Authentic Truth

Still a Bad Idea

2010-06-09T21:47:00.004-05:00

I am still aghast at John Piper’s decision to invite Rick Warren as a guest speaker at this year’s Desiring God Conference. And receiving the email advertisement this month for the conference just stirred me up a little more. Yes, I have listened to Piper’s reasons for inviting Rick Warren, but it is still not convincing. Rick Warren may claim to believe many of the same things, but in practice through his pragmatic methodologies, he distorts the message of the gospel. The practice of his ministry actually undermines what he professes to believe. Warren constantly misquotes and mishandles Scripture, and as a result, he has a tendency to obscure the meaning of Scripture. As to Rick Warren’s profession to believe what Piper believes; Rick Warren, as Phil Johnson aptly pointed out in a post awhile back, has a tendency to be “chameleonic”, changing his stance whenever the situation demands it, in an attempt to be liked by everyone by telling them what they want to hear.

Do I think that John Piper should not try and influence Rick Warren in a positive manner if he has the opportunity? No. But inviting the man to be a guest speaker at your conference is not the best way to achieve this. This sends a confusing message that somehow Rick Warren is OK, and that we are in agreement with his ministry methods, even if that perception is unintentional. Carry on a dialogue behind the scenes, but please, do not invite him as guest speaker.

Now, I still like John Piper and his ministry has been and will continue to be a great blessing to me. This situation does not change that. But I still shake my head in disbelief. Seeing Rick Warren’s picture along with men like Al Mohler and R.C. Sproul is…well…like a weed sprouting up on an otherwise well manicured lawn.

For the Sake of the Gospel

2010-06-08T19:54:00.006-05:00

We had a great turnout for the “For the Sake of the Gospel” conference. We had people from over 80 different churches present at the afternoon sessions (over 200 people) and at least 500 people at the evening session! The audio downloads for the conference can be accessed at the Grace Bible Church podcast page.

Pastor’s Conference on June 4th

2010-05-29T08:04:00.003-05:00

The Greater Columbus Gospel Coalition is sponsoring an event entitled “For the Sake of the Gospel” for pastors and church leaders on Friday, June 4th, with Alistair Begg as the speaker. The event will be held at our church, Grace Bible Church in Canal Winchester, Ohio. The afternoon sessions are geared more for church leadership teams and there will be an evening worship session at 7:30 PM for congregations all across the Columbus area.

The two afternoon sessions will be from 2:00 to 5:30 PM and will cover the following topics:

Afternoon Session 1: “What is the Gospel? How does it impact Ecclesiology, Philosophy, Teaching, and Discipleship?”

Afternoon Session 2: “Communicating the Exclusivity of the Gospel to An Inclusive and Pluralistic Culture.”

Evening Service (7:30 PM): “What is a Gospel Centered Church?”

What I’ve Been Up To

2010-05-23T19:55:00.006-05:00

Well, it has been awhile since I have posted here. I hope to get back up to speed again soon. But I figured I would give a little update on what I have been up to lately.

2009 was definitely a challenging year with getting laid off from work last spring. I finally found another job in September, and I am grateful that my period of unemployment was relatively short. So I am grateful to the Lord for His provision.

In November, I started suffering from frequent stomach pain. It was a dull ache that lingered for hours before subsiding, and by the middle of December the attacks were more frequent and increased a bit in intensity. I actually had one of these “attacks” back in August, but simply dismissed it as an isolated occurrence that was probably due to something I ate. My wife was really urging me that I really needed to schedule an appointment. Of course, being a typical guy, I put it off as long as I could and finally went to the doctor toward the end of December. I called the day before Christmas Eve and the doctor got me in during the morning of Christmas Eve. He was not sure exactly what was causing it, but he thought that it could be my gall bladder. Which is what I suspected could be a possible cause as well, after doing some research into the symptoms. Of course, there is always the concern that it could be something more serious.

The doctor scheduled me for some tests the following week, including an ultrasound to check my gall bladder, and got the results back the morning of New Year’s Eve. The diagnosis? My gall bladder, to put it in the terms of the receptionist, was “packed full of stones”. The only remedy for this, of course, is surgery to remove my gall bladder. However, I was hoping there would be an alternative, like when someone has kidney stones, that you can eventually pass the stone. But unfortunately, it does not work that way with the gall bladder. In fact, some of the home remedies that I read about where people can ingest some home-made concoction to help try and pass the gall stones can actually be dangerous. The stones can easily get lodged in the bile duct, causing bile to back up into the pancreas requiring emergency surgery, and could end up being lethal. So I ended up having surgery in January to have my gall bladder removed. Fortunately, my surgery could be done through laparoscopic surgery, requiring only three minor incisions with minimal recovery time. I went into the hospital in the morning, had surgery and was released to go home that night. A few days bed rest (and some lingering soreness for a few days) and I was back to a relatively normal schedule. Full recovery took about ten days, so I had to take it a little easy. This used to be major surgery before laparoscopic surgery, with extended recovery time. Amazing what they can do today, and very grateful. This was my first (hopefully my last!) surgery that I have ever had.

I was able to attend Together for the Gospel back in April. This year’s theme was “The (Unadjusted) Gospel”. There were about 7,000 men in attendance, and it was very encouraging and inspiring. I came back with even more eagerness to boldly proclaim the gospel. I would encourage you to listen to the messages from this year’s conference (T4G 2010).

I have had the opportunity to teach several classes at our church over the past several months including The 9 Marks of a Healthy Church (based on Mark Dever’s book), The Truth War (John MacArthur) and an abbreviated version of Systematic Theology, “Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know” by Wayne Grudem. I have enjoyed teaching those classes and look forward to teaching more this fall.

But one thing that I am particularly excited about is the prospects of attending seminary, hopefully this fall. I would actually be starting out taking many of the classes online, and it would be awhile before I would have to take class on campus. I will be applying for the Master of Divinity program at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and I am starting the application process soon. I have actually started filling out the paper work, and need to have everything submitted by the middle of July. So please keep this in your prayers, that everything will go smoothly and I will be accepted.

Well, hopefully I will get back up to speed posting here. Actually, I hope I will be able to post more frequently than I have for, oh, say the last year or so :)

Alistair Begg on the Manhattan Declaration

2009-12-15T22:48:00.003-05:00

Alistair Begg shares his thoughts on the Manhattan Declaration and why he did not sign it.

Article from TruthForLife.

Thoughts on the Manhattan Declaration

2009-11-29T18:11:00.005-05:00

The Manhattan Declaration is the latest response by key Christian leaders over key moral issues facing our society today. No one can deny that the sanctity of human life, traditional marriage and the family is under attack today. Nor can anyone deny that our religious liberty is threatened as well.

There is already a long list of signatories from numerous religious leaders from a very diverse background. And I do mean a very diverse background; the list includes those from Catholic and Orthodox persuasions.

Now, I certainly commend the effort to speak out in an attempt to prevent the further slide away from traditional marriage and family values in our culture. And I certainly believe that we should speak out against the merciless slaughter of multitudes of innocent unborn lives. I share the same opposition to the key moral issues that are rampant in our culture.

So, why am I not so enthusiastic about this declaration? My objection stems from the fact that this is being touted as a “Christian” movement. However, many of the signatories, particularly from the Catholic Church, embrace a brand of Christianity that diminishes the significance of the finished work of the cross. The Catholic Church to this day denies salvation by grace alone through faith alone. This has been the chasm that has divided Catholics and evangelicals for centuries. This is no insignificant matter, but rather strikes at the very core of the gospel, which is the true essence of the Christian faith. To deny this one crucial point is to ultimately nullify the significance of Christ’s sacrifice, and to severely diminish the message of the gospel. The Christian faith is much more than merely upholding moral values. It is a change of heart, wrought by the Holy Spirit, resulting in an individual embracing and fully trusting in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for the atonement of their sins, by faith alone. It is characterized by repentance for sins and a life that exhibits ongoing sanctification and a desire for holiness in their lives. The gospel is the only thing that can truly reform people’s lives and ultimately impact the culture.

Particularly disturbing is that nowhere in the document is the gospel ever actually given or clearly explained. This is extremely troubling and further confuses the issue of what it means to be a Christian.

The way I see it, to sign this agreement is to give an endorsement of the beliefs of those who, while bearing the label Christian, essentially deny a crucial core element of the Christian faith. We are essentially giving a nod of approval of groups such as the Roman Catholic Church and confirming their beliefs as a legitimate expression of the Christian faith. Rather than clarifying the Christian message, it muddies the water and obscures the clarity of the gospel. Even if this effort would bring about a resurgence of conservative values in America, I am afraid that we would merely be dressing up corpses who embrace moral reform, but never receive new life in Christ, the very thing that will save their souls and restore a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That, my friends, is the true essence of what it means to be a Christian.

As Bible believing Christians, we must never lose sight of the real mission that Christ has for us; proclaiming the gospel and making disciples. (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, 15:1-8; Romans 1:16-17)

The Gospel is central to what we are called to uphold, and may we do everything we can to boldly proclaim it and seek to preserve its clarity above everything else.

TNIV Bible Discontinued

2009-09-01T20:23:00.010-05:00

I happened to be reading the SharperIron this evening and saw the announcement in the sidebar "Ligon Duncan and Randy Stinson react to NIV Announcement". Apparently the TNIV is being discontinued as a result of the controversy surrounding the gender-neutral translating philosophy. Another revision of the NIV is planned for 2011. The post at the SharperIron had links to Justin Taylor's article and a link to another article at CBMW. This is encouraging, but it will be interesting to see what they come up with in 2011.

Here are some other links to articles concerning this announcement:

Another article from Justin Taylor, "TNIV Going Off the Market, New Version of the NIV Coming in 2011"

Christianity Today article, "Correcting the 'Mistakes' of TNIV and Inclusive NIV, Translators Will Revise NIV in 2011"

The New Birth

2009-08-07T16:46:00.006-05:00

Once God has opened up the heart of the individual to receive the truth of the gospel, the believer’s new birth takes place. It is at this point that regeneration has brought about new life in an individual.

“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:3, ESV)

One must be “born from above” in order to get into the kingdom of God. The process is a monergistic work (regeneration carried out solely by the Holy Spirit) rather than a synergistic work (cooperation of the human will and the divine Spirit). Without the work of the Holy Spirit, sinners cannot respond to the gospel.

This in no way relieves us of the responsibility of evangelism. It is the means that God has chosen so that the truth of His word and the gospel message is made known.

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:15, ESV)

“So faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, ESV)

Nor does it mean that man does not need to exercise faith. Scripture demands a response to the gospel, a response of repentance and belief in the gospel message. But it is the work of the Holy Spirit that causes the response to take place.

Our salvation is a gift from God that we did not deserve, and we could not even take part in it, had it not been for His sovereign work on our hard hearts. We were absolutely helpless.

All of this leads into the next crucial point in the discussion of the new birth. If the new life that we receive is all a gift of God, accomplished through His sovereign work, then it should be apparent that salvation is permanent and lasting. If there was nothing that we could do to merit eternal life, then there is nothing that we do to keep or maintain our salvation, nor is there anything we can do to nullify His work. We are forever secure in our salvation.

In John chapter 10, Jesus confirms the security of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27-30, ESV)

If you may be thinking that this is a license to sin and do as we please, nothing could be further from the truth. With Paul preaching so strongly the freeness of God’s grace, his critics had tried to accuse him of discounting the ethical requirements of the law thus leaning toward antinomianism. Paul addresses the false notion that grace is a license to sin in Romans 6.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 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.” (Romans 6:1-4, ESV)

To live in sin would be antithetical to the new life we should experience through the new birth. If we were baptized into Christ’s death and raised again to walk in newness of life, then we should no longer be in bondage to sin to obey its lusts. If we died to sin, then how can we still engage in sin as a pattern of our life? To do so would be proof that we have not experienced the new birth.

“6 We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For one who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7, ESV)

We were once under condemnation, dead in our sins and following the world system and subject to the wrath of God. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

As a result of the New Birth, one is no longer an enemy of God. Our old self has been crucified with Christ and we are a new creation.

17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

We are adopted into the family of God and can cry out to Him, “Abba, Father”. (Romans 8:15)

Now we are adopted as God’s children, and are given a new nature. We should now see traits in our lives that reflect divine life, much like the personality and physical traits of our earthly parents are evident in our lives. 1 John refers to the evidence of divine life in Christ that should be a general characteristic of a true follower of Jesus Christ.

Realizing what God has accomplished for us by changing our heart to change our disposition from indifference and hostility toward the gospel, enabling faith to be exercised when we had no inclination to do so, should inspire a deep gratitude for what He has done for us.

The Folly of the Climate Change Debate

2009-07-02T22:27:00.009-05:00

While the government is busy attempting to ram a climate change bill down our throats, a bill that will ultimately dramatically increase our energy costs, the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of greenhouse gases contributing to global warming looms in the background. Personally, I think any climate change we are experiencing has little to do with the emission of CO2 gases. There is legitimate reason to believe that any warming is related to sun spots, not the emission of CO2 gases by man. It is amazing how anyone offering evidence calling into question global warming is discredited and facts to the contrary is suppressed. Dooms day hype from the media is nothing new and has been occurring for years. In fact, in this ABC news article, a professor of Atmospheric Science from the University of Alabama recalls being told during his early college years that the world would run out of food and energy by the year 2000. And weren’t we told at one time that the earth was cooling?

What is really tragic is that many evangelicals have gotten caught up in all the hype.
But we need not fear all the doomsday talk. Scripture tells a different story. God is not going to let the earth fall apart. We need not fear any notion that the polar ice caps are going to melt and flood the earth. Following the Genesis flood, God has already promised not to destroy the earth with a flood again. This subject was discussed by John MacArthur at this year’s Shepherd’s Conference (Brian McCrorie was there and wrote about it on his blog).

21And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." (Genesis 8:21-22, ESV)

While it is true that the earth will eventually be destroyed, this time by fire, this will not take place until God allows it to happen at the Day of Judgment (2 Peter 3:7). The believer will never face this.

Colossians 1:16-17 tells us that Jesus created all things and that in Him all things are held together. The whole universe is sustained in perfect balance to support life. I think we can be assured that God has things under control.

16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17, ESV)

While I am not at all against the development of alternative energy – anything that will ease our dependence on foreign oil is a good thing – we need to exercise better judgment and not react to all the hysteria. Certainly we could benefit from energy sources that produce less pollution. However, I doubt that we are going to be able to develop enough alternative energy to completely replace any need for oil and coal.

So let’s drill for more oil and forget all these initiatives to penalize the use of fossil fuels that will only stall economic growth and ultimately lead to poverty and hardship. I’ll place my trust in God and His truth, rather than the folly of man’s wisdom!

God’s Gift of Faith

2009-05-07T20:56:00.014-05:00

It would be difficult to miss Paul’s emphasis on the importance of faith in chapters 3 and 4 in the book of Romans. Paul in Romans 3:22 tells us that God’s righteousness by which we are justified is credited to us through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, from that point on through chapter 4, he uses the words “faith” and “believe” more than twenty times.

It is clearly apparent that Paul appears to feel strongly about the contrast between justification by faith and justification by keeping the Law. This is why it is essential to drive home the point that faith must be composed of complete denial of trust on our own righteousness through the Law, and a complete and total dependence on Jesus Christ and His righteousness. [1]

Faith is a gift of God. And this is out of necessity. In our lost state, we were dead in our sins and trespasses, and could not reach out to God, nor did we truly desire to do so.

“7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7-8, ESV)

The term “dead” is speaking of our spiritual condition. We were totally unable to respond to God. Even if we engaged in religious acts, we were still dead. Paul himself was zealously religious, persecuting the church in the name of in religion. But he was spiritually dead.

Before we came to saving faith according to Scripture, we were completely dead, spiritually speaking. Ephesians 2 describes the dire state of our spiritual condition.

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
(Ephesians 2:1-3, ESV)

In our unsaved state, we are unable to receive God’s truth according to 1 Corinthians 2:14. While we may have been able to understand the facts of the gospel intellectually, we are unable to truly comprehend the full meaning of the gospel, at least to the point of genuine conviction and surrender. It requires the Holy Spirit to illuminate God’s truth for us, opening up our hearts to receive and embrace the gospel. In our natural or unsaved state, we are blinded by our sins and unable to truly grasp the meaning of God’s revealed truth. It is through the illumination of the Spirit that we are able to respond to the ministry of the Word as it conveys the effectual call to salvation.

In our unregenerate state, being dead in our trespasses and sins, we were inclined to follow the ways of the world. The term “world” describes human society’s propensity to operate in opposition to God. This includes not only those whom we would readily classify as sinners, engaging in vile acts, but also those who are considered religious who are attempting to better themselves apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The world encompasses all attitudes that are in variance to God, regardless of the degree of opposition, whether mildly indifferent or outright rebellion and hostility. [2]

Paul also points out that we were under the influence of Satan in verse 2 of Ephesians chapter 2. Regardless of whether or not we consider or recognize this fact, this is what the Bible says about us in our sinful state. We may not be as completely bad as we can be, but we were blinded by Satan to the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4).

We were completely blinded to God’s truth and were in bondage, held in captive to Satan’s dominion. In our lost state, we cannot recognize our lost condition and our need for the Savior.

Scripture paints a very vivid and dismal picture of our lost condition. But this is what makes God’s Grace so amazing and so sweet. In fact, the description of our hopeless state, the fact that we could not choose to reach out to God on our own, is what magnifies God’s Grace and brings Him all the glory! It was all of Him and none of us. It was not a case where He met us half way and then the rest was up to us. No! It was all of Him and absolutely none of our effort! The faith that we exercised was a gift of God Himself.

Paul quite often paints a very grim picture of our spiritual condition before giving God’s remedy for our sinful state. In Ephesians 2:1-5, Paul says that we were dead in our transgressions and sins, and that it was God who had to make us alive in Christ. What can a dead man do? Nothing! He cannot respond, cannot do anything to revive himself. It takes someone else to rescue and revive them.

Scripture is replete with passages that affirm God’s sovereignty in salvation. John 1:13 says that those who do believe “were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Acts 13 describes the response of the Gentiles to the message of the gospel. Verse 48 says that “and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” The word order is extremely important here. It does NOT say that those who believed were then appointed to eternal life, but rather those who “were appointed” then believed. Lydia in Acts 16:14 first had her heart opened by the Lord in order to respond to the gospel.

God’s sovereignty in salvation in no way negates human responsibility. People must repent and believe in order to be forgiven. Scripture demands a response to the gospel message. But the reason that we respond is through the sovereign work of God to open our hearts in order to enable that belief to take place. Without that work, we are dead in our sins, unable to respond. In our natural unregenerate state, without the work of the Holy Spirit, the message of the gospel seems foolish to us (1 Corinthians 2:14). But the work of the Holy Spirit precedes our faith, and ultimately causes our response in faith to take place.

The fact of our total inability is abundantly emphasized in Scripture. When we truly understand how utterly helpless we were, it magnifies God’s grace, and should humble us, producing a deep appreciation for what Christ has done on our behalf.

[1] Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], pg.115
[2] Ibid, 117

When is it Time to Leave a Church?

2009-04-17T10:28:00.002-05:00

Here is a good article by John MacArthur addressing the issue of when it is time to leave a church. While I don’t think it is acceptable to just leave a church at the first signs of trouble, I do believe that there is a point where it is time to leave. However, the first course of action should be to approach the leadership and give time for possible correction to take place. Think about it; if everyone took off at the first signs of trouble, how would there be any chance of corrective action to take place? I think there is something to be said for sticking things out for awhile and battling for the truth. Not in a disruptive manner, but with a desire for restoration to take place with a heart attitude of love. So when do we finally decide that enough is enough? I think it depends on the situation, on a case by case basis. But this article gives some excellent sound advice.

My Absence

2009-04-12T18:20:00.001-05:00

I know I have gotten lazy with my posting here. I have been co-teaching a class on evangelism at our church and have been busy with a few other things. I plan to jump back in here this upcoming week and start posting again.

I am also about to join the ranks of the jobless. I just received notice from my employer that my position is one of many that are being eliminated effective June 1. This came as quite a shock and was unexpected, but apparently due to changes in the economy they felt they needed to make some big cuts quickly. So effective immediately, I am looking for a new job. Not sure what God is going to lead me to, but I am sure that He has things under control.

My strongest desire and passion is teaching God’s word, but until the Lord would open up the opportunity for full-time (vocational) ministry somewhere, I need to support my family. So I am making my contacts and networking, and I already have some leads. But I would ask all who are reading this to keep me and my family in your prayers as we go through this troubling time.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T14:27:00.007-05:00

1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." 8So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." (Mathew 28:1-10, ESV)

The Death of Jesus

2009-04-10T22:31:00.005-05:00

45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
47Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
48And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
50Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

(Matthew 27:45-54, KJV)

Our Reconciliation to God

2009-02-07T14:34:00.017-05:00

Scripture quite clearly points out the fact that our sins have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). The result of our sinful state has made us enemies of God, and included with those who are hated by God. While it may not seem palatable that God actually hated us in our sinful state, Scripture actually states that very fact.

10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:10, ESV)

Psalm 5:5 also tells us that God hates all who do evil.

5The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. (Psalm 5:5, ESV)

This is a description of God’s righteous hatred of us because of our sin. The description of us as enemies of God is not the result of our sinful hatred of Him, but of God’s attitude toward us as the result of sin. [1]

As Charles Hodge explains in his commentary on the book of Romans:

“The word “enemies” is applied to men not only to describe their moral character, but also their relationship to God, as they are objects of His displeasure. There is not only a wicked opposition of the sinner to God , but a holy opposition of God to the sinner." [2]

But like the notion of God’s wrath, this hatred of sinful man is difficult to understand because of the association with the human concept of hatred. The human expression of hatred is usually associated with a sinful attitude. However, God’s expression of hatred is the result of His righteous, holy revulsion against sin and an antagonistic attitude aimed at all who rebel against Him. [3] We were completely alienated from God and unable to do anything to reconcile our relationship with God. The act of reconciliation was only possible solely through God (Colossians 1:21-22)

The very fact of God reconciling us to himself is amazing. We had no strength or power to help ourselves. In fact, we had no desire to do so. Our minds were by nature hostile to God and we had no desire to be reconciled to Him (Romans 8:7). [4]

It was God who took the initiative to reach out to us. He sent His Son to die as our substitute, satisfying His righteous justice and absorbed His wrath that we deserved as a result of our rebellion against Him. We did not reach out to Him. He made the first move to reach us. God performed everything that was necessary to ensure our reconciliation. It was God who softened our heart, enabling our belief to take place. It was God who was offended by our actions, and yet He was the one who sought to reconcile us! (Romans 5:10)

This work of reconciliation though, must be received by us individually in order for it to be appropriated on our behalf. This is why Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:19-20:

19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:19-20, ESV)

Christ having completed reconciliation for us, now makes an appeal for us to receive that reconciliation. And again, it is God who makes the appeal to us, even though we were the ones who made the offense. What an incredible display of God’s mercy and grace![5]

But another important word that Scripture uses to describe the work of Christ (used extensively of Paul in Galatians and Romans), is the word justification. The word appears approximately forty times in the New Testament. To gain an understanding of the meaning of this word, look at Romans 3:20. [6]

20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (Romans 3:20, NIV)

To put it more literally as in the ESV, “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight”.

So then, to be justified is to be declared righteous. God has forgiven us of all our sins and views us as righteous in His Son. [7]

To understand how this can take place, we need to understand our legal union with Christ. In the beginning of human history, God appointed Adam as the legal representative (federal head) of the whole human race. However, when Adam sinned, he brought guilt and depravity upon the entire human race. Every person born after Adam and Eve inherited a sin nature from their birth. This is what David spoke of in Psalm 51:5.

5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.(ESV)

This describes the presence of the sin nature even before birth before any sinful acts were ever committed. [8] The term “all sinned” in Romans 5:12, means more than simply the fact that every individual commits acts of sin, even though as a result of the fall we all sin due to our inherent sin nature. Since Adam was the legal representative of the human race, all bear the consequences of Adam’s actions. (Romans 5:18-19) This is the reason, like David, that we were born with original sin. As a result, we were all subject to the wrath of God.

Our heart from birth is inclined toward sin, prior to actually committing any sin. It is this inner inclination to sin that lies at the root of all the sins that we commit. This sinful bent was transmitted to us from Adam who was our first legal representative before God. Our nature was enslaved to sin and permeates every part of our lives, tainting every action of ours; even our best intentions are never as good as they should be. The phrase that describes our condition is “total depravity”. It does not denote that we are all as bad as we could be, but rather that every action is affected by sin, and therefore can never be meritorious in the eyes of God. This is why Scripture calls our works of righteousness “filthy” or “polluted” garment (Isaiah 64:6), since they fall woefully short of the perfect righteousness that God’s law demands.

It is important to understand our sinful nature, rather than merely our individual sins, in order to realize the magnitude of the depth that sin permeates our life.

It took Christ, who was the second or last Adam, to act on our behalf to impute His righteousness as our legal representative. Romans 5:14 tells us that Adam was a “type of Him who was to come”. In other words, Adam was the first divinely appointed legal representative of the human race. Adam’s sin forfeited the righteousness of those who were legally represented by him. In order to restore righteousness, the same pattern must be followed, but with a reversal of what took place. God made Christ the new legal representative of a new humanity, wrought through His obedience to death in order to gain justification for those who follow Him.

