A very good perspective from Ray Ortlund  for me as a young single man to keep in front of me…

The longer I live, the more I care about fewer things, and it’s good.  Here are those fewer things:

1.  God is patient.  “. . . the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience” (Romans 2:4).  Where would I be now, if God were not patient with me?

2.  My wife is my most precious earthly treasure.  “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband” (Proverbs 12:4).  And how I delight in my family!

3.  Everything man-made will fail.  But it’s okay.  Everything God-made will last.  “God’s firm foundation stands” (2 Timothy 2:19).

4.  Gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture.  “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11).  When the gospel gets through, our relationships becomebeautiful.

5.  I will die in just a few years.  What matters now is lifting up a bold new generation for Christ.  “I endure everything for the sake of the elect” (2 Timothy 2:10).

6.  God visits weakness with power, suffering with blessing, setbacks with progress.  “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

7.  The Bible is my oxygen.  “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63).  How could I live a single day in this world of illusion without God’s inerrant Word?

8.  The grace of God is the endless resource for everything I face.  “Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).

9.  The highest truth is God’s mercy for the undeserving.  “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  It’s all I want to talk about.

10.  Whatever else I lose, I must keep my own walk with the Lord.  “But for me, it is good to be near God” (Psalm 73:28).

My pastor of preaching, Ryan Fullerton, recently went through the topic of singleness in his Sunday morning preaching. We as a church have been going through 1 Corinthians on Sunday mornings. Recently Ryan went through 1 Corinthians 7. Because of the number of single people in our church Ryan took the time to do a mini-series on God’s vision for singles.

I have heard and read a lot of things on singleness. Some of it was good and some of it was bad. It seems like every generation of the church has to figure out what to do with the singles. There is either the tendency to drift to longing for singles to stay single and do kingdom works or, in the generation I am in, to push them toward marriage. Things are “spiritually” romanticized to where the perfect match is suppose to fall into your lap or their is so much push that the idea is communicated that one can drive any relationship to a marriage with enough initiation. People run to courtship for the answer. Others run to dating.  Suffice to say that there is a lot of rocking on this ship.

Ryan, however, did a superb job digging into the text and construction a biblical vision of singleness. On a ship that is being tossed to a fro much balance was given in these messages. I would commend theses messages to you. If you take time to listen to them you will not be disappointed.

All Things Being Equal I Wish More People Were Single

Principles on How to Get Married. 1 Corinthians 7:8-9

Principles Continued. Corinthians 7:8-9 part 2 (1 Timothy 5:1-2)

Stay Put. 7:17-24

Worldliness is whatever any culture does to make sin seem normal and righteousness to be strange. When we imbibe the Zeitgist (the spirit of the age) of worldliness, then we feel strange trying to think Christianly and act according to the Bible’s mandates. That is, when we think the world’s thoughts after it and do not think God’s thought after him, we will not be motivated to do the things that God wants us to do, but we will only feel comfortable acting in a manner that fits into the world’s way of doing things…

…this is why regular attendance at church is so important. At church we worship by hearing God’s Word, praising God, praying, partaking of the Lord’s and fellowshipping, all of which encourages believers and convinces them that they indeed are the ones who are normal and that the world is strange before God’s eyes.

-G. K. Beale, We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry, p. 300

Wednesday morning of Together for the Gospel,  we were encouraged to rely on the transforming power of the gospel by Thabiti Anyabwile. Thabiti laid out, during his message, nine marks by which we can ask if we are confident in the power of the gospel. What follows is what I was able to write down in my notes.

