Own Words: Part One

2011-03-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you for reading. I hope it is as beneficial for you to read as it for me to write. If you are reading this on my Facebook page, I invite you to visit my blog at http://enslavedtorighteousness.blogspot.com/ where all of my "articles" are easily accessible. I also invite you to comment and share your thoughts on the passage presented. If you find error, do not be afraid to offer correction. I write these to help me study and meditate upon God's Word, but I post them online to be corrected for error by those that are more learned than I. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

The following is a paper that I wrote for a class that I am taking in school. There will be at least three more papers to follow that relate to the Emergent Church. I did not know much about the Emergent Church going into this project, but now that I have learned a little, I would like to know more. I have delved into numerous books written by Brian McClaren and Rob Bell (two of the leading pastors in the Emergent Church). If you do not know much about the Emergent Church, please do not plan on learning all the ins and outs by reading my papers. They only scratch the surface regarding the errors and dangers present and on the horizon as the movement continues to gain momentum. I strongly suggest you familiarize yourself with the Emergent Church and their errors so that you know what direction the visible church in America might head possibly. As awful as what they proposes sounds, it is tickling a lot of ears in the church and many are flocking in droves into these "churches." Keep an open eye out!

The divine authority of Scripture as the Word of God has been under debate for several centuries. Throughout the history of the church, the debate over the authority of Scripture as the only infallible rule of faith and life has evidenced a great hostility and abhorrence of the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone). In the 16th century, the great reformer, John Calvin (1989), argued that, "Although learned men...should take the opposite side...if they are not possessed of the shameless effrontery, they will be compelled to confess that the Scripture exhibits clear evidence of its being spoken by God, and, consequently, of its containing his heavenly doctrine" (p. 71). Calvin argued against the Roman Catholic Church that the church does not establish the Word of God, but rather, that the Scriptures established the church (Eph. 2:20). Calvin (1989) clearly articulated this when he wrote in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, "Nothing...can be more absurd than the fiction, that the power of judging Scripture is in the Church, and that on her nod its certainty depends" (p. 69).

Five hundred years after Calvin, an emerging Christian movement is sparking the debate once again. Does Scripture have authority as the Word of God, or is its authority dependent upon the interpretation and acceptance of the church? Rob Bell (2005), the pastor of a large Emergent congregation and the author of several acclaimed books, argues that "when people say that all we need is the Bible, it is simply not true" (p. 68). This shocking statement follows a tirade against the 16th century reformers (like Calvin) who "claimed that we only need the authority of the Bible" (p. 67). The reasoning for Bell's controversial stance against the authority of the Bible is clearly articulated when he argues that the Bible cannot have the last say because the church voted on the canon of Scripture, and therefore, the church must have the last say on what the Bible says (Bell, 2005).

The crux of the modern rekindling of the debate is a postmodern approach to Christianity and a non-foundational approach to the Christian faith. Postmodernism is a rejection of the epistemology called foundationalism. Travis Barbour and Nicholas Toews (2010), graduate students from Columbia Bible College, define foundationalism as "the quest for certainty and [seeking] to provide an unassailable basis on which all other knowledge can be built" (p. 34). Postmodern philosophy rejects foundationalism, but does not reject the parts of foundationalism such as reason, experience, or Scripture (2010). Therefore, postmodern Christians do not deny an unassailable truth, but rather, they deny that anyone can believe or understand any truth as unassailable with any degree of certainty or assurance. To the postmodern Christian, truth is determined by a set of equal foundations rather than one, infallible and inerrant one. Brian McLaren (1999), another prominent leader of the Emergent Church, argues that "rationalists thought that cold reason, objective observation, and impersonal logic...were the best way to discover truth" (p. 27). The alternative he proposes is to allow, "experience-- feelings, intuitions, things that happen to us that move us toward faith" (p. 27) to help us determine what is really true and real.

As the Emerging Church seeks to form "church communities that fit the postmodern cultural context" (Barbour & Toews, 2010, p. 32), they have become "a powerful force in North American Christianity with the potential to bring radical changes to churches across the continent" (p. 33). Surely, changing what is "true" in Christianity contains great potential to completely change the face of Christianity in the world. Fanning the flames of the Emergent Church movement, is a church full of division, disunity, and controversy, and a culture that does not want to get involved with a faith that is seemingly unsure of itself. The Emergent Church appeals to a postmodern culture by suggesting that the church, "spend a minority of [its] time and energy on the controversies, and concentrate fully on the biblical teachings that are clear and compelling without debate" (McLaren, 1999, p. 118).

However, the problem with this approach is the subtle and unreferenced question left unanswered, What do we do with the biblical teachings that are enshrouded in debate? McLaren (1999) suggests that they "will fall into place over time" (pp. 118-119). This uncertain answer does not bode well with many critics of the Emergent Church and their postmodern approach to interpreting and understanding Christian doctrine. Barbour and Toews (2010) argue, "The conversation that defines the Emergent Church will be reduced to mere jabbering, and it will have rejected the monologue of modernity without being able to offer a viable alternative" (p. 38).

With no certain truth to proclaim, with no set goal to achieve, but only a mere postmodern experience of what the Christian faith has to offer, the Emergent Church's conversation seems like a poor mission-oriented replacement for the Holy Bible. The Emergent Church's desire to reach out to the postmodern world is not reforming the way the Christian faith is defined, lived, and explained but is rather reverting back to erroneous views held by Rome that sparked the 16th century Reformation's stance on Sola Scriptura. Bell (2005) recognizes that the Reformation's stance on Sola Scriptura was "in reaction to abuses by the church" (p. 67), but he does not recognize the irony that his proposal of abandoning the doctrine of "Scripture alone" will once again allow the church to abuse a self-avowed privilege of authority over biblical interpretation and truth. In the observation of John Calvin (1989), "Profane men, seeking...to introduce unbridled tyranny, care not in what absurdities they entangle themselves and others, provided they extort from the simple this one acknowledgement--viz. that there is nothing which the Church cannot do" (p. 69).

Working Bibliography:

Barbour, T. I., & Toews, N. E. (2010). The Emergent Church: A methodological critique. Direction , 32-40.

Bell, R. (2005). Velvet Elvis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Calvin, J. (1989). Institutes of the Christian religion. Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Crouch, A. (2004). The Emergent mystique. Christianity Today , 36-41.

Hodge, A. (1999). Outlines of theology. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust.

McLaren, B. (1999). Finding faith - A search for what is real. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

More Precious Than Gold: 1 Peter 1:6-9

2011-01-30T14:34:00.000-08:00

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:6-9

These verses of Peter's epistle bear a striking resemblance to the opening verses of James' epistle. Both Apostles direct our eyes and our thoughts above our current struggles and provoke us to place our faith and hope in Christ. Peter, however, not only desires believers' thoughts to transcend the here and now and hope in a time and a salvation to come to full consummation in Christ, but he also desires to diminish the struggles we partake in during our Christian walks and empower us with a Spirit "more precious than gold." In the preceding verses, we saw how our salvation and inheritance is more precious than gold, how we are more precious than gold, and how we are defended and protected by God as being more precious than gold. In these verses, we will see how our rejoicing is more precious than gold, our faith is more precious than gold, our sanctification is more precious than gold, and our testing is more precious than gold.

To begin the section off, we see that we are rejoicing in what we discussed in the last section (that is, we find our salvation in Christ's work upon the cross, not by works, but by grace through faith alone). Surely, those of us who truly believe that the last verses perfectly described our spiritual state and our glorious hope and salvation in Christ are certainly rejoicing. But before I can continue, we have to consider the rejoicing we are to be taking place in. The rejoicing that Peter alludes to here is much more than just shouting "Amen" or "Hallelujah" after reading verses three through five. The word rendered "rejoice" here is a very strong expression that means to "to exult, to leap for joy" (Pulpit Commentary and Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament) and was used by our Lord during the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:12 ("Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you").

Undoubtedly, Peter has these very words of Christ on his mind while he writes to the exiled Jews and to us today. He seems to desire us to regather our thoughts during our trials of temptation and persecution, to remember that these are merely means to a much grander end, and to rejoice with exultation and leaping for joy! Oh, if only we could do such a thing when the world and sin desires to bear us down with burdens that we would seemingly be unable to bear if it were not for the comfort and building up of our faith that we benefit from through the work of the Holy Spirit. If only we could endure a very difficult trial at school, at work, with family, with friends, or in private. If only we would endure what anguish we must and afterwards leap and bound for joy. The Greek word that is rendered "have been grieved" in the ESV has also been translated "in heaviness" in other translations. Although the ESV translates the word more literally, I think that heaviness lends itself wonderfully to the image of leaping for joy. For, although the world and sin desires to bear us down, place a heavy burden upon our shoulders, weighing us down with shoes made of lead, we are made lighter than feathers as our faith is proved and the Holy Spirit carries us past the here and now and directs our eyes to look upon a cross and a Savior that we have not yet seen, and to see our salvation, our Heavenly inheritance, our living hope, and our glorious God! We see a picture of sin wanting to hold us down to our temporal lives on earth, but we cannot help but leap out of our shackles, free from it's bondage, and spring up to the heavens in exultation to our new master and head, the Lord Jesus Christ!

But Peter quickly follows rejoicing with sorrow. He writes, "though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials" (v. 6). Although I have briefly alluded to our sorrow, grief, and heaviness, there is more to say about these trials. First, Peter alludes to the temporary nature of these trials when he writes, "though now for a little while." We will have to endure various trials, but only for a little while. The days of trial and tribulation will be but a second when we think of the eternal salvation stored up for us in Heaven. If we can, we must bear various trials for a little while, and we most certainly can when God's power enables us to persevere.

Secondly, Peter alludes to the necessity of our trials. In his commentary on this passage, Calvin writes:

"The condition is to be taken for a cause; for he (Peter) purposed to shew, that God does not, without reason, thus try his people; for, if God afflicted us without a cause, to bear it would be grievous. Hence Peter took an argument for consolation from the design of God; not that the reason always appears to us, but that we ought to be fully persuaded that it ought to be so, because it is God’s will."

We do not bear these trials unnecessarily. God has a purpose and a plan for each trial that you face. God wills trials upon us for the testing and proving of our faith. Although some trials do not lend themselves too easily to understanding the will and plan of God, we must rest assured that God has willed and purposed them to take place in our lives for the testing of our faith and the advancement of our sanctification.

Finally, in regards to our trials, Peter speaks of "various trials." However, the Greek word here alludes to types rather than number. That is to say, that Peter writes that we will have to deal with a diversity of trials rather than a large numerical amount. As Marvin Vincent writes, "The word gives a vivid picture of the diversity of the trials, emphasizing this idea rather than that of their number, which is left to be inferred." I think this is important to remember as we seem to be blindsided time and time again by problems we have never dealt with before. Certainly, our Christian walks are marked by several trials that test the object and strength of our faith, but there always seems to be something new to deal with. As we look upon our past, many of us can testify to the validity of Peter's statement, and can attest to the diverse problems, situations, trials, temptations, and tribulations that we have grieved through. But once again, looking back we can leap for joy and rejoice knowing that we are that much closer to going home to our heavenly inheritance, and to share it with our Christian brothers and sisters and Christ Himself forever!

Peter has shown us how our rejoicing is more precious than gold. Now Peter speaks about how our faith is more precious than gold (v. 7). In verse seven, Peter uses an earthly image in order to express to us how and why our faith is more precious than gold. He writes, "...so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." The Greek word for "tested" here is used only one other time in the Bible, and that by James in the third verse of his first chapter. This testing is a special kind of test, and refers specifically to the purification process of gold (or metals).

Gold is the most precious metal to the world. From ancient civilizations to modern society, gold has held its fame, glory, and luster in the heart of every man. Although it is only but a mere element and but a little shinier than other precious metals when completely purified, it contains some intrinsic value in our hearts that renders it the most precious gift this earth has to offer. Gold is precious to God too. When we look back upon Solomon's Temple, we see that God desires gold to plate everything that is precious to Him (1 Kings 6) and wants man to revere as holy. We also see that gold is not only precious on earth, but it is also held in high regard in Heaven as well, for we are told by John that the streets of the new heaven are pure gold and as transparent as glass (Rev. 21:21). We can attest to how precious pure gold is in the sight of man and in the sight of God in numerous other passages of the Bible. But as we have already seen, there are many things that God holds in greater reverence and glory than gold, and as Peter tells us in verse seven, our genuine faith is far more precious than gold to both the believer and to God!