15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:15-19, ESV)

This reconciliation is something that is permanent and eternal. Because it was accomplished through Christ it can never be nullified. This is despite the fact that even as believers we may not always do things that please God. Despite our inconsistencies and failures, we will never be cut off from God again.

1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1-4, ESV)

Through this work of Christ, we can experience a true peace with God.

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1, ESV)

It is this peace that should provide a deep gratitude for what God has done for us. The wall that was between us and God has been removed, and we now can experience a peaceful relationship with God, where we cry out “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).

[1] Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], pg. 85.
[2] Charles Hodge, “Romans” [Crossway, 1993], pg. 134.
[3] Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], 85
[4] Ibid, 85-86
[5] Ibid, 86
[6] Ibid, 93-94
[7] Ibid, 94
[8] Ibid, 24

Understanding the Opposition

2009-01-11T20:32:00.000-05:00

18We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:18-21, ESV)

Excerpt from “What Are We Up Against?” by John Piper

Satan's Opposition to Evangelism and Missions
The most compassionate and loving thing you can do for any person is to lead them into eternal life and joy through faith in Christ. To feed, clothe, heal, house, and educate a person without a view to their being converted to Christ is not truly loving, any more than merely giving a person pain killers for their fever is when you could offer them the antibiotic that would take the infection away. Therefore feeding, clothing, healing, housing, and educating are good, but they become truly loving as part of a call to repentance and faith in Christ. So evangelism and world missions are the centerpiece of the mission of a compassionate church.

And to be as effective in our compassion as we long to be, we need power, supernatural power. Why? Not only because human hearts are proud (John 5:44) and hard (Acts 28:26-28), but also because the whole world lies in the power of the evil one and he is actively engaged in opposing all we do in evangelism and world missions.

Some examples:

1. Satan Blinds the Minds of Unbelievers
2 Corinthians 4:3-4, "Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers."
So even before we arrive on the scene with the gospel, Satan is exerting a stupefying, deadening, blinding effect on the minds of the world. We need power to overcome this supernatural effect of the evil one.

2. Satan Snatches the Word Away from People Who Hear
Matthew 13:4, 19, "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them . . . When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path."
Once the process of evangelism has begun, Satan increases his efforts. He is pictured as a flock of birds swooping down on seed that fell on a path. He tries his best to take away the Word that is preached so that no serious thought is given to it. He may use radio or TV or crying babies or squabbling spouses or broken cars or troubles at work or sexy billboards. Anything to take the Word out our memory and out of our consideration. Satan hates meditation.

3. Satan Does Deceptive Signs and Wonders
Matthew 24:24, "False Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect." 2 Thessalonians 2:9, "The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with signs and wonders of falsehood, and with wicked deception for those who are to perish."

Satan has always been a great imitator. When the rod of Aaron turned into a snake as a sign of God's power, the Egyptian sorcerers turned their rods into snakes too by their secret arts (Exodus 7:11). One reason the new age fads are going to sweep so many away in our day is that they are not just fads: they have real satanic power behind them and there will be real signs and wonders worked not by God but by Satan, and people will be deceived. Revelation 12:9 says Satan is the deceiver of "the whole world."

4. Satan Uses People to Hinder Others from Believing
When Paul preached to the Roman proconsul on the Island of Cyprus in Acts 13, he was eager to hear the Word and was about to believe. But there was a Jewish false prophet and magician there named Elymas. Acts 13:8 says he resisted Paul and Barnabas and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But then Paul was filled with the Spirit and saw what was really happening in the spiritual realm and said,
You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind and unable to see the sun for a time. [Notice the use of power!]
He calls Elymas a "son of the devil." That is what Jesus called the tares in the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:38. The tares are the sons of the evil one. So Elymas is a tare that Satan has sown in a strategic place to hinder the faith of a possible new convert. In this case Paul counter attacked with supernatural power: "You shall be blind for a time"!

5. Satan Hinders Mission Efforts in General
In 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18 Paul tells the church that he had endeavored eagerly to come to them "again and again, but Satan hindered us." Satan devotes significant energy to messing up missionary plans and hindering the advancement of the gospel.

6. Satan Throws Christians in Prison and Persecutes Them
Revelation 2:10 (to the church in Smyrna), "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."
This is mainly what Peter has in mind in 1 Peter 5:8 when he says, "Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world." The jaws of the lion are the "experience of suffering" caused by Satan.

Knowing What We Are Up Against
All of this is simply to illustrate what it means that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." What we are up against is a global power that touches, and in some measure controls, all culture and society. This power is not opposed to most ordinary things of life that you do: eating, sleeping, working, as long as you just go along like the world, he is willing to live and let live. But he is extraordinarily opposed to the centerpiece of compassion: advancement of the gospel. He blinds; he snatches the Word; he deceives with signs and wonders; he uses people to hinder faith; he messes up missionary plans; and he persecutes and throws in prison. If we are going to make headway against the kingdom of Satan, it means war. It means a conflict of kingdoms. It means learning the meaning of the kingdom of God in the world and how to exercise its power.

[This article can be read in its entirety as desiringGod.org]

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

The Scapegoat

2008-12-20T20:34:00.008-05:00

The definition of a scapegoat is one who is made to take on the blame for the actions of others; actions that they were not responsible for. History has shown that this has been applied to both individuals and groups. One prominent example in history is that of the Jews.

But the greatest scapegoat in history is our Lord Jesus Christ. While the term scapegoat is a term not directly used In reference to Him in Scripture, the male goat that was used in the Old Testament sacrificial system is actually a picture of the ultimate sacrifice for sins that Jesus made through His death. [1]

Leviticus describes the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. In chapter 16, verses 6-10, two goats were cast lots over. One was chosen as a sin offering and the second was to be presented live before the Lord to make atonement, so that it would be sent into the wilderness as the scapegoat.

7"He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8"Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9"Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell, and make it a sin offering. 10"But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:7-10, NASB)

The first goat was killed and its blood was sprinkled over and before the mercy seat in the Holy Place. The Holy Place was where God manifest His presence, and this sacrifice was a picture of the propitiatory sacrifice Jesus made on the cross (the propitiation was discussed in a previous post).

But the second was used to symbolically take the sins of the people and carry them away, once and for all. The priest would lay hands on the head of the goat, confessing the sins of the people. The goat was then released where it would carry on itself the sins of the people to a solitary place, where it would never be seen again. This goat was referred to as the scapegoat, because it bore all the guilt and sins of the people, taking it away into the desert. [2]

20"And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:20-22, ESV)

Because the goats represented the work of Christ on our behalf, we say that Christ became our scapegoat, who bore all the guilt of our sins, removing them from the presence of God the Father. Our sins were placed on the Lord Jesus Christ and were carried away, literally, to be remembered no more. One of the verses of Scripture that beautifully expresses this reality is Psalm 103:12.

12as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
(Psalm 103:12, ESV)

This expression signifies a distance as far reaching as we can express through our human vocabulary. This is an infinite distance that describes what God did with our sin. All our sin was removed from God’s presence forever. Jesus literally accomplished what the goat could only do symbolically. Now that our sins are removed, we can enter into the presence of God boldly (Hebrews 10:19, KJV). [3]

But there is more from Scripture that describes what God has done in terms of taking away our sin, taking it out of sight.

Isaiah 38:17
Isaiah 43:25
Hebrews 8:12
Hebrews 10:17-18

This great truth should comfort and inspire us. We should find comfort in the fact that we are completely forgiven in Christ. We, who were previously stained with the guilt of sin through Adam, are now cleansed and completely forgiven. Our sin inherited through Adam, has been taken out of God’s sight to be remembered no more. As a result of the removal of those sins, we should be motivated to deal with those that we commit in our daily lives. In the Old Testament, the sins were carried away only symbolically, but through Jesus Christ, it has become a reality for us.

It is imperative that we believe the testimony of God given to us through Scripture in order for us to live out the implications of the gospel in our lives. We receive such incredible benefit in our lives as a result of the work of Christ on our behalf. One profound benefit is with our conscience. Our conscience was given t us by God to serve as a moral compass. This conscience bears witness of God’s Law. However, as a result of our sin, our conscience has a tendency to become hardened, resulting in insensitivity to our violation of God’s Laws. But as we commit to grow in Christ, our conscience becomes more sensitive to sin as we become more convicted of our violation of God’s Law. As we face the reality of our sinfulness, we need to cling to the fact that Jesus has already removed our sin and carried it away forever, permanently taken away from the presence of God, and is no longer remembered by Him. Our guilt has been removed! [4]

Hebrews 9:14 expresses this cleansing of our conscience from the guilt of sin.

14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
(Hebrews 9:14, ESV)

But to subjectively experience this cleansing, we must first acknowledge what our conscience tells us concerning our sin, respond with an attitude of repentance, and by faith trust in the cleansing blood of Christ. Romans 4:8 tells us that our sin will never be counted against us. We have been freed from a guilty conscience, enabling us to engage our lives in service to God.[5]

At this point it is profitable to discuss another theological term called expiation that you may not hear very often. This term may sometimes be confused with propitiation; however it has a different meaning. Propitiation, if you recall, refers to the work of Christ in absorbing God’s wrath as our substitute. Expiation, on the other hand, refers to the removal or putting away of our sin through Christ. Both of these acts accompany each other in the work of Christ, as symbolized through the two goats on the Day of Atonement. The first goat being killed and its blood sprinkled on the mercy seat represents the propitiation through Christ’s work. The second goat, through symbolically removing our sin, represented the work of expiation through Christ.[6]Both propitiation and expiation are terms that are vital in our understanding of Christ’s sacrificial work.

It is particularly important to reflect on the work of Christ and understand the concept of expiation, realizing that our sins have been completely removed, understanding we have been freed from guilt, allowing us to effectively serve God. The work of Christ was final, everything was accomplished on our behalf and we need to build a deep appreciation for it in our everyday lives. That we would exclaim as Charles Spurgeon did in his sermon “Expiation”.

"May we put our hand upon the head of Christ Jesus; as we see him offered up upon the cross for guilty men, may we know that our sins are transferred to him, and may we be able to cry, in the ecstasy of faith, "Great God, I am clean; through Jesus' blood I am clean.""[7]

[1] Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], pg. 57-58.
[2] Ibid., 58
[3] Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], pg. 59.
[4] Ibid., 65-66
[5] Ibid., 66
[6] Ibid., 67
[7] Charles Spurgeon, “Expiation” [The Spurgeon Archive; www.spurgeon.org]

Plagiarizing Sermons

2008-12-08T10:20:00.019-05:00

17Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17, ESV)

It is becoming alarmingly prevalent for many pastors to get their sermons from sources over the Internet or popular books and materials. It is feasible today for a pastor to go to sources on the Internet and download a sermon to be preached from his pulpit on any given Sunday. No prayer or laboring over the Word of God, just click “download” and you have an instant sermon for the upcoming Sunday service. Worse yet, these sermons are being passed off as if it were their own work.

But the Bible gives clear direction concerning the obligation of those in pastoral leadership. And key to the role of the pastor-teacher is just that – to teach. And before the pastor has anything to give to the congregation, he must first be taught and receive instruction from Scripture. The only way to achieve this is for him to be challenged through laboring in God’s truth, pouring himself out over Scripture, allowing it to penetrate his heart and mind. The phrase “labor in preaching and teaching” means to literally work to the point of exhaustion. Should we expect anything less? It amazes me that in many leadership positions in the secular world, how many are willing to wear themselves out for material gain or fame and fortune. This includes those who aspire to be in political office. All this is to achieve and earthly “crown”. It should not be out of the ordinary to expect that someone in spiritual leadership in pastoral ministry should seek to labor with at least as much intensity for spiritual gain and a heavenly crown.

All elders are to be able to teach, but this passage of Scripture points to a particular group of elders who are particularly gifted and driven to preach and teach. The man who stands in the pulpit as the so-called senior pastor week after week, since he is the key teaching pastor, needs to be this type of man. If he shows no inclination to do so, he is unfit for this position. To take the lazy way out cheats himself out of the life changing experiencing of digging into God’s truth, and subsequently deprives his congregation of keen insights that would be normally gained by laboring in the Word of God.

I remember visiting one church close to us some time ago and discovering that the pastor got his whole sermon series from a popular author’s book – practically word for word! Needless to say, I never felt compelled to go back.

It is no wonder that the evangelical church is in such a mess today, when the pulpits are overrun with lazy shepherds who are unwilling to engage in the necessary work of expositional teaching and preaching of Scripture.

Tim Challies published an article entitled “Plagiarism in the Pulpit” a couple of years ago. Challies sites an article published by Suzanne Sataline in the Wall Street Journal discussing this issue. In the article she discusses how this issue has created quite a stir over ethics. Quite frankly, I find the issue of taking another’s work and using it as one’s own blatantly unethical, not to mention patently unbiblical. Apparently Sataline quotes from several Christians who are in favor of this practice. Perhaps it should not come as any surprise that Rick Warren is among those who are in favor of using other people’s sermons without giving credit for the source of the material.

Tim Challies reflected on a couple of reasons as to why this is taking place. One is the laziness on the part of the pastors who are looking for a way to avoid the arduous task of sermon preparation. This, I believe, is the primary cause of the problem. But Tim offers the other side of the coin, which is the pressure that congregations place on the pastor as a result of the on-going “spirit of pragmatism” that has become so prevalent today. Pastors have succumbed to the pressure to be witty and entertaining. The expectations of far too many congregations is that the pastor be some charismatic leader similar to what the secular culture looks for in corporate America. While endeavoring to meet the demands of the congregation in light of this expectation, many pastors simply do not have the time for adequate sermon preparation. I agree that there is certainly quite a bit of pressure from churches to fit this expectation, however, it is the pastor's duty to give the congregation what they actually need biblically, rather than what they want. Perhaps it is time for more pastors to put a stop to the whims of man-made expectations and follow their Scriptural mandate for pastoral ministry. If they cannot fulfill it there, perhaps it is time to move on elsewhere, where they can fulfill their role biblically. I feel that the pastor’s study of the Word of God should be central to what he does. I wholeheartedly agree with this quote from Tim’s article:

“The pastor must lead the way in studying the Word. This must be his primary occupation and must take precedence over other tasks, and even important tasks, such as pastoral counseling or providing leadership.”

I believe that one of the primary problems being faced in the church today is a crisis concerning the lack of recognition of the biblical role for the pastor-teacher. When you think of it, the pastoral leadership is to provide the biblical vision and direction for the ministry of the church. This direction must be gleaned from the careful study of Scripture. And if the leadership fails to provide this, then it should be no surprise that the congregation will fail to function in a biblical manner and its spiritual growth will be severely diminished.

A Sad Story Concerning Holiday Shopping Greed

2008-11-28T19:23:00.017-05:00

I just read this news story today. A Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death as frantic shoppers stormed through the front door, eager to grab some spectacular bargains. It is astounding that greed can be carried this far, that someone would loose their life over attempting to get a good deal on some merchandise. According to the news report, many of the approximately 2,000 shoppers standing in line arrived around 10:00 PM Thursday night! It is amazing what people are willing to do to satisfy their lust and greed for material possessions.

For a nation filled with people who are disgruntled over corporate greed and are disenchanted with the wealthy, claiming that they are only concerned with money and not the common man on "Main Street", it is amazing how many are so blind that they cannot recognize their own selfish greed. It is also interesting how they certainly like the merchandise produced by those so-called greedy corporations. Stories like this illustrate the attitude of ingratitude so prevalent today, especially at a time when we are to be reflecting on the things we should be thankful for. This type of greed is antithetical to an attitude of thankfulness.

Scripture so clearly points out the attitude of the world, especially concerning greed (covetousness).

29They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,(Romans 1:29-30, ESV)

Scripture also provides plenty of warning to believers not to be caught up with worldliness, pointing out the harmful destructive effects of greed on their lives, particularly in relation to their faith.

6Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:6-10, ESV)

Luke 12:15
Hebrews 13:5
Colossians 3:5-7

It is unfortunate that sadly, many professing believers have gotten caught up in worldly lust for more wealth.

The Propitiation for Our Sins

2008-11-09T15:20:00.004-05:00

One word that summarizes what Christ did by drinking the cup of wrath on our behalf is propitiation. It is unfortunate that this word is not used in many modern versions of the Bible, such as The New International Version, which uses “atoning sacrifice” in place of propitiation. Perhaps this is an attempt to avoid difficult and misunderstood terms. But propitiation is a good term because it succinctly describes the work that Christ did on our behalf, and believers would do well to familiarize themselves with it.

The usual definition given for this word includes “to appease” or to “placate”. However, this definition seems a bit deficient in sufficiently describing what Christ accomplished. The usual definition alludes to merely soothing or softening the expression of God’s wrath. Furthermore, it could be taken to mean making concessions to appease an aggressor with the implications of sacrificing principle, which is definitely not the case. [1]

The description of the turning aside of wrath by taking away sin also does not seem to satisfy the real meaning of propitiation. This definition describes a mere deflecting of God’s wrath. But God did much more than just deflect God’s wrath for us. [1] Jesus Christ, as our substitute, fully absorbed God’s wrath. God’s wrath was completely spent which was necessary to satisfy His justice.

Isaiah 53 foretold of this outpouring of God’s wrath.

“4Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
(Isaiah 53:4-6, NASB)

But perhaps the best word that describes what Christ did is the term exhausted. God unleashed all the fury of His wrath against sin on His beloved son. Every ounce of its fury was laid on Jesus, completely exhausting it so that we would not experience any of that wrath. We could say that the cup of God’s wrath was turned upside down, completely emptying it. There is nothing left in that cup for those who have placed their faith in Christ. [1]

It was this knowledge of what He would have to endure that caused Jesus the agony He expressed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44) and why He cried out in agony on the cross “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).

But it was at the end of those grueling hours on the cross that Jesus cried out in victory, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The wrath of God was finally satisfied; there was nothing left that needed to be paid.

All of this is a display of the great love that God has for us.

“9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10In 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, ESV)

The work that Christ accomplished was not that of Jesus, being kind and gentle, needing to persuade the Father not to pour out His wrath on us. God purposely sent His own Son on a mission of grace and mercy. This fact of God’s love is clearly affirmed in such passages as John 3:16 and Romans 5:8. [2] God is not content with displaying His wrath, even though it is necessary as a result of the curse of the Law, but desires to display His love. John Piper explains in “The Passion of Jesus Christ”:

“But the love of God does not rest with the curse that hangs over all sinful humanity. He is not content to show wrath, no matter how holy it is. Therefore God sends His own Son to absorb His wrath and bear the curse for all who trust Him. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).” [3]

Scripture describes God’s justice, mercy, wrath and love being fully expressed in Christ’s sacrifice. This is what enables us to experience the “unsearchable riches of Christ”. [4]

“3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” (Ephesians 2:3-5, ESV)

Realizing what was accomplished through the sacrifice of Christ should produce in us an attitude of deep appreciation and humility. Our Savior endured suffering that we cannot completely fathom. He endured this grief willingly on our behalf, taking on God’s wrath so that we would not need to suffer it for ourselves. Reflecting on these facts is all part of experiencing the unsearchable riches we have in Christ.

1. Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], pg. 53-54.
2. Bridges, pg. 55
3. John Piper, “The Passion of Jesus Christ” [Crossway Books, 2004], pg. 21
4. Bridges, pg. 56.

Let’s Not Forget

2008-11-07T22:16:00.009-05:00

20Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.21He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; (Daniel 2:20-21, ESV)

Well the election is over, and if you are like me, you probably cringe as you think of the next four years under an Obama presidency. Election night is over and the majority of people decided in favor of Barack Obama. While we can sit around in shock as a very liberal agenda is likely to be implemented over the next four years, we need to understand that God is ultimately in control. We need not fear that somehow things are out of control, for God Himself is ultimately in charge of allowing who He wants to rule over a nation.

While we may have been disappointed, we need to keep a Biblical perspective on the matter. While we may not agree with many of the ideas proposed by Barack Obama, he is still going to be our president. And we need to be respectful of his position, even if we disagree. We also need to be supportive of him where possible. Of course, I do not mean that we should just be agreeable with whatever he proposes. But there is a way to disagree, and at the same time show him respect. We still have the right to vote on issues, and we can voice our opinions and concerns to our elected representatives. And there will be future elections. Scripture is crystal clear concerning our obligation to governing authority.

1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13:1, ESV)

To “be subject” means to obey, to submit to someone’s control or authority. Ultimately, the authority of these leaders came from God. This does not mean that this is unconditional obedience to the point that we are to violate God’s Word. Scripture is clear on that as well (Acts 5:29).

We must also remember that God has ordained civil government to help keep order in society. This does not mean that God approves of all things that civil government does. But without any government rule, there would be utter chaos. Our obedience to civil authority also brings honor and glory to God. Open rebellion brings dishonor to Christ (1 Peter 2:13).

Scripture further teaches us that we are to pray for our leaders. This is what pleases God (1Timothy 2:1-3). We must not forget that God desires for all people to be saved (1Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter3:9). This does not mean that all men will ultimately be saved (will of decree), but rather it is His will of desire. Remember that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11) .

Also, remember that our citizenship is not of this world (Philippians 3:20).

So as we approach January 2009, let’s keep these things in mind as a new president takes office.

Be Informed Before You Vote

2008-11-04T00:16:00.006-05:00

This is a crucial election and I think it is extremely important for voters to clearly understand the issues before they cast their vote. Here is a handy guide from the Ohio Christian Alliance to let you know what the candidates stand for. You can download and print the complete 2008 Voter Guide. Also, if you live in Ohio, go to OhioElectionCentral.com, where you can enter your zip code and get a list of the candidates who will appear on your ballot along with their stand on key issues.

John Piper on Martin Luther

2008-11-01T01:24:00.002-05:00

Excerpt from “Martin Luther: Lessons from His Life and Labor” by John Piper.

Luther Discovers the Book

One of the great rediscoveries of the Reformation -especially of Martin Luther- was that the Word of God comes to us in a form of a Book. In other words Luther grasped this powerful fact: God preserves the experience of salvation and holiness from generation to generation by means of a Book of revelation, not a bishop in Rome, and not the ecstasies of Thomas Muenzer and the Zwickau prophets (see note 1). The Word of God comes to us in a Book. That rediscovery shaped Luther and the Reformation.

One of Luther's arch-opponents in the Roman Church, Sylvester Prierias, wrote in response to Luther's 95 theses: "He who does not accept the doctrine of the Church of Rome and pontiff of Rome as an infallible rule of faith, from which the Holy Scriptures, too, draw their strength and authority, is a heretic" (see note 2). In other words, the Church and the pope are the authoritative deposit of salvation and the Word of God; and the Book is derivative and secondary. "What is new in Luther," Heiko Oberman says, "is the notion of absolute obedience to the Scriptures against any authorities; be they popes or councils" (see note 3). In other words the saving, sanctifying, authoritative Word of God comes to us in a Book. The implications of this simple observation are tremendous.

In 1539, commenting on Psalm 119, Luther wrote, "In this psalm David always says that he will speak, think, talk, hear, read, day and night constantly—but about nothing else than God's Word and Commandments. For God wants to give you His Spirit only through the external Word" (see note 4). This phrase is extremely important. The "external Word" is the Book. And the saving, sanctifying, illuminating Spirit of God, he says, comes to us through this "external Word."

Luther calls it the "external Word" to emphasize that it is objective, fixed, outside ourselves, and therefore unchanging. It is a Book. Neither ecclesiastical hierarchy nor fanatical ecstasy can replace it or shape it. It is "external," like God. You can take or leave it. But you can't make it other than what it is. It is a book with fixed letters and words and sentences.

[You can read the complete article here at DesiringGod.org]

Spreading the Wealth

2008-10-16T20:23:00.006-05:00

This pretty much summarizes the Obama economic plan:

Yeah, This is a Bit Creepy!

2008-10-07T22:58:00.007-05:00

I saw this over at Fox News. There was a YouTube video of children singing songs praising Obama as a contribution to his campaign. I just saw this last week, and interestingly enough, the original link was deleted from YouTube! The article is up at Fox Forum, but you can no longer view the video from that link. Not sure what happened to it. However, someone in the comments section provided a new link to the video.

Yes, this is creepy indeed!

Another video clip from FOX with Bill O’Reilly and commentary discussing this issue.

Here is another article discussing a stunt that was pulled by a Middle School teacher, who posted a YouTube video of his students chanting slogans for Barack Obama, and they were dressed in military fatigues! Fortunately, the teacher was suspended for his actions.

I don’t know about you, but this seemingly cult-like following of Obama is more than a little unsettling to say the least. It seems that people just want change for the sake of change, no matter what it is, but that mentality is dangerous. People better think carefully through the issues, because there is a lot at stake here. Obama's politics are radically left-wing.

The Cup of Wrath

2008-09-29T07:07:00.021-05:00

We have previously established from Scripture that God’s wrath over sin is expressed throughout the Bible. And since we are all guilty of sin, we were destined to receive that wrath as a result of God’s righteous judgment against sin in order for God to maintain justice.

We are now going to look at what Jesus accomplished for us to save us from the horror of God’s wrath. In the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:39 , Jesus prayed to the Father that if it would be His will that “this cup be taken from me” (NIV). Also in John 18:11, when Jesus commanded that Peter put away his sword, He emphatically underscored that it was God’s will that He was to drink “the cup the Father has given me”.

The cup that Jesus drank is usually associated with the crucifixion. This connection is assumed based on the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane that the Father would spare Him that painful horror and humiliation of dying on the cross. The cup is indeed connected with the crucifixion of Jesus and that assumption certainly is not wrong. But we need to consider what was in that cup.