1. We would position ourselves to be around the worst of sinners so that gospel proclaiming opportunities would arise
   • Because the power of the gospel resides in the God who saves sinners there is no class of “more savible” than others. The gospel can penetrate the most lifeless person we can imagine.
2. We should share the gospel slowly and clearly.
   • We are not about quick tricks to get people to say a prayer. We are simply called to release the gospel and then trust it will have its effect.
3. We would redirect our fears from man to God.
   • God is sovereign, not man. God is the one who reigns, not man. He is the one we should aim to please, not man.
4. We would endeavor to proclaim the gospel every Sunday.
   • The gospel should be made clear in every service on Sunday so that both unbelievers and believers may look upon Christ. God has only one story that is told through the bible—the gospel.
5. We would be careful with new converts and evangelism by not making a conversions like Paul’s standard.
   • Our trust is not in methods or means but in the gospel.
6. Study the gospel in deep ways.
7. Preach to open eyes not just to impart information.
8. Ask,”Is my confidence  in myself or in the gospel?”
9. We want people to look to the message and not the messenger (1 Cor. 2:5).

not that we have loved God

but that he loved us

and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another,

God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

(1 John 4:10-12 ESV)

A worth while discussion about masculinity in the church has come up recently. What is helpful is that the discussion is among two complementarians who are working through how to be the most faithful they can in this setting to what the scripture says on this topic.

Michael Horton wrote and article entitled Muscular Christianity where he set out to critic a perceived problem of hyper masculinity being encouraged by some segments in the church.

To counter, Doug Wilson penned a response to Horton’s article where he pushed back by saying there is biblical reason for gender roles not specifically mentioned in Scripture.

I would encourage you to read each article.

There is the tension where, on the one hand, I would agree with Wilson that there is a perception of masculinity which we as Christian men are to communicate in normal things like speech, attire, etc, where we are distinguished from females.  These things are culturally determined as Wilson points out. But, because all communication is culturally defined we must abide by it to communicate the glorious truth of gender distinctions. Thus, through the bible God sets the standard of masculinity, then we use culturally appropriate ways of communicating that biblical picture. For scriptural backing of this you can read Denny Burk’s post  on 1 Corinthians 11 and read Wilson’s post to get the full articulation of this point.

On the other hand Horton raises a very important point where a perilous switch occurs. Cultural perceptions of masculinity become the standard and the bible is made to fit that perception. We are to start defining manhood by going to the bible and reading about how God defines men. Then we work through that meaning as it is communicated to others. But the problem occurs when we center manhood on a cultural icon of manhood—a “hunter” icon if you will. The man who has a 3 inch thick bread, who carries his weapon into the wilderness of the forest, and then slays his prey of deer or boar. If this is the pinnacle of manhood what does a man do if his wilderness is a cubicle where he settles insurance claims for customers? When the church features its annual men’s event in a hunter’s theme it can communicate to the man in the cubicle that he can come hang out with the real men. This is the issue I believe Horton is criticing. I believe he is right in signaling this out. The shift is subtle and so happens easily with many perceptions of manhood.

I had the privalige of attending the 2012 Band of Bloggers Tuesday morning last week. Some encouraging and thought provoking discussion about our role of blogging as Christians ensued.

The moderator was Owen Strachan and on the panel were Tim Challies, Justin Taylor, Collin Hansen, and Tim Brister.

The main topics of the discussion were on the state and existence of blogging in the present, blogging on controversial topics, and about how much we should know about controversial issues.

The things which struck me were on the issue of controversy.

How do I interact on controversial topics? Presently I usually don’t do anything with them on my blog. I did not post anything regarding the issue of Rob Bell or the Elephant Room. In retrospect I glad that I wrote nothing. There were many others writing on these issues and there was no need for me to write more.

The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him. (Proverbs 18:17) It is tempting to say a quick word about a topic which is hot at the moment. But the wisdom of God’s word would say differently. Unless needed, patience proves more fruitful for the building up of the body of Christ rather than quick opinions. Best to hear the other side and then make a statement that you have to try and retract later on.

Another aspect in regards to controversy is how it is affecting the real lives of me, those I know, and my readership. For example, no one in my life or my readership was affected by the topic of C.J. Mahaney’s leave of absence. From what I could see Sovereign Grace was handling the situation well. There was no reasons to report for reporting sake.

Related to this, the panel discussion rightfully brought up the issue of how much we are suppose to know. As the panelists discussed we think we are to be in the know about every situation which arises. It becomes a form of gossip where we want to know the ends and outs of situations which have no affect on our lives. The fact of the matter is there are many things we will not know about or should know about.