Gold is most valuable when it is at its purest state. In order to purify gold you must test it. You must test gold in the burning furnace, melting the gold, separating it from the rock and other metals, isolating the element until almost all traces of alien particles and blemish is burned out and only pure gold remains. This is the picture that Peter lays before us, here, in verse seven. As James 1:3 tells us, we are being tested and made pure for our sanctification. It is a vivid and beautiful picture that we must keep first and foremost in our minds whenever we endure struggles and trials of various kinds. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, faith is steadily growing within us, ever strengthening our gaze upon the cross. We are still feeble and weak, and we must endure numerous trials and various trials, but every test we pass, we are made that much purer through our sanctification. We still have our blemishes and traces of foreign metals. We are not yet pure reflections of the glory of Christ our Lord, but we are steadily being tested, conformed more and more into that holiest of images ever and anon through the work of the Holy Spirit in the strengthening of our faith through our sanctification.

Martin Vincent expresses a beautiful thought when he writes about the tests we go through. He writes, "The verb (to test) is used in classical Greek of assaying or testing metals, and means, generally, to approve or sanction upon test. It is radically akin to [the Greek word] to receive, and hence implies a proof with a view to determine whether a thing be worthy to be received." He goes on to differentiate between the Greek word for "test" and "tempt" showing how testing something generally refers to acceptance upon passing whereas tempting often refers to trying someone's foundation with an evil desire to see it crumble. Therefore, we can see that we are tested by God for His glory and for our benefit. He does not test those he does not desire to receive into His communion. Unlike gold, which can be purified and then tarnishes and wears over time, our sanctification is eternal. Peter attests to this fact when he tells us that our faith is more precious than gold because "gold...perishes though it is tested by fire." Therefore, we can conclude that one of the many reasons why our faith is more precious than gold is because test after test brings us closer and closer to an infallible reflection of our infallible Savior on that last great day.

As we endure testing, all too often, we can attest to how much more difficult our lives as Christians are compared to those of nonbelievers that have completely abandoned and forsaken their relationship with their glorious Creator. After all, this is a heavy subject upon many faithful hearts in the Bible, to include Moses, David, and Job. Why do the evil nations prosper while the church must suffer various trials? God does not test that which He has no desire to see purified. God does not put the flame to those He has no intention of setting apart as holy. Those that have rebelled will be tested by the fires too and placed into the furnace, but like weeds, they will be completely consumed by the fire while the faithful are taken out, shining like pure gold (Matthew 13:38-43). Too often, we think that God is punishing us when we meet difficult times in our lives, but Peter and James both reassure us that this testing has wonderful and glorious implications. We must endure for a short while, but we can persevere by God's great power and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit; greatly rejoicing knowing that the genuineness of our faith is being tested for the purpose of further conforming us into the perfectly righteous and holy image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and our sanctification will be perfected in the last great day when He returns and we will be made purer than gold and whiter than snow!

Finally, Peter addresses the object of our faith, which (as we have already concluded) is far more precious than gold. In verses eight through nine, Peter writes, "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." Peter now addresses the object of our faith who we have not yet seen. Peter had the wonderful blessing of seeing firsthand Jesus' ministry, His miracles, His sermons, His suffering, and His death. But although he was very blessed to have witnessed all these things, he still recognizes that his physical seeing is not what has influenced his faith and belief in Christ. Although it would seem that Peter is unable to relate to our not having seen Christ and yet loving and believing in Him unto eternal life, Peter here relates that our faith and belief transcends our physical senses. Peter did see Christ's ministry firsthand, but it was not the sight of his eyes that allowed him to rest his faith upon Jesus for salvation, but rather it was the Spirit poured out for him that gave him eyes of faith. After all, we know that Peter seemed to struggle the most with wrestling with his earthly perception and expectations of what Christ's ministry would amount to, and we can see him grow through the work of the Spirit as he passes trial after trial throughout the Gospel books and Acts. It might not seem like the apostle can relate to our having not seen Christ, but he seems to be pointing to a different sight of Christ that even he has not seen: that being the glorious King of Kings, adorned in righteous splendor, coming to judge the nations of the earth, and to lead His bride, the church, to our eternal inheritance of everlasting life and perfect communion with our Heavenly Father!

Once again, Peter is calling the exiled Jews and all Christians that read his epistle to remove themselves from this world and to attend to riches and glories laid up for us in heaven above. Although no Christian today has witnessed the sufferings of Christ, the miracles of Christ, the death or the resurrection of Christ, we believe with such fervent love as if we had. Once again, we see that our faith does not come from anything in and of ourselves. Peter knew firsthand that seeing is not believing. He was there when Jesus performed miracle after miracle before unbelieving Pharisees and Sadducees that continued to ask for a sign that He was the Son of God right after witnessing a miracle. Peter knew firsthand that being a disciple of Christ and witnessing His entire earthly ministry was not enough to obtain believing faith for his fellow disciple, Judas Iscariot. Our faith is a result of God's grace and His outpouring of the Holy Spirit, who effectually calls us to hear the Word and see our risen savior through the eyes of believing faith. As Calvin writes, "Faith, indeed, has also its eyes, but they are such as penetrate into the invisible kingdom of God, and are contented with the mirror of the Word; for it is the demonstration of invisible things."

In closing, we also see, once again, that our faith should lead us to joy inexpressible. Peter cannot over emphasize this point, because it is pivotal and crucial to the Christian life to keep our faith affixed on Christ, our hope in Christ, our eyes of faith on Christ, and our joy in Christ! We must always remember that no matter what difficulties and trials we pass through in our lives, we are far richer than the riches of the world that surrounds us could ever offer. No matter what loss afflicts our lives, we have gained everything through Christ's atoning work on the cross! Calvin does a much better job of expressing the wonders of this glorious passage when he writes:

"This world holds all our affections ensnared by is allurements; this life and all things belonging to the body are great impediments, which prevent us from applying our minds to the contemplation of the future and spiritual life. Hence the Apostle sets before us this future life as a subject of deep meditation, and he indirectly intimates that the loss of all other things is to be deemed as nothing, provided our souls be saved."

More Precious Than Gold: 1 Peter 1:3-5

2011-01-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5

Peter begins his first epistle with a theme that will encourage, strengthen, build-up, and reinforce your Christian faith. Peter writes to the elect exiles of the dispersion (v. 1): Jewish Christian men and women who were undoubtedly relying and struggling to rely on a future hope. In the first verse, Peter addresses them as exiles. They were Jews that had seemingly been torn away from their promised land and their once-thought perpetual inheritance. Undoubtedly, they were struggling to come to terms with their exile. They were questioning their hope in an eternal inheritance. They were sojourners, exiled from a land that God had promised would be their inheritance forever (Gen. 13:14-15). Their faith was being tested. They were struggling to find hope when all seemed hopeless. They were struggling to find joy when all seemed so bleak. They were focused on their temporal and national inheritance as Jews, but Peter intends to open their eyes to a much better inheritance, a more wonderful promise, a greater hope, and unsurpassed joy.

In these first opening verses of Peter's epistle, he seems to be drawing the exiled Jews away from their aspirations to return to the Promised Land as a Jewish nation, and instead, he calls them to recognize an expanded nation of God's elect and a new Promised Land. Throughout the first chapter of 1 Peter, Peter seems to grab us by the collars of our shirts and demand we stop thinking of the here and now as our inheritance. Verses three through five particularly encourage us to think of a new inheritance; a better inheritance than this world has to offer. In verse six, Peter mentions that we are going to struggle with hardship and trials as benefactors of God's mercy and grace, but the apostle calms and comforts our fears by relating that it is only "for a little while."

He outlines our immense and glorious inheritance as benefactors of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and then he goes forth to tell us that this wonderful blessing will cause us grief and many trials, but only for a season. He describes how the trials and tribulations we struggle with serve a similar purpose to the fire and testing that gold requires in order to purify it to a state without defects (v. 7). Peter simultaneously uses our perception of gold to relate to us how precious our sanctification is but at the same time he adapts and transforms our perception of gold so that we see our faith and the object of our faith as something far more precious than gold. Using it as a precious metal in order to convey to us how precious we are in the sight of God and how trials and struggles serve to sanctify us into the purest image of our Lord and Savior, Peter utilizes our worldly perception of gold. But at the same time, he points out that although we are tested by fire like precious gold, our genuine faith in Christ our Lord is far more precious than gold. I hope to write more about this in another part when I focus more on verses six through nine.

As you read through the chapter, resting upon the grace of God and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, your perception of what is "precious" should alter. Peter is calling us to think beyond our earthly inheritance, our earthly prosperity, and to dwell upon the riches that each of God's elect possesses through Jesus Christ. Throughout the chapter, we can see Peter pulling us out of this world, pulling us out of our sad and miserable lives, and pulling us out of our worldly perceptions in order to consider the great riches and inheritance we have obtained through God's merciful gift of salvation. It is as if Peter is asking the exiles and those resting in Christ to be exiled from the world and our perceptions of it for a moment that we might at the very least try to grasp what little we can comprehend of a future glory with God as His people, dwelling in His presence, adorned with the righteousness and holiness of the sacrificial lamb, Christ our Lord, forever and forever more!

As John Calvin so clearly articulates it:

[The] main object of this epistle is to raise us above the world, in order that we may be prepared and encouraged to sustain the spiritual contests of our warfare. For this end, the knowledge of God’s benefits avails much; for, when their value appears to us, all other things will be deemed worthless, especially when we consider what Christ and his blessings are; for everything without him is but dross. For this reason he highly extols the wonderful grace of God in Christ, that is, that we may not deem it much to give up the world in order that we may enjoy the invaluable treasure of a future life; and also that we may not be broken down by present troubles, but patiently endure them, being satisfied with eternal happiness.

To begin with, Peter calls us to consider our salvation in Christ. In order to show us just how truly precious our salvation is, he begins by laying forth our merit to this great gift. Peter writes, "According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (v. 3). We partake of an "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading" inheritance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead according to his (God's) great mercy. We, whose thoughts and deeds are wicked through and through from our conception, have obtained the unobtainable. We have obtained perfect communion with God the Father, having been merited with the Son's fulfillment of the Law by the gracious gift of faith established and strengthened by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have earned the greatest gift ever only according to God's great mercy, and not by merit of our own.

For those who struggle to rest and rely upon God for salvation, and who desire to contribute in some way to their justification through works, Peter quickly quiet's their claim to salvation in Christ Jesus. He indirectly tells us that those who work for a portion of the inheritance can lay no claim to the inheritance. It is not obtained by your "good" works, but rather, it has been obtained by Christ's good work and we share in it only according to God's great mercy. Even more, it is not just mercy that makes us partakers of salvation, but it is God's great mercy. The word can also be rendered "abundant". To further diminish man's claim to salvation through works, Peter emphasizes that we obtain our salvation through great, abundant, and surpassing mercy on God's part. It requires great mercy to partake of this salvation, so what do your piddly little acts of selfish and devised kindness merit? Nothing.

The fact that we partake of salvation according to God's great mercy makes it all the more precious to us. Although Peter is calling us to imagine things greater than our imaginations corrupted by this temporal world can comprehend, he uses images and symbols in order to peak our comprehension of the majesty and glory of the incomprehensible. Think of the greatest possession you could have in this world. Whether it would be money, love, property, belongings, power, or anything of like manner. How much more valuable would that thing be if it was freely given to you, due to no consequence of your own? Now take that thing and multiply it by infinity. Try to contemplate all of the greatest possessions your spiritual mind could desire, multiply it by infinity, and then by infinity again, and relish the fact that all of this is yours according to God's great mercy. It is a free gift. You not only did not deserve it, but the only thing you did deserve was an infinitely more horrendous, terrible, and destructive inheritance of eternal judgment. But according to God's great mercy, you will enjoy an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance because of your salvation in Jesus Christ. Surely, that is far more precious than gold!

Our inheritance is also more precious than gold as Peter's exposition describes it as "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading." An inheritance is, "the portion or heritage which one receives by virtue of birth or by special gift" (Marvin Vincent). The inheritance at hand is Christ's, the Son of God. The son of a business tycoon inherits the riches of his father. The son of a great inventor and innovator inherits the fruits of his father's labors. The son of the king inherits the kingdom. Those are nice inheritances, but they are perishable and corruptible. The son can easily squander and mismanage his inheritance (as we so vividly see in the parable of the prodigal son). The inheritance can be diminished to nothing if the inheritor does not attend to it wisely. But Peter is speaking of an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance. This is the inheritance of God Almighty. Our God is imperishable, undefiled, incorruptible, and unfading. It should not surprise us that the inheritance He wills to His Son, Jesus, is the same.