Several portions of Scripture speak of God’s wrath. [1]

8For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, and the wine foams; It is well mixed, and He pours out of this; Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs.
(Psalm 75:8, NASB)

15For thus the LORD, the God of Israel, says to me, "Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. (Jeremiah 25:15, NASB)

22Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God Who contends for His people, "Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of reeling, The chalice of My anger; You will never drink it again. (Isaiah 51:22, NASB)

9Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. (Revelation 14:9-10, NASB)

The cup of wrath spoken of in Scripture is a metaphorical expression of the judgment of God. It was this cup that we would have been required to drink as a result of our sinful rebellion. But Jesus drank from that cup in our place so that we would not have to. Jesus drank all of it as our substitute. [1]

When Jesus was crucified, darkness spread over the land for three hours. It was during this time that Jesus drank that cup of wrath for us. Matthew 27:46 records the cry of Jesus approaching the end of that grueling three hours; “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Scripture does not reveal to us everything that took place during those hours. The physical suffering that Jesus endured during that time reveals just a glimpse of the anguish that Jesus actually suffered. His soul was in utter anguish as He had to endure being forsaken by His Father. Jesus became sin for us in order to secure our salvation. It was for our sake that God had to forsake His beloved Son.

The words of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:21 describe what took place on that day. Jesus was made sin for us as a judicial transaction on our behalf.

21He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus bore each and every one of our sins (1 Peter 2:24), and He did it willingly. What an incredible display of God’s love, that He would offer up His own Son whom he dearly loved to bear the full brunt of His wrath that we rightfully deserved. It was Jesus who was sinless, and yet He was required to take upon Himself our iniquity (Isaiah 53:6). It is this unique love that should cause us to look upon what Christ did with wonder. We will soon be examining a little further what Christ accomplished in His sacrifice in a couple of posts. [2]

1. Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], pg. 47-48.
2. Bridges, pg. 51-53.

Finally Back Online

2008-09-21T21:40:00.006-05:00

Our broadband and cable service are back up after being out for several days. We are fortunate since there are many who still have no power. Getting back to posting may be a little slow though. I have other things going on right now, including co-teaching a class on evangelism with one of the elders from our church. But I still should be resuming my series on the gospel this week.

There was quite a bit of damage inflicted on central Ohio as a result of last weekend’s wind storm. Power outages affected well over 1 million customers in nearly every county in Ohio. Damage was so widespread that Ohio was placed under a state of emergency. Here are some YouTube videos people have taken of the storm and the damage that it caused.

My Absence From Posting

2008-09-18T08:42:00.003-05:00

I know it has been awhile since I have posted here at Authentic Truth. I meant to continue with my series of posts on the gospel this last weekend, but we were hit with the remnants of hurricane Ike this Sunday which inflicted widespread damage in central Ohio and knocked out our power for several days. Our power has been restored, but I still do not have my broadband Internet service restored yet. I am posting this from another location, but I do not have time right now to post anything of any substance at the moment. Hopefully my Internet access will be restored this weekend and I will resume posting once again.

The Justice of God

2008-09-01T20:06:00.001-05:00

Before I further discuss what Jesus accomplished for us, I need to discuss God’s justice. I believe this is essential for us to understand man’s dilemma in regard to his sin. Too many people not only have a distorted view of God’s wrath, but they consequently have a warped view of God’s justice as well.

The Bible explicitly tells us that we will all face judgment before God (Hebrews 9:27). It generally goes without saying that the vast majority of us would want to receive mercy, rather than to receive the full brunt of God’s justice. But we are faced with a huge problem, since God’s justice will come with certainty, not allowing any room to accommodate any concessions. And we also must keep in mind that although God may delay His justice, it will indeed ultimately come to pass. [1]

“6For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8; NASB)

We must also consider that God’s justice is inflexible. The very definition of justice means that “we get exactly what we deserve – nothing more, nothing less.” In human systems of justice, there tends to be tension between justice and mercy, where often one prevails over the other. But this tension does not exist with God; His justice will always prevail. And it is this justice that must prevail in order to keep His moral government from failing. [1]

Drawing from John Owen, Fred Zaspel describes the necessity of this justice.

‘"[V]indicatory justice is the very rectitude and perfection of the Deity. . . . For if such a law were not made necessarily, it might be possible that God should lose his natural right and dominion over his creatures, and thus he would not be God."(21) It would be impossible for God not to punish sin. Without it, justice would not be maintained. It would be a denial of his veracity to impose a law with threats against disobedience and not follow through.’ [2]

In order for God to maintain His justice, all sin must be punished without exception. God never exercises mercy at the expense of His justice. Unfortunately, there are those who believe that God forgives just for the sake of forgiveness. But this is completely contrary to what Scripture teaches. God must impute His justice without exception.

To summarize the main thrust of an illustration given by Jerry Bridges, let’s say that there is a man who is convicted of murder. There is no doubt that he is guilty and has been judged so through due process by the judicial system of that state, and this individual has been given a death sentence. But let’s say that the governor does not agree with the death penalty and grants a full pardon to this man. While the governor would have the authority to do so, what do you think the public reaction might be? It is likely that they would be outraged at this action of injustice. [1]

But when people think that God should relax His justice and simply pardon all of us for our sin, they are asking God to do the exact same thing in the aforementioned scenario. But God’s divine nature cannot do that. You see, this would require God to exalt one attribute, His mercy, at the expense of His justice.

So this is the dilemma of our human condition; if we are to experience forgiveness, God’s righteousness must be satisfied before we can receive salvation for our sins. Since no one has perfectly obeyed God’s law and we are all guilty of breaking God’s law (Romans 3:9-20; James 2:10), we are all under condemnation before God. It would seem that we are without any hope in this world.

But God in His mercy has provided the way of forgiveness of man’s sin through sending His Son, Jesus Christ to suffer and die in our place to satisfy His justice. In fact, this is the ultimate expression of His divine love. John Piper explains:

“The death of Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of divine love: "God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Yet the Bible also says that the aim of the death of Christ was "to demonstrate [God's] righteousness, because in the forbearance of God he passed over the sins previously committed" (Romans 3:25). Passing over sins creates a huge problem for the righteousness of God. It makes him look like a judge who lets criminals go free without punishment. In other words, the mercy of God puts the justice of God in jeopardy.

So to vindicate his justice he does the unthinkable - he puts his Son to death as the substitute penalty for our sins. The cross makes it plain to everyone that God does not sweep evil under the rug of the universe. He punishes it in Jesus for those who believe.” [4]

However, it is this expression of divine love that the world looks upon as foolishness. The world does not want to acknowledge that they have actually committed any sinful acts worthy of divine retribution, let alone acknowledge that these sinful acts necessitate the death of Christ, and that there is nothing that man can do to rectify their guilty standing before God apart from the work of Jesus Christ. But their denial of this reality will not in any way change the facts. As Fred Zaspel explains,

“If there is a God and if He is righteous, then all unrighteousness will one day be punished. Indeed the knowledge of this aspect of divine righteousness is innate in every man. Though they deny it, still they "recognize [epignontes] the righteous judgment [dikaioma] of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death" (Rom.1:32). No denial of the facts will alter their reality. Knowing it they hate it, and hating it they deny it, but only to become more culpable. It is one horrible prospect that awaits the sinner.” [3]

But the fact remains that the only remedy for the transgression of man’s sin is the finished work of Jesus Christ through His sacrifice. Only Jesus could satisfy God’s righteousness and justice. I will be discussing more on this subject soon.

1. Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], pg. 41-43

2. Quoting and commenting on John Owen; from Fred G. Zaspel, “Four Aspects of Divine Righteousness: God’s Justice in Dealing with Sinners”, [Reformation & Revival Journal, Volume 6, Number 4, Winter 1997]

3. Fred G. Zaspel, “Four Aspects of Divine Righteousness: God’s Justice in Dealing with Sinners”, [Reformation & Revival Journal, Volume 6, Number 4, Winter 1997]

4. John Piper, “The Goal of God’s Love May Not Be What You Think It Is”, Desiring God, October 14, 2000

T4G On The Definition of the Gospel

2008-08-19T18:17:00.012-05:00

Here is a panel discussion from Together for the Gospel discussing the definition of the gospel and the dilemma of the inadequate clarity concerning the gospel within evangelicalism today.

Objects of God's Wrath

2008-08-12T00:30:00.017-05:00

“3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” (Ephesians 2:3, NASB)

One of the most difficult subjects to address in Scripture is the wrath of God. The mere mention of the wrath of God evokes thoughts of violent emotions that lead to destructive behavior associated with actions committed by sinful humans. It is understandable that we would be so reluctant to associate that kind of attitude with God. But the wrath of God is not the same as the intense passion that is normally associated with that emotion expressed through human beings. [1]

But perhaps the greatest reason is that we don’t see our sinful actions as something that deserves the kind of judgment conveyed in the expression of God’s wrath. While most people may readily admit that they are sinners, they simply don’t view their sin as being that serious. And most of those people, while recognizing that perhaps their sin may warrant divine correction, view the outpouring of God’s wrath far too severe. [1]

It is also uncomfortable for most to view their unsaved friends, relatives and neighbors as those deserving of the outpouring of God’s wrath.

But regardless of how we feel about the subject, it is impossible to legitimately avoid the subject of God’s wrath. It is addressed in both the Old and the New Testaments in terms of both temporal and eternal judgment. There are hundreds of references to God’s wrath in the Old Testament, so it is abundantly clear that God expresses His great displeasure over sin. But many wrongly claim that while that may be true in the Old Testament, in the New Testament things change. However, this is simply not true. There are plenty of references in the New Testament concerning God’s wrath. [1]

Romans 1:18 tells us that God’s wrath is exercised against ungodliness and unrighteousness by “men who suppress the truth in (or by) unrighteousness.” Romans 2:5 says that those who are unrepentant and persist in unrighteousness are storing up wrath for themselves which God will judge them for in the end. Verse 8 of Romans 2 also reiterates the fact of God’s wrath against those who resist the truth. God will also patiently endure the disobedience of the ungodly, making His power known by demonstrating His wrath according to Romans 9:22. Ephesians 5:5-6 makes known that we can be certain that those who practice immorality and covetousness will have no inheritance in the “kingdom of Christ and God “, and not to be deceived by those proclaiming “empty words”, because “the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience”. The term “empty words” refers to speech which is devoid of truth, yet is boastful of some supposed faith, yet without bearing any fruit characteristic of that faith. And the book of Revelation is chock-full of references to God’s wrath as He pours out His final judgment on the ungodly. (For some examples see Revelation 6:16,17; 11:18; 14:19; 15:1)

But God is angry over sin because it is an assault on His majesty and authority. All sin, regardless of how insignificant it may seem, is rebellion against God. And this is why sin is such a serious matter. Sin is not merely a horizontal issue, just an offense against another human being. Yes, wrongful actions against another human being are certainly sinful, but the real reason that God is indignant over sin is because it is defiance against His divine authority. And God’s anger over sin is necessary for Him to maintain His moral authority and for this reason He must punish it. Those who are guilty of sin are subject to the final expression of God's wrath in hell (Matthew 18:9; Mark 9:47; Luke 12:5). These are not trivial points, and unfortunately, there seems to be precious little time spent discussing this in contemporary evangelicalism.

Those who receive the saving grace of Jesus Christ are justified by His blood and are saved from the wrath of God (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10). Jesus had to suffer greatly for us in order to save us from that wrath, and this is important for the believer to understand. I will expand on this further in another post.

1. Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], pg. 49

Mark Driscoll Confronts the Worldly Gospel

2008-08-03T20:03:00.008-05:00

Mark Driscoll confronts the worldly “gospel” being preached by men like Joel Osteen. Mark may have a tendency to make me wince with some of the things he says and does, particularly in his attempt to be “missional” where I feel he often goes a little too far, but he generally gets his doctrine right. Here he is spot-on in confronting the popular “feel good” gospel, essentially seeking happiness in the same way the world does.

Realizing the Riches of Christ

2008-07-28T00:00:00.002-05:00

“8To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,” (Ephesians 3:8; NASB)

Probably one of the reasons that so many of us struggle with guilt and frustration in our lives, is that we truly do not grasp the riches of Christ available to us through the gospel. We all face various problems in life, but the chief problem, the one that underlies all others, is the dilemma of our sin. And by “sin”, I am referring to our sins that we commit against a holy God. And it is the awareness of this sin that brings about guilt, a sense of being alienated from God and an overwhelming sense of deserving punishment as a result of sin.

Paul recognized that God had appointed him to preach the gospel to the gentiles. Here the truth is described as the “unfathomable riches of Christ” or to use another term, “unsearchable riches of Christ” as is translated in some versions of the Bible such as the ESV and the NIV. The Greek word Anexichniastos that is translated unsearchable or unfathomable, means something “that cannot be searched out” or comprehended. This does not mean that we cannot learn about those riches in Christ, but it simply means that they are so great, and the truth is so infinite, that our minds cannot fully comprehend or understand all of it. Those riches in Christ are so great that they are almost unbelievable.

But it is those truths that are instrumental in providing comfort and the means to grow and strengthen us in our Christian walk.

It is tragic that in evangelicalism today, these deep truths are seldom mined from Scripture. Consequently, too many Christians are robbed from the benefits of knowing these rich truths. Many lead lives of doubt and insecurity, troubled by their failures and shortcomings, taunted by the sin that unfortunately creeps into their lives.

But what is the reason for this dilemma? Jerry Bridges in his book “The Gospel for Real Life” sites a couple of reasons for this. One is that we have a tendency to have a “truncated view of the gospel”. The gospel is merely viewed as the doorway to becoming a Christian, and then we just need to focus on discipleship. In other words, once we become a Christian, we can tend to view the gospel as something for unbelievers. It becomes viewed as something that we only share with others so that they can be saved.

The second reason is that many possess a “utilitarian view” of the gospel. This is where people merely seek to find out what benefits they can reap in their daily life. Either they are seeking “fire insurance”, leading a life of ease now and then the guarantee of eternal happiness after this life, or it is looking for solutions to the problems of everyday life and how to be successful. Bridges sites an advertisement in a church flyer that illustrates this. But I think many of us have run across the same thing. I know I have received flyers in the mail showcasing a church outlining this very philosophy. In fact, a number of years ago, I received one from a church just around the corner from us. It follows a similar list of key points that Jerry Bridges gives in his illustration. (Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], pg. 14-15)

Their website lists the highlights of their church:

· Uplifting messages featuring “down-to-earth” topics relating to your daily life.
· Enjoy uplifting music and creative, humorous drama.
· Casual dress – whatever you are comfortable with.

I no longer have the flyer from a few years ago, but I remember some of the sermon topics:

· How to make a name for yourself
· How to overcome anxiety and stress in a fast paced world
· How to master your money

And I distinctly remember the phrase, “messages that give you a lift, rather than a let down”.

It is this type of constant, steady “diet” of endless so-called practical topics that ultimately leads to a shallow understanding of the gospel’s implication to our lives. It is not that there are no benefits from some of these topics. Scripture certainly has something to say concerning such subjects as handling our money and about relationships. But limiting our teaching and preaching strictly to those matters deprive believers of knowing the “unfathomable riches of Christ” and I believe it robs God of His glory. And I also believe that it also leads to a general lack of discernment, resulting from a shallow understanding of doctrine, leaving people subject to being influenced by false teaching. After all, Ephesians 4:11-16 describes the general focus of the ministry of the church. Verses 13 & 14 tell us the reason that believers are to be equipped to carry out the ministry, which is to build up the body of Christ, bringing about the “unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God”, so that we are no longer children tossed about by various doctrines, promulgated by false teachers.

Unfortunately, few evangelicals really realize the incredible riches that we have in Christ. To borrow from Jerry Bridge’s story illustrating this, it is like receiving a $10,000,000 inheritance, going into the bank and asking the teller if you have enough money to cover $150 worth of groceries! (Jerry Bridges, “The Gospel for Real Life” [NavPress, 2003], pg. 15-16)

Only by diligently studying Scripture can we begin to realize just how incredible and precious those riches in Christ really are. And it is only then that we can begin to appreciate those rich truths concerning what Christ did for us.

The Gospel in a Nutshell

2008-07-13T23:26:00.009-05:00

With all the distortions in evangelicalism concerning the presentation of the Gospel, it is a wonder that anyone can even grasp exactly what the Gospel message is. As I survey the Christian landscape, it is increasingly difficult to find very many instances where the Gospel is clearly defined. And the ramifications of the lack of clarity can be devastating. I fear that there are far too many who supposedly embrace the Gospel, but in reality have no idea what it means to be saved. This is critical, because your eternal destiny rests on this. There are yet others who actually are saved, but they really do not know enough of the facts concerning the Gospel to clearly present it to someone else. And there are yet multitudes that know the basics, but possess a shallow understanding of the implications of the Gospel in their life. This is certain to hinder their growth and spiritual stability in their lives.

The Gospel is not about finding your purpose in life, becoming a better person or having your best life now. It is most certain that you will have purpose in your life, and there are certainly going to be positive changes as a result of embracing the Gospel. Those, of course, are good things, but they are not by definition the Gospel.

The very core of the Gospel is summarized in 1 Corinthians 15.

“1Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-5, NASB)

Jesus came to earth as God in the flesh, lived a sinless life and was delivered into the hands of sinful men. He was mocked, beaten and crucified to bear the sins of man, died and was buried. He arose again on the third day to win victory over sin and death, reconciling us to God the Father, reigning triumphant over His enemies. While this is a brief summary of the Gospel, unpacking the meaning of Christ’s work on the cross is a treasure trove of truth that nourishes our soul and strengthens us.

At the very core of the Gospel, is the fact that Jesus came to die for our sins to pay the penalty that we deserved. We were completely separated from God, spiritually dead, indulging the desires of our flesh and were objects of His wrath (Ephesians 2:3). The work of Christ was to reconcile us to God (2 Corinthians 5:18). It was not to give us our best life now, or to merely provide us with purpose. Yet the Gospel that is often presented today is generally weak in emphasizing these crucial points. Repentance is downplayed or ignored altogether. It is sad that despite the crucial importance of these points, they are touched on very lightly or just ignored.

I believe this is so critical to the Christian life, and the lack of focus in much of evangelicalism concerning the clarity of the Gospel has for all essential purposes, reached a state of crisis. I am going to be writing several posts on the subject of the Gospel, both to be able to clearly present the Gospel and to convey a deeper understanding of its implications to our lives. Not sure how long I will spend on this, but it certainly will take quite a few posts.

Another Example

2008-06-24T11:44:00.003-05:00

Yet another example of crazy pragmatism. This type of nonsense is one of the many reasons that the evangelical church is in such a mess today.

To put this in perspective, click here to watch "The Church Growth Movie".

An Example of How Far Churches Will Take Their Pragmatism

2008-06-17T23:24:00.003-05:00

This is a video clip from an actual church service where the so-called praise and worship band played the AC/DC song, “Hell’s Bells”, as an apparent attempt to be relevant to the “seekers”. The first minute or so is a clip from Eric Holmberg’s first documentary on rock music, “Hell’s Bells”, subtitled “The Dangers of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, which provides the lyrics of the song.

This illustrates just how far many of the seeker churches are willing to take their pragmatism, embracing the “end justifies the means” mentality, justifying any worldly method.

The Greatest Hindrance to Hungering for God

2008-06-05T00:29:00.009-05:00

If we are not careful, we can allow the abundance of the Lord’s provision to so fill us that we can begin losing focus of Him in our lives. It is easy for us to begin focusing on the blessings that we forget about God and our hunger and desire for Him begins to wane.

We always need to be mindful of the source of our blessing – God. It is unfortunate that the human heart can stray and begin focusing on the pleasure found in this world. We must always remind ourselves that anything that we possess only comes by God’s provision.

According to Scripture, we must focus on God’s word to keep our hearts tender and grateful to God, to remind us of the true source. If we fail to do this, we are prone to become proud and forget God, becoming self-sufficient thinking that it is merely our hard work that got us where we are at. The Lord warned Israel of this danger in Deuteronomy. (Deuteronomy 8:11-18)

Dan Phillips posted this sobering quote by John Piper.

“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18–20). The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable.”

(John Piper, A Hunger for God [Wheaton: Crossway, 1997], 14; from D. A. Carson, For the Love of God : A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God's Word. Volume 1 [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1998], May 28 entry)

We must be diligent to guard our hearts, since it is easy for us to become subtly deceived.

God's Role for Women

2008-05-20T23:37:00.005-05:00

“3Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” (Titus 2:3-5, NASB)

The Bible has plenty to say about His ordained roles for both men and women. Unfortunately, our culture has pushed the Bible out of the public spotlight and has replaced its principles with humanistic philosophies of what it means to be a woman in today’s world. Unfortunately, the same philosophies have crept into the church as well.

It has become popular over the years for both men and women to hold full-time jobs, even after children are brought into the marriage. Children are placed in day care centers every day of the week and are essentially raised be someone else, while the mother goes off to her full-time career. By the time that she gets home in the evening, she has little time and energy left to devote much in the way of quality time with her children. The question remains as to who trains the children to know right from wrong and what it means to live a life that honors God. There are no sufficient replacements for the care that only a mother can provide. Unfortunately, the influence for women to pursue full-time careers is largely a result of the feminist movement. Many women were brainwashed into believing that motherhood was less desirable than a full-time career outside the home. It is interesting that in recent years, there seems to be a growing number of women, not necessarily Christians, who have moved away from that influence and have decided to become full-time mothers and housewives.

But above all, what does the Bible have to say about the matter? Just what is the God ordained role for the wife? Well, the Bible does have plenty to say about the subject. This past week, John MacArthur was teaching on this subject, and teaching the biblical principles for a godly wife. If you did not catch the radio broadcast, I would recommend downloading the podcast. No, it is probably not a popular topic, but it is something that needs to be taught more often. Unfortunately, few churches feel inclined to teach on this subject. Many undoubtedly are offended by such teaching, but it really does not matter; adherence to Scriptural teaching must remain paramount in the life of a Christian.

The Bible does not explicitly forbid women from performing any work outside the home and we need to be careful not to go further than what Scripture teaches, perhaps even formulating a legalistic rule that the Bible does not state. However, there are very strong biblical principles outlined in Scripture that should supply ample guidelines when considering whether the wife should seek employment outside the home. Furthermore, there are explicit commands as to the responsibilities of the wife. Now I understand that there are extenuating circumstances that sometimes arise, necessitating that the wife work outside the home on a full-time basis. But I believe these circumstances are the exception rather than the rule. Remember, we must always seek to line up our lives with Scripture and endeavor to live our lives as pleasing to the Lord, even when it is not convenient, or in opposition to what the world may think. For the believer, we should constantly be renewing our minds and purging our thinking from adopting and being carried away by the world’s philosophies (Romans 12:2). This of course, must be accomplished through Scripture.

So, just what does God expect as the role women should play? Let’s look at the book of Titus chapter 2. Paul, giving instruction to Titus in verse 1 says, “But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine”. The term “fitting” means to be in accordance with, to conform in such a way as to stand out or to be conspicuous. We are to line up our lives with the truth of Scripture in such a way that it stands out to others, and that it is obvious that we live by a different standard than the world. Our lifestyles must provide a strong witness and testimony to the unbelieving world. To be effective in this, we must be sure that our lives differ from the world’s perspective, a way that is reflective of God’s Truth. The principles that Paul expounds in the verses following conform to biblical truth. The term “sound” means healthy and adherence to sound teaching certainly contributes to a healthy spiritual life.

Paul then gives instruction both for men and women. In verse 3, the older women are to be "reverent" or in other words "dignified". This means that they are to live honorable lives, exhibiting sensible judgment and are to be spiritually healthy. They are not to be known for engaging in gossip and are not to be addicted to wine, enabling them to be clear headed in their thinking. The term "older women" refers to those who were past child-bearing age. These are the women who have plenty of experience behind them, and have been well seasoned in the duties of being a godly wife and mother.

These older women were to be actively involved in teaching the younger women about those things that are pleasing to God. Their lives being well known to exhibit godliness, are an example for the younger women to follow. Their life long experiences of marriage and family leave them with the knowledge to pass along to the next generation. This is instruction so that the younger women can know how to love their husbands and children and how to live pure, sensible lives, being “workers at home” (Titus 2:5). These are qualities and obligations that are essential for all women, they are not optional. It should be obvious that the priority of the wife is to be maintaining her household and all of this instruction is meant to prepare the younger women to fulfill their God ordained role.

I know that the intention of this post is centered on the duties of wives, but I also want to point out that the responsibility of teaching and instruction of the younger men is conversely true for the older men. I think this is important and should be an integral part of the discipleship process of the local church. I often wonder if there is enough of this taking place in many of our churches today. I fear that all too often it is not.

But the primary point of the women’s responsibility is the term “workers at home”. The woman’s responsibility is to be focused on the matters surrounding keeping a godly household. This is to be the woman’s primary responsibility. Paul in 1 Timothy 5, gives instruction that the younger widowed women should marry, bear children and “keep house”. The Greek word translated “keep house” is “oikodespoteo”, and it means to rule or manage, as in the affairs of the family. She is not only to rear the children, but she is also in charge of the administration of the home. Proverbs 31:10-31 describes this type of woman.

The women of this day were just as subject to the worldly notions of feminism. The onslaught of feminist ideas was prevalent then nearly as much as it is today. It is nothing new and the contemporary feminism today is nothing but the same old lies that were perpetrated in the ancient world. It is unfortunate that many women, sometimes even within the church, have been deceived into believing the lies of feminism.