For these reasons I choose to stay clear of controversy on this blog. Is there a time to make statements about issues? Absolutely. But just because it is an issue does not mean I need to make a statement about it.

Right now I believe the following  gives good guiding principles as to when I can make a statement on an issue through my blog:

• When the issue is affecting me personally.
  • One of the purposes of this blog is me posting things that reflect issues I am working through and interacting with. In no way do I seek to do this in a selfish way. This blog should not be a public means of self-centeredness. But it is, by nature, going to have things that I am working through and reading on a personal level. I also post things I have written in hopes of giving aid to others and to better construct my own thinking.

• When it is affecting people I know.
  • There are issues that come upon the path of those I am walking with in my life. Because I love them I want to work through the issues that are pressing upon them. My long paper on Divorce and Remarriage was an example of this and the first principle. It was a topic that was being brought up through classes at school. I wanted to think through it and assist others as they think through it.
• When the issue is affecting my regular readership.
  • Because this blog is public and meant to be read by others I want to be mindful of those who read it. Now, I can’t aim for everyone who comes across my posts. But I know the regulars who stop by and comment. I want to serve all of you in my posts. If I feel that it is affecting you I will comment on it. (Note, you can always let me know yourself as well.)

Collin Hansen gave a good, short description of my principles, “think as a pastor.” And that I exactly how I am to think with my posts on this blog.

I am thankful for the men on panel and how they want to think through these things and live out biblical principles in the way they blog. And I want to join them in their endeavor. Glad to have been a part of  Band of Bloggers 2012.

For the next three days I have the blessing of attending the Together for the Gospel conference. I have always enjoyed these conferences. The messages are superb, the free books are great, and the fellowship is rich.

After the next few days, time providing, I will post my reflections from this years conference.

As all of you have already noticed this blog has not been going any where for the past few weeks. Most of my time is being taken by school and work. And what is left over is spent investing in people. Thus, there is little to no time to blog.

Hopefully the winds will pick up soon though. I would love to finish posting about how the gospel intersects with our sanctification. But we will see when I can get back to it. But for right now only expect infrequent posting. Sorry everybody.

Within modern day evangelicalism, and especially within reformed circles, one is going to come across the term, “Gospel-centered” or other language which intends to communicate the centrality of the gospel. What is going on with all this and what does it mean?

From my perspective, as one who is “growing up” within this movement, what I see is a push to make the redemptive act of Christ’s death and resurrection (the gospel) the fundamental emphasis in a Christian’s life.

The reason being is that the former air that these evangelicals, and myself, breathed was one of legalism and moralism. Legalism is a belief that one’s acceptance to God is based on his or her’s obedience to God’s commandments. The thought and lifestyle being one of, “if I am good enough God will consider me His own.” Moralism, how I use the term, is a bit different but related. Moralism would be a focus on keeping the commandments. The difference from legalism is that moralism doesn’t have to relate to God. An atheist can be a moralist. A legalist is a moralist but uses that moralism in relating to God. His focus is keeping the rules (moralist) so that he will be accepted by God (legalist). Hopefully that distinction is clear.

There were the two emphasis, all the while the gospel was assumed.  Moralism was rampant because sermons usually focused entirely one the “3 three things one needs to do.” I remember sitting through a sermon on Isaiah 53 and all the preacher had to give was three morals we need to live out in out lives. Now legalism was never openly proclaimed but it was the undeclared mindset. When you have a culture that is focused on morals legalism is the natural way the people start relating to God.

Both of these are easy snares to Christians. Obedience is a very important aspect of the Christian life. Without obedience one cannot be a Christian, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15). But in this air obedience became the central, fundamental aspect of the Christian life in teaching and emphasis. Because of this a proper understanding of obedience morphed into moralism and legalism. One did not seek to do right out of a love for Christ, but in an attempt to earn Christ’s love. And hard, cold terms were use to communicate how one understood the pursuit of Christ: duty, obligation, and debt. The Christian life was one of guilt for failure while trying to pay back the debt of what Christ did for us. The gospel was something one did and then moved on to more important things. For the Christian the gospel was to be assumed while they pursued obedience.