How precious is this inheritance that you may lay claim to it through Christ Jesus? Have you ever truly imagined that you are a partaker of God's inheritance? Have you ever thought about what it means to partake of this inheritance through Christ? Even now, you may try and try again to wrap your feeble mind on the idea, but the glory of this truth is incomprehensible. Your mind cannot conceive of it's glory and awesomeness. But by faith, you can attend to this truth as it is set before you in the Scriptures. You can rest assured that as sure as Peter tells you that an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance is being held for you in heaven in the Holy Word of God, that this incomprehensible truth is just that: true! You might not be able to wrap your mind around how glorious and wonderful this inheritance is, but you can grasp onto it by faith, knowing that it is by far more precious than gold or any riches that this terrible world has to offer.

As noted above, your inheritance from God the Father is being held for you in heaven (v. 4). The word "held" is also translated "kept" or "reserved". As Marvin Vincent points out, the verb is a perfect participle, "indicating the inheritance as one reserved through God's care for his own from the beginning down to the present." As Charles Spurgeon writes, "Before God made the heavens and the earth, and laid the pillars of the firmament in their golden sockets, he set his love upon me; upon the breast of the great high priest he wrote my name, and in his everlasting book it stands, never to be erased -- 'elect according to the foreknowledge of God.'" From the beginning, your inheritance has been guarded by God the Father. As sure as you were elect according to the foreknowledge of God, your inheritance was secured and defended by God the Father. What wonders! Surely, it must be more precious than gold if God would care to defend, secure, protect, and guard it for me long before I, a mere man, was born. To use a worldly example to further convey the incomprehensible glory of this truth again, imagine Fort Knox and how impenetrable it must be in order to protect our nation's wealth. Now imagine what defense is necessary to protect and secure the inheritance of God Almighty. It takes nothing less than God Himself to protect it, and he does and has been protecting it on your behalf long before the foundations of this world were even laid.

Finally, as God spares nothing in order to defend your inheritance, you must now reflect on how precious you are in the sight of God! You are surely much more precious than gold! An inheritance is nothing if there is no one to inherit it. God defends and guards your inheritance, and He has done so from the beginning down to the present. God does not defend it so well hoping that if you stand the test of time and survive then it will be there for you as a prize for your perseverance. No, God defends and guards your inheritance because you are sure to inherit it. He guarantees it by His great and awesome power! Peter further enumerates what God's keeping of our Heavenly inheritance means to our earthly existence in verse five. By God's power, we are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time! We are being guarded on earth, like our inheritance is guarded in heaven, for the revelation of our great inheritance in the last time! We are being guarded by God's power so that we will see our salvation! Faith guards us in the here and now so that we will one day be given that great and wondrous salvation, that imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance that God has set aside for us from before the foundations of the earth were laid!

Knowing that God guards and protects us by His great power on earth so that we will inherit that which He guards and protects in heaven is encouraging and uplifting to the most discouraged and beaten down soul. Many of us have heard about the perseverance of the saints, but the Apostle Peter presents the topic from a more encouraging and profound manner: the preservation of the saints. By faith we persevere, but as feeble and lacking as our faith tends to be at times of trial and tribulation, God's great power is always with us, guarding and protecting us in such a manner that no earthly or cosmic danger could overcome us, making sure that we will survive to the great day to see our salvation revealed to us as an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance!

In the descriptive, poetic, and joyful words of Charles Spurgeon:

"This perhaps will be one of the greatest cordials to a Christian in heaviness, that he is not kept by his own power, but by the power of God, and that he is not left in his own keeping, but he is kept by the Most High. Ah! what should you and I do in the day when darkness gathers round our faith, if we had to keep ourselves! I can never understand what an Arminian does, when he gets into sickness, sorrow, and affliction; from what well he draws his comfort, I know not; but I know whence I draw mine. It is this. 'When flesh and heart faileth, God is the strength of my life, and my portion for ever.' 'I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.' But take away that doctrine of the Saviour’s keeping his people, and where is my hope? What is there in the gospel worth my preaching, or worth your receiving? I know that he hath said, 'I give unto my sheep eternal life. and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.' What, Lord, but suppose they should grow faint — that they should begin to murmur in their affliction. Shall they not perish then? No, they shall never perish. But suppose the pain should grow so hot that their faith should fail: shall they not perish then? No, 'they shall not perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.' But suppose their sense should seem to wander, and some should try to pervert them from the faith: shall they not be perverted? No; 'they shall never perish,' But suppose in some hour of their extremity hell and the world and their own fears should all beset them, and they should have no power to stand — no power whatever to resist the fierce onslaughts of the enemy, shall they not perish then? No, they are 'kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.' Ah! this is the doctrine, the cheering assurance 'wherein we greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if needs be, we are in heaviness through manifold temptations.'” (From Charles Spurgeon's sermon on 1 Peter 1:6 titled "The Christian's Heaviness and Rejoicing" in The New Park Street Pulpit)

In closing, it is of the utmost importance that we reflect upon why we are much more precious than gold in God's eyes. It is not because we are good people. It is certainly not because He sees that we have something worth while to contribute to Him. As the scriptures read, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isaiah 64:6). One would not expect to bring polluted garments to an earthly king and expect to receive the kingdom and all its riches, so why would we expect to appear before the King of Kings with the foulest, most vile, polluted rags and expect Him to value them and appreciate them as much more precious than gold, earning us claim to the great inheritance? This is why we rely upon Christ and His atonement. The very Son of God became man, took on our flesh, took on our weaknesses, our feeble minds, and our destructible flesh, and fulfilled the Law of God perfectly. There was not a single jot or tittle that He did not fully accomplish. He was above reproach, above the punishment of the law (death), and yet He was betrayed by one of His own disciples, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was crucified on the cross. As Paul tells us, "You, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross" (Colossians 2:13-14).

Our sins and our debt were nailed on the cross in the person of Jesus Christ. He bore them to His greatest torment. The Son of God that was in perfect communion with God the Father for all eternity was forsaken on the cross on your behalf. He died, and so did your sinful nature through His perfect sacrifice to become the propitiation for your sins. He was buried and descended into the lower regions of the earth (Eph. 4:9). He rose again, and so did you through Him (1 Peter 1:3)! Christ has accomplished the work on our behalf. He has died and been resurrected to life, and we also have died and been born again through His resurrection!

We obtain Christ's redemptive work through God's great mercy (v. 3), according to the foreknowledge of God the Father (v.2) and in the sanctification of the Holy Spirit (v. 2). Here at the outset of Peter's epistle, we see God's redemptive work on our behalf expressed through each of the three persons of the trinity! We see that we certainly serve, obey, and trust in a magnificent and merciful triune God who loved, loves, and will forever love those that He has called His own! The promise of a glorious salvation and an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance is for God's people and God's people alone. They are more precious to Him than anything else, for they are as precious to Him as His only begotten Son,. The Father did not spare even His only begotten Son in order to provide atonement for our sins and iniquities. We are precious to God the Father through, and only through, the obedience, righteousness, holiness, and glory of Christ our Lord and Savior. If you are relying upon Christ and His redemptive work on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins, then you can rest assured that the inheritance and salvation that God is keeping and guarding you for and for you is yours as you walk by faith, always comforted and guided by the Holy Spirit! What a glorious beginning to such a wonderful epistle!

So now you must consider your salvation. Is it more precious to you than gold? Think about the way you live, the way you approach your earthly life, and how you view God day in and day out. Think about what worries you, what causes your trust in God to diminish, and what you are searching for in this short season of earthly life you sojourn through. We find comfort in all the wrong places too often. We seek financial stability, relationship stability, job security, and a sense of accomplishment in order to feel valuable and meaningful in this life. However, when God takes our sandy foundation, washes it out beneath our feet, and exposes us to the dangers of our idolatry and shortsightedness, we too often feel betrayed, forgotten, forsaken, and abandoned by God. But as Peter will go on to tell us, God is testing our faith in Him through our trials, throwing us through fire after fire until we finally learn what is most precious to us. We will forget time and time again what glories await us after this life, we will seek to build our foundation on the sand rather than the rock, but by God's perseverance and preservation we will one day sing as the psalmist:

"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:7-11

Book Review: Almost Christian by Kenda Creasy Dean

2011-01-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church by Kenda Creasy Dean

In Almost Christian, Kenda Creasy Dean responds to the alarming results of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). The NSYR was a comprehensive study of "religious" American teens earning notoriety in Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton's book Soul Searching. Christian Smith used the term "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism" to best describe the religion that most American teens fall under, a religion that has nothing to do with the Christian faith. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism defines the religion that has completely saturated churches throughout America where believers worship a god that created the world, wants people to get along, wants people to be happy, remains in the background unless summoned during trials, and only throws really, really, really bad people into a prison called "hell". Unfortunately for the Christian church, many churches that teach Moralistic Therapeutic Deism call themselves Christian churches and those that attend also call themselves Christians.

The first couple of chapters are very enlightening and alarming. Dean first outlines the results of the NSYR, what they say about American teenagers, and what they say about the future of the American church. To say the least, the findings are alarming. The most alarming finding is that American teenagers that remain in the church after their sophomore year of college (a very low percentage) typically follow in their parent's footsteps, and that's not a good thing as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism saturates the church today. Unfortunately, most teenagers today would call themselves religious and Christians, but very few of them are able to define, confess, or describe what they believe. To most of today's teens, religion is good thing, but not a "big deal". As 80% of the American population calls themselves Christian, the NSYR did a good job of showing that the label is being misused and misapplied grossly in regards to our nation's young people who cannot really explain what Christianity is (and those few that can miss the mark completely, describing a traditional works based moralism that is more similar to Roman Catholicism).

Dean goes on to outline what separates the "highly devoted" teens from the rest. Dean describes why the NSYR found that Mormon teens are faring the best in regards to being highly devoted, knowing what they believe, and setting a foundation within the church that encourages young people to take their beliefs seriously. Dean rightly recognizes that it all comes down to catechesis -- not only in the church but in the home. She recognizes a stark contrast between Mormon teens that attend "seminary" every morning before their school studies and protestant teens who attend church only every once in a long while

Sadly, although Dean seems to be headed in the right direction, the last few chapters of her book take a nose dive. After recognizing the real need in the church for catechesis in the church and in the home, she goes in a direction that I find unwise to follow. Although many of her suggestions are somewhat valid, it is evident that Dean is approaching this problem from within the box that the problem has been created in. Unfortunately, Dean references very little Scripture in order to substantiate and reference her ideas. Instead, she only references her experiences as a youth pastor and seminary professor of youth ministries. Although she seems very capable and knowledgeable about youth programs, Dean seems to dance right around what I recognize as the pivotal problem among youth in the Christian church today -- they're progressively Bibleless.

I do not assume that my experiences as a youth are at all the norm and can substantially describe the majority of teens within the church. However, I also do not assume that my experiences were outlandish and dissimilar to the majority of teens. Growing up in the Evangelical Free Church, I know firsthand how detrimental it is to the faith of teens to try to make Christianity relevant, hip, cool, appealing, and marketable to teens by watering down the message, serving it lukewarm, and expecting youth to come back for seconds. The church today does not seem to take children and youth seriously, and much of that probably has to do with our culture's diminishing views of maturity and teen responsibilities. More alarming, however, is that youth programs look for everything new under the sun in order to make their ministry more appealing to teens to get them in the door, but once in the door, they throw the grace of God out the window and expect to assimilate youth into the church through fun activites, junk food, meaningless evangelism, and "big brother" or "big sister" experiences.

I feel it is safe to say that the modern American church is focusing and niche marketing towards teens so much that we are completely oblivious that the reason American teens are leaving the church is because the church is trying too hard to appeal to them. Dean suggests better youth programs and ministries. I would suggest fewer. Stop isolating and removing teens from the whole body of believers within the congregation during the preaching and teaching of the Word. Likewise, stop approaching teenagers as rebellious, alien, foreign entities within the church (as if the Word of God has no effect on them and more "extreme" tools are required to reach their hardened hearts with force fields). The church today gives teens everything we think they need, but neglect the greatest tool we have at our fingertips. Throughout my experiences within youth groups, over half of those attending did not bring their Bible, and all who attended did not need their Bibles. The message was "Jesus loves you so love others too" and I guess that message just comes naturally to people (sarcasm intended).