So I believe one of the primary question that need to be answered in reference to women working outside the home is whether or not they are still able to fulfill their obligations in the home. Quite frankly, I am not sure how any woman can maintain a full-time career and still have the time to sufficiently take care of her family and keep order in the home. This is particularly true when there are young children in the home. There simply cannot be enough time available to handle both. And someone needs to be around to take care of the younger children. Children simply cannot rear themselves. Who is there to instill godly principles in their lives?

It is no accident that the youth in our country are in trouble. We are reaching a crisis where youth are committing heinous crimes at younger ages. I am certain that everyone is familiar with the term latch-key children. These are the children that are left to themselves once they get home from school until mom and dad arrive home from work. The question remains, what are these kids doing in the meantime? Are they entertaining themselves with television programs and video games containing objectionable content? Should we then be surprised that children are being negatively influenced by these things? It is becoming commonplace for children to engage in violence that was nearly unheard of two or three decades ago. Just observe how many school shootings that we have witnessed over the last few years. General violence in schools has increased dramatically. This situation did not occur overnight, but the seeds of the problem were planted long ago and the current dilemma was cultivated over time.

Without the godly influence of a Christian mother who endeavors to instill biblical values in the lives of her children, what is going to happen to those children as they grow up? Will they succumb to the worldly philosophies and pattern their lives after the world? I really fear for many of the Christian youth. I am finding that many are adopting the ways of the world rather than seeking to line their lives up with Scripture.

So ultimately the real question is whether employment outside the home will severely prevent or hinder the wife’s obligation within the home. The home must be the top priority. I believe there is a dilemma facing the church today. If our lives begin to look more and more like the world, then what testimony do we have before the lost? We desperately need for our lives to speak to the world through a lifestyle that reflects a biblical world view, and we need to openly and honestly approach Scripture with the intent to allow it to penetrate our hearts and change us.

Wider-Mercy Salvation?

2008-05-08T20:33:00.003-05:00

This grieved me when I first read about this a long while ago, but to actually hear Dr. Graham say these words is even more grievous.

Here is another video that has this clip in it as well about 3:50 minutes through it. This one shows a little bit of Billy Graham’s earlier years in his ministry. He certainly started out much differently.

Another example of his erroneous philosophy.

This is what happens when we begin to allow the truth to slip and go to great lengths not to offend anyone. Yes, we should not do anything to deliberately be offensive, but we need to remember that the gospel by its very nature is an offense to the lost (1 Corinthians 1:18-31). We are further obligated to give people the truth about their lost condition, preach the Gospel to them as the remedy for their sin, and warn of the eternal consequences if they reject it. It was Paul the apostle in 1 Corinthians 9:16 who wrote "woe is me if I do not preach the gospel". It is tragic that Billy Graham has veered so far off track. Unfortunately, this kind of teaching bears dire consequences for those who hear this and think there is an alternative way of salvation.

Listen below as John MacArthur confronts this “wider-mercy” salvation.

The Peril of Turning Away

2008-05-01T02:03:00.001-05:00

“ 1Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 3And this we will do, if God permits. 4For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” (Hebrews 6:1-6; NASB)

The exhortation here is that the Hebrews embrace saving faith in Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Many were sitting just at the brink of saving faith, but were not taking the next step and embracing Jesus as Savior. In fact, they were slipping back into the Old Testament teaching, rather than moving “on to maturity”, that is, salvation through Jesus as Savior. The Old Testament teaching was only meant to lay the foundation for faith in Jesus as the Messiah. The Old Testament teaching could be revisited if it was used to help them move on to faith in Christ (“if God Permits”), but it is only God who can enable that faith to take place (John 6:44-65).

It has been proposed by some that this passage indicates that one can lose their salvation, which is how they interpret verse 6. However, if that is the case, then it is also true that person can never come back to the Lord (“it is impossible to renew them again to repentance”, v. 6). Yet those who take the position that once someone is saved that they can fall into sin and lose their salvation, constantly plead with people to repent. So it should appear obvious that this passage does not mean that. Furthermore, there are numerous passages elsewhere in Scripture that speak of the believer’s security in Christ (Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:38, 39; John 10:27-29).

But the real intent of this passage is not directed at Christians who fall into grievous sin, but rather the peril of rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior. In fact, the overall focus in Hebrews is on illustrating that Jesus was the appointed Savior prophesied and spoken of throughout the Old Testament.

The term “maturity” also translated “perfection” in some translations (KJV & NKJV), is the Greek word “teleiotes”, and means moral and spiritual perfection, an accomplishment achieved. Here it is referring to the accomplishment that Christ achieved through the cross to declare us righteous through His finished work. In other words it is speaking of salvation. It is not referring to spiritual growth in Christian character and sanctification in daily living, though that should become apparent once someone comes to genuine faith in Christ.

The problem with many of the Hebrews addressed here is that they were in danger of ultimately turning from the truth of God’s saving grace, drifting back into Old Testament teaching. Apparently they seemed like they got off to a good start, giving the appearance that they were true believers. This is similar to the description of those in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:18-23. Verse 20 describes the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, but falls away once trouble ensues. In a similar fashion, many of the Hebrews had wonderful spiritual encounters, but soon fell away. Just like the seed planted on rock never is able to take root, so these people were never were able to become grounded in the faith. They were “enlightened”, receiving instruction in biblical truth and were able to at least understand on an intellectual basis. They had a “taste” of the “heavenly gift”, but seem to not have feasted on and digested it. They were in some sense “partakers” or “shared” (NIV& ESV) in the ministry of the Holy Spirit, even witnessing His mighty work, or even falling under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but fell short of experiencing salvation. Even the presence of signs and mighty works does no necessarily mean that those involved are genuine believers, as Jesus warned in Matthew 7.

Those who willfully turn from the knowledge of the truth of the gospel, defecting from the faith are apostates and no longer have a sacrifice that provides a covering for their sins. There is no sacrifice for sin apart from Jesus Christ. To disregard the finality and efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice is to hold Jesus in contempt and is “insulted the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29), essentially committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31, 32).

Once the gospel is refused, a hardening of the heart sets in and once that hardening takes place, the heart is no longer receptive to the truth. Earlier in Hebrews, they were exhorted not to harden their hearts as their ancestors did in the book of Numbers (Chapters 13-14). There, the children of Israel witnessed the mighty work of God, but allowed unbelief to settle in and slipped into grumbling and complaining, resulting in their turning away from God (Hebrews 3:7-19).

The rejection of God’s offer of grace after receiving the full instruction and enlightenment of the truth is a sin that inhibits their restoration to a place of forgiveness. Repentance becomes impossible for them (Hebrews 6:6; 10:26). In this state, “they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame” placing themselves in the same position as those who crucified Christ, treating Him as a mere man that deserved to be crucified.

The more that I read of the final necessity of Christ’ s sacrifice and the strong exhortation of the Jews to receive Jesus as Savior, the more grieved I am over the blunder of men like John Hagee who wrongly teach that the Jews are covered under the Old Testament Covenant. How can anyone misunderstand this? Have they not read Hebrews and Romans? I just cannot fathom how anyone could teach that the Jews can be saved any other way except through Jesus Christ.

But I believe that there is a strong exhortation here, not just for the Jews, but for anyone who comes to the brink of saving faith, but turns and essentially dismisses the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is vital to respond in faith to the Gospel. To reject the Gospel is to create a hardening of the heart and places that individual in the peril of sealing their fate for eternity.

Attempting to Make Sense of the Different "Streams" of the Emerging Church

2008-04-14T21:42:00.002-05:00

While there are those in the general Emerging Church movement who may quip “’Emergent’ does not speak for us” or “’Emergent’ is not our denomination”, many of those same people also use and refer to books and material promoted by the organization referred to as “Emergent”. I have been amazed at some who take offense at being associated with Brian McLaren, but they are also the same ones who will often adopt many of his philosophies and quote from his books. Emergent (also known as Emergent Village) is the official liberal wing of the broader Emerging Church Movement. Emergent also seeks to be a profound influence in the broader Emerging Church.

But the movement can be broken down a bit more than just Emerging and Emergent. Mark Driscoll in an article entitled “A Pastoral Perspective on the Emerging Church”, explains the differences between three basic streams of the Emerging Church Movement as identified by Dr. Ed Stetzer. This is an interesting article that describes the various segments of the Emerging Church movement. But even in the category of the more conservative “Relevants”, I have great concern, especially since Rob Bell and Donald Miller tend to be their prominent spokesmen. Rob Bell is not in the least bit truly conservative theologically as many people unfortunately consider him to be. And Donald Miller tends to be doctrinally ambiguous, particularly in his book “Blue Like Jazz”. To me it is very telling when Brian McLaren can provide his glowing endorsement on the back of Miller’s book. Furthermore, there is information in Miller’s book pointing people to Emergent Village, including the URL to the website. Neither individual inspires any enthusiasm on my part. In fact, I feel the need to warn others about their teaching, especially in the case of Rob Bell. There is, however, a relatively small group within the Relevants who do embrace Reformed Theology and are more inclined to gain theological insight from such men as John Piper and Tim Keller. This group is generally theologically conservative, but is, in my estimation, very small. This is where Mark Driscoll would fit in. However, I am apprehensive to heartily recommend Driscoll's ministry given his propensity to utilize slang terms and phrases that are essentially unsuitable for Christians to use in general speech, let alone from the pulpit. Unfortunately, this has earned him the notoriety of being known as "Mark the cussing pastor", a term that Donald Miller refers to him as in his book "Blue Like Jazz". It is not his theology that I have the problem with, it is the way he presents himself in an apparent effort to be hip and cool to appeal to the younger generation.

While I recognize that there are certainly those who may hold to orthodox Christian beliefs within the broader Emerging Church, I often wonder what they expect to truly accomplish by being identified as “Emerging”, especially when their views are often in direct variance with the theological views of many of their colleagues. The very fact that they uphold the notion that there are indeed absolute truths, causes them to be ostracized by many if not the majority in the Emerging Church movement.

At the end of Mark’s article, he summarizes where he sees the movement heading.

“In the end, I believe the conversation will result in multiple communities arriving at different conclusions and breaking off to have their own conversations, with their own Bible translations, leaders, books, magazines, websites, blogs, conferences, and model churches. That is already happening as new networks are forming and new church planting networks are establishing new churches with varying answers to the missiological questions. Over time, this may result in new denominations because inevitably systems must be put in place to serve a movement and somehow an umpire must be put in place to make decisions about what is and what is not acceptable doctrine and practice.

The only hope is a return to the true gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture. The gospel must be unleashed in the world through the Church for the transforming salvation of sinners and their cultures. If the gospel is lost, as I fear it already has been among some Revisionists, then tomorrow will be a dark day for the truth about Jesus.”

In my opinion, the Emerging Church is destined to end up as a terrible train wreck. And if the rest of the evangelical church follows their lead, it will be headed down the same collision course with disaster.

John Hagee’s Warped Teaching

2008-04-01T23:04:00.007-05:00

People need to be warned concerning the abhorrent teaching of John Hagee. One particular error that he has become notorious for is what is called the “Two Covenant Theory”, teaching that the Jews are covered under the Old Testament covenant and really do not need to be evangelized. Despite the fact that he has often attempted to deny that this is what he teaches, an examination of his teaching proves otherwise. I am not going to go into detail his various statements over the years right now, but just listen to his advertisement for his book “In Defense of Israel” in this video clip below.

But Scripture tells a different story concerning Christ and salvation. The book of Hebrews was written to exhort the Hebrews to embrace saving faith through Jesus Christ. The whole book is a plea to embrace Jesus as their Savior.

Unfortunately, it appears that those who espouse this dual covenant theory believe that the passages in Romans 10 & 11 mean that there is a remnant in Israel saved by God’s election and relation to Abraham, and not by the cross of Christ. Essentially, men like Hagee believe that Jesus came to provide a covenant of grace for the Gentiles, but the Jews are covered by a separate covenant of election.

But that is not at all what those passages mean. This philosophy is an attack on the very Gospel that was preached by Jesus and the apostle Paul. In fact, Paul had “great sorrow and unceasing grief” because of the rejection of Jesus by his Jewish brethren (Romans 9:1-8). Paul’s desire and prayer was for their salvation through Jesus Christ (Romans 10:1-4).

Furthermore, the salvation spoken of in Romans 11 is yet future as God deals with His people at the approaching of the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is when God will remove the blindness of their hearts so that they will receive Jesus as their messiah. Incidentally, this does not mean that every single individual will be saved simply because they are Jews. Salvation is dependent on the individual placing their trust in Christ, and it is clear in Scripture that just as there are Gentiles who will not be saved due to their unbelief, so there will also be Jews who will not be saved because of their unbelief as well. The phrase “and so all Israel will be saved” in verse 26 is in no way meant to imply that all Jews are saved simply because of their ethnic background.

It is amazing just how many people fall prey to false teaching. Just because someone may sound authoritative and has become popular, does not mean that they are correctly teaching from Scripture. All teaching must be scrutinized by the text of Scripture, and false teaching should be exposed as such.

Sloppy Handling of Scripture

2008-03-27T21:04:00.001-05:00

I saw this video clip over at Big Orange Truck. This is typical of far too many in the KJVOnly crowd and an example of why we need more men who will carefully and accurately teach the Word of God.

(Warning:Crude Language)

The Atonement

2008-03-21T13:27:00.013-05:00

Excerpt from “The Atonement” by John Murray

I. The Source. Any doctrine of the atonement is misdirected from the outset if it does not take account of the fact that the atonement is the provision of God's love. 'God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son' (John 3:16). 'Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins' (I John 4:10; cf. Rom. 5:8; 8:32; Eph. 2:4, 5; I John 4:9). The title 'God' in these texts refers specifically to God the Father. So it is to the initiative of the Father's love that our attention is drawn when we think of the fountain from which the atonement emanates. And all that has been achieved by Christ's vicarious undertaking must always be subordinated to the design and purpose of the Father's love. This is the orientation which the classic exponents of Reformed doctrine have always recognized, and it is a caricature of their position to suppose that they represented the love and compassion of the Father as constrained by the sacrifice of Christ.

In this fact that the love of God is the spring from which the atonement flows we encounter an ultimate of revelation and of human thought. It is the marvel that evokes wonder, adoration, and praise. It is a love that arises from the unsearchable riches of God's goodness. But though an ultimate of revelation, the Scripture not only permits but requires further characterization of this love. The love of God is differentiating in respect of its objects. It is the love of God the Father that Paul has in view when he speaks of Him who 'spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all' (Rom. 8:32). But it is within the orbit defined by Romans 8:29 that this love must be understood, and the latter text speaks of distinguishing love that predestinates to a determinate end — conformity to the image of his Son. Ephesians 1:4, 5 is to the same effect. God chose a people in Christ and in love predestinated them unto adoption through Jesus Christ. It would annul the witness of Scripture if we ignored the differentiation which the love of God institutes and failed to construe the atonement as the provision of this distinguishing love and as that which secures the design of God's electing grace.

II. The Necessity. The love of God is the cause of the atonement. But why did the love of God take this way of realizing its end? This is the question of the reason as distinguished from the cause. Notable theologians in the history of the church have taken the position that there was no absolute reason, that God could have saved men by other means than by the blood-shedding of His own Son, that, since God is omnipotent and sovereign, other ways of forgiving sin were available to Him. But God was pleased to adopt this method because the greatest number of advantages and blessings accrued from it. God could have redeemed men without the shedding of blood, but He freely chose not to and thereby He magnifies the glory of His grace and enhances the precise character of the salvation bestowed (e.g., Augustine, Aquinas, Thomas Goodwin, John Ball, Thomas Blake).

It might appear that this view does honor to the omnipotence, sovereignty, and grace of God and, also, that to posit more would be presumptuous on our part and beyond the warrant of Scripture. Is it not the limit of our thought to say that 'without the shedding of blood' (Heb. 9:22) there is actually no remission and be satisfied with that datum? There are, however, certain things God cannot do. 'He cannot deny himself' (II Tim. 2:13) and it is 'impossible for God to lie' (Heb. 6:18). The only question is: are there exigencies arising from the character and perfections of God which make it intrinsically necessary that redemption should be accomplished by the sacrifice of the Son of God? It should be understood that it was not necessary for God to redeem men. The purpose to redeem is of the free and sovereign exercise of His love. But having purposed to redeem, was the only alternative the blood-shedding of His own Son as the way of securing that redemption? There appear to be good reasons for an affirmative answer.

1. Salvation requires not only the forgiveness of sin but also justification. And justification, adequate to the situation in which lost mankind is, demands a righteousness such as belongs to no other than the incarnate Son of God, a righteousness undefiled and undefilable, a righteousness with divine property and quality (cf. Rom. 1:17; 3:21; 22; 10:3; II Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9). It is the righteousness of the obedience of Christ (Rom. 5:19). But only the Son of God. incarnate, fulfilling to the full extent the commitments of the Father's will, could have provided such a righteousness. A concept of salvation bereft of the justification which this righteousness imparts is an abstraction of which Scripture knows nothing.

2. Sin is the contradiction of God and he must react against it with holy wrath. Wherever sin is, the wrath of God rests upon it (cf. Rom. 1:18). Otherwise God would be denying Himself, particularly His holiness, justice, and truth. But wrath must be removed if we are to enjoy the favor of God which salvation implies. And the only provision for the removal of wrath is propitiation. This is surely the import of Romans 3:25, 26, that God set forth Christ a propitiation to declare His righteousness, that He might he just and the justifier of the ungodly.

3. The cross of Christ is the supreme demonstration of the love of God (cf. Rom. 5:8; I John 4:9, 10). But would it be a supreme demonstration of love if the end secured by it could have been achieved without it? Would it be love to secure the end by such expenditure as the agony of Gethsemane and the abandonment of Calvary for God's own well-beloved and only-begotten Son if the result could have been attained by less costly means? In that event would it not have been love without wisdom? In this we cannot suppress the significance of our Lord's prayer in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39). If it had been possible for the cup to pass from him, his prayer would surely have been answered. It is when the indispensable exigencies fulfilled by Jesus' suffering unto death are properly assessed that we can see the marvel of God's love in the ordeal of Calvary. So great was the Father's love to lost men that He decreed their redemption even though the cost was nought less than the accursed tree. When Calvary is viewed in this light. then the love manifested not only takes on meaning but fills us with adoring amazement. Truly this is love.

Those who think that in pursuance of God's saving purpose the cross was not intrinsically necessary are, in reality, not dealing with the hypothetical necessity of the atonement but with a hypothetical salvation. For, on their own admission, they are not saying that the actual salvation designed and bestowed could have been enjoyed without Christ but only salvation of lesser character and glory. But of such salvation the Scripture knows nothing and no good purpose can be served by an imaginary hypothesis.

[The remainder of this article can be view at Grace Online Library.]

Don’t Worry

2008-03-16T16:29:00.011-05:00

25"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25; NASB)

Worry seems to be a natural part of life, and for some, it seems to be an incessant preoccupation. Unfortunately, unchecked, it can have severe consequences. It has a way of draining our energy and can take a severe toll on our health. It can also dominate our thinking to the point that we are essentially paralyzed and are afraid of any risks and take our focus of more productive endeavors. At times, worry can cause us to become irrational.

But the worst problem with worry is that it essentially sends a message that we really do not trust God. We are essentially saying that we do not trust in God’s provision and loving care. Yet it is an easy trap for all of us to fall into. But we need to approach worry for what it really is – sin.

What worries us is not so much the worry of owning luxuries. It is usually worry concerning our basic needs. There is probably nothing that worries us more than having enough of the necessities of life. Here, the people to whom Jesus spoke where worried about the basics. But we are commanded to do just the opposite – to trust in the Lord’s provision of our basic necessities. And it is too easy to justify our worry since these are the basics that everyone needs to survive.

Worrying about our needs is something that the Lord does not want to occupy our time. Our focus should be on things of eternal importance. To worry about even the basics is something that will distract us from the mission the Lord has for us in this life. Meeting our needs is something that our Lord promises to do and our obligation in this matter is to simply trust the Lord.

Jesus illustrates by turning our attention to how our Heavenly Father feeds the birds (Matthew 6:26). If He feeds and takes care of them, and we are worth more than they are, isn’t it true that He will take care of us?

26"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 26-27; NASB)

And what does worry accomplish? According to verse 27, we can’t even add any time to our life by worrying.

Observe the obsession today with clothing. There is never a shortage of advertising showcasing the latest fashions of the day. These fashions continually change and people are obsessed with keeping up with these latest fashions. Yet, with all the variety of fashion, it still cannot compare with the beauty of God’s creation. Even King Solomon’s clothing – whose pageantry and kingdom was world famous - could not compare with the beauty of God’s natural creation (2 Chronicles 9). Each petal of a flower is unique and exhibits a beauty unsurpassed by anything man can create despite all the ingenuity he can muster. Taking a moment to observe God’s creation can leave one awestruck at the incredible beauty and harmony of God’s creative work. But in the end, all of creation will be destroyed “with intense heat” (2 Peter 3:10). If God took so much care in His creation, despite the fact that it will be destroyed in the end, how much more will He take care of us, who are far more important (Matthew 6:30). Yet we can have the tendency to worry about what we will wear.

God’s wonderful provision is illustrated many times throughout Scripture. One example that we can observe in Scripture is that of Elijah. In 1 Kings 17, the Lord declared that He would bring about a drought should the people turn from Him to serve other gods. The Lord commanded Elijah to leave Israel and go to the brook Cherith, where He would provide drink and miraculously command ravens to provide food for Elijah. And the ravens did indeed bring Elijah bread and meat, morning and evening, and he was able to get his drink from the brook. After the brook dried up due to the drought, God continued to provide for Elijah’s basic needs. God directed Elijah to go to Zarephath, where He provided for Elijah’s needs through the meager means of a poor widow who didn’t even have enough to provide for her and her own son’s needs.

The concern with what we will wear, eat and drink is something that the world earnestly seeks after. The term “eagerly” in Matthew 6:32 means to seek diligently, to crave and pursue with all of one’s might. The people of the world are consumed and preoccupied with endeavoring to be satisfied with material goods. But this behavior and attitude is not to be characteristic of the child of God.

If God knows and lovingly cares for us, then we have the confidence that He will provide for us. He has all the resources at His disposal. In light of that, we should have the freedom to serve Him without anxiety. We have the confidence that we can bring our needs before Him, and this should bring peace to us as His children whom He loves.

“6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6&7;NASB)

Our duty as God’s children is to seek His kingdom.

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

We are not to worry about what will happen in the future. No one really knows what will happen in the future and worrying about it will accomplish little. There are enough things to be concerned with for each day. There is never any shortage of things that can induce worry concerning the future. Many of these things may never materialize anyway. Even if they do, preoccupation with worry cannot change them. The same God who provides for our needs today is the same God who will provide for us tomorrow. Incessant worry will only paralyze us and hinder our mission for God.

"34So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:24; NASB)

The real question that we need to ask ourselves is whether or not we truly place seeking after God’s kingdom first. Do we earnestly desire for people to be brought to Christ and see God’s kingdom grow? Our peace and confidence in God’s provision for our needs gives strong testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Seeking God’s kingdom first means that we desire for Christ to rule in our life. The kingdom of God is revealed to the world through the righteousness, peace and joy that should be clearly evident in our lives.

We must never forget that when we came to Christ, we were enlisted in God’s service much like a soldier. We are not to preoccupy ourselves with the things of the world.

“4No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:4; NASB)

Worry is a sin that should not be a characteristic of a child of God. It is unnecessary due to the Lord’s loving provision and will distract us from our service to the Lord.

Who’s Your Master?

2008-02-29T01:16:00.003-05:00

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”(Matthew 6:24; NASB)

The term “master” here denotes someone who has sovereign authority or control over another. This means exclusive control over another’s actions and priorities. This is not the same as someone who may hold two jobs, devoting a portion of their time to two different bosses. In the sense of someone possessing sovereign authority, it means that they have final say in what that person does. In reference to the master and servant or bond slave relationship, the word used in Scripture is the Greek “doulos”, and refers to someone who surrenders their will for that of another. This involves giving up one’s own interests to be devoted to the interests of the other party. Only one master can have total control at any given time. Here, there can only be one master in control; either God, or wealth. Wealth encompasses anything associated with worldly goods; money, homes, anything falling under the umbrella of worldly possessions.

The sad thing is that it is possible to be involved in church activity, but actually have your heart set on worldliness. The scribes and the Pharisees did just that. They were heavily involved in religious activity, but their hearts were far from being devoted to God. This same situation is described in Isaiah, where the people gave lip service to their devotion to God, keeping their routine religious traditions, but their hearts were far from God.

“ 13 Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,”(Isaiah29:13; NASB)

The term hate as it is used in Scripture, does not necessarily mean in an outright emotional sense. It is often used in the sense of having less regard for. In Romans 9:13, speaking in reference to Jacob and Esau, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”, is not referring to outright emotional hatred, but the fact that God chose Jacob to receive divine blessing, and left Esau to receive judgment. Another passage we can look at is Luke 14:26, where our Lord is describing what it takes to be His disciple.

26"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
(Luke 14:26; NASB)

Here, hate is not used in the sense of deep emotional hatred, but rather it is speaking of holding lesser regard for. Matthew 10:37 helps us to understand this tough command.

37"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:37; NASB)

Our love for anything or anyone must be less than our love for God. It is the love of this present world that causes people to forsake any commitment to God and His kingdom. Such was the case with Demas in 2 Timothy 4:10. When the going got tough, he abandoned the work of Christ and deserted Paul.