Now, what I just described is the bleak side of things. It was not that every church and Christian lived in the pool of despair. But it does communicate the problem which existed and which spurred on the new gospel movement. No longer did believers want the gospel to be assumed, they wanted it front and center.

That is where this movement and emphasis comes from.

Now the question can be asked, “what does it mean?” I want to be clear how I understand and communicate “gospel-centeredness” to my readers. To be gospel centered is for a Christian to view, understand, and live their life of obedience and their relationship to God baptized/immersed/encapsulated/identified in Christ’s historic work of salvation which was the accomplished mission of God’s entire salvific plan. A mouth full, with which you may have to trace with a pencil, but I think it is accurate to what I think about how the bible communicates this.

Two sections of scripture are the bases of this understanding,

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life…

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:4, 8-14 ESV)

and

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. (Colossians 3:3-8 ESV)

I get the term “baptized” from the Roman 6 passage. The Christian life of obedience is baptized in the death and resurrection of Christ. The command to “let not sin reign therefore in your mortal body” and “put to death therefore what is earthly in you” come from the understanding that one is identified with the salvific work of Christ. “you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” and “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” As believer’s we are identified, and are to identify ourselves, with Christ’s work. We are to construct our identity in the gospel.

C. J. Mahaney helpfully illustrates,

The Gospel isn’t one class among many that you’ll attend as a Christian—the gospel is the whole building that all the classes take place in! Rightly approached, all the topics you’ll study and focus on as a believer will be offered to you ‘within the walls’ of the glorious gospel. (The Cross-Centered Life, 75-76)

Biology is not the school, it is a class in the school. Thus, putting away anger is not the gospel, it a part of maturity in the gospel. For as Paul puts it,

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (Ephesians 5:1 ESV)

Being an imitator of God doesn’t make you a beloved child. You don’t think to yourself, “I am a person who imitates God well, thus I am a child.” No, the identity is not found in the work. You ARE a beloved child, therefore imitate God. You have been adopted by God through the sacrificed blood of Christ. The defiled rebel was washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, justified, and reconciled to the Father. By faith in Christ that is who you are—a beloved child! Sanctification, becoming more like God, is part of what it means to be a beloved child. It is not the child.

This is what I mean by gospel centeredness. The mindset of the Christ is that they are identified with the work of Christ. They are righteous, because He is righteous. They are accepted because He is accepted. They are dead to sin because He is dead to sin.  Sinclair Ferguson gives a great commentary on Romans 6:10-11 about this point,

All that [Christ] accomplished for us in our human nature is, through union with him, true for us and, in a sense, of us. He died to sin once; he lives to God (6:10). He came under the dominion of sin in death, but death could not master him. He rose and broke the power of both sin and death. Now He lives forever in the resurrection life of God. The same is as true of us as if we had been with him on the cross, in the tomb and on the resurrection morning!

We miss the radical nature of Paul’s teaching here to our great loss. So startling is it that we need to find a startling manner of expressing it. For what Paul is saying is that sanctification means this: in relationship both to sin and to God, the determining factor of my existence is no longer my past. It is Christ’s past. The basic frame work of my new existence in Christ is that I have become a “dead man brought to life” and must think of myself in those terms: dead to sin and alive to God in union with Jesus Christ our Lord. (Sinclair B. Ferguson, Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification, p. 57)

That is the mindset, that is the way the Christian views things, that is the “frame work of my new existence.” It it telling myself, even when I look at myself and don’t see it, that I am a dead man brought to life through Christ. I have already entered into the new life in Christ! And with that new life comes all the benefits: sonship, reconciliation, justification, imputation, Fatherly love, glorious inheritance, freedom from sin, Fatherly care and protection. They are all mine! I possess all those because I am possessed by Christ! This is the frame work, the mind set that I cal myself to have when living in this world. That is what I mean if I call people to gospel centeredness. A call for Christians to identify themselves with Jesus Christ and all that He is for them. Their relationship with God and their obedience flows out of this mindset.