During my experiences, we went on camp outs, short term missions trips were conducted every year in Mexico, we met once a week for Bible studies and prayer group, and once a month we were invited to a mega-church's youth ministry called "Surge" (named after the Mountain Dew wannabe soda). I remember being sixteen years old and just dying to read the Bible and hear the Word preached. My parents can attest to this because at one phase in my life they were surprised to find me adamant that I desired to sit in during the adult service. Thankfully, my family left the EV Free Church and became members of the RPCNA. Needless to say, I had a lot of learning to do as I attended Sabbath School classes for high-schoolers where we were going through the shorter catechism. I quickly learned and determined that I was Christian illiterate. Not only did I not know Biblical terminology, Biblical doctrines, and essential truths, but I hardly knew the books of the Bible. Although I had a Bible for every year of my teenage life, no youth pastor, youth ministry, or youth program had ever truly challenged me to open my Bible and read it. The few times I remember reading the Bible during out "Bible" studies was for isolating a portion of Scripture and watering it way down to a Moralistic Therapeutic usage. Youth groups love to try and make the Bible practical without making it applicable. Over and over, we were encouraged to listen and heed what the Bible had to say on every minute situation we were going through as teens, but the entire message of the Bible that we were fallen sinners desperately in need of a Savior to make atonement for our sins through His death on the cross was not very applicable to teenagers. Perhaps we were viewed as too young or too stupid to grasp the truths of the Word, but whatever the perception may be, the perception is pushing more teens out of the church rather than pulling them in.

From my past experiences in youth groups, I determined that almost all of my interactions with numerous youth groups had one thing in common: no Bible necessary. I think this is where Dean and my views on the main problem amongst American teens differ. Dean rightly recognizes that many parents in the church are dropping the ball when it comes to leading their children in the Christian faith, teaching them what the Scriptures teach, and helping them deal with problems with a Christian perspective on life. However, Dean does not recognize how to fix this problem from a Scriptural standpoint. Quite honestly, I found the last part of her book very hard to read because it sounded too much like sociological mumbo jumbo and not enough like ideas that were consistently followed by Scripture proof texts.

In one of her last chapters, Dean narrates the story of a young girl that went on a short term mission trip as a nominal Christian and returned as a "highly devoted" teenager Christian. Throughout the mission, the teens were encouraged to keep a journal and to write about their perceptions of the world and how their involvement with the mission is starting to change that perception. At the end of the mission trip, all of the teens are encouraged to go home, find something that they treasure the most, and to give it to someone else. The girl struggles to find what she treasures that she could give up and others would appreciate it. In a touchy, feely fashion, Dean narrates how the girl gives up her journal entries to her youth pastor. I have heard similar stories and have had very similar experiences in my own life. Someone always made a profession of faith after being enlightened by something on a mission trip or a youth retreat, but after a few weeks or months, that same person was right back where they used to be: Godless and rebellious.

Dean continuously uses alien ideas to describe what teens need today in order to grasp and understand the Christian faith better. The ideas are strange and often left me wondering, "Where did she get that?" The ideas included "a peculiar God story" that teens needed to share with others in a missional fashion (as Christ's incarnation took on a missional role). All in all, it was a little to "out there" for me to take it too seriously, but after giving a grain of salt, I came around a little bit, but not enough to excuse such strange representations of some very simple Christian principles.

I know what's missing amongst American teens when it comes to the Christian faith. It's not a program that helps them interact with their peers. It's not a program that helps them get more involved with their community. They don't need more programs and more micro-managed ministries. We don't need more youth ministers and "how to" books that aim to give us the upper hand over Mormons when it comes to having the most "highly devoted" religious teens in America. Our church and our youth need the same exact thing: we need the good news preached to us every Lord's Day from behind the pulpit!

Too much emphasis rests on "What else can the church do?" and not enough on "What isn't the church doing?" American teens are leaving the church in droves because it's nothing but another institution to them. It's like school, the YMCA, Walgreens, and Glee club. It's just a business. It's just a club. It's a good thing, but they could take it or leave it. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism didn't just creep into the church overnight. It's a result of what happens when pastors and churches shy away from preaching Christ and Him crucified and rather teach about how to manage finances in a supposed Christian manner and be a better you. If our children and teens are not sitting under the preaching of Christ, then why are we acting surprised and astonished to find out that they are leaving the church in droves? Why are we surprised that they are illiterate when it comes to what the Bible says about Christianity?

The church today needs to stop pitching Christianity like it's the next big thing. We need to stop trying to appeal to teens with big screen TVs, Foosball tables, caffeinated drinks, "extreme" sports, and a watered down, lukewarm Gospel. We have no right to act surprised that American teens aren't buying into the "Christian" religion we keep throwing at them. There's nothing Christian about it. We could be surprised that they are not little geniuses on niche marketing and product placement, but not Christianity. Let's stop trying to make Christianity appealing to teens, stop watering it down, stop making it about having fun, liking who you are, and having a "kumbaya" experience with your friends. Let's preach it like it is! Let's put a Bible in their lap, sit them under the preaching of the Word as a true means of grace, and let God build His Kingdom!

American teens do not need better youth ministers and better youth ministries. American teens and adults need better ministers and churches that understand that "faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17)! There's no cure-all for the teen dilemma in the church, but we can start with a treatment that Christ himself teaches us works the best. In the Great Commission, Christ tells his disciples to, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). There's no footnote in the Bible telling us "This command only applies to adult ministries. You're on your own for youth ministries."

This is not at all to say that all churches are neglecting the means of grace when it comes to evangelizing teens, but rather I am trying to say that there are a fair share of churches out there today that think that the Bible is too "old fashioned" to be appealing or applicable to teens today. I have witnessed firsthand the effects of youth groups and their approach to "Gospel" ministry. Out of all of my childhood and teenage friends who were professing Christians that attended church regularly every Sunday with their parents, not a single one attends church today. I remember having theological discussions with them, talking about our Christian beliefs regularly, and going back and forth about doctrinal disagreements (i.e. Was playing N64 games where you kill people similar to murder?). Sadly, since graduating high school, they have all abandoned the church and moved on to a different lifestyle. Why? Because the church only got them in the door by trying to appeal to them as teenagers. Teenagers grow up, move out on their own, start their own families, start their own careers, and become practically new people after they graduate high school. Churches don't cater to their needs anymore. There is no longer a "group" that they can relate to socially. They aren't Christians, they don't know the Bible, they disagree with many stances that the church takes, they live a lifestyle that church not only does not cater to but abhors, and they become church rejects.

Think about it. Everything in the teen sphere of youth ministry is encompassed by "extreme" Christianity. Basically, youth groups try to cater to teens by telling them, You can be awesome, cool, rebellious, and extreme for Christ! That's not a Biblical message. But we keep dishing out left and right, and now we are astonished by the results of the NSYR. I find it sad and pathetic, honestly. We're trying so very hard, but the answer to reaching teens is right under our nose. Children, teens, and adults are all spiritually dead apart from the grace of God. What we all need is not another program or another specialized ministry. We all need someone who can raise the dead to life. We all need a message that speaks to our situation as sinners and gives us hope beyond any earthly comprehension. We need good news. We know where to find that. The answer we're all looking for is forever appealing and relevant to all peoples who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We need the Scriptures. We need preaching. We need the means of grace that God has given us. There's nothing clandestine or secretive about it.

In closing, the book is interesting and telling. Dean makes a lot of good points and recognizes a true need for change within the American church. She also recognizes the need for parents to stop taking the back burner when it comes to their children's Christian walk, hoping that their church's youth pastor is doing an adequate job. I found Scripture truly lacking throughout the book, and Dean's final arguments all encompass a sociological approach to fixing a spiritual problem. The book is easy to read, easy to follow, and provides numerous "case studies" that are interesting and peaked my interest. Overall, however, I cannot recommend the book as a helpful study into what American teenagers are lacking. Dean gets so close to the answer to the problem, but skips around it and ends up taking a quite pathetic and "therapeutic" approach herself. I was just hoping that she would finish the book recognizing the need for American teens to pick up a Bible and read it, to attend church and sit under the faithful preaching of Christ and Him crucified, and to be encouraged and catechized by their parents and spiritual fathers. Alas, I did not find the grand finale' I sought, but her approach only fueled the fire as to why teens are leaving the church. Dean's book, although unintentional, does a wonderful job of demonstrating why Bibleless teens who think of Christ as nothing more than a moral man and think of church as a time to hang out with their buddies and talk about how they are going to be nicer to their friends are leaving the Christian church!

I give it 5 out of 10.

American Growth of Godlessness

2010-12-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

I have been so immersed in my studies lately, that I have nothing to contribute to my blog than a mere school paper I wrote as my final for my class on ancient civilizations. Most of my school finals are quite thoughtless and mainly pointless. Many are just mere reflective papers about the class and what I learned. However, this particular final made me think about the world we live in. Although I was able to touch on many points, I feel that I was not able to fully express and articulate them as much as I would have liked to. So, if you notice a tendency of abrupt and punctuated thoughts throughout, so do I. Unfortunately, my paper was only allowed to be seven pages at most. Yes, I know. I am strange.

I feel like I could easily outline and write a book about this subject. Perhaps someday. However, I was able to write about something that has always puzzled my intellect in regards to evolution. If man evolved, then why do the first civilizations focus primarily on religion rather than natural selection? After all, if man evolved then why would we subject ourselves to religious practices and demanding gods, severely exposing ourselves to quite the opposite of an enjoyable carnal life? This was the norm for ancient civilizations, and the theory of natural selection and evolution did not grow until modern times. Scientists can skew biology and chemistry to their advantage to "prove" evolution, but the social sciences seem to greatly hinder their ideas. According to them, history tells us that cave men made tools, learned about agriculture, and then developed a supernatural concept of God and religion. It's quite a pickle if you ask me.

Finally, many of my thoughts stem more from my recent studies of American culture and "the church" rather than my studies in ancient civilizations. The third question in the prompt was substantial to me, but I do not feel I remotely answered the question about how the course and the Bible help me understand and cope with the changes taking place in America. I understand the changes taking place in America, but I haven't begun to cope with them, per-say. America seems to being traveling upon a downward spiral in regards to Christianity and spirituality in general. As evolution continues to progress in our educational institutions and within our culture, spirituality and the supernatural seem to be superstitions and "woo woo" anymore. Everything is natural. No wonder the slogan "You only live one life, so live it well" is so popular today. This is it, as far as American culture is concerned. Don't waste your life being upset with other people's morals, don't hate, don't live a life governed by a bunch of rules. Peace, love and prosperity baby! That's what it's all about (besides the hokey pokey, of course). But seriously, this secularism is creeping into the church. I have been reading a book by Kenda Creasy Dean titled Almost Christian: What the faith of our teenagers is telling the American church. The book is startling and scary. Following that book I desire to delve into Timothy Keller's Counterfeit Gods and G.K. Beale's We Become What We Worship. I have this sneaking suspicion that America has fallen prey to an all encompassing form of idolatry unlike any other culture before us: individualism. We are our own gods. We worship ourselves, we only seek to appease ourselves, and we love ourselves more than anybody or anything else in the world! It is an alarming "development" that only seems to get worse and worse by generation. Today's teens are the most narcissistic generation yet, and just imagine what the next generation will be like unless we seek to nip the bud before the flower blooms.

Anyways...

The prompt for the paper was the three following questions:

What have you learned about human nature and human society as you have explored ancient civilizations in this course?
How does your response to the first question contribute to your understanding of biblical teaching on the nature of God and on human nature?
How does what you've learned from this course and from the Bible help you to understand and cope with the changes that are taking place in Western Civilization--and specifically in the USA--in our time?

History is more than a timeless collection of dates, names, places, and stories. History is more than just a hodgepodge of unique civilizations, cultures, customs, and characters. History is all of those things, but it is chiefly a story of redemption. History is a story of a creation fallen in sin by man's disobedience to God, and God's act of redemption to renew man's cursed, fallen, and sinful nature into a holy, righteous, and glorified state. Although history contains a potpourri of influential events, times, peoples, and religions, all in all, each action and person is another facet in the larger picture of man's redemption through the atoning work of Christ Jesus. Ancient civilizations seemed to have sensed their spiritual fall and need for salvation as evidenced by their cultural emphasis of religion and deity worship, but modern America seems to lack any regard for man's spiritual constitution of life. Although America seems to be progressing scientifically and technologically, we are heading the wrong direction when it comes to attending to the real issues and necessities of our spiritual lives.

A study in ancient civilizations and cultures clearly articulates that man, cursed by sin and death, is in a constant state of decay. Although many historians and scientists would argue that man is progressively improving and evolving into a much more sophisticated form of the species, Biblical truth dwarfs this view, shedding a tremendous and profound light upon just "how far" the human race has come over the years. As human society has progressed technologically, we have certainly digressed spiritually.

While exploring ancient civilizations, one should not be surprised to find a striking correlation between a civilization's intellectual and technological advancement and its sudden decline and eventual fall. As man learns and fosters new ways to depend less and less on God and his spiritual constitution to worship Him, he grows farther and farther from truth and life itself. World civilization after world civilization has experienced the firsthand effects of turning their backs to their creator, and seeking civilized and meaningful lives outside of the cross of Christ. Such blatant and pitiful suppressions of life-giving truth are always means to the same end: death and destruction. Despite man's acclaimed evolution and advancement, humanity has yet to sustain a progressive civilization for a substantial period of time. That is not to say that there are not civilizations that have progressed or that there are not civilizations that have survived over a substantial epoch, but that is only to say that civilizations, cursed like the world they exist in and cursed like the humanity that develops them, are in a constant state of decay not progression. Modern America is no exception to the rule.