Scripture is replete with warnings concerning the love of money and the world. James 4:4 tells us that “friendship with the world is hostility toward God” and that if we choose to “be a friend of the world” we become an enemy of God. Scripture warns us not to “love the world or anything in the world” , and for those that do, “the love of the Father” is not in them (1 John 2:15). All that is identified with the world is opposed to God.

“For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.”
(1 John 2:16-17; NIV)

We are admonished in the Bible to be content with what we have. It is discontentment with what we have that breeds self-indulgent greed for money. Those that allow an attitude of discontentment to take root, develop a consuming desire for acquiring more money that drives them to make foolish decisions. This can ultimately end in a ruined life, and the peril of destruction and eternal punishment.

“6But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
(1 Timothy 6:6-10; NASB)

Our culture has a tendency to pull at us to go along with the world’s philosophy, particularly with materialism. We are bombarded with numerous advertising schemes aimed at breeding discontentment with what we have, and it is too easy to get caught up in it. We need to continually guard ourselves from the love of money, since it can easily draw our hearts away from God.

The Evil Eye

2008-02-19T01:07:00.003-05:00

22"The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
23"But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”
(Matthew 6:22-23;NASB)

Here, our Lord is using the analogy of the eye, to describe the condition of our spiritual insight or understanding. Just as the eye allows light to enter into our body, so our spiritual sight or understanding either allows us to be illuminated by God’s Truth, or blocks or distorts our vision of the Truth. It is imperative that we guard our hearts, since our hearts govern our spiritual vision. Once out hearts become centered on worldly goods, our vision becomes blocked from illumination from God’s Truth.

The “clear”, or good eye will allow the entrance of the truth of God’s Word, allowing us to receive illumination and insight from God. This will allow us to discern clear direction and guidance from God, as our hearts are changed. Our focus in life will be centered on things of eternal importance and we will seek those actions which are pleasing to God and live for His glory. The wealth of this world will pale in comparison to the true riches stored up in Heaven. However, if our eye is “bad” or “evil”, our hearts are darkened and this condition affects our whole being. In this condition, it is impossible to perceive clear direction as it pertains to spiritual matters. And we set our priorities based on the condition of our heart, since it is the seat of our passions, desires and affections. Instead of seeking God and His glory, we seek our own glory, succumbing to our passions and lust for material and worldly gain.

It is sad that there are those who allow their hearts to be deceived by the wealth of the world. There are many who regularly attend church, yet there seems to be little spiritual progress in their life. Spiritual growth is stunted and there seems to be a lack of genuine love and passion for the Word of God. Sadly, as you talk with many of them, the overriding theme in their conversations seems to be worldly focused. It is no wonder that it is nearly impossible for them to perceive spiritual matters.

This is why Jesus said in reference to this condition “how great is the darkness!” This condition will snuff out the desire for God and His glory. This is why we need to remind ourselves of the importance of guarding our hearts and minds. I can’t help but wonder just how much this condition is significantly contributing to the shallowness of the church today. Once the focus in life becomes worldly pleasure and wealth, the desire for God and His Word is severely diminished. Just survey the titles of books and materials in Christian bookstores today. Multitudes of books and materials are focused on man-centered philosophy wrapped in a few verses Scripture, with themes clearly associated with a humanistic viewpoint.

But exploring a little deeper concerning the term “bad” or “evil” eye, and the “clear” or “healthy” eye reveals a little more depth to the meaning. The term “clear” is translated from the Greek “haplous”. It is similar to the word “haplotes” translated “liberality” in Romans 12:8. In fact, “haplotes” is derived from “haplous” and the same term is also used in 2 Corinthians 9:13 in reference to the generous giving of the Macedonians. It should appear clear that the terms are associated with generosity. Basically, a generous heart is the sign of good spiritual health.

In contrast, “bad” or “evil” in Matthew 6:23 is derived from the Greek “poneros” and is used in Scripture in Matthew 20:15 to refer to “envy” or “covetousness”. This was the parable of the landowner who hired laborers at various times to labor in his vineyard. Those who were hired last and worked for a shorter period of time received the same wages as the ones who were hired first. The laborers who were hired first grumbled over this fact. The landowner replied with the fact that he was within his right to exercise his generosity as he wished. Here the term “evil” or “envious” eye is used in reference to their response to his generosity. This fits the context in Matthew 6, which speaks of the love of money.

It is also worthy to note that the term “evil eye” is used elsewhere in Scripture and denotes a grudging or greedy spirit. Proverbs 28:22 describes the man with the “evil eye” who hastily chases after wealth. Those who have their minds set on the things of the world will inevitably develop a greedy attitude toward money, and do anything in their power to gain more of it. In greed, many begin to make rash decisions in managing their money, ultimately losing it all. But worst of all, once this greed takes over, the spiritual blinders go down and our hearts are darkened.

So how about those who seem to give large amounts of money even within the church? Many seem to be very generous. We can find the answer by reading Luke 21:2 and Mark 12:42. Here, Jesus observed those who were giving to the treasury, where donations and offerings to the temple were made. Many of the rich were giving a considerable amount of money. But there was a poor widow who gave a miniscule amount of money, two small copper coins, which was a considerable sacrifice on her part. The term “poor widow” denotes someone in extreme poverty. The two small copper coins she put into the treasury were each only equal to one eighth of a cent, yet it was “all she had to live on” (v. 44). To put this in perspective, each coin was equal to 1/64 of a denarius and a denarius was equal to one day’s wage. She would have been a prime candidate to receive aid, but she was giving what little bit she had in her possession. The rich were giving out of their abundance, which required little sacrifice on their part. Perhaps they were somewhat proud and boastful in their giving. The reward in giving to God is largely dependent on the attitude of the heart, not the amount of the gift.

'1And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.
2And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins.
3And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them;
4for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on."' (Luke 21:1-4; NASB)

It is extremely important that we as believers get a good grasp on our attitude towards money. This can be the greatest hindrance to our service to God and Scripture teaches that God is not going to entrust us with true riches in terms of responsibility if we cannot manage the “unrighteous wealth” (Luke 16:11). If we prove faithful in handling our money, God will be more likely to entrust us with greater spiritual responsibility. It is frightening that this issue can creep into our lives so subtly, yet it is extremely lethal in its ability to spiritually blind us. And the culture in America can have a tendency to lead us in this direction if we allow it to.

As a test of your spiritual condition concerning this matter, ask yourself what is your response to the Word of God? Do you have spiritual sensitivity to Scriptural truth that makes you desire to put into practice what you read? When making spiritual decisions, particularly in how you serve God, is money a key determining factor to whether or not you are willing to serve God in a certain capacity? Are you more concerned with your spiritual growth or are you preoccupied with gaining wealth? Your attitude toward money and wealth is a key factor in your spiritual health.

Yeah, I know…

2008-02-11T22:56:00.000-05:00

I am probably among the worst bloggers in blogland, especially considering that I haven’t posted anything since the end of January. But the past couple of weeks have been busy, especially this last week. Work has been particularly challenging, and one day I was up for 24 hours straight. Sometimes in the IT industry, things like this happen and it is not particularly fun. There was also another night where I had to be up during the very early hours of the morning to monitor a software implementation to production. So needless to say, I have been pretty exhausted this last week. This week should be a little quieter. So I hope to be posting something soon.

Spiritual Growth

2008-01-28T19:04:00.000-05:00

From “The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions”
Compiled by Arthur Bennett

O THOU MOST HIGH,
In the way of thy appointment I am waiting for thee,
my desire is to thy name,
my mind to remembrance of thee.

I am a sinner, but not insensible of my state.

My iniquities are great and numberless,
but thou art adequate to my relief,
for thou art rich in mercy;
the blood of thy Son can cleanse from all sin;
the agency of thy spirit can subdue my most powerful lusts.

Give me a tender, wakeful conscience
that can smite and torment me when I sin.

May I be consistent in conversation and conduct,
the same alone as in company,
in prosperity and adversity,
accepting all thy commandments as right,
and hating every false way.

May I never be satisfied with my present spiritual progress,
but to faith add virtue, knowledge, temperance, godliness,
brotherly kindness, charity.

May I never neglect
what is necessary to constitute Christian character,
and needful to complete it.

May I cultivate the expedient,
develop the lovely, adorn the gospel,
recommend the religion of Jesus,
accommodate myself to thy providence.

Keep me from sinking or sinning in the evil day;
Help me to carry into ordinary life portions of divine truth
and use them on suitable occasions, so that
its doctrines may inform,
its warnings caution,
its rules guide,
its promises comfort me.

Where is Your Treasure?

2008-01-20T22:32:00.000-05:00

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:19-21; NASB)

If I could point out one sin that is most pervasive in our society today-and has unfortunately invaded the church as well – I would say materialism would either take top place or at least come dangerously close to the top. Of course, this is not to say that there are not other sins that have become extremely problematic, because there are. And I could make a list of many that are in the forefront and devastating to our society and unfortunately the church as well. But remember, that it is often the love of material wealth that is at the center of instigating the rise of many others sins. 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us that “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil”.

A Discipleship Journal survey ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to readers, and materialism ranked number one (Discipleship Journal, 11-12/92).

It is the love of money that causes man to set his priorities based on what yields the most opportunity for profit. It causes men to lust after wealth to the point that they are willing to lie, cheat and steal to gain more. Or let’s even take abortion for example. Some often view a pregnancy as an inhibition to furthering a career to pursue wealth, or simply view a child as too costly and opt to kill their unborn baby. This to me is heinous and not much different than what the children of Israel did when they offered their children in sacrifice in false worship of Molech (Jeremiah 7:31; 2 Kings 23:10). Think about it-the pursuit of wealth and furthering career growth becomes the focus of their worship to the point that they are sacrificing their child to their “god” of money or worldly pursuit. If that does not touch the apex of selfishness, I don’t know what does!

Jesus is exhorting His hearers to store up treasures in Heaven, rather than on earth. Treasure on earth is temporal. It is subject to decay and deterioration. Men seek to steal others wealth. These are the things that matter the least, and unfortunately, man places them at center stage. I am sure many can recall the saying “whoever dies with the most toys wins”. But that is absolutely and blatantly false. No one truly wins. And as King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes came to realize, all of the earthly treasures and pleasures cannot provide lasting satisfaction (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11). You can’t take any of it with you when you go. It was once said by Billy Graham that he never saw a U-Haul towed behind a hearse. How true!

But where our treasure lies is where our focus in life is going to be. The word treasure comes from the Greek “thesaurus”, and refers to things laid in store as in a treasury, a collection of treasured valuables. The word heart (Gr. Kardia) refers to the central core of spiritual life, the very soul from where our thoughts, passions, affections and desires emanate. It includes our intellectual faculty, our will and character. And it is affected either for good or for bad, controlling our affections, emotions, passions and appetites. If our heart is focused on earthly wealth, then that is where we are going to focus our attention. We will spend most of our time pursuing possessions and earthly gain, and spiritual matters will be of little or no concern.

The sad reality is that many, even in the church have become too focused on temporal wealth and pleasures. Scripture teaches us that all of the things of this world will ultimately be destroyed, and admonishes us to live exemplary lives in light of this fact (2 Peter 3:10-13). We are to be holy in our conduct, and passionate in our pursuit of godliness. The Bible also tells us that there is coming a day when believers will be judged for the things that relate to activities concerning our eternal reward (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). The material things of this life are meaningless in light of eternity.

It is for this reason that Jesus exhorts us to store up treasures in heaven, things of eternal significance. A place where they are secure, cannot be taken by others or deteriorate over time. If our hearts are heaven bound, then we will pursue with great passion those things that bear the most eternal significance, and we will seek to keep our lives focused upon God and the furtherance of His kingdom.

In evaluating our attitude concerning material wealth, there are some important questions that can reveal where our heart is really focused. When we consider life goals, how many revolve around God and His work? What things are the object of our affections? How do we spend our time and efforts? What do we spend our resources on? Answers to these questions should help in evaluating where our focus in life really is.

Importance of Redeeming Time

2008-01-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

Excerpt from:

The Preciousness of Time and the Importance of Redeeming It
By Jonathan Edwards
December 1734

"Fourth, time is very precious, because when it is past, it cannot be recovered. There are many things which men possess, which if they part with, they can obtain them again. If a man have parted with something which he had, not knowing the worth of it, or the need he should have of it; he often can regain it, at least with pains and cost. If a man have been overseen in a bargain, and have bartered away or sold something, and afterwards repents of it, he may often obtain a release, and recover what he had parted with. — But it is not so with respect to time. When once that is gone, it is gone forever; no pains, no cost will recover it. Though we repent ever so much that we let it pass, and did not improve it while we had it, it will be to no purpose. Every part of it is successively offered to us, that we may choose whether we will make it our own, or not. But there is no delay. It will not wait upon us to see whether or no we will comply with the offer. But if we refuse, it is immediately taken away, and never offered more. As to that part of time which is gone, however we have neglected to improve it, it is out of our possession and out of our reach.

If we have lived fifty, or sixty, or seventy years, and have not improved our time, now it cannot be helped. It is eternally gone from us. All that we can do, is to improve the little that remains. Yea, if a man have spent all his life but a few moments unimproved, all that is gone is lost, and only those few remaining moments can possibly be made his own. And if the whole of a man’s time be gone, and it be all lost, it is irrecoverable. — Eternity depends on the improvement of time. But when once the time of life is gone, when once death is come, we have no more to do with time; there is no possibility of obtaining the restoration of it, or another space in which to prepare for eternity. If a man should lose the whole of his worldly substance, and become a bankrupt, it is possible that his loss may be made up. He may have another estate as good. But when the time of life is gone, it is impossible that we should ever obtain another such time. All opportunity of obtaining eternal welfare is utterly and everlastingly gone."

[You can read this article in its entirety here at "A Puritan's Mind"]

Thoughts on the 2008 Presidential Race from Al Mohler

2008-01-08T20:26:00.000-05:00

Al Mohler had some comments concerning the 2008 presidential race this last Friday. I particularly agree with his following comment:

“The rhetoric of the race -- and the rhetoric of many evangelicals -- is disturbing. This race is important and necessarily so. We are talking about the next President of the United States, after all. But evangelicals have invested far too much hope in the political process. No government can make people good, transform humanity, or eliminate sin. The political sphere is important, but never ultimate. Jesus Christ is Lord -- and He will be Lord regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.”

How true. And I certainly wish evangelicals would put as much effort into building their relationship with Jesus Christ and knowledge of the truth of His Word, as they do in their political pursuits.

The battle will not be ultimately won on the political front. Only Jesus Christ can truly change the hearts of men and women. It is infinitely more important that we concentrate on the proclamation of the Gospel and the straight forward truth of Scripture. It is not that I advocate ignoring the political process altogether. Believers should be responsible citizens and vote for the condidates that best reflect our values, especially in a nation where we have the privilege to do so. But I think evangelicals have become too engrossed in the process to the point that we have dropped the ball on guarding the truth of Scripture in our churches.

Get the New Year Off to a Good Start

2008-01-03T21:32:00.000-05:00

You may have set some new goals for 2008, and perhaps some of those thoughts were directed toward making a more concentrated effort at deepening your understanding of Biblical truth. You may want to check out Biblical Training. This is an excellent resource, offering both lay and seminary level courses. And these are offered free of charge. They are also involved in a project to offer classes to train leaders in churches in third world countries. I would recommend offering them a generous donation so that they can expand and continue to offer these courses. I think you would agree that it is definitely a worthy cause. Contributors to the material on Biblical Training include Dr. Bill Mounce and Dr. John Piper and faculty from various schools including Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. There is plenty of solid teaching there.

Another good resource is Founders Ministry Study Center. Most of these courses are offered for a fee of $75 per course plus books and materials. This is another great resource for those unable to relocate and attend a seminary.

These are only a couple of many resources that are available online. But these are great low cost options to receive biblical training.

The Real Miracle of Christmas

2007-12-24T13:15:00.000-05:00

The most important aspect of Christmas is the fact that God was incarnate in Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, and came into this world “to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Without that important fact, the Christmas season has no biblical significance. And for the believer, it should be the most precious thing and the source for our joy. It is through this miracle that demonstrates how God relates to us and how we relate to Him. It is that fact that should be the continuous joy for the believer throughout the year.

But take a moment and ponder this great miracle. God, without abdicating His divinity and sovereign role as the great “I AM”, who always was and had no beginning, came into this world as part of His creation. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, became a human being. Jesus existed from eternity past, He was not created. He was spirit without material substance until he became fully a man at what we call the incarnation. John 1:1 sums up this great mystery; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”(NASB) In speaking of His eternality in verse 2, it says “He was in the beginning with God.”

It is clear in Scripture that Jesus had a human body. John 1:14, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”, He was born into this world just like human babies are born (Luke 2:7), He grew like human children grow and increased in wisdom through learning (Luke 2:40, 52), He became hungry and became physically weary (Matthew 4:2,11). Jesus also died (Luke 23:46) and had a human body after His resurrection (Luke 24:39).

The fact that Jesus became flesh is not limited to the fact that He took on a human body, but rather the entirety of what comprises a human being. This includes the mind, will and emotions. Jesus had a human soul (in other words, “spirit”) and this is made clearly evident in passages such as John 12:27 where Jesus says “Now my soul has become troubled” and also John 13:21, “He became troubled in spirit”. Hebrews 5:7 illustrates that Jesus expressed His emotion when He cried out in agony to the Father as “He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears”. Jesus also exercised his will in submitting to the divine will of the Father (John 6:38; Matthew 26:42).

All of this was necessary so that Jesus could become like us “in all things” (Hebrews 2:17, NASB) in order to save us. He became like us in all respects with the exception of the stain of human sin in order to be the perfect sacrifice to rescue us from sin (Hebrews 4:15-16). It was necessary for Jesus to become fully like us in every way (body, mind, will, emotions) except sin in order to fully save us.

All of this great mystery is summed up in the uniting of the two natures, both divine and human in what is referred to in theology as the hypostatic union. This term may sound complicated, but it is really simple, but at the same time extremely profound. The term hypostatic simply means personal, and refers to the personal union of the human and divine natures of Jesus. Jesus is only one person, not two. And this concept is profound. These two natures come together in one person, Jesus, who is to be the focus of our worship. And it is the uniting of these natures that satisfies our longings and makes possible the fellowship that we can enjoy with our heavenly Father. It is this connection between the human and the divine that enables us to connect with God and satisfies the human soul.

It is my prayer that we as believers will continue to reflect on this great miracle long after the Christmas season comes to an end, and that it will be reflected on as we approach the celebration of Easter.

Merry Christmas to all!

The Biblical Recipe for Discernment

2007-12-15T20:04:00.000-05:00

One of the most detrimental flaws in contemporary evangelicalism is the lack of discernment that seems to pervade the Christian landscape. This dilemma did not take place overnight and there is a biblical remedy for this. Hebrews 5 explains the condition that renders so many with the inability to discern between truth and error.

The writer of Hebrews goes into detail describing the priestly ministry of Jesus. Verse 11 says that there is much more that could be explained, but the audience was “dull of hearing” and could not understand anything deeper.

" 11Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
14But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." (Hebrews 5:11-14, NASB)

One of the key reasons that there is such a widespread lack of discernment is due to the absence of consistent solid exposition of God’s truth in a growing majority of churches all across America. The prolonged exposure to shallow teaching, and at times blatantly false teaching, has caused a growing number of Christians to become dull of hearing. This dullness of hearing makes it difficult to explain anything of much depth from the Word of God. As a result multitudes lack understanding making them vulnerable to be led captive by the whims of false teachers, who at times can make compelling arguments to peddle their errant teaching. Not only that, but when leaders in the church fall into the same trap, they become inept at handling Scripture, and inadvertently begin drifting off course so subtly in their teaching that they are barely aware that it is happening.

The Hebrews reached a point where they should have been able to be teaching others, but due to the neglect of the truth, they became unable to handle the solid meat of God’s Truth. They needed to be taught the basics once again. Within the context here, the Hebrews were not taking the step to embrace Christ and move on in their walk with Him, but were still lingering just on the verge of belief. But a similar dilemma manifests itself in the life of believers, who begin to neglect the truth in their lives. This is what happened to the Corinthians, where Paul was grieved that they were vulnerable to being deceived by false teachers, in much the same way that Eve was deceived by the serpent. (2 Corinthians 11:1-4) The Corinthians were in this position because they were becoming immature in their faith and were unable to tolerate the solid food of God’s Word.

Once embracing that faith, these Hebrews would be able to progress in their spiritual maturity, building discernment in their life through the constant exercising of their increasing knowledge of God through His Word. This is key in the life of the believer. While it may be true that there are those who possess what we would call the gift of discernment ("distinguishing of spirits", 1 Corinthians 12:10, NASB), ALL believers are exhorted to engage in some degree of discernment in their lives. To put this in perspective, just because someone does not have the gift of “helps” (1 Corinthians 12:28) does not leave them off the hook to minister to a need. All believers are to engage in these matters as a normal part of the Christian walk. And discernment does not occur in a vacuum. It must be cultivated in a believer’s life.

Hebrews 5:12 tells us that this group needed to be taught the basics of the “oracles of God”. The "oracles of God" refers to the words of God especially as it pertains to the Mosaic Law. The Hebrews were in need now of being taught the basics of the Old Testament as it pointed to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This was the purpose of the Old Testament teaching (Galatians 3:23-25). The Hebrews were not “accustomed”, meaning that they were inexperienced in handling the Word of God. Scripture is referred to as the “word of righteousness”. The word righteousness comes from the Greek "dikaiosune", and refers to the doctrine taught in Scripture which teaches us the way in which we are approved by God. And it is the conscious effort applied to the study and application of Scripture which aids in conforming us to the image of Christ, as we continually learn how we are to live and relate to God. This is why Paul exhorted Timothy to “present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Scripture also speaks of the purifying effect of the Word of God in the life of the believer (Ephesians 5:26).

Solid food is for the “mature”(Hebrews 5:14), which is from the Greek "teleios" and means a state of completeness or perfection, and is used in context here to refer to salvation. Only those who have come to Christ and embraced saving faith will be able to understand the deeper things pertaining to His person and work. But from that point comes continued spiritual growth. A believer must be trained in the Word of God. The word translated as “trained” here is the Greek “gumnazo” and refers to vigorous training much like that of an athlete training for competition. And this is absolutely necessary in order to discern between “good and evil”. This is something that is not going to occur through the mere casual reading of Scripture. Merely having short daily devotionals comprised of a short verse of Scripture is going to be insufficient to develop any degree of sharp discernment. Our minds require consistent, vigorous study in order to develop any degree of sufficient discernment. We must be transformed by the constant renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2), where our thinking is trained to focus on the things of God. And this can only occur through the careful reading and study of God's Word and subsequent application to our lives. And this, by the way, is the only means by which believers are able to discern God's will for their lives, something all believers are commanded to do (Ephesians 5:17;Colossians 1:9).

With the void of solid Scriptural teaching prevalent in evangelicalism today, it is no wonder that many are being seduced by error. It is imperative that believers seek teaching that is solid and also learn to become skillful in their study of Scripture. It is the only defense there is in order to keep ourselves from falling prey to the various false teachings that have littered the evangelical landscape today.

The Subtle Seduction of Error

2007-12-05T00:33:00.000-05:00

This excerpt from “The Truth War” by John MacArthur describes the subtle seduction of false teachers. Sometimes error can be difficult to spot and it requires due diligence to discern truth from error.

“Now, you might think that the difference between a picayune disagreement and a serious threat to some core truth of Christianity would always be obvious and clear-cut. Usually, it is. Most of the time, it is easy enough to see the distinction between a peripheral issue and a matter of urgent and fundamental importance. But not always. And here is where mature wisdom and careful discernment become absolutely crucial for every Christian: sometimes serious threats to our faith come in subtle disguise so that they are barely noticeable. And false teachers like to surround their deadly error with some truth. Therein lies the seduction. We must never assume that things like the teacher’s reputation, the warmth of his personality, or majority opinion about him are perfectly safe barometers of whether his teaching is really dangerous or not. We also shouldn’t imagine that common sense, intuition, or first impressions are reliable ways of determining whether this or that error poses a serious threat or not. Scripture, and Scripture alone, is the only safe guide in this area.”
(John MacArthur, “The Truth War”, pg.77)

Some Never Learn

2007-11-28T00:16:00.001-05:00

I know that this is not new news any more, and others have already commented on this, but I will give my two cents any way. Bill Hybels has apparently had a life changing experience after the facts revealed through their evaluation of their ministry. After years of instructing multitudes of churches and leaders about how they should be doing church, they have come to realize that what they have been doing has not been grounding people in Scripture and maturing them in the faith. As Phil Johnson pointed out in his post, isn’t this what many have been warning about for years, because Willow Creek was failing to follow a Biblical model for ministry? And it is only now, as a result of their own poll, that they have realized the truth. Wouldn’t they have avoided all of this had they followed a Scriptural model of church ministry?