According to the authors of The Earth and Its Peoples (Bulliet et al., 2011), several indicators that scholars use to determine what constitutes a civilization are: cities as administrative centers, a political system, specialized workers, status distinctions, monumental building, a system for record keeping, long-distance trade, and major advances in sciences and arts. However, the book seems to recognize that modern scholars ignore one very influential characteristic of many of the earth's most renowned civilizations: religion. Despite the book's constant description of several important religious ideas and how greatly they influenced many aspects of civilizations' cultures and social orders, the authors skip over religion as a crucial indicator of civilizations.

From a Biblical standpoint, human nature defaults with a desire to worship something. As A.A. Hodge expresses, "It is...indubitably certain that all men under all known, and therefore under all truly natural conditions, do spontaneously recognize the divine existence as more or less clearly revealed to them in the constitution and conscious experience of their own souls, and in external nature" (Hodge, 1999, p. 30). Man recognizes the need for a moral and physical creator, and those that would articulate that they truly believe that our existence is a result of completely natural causes cannot adequately explain man's origin without relying on veiled supernatural means (such as the big bang theory). Either men recognize the existence of a god and seek to worship it through religion, or they suppress the natural knowledge of God in their hearts and call themselves atheists and "freethinkers". Either way, Paul clearly expresses man's recognition of God when he writes, "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20, ESV).

Throughout history, civilizations have relied heavily on religion and some have even been defined by their religious beliefs. As we look through ancient civilizations, although most did not recognize the true triune God, they did recognize a supreme deity (or deities) that governed and sustained their existence. The ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun and many other deities, the ancient Chinese worshiped the sky-god Di, the Greeks worshiped an expansive collection of mythical beings, the Persians worshiped their emperor as a representative of the supreme Ahuramazda, and the Israelites worshiped God almighty as His chosen people (Bulliet et al., 2011). In fact, the worship of a supreme deity was so embedded into ancient cultures that it is almost impossible to find an ancient civilization that did not recognize and worship a god of some sort or fashion.

Furthermore, some ancient civilizations were completely defined by their religion. Although many civilizations used organized religion as a means of determining social classes, governing the people, and instituting a code of morality, some civilizations are characterized by religions that completely consumed and saturated their culture. For instance, the more modern Aztec civilization was marked by a culture where "religious rituals dominated public life" (Bulliet et al., 2011, p. 317). The Aztec's chief deity, Huitzilopochtli, required human flesh, mainly hearts, in order to allow him to sustain earth by bringing the Sun's warmth. Although the Aztec civilization today is mainly remembered for their brutal and violent practices of human sacrifice, there is a telling attribute about this form of religion that typically is glossed over. According to Michel Graulich (2007), human sacrifice was a means of expiation (or atonement) for the Aztec sacrificer. Graulich explains that, "The end was obviously not only to feed the god...[but] was to participate through the victim's death, to die through him, to offer himself, that is, to do as the gods in Teotihuacan who destroyed their material body to expiate and return to heaven" (p. 27). This view on atonement through human sacrifice bears a peculiar resemblance to Christian views on atonement through Christ's death on the cross on our behalf, and further evidences that man innately knows he is fallen and in need of atonement through human sacrifice (the sacrifice of the incarnate Son of God, Christ Jesus on the cross).

Although ancient civilizations and their belief systems are often downplayed as archaic, unsophisticated, and superstitious, there seems to be something very telling about the way religion and a belief in a supreme god completely permeated every civilization in some fashion or another. Given evolution as the source for human origins, it seems difficult to explain how ancient humanity desired to devise religion unanimously and subject themselves under a supreme deity. If man is truly a result of completely natural means, lives a completely natural life, and has nothing beyond his natural existence in this world to attend to, then why would practically every ancient civilization devise a supernatural deity and subject themselves to it (lowering the carnal enjoyment of natural life substantially)? Perhaps ancient civilizations recognized a significant part of life that secular modern civilizations desire to keep a secret and sweep under the rug.

Ancient peoples were not superstitious, but rather, they found themselves in a world with powers far greater than themselves. It is no wonder they experienced a need and recognition of a supreme being while they existed in an unknown world, governed by unknown natural laws, and enslaved by the law of sin in their hearts (Rom. 7:22-23). However, as time progressed, knowledge in technology, science, arts, and mathematics progressed as well. The unknown world began to shrink as the known world began to grow. The magnificence of the natural world began to be dwarfed by the destructive powers of sinful man. Technology in the last millennium surpassed all ancient religions' ability to emphasize man's dependence on faith in a deity. As technology grows exponentially, the massive world we live in begins to look like a small pea in the realm of an immense vastness of solar systems and universes. Gods used to be viewed as celestial beings living above the clouds, but now, they do not even appear to dwelling within our very own solar system.

Modern Western Civilization and modern America, specifically, have given up on the notion of God and the need for religion. What was once viewed as supernatural miracles are now viewed as natural phenomenon. Technology seems to have surpassed our need for God, as we now live in a world where man can seemingly play god better than ever before. We, as Americans, pride ourselves with the ability to start a new life in vitro, or take it away via abortion. We pride ourselves by healing the body in ways never imagined before. We have computers and surpassing knowledge of the way the world works so that scientists can explain every occurrence as completely natural. According to many evolutionists, modern man is getting close to the pinnacle of biological evolution. We have little left to learn about the world we live in, we are practically harnessing and harvesting every nuclear power the world has to offer, and we are more powerful in our own minds than ancient civilizations ever thought a deity could be.

It is no wonder western civilization and secular America is progressively growing godless in respects to religious practice. We have become our own gods. After all, as Paul outlined in Romans, we all recognize God, but most suppress this knowledge and worship something else. In ancient civilizations, cultures recognized a need for spirituality and religion. They recognized a power greater and far more powerful than themselves. They recognized an innate morality written upon their hearts, and desired to use religion as a means to govern and/or suppress this morality. However, in modern America and western civilization, morality is being replaced with tolerance. Because we are viewed as natural and social creatures, according to atheists, we are not governed by a supreme moral judge but rather by a social evolution of morality. Society determines the moral code of ethics and governs what is right and wrong, not God. We worship a new god through a new means other than religion in modern western civilizations. We worship man through the religious views of socialism.

Religion and spirituality has been deemed superfluous in modern America and Western culture. Knowledge, technology, and tolerance permeate our civilization. Although many religions continue to affect American culture, religious peoples are viewed as bigots, intolerant, and "old fashioned." As scholars no longer characterize civilizations by a religious indicator but rather by political, social, and intellectual indicators, it is no surprise that the notion of a supreme being is being exterminated and extinguished in the realm of modern civilization. Whereas man's sinful decay used to be highlighted by his worship of false gods and idols, man's sinful decay is now emphasized by his suppression of the existence of a god and his worship of himself instead.

From a Biblical standpoint, this is not progression but digression. Only the fool says in his heart, "There is no God" (Psalm 14:1). As Paul traveled through the city of Athens, he observed that the Athenians desired to worship God, but because of their sinful nature and lack or spiritual understanding, they worshiped him as "the unknown god" (Acts 17:23). It is far better for man to seek His creator in spiritual blindness than for man to completely suppress his need for redemption. Ancient religions all focused on appeasing their gods' wrath and malice. Blinded by sin, they still recognized their need for spiritual nourishment, they recognized an afterlife, and they recognized a morality that required human blood to pacify and atone for disobedience. The law was truly written on their hearts, but they sought after false gods in vain. As terrible as their idolatry was, they at least recognized their fall and sinfulness. Modern Americans governed by social morality and tolerance, prided by intellect and technology, and devoid of any spiritual recognition or dependency find themselves living in a world characterized by no need for salvation, no fear of holy justice, and no recognition of the coming wrath of God. Rather than reaching the pinnacle of biological evolution, we have reached the pinnacle of godlessness.

Ancient civilizations were lost in the realm of vast religions and their spiritual compasses were darkened by a deep fog shrouded by a future revelation of God's redeemer to ages to come. Modern civilizations are lost in the realms of complete narcissism, spiritual death, and moral injustice despite the light-giving revelation of the culmination of redemptive history: Christ's death upon the cross to atone for our sins. Christ Himself pronounces his judgment on godless civilizations today when He says, "I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you." (Mat. 11:24, ESV). America prides itself by claiming to be a Christian nation, but the permeation of godless secular thinking is slowly seeping into the Christian church. As more and more churches replace the good news of the Gospel with narcissistic, feel-good, carnal, self-help lessons and teaching, it will not be long until America completely loses grasp of our need for Christ and our spiritual dependency upon our Heavenly Father. We pride ourselves as being the greatest nation in the world, but Alexis de Tocqueville gives this solemn warning: "America is great because she is good. If America will cease to be good, America will cease to be great" (Crabb, 2006). Christ said, "No one is good except God alone" (Mark 10:18), and without the slightest notion of God there is nothing good or great about America.

References:

Bulliet, R. W., Crossley, P. K., Headrick, D. R., Hirsch, S. W., Johnson, L. L., & Northrup, D. (2011). The earth and its peoples: A global history. Boston: Wadsworth.

Crabb, M. (2006, December 24). America: Great, good, or godless? Retrieved December 11, 2010, from RenewAmerica: http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/crabb/061224

Graulich, M. (2007). Aztec human sacrifice as expiation. In J. N. Bremmer, The strange world of human sacrifice (pp. 9-31). Leuven, Belgium: Peeters.

Hodge, A. (1999). Outlines of theology. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust.

Each has received a gift, use it...

2010-10-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:10-11

I cannot count the number of times I have come home from church or a church sponsored event just wishing and desiring to be more involved. Recently, I have felt like I am not doing as much as I could be (let alone should be) doing in order to serve my church and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. As I go to work every day, come home, work on a little bit of schoolwork, and waste the rest of the evening on selfish pleasures, I have recently been feeling very guilty, as if I am neglecting some work set before me.

Andrew Quigley, the pastor of the Airdrie Reformed Presbyterian Church in Scotland, gave a sermon on Haggai 1:5, where God tells His people to "consider your ways." I strongly recommend it to everyone because he shares a message we all need to hear (http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=3180795747). He shares a message that has been on my mind over and over and over ever since I heard it about a month ago. It's a simple message, and Peter revisits it here in 1 Peter 4:10. In Haggai, the people of God have a duty to fulfill and God reminds them that they must attend to it. That duty was the building of the Temple, but more importantly, attending to the worship of God and building His Kingdom. In 1 Peter, the people of God each have a gift to use and Peter reminds us to use it!

For my brothers and sisters at Springs Reformed Church, we are coming to a point in our "small" congregation's history where these two passages must dwell heavily upon our minds. As we begin to think about daughtering a new church plant in the Monument area, I think we should all consider our ways, and consider the good stewardship of our gifts. Right now, I congregation is blessed with many wonderful servants who faithfully attend to the needs of our congregation. We have our exceptional pastor who faithfully provides us with the reading and preaching of the Word of God. We have our precentors that guide our corporate worship with their musical prowess. We have our dear nursery attendants who serve the congregation by carrying for the little ones. We have our knowledgeable and blessed teachers who seek to faithfully teach our children and us during Sunday school. We have our technical support servants who serve every Sunday to provide audio so we can hear the Word preached, and listen to a wonderful sermon over and over on CD. We have our families that willingly and faithfully clean the church on a regular basis so that everything is clean and well attended to. We have our deacons who attend to the congregation's tithes, the administration of those funds, the upkeep up the building, and our safety. We have our elders who attend to the congregation's great need of leadership, government, discipline, and teaching. As you can see, and as we all know, it takes more than just a pastor to begin a new congregation. And we would all do well to consider our ways, seeking to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us as we venture to start a new congregation, and new tight-knit family of brothers and sisters in Christ our Lord.

At Springs Reformed, many of us have gotten very comfortable as members without obligations. We come and we go as we please, so to speak. We are not obligated by any duty. We come to church, worship God corporately with our brothers and sisters, pack our things up, and head off to a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon until we go back again in the evening. We do not attend to any of the church's needs, but only seek to take advantage of all of its benefits. This is not at all a bad thing, necessarily. We all participate in God's Kingdom in different capacities and because our congregation is blessed with so many faithful servants willing to attend to the needs of the church, many of us have found it comfortable not to be "needed." However, as the church will lose many influential members serving in great capacities and as a new church will require many influential members to serve in great necessities, I think it is very appropriate for all of us to consider what Peter has to say in this passage.