What is frustrating is that there is not really any hint of true repentance for their actions. The only remedy they are going to offer apparently, is some new program for training on how the congregation can read, learn and apply the Bible for themselves. Now, I think that teaching people how they can read and learn the Bible for themselves is extremely important and certainly should be a fundamental part of what a church does. And it is also true that Christians should not rely solely on the church to provide all of their spiritual nourishment, spoon-feeding them all truth. Christians need to take responsibility for their spiritual growth. But in addition, God has ordained that there should be leadership that assists with that process as well. (Ephesians 4:11-16) And the church is biblically obligated to provide solid Bible teaching to help believers grow. This is why Paul exhorted Timothy to "be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 3:15, NASB) Pastoral leadership is to labor in the Word of God, seeking to teach with precision and accuracy. In fact, those who "work hard", putting forth greater effort at preaching and teaching are considered worthy of greater honor (1 Timothy 5:17). This describes seeking to teach the more in-depth truths of Scripture. That is fundamental to contributing to the spiritual maturity of the congregation. Simply offering what is essentially a do-it-yourself kit is not going to achieve what they think. People need to be exposed consistently to solid biblical preaching. Also fundamental to the ministry is a mutual exhortation and accountability, and this can only occur as members have opportunities to share biblical truth with one another, challenging one another.

What is even more astounding though is what else is taking place at Willow Creek. You would think that after their discovery, they would be inclined to return to the Word of God, and be even more vigilant to make reforms to align themselves with Scripture. But instead, they are now cozying up with leadership in the emerging church, scheduling Brian McLaren as a keynote speaker at their youth conference. This is not the first time that they shared the platform with an emerging leader. They have had Rob Bell speak as a guest at their church before. So perhaps it is a case where they are exchanging one error for another jumping on the Emergent bandwagon.

But a similar revelation was also shared by Gilbert Bilezikian some time ago. Bilezikian was one of the founders of Willow Creek.

But these sudden revelations that what they have been doing has not proven beneficial has been realized by others in the popular seeker church movement. Take Sally Morgenthaler's realization that falls in line with what Bill Hybels has come to realize. I wrote a post on this awhile back. But then she partners with popular emerging church leaders Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt.

Paul warned the Ephesian elders of the wolves who would enter the flock in Acts 20. But instead of warning and protecting the flock, leadership today is merely going to allow the wolves to come in and play with the sheep. This graphic from Phil Johnson at TeamPyro captures the essense of the situation.

I am afraid that the evangelical church has become so removed from the truth, that even when they seem to come to their senses, they lack any real discernment to implement any true reforms.

The Battle Over Justification By Faith

2007-11-19T19:44:00.001-05:00

“Justification and the Diminishing Work of Christ”
By John Piper

For about ten years now, the biblical reality of justification of by faith has captured more of my time than any other doctrine. There are at least five reasons for this. One is that eight of those years I was preaching through the book of Romans, and justification is at the heart of Romans. A second reason is that I have been surrounded by apprentices that read widely and ask tough questions, and I don’t have the luxury of indefinitely equivocating.

The Embattled Truth of Justification
The third reason is that in those ten years the truth of justification has become increasingly embattled, so that the truth as I see in the New Testament is increasingly confused and reduced and contradicted.

The lines between evangelical faith and Roman Catholic teaching have been blurred.
The doctrine of the imputation of Christ’s obedience has been denied.
The New Perspective on Paul, especially N. T. Wright, has redrawn the map of New Testament theology in such a way that confusion is widespread as to just what justification is and how it relates to the gospel and conversion and judgment.
Others have so merged faith and its fruits that the term “by faith alone” has ceased to provide a foundation for holiness but is now virtually identical with it.
And some have so changed the ordinary meaning of the word “righteousness” that in the act of justification, it no longer refers to anyone’s right attitude or right action but only to a courtroom verdict of acquittal.

In other words, year after year, as I try to win people to faith in Christ and help my people enjoy the fullness of assurance so they can live radical, risk-taking lives of love, I keep bumping into ever new permutations—John Owen in his day called them “innumerable subterfuges”—of the denial of the New Testament teaching on the imputation of Christ’s obedience to believers.

Click here to read the rest of the article at Desiring God.

John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Is the Reformation Necessary Any More?

2007-11-14T00:16:00.000-05:00

The Albert Mohler program had an interesting topic for discussion a couple of weeks ago. There is controversy surrounding the topic of whether or not the Reformation is still necessary today. In fact, one prominent author, Mark Noll along with Carolyn Nystrom, pose the question “Is the Reformation Over?” in their book by the same title. They apparently seem to make a case that both Protestants and Catholics have perhaps moved closer together rather than moving farther apart. They site many changes including the outcome of Vatican II.

But what people need to remember is that the fundamental doctrinal stance of the Roman Catholic Church has not changed, and a careful reading of the latest Catholic catechism should prove that. Most of the changes have been mainly cosmetic, with most of the core beliefs remaining the same. Even a recent proclamation by the Vatican affirms their belief that the Roman Catholic Church is the only true church. (Al Mohler commented on this back in June) At least they are now being honest and evangelicals should take notice that Rome has not genuinely changed. And they are on an aggressive campaign to win back former Catholics, as well as evangelizing new converts. Even utilizing strategies mimicking evangelicals. And the so-called ecumenical partnering with evangelicals has dubious intentions.

Some have concluded that the Reformation was a mistake, or the intent has been accomplished and now we need to build bridges with Rome. But I think that these conclusions are a result of not understanding the key issues that are still remaining. Not least of which is the doctrine of justification. And the current shallow state of evangelicalism does not help matters either. The average church-goer has little understanding of what the Bible teaches and the current trend does not look promising.

I hold to the view that the Reformation is still certainly necessary. In fact, we need another reformation to lead the church today back to solid Scriptural footing.

Unfortunately, the attitude that seems to pervade much of evangelicalism is that of indifference, or at times hostile to the principles of the Reformation. This is especially true of the attitude projected by many in the emerging church movement. But the attitude is not unique to the emerging church. It is pervasive of the evangelical church in general. And it has been for quite some time.

In fact, Rick Warren has called for a new Reformation, a reformation focusing on deeds rather than creeds, and in a sense, tends to deemphasize the importance of beliefs by emphasizing deeds over beliefs. And this can be seen in his approach to ministry. Let’s take for instance, Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven program.

This program is implemented by a whole host of denominations. This includes Roman Catholics. Holy Family Parish in Illinois was one of the first Catholic Churches to utilize Rick Warren’s approach. The purpose driven program is apparently so adaptable that Catholics can use it as a tool to evangelize people utilizing their doctrinal perspective. This should underscore its fundamental weakness and Rick Warren’s careless approach to fundamental doctrine. Don’t kid yourself; the RCC is on an aggressive campaign to win back former Catholics, as well as to win new converts. Catholics want to paint a picture that they are just another evangelical church, when their beliefs are different from us at very crucial points. Of course today, the average evangelical really knows little about his faith, so they really don’t understand the important differences.

Yes, the Reformation is still necessary after 500 years when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Whittenberg Church. The same crucial issues still divide Catholics and Evangelicals. Unfortunately, too many evangelicals do not understand their faith well enough to understand these differences.

The Church Has Been in a Mess Before

2007-11-08T00:28:00.000-05:00

We may be thinking that our generation is the first generation that has experienced a spiritual decline in the church. But this is simply not true. There have been other times in the history of the church where the spiritual vitality of the church has waned. A study of church history should prove this to be true. Of course, it certainly seems that the decline today has reached unprecedented proportions and perhaps this is just one more sign that may be signaling Christ’s soon return.

But the period leading up to the first great awakening was awash in an attitude that is similar to what we are experiencing today. The state of affairs in the church was not good at all, and it was this backdrop that Jonathan Edwards proclaimed the truth of Scripture without shame. It was this approach that God blessed and it ignited the Great Awakening.

Here is an interesting article by Dan Jarvis entitled "The Next Great Awakening", discussing the “Halfway Covenant” that was the official policy followed by churches in the American colonies in 1662. It was a way the churches attempted to turn the tide of waning numbers, by allowing unregenerate children of members to become partial or "halfway" members.

Typically, to become a full member of a church meant one must have given testimony of a conversion experience. With the increasing affluence in the colonies, people became more concerned with comfort and material wealth and less concerned with spiritual matters. Under the half way covenant, if someone led a reasonably wholesome life and agreed to follow the creed and teaching of the church, they could become partial members without giving testimony of having a conversion experience. These partial members did not have voting privileges in the church, but they were allowed to partake of the Lord’s Supper.

The Halfway Covenant was implemented with the best intentions. The church would continue to grow and influence society, and new members would be brought in who would be exposed to the teachings of the church and eventually be converted. Or so they thought. Eventually just about anyone could become members and the half-way members outnumbered the full members. The plan had a disastrous effect on the church and eventually the spiritual vitality of the churches declined. Rather than the church having a positive influence on society, worldliness entered into the church and society continued to degenerate.

What turned things around? The straight forward preaching of God’s Truth by men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. And it was sermons like Edward’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” that awakened people to their need to repent and embrace Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The dilemma of the Halfway Covenant sounds quite similar today with the seeker sensitive mentality of the church. It certainly shows how we really don’t learn from history, but have a habit of repeating some of the same mistakes of the past.

I’m Afraid That He Is Right

2007-11-04T23:37:00.001-05:00

In this video, Newt Gingrich shares his perspective on the dangers that America faces in light of terrorism. We are not aware of the full extent of what we are faced with and perhaps how unprepared we really are. This is certainly sobering and I am afraid he is right.

Finally Settling In

2007-10-25T22:44:00.000-05:00

I know my posting here has been fairly infrequent here for awhile. I have tried to post once a week or so, but things have been hectic for quite awhile, especially through the summer months. There are too many things that needed to be done around the house. And over the previous two summers, I have had to spend too much time with schoolwork and not had much time to spend with my family. So now that I have finished with school, I have been able to spend more time with my wife and kids.

This certainly has been a rough year with everything that had gone on with church and searching for a new church can take some time. And I have not enjoyed being disconnected from a local church body. But I can say that I am glad to be free from the mess that our previous church degenerated into. It seemed like a long battle and we tried to hang in there, hoping things would change, attempting to reason with the leadership. What was sad was that we helped establish this church, and to watch things go steadily downhill was heart wrenching. I certainly felt like it was a drawn out battle that lasted several years. I could sense that the church was beginning to drift away from biblical principles within the first couple of years. But I don’t believe in just cutting ties and running at the first signs of trouble. There is something to be said for battling for the truth. How else is there going to be any chance for correction if everyone cuts and runs? After all, that is the reason why believers are commanded to gather together, to provide encouragement and instruction for one another, providing an environment of mutual accountability. (Hebrew 10:25; Ephesians 4:11-26)

But unfortunately, there often comes a time where it becomes clearly evident that things are not going to change, and are in fact getting even worse and it is time to leave. That is where we were at. For years I watched as some of the emerging church philosophy began creeping in at an increasing rate. It was not so much that absolute rank heresy was always being taught, although there were some very wrong views creeping in at an increasing rate. The greatest error was in what wasn’t being taught and was certainly creating an environment ripe for heresy to take root. And with books and materials being utilized by such authors as Brian McLaren, Rob Bell and Donald Miller, the door was swinging wide open for heresy to enter the congregation. What was alarming was that the leadership was utilizing this material. The leadership was moving further and further away from a biblical model of ministry and church leadership. False teaching is corruptive and cannot edify, and it leads people way from God, and leaves them more susceptible to their flesh. Tragically, the senior pastor was found to be in moral failure after it was discovered that he was having an adulterous affair with another woman. He was dismissed last December and we thought that maybe this would be a wake-up call. It seemed initially that there was the realization that there was an unhealthy model for leadership and that they wanted things to change. But by late April, it became clear that the remaining leadership really were not serious about changing things and adopting a more biblical model for leadership and church ministry. Sin just seemed to have permeated the church and my wife and I decided that we needed leave.

Glad to say that I think we have found a new church home and are finally settling in. We finally settled on a church that we visited several weeks ago. The pastor and the staff have a solid, biblical view of church ministry. And the preaching is expositional. I found out about this church last fall when I was using the church search page at the 9Marks ministry website. There are not many solid churches in our immediate area, so I am grateful to have discovered a church with a solid view of the ministry. And it is comforting to know that the pastor has had solid biblical training having graduated from the Master’s Seminary. That is not to say that a pastor needs to have a seminary degree to be a pastor; what is most important is that he has a love for God’s Word and constantly educates himself. His ongoing study of Scripture is most important, not his degree. There are plenty of pastors who are dedicated to God’s Word who have never been to seminary. In fact, some may be more solid, especially given the state of some schools out there. But if he has been to a solid seminary, it can certainly give you some idea of where he is coming from.

Well now that the weather is starting to get colder and the days shorter, I may have a little more time to post here. But it may take a little while to gear up.

The Basis for Christian Music

2007-10-16T22:58:00.000-05:00

I appreciate Steve Camp’s approach to Christian music, especially in a day and age when the CCM has given itself to wholesale compromise. He has made a stand against the worldly compromise within the Christian music industry. In this video explaining the objective of Audience One, he makes a case for more biblically based music. And he points out how much of Christian music has been turned into an industry instead of a ministry. Christian music should be centered on bringing glory to God and richly steeped in biblical truth. It is a shame that much of so-called Christian music today is theologically void and not able to cause people to think deeply about their God.

Audience One identifies 5 key pillars it bases its philosophy on:
1. Glory of God
2. Authority of Scripture
3. Local Church Accountability
4. Partner with Believers
5. Ministry not Industry

I believe that those are sound guiding principles.

This Should be Cause for Concern

2007-10-09T21:29:00.000-05:00

Not sure why this has not caused more of a stir than it has. Arab owned Borse Dubai has made a deal to purchase 20 percent of the Nasdaq Stock Market. In exchange, Nasdaq would receive control of OMX, Sweden’s leading stock market. If this deal goes through, this would allow the Nasdaq to achieve its goal of establishing an overseas presence like the New York Stock Exchange did with its purchase of Euronext.

But this deal raised security concerns with U.S. politicians, and rightly so. This would be the first time a Middle Eastern government would own a sizable portion of an American Stock Exchange.

This is, to me, a fairly dubious transaction that should make Americans a little more uneasy than it does. Our shallowness and obsession with greed is going to get the better of us. I guess too many Americans are more concerned with what is going on with Britney Spears than what is going on with their country from an economic and security standpoint. Just further evidence of how far our culture is degenerating, as we become more preoccupied with pleasure and entertainment, than issues related to national security, not to mention our declining moral condition. We have become a nation that has drifted far from God, and is continuing to walk in rebellion. All from a nation that claims in some way to be a Christian nation, or at least a nation where an overwhelming number of people profess to be Christians. Sadly, the churches in America are not helping much in turning the tide of rebellion, and are in fact assisting people to travel further down the path away from God.

On thing appears sure; we have not learned from the example in Scripture of how Israel fell under the judgment of God for her rebellion and compromise. Often God allowed Israel to be overcome by her enemies in judgment. (Isaiah 63:10; Jeremiah 21:3-7; Ezekiel 23:28-30) Could it be that God will allow the same fate to befall America? Don’t think that it could not happen. And just like the false prophets in Israel, many leaders in American churches are proclaiming “peace and safety”, rather than emphasizing repentance and proclaiming the truth of God’s Word. (Jeremiah 6:13-15; 8:11-12; 14:13-14; 23:16-17)

The Opportunity Before Christians in this Postmodern Generation

2007-09-30T19:38:00.000-05:00

John MacArthur explains in his book “The Truth War”, that we do have a “wonderful window of opportunity” before us in this postmodern climate to proclaim the truth of the Christian faith. Following the failure of the rationalism of the modern age, the people of the world are disillusioned and confused being overwhelmed with uncertainty, wondering how they can ever arrive at the truth. Sadly, the Emerging Church is following the worst possible strategy for ministering to those in this generation. By merely exacerbating the situation through encouraging disbelief, the Emerging Church is sending multitudes further down the path of despair, with little hope for experiencing true comfort and assurance. MacArthur explains on pages 24-25 of “The Truth War”:

“ The absolute worst strategy for ministering the gospel in a climate like this is for Christians to imitate the uncertainty or echo the cynicism of the postmodern perspective – and in effect drag the Bible and the gospel into it. Instead, we need to affirm against the spirit of this age that God has spoken with the utmost clarity, authority, and finality through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). And we have the infallible record of that message in Scripture (2 Peter 1:19-21).

Postmodernism is simply the latest expression of worldly unbelief. Its core value – a dubious ambivalence toward truth – is merely skepticism distilled to its pure essence. There is nothing virtuous or genuinely humble about it. It is proud rebellion against divine revelation.

In fact, postmodernism’s hesitancy about truth is antithetical to the bold confidence Scripture says is the birthright of every believer (Ephesians 3:12). Such assurance is wrought by the Spirit of God Himself in those who believe (1 Thessalonians 1:5). We need to make the most of that assurance and not fear to confront the world with it."

(John MacArthur, “The Truth War”, Pg. 24-25)

We need to be vigilant in proclaiming the truth without compromise. We need to remember that it is God speaking to people through the truth of His Word that will provide hope for a lost world. We need to also remember that salvation is a sovereign work of God, and is not brought about through man's clever strategies. Our duty before God is to proclaim the message of the gospel with boldness. This is how the gospel was proclaimed by the apostles despite open opposition to the message by the people (Acts 13:45-47). We need to pray, just as Paul requested, that we would also have the courage to speak the truth with boldness (Ephesians 6:19-20).

Are You Really Good Enough?

2007-09-23T19:35:00.000-05:00

The church that we left promoted this idea that we really do not need to emphasize that people are sinners, because they already know that they are sinners. So the philosophy became “we should not ‘camp out’ on sin” because it is not necessary. While it may be true that some may error in only telling people of the bad news of their sin and little time telling them of the solution – salvation through Jesus Christ – we must be careful not to error in the opposite direction. It is also absolutely necessary to explain to people and illustrate the reason they are lost so that they fully understand the gravity of their lost condition. They need to understand how lost and separated they are and that they are under the condemnation and judgment of God. And evangelicalism is failing to do much of this today.

While people will generally admit that they are sinners, they also have a tendency to minimize the seriousness of their sin. They tend to rationalize that “isn’t everyone a sinner?”, and that they are a basically a good person. After all, won’t God look more to our good deeds? Isn’t God all about love and forgiveness? Won’t He look at my heart and see that I am sincere?

The fact is that human nature resists the acknowledgement of the seriousness of sin. It is not enough to merely tell people they are sinners, we need to go into detail and explain how their sin has separated them from God and that it is not merely a minor infraction. People need to understand this in order to come under the full conviction of their sinful state.

This tendency of avoiding discussion of the depravity of man and his sin has become the bane of contemporary evangelicalism.

These video clips from CrossTV discuss this issue. Listen how people tend to avoid and dismiss their lost condition, including prison inmates, and actually claim that they have a basically good heart.

Spiritual Delight

2007-09-16T14:36:00.000-05:00

Excerpt from:

The Saint's Spiritual Delight by Thomas Watson (1620-1686)

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD." [Psalm 1:2]

CHAPTER II.
What is meant by the Law of God, what by Delight in the Law, and the Proposition resulting.

THE words give a twofold description of a godly man.

First, He delights in God's law.

Secondly, He meditates in God's law.

I begin with the first, 'His delight is in the law of the Lord:' The great God hath grafted the affection of delight in every creature; it hath by the instinct of nature something to delight itself in. Now the true saint, not by intuition, but divine inspiration makes the law of God his delight. This is the badge of a christian, 'His delight is in the law of the Lord.' A man may work in his trade, and not delight in it, either in regard of the difficulty of the work, or the smallness of the income; but a godly man serves God with delight; it is his meat and drink to do his will.

For the explication of the words, it will be inquired,

1. What is meant by 'the law of the Lord.' This word, Law, may be taken either more strictly or more largely. (1.) More strictly, for the Decalogue or ten commandments. (2.) More largely. [1.] For the whole written word of God. [2.] For those truths which are deducted from the word, and do concenter in it. [3.] For the whole business of religion which is the counterpart of God's law, and agrees with it as the transcript with the original. The word is a setting forth, and religion is a shewing forth of God's law. I shall take this word in its full latitude and extent.

2. What is meant by delight in God's law. The Hebrew and Septuagint both render it, His will is in the law of the Lord; and that which is voluntary is delightful; a gracious heart serves God from a principle of ingenuity; he makes God's law not only his task, but his recreation; upon this scripture-stock I shall graft this proposition.

Doctrine. That a child of God, though he cannot serve the Lord perfectly, yet he serves him willingly; his will is in the law of the Lord; he is not a pressed soldier, but a volunteer; by the beating of this pulse we may judge whether there be spiritual life in us, or no. David professeth God's law was his delight, Psalm 119.77, he had his crown to delight in, he had his music to cheer him, but the love he had to God's law did drown all other delights; as the joy of harvest and vintage exceeds the joy of gleaning. 'I delight in the law of God,' saith Paul, 'in the inner man.' Rom. 7.22, the Greek word is, I take pleasure; the law of God is my recreation, and it was an heart delight, it was in the inner man; a wicked man may have joy in the face, 2 Cor. 5.12, like honey-dew, that wets the leaf; but the wine of God's Spirit cheers the heart; Paul delighted in the law in the inner man.

This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.

When Will the Church Learn?

2007-09-10T21:28:00.000-05:00

I was alerted to this article at Justin Taylor’s blog, Between Two Worlds. It seems that Sally Morgenthaler has changed her views on the so-called worship evangelism she pioneered. Her book, “Worship Evangelism” was very influential and enticed many churches to adopt her philosophy. In hindsight, she now admits that despite all the effort that the contemporary church has placed on cultural relevancy, it has not yielded the intended outcome. Despite the multiplication of mega churches utilizing strategies including her worship evangelism, the church has failed to significantly reach the unchurched.

But while I appreciate Morgenthaler’s honesty, I wonder if she has really changed her pragmatic thinking. In her article she points out that in the early days of the Worship Evangelism strategy, the unchurched were actually responding to the pragmatic strategy; that is until the novelty grew wearisome. Eventually, only the well-established seeker megachurches survived. Ultimately, these meagachurches became nothing more than one more choice on the menu for church-goers shopping for the next thrill. But I also noticed in her article that she is a contributor to the book, “An Emergent Manifesto of Hope”, edited by emerging gurus Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones. Given the emerging church's aversion to propositional truth, tragically, she may be just trading one error for another. Yes, I know, the emerging church denies any claims that they are simply adopting another pragmatic strategy, but that is essentially what they are doing. Pandering to what the postmodern society desires. I wrote a post some time ago pointing this out.

She comments on the observations by an “unchurched journalist”. “No sad songs. No angry songs. Songs about desperation, but none about despair. Worship for the perfect. The already arrived. The good-looking, inoffensive, and nice. No wonder the unchurched aren’t interested.” A little further and she advocates that that we “worship well and deeply”, including songs containing anger, despair and sadness, returning more to the Psalms, where David expressed these emotions. I agree that we should return to a more genuine heartfelt worship. Not as a tool to appeal to the lost, but for our expression of worship toward God. To be fair, I don’t think she was necessarily advocating using that as an attempt to appeal to the lost. The main thrust of her statement was directed at the focus of our worship being the “overflow of what God does through us beyond our walls.” And I agree, but with one caveat. I also agree with something that Jim Hamilton wrote in a post addressing this same article by Morganthaller; there should really not be a dichotomy between our corporate worship and our overall worship reflected in our daily life. Both are vitally important.

Singing and music in Scripture is never intended to be used as an evangelism tool. The Scriptural exhortation to sing songs, hymns and spiritual songs are meant to focus our thoughts on God and edification of one another. (Ephesians 5:19) They are not meant to be used as just one more tool in our arsenal of clever pragmatism to supposedly spread the gospel.

God chose the preaching of the simple message of the cross to be the vehicle by which to reach the lost with the gospel. Not eloquent, clever speeches or fanciful methodologies, appealing to the desires of the culture. (1 Corinthians 1:17-29; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5) This is to be done regardless of what the culture wants. (2 Timothy 4:2) If the culture resists and refuses to listen, we are to do it anyway. The measure of our success should not rest in numbers, but on the change in the hearts of those who believe, whether it is one or 1,000. If one were to judge the ministry of Jeremiah, according to the standards of contemporary evangelicalism, he would be deemed a failure. The man steadfastly preached the unadulterated message that God commanded him for over forty years, yet his message was continually rejected by the people. We must be willing to exercise the same steadfast faith and commitment.

In a vain attempt to supposedly reach the lost, churches have so watered down the truth in order to produce a lowest common denominator faith to get people in the church, and now are inept at providing any help in equipping believers in the faith. And this equipping is necessary if believers are going to be able to go into the world, being strengthened in their faith, brought to spiritual maturity and be an effective witness and testimony to the gospel of Christ.

While I certainly believe that churches should engage in outreach outside of the church, unless this effort is under girded by the proclamation of Scriptural truth, churches will come to the same dead-end that the liberal churches met; a hollow message that really offers no long-term hope to the spiritually needy.

It is time for the church get back to the basics of what the church should be doing instead of be driven by the latest pragmatic approaches devised through the clever schemes of man. It is time for the church to look to the teaching of Scripture to find out how we should be carrying out the ministry of the church, rather than the ideologies of man. Inevitably, man's ideas will lead to eventual failure, while providing a temporal illusion of success.

Spiritual Terrorists Pose The Most Threat

2007-08-26T22:39:00.000-05:00

“It is also quite clear form the biblical record that spiritual terrorists and saboteurs within the church pose a far more serious threat than manifestly hostile forces on the outside. From the very start of the church age, all the most spiritually deadly onslaughts against the gospel have come from people who pretend to be Christians – not from atheists and agnostics on the outside.”

(John MacArthur, “The Truth War”, pg. 82-83)

"Non-Essential" Doctrine Unimportant?

2007-08-17T21:11:00.000-05:00

This CrossTV video clip explains the importance of doctrine, especially those doctrines that are unfortunately treated as unimportant or non-essential by contemporary evangelicalism.

Piper’s Response to Interview with Rabbi on the Bridge Collapse.

2007-08-11T15:17:00.000-05:00

John Piper gives his response to an interview on public radio with Rabbi Kushner concerning the collapse of the 35 W bridge in Minneapolis. Apparently the Rabbi merely expressed his own opinions rather than anything based on Scripture, which included the notion that God is really not all-powerful. Unfortunately, many in the evangelical community are embracing this viewpoint as well. This is clearly in contrast to Scripture which teaches that God is indeed all-powerful in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

From the article:

"3. Less astonishing for our day, but more outrageous is the claim of the Rabbi that God is not “all-powerful.” Specifically, he does not “control the laws of nature.” On the contrary, both the Rabbi’s Bible and the New Testament teach that he is all-powerful and does control the laws of nature."

Piper points out the short-sighted approach by the Rabbi, who claimed that “People need consolation, not explanation.” From the perspective of the Rabbi, God really did not have any control over the circumstances of the bridge collapse, so it was merely a random occurrence that God could not control. This is out of step with what Scripture teaches. So the so-called counsel of the Rabbi is not helpful at all.

"4. Finally, the Rabbi is pastorally short-sighted in saying, “People need consolation, not explanation.” He does not mean, “Hug and cry first, give God-centered explanations later.” That would be wise counsel. He means, “All our attempts at answering ‘Why?’ will be wrong. So don’t try.” The reason for this is that God did not “intend” anything by the collapse of the bridge. You can’t intend something by what you have no power to control. So God did not exercise any wisdom or love in causing or permitting the bridge to collapse. It was strictly random. So one should only give consolation, not explanation. There is not explanation.

There are two reasons why this is pastorally short-sighted and unsatisfying. One is that it is built on a falsehood. God does not need to be “all-powerful” to keep people from being hurt in the collapse of a bridge. He doesn’t even need to be as powerful as a man. He only needs to show up and use a little bit of his power (say, on the level of Spiderman, or Jason Bourne)—he did create the universe, the Rabbi concedes—and (for example) cause some tremor a half-hour early to cause the workers to leave the bridge, and the traffic to be halted. This intervention would be something less spectacular than a world-wide flood, or a burning bush, or plague of frogs, or a divided Red Sea, or manna in the wilderness, or the walls of a city falling down—just a little tremor to get everybody off the bridge before it fell.

So the Rabbi is not pastorally helpful to build his counsel on the fact that God is not “all-powerful.” Bereaved wives know in their heart that this is a copout. A human could have cleared the bridge. If God is just a little bit powerful, he could have figured out a way to save her husband.

The other reason why the Rabbi’s pastoral approach is shortsighted is that sooner or later the anguished human heart does need some answers about the power, wisdom, and love of God. The Rabbi’s Bible (and my Bible)—the only authority he or I have for making any pronouncements about God at all—gives more comfort than the Rabbi is willing to offer."

Sadly, the viewpoint of Rabbi Kushner is not unlike many so-called evangelicals today. You can read the article in its entirety here at DesiringGod.

The War on Truth

2007-08-03T21:07:00.000-05:00

This book is among the most important that you will read, especially given the climate of the evangelical church today. John MacArthur has written “The Truth War”, addressing the onslaught of postmodern thought that is streaming into the church. I am amazed that there are still pastors who think that the emerging church is simply another “style” of church. Many simply have not grasped the fact that the emerging church is introducing a mindset that is hostile to the truth of Scripture. I would strongly recommend reading this book. Here is a quote from the introduction that describes the mindset of far too many in our society today and it is rapidly spilling over into the church.

“The idea that the Christian message should be kept pliable and ambiguous seems especially attractive to young people who are in tune with the culture and in love with the spirit of the age and can’t stand to have authoritative biblical truth applied with precision as a corrective to worldly lifestyles, unholy minds, and ungodly behavior. And the poison of this perspective is being increasingly injected into the evangelical church body.

But that is not authentic Christianity. Not knowing what you believe (especially on a matter as essential to Christianity as the gospel) is by definition a kind of unbelief. Refusing to acknowledge and defend the revealed truth of God is a particularly stubborn and pernicious kind of unbelief. Advocating ambiguity, exalting uncertainty, or otherwise deliberately clouding the truth is a sinful way of nurturing unbelief.”

(John MacArthur, "The Truth War", Introduction pg. xi)

Having watched the influence of the postmodern approach creep into the church we just left, I can testify that it certainly has a very detrimental effect on the spiritual health of the church. Even though they would not readily admit to being identified with the emerging church, their philosophy of ministry was certainly beginning to be shaped by the so-called emerging “conversation”. This certainly became clearly evident by the books and material they were using; authors such as Rob Bell, Leonard Sweet, etc. The teaching was very basic and shallow, and precise handling of the text of Scripture was not highly valued there. In fact, if you were one of those who desired to teach with precision and accuracy, you were certainly treated as an outcast. Conversations with the leadership left me with the impression that they really did not have a solid grasp of Scripture and seemed to display a casual attitude toward biblical truth.

So, keep your eyes wide open. The influence of this post modernistic approach to ministry may very well be creeping into your church.

Some Postmodern Motivational Posters

2007-07-30T19:43:00.000-05:00

Phil Johnson posted these motivational poster parodies of the emerging church movement. You can go to this web page he created where you can print them if you want to. Here is a small sample. Enjoy!

Biblical Church Leadership – Pt 11

2007-07-27T22:10:00.000-05:00

Biblical Qualifications of Elders (Continued)

“ 3not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.
4He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity
5(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),
6and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.
7And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” (1 Timothy 3:3-7, NASB)

Verse 3 continues with the qualifications of elders with “not addicted to wine”. Not only must an elder not be given to drunkenness, but he should not even be seen as a drinker. He needs to be careful where and with whom he associates with. If he is a man who frequents bars he can easily be accused of being a drinker. His thinking must never be distorted by alcohol, and must lead a lifestyle that is distinctly different from that of the world. His life should set an example for others, inspiring them to lead a life of holiness.

He should also not be “pugnacious”, meaning that he should not be constantly ready to fight and engage in physical violence. He should be “gentle” and “peaceable”, which means that he should be gracious and not desire to hold grudges, not quick to fight and avoids disharmony. He should also be “free from the love of money”. His motivation should come from a love for God and the people under his care. The opposite trait, covetousness, is a character displayed by false teachers, not those who are genuinely committed to God. Being peaceable and gentle does not mean that there are not occasions where elders should not be tough. There are times when the elder must be tough on false teachers and take action against the spread of false teaching. (Titus 1:10-13; 2:15) He must also confront other sinning elders. (1Timothy 5:20) He must at times be confrontational and authoritative. But there must be balance and the elder must also maintain an attitude of warmth and compassion.

It is important that the elder demonstrate leadership in his own household. If his leadership cannot be modeled there, it certainly will not be demonstrated in the church. It includes everything that would be associated with his household. His children must be respectful, under control and display a reverence for God. And this should be carried out in such a manner that those observing his home life could say that it is managed excellently. And this is where the issue of divorce can come into play. If a man is divorced, it illustrates a major flaw in his spiritual leadership. It is obvious that the home was not managed well. And even if there were biblical grounds for a divorce, there would need to be a long period of time elapsed to demonstrate strong family leadership. This may not seem fair in the case of a biblically permitted divorce, but remember, the overriding principle for qualified elders is that they be blameless. There must not be anything that could be used against them that would incur blame. If a man cannot take care of his home, he certainly will not be able to take care of the church.

The last qualification is that he is not to be “a new convert”. The danger here is that his pride would be a stumbling block. Pride caused Satan to fall. (Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:13-15) I have observed that in some churches, there seems to be too much eagerness to promote men to positions of leadership who simply are not ready for it. This is tragic and sets him up for a fall and also in the long run hinders the church. There needs to be a great deal of consideration of the qualifications of the man. And it takes time to build leaders. There is definitely a maturing process that must take place before they are fit for spiritual leadership. (1 Timothy 5:22) He must also have an excellent reputation with those outside the church. Remember the key issue is that the elder must be blameless.

Well this post marks the end of the series on Biblical Church Leadership. Leadership is extremely important in the church and the men who are chosen to lead the church can affect the spiritual health of the congregation in a positive or detrimental way. If you want to read an excellent resource on this subject, I recommend Alexander Strauch’s book, “Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership”. Another excellent resource is the 9marks website.

Biblical Church Leadership - Pt 10

2007-07-19T20:53:00.000-05:00

Biblical Qualifications of Elders (Continued)

"2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, "

The candidate for elder must display a “hospitable” attitude toward others, displaying a welcoming and generous spirit. The Greek is composed of two words that essentially mean to love or show affection to strangers. In the early church, believers had to depend on each other’s hospitality for their survival. This included helping other believers who were strangers who perhaps needed to flee their homes in another town due to persecution. I can’t help but wonder, in our society that stresses individualism where self-sufficiency is highly prized, if it does not make this concept more difficult for people in the church to truly grasp today. Christians who are heavily persecuted in other countries probably have a greater appreciation for this.

The next trait is “able to teach”. The elder must be skilful in his teaching ability. This is extremely important, since this will be one of his primary duties. This is more than merely being able to teach, but more importantly, the content of their teaching. There are those who can teach, but they are teaching the wrong things. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us that that leadership must be proven skilful handlers of God’s Truth. Elders are to be able to lead the church in matters of doctrine and practice, and unless he is able to handle the Word of God with precision and accuracy, he will be unable to accomplish this task and is unqualified to lead. Furthermore, any who display a sloppy careless attitude toward Scripture should not considered for eldership and any who are already in leadership displaying this trait should be dismissed. Sad to say, this is seldom taken into account in evangelicalism at large. Much of the problem lies in the fact that churches do not understand the Scriptural mandate for church leadership, so they follow the world’s standard, not God’s. Too many leaders are chosen simply because they display considerable charisma and can garner a wide following. Just because people are following someone does not mean they are fit for biblical leadership.

Let’s take a brief look at 2Timothy 2:15.

"15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV)

I quoted that passage from the NKJV, because I think it captures the meaning with a little more sharpness. The phrase “rightly dividing the word of truth” literally means to cut it straight, and it denotes the precision and accuracy that God demands in the handling of His Word. It is unfortunate that a large majority of evangelicalism places little emphasis on this important quality. Instead, the emphasis seems to be on the eloquence of speech and mere communication skills. This is not to say that strong communication skills are not important, but that the content of what is said is even more important. Scripture, in references to leadership in the church, places great emphasis on the accurate handling of God’s Word. Let’s look at another passage, 1Timothy 5:17.

“ 17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”(1 Timothy 5:17, NASB)

Elders who serve with a greater commitment and strive for excellence are to be held in high esteem, and deserve to be paid more generously. In particular, those who work the hardest and seem to be more prominent should be acknowledged with greater honor. What is implied in this text is that there are elders who are particularly driven to work harder at studying Scripture for preaching and teaching. The phrase “work hard” literally means to labor to the point of exhaustion. This further underscores the premium Scripture places on the importance of preaching and teaching by the elders in the church. Preaching involves the open proclamation of biblical truth, with the intention of exhorting and admonishing the congregation to take heed to God’s Word. Teaching emphasizes instruction in doctrine and is essential to protect the flock against heresy. Preaching and teaching are essential to the health of the church. And this desperately needs to be emphasized, especially in the current climate in the evangelical church.

Paul also exhorted Timothy to “preach the word”, whether it was popular or not. This was to be done regardless of what people wanted.

" 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." (2 Timothy 4:2, NASB)

I hope to finish up this series in part 11. Hopefully I will be posting it early next week. It is a little difficult right now to post with any great frequency. There are too many things going on, especially during the summer months.

Biblical Church Leadership – Pt 9

2007-07-05T14:20:00.000-05:00

Biblical Qualifications of Elders (continued)

“1It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.” (1 Timothy 3:1, NASB)

In verse one, the terms “aspires” and “desires” are used to describe the attitude of the candidate toward the office of “overseer” or elder. Aspires means to “reach out after”, and denotes an external action, not just internal motive. The second word, “desires”, means to “long for”, have “strong passion” which refers to an internal desire. This describes an individual who is driven to externally pursue the position of leadership because of a strong internal desire to do so. This is important because unless the man is strongly motivated to fulfill this role, he will not have the drive necessary to succeed in carrying out his God-given duties. Pastors should not be coerced into such a position. When you think of all the pressure one will be under in this position, the only thing that will sustain him will be the heart’s desire to see people respond to God’s Truth and grow spiritually. The last thing that a congregation would want is a man who stands in the pulpit only because he feels he has to. That type of man will never make the kind of leader necessary to fulfill the obligations of pastoral leadership. In 1 Peter 5:2 elders are exhorted to serve with a sense of divine calling and an urgency to fulfill the task at hand. This should be with eagerness, not indifference or laziness. Elders should be self-motivated and should not need to be constantly prodded along to fulfill their tasks.

“2shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;” (1 Peter 5:2, NASB)

In addition to having the desire for the office of elder, a man must meet certain qualifications. The overarching qualification is that he must be “above reproach”, meaning that there is no wrongdoing that he can be legitimately charged with. In other words, he must be blameless. This is crucial since he is to be an example to the people under his care. The remaining qualifications expand on the requirement to be “above reproach”.

"2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach," (1 Timothy 3:2, NASB)

Next in the list, “the husband of one wife”, literally means “a one-woman man”. This really isn’t speaking of his marital status, but his moral purity. While issues such as divorce do indeed factor into the fitness of a man for eldership, the focus here is on his sexual purity. I will discuss the issue of divorce as we proceed further in the list of qualifications. But this matter is crucial since this tends to be a weak point that often leads to failure in the life of many leaders. Unfortunately, we witnessed the tragedy of this occurring in the life of the pastor of the church we were members of for several years, where he became involved with another woman in the church. The key concern with this qualification is whether or not the man is what we would call a “womanizer”. Does he tend to be flirtatious, or is he dedicated to his wife and honor her in marital faithfulness. This is no small matter especially if you have ever observed the adverse effect the sexual sin of a pastor has on the congregation. This sin will obviously negatively affect his walk with the Lord. And it is inevitable that it will cloud his thinking and render him useless to provide spiritual direction to his flock. Having been part of a congregation where this took place, I can certainly testify that the consequences are terrible. If the pastor is in no condition spiritually to provide guidance to the congregation, the inevitable outcome is that the congregation will wane spiritually, and it won’t be long before sin permeates the congregation. As Alexander Strauch points out:

“If the elders are not faithful, one-woman husbands, they will subtly encourage others to be unfaithful.” [1]

This leads into the next qualification that he is to be “temperate”. The word in the Greek is “nefaleo”, and it means to be sober, abstaining from wine or at least its excessive use. However, used in the context here, it means to be “sober-minded” (as it is translated in the ESV), especially since the very next verse deals specifically with the subject of consumption of alcoholic beverages and states that he is not to be “addicted to wine”. "Temperate" here means that he is to be “alert”, “watchful” and “clear-headed”. It is vitally important that elders display the capacity to think clearly so that they can keep vigilant watch over their own life and the congregation. This is why it is so important that the elders take great care to be sure they are not allowing their minds to be distorted by material filled with warped doctrine. You can learn a lot about where a man is headed theologically by the types of books and materials he utilizes and claims have had the most impact on his life. I am not referring to books of a questionable nature that he may be reading to discern how false teachers are twisting the truth, but the books that he relies on for theological guidance that are making an impression on his life. In essence, the elder must not allow himself to be intoxicated by teaching that will distort his thinking, whether it is false doctrine or worldly philosophy. Paul in Acts 20:28 warned the elders in Ephesus to “be on guard” for themselves and also “for all the flock”, knowing that the “savage wolves” were just waiting to come in among them and devastate the flock.

The elder must also be “prudent” and “respectable”. The term “prudent” comes from the Greek word “sofron” and means to be “self-controlled” and able to restrain his desires and impulses. In other words, he does not react impulsively, but he is to be disciplined in his life, especially spiritual matters and is able to prioritize spiritual matters making them the utmost importance. This leads into the next quality, “respectable”. This means “well arranged” or “orderly” (from the Greek “kosmio”). This means that they are able to order their lives in such a manner as to not be in a state of constant chaos. If they are not able to accomplish this in their own life, how will they be able to keep order in the church? The ability to maintain order is extremely important to keep the church from degenerating into a state of chaos.

(To be continued...)

1. Alexander Strauch, "Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership", p. 71.

Can You Rely On Personal Revelation?

2007-06-29T22:49:00.000-05:00

Here is a great video clip taken from CrossTV's series "A Workman Approved By God". I am sure nearly everyone has heard the phrase from someone, "God told me!" or the "Holy Spirit said" followed by some subjective experience they are convinced came from God, yet cannot be verified from Scripture. In fact, it often contradicts the Bible.

The Ill Effects of Decades of Shallow Teaching

2007-06-21T00:51:00.001-05:00

The dearth of solid expositional preaching and teaching have given way to multitudes a congregants who are now vulnerable to the various forms of false teaching prevalent in evangelicalism today. Phil Johnson in his recent post put it well:

"But the accrued apathy of at least four-plus decades of neo-evangelical influence has left evangelicals virtually defenseless against doctrinal error—especially the subtle varieties. The Emerging movement has aggressively exploited that weakness, challenging (on one front or another) practically every historic evangelical doctrinal distinctive. The Emerging Church has therefore become practically the mirror opposite of what fundamentalism was supposed to be."

Scripture illustrates the devastating consequences of not growing in our knowledge and understanding of God's Truth. The Corinthians fell into this trap and it made them vulnerable to deception. (2 Corinthians 11:2-4) In fact, their lack of growth in the knowledge and application of Scripture resulted in a sin infested congregation. (1 Corinthians 3:1-3;1 Corinthians 5) It is of vital importance that believers continually study and understand the text of Scripture in order to build wisdom and understanding to keep them from falling victim to various false doctrines and to keep their hearts pure before God. In fact, it is the primary function and duty of the local church to actively pursue the task of equipping the congregation to thoroughly understand Bible doctrine, so that they are not tossed about "by every wind" of false doctrine, regardless of how subtle the nuance may be (Ephesians 4:11-16). It is tragic that the shallowness of contemporary evangelicalism has left multitudes vulnerable to every false teaching that blows their way, especially those errors that are ever so subtle.

Important Reasons to Preach the Word

2007-06-14T23:26:00.000-05:00

Excerpt from “Five Reasons to Preach the Word” by John MacArthur

2 Timothy 3:1-4:4

"Lastly, this whole matter of preaching the Word not only because of the danger of the seasons, the devotion of the saints, the dynamic of the Scripture, the demand of the sovereign, but lastly, this is really important, because of the deceptiveness of the sensual...because of the deceptiveness of the sensual. The great enemy of the Word of God is anything outside the Word of God...the word of Satan, the word of demons, the word of man. And we are living in very dangerous seasons concocted by seducing spirits and hypocritical liars propagated by false teachers. And here's what makes them successful...look at verses 3 and 4. "The time will come, and it does, it cycles through all of church history, when they will not endure sound doctrine." People don't want to hear sound doctrine. "Sound" means healthy, whole, wholesome. They don't want wholesome teaching. They don't want the sound, solid Word. They just want to have their ears tickled. That's all they want. They're driven by the sensual, not the cognitive. They're not interested in truth. They're not interested in theology. All they want is ear-tickling sensations. That's what they want. They refuse to hear the great truth that saves and the great truth that sanctifies. And according to chapter 2 verse 16, they would rather hear worldly empty chatter that produces ungodliness and spreads like gangrene.

We're in such a season now. They tell us that being doctrinal, being clear about the Word of God is divisive, unloving, prideful. The prevailing word...the prevailing mood, I should say, in the world of post-modern western culture is that everybody determines truth for himself and everyone's opinion is as valid as everybody else's opinion, and there's no room for absolute authoritative doctrine. And, folks, that's one other "ism" you can add to the list of dangerous seasons, relativism."

This article originally appeared here at the Bible Bulletin Board.
“Five Reasons to Preach the Word”
By John MacArthur
Copyright 1998
All Rights Reserved

Are You Really Listening?

2007-06-06T23:00:00.001-05:00

30"But as for you, son of man, your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, 'Come now and hear what the message is which comes forth from the LORD.'
31"They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain.
32"Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them.
33"So when it comes to pass--as surely it will--then they will know that a prophet has been in their midst." (Ezekiel 33:30-33, NASB)

Ezekiel was careful to accurately proclaim the message that God had for the people of Israel. He proclaimed it with passion and clarity, and expressed himself eloquently. It is clearly evident in this passage that the people enjoyed listening to what Ezekiel had to say. In fact, they made a point of encouraging others to come and listen to the prophet. The people came and sat under the teaching of the prophet, yet they walked away without their hearts being changed!

In much the same way today, there are multitudes of people who flock to hear eloquent preachers, but walk away unchanged and continue on in their lifestyle just as they did before. They even give lip service to the message and comment how they liked what was said. But unfortunately, many never apply the truth that was expounded to them.

Just like in Ezekiel’s day, there are many who appear to be merely entertained by solid preaching. But the solid exposition of God’s truth is not meant to be a form of Christian entertainment. It is meant to be taken to heart and applied to effect a change on an individual’s life.

We are reminded in the New Testament in the book of James of this very thing.

22But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
24for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
25But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:22-25, NASB)

We are to be doers and not merely hearers of the Word. James tells us that those who merely hear but do not put into practice what they hear, “delude” (Gr. paralogizomai) or deceive themselves.

It is imperative that we earnestly seek to apply what we hear. Once the messenger delivers the message based on God’s Truth, it is our responsibility to take heed. God holds us accountable for our response. Ezekiel knew the sobering responsibility God charged him with and if he failed to follow through, God would hold him responsible for the fate of those he failed to warn. However, once Ezekiel delivered the message God commanded him to give, the responsibility rested on the people who heard the message. (Ezekiel 3:17-21; 33:1-9)

God holds us accountable for applying His truth that has been made available to us. May we always be eager to apply what we hear to our own lives!

Biblical Church Leadership – Pt 8

2007-05-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

Biblical Qualifications of Elders

Now that we have covered the biblical structure of church leadership, which consists of a qualified team of elders that are called to lead the church, we will look at the biblical qualifications of an elder or “pastor”.

The qualifications of the men selected for eldership is extremely important and cannot be emphasized enough. To appoint the wrong man to this type of position will ultimately spell disaster for the church. As Strauch points out:

“The most common mistake made by churches that are eager to implement eldership is to appoint biblically unqualified men. Because there is always a need for more shepherds, it is tempting to allow unqualified, unprepared men to assume leadership in the church. This is, however, a time-proven formula for failure. A biblical eldership requires biblically qualified elders.” [1]

We need to keep the following crucial points in mind:

Eldership is not to be treated as an honorary position in the church, open to those who are merely faithful in church attendance, or who are advanced in years.

Elders are not to be chosen based on good friendships, wealthy people who give generously, or those who exhibit a great deal of charisma.

Elder positions can be filled by anyone exhibiting the biblical requirements; NOT just seminary graduates. [1]

Paul gave Timothy a specific list of qualifications that all elders must meet in 1 Timothy 3. This not merely a wish list, but a must have.

“1It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” (1 Timothy 3:1-7, NASB)

Notice in this list of qualifications, many of the personal character qualities are listed before “able to teach”. It is not that teaching ability is any less important of course. In fact, if a man is unable to teach, he is automatically disqualified for pastoral leadership. But equally important is the personal integrity of the man being selected to serve in the capacity of leadership. To falter in any one of these areas automatically disqualifies a man from pastoral leadership.

So why are these character qualities important? Because he is to be an example to the congregation, and the possession of these character qualities makes the doctrine that is taught attractive to those who hear. Titus chapter 2 provides the reason that a Christian’s conduct is important, since it will “adorn the doctrine of God”.

“9Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.”
(Titus 2:9-10, NASB)

This of course is for all Christians, but it is vitally important that the leadership possess sound character, because they are doing far more than just teaching rote doctrine; they are providing an example to the congregation. (1 Peter 5:3) The term “adorn” means to make attractive, and our conduct should attract people to the Gospel.

Our actions speak volumes. Titus 2:7-8 tells us that our good conduct will leave our opponents with nothing that they can say against us. Our behavior is ultimately important, because if our actions do not line up with our words, it really renders meaningless whatever doctrine we supposedly believe.

It is interesting that when Paul introduces doctrine in his writing, he always backed it up with the “why”. In other words, he introduced the doctrine, then he explained that in light of that doctrine, this is the way we should conduct our lives. Look at the book of Romans. The first half outlines doctrine, and the remainder is the practical outworking of our faith, how it should effect how we live.

The lifestyle and personal character is foundationally important to the leadership of the church, since the pastoral leadership is to lead by example. And the congregation is to follow the example. These are not merely qualifications that only eldership team should possess, but the congregation should strive to achieve these character qualities as well.

I will expand on these qualifications in a future post.

1. Alexander Strauch, "Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership", p. 68.

Slow Blogging

2007-05-21T22:35:00.000-05:00

My posting may continue to be quite slow for awhile in fact, I may decide to take a complete break for awhile at some point here. There are just too many things going on right now. I am currently taking a class on church history and unfortunately, it looks like my wife and I are going to be faced with the daunting task of looking for a new church home. It is unfortunate, but it does not seem likely that the type of reform that needs to take place in our church in terms of implementing a more biblical approach to ministry are ever going to take place. Back in December, I wrote that our church was going to be in the process for filling the vacancy for senior pastor that was left as a result of the dismissal of our senior pastor. There seemed to be the realization that we did not have a biblical model for church leadership. There also seemed to be the keen awareness that the church had adopted some very spiritually unhealthy practices in carrying out the ministry of the church.