We all have received a gift. The key word is "all." It would be wrong for any member of the church to feel that they do not have some form of gift that they could use to serve God's Kingdom and His Church. Why? Why else but for the fact that Peter expressly solidifies the fact that we all do right here before us? There are three questions I think we should all be considering as we move forward with the church plant in regards to our gifts. 1) What is/are your spiritual gift/s? 2) How can you seek to serve others with your gift throughout and after the church daughtering? 3) Are you being a good steward within that capacity?

What is your spiritual gift? As previously noted, you cannot say I haven't one. Perhaps the best way to determine what your spiritual gift is would be to observe and record the needs of the church. What need does the church possess that you feel you could attend to? More often than not, answering this question will help you determine what gift/s you have. As I mentioned before, I have felt that I am neglecting to share one of my gifts. Being married, the head of my own household, and understanding that I now play a new role in the church and God's Kingdom. I have assumed more responsibility in my home, and I feel that I should assume greater responsibility in Kingdom building. Our church is blessed with so many faithful servants, that it is hard to feel needed. Although I can see myself serving in different capacities, I also see others who already serve in that capacity and find they do a much more adequate job than I ever could. I am sure that I am not the only one who has though this way. However, as members leave needed positions unfilled in order to attend to the needs of the new congregation, we should actively seek to participate and contribute to the needs we have observed, and seek to be as faithful as the member that held it previously.

How can you seek to serve others with you gift throughout and after the church daughtering? Could you help with Sunday school? Could you help with the nursery? Could you help greet at least one Lord's Day a month? Ask yourself these important questions. Think about all the work that goes on during a Lord's Day morning service. A deacon opens the building, making sure all is in good order and the building is ready for the gathering of God's people. A couple arrives early to begin the morning brew. A couple men arrive to set up the mics and the speakers for the pastor. A family arrives early, distributes a stack of bulletins and greets all those attending. A couple of people attend to the nursery, joyfully greeting each little one in attendance. A man (or Mann) greets everyone before the worship service, sharing helpful devotional practices, useful information, and pertinent events that are upcoming. The pastor leads everyone in the public worship of God Almighty. A precentor guides us through the singing of the Psalms. The deacons gather the tithes. The elders administer the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The teachers prepare lessons and teach our children and ourselves after the worship service. Several people prepare tables, chairs, and meals for fellowship meals. Someone lists the birthdays, anniversaries, and introduces all the guests. Several people help clean up after the service and after the meals. A couple families take time out of their schedules to clean the church after the Lord's Day service each week. The list really goes on and on and on. Your gift, whatever it might be, is useful. It should not go unused or unneeded. It is necessary. And as Peter goes on to say, Use it!

And finally, are you being a good steward within that capacity? It is not enough to know what your gift is. It is not enough for you to see a need for your gift in the church. You must use it! You must be a good steward of the talents that the Lord has given you. You must seek to serve your brothers and sisters in Christ with your gift. Do not take the talent, see its potential and use within the church, and bury in the ground, keeping it to yourself. Invest you gifts in the kingdom! Use them, and use them wisely. Use them generously and not sparingly.

As we recognize the gifts we have, where they can be used in the church, and the opportunities that will soon be abounding to use them to server one another, I think we would do well to consider our ways. Yes, you could sit aside and wait for someone else to serve in the capacity that you have a gift to serve in, but is that good stewardship of the gifts that God has graced you with? Yes, you could see a need, find the need filled by another, and comfort yourself by thinking that you would serve but someone else is already serving in the capacity you would. How else can you use that gift to serve others within the church? It's relaxing and comfortable to attend a church that requires no obligation or service from you, but you have to ask how you are participating in building the Kingdom of God if you will not pick up a hammer and attend to the necessary work involved.

We are beginning a new work of church planting. It is a work, and there is a lot of work involved. Thankfully, the work is God's, and all growth of a new congregation and the fruit it bears is due to the grace of God. However, a congregation is not going to miraculously pop up in Monument. There is still hard work to be done, and we should continue to pray that God would bless our efforts to advance His Kingdom upon Monument Hill. As the work progresses, faithful servants will leave Springs Reformed and attend to serving the new congregation up north, so necessary positions within the church will open up. Similarly, a new congregation up north will have it's fair share of servants, but there can never be too many workers for the Kingdom. Pick up your hammer, use your gift, serve your brothers and sisters, and serve you Lord! Opportunities are always abounding, and there is no reason for any of us to be just attending members of Springs Reformed Church! Let us attend to the worship services, but let us also attend to the work ahead of us. Let us attend to the building of God's Kingdom! Let us attend to the work at hand! Let us serve according to the gifts graced to us by God!

We each have been given a gift, let's use it!

Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.

2010-10-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

"For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, 'How shall we return?'

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:6-12

Malachi is an extraordinary prophetic book of the Bible. The dialogue between God and His people throughout the book is quite stunning and convicting. Although written over two thousand years ago, the prophecies still ring so very true for God's people today. Much of the dialogue between God and His children carries with it a sad, unfortunate burden of truth. Man has not changed much in over two thousand years. God's people have not changed much either. Malachi reminds Israel of the sins of their fathers thousands of years prior as well. In verse 7, Malachi reminds the people of Israel that they are making the same mistake their fathers made, and that being the alteration of the statutes and requirements of God's Law. We still find ourselves with the same problems and same sins that the people of Israel had then today. Over two thousand years later, this prophecy of Malachi is still applicable to God's church today. The times have changed, but sinful men have not.

The Lord reiterates to the people of Israel that He is the God that never changes. His attributes are perfect and perpetual. God is "I am" and not "I was" or "I will be again." There is a convicting irony in God's words here. Proclaiming Himself to be the God that never changes, He proves this point by demonstrating to the Israelites that they are still around and not yet condemned. Is it not ironic that God's immutable attributes preserve those that worship Him falsely as a mutable and changeable deity? As if to say, "You worship me as if I change, as if my Law changes, and as if my countenance upon sinful men changes, but because I do not change, you are preserved by my unchangeable will, promise, and life giving Spirit!"

Calvin translates verse 8 very differently from what the ESV reads. Calvin translates verse 8 to read: "Will a man rob the gods?" Although Calvin's exposition differs widely from almost every other commentator on this passage, he supports his exposition on the basis of the context of the two previous verses. According to Calvin, God here is comparing the nation of Israel to the gentile nations. He references Jer. 2:10, where Israel is told to survey the nations around them to see if the gentiles tend to change their gods as often as the Israelites desire to change the way they worship the true living God.

Calvin seeks to demonstrate how idol worshipers hardly ever change the way they worship their false gods. Although nearly every other commentator does not draw that out of this verse, I think the point is well deserved. Consider the many false religions throughout the world including Hinduism and Islam. Although Muslims worship Allah, a false god, their worship has remained practically unaltered over the centuries. Although their worship is false and blasphemous, they still conduct it with the utmost attention to detail, seriousness, and reverence. I have never entered a Mosque or witnessed an Islamic worship service before, but I find it hard to believe that they would ever allow a rock band to sing about how Allah is their best friend or teach how the key to a happy life is a healthy self-awareness and self-confidence.

God does not change. He so clearly says so Himself here in Malachi. However, the worship of the same true living God has changed from the strict, detailed Temple sacrifices articulated in Leviticus to today's "worship God the way that makes you feel best" mentality. Calvin articulates the irony that those who worship false gods worship with greater reverence and awe than we who worship the true God do. We should worship God with the least self-seeking and self-gratifying worship, but we fail so very miserably. It is no longer about worshiping and recognizing God for who He is or what He has accomplished on our behalf in the history of redemption, but it is now about what we can get out of it and what we find the most pleasing and most gratifying.

God commands the people of Israel to return to Him! The people respond, "How shall we return?" The people's response is twofold, that is to say, they do not recognize that they have strayed so far away and they, therefore, do not recognize how to venture back to a reverence of worship that they have abandoned. In other words, the people are not merely asking God how to get back to worshiping Him with all their heart and following His defined modes of worship, but they are asking, "How shall we return if we do not even know how far we have strayed from the ordinances of your worship?"

Some might find it strange that after God calls His people to return to Him and they inquire as to how to return to Him, He commands them to stop robbing him. The Israelites ask God how they are robbing Him (v. 8). The idea seems very peculiar to us. How in the world can we rob God? Surely there is nothing that we can take or steal from the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. God further clarifies what He means when He speaks of the people of Israel robbing Him. He tells them that they rob Him in their tithes and offerings.

The tithe is a tenth of all that a person has that he sets apart as an offering to the Lord. Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18:21-24, and Nehemiah 13:10-12 give some insight into how important the tithe was to the Lord.

"Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD's; it is holy to the LORD. If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman's staff, shall be holy to the LORD. One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed."
Leviticus 27:30-33

"To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting, so that the people of Israel do not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance. For the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel."
Numbers 18:21-24

I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field. So I confronted the officials and said, "Why is the house of God forsaken?" And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses.
Nehemiah 13:10-12

In Leviticus 27, the Lord claims the tithes for Himself. It is His and it is holy to Him. Therefore, to withhold the tithe of the Lord was to steal not only what was His but to steal and rob from Him what is holy to Him. Numbers 18 further demonstrates the importance of the tithe. The tribe of Levi had no inheritance in land, but their inheritance was the tithes of the Lord. The Lord gave the Levites the tithe of the people of Israel so that "the people of Israel [would] not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin and die." The Levites, as a symbol of the Great High Priest, Christ Jesus, bore the people's iniquity and performed the service of the tent of meeting. It was crucial that the people tithed in order for the Levites to perform their priestly duties.

A terrible domino effect occurred when the Israelites kept their tithes for themselves. If tithes were withheld then the storehouses were empty. If the storehouses were empty then the Levites had no means of provision. If the Levites had no means of provision, then they had to provide for themselves. If they fled to their fields to provide for themselves, then they had to abandon the house of God. If they abandoned the Temple, then no sacrifices were being made. If no sacrifices were being made, God's wrath was kindled because His Law and rightful worship was grossly neglected!

Following this chain of events, it is not hard to understand why God tells His people to return to Him by giving their tithes and offerings. There is, however, a greater detail to be clarified. Perhaps you are thinking, "What importance are tithes and offerings today? Isn't Christ our Lord a perpetual sacrificial offering for our sins?" Yes, tithes and offerings play a different role in the church today, but we might miss the forest for the trees if we do not accept that there is something more important to God than just the tenth He required in order to provide for the Levitcal priests.

We must recognize a broader and more personal understanding of what it means to rob God. Lest you think that you are off the hook because you give tithes regularly, there is more to robbing God than abstaining from contributing in the offering plate every Lord's Day. The real crime of Israel was not just holding back the portion that the Lord claimed as His own, but the real sin of Israel was the faithlessness that pervaded them to believe that God would not provide for them and that they needed the money more than He did.

You see, the tithe of the Lord is very similar to the Lord's Day in respect to the fact that man was not made to tithe, but the tithe was made for man. God commanded that we observe the Sabbath Day as a Holy Day not so that it would lord over us and be a burden to us, but so that we would rest in Him, rely in Him, and know that we can stop working for one whole day in order to remember where our provision comes from. We provide not for ourselves, but the Lord gives us all that we have. We can work every hour of every day and have nothing to show for it, unless the Lord, in His great mercy and grace, provides for us. Similarly, the Lord's tithe was not commanded so that we gave something to the Lord that He needed. God does not need a portion of our wealth. God does not need our money. The tithe was commanded for our benefit, that every time that we willingly give it to the Lord, we might remember that He has given us all that we have. Surely, a wonderful and blessed posture of giving would be: I give you this tenth of what I have, but I would willingly give you all because all I have is yours, and you shall surely provide bountifully for me and my house! We should not see giving tithes as giving the Lord a tenth of what is rightfully ours, but we should see it as the Lord giving us ninety percent of what is rightfully His!

Furthermore, as the Lord's Day points us to the Lord, so should the Lord's tithe. Ultimately, the Lord's Day is a day to remember the rest that we have in Christ our Lord and Savior. The work is done and we no longer need to work. We can now rest in Christ and His completed work upon the cross on our behalf. Similarly, the Lord's tithe should ultimately point us to Christ as well. In this life we are commanded to set apart a tenth for the Lord. We give to the Lord a small fraction that He has blessed us with, recognizing that all belongs to Him, that our Lord's inheritance is much greater than the tenth we set aside for Him, and that all blessings and all provisions come from the Lord. In giving tithes, we should remember that Christ has become the propitiation for our sins. Our great debt has been paid by His blood on the cross. He demands tithes not only to provide for the workers in His Kingdom (priests and pastors), but also as a demonstration of faith in those who would claim to believe in Him. If you truly believe that you are a child of God, that Christ's death on the cross has paid the penalty for your sins, then you will have no problem giving to the Lord what He has commanded, knowing that all comes from the Lord and God provides for the ones He loves.

So, after all this is said and done, you might still be questioning, "Why does God tell the people of Israel to return to Him by giving their tithes and offerings?" What God is really commanding the people of Israel is to return to Him by giving themselves wholly and completely to His worship, His glory, and His honor. That is that God is calling them back to Himself by saying, "I would love to have even the tenth of you that I have commanded, but I have none of you! You have turned your backs on me completely, even forsaking what little I ask of you in tithes and offerings. You all attend to your own houses and your own kingdom while my house is left unattended and my kingdom is forsaken!"

God does not often tell us to put Him to the test, but in verse 10, God tells the people of Israel to put Him to the test. "Rely on me," He says, "and tell me if you do not flourish. Tell me if your storehouses are empty. Tell me if you do not have food enough, water enough, and provision enough. Tell me if your kingdom does not overcome all that attempts to destroy it. Tell me if other nations do not envy you, my people, over all other nations. Tell me if you do not delight in me and my will for you then!"

God doesn't want just our tithes and offerings, but He would be happy if He could get even that from His people. He wants all of us! He tells the people of Israel, "You can start to return to me by giving even a tenth of what I have asked of you, but I really want all of you!" He's telling us that too. We, the church, the body of Christ, are the new people of God, the new Israel. We should take seriously the Word of God set before us here in Malachi 3. Like the Jews of old, we should talk with one another. We should remember that we do not serve the Lord in vain! We do not worship the Lord in vain! We do not serve a God that changes with the ebb and flow of time. We do not worship a God that changes with technology and society. We worship I AM!

You might ask yourself, "How, Matthew, do you get that this passage refers to how we worship God?" I ask you, How can you not recognize that God is calling His people to return to Him in worship? If the Israelites did not provide the tithe and offering that they were required to give by the command of God, then the priests could not attend to the worship that God had prescribed in His Word. God tells them that He is not a God that changes. It displeased Him when Cain gave an offering that was unworthy of Him, it displeased Him when Nadab and Abihu offered what was unworthy of Him, it displeased Him when the whole nation of Israel offered what was unworthy of Him, and it displeases Him when we offer what is unworthy of His majesty and glory! The only worship that God accepts is that given with a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). He does not accept the outward appearance of worship. We can go to church, we can raise our hands in praise, we can jump and shout, we can dance and clap, but that's not the worship that God has commanded of us. That's merely our preference to worship. That makes us feel good. That makes us feel like we are worshiping God. But God said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

The heart of worship is contrite. It is not self serving. It is not self seeking. It is not self pleasing. It is contrite. It is humble, recognizing that it is inferior to the command of God. God tells us that if we want to come to Him, then we are going to have to give up everything. In Malachi 3, God basically tells us, "You want to return to me? Then give me what I deserve! Give me what is mine!" What is the first commandment? "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). God has set before us a very strict, a very detailed, and a very demanding means of worshiping Him. There is no room for our will in His worship. He rejected Cain's worship. He rejected Nadab and Abihu's worship. He rejected Israel's worship before He abandoned them to the hands of the Babylonians. If we are not seeing the abundance of God's grace and mercy in our congregations, then maybe we should consider God's words in Malachi 3. Perhaps He has handed us over to the devourer so that we might see our error and return once more to Him.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Romans 12:1-3

God did not accept sacrifices with blemishes. It was an abomination to Him. He would not accept the least of Israel's wealth as an acceptable sacrifice. He would not take their blind, lame, and maimed livestock as an offering. This was not acceptable worship to Him before, so why should we error, and think that he will accept it now. He demands perfection in His worship! He wants what is unblemished. Listen to Paul's call to worship God by presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Furthermore, we are not to be conformed to this world! Technology changes, but God's worship does not! Society changes, but God's worship does not! The invention of the rock guitar does not necessitate the use of it in the public worship of God. The invention of videos and strobe lights does not necessitate the use of them during our worship of our creator!

Without blemish! Why does the RP Church sing the Psalms? Because God's Word is without blemish! Why does the RP Church sing the Psalms without musical accompaniment? Because that is how the Israelites sang the Psalms in worship to God, according to the Law. Why do we seek to add to worship what God has not asked us to? Do we really believe that since Jesus died on the cross, becoming the sacrificial lamb on our behalf, fulfilling the ceremonial laws, that we are no longer bound to worship God the way He ordained with such strict severity in the Old Testament? As if to say, Christ has risen so God does not really care how we worship Him anymore.

We should, however recognize two very important details. 1) Christ came not to abolish the ceremonial law and the Levitical priesthood, but came as a fulfillment of it. Read through Hebrews and how Christ now fulfills the position of the High Priest, and how His sacrifice on the cross is a perpetual atonement for our sins. That is to say, that there is still a priest today, there is still a sacrifice, and there is still a Temple of God. Christ is the high priest, He is the once and for all sacrifice for our sins, and we are now the Holy Temples of the Lord. Worship of the unchanging God has not changed! We are still bound to worship God as He has directed us in His Word. We are still to follow a strict, detailed posture of worship, and seek to worship God with reverence and fear according to His will, not ours.

2) We should also consider the example Christ set for us during His earthly ministry. Christ perfectly fulfilled the Law of God, both the ceremonial and moral laws. He recognized that there was no room for His human nature and will to overcome the will of His Father. That is to say, nowhere in the Gospel accounts do you see Jesus tell God the Father, "Don't worry. I'm going to die for these people, but I'm going to do it on my terms and the way I feel is most beneficial for you and me." No, Jesus is the perfect example of the broken and contrite heart before His Heavenly Father. He sacrificed His own will to the point of sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane before His betrayal. He would not have struggled as much if God allowed us to worship Him and follow His commandments on our own terms. No, Jesus prays, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). We should follow Christ's posture to worshiping and seeking God's will. We should follow God's will, His commands, and His fashion of worship on His terms, as Christ did.

That's not the way we worship anymore, though. Today, it's a free for all! Do what makes you feel good. The "Burger King" worship mentality flourishes. Have it your way! God doesn't require a contrite heart anymore! Jesus did away with all that stuff in the Old Testament. Everything is "New" now. As if God has changed all of a sudden? But what about what Paul says in Romans 12 about sacrificing yourself in spiritual worship? God wants you! And He doesn't just want a tenth of you, but ALL of you! He doesn't want you to give Him ten percent of yourselves in worship, and leave the other ninety percent to do what you feel you really need in order to get closer to Him through worship. God tells us in Malachi 3, "I would prefer a tenth of what I have commanded, but you won't give me anything that I have commanded. I want all of you, but you won't even give me the small tenth I ask. Start by giving me what is mine, and I will restore everything to you!"

Brothers and sisters, Malachi 3 is a call to worship! A call to unblemished and God devoted worship! Set aside your desires for worship. Set aside your tithes and contributions. Give to the Lord what is His! No longer set aside the whole portion for yourself. No longer neglect the worship of God for your own gain, for it will be your curse! You can keep it all for yourselves. You can hoard the benevolence of God all to yourself and render only what you want to render, no matter how pathetic and selfish it is, for the sake of "worshiping" God. You can say that following the commands of God, following the manner in which He prescribed for worship, is all in vain. You can doubt God's provision for you. You can say, "What use is it to give God what He desires? They don't, and look at them! They're happy and they are flourishing! I'd rather be happy than give to God what He asks of me. He asks too much!" Lest you forget, you were bought with a price! You were a slave to sin. You owed a debt that you could never repay. But Christ, the Son of God, died upon the cross, bore your sins, nailed your curse upon the cross, and shed His unblemished blood on your behalf. Your debt has been paid, and you have been bought by a new master. You are the Lord's now! And if you love Him, if you truly love Him, then you will not find it difficult at all to set aside your desires and your wants in worship to seek Him as He has commanded!

Take to heart the last verses of Malachi 3:

Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. "They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Malachi 3:16-18

Those who feared the Lord esteemed His name! The Lord paid attention and heard them! A book of remembrance was written of those who fear the Lord and esteem His name! Do you fear the Lord? Then esteem His name above your own? Do you wish to be remembered as one who esteemed the name of Christ? Then give the Lord what He has commanded you! Give the Lord your tithe! Give the Lord what is truly His! Give yourself and all of yourself! Set yourself aside and desire to render worship that is pleasing to God rather than pleasing to your flesh.

"They shall be mine," says the Lord of hosts! Place your treasures in Heaven and you shall make up the Lord's treasured possession! You are the Lord's tithe! You are the Lord's inheritance! Serve your master well! Do not overlook the synonymous parallelism in the last verse to your doom. The righteous man serves God by following His commandments, but the wicked man serves another by turning his back to what God demands from us, and giving God the least that he can. You either serve the Lord or you do not! There is no in between. Is your worship acceptable in His sight? Have you set aside yourself and instead put all your trust, hope, faith, and might into serving God in the way He desires to be worshiped? Or are you seeking to worship God in a way that pleases you, warrants some carnal benefits to your flesh, and in a way that is pleasing in your own sight? You can either worship the unchangeable God according to His will, or you can worship yourself according to your own will. One will lead to life everlasting, the other will bear a curse everlasting.

Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:7

Are You A Super RP? Is That a Good Thing?

2010-09-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Super RP: Are you a "super" and is it a good thing?

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
(Colossians 3:11)

To begin with, this is not at all an attack on anyone or any specific group of people. In all actuality, this subject is a very convicting subject for me, and I do not doubt that it will also be a very convicting subject for others as well. With that said, I do not believe that everyone will or should find the subject matter I am about to address convicting. If you are not convicted then I will either celebrate with you or I will cry for you, whichever response might be more appropriate given your specific situation. I think, however, that every single Christian has fallen prey to adding more to the Gospel than Christ and Him crucified. Odds are, if you do not find this subject convicting, I ought to cry rather than celebrate.

Before I begin describing a super RP, I think it is important for those, like myself, that didn't grow up in the RP church to know what it means to be RP. Although there are several distinctives of the RP Church (Reformed Presbyterian Church), some of the most widely known and popular ones are exclusive Psalmody, a strict observance of the Lord's Day (or Christian Sabbath), and a clearly defined Constitution that is adhered to by all. All of these distinctives are Scripturally founded, defended, and practiced. The RP Church is easily defined as conservative, seeking to preserve the Gospel truth as it is clearly defined in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Reformed Presbyterians closely adhere to the confessions and catechisms of the Westminster divines, many are well versed in John Calvin's theology, and all find their roots in the Reformation of the 16th century.

If you wish to know more about the Reformed Presbyterian Church then visit http://reformedpresbyterian.org/

However, an understanding of the RP Church is not essential to understand or comprehend the topic at hand.

What is a Super RP? The term, from what I grasp, is a fairly new one. The only time I have ever heard the label used was in the presence of the RP youth. Otherwise, the term does not get thrown around a lot. I have heard different definitions of the phrase, but one particular definition seems to flourish more than any of the others.

Before I provide the most common definition of a Super RP, I must first make this very crucial distinction. I will not for a second assume that the RP Church is the only church with a problem similar to the one I am about to address. In fact, all too often these problems tend to plague Christian denominations that are so strictly convicted that their doctrines are the most correct and without error, and others' are so wrong, that they believe that they are in a state of Christianity that is a level above the rest. This is not merely an RP problem, but a whole church problem. Without any further ado, the most prevalent definition of a Super RP is:

A member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church that is so severely convicted that the Constitution of the RP Church is without any error that they believe that those who are not in the RP Church, that do not hold to the doctrines of the RP faith, and believe contrary to the RP Church's stance on family worship, Lord's Day observance, exclusive Psalmody, and other RP distinctives are either lesser types of Christians or, even worse, are not of the Christian faith whatsoever.

You can replace RP with any of the other denominations as well. You can have super Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, Evangelicals, and so on and so forth. Essentially, what makes anyone a super is an addition to the Gospel truth, and that is everything but super. When you break down the mentality of any "super", you are left with a person that is so focused on the doctrines of the Christian faith that they denounce the sufficiency of Jesus Christ's perfect life and death upon the cross to atone for the sins of mankind. That is to say, that I have heard some people in the RP Church go so far as to say that unless a person believes that they are justified by faith alone, through Christ alone, by grace alone (a Reformed doctrine), that that person is not truly saved. However, my parents are living testimonies that that is not the case.They were both Christians long before they knew about the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Similarly, I have heard many a Baptist argue that a person is not truly saved until they are baptized. What's more, I have heard many of them go on to say that a person was not truly baptized unless the sacrament was conducted by a Baptist minister. Essentially, they are saying that unless a person is baptized in the Baptist church, that that person is not a child of God but still a reprobate sinner. Apparently there is a portion of Scripture that I have continued to neglect over the years. How naive and ludicrous these men are to claim that they have a corner on the market when it comes to applying the sign and seal of the covenant of grace, and even worse, that they would go so far as to throw Christ's sufficiency clear out of the picture.

These are two examples of where wrong doctrine and right doctrine are skewed to the point of becoming an addition or subtraction to/from the Gospel of Christ. For the Super RP it is Christ and the doctrine of justification by faith alone. For the Super Baptist it is all of Baptist baptism and none of Christ. To put both "supers" to shame, Luke records the conversion of the thief on the cross. Mind you, this was one of the same thieves that mocked Christ along with the rest of the crowd, saying, "If you are the Christ, save yourself!" (Mark 15:32) But Christ, merciful and gracious, turns to the thief and tells him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). I am sure that the thief never understood the doctrine of justification by faith alone in his last moments. It is too abundantly clear that he was never baptized. What can we make of the conversion of the thief on the cross? He, at the very close of his life, understood that the man dying next to him was completely innocent of any crime, was the Son of God, and was unjustly bearing the condemnation our sins deserve. It's all in his words in Luke 23:40-42 as he rebukes the other thief:

"Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Luke 23:40-42

As Paul wrote to the church in Colossae:

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
(Colossians 3:11)

The "here" that Paul is referring to is not Colossae but "in Christ." In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free. Today, we could just as easily say that in Christ there is not Baptist and Presbyterian, Lutheran and Evangelical, baptized and dedicated, American, Indian, European, Chinese, rich, poor, white collar or blue collar. You are either in Christ or you are not. That is the only difference between people today. It is not about doctrine. Doctrine does not save. That is not to say that doctrine does not matter. Doctrine is the meat of the Gospel, and we should have a clear understanding of the Biblical doctrine of faith and a firm grasp of Biblical theology. But I am not a Christian because I understand the doctrine of justification by faith alone. I am not a Christian because I sing the Psalms exclusively. I am not a Christian because I do not work on the Lord's Day, but set aside one day in seven as a holy day to worship God. I am a Christian because two thousand years ago, the very Son of God died on the cross for my sins. I am a Christian because God imputed Christ's righteousness to me, granting me grace instead of condemnation, and calling me out of the grave and into grace. I am a Christian because God, before the foundations of the world were laid, set apart a holy people, completely despite their works, to be His own, His chosen, and His elect! That's what makes me a Christian!

Super RP is a result of the work of Satan. As the RP Church seeks to conserve many Christian doctrines that fall by the wayside due to the liberal, emotional, social, and Christless undermining of the essentials of the Gospel truth in the rest of the church, we often fall into a stance of undermining our brothers' faith. Division in the church is not of God. Christ only preached unity. The Apostle Paul clearly articulates the importance of unity in Colossians 3. He speaks of perfect harmony (v. 14) and one body of believers (v. 15). Therefore, we can easily conclude that any division in the visible church is a work of Satan, and is a direct result of his efforts to undermine Christ's sufficiency on the cross.

What do I mean by this? Too often, I have heard Christians forget the difference between a Christian and a non-believer. The difference is grace, and that's it. It's not doctrine. It's not a right understanding of the Lord's Day. It's not intelligence or knowledge of Christian theology and doctrine. It's not the act of singing Psalms on Sunday morning. It's all of grace and nothing more.

There is no room for elitism in Christianity. There are no echelons of Christians. During the great judgment, God will not choose one denomination as His people above the rest. A Baptist and a Lutheran will both stand before the sight of God and will be judged on the basis of grace, not of works. A Reformed Presbyterian will share in the same glories and inheritance of Christ that a Evangelical will. That is, as long as both truly believe that Christ's death on the cross, the imputation of His righteousness, and His propitiation for our sins is sufficient for our salvation. God's not going to give a greater inheritance to RPs, to Baptists, or to Evangelicals. In the end, there is no such thing as a super Christian, and shame on any of us, no matter what denomination, what family practices, what personal devotion, or what doctrines we hold. Christ our Lord is the only and true "Super" Christian, and it is only in Him, by His work, and by His righteousness that we can stand before our Holy Father and give an account.

What's the big deal? The big deal is that people notice. Even worse, people respond. I was listening to a podcast of the White Horse Inn, and one of the statements that I heard was so very, convictingly true. Someone said, "You can talk to people about justice and they'll love you, but if you talk to people about Jesus, then they'll hate you." Another gentlemen piped in at that moment and clarified, "People don't hate Jesus as much as they hate Christians." Sadly ironic is the fact that the RP Church believes that we are saved by grace and not by works, and yet we think that our clear understanding of the Gospel truths makes us better Christians. We are too often quick to ridicule and mock our Christian brothers, to the point of undermining their very salvation, on the basis of their miss-understanding of Christian doctrines. What's worse, we make it sound like they are lesser Christians than we. What's more, people in the church notice.

As Reformed Presbyterians (and as Christians of every denomination) we need to be careful how we speak of our beloved brothers in Christ, no matter what errors they have in doctrine. Our brothers in the Evangelical church may have a most contorted and twisted understanding of what it means to worship God, they may believe that we have some capability to choose God, they may believe that there are many dispensations in the Bible, and have a very sad, warped, and inglorious view of the holy trinity. Nevertheless, who are we, who are completely without their hearts, to say with any assurance that there are no Christians whatsoever in the Evangelical church. We know we are wrong to think like that, so we begrudgingly consider there may be a few, but still lesser Christians interspersed amongst them.

Brothers and sisters, I implore you to mind your thoughts and judge your own hearts at this point. Am I way off track? Am I noticing something in the church today that I am merely imagining? Or do we nit-pick each other's understanding of the Christian faith, to the point of seeking to find fault with one another that we might feel better about ourselves. Particularly my brothers in the RP Church, can you truly testify with complete assurity and without a guilty conscience that you have never thought that you were something more than you really are in Christ merely because you have a right understanding of the Christian faith, you sing Psalms instead of hymns, or because you don't work or watch football on the Lord's Day? Oh, Lord forgive me! I most certainly have! How soon we forget that we have nothing to bring to the table. We preach justification by faith alone but we continually pat ourselves on the back. What good Christians we are! We, out of all the Church of Christ, deserve a gold star for our flawless understanding of Scripture and our unrivaled attention to detail in the worship service. Oh shame! What horrible shame! We preach justification by faith alone and enhancement and improvement by intellect and reformed doctrine.

Lest we pat ourselves on the back too quickly, lets remember what Christ has to say to the church in Ephesus in Revelation:

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."
(Revelation 2:1-6)

Have we too abandoned the love we had a first? In Christ's parable about sowing seed and having some land on rocky soil, some land on thorny ground, and some upon good soil, we have to understand that Christ taught us to sow the seed. Sadly, the RP Church seems to take a greater stance on spreading weed killer than the seed. We're so consumed with revealing every false doctrine and preventing heresies from entering the church, that we've abandoned our first love. We've abandoned the Gospel on so many levels. Like the church in Ephesus, Christ will commend us on our testing every false teacher, but He will not commend us on the way we treat our brothers and sisters who are growing in good soil although they may have a few problems in their theology.

Brothers and sisters, I have heard the preaching of the Word in the RP Church. Our reformed ministers are preaching the Gospel of free grace to the elect Loud and Clear! But there is more to the RP Church than just our ministers. What do our actions, our statements, and our daily interactions with those around us say?

Are we loving our brothers in Christ, or are we more discerning rather than loving. I don't know how many times I've wondered if a person is a Christian. I see some wonderful fruit in their lives. They're loving, caring, and they genuinely serve better than I ever have. I ask them, "Do you go to church?" They respond positively, telling me they attend First Baptist, New Life Church, or the little Lutheran church down the road. My immediate response is not greeting my brother with a holy kiss, but skepticism and doubt. Well, he says he's a Christian, but he goes to New Life. What have we come to! We see fruit bearing, they believe Christ is Lord, and yet because they attend a church that is not known for having all of it's theology straight we doubt the sufficiency of Christ's death upon the cross and His free grace. Do you not see the disconnect? Do you not see the irony? Sadly, we are blind to the hypocrisy.

We are not all privileged to have a right understanding of theology and the doctrine of justification by faith alone. We are not all privileged to have been introduced to the Westminster Confession of Faith or Calvin's Institutes. We, as Reformed Presbyterians, must remember where the true reformation takes place. We, who have a clear and Biblical definition of sanctification, so quickly forget who and what quickens us in our Christian faith. How quickly we forget that the same grace that saves us, is that same grace that sanctifies us. How quickly we forget that what wonderful knowledge and revelation we have of God is due to grace and not intellect. What does the Westminster Confession of Faith say about sanctification?

13:1 They, who are effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection (Act_20:32; Rom_6:5, Rom_6:6; 1Co_6:11; Phi_3:10), by His Word and Spirit dwelling in them (Joh_17:17; Eph_5:26; 2Th_2:13): the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed (Rom_6:6, Rom_6:14), and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified (Rom_8:13; Gal_5:24); and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces (Eph_3:16-19; Col_1:11), to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (2Co_7:1; Heb_12:14).

I emphasize, "They are more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces." Read the proof texts provided!

That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Colossians 1:11-12

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
2 Peter 3:18

In the work of our sanctification, I am seeing very little that the Scriptures attribute to us. In fact, I don't see any self qualification. Who qualifies us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light? Who opens our minds to comprehend the glories of the Holy Scriptures clearly? THE FATHER! It is a result of the work of HIS SPIRIT, that CHRIST may dwell in our hearts THROUGH FAITH! I guess, my RP brothers and sisters, we have no room to boast whatsoever. How dare we pride ourselves with having a better understanding of the Holy Scriptures. How dare we pat ourselves on the back for figuring out that exclusive Psalmody and the regulative principle of worship are Biblical. It is all of grace and we have no room to boast whatsoever!

Therefore, how do we place ourselves above others who do not yet understand the doctrines of the faith that we do? Are we more advanced in our faith? Not at all. We all grow in sanctification at different paces according to God's will. However, remember the words of Paul in 2 Cor. 3:18. We are all being transformed into the same image. Reformed Presbyterians will not go into paradise bearing a better image of Christ than Evangelicals. Neither will Baptists enter the Kingdom of Heaven bearing Christ's perfect image any more perfect than the Lutherans. No matter denomination we belong in, no matter what doctrines we hold to, as long as Christ's righteousness has truly be imputed to us, as long as Christ's death on the cross is truly sufficient for our salvations, and as long as God has effectively called out of the stench of death and placed us into the glory of His grace, then we are all members of the exact same body of Christ!

There is no room for supers in the church. Supers preach a false gospel of Christ plus something else. Let us start to stop judging everybody else and start searching our own hearts. Until we can start passing other churches along the road without rolling our eyes and doubting that the Gospel is preached there, let's remember what the Gospel is. Let us remember the thief on the cross. Christ said that he would join him in paradise. The man was never baptized, never was served communion, probably never sang a Psalm, possibly didn't observe the Sabbath day, never read Romans 9, and never heard of John Calvin. This man was justified by faith alone. He probably didn't understand the doctrine, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't apply. The same rule goes for all of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world in the Baptist church, Lutheran church, Evangelical church, and other denominations. Although we do not comprehend the intricacies of the human brain, nevertheless, we know we have one and therefore it works. Similarly, although our brothers and sisters may not have a right understanding of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, nevertheless, they know they have been brought to life and they know Christ to be their Lord and Savior.

In closing, I am not at all saying that it is bad to be a Reformed Presbyterian, and one that understands theology and doctrines on a better level than most believers out there. I am merely saying, check yourself at the door. Do not pat yourself on the back for the knowledge you have of Christ. Do not belittle and diminish the work of Christ just because someone doesn't understand the Word of God like you do. Do not make the death of Christ insufficient without political affiliation, doctrinal belief, denomination membership, or human works. We are all members of the same body. We are all being conformed into the same image. There is no Greek or Jew in Christ. We are all Christians as long as God's grace has saved us from the grave through the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us through His work on the cross. We may not all understand this, but unless the Holy Spirit works within us, we would have no understanding at all. The heart beats although we don't know how. The lungs fill our bodies with oxygen although we don't know how. In our first hour of belief, we believed without knowing how. Instead of belittling our brothers and sisters, we ought to clearly articulate what the Spirit has revealed to us in a loving manner. After all, where would all of us be if someone had not come along and showed us the fundamentals of the RP faith? It doesn't come naturally, but it is a work of God through the work of ministers and teachers that He has called to share His Word. Let's stop ridiculing the Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Evangelicals and start giving them the right hand of fellowship, dialoguing with them on why we believe what we believe! That would be a wonderful re-defining of what it means to be a Super RP!