But unfortunately, other than coming to the realization that there needs to be leadership comprised of a team of elders, it does not seem that the remaining pastoral staff is willing to allow the remaining necessary changes to take place. These would be changes that would lead to a spiritually healthy church. Things such as more in-depth teaching just do not seem to be part of the agenda. And there seems to be a continuing influx of postmodernism, despite warnings given to the leadership concerning the dangers of the emerging church.

It is not so much that there is rank heresy currently being taught, although it is inevitably going to creep in. In fact, I am wary of many of the beliefs of some of the people. I believe that it is only a matter of time before heresy begins to pervade the church. But it is currently more of the error of omission; things that should be taught, but simply are not. And it is continuing to have a very adverse effect on the maturity of the congregation, contributing to the unhealthy spiritual condition.

I was hoping that there were going to be some major changes that would turn things around, but it appears that the remaining leadership is not open to these changes. Unfortunately, I think that it is time to go, and that saddens me. This is not what I had hoped for, but I am trusting that the Lord will lead us to something better.

9Marks Interview – Feminism in the Church

2007-05-14T09:38:00.000-05:00

Here is a great interview with Randy Stinson, Russell Moore and C.J. Mahaney concerning the biblical role of men and women in the church and family at 9Marks. This is no trivial matter, but it is an important subject that needs to be addressed more often in our churches. Even in churches that are essentially complementarian, lack of frequent teaching on this subject will eventually allow for a feminist viewpoint to subtly creep into the church. Especially since there is an attempt to obliterate gender role distinctions not only by society in general, but even by those who identify themselves as evangelicals.

Some Good Q & A on Male Leadership

2007-04-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

Jim Hamilton has some good questions and answers on male leadership in the church posted on his blog. He deals with some major objections to the notion of a male only leadership in the church.

This issue, to me, is a little different than differing views on eschatology. I even have an easier time with those who hold differing views on spiritual gifts. As long as someone recognizes the error of the hyper-charismatic movement and the outright abuses of the “sign” gifts, and in particular, the error of the Word-Faith movement, I really don’t have a problem with the view of the possibility of the miraculous sign gifts being active in the church today. Even though I believe that they are not normative for the church today.

But the biblical evidence to support male leadership within the church is overwhelming. It is abundantly clear, and the only way someone can deny the evidence is by warping the text of Scripture to mean something that it simply does not mean.

If we just dismiss this issue as no big deal, then what else can we let slide? The same line of reasoning is utilized by the homosexual groups in their argumentation to justify the toleration of the homosexual life style. If we allow the convoluted teaching of the pro feminists to pervade the church unchallenged, what will we allow the door to swing open to accommodate? Will this allow pro homosexual groups an opportunity to use the same logic and reasoning to gain a foot hold?

The post on Hamilton’s blog mentions this in question # 10. He rightly points out that "what is at stake is the authority of Scripture to determine what Christians believe and do." This may ultimately determine our views such as whether we say that homosexuality is sinful since "many of the same arguments used for the view that women can teach men are used by those who want to legitimate 'alternate lifestyles'".

Strauch also points this out in "Biblical Eldership".

"Biblical feminists misuse the Galatians 3:28 passage by pressing the text far beyond its intended meaning and declaring the plain, literal interpretation of the headship-submission passages to be simplistic. Following the same methodology of interpretation as the biblical feminists, so-called Christian homosexuals claim the right to same-sex relationships. Because the Bible says "neither male nor female," they claim that all the specific biblical passages prohibiting homosexuality must be understood culturally and in the light of Galatians 3:28. But does Galatians 3:28 truly abolish all sexual distinctions? Can men now marry men, or women marry women? The conclusions that those who hold an egalitarian viewpoint draw from Galatians 3:28 are plainly at odds with numerous portions of Scripture."
("Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call To Restore Biblical Church Leadership", p. 65)

I believe there is more at stake here than many may think.

The Dangers of Following Jesus - Piper

2007-04-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

The Dangers of Following Jesus
By John Piper

Matthew 10:24-25

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household."

As I have prayed and meditated over the last several weeks on what I should say tonight I have come to distill it into one sentence.

Jesus had love to suffer for me that I might have faith to suffer with him.

I have been reading the sufferings of Jesus in the light of the Salmon Rushdie affair. Rushdie published a novel entitled Satanic Verses. In it he put the Muslim prophet Mohammed and the Muslim god Allah in a bad light. He was accused of blasphemy and the Ayatollah Kohmeni ordered him executed and offered bounty for his death.

I have put myself in Rushdie's place and felt how utterly vulnerable he is. I do not look on this as a distant and strange thing. To me it is very close. I felt this so strongly two weeks ago that I wrote to the former Bethlehem interns who are now scattered around the country as pastors and teachers. Here is what I said:

What will you do when your preaching is so clear and pointed in its missionary implications concerning the blasphemy of Muslim teachings about Jesus that your name appears on the hit list along with Rushdie's?

There is a hair's breadth between me and the condemnation of the Ayatollah. One slight turn of social and historical affairs and the militancy of the Muslim defense of the honor of Mohammed and Allah could make us the target of a thousand guns. Are you ready? Read of the wild-eyed, irrational spit and fists in Matthew 26:67 and then read Matthew 10:24-25.

I want you to see the connection that I saw in these verses.

Matthew 26:67 simply says this: "Then they spat in his face, and struck him; and some slapped him."

Matthew 10:24-25 says, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master . . . If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household."

Now Salmon Rushdie is no follower of Jesus as far as I can tell. That's not the point. The point is that we Christians by definition believe that Allah is not the true God as Muslims know him and Mohammed is not a true prophet. Jesus really is the Son of God and really did die on the cross and rose again and reigns at God's right hand until he puts all his enemies under his feet, including Mohammed and his followers. And saying that is enough to get me killed—and you.

The days will soon be gone, if they aren't already, when you can assume that it is safe to follow Jesus—to stand for his majesty and his commandments. So I have been thinking much about whether I am willing to pay the price. And if I say yes, where will I get the courage and the freedom to suffer with Jesus?

It isn't just Islam with its endorsement of holy violence that makes following Jesus dangerous today. Consistent Biblical Christians, who don't absorb the spirit and trends of the age, are increasingly at odds with major forces in our society. And what makes the situation so volatile is that those forces are increasingly strident and increasingly invested with legal sanction.

The above excerpt was taken from the article, "The Dangers of Following Jesus" by John Piper, at Desiring God. You can view the remainder of the article at desiringGod.org.

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.

Biblical Church Leadership – Pt.7

2007-04-12T00:18:00.000-05:00

Male Leadership in the New Testament Churches

The practice of male leadership continuing in the New Testament is clearly evident in Scripture. It is interesting to note that approximately 70 percent of the New Testament was penned by the apostle Paul (or a close associate), who is the dominant figure – other than Jesus – in the New Testament. Furthermore, all the Old and New Testament writers were male, as well as the predominant characters were also male. Much to the chagrin of the feminists, the Bible appears to be overwhelmingly patriarchal.

It is simply mind-boggling that there are Bible-believing Christians who can claim that the New Testament teaches an egalitarian approach to gender roles. This approach to gender roles is referred to as Biblical Feminism or Egalitarianism. It is simply the teaching that the New Testament does not teach gender role distinctions between men and women in terms of headship and submission. But it is impossible to support this viewpoint biblically without engaging in what could be termed “hermeneutical ventriloquism”; making the Bible say what you want it to say. [Strauch, pg. 55-56]

But Scripture is very clear on the role of men being in leadership throughout the New Testament, including the marriage relationship. Paul made this point very clear in Scripture, emphasizing the divine order in the husband-wife relationship. Consider the following passages of Scripture:

Ephesians 5:22 – “Wives be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord”
Ephesians 5:24 – “But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their own husbands in everything”
Ephesians 5:23 – “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church”
Colossians 3:18 – “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord”
Titus 2:1,3-5 –
“1But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.” “3Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

It is clear that Paul admonished the Christian wives to be submissive to their husbands. The solid biblical basis for this is found in Ephesians 5:23. To further clarify the meaning of “the head of the wife”, Paul uses the analogy of the headship of Christ over the church. The term “head” is used in a figurative sense meaning, “authority over” and “leadership”. It does not mean “source” or “origin” as feminists would claim. [Strauch, pg.57] Colossians 3:18 is another passage that teaches the same principle in Ephesians 5. It should be clearly apparent that each Scripture that deals with the relationship of the wife to the husband, that submission to their husband is clearly taught (Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18; 1 Peter 3:1).

The predominant teaching is that submission is to be “as to the Lord” and “as is fitting to the Lord” (Col. 3). Submission is therefore to be in the same manner as she would submit to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul consistently taught that the marriage relationship is to serve as a living picture of Christ’s relationship to the Church (Ephesians 5:23). There should be no question that the marriage relationship between the husband and wife is to mirror the relationship of Christ to the Church. It should also be clearly evident from Scripture that the headship-submission is not culturally induced, but is an integral part of the marriage relationship by divine mandate.

The headship and submission roles also carry over to the local church. In fact, Paul used the household analogy when defining the order of the local New Testament church (1 Timothy 3:15). Male headship is to be the biblical norm for the local church (1 Timothy 2:8-3:7). With the family being the basic social unit with the establishment of male leadership, it should therefore not be shocking that men are to be elders or fathers of the larger local church family.

Just as there are certain codes of conduct set forth to govern the family, there are also principles pertaining to the governing of the church family as well. Paul wrote Timothy specific instructions on how the church is to be governed in his letter of First Timothy. Paul wrote certain instructions so that Timothy would “know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God”.

Of particular importance in the church’s social structure is the behavior of women within the church. Due to the influx of false teaching, it appears that traditional gender roles were being challenged, resulting in the women behaving in a manner unacceptable for Christian behavior. In 1Timothy 2:9-10, Paul addresses the issue of modest dress. 1 Timothy 2:11-14, Paul deals with the issue of submission in the church.

“11A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. 14And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” (1 Timothy 2:11-14, NASB)

That passage should alone provide the answer to the question of women being elders. The prohibition clearly prohibits women from teaching and exercising authority over men. Women were encouraged to learn, but to do so under submission to the leadership authority of the teaching male elders. Women were also specifically forbidden to teach and lead men in the church. It is not that women are not allowed to teach at all. Women are encouraged to teach in other situations, such as instruction to the younger women in the church (Titus 2:3-5). It is just that they were not to be publicly teaching men in the church.

Discussion on this topic inevitably stirs up heated debate. But the restriction on women elders is not the result of personal opinion or cultural norm. Paul supports his restriction on women teaching and leading men based on the original order of creation.

“For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” (1 Timothy 2:13-14, NASB)

The statement of the fact that Adam was created first, underscores that fact that God created man as “first among equals”. [Strauch, pg.60] God uniquely created man, equipping him with the physical, emotional and spiritual capacity to head the marital relationship. And it is also God’s design for the woman to complement Adam’s headship. It is no insignificant matter that God did not create Adam and Eve at the same time. God made the woman after the man, from the man and for the man. God brought her to the man and the man named her (Genesis 2:20-23; 1 Corinthians 11:8-9).

It is important to note that the Fall illustrates the necessity for preserving the distinctive creation differences between men and women. 1 Timothy 2:14 clearly explains that it was Eve and not Adam who fell into deception. Satan cleverly perceived that Eve was the weaker one who was vulnerable to being deceived (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Peter 3:7; 2 Timothy 3:6). It should be profoundly apparent that men are more suited for leadership by God’s design. Men are better suited for battling against subtle deceptive false teaching and doctrine twisting. It is also noteworthy that immediately following the prohibition against women leading men in 1 Timothy 2, he immediately launches into a discussion concerning the qualifications of those responsible for leadership in the church (1 Timothy 3:1-7). The phrase “the husband of one wife” (verse 2) and “one who manages his own house well” (verse 4) are clearly directed at men and not women.

1. Alexander Strauch, "Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership", p. 55-61.

The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus - Spurgeon

2007-04-08T19:52:00.000-05:00

From:

The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus
April 9th, 1882
by C. H. SPURGEON(1834-1892)

This Jesus Christ was really and truly man; for Paul says he was “of the seed of David.” True he was divine, and his birth was not after the ordinary manner of men, but still he was in all respects partaker of our human nature, and came of the stock of David. This also we do believe. We are not among those who spiritualize the incarnation, and suppose that God was here as a phantom, or that the whole story is but an instructive legend. Nay, in very flesh and blood did the Son of God abide among men: bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh was he in the days of his sojourn here below. We know and believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. We love the incarnate God, and in him we fix our trust.

It is implied, too, in the text that Jesus died; for he could not be raised from the dead if he had not first gone down among the dead, and been one of them. Yes, Jesus died: the crucifixion was no delusion, the piercing of his side with a spear was most clear and evident proof that he was dead: his heart was pierced, and the blood and water flowed from there. As a dead man he was taken down from the cross and carried by gentle hands, and laid in Joseph’s virgin tomb. I think I see that pale corpse, white as a lily. Mark how it is distained with the blood of his five wounds, which make him red as the rose. See how the holy women tenderly wrap him in fine linen with sweet spices, and leave him to spend his Sabbath all alone in the rock hewn sepulcher. No man in this world was ever more surely dead than he. “He made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death.” As dead they laid him in the place of the dead, with napkin and grave clothes, and habiliments fit for a grave then they rolled the great stone at the grave’s mouth and left him, knowing that he was dead.

Then comes the grand truth, that as soon as ever the third sun commenced his shining circuit Jesus rose again. His body had not decayed, for it was not possible for that holy thing to see corruption; but still it had been dead; and by the power of God by his own power, by the Father’s power, by the power of the Spirit for it is attributed to each of these in turn, before the sun had risen his dead body was quickened. The silent heart began again to beat, and through the stagnant canals of the veins the lifeblood began to circulate. The soul of the Redeemer again took possession of the body, and it lived once more. There he was within the sepulcher, as truly living as to all parts of him as he had ever been. He literally and truly, in a material body, came forth from the tomb to live among men till the hour of his ascension into heaven. This is the truth which is still to be taught, refine it who may, spiritualize it who dare. This is the historical fact which the apostles witnessed; this is the truth for which the confessors bled and died. This is the doctrine which is the keystone of the arch of Christianity, and they that hold it not have cast aside the essential truth of God. How can they hope for salvation for their souls if they do not believe that “the Lord is risen indeed”?

This excerpt taken from the article "The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus" from the Spurgeon Collection at the Bible Bulletin Board.

The Crucifixion

2007-04-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

35And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 36And sitting down they watched him there; 37And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. 39And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 44The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. 45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

(Matthew 27:35-54, KJV)

Christ's Agony - Edwards

2007-04-06T11:31:00.001-05:00

Excerpt from:

Christ's Agony
by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

"And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." [Luke 22:44]

Our Lord Jesus Christ, in his original nature, was infinitely above all suffering, for he was "God over all, blessed for evermore;" but, when he became man, he was not only capable of suffering, but partook of that nature that is remarkably feeble and exposed to suffering. The human nature, on account of its weakness, is in Scripture compared to the grass of the field, which easily withers and decays. So it is compared to a leaf; and to the dry stubble; and to a blast of wind: and the nature of feeble man is said to be but dust and ashes, to have its foundation in the dust, and to be crushed before the moth. It was this nature, with all its weakness and exposedness to sufferings, which Christ, who is the Lord God omnipotent, took upon him. He did not take the human nature on him in its first, most perfect and vigorous state, but in that feeble forlorn state which it is in since the fall; and therefore Christ is called "a tender plant," and "a root out of a dry ground." Isa. 53:2. "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." Thus, as Christ's principal errand into the world was suffering, so, agreeably to that errand, he came with such a nature and in such circumstances, as most made way for his suffering; so his whole life was filled up with suffering, he began to suffer in his infancy, but his suffering increased the more he drew near to the close of his life. His suffering after his public ministry began, was probably much greater than before; and the latter part of the time of his public ministry seems to have been distinguished by suffering. The longer Christ lived in the world, the more men saw and heard of him, the more they hated him. His enemies were more and more enraged by the continuance of the opposition that he made to their lusts; and the devil having been often baffled by him, grew more and more enraged, and strengthened the battle more and more against him: so that the cloud over Christ's head grew darker and darker, as long as he lived in the world, till it was in its greatest blackness when he hung upon the cross and cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me! Before this, it was exceedingly dark, in the time of his agony in the garden; of which we have an account in the words now read; and which I propose to make the subject of my present discourse. The word agony properly signifies an earnest strife, such as is witnessed in wrestling, running, or fighting. And therefore in Luke 13:24. "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able;" the word in the original, translated strive, is agwnizesqe. "Agonize, to enter in at the strait gate." The word is especially used for that sort of strife, which in those days was exhibited in the Olympic games, in which men strove for the mastery in running, wrestling, and other such kinds of exercises; and a prize was set up that was bestowed on the conqueror. Those, who thus contended, were, in the language then in use, said to agonize. Thus the apostle in his epistle to the Christians of Corinth, a city of Greece, where such games were annually exhibited, says in allusion to the strivings of the combatants, "And every man that striveth for the mastery," in the original, every one that agonizeth, "is temperate in all things." The place where those games were held was called Agwn, or the place of agony; and the word is particularly used in Scripture for that striving in earnest prayer wherein persons wrestle with God:they are said to agonize, or to be in agony, in prayer. So the word is used Rom. 15:30. "Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me:" in the original sunagwnizesqai moi, that ye agonize together with me. So Col. 4:12. "Always labouring fervently for you in prayer, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God:" in the original agwnizwn agonizing for you. So that when it is said in the text that Christ was in an agony, the meaning is, that his soul was in a great and earnest strife and conflict. It was so in two respects:

1. As his soul was in a great and sore conflict with those terrible and amazing views and apprehensions which he then had.
2. As he was at the same time in great labour and earnest strife with God in prayer.

This article can be viewed in its entirety at the Jonathan Edwards Collection at the Bible Bulletin Board.

Biblical Church Leadership - Pt. 6

2007-03-29T00:28:00.000-05:00

Male Leadership

Contrary to what many in contemporary society think, excluding women from the role of church leadership is not a ploy to discriminate and dominate unfairly over women. To discriminate against women is a sin that grieves the heart of God. While it is true that there have been times when men have abused their authority and acted cruelly toward women, that behavior is inexcusable and anyone who truly seeks to adhere to Scripture would recognize that error and avoid making the same error. It is unfortunate that there have been times where male have unjustly and cruelly discriminated against women.

But unfortunately, the feminist approach in its attempt to carry out justice for the wrongful acts of discrimination, have gone too far and denied the complementary functions of men and women. These role distinctions were designed by God so that the sexes complement each other in order to perform different functions in society. The Bible teaches that both men and women are indeed equal in personhood and value, but have distinctly different gender roles designed by God. It is tragic that there is so much confusion concerning these distinctive roles. Women are in effect, being exploited by a false view of female identity.

I have seen so many attempts to contort Scripture on this subject, in an attempt to discredit the notion that the Bible emphatically teaches that men are to be in charge of the spiritual leadership in the church. Yet if we take Scripture as it is plainly written, it teaches nothing but the fact that only men are to serve in the role of Spiritual leadership. The way I see it, attempts at undermining male leadership is just another sign of how the church is being unduly influenced by the culture.

But it is impossible to get around the emphasis on male leadership in Scripture. The most obvious example of male leadership is the person of Jesus Christ. He was the Son of God, not the daughter of God. This was theologically necessary to His person and work.

- He was to be a first-born male (Luke 2:23)
- He was the “last Adam”, making Him the antitype of Adam, not
Eve, which mandated that He be a male. (1 Corinthians 15:45, 47; Romans 5:14)
- He needed to be the first-born son of David and Abraham; He was the King, not Queen of Israel.
- In the created order, the male partner alone is charged with the authority and headship role. Therefore Jesus could not have been a woman, and He is the Head of the Church and the model for male leadership.
- Jesus appointed and trained twelve male apostles (Luke 6:12-16). His choice was after spending an entire night praying to His Father, indicating He was acting in obedience to His Father’s will.

It is interesting that in spite of these facts, there are those who claim that Jesus was just accommodating the culture. But since when did Jesus at any time in His life display an accommodating attitude toward the culture. It is clearly illustrated in Scripture that He stood in stark contrast to the culture, including the false rabbinical traditions. Scripture clearly tells us that Jesus showed no partiality to anyone (Matthew 22:16).

Another common argument is that the work of redemption by Christ did away with all male-female distinctions. But if this is the case, then why did Jesus not indicate this by appointing women to be apostles. It would stand to reason that He would have appointed at least one woman to be an apostle. Rather, Jesus continued with the Old Testament order of creation with male headship. And this practice was continued by both Paul and Peter.

The fact that Jesus maintained an all male apostolate does not take away from the fact that he sought to honor women, ministered to them and encouraged them in their service and devotion to God. This was distinctly different from the religious leaders of that time. However, Jesus still established an all male apostolate as the foundational office of His Church (Eph. 2:20; Rev. 21:14).

We can also look at the example of the apostles when they appointed servants to care for the church’s widows. Seven men were appointed to the task, not women (Acts 6:1-6). It is also apparent when Peter addressed the churches in Asia Minor, instructing the Christian women to submit to their husbands, using the example of the women in the Old Testament. He also admonished the men to take care of their wives and consider them as “fellow heir of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:1-7). In doing so, Peter was upholding both gender role distinctions and male-female equality. Those who want to find justification to allow women elders are at a loss to find valid examples used in Scripture.

1. Alexander Strauch, Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership, p. 51-54.

Some Thoughts on the Eschatological Controversy

2007-03-18T14:26:00.000-05:00

Since the controversy that has ensued due to John MacArthur’s opening message at the Shepherd’s Conference, my interest in eschatology has been piqued once again. I am amazed at all the controversy that has been stirred up as a result of MacArthur’s message. But I am interested in exploring the differing views on eschatology once again. There are good men, sound men of the faith, who hold to differing view on this matter. And we need to be careful concerning the charges of heresy leveled at those embracing the differing views. This included those in the “Reformed” camp who refer to those of us who embrace the pre-millenial view, and refer to it as “cultic” and heretical. I find it interesting that for so long I have heard those charges made from those in the amillenial and postmillennial camp against premillenialists , and now that the tables have been turned, they cry foul.

One thing that has gotten really irritating is the range of definitions that you hear on what it means to be “Reformed”. I have read many comments in this recent controversy that include things like “MacArthur really isn’t reformed” and even the notion expressed in a comment thread on another blog, that John Piper is really not “Reformed” either. If being “Reformed” in their strict definition means that one MUST embrace the amillenial position, then I really do not fit their definition either. The sad thing is that I do embrace most of Reformed theology and I am in substantial agreement with Reformed theology, but apparently for many that will not suffice.

Rather, I am compelled to abide by the teaching of Scripture and to teach accordingly by my convictions as I see revealed in the text of Scripture. One simply cannot blindly embrace a theological view independent of Scripture, but weigh everything in light of the inspired text of the Bible. We must always be ready to change our theology if we find it is out of step with the Bible, not bend the Bible to fit our theology.

But we also need to beware of another error. That is the error of ignoring what others have gleaned from Scripture, especially those who have gone before us. God has ordained that there be teachers in the church, teachers who are dedicated to studying the text of Scripture and have a desire to help others understand what God has given us in the divinely inspired text of Scripture. This, of course, is not some secret knowledge only revealed to the one teaching, but the same truth that is accessible to every believer. It is foolish, in fact potentially downright dangerous, to ignore what others have gleaned from Scripture. I believe that it ultimately leads to spiritual arrogance. While additional insights are often gleaned over time, we need to be careful of some “new” truth that no one else has ever seen. It could be something that has been previously overlooked. But it also could be that we are looking at something the wrong way. That can lead to theological error. We need to be careful about new “truth”. As Charles Haddon Spurgeon wisely said, "I cannot agree with those who say that they have 'new truth' to teach. The two words seem to me to contradict each other; that which is new is not true. It is the old that is true, for truth is as old as God himself".

Rather than clinging to the solid theological foundation that we have as a result of the efforts of the reformers and building upon it, the church has developed the propensity to set aside solid theology in favor of new found fads and methods. This has left the church wide open and vulnerable to error.

I believe that it is extremely beneficial to consider the teaching of those who have gone before us and understand how they drew the conclusions they have. This is not a case that just because many men down through history have held a particular viewpoint that it makes them automatically correct, nor does that make them the final authority. But we still need to understand their conclusions. We must also discern what is a primary or a secondary doctrine. On matters of primary doctrine that strike at the very core of the Christian faith, we had better cling tightly to the truths that have been established; on matters of secondary doctrine, we need to exercise grace, especially when it comes to more obscure subject matter, such as the finer points of eschatology. This is not to say that eschatology is unimportant, but there are valid reasons for men drawing different conclusions on those matters.

We need to take the time to carefully consider what Scripture teaches and be willing to adjust our theology in light of what we discover. We also need to consider the differing views and be careful to avoid misrepresenting those who hold to opposing views. This is one reason that in light of the current controversy, my interest has been piqued concerning the subject of eschatology, particularly amillenialism. One book that I am reading from the amillenial perspective is Kim Riddlebarger’s book, “A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times”. This book has been recommended by many. I doubt that I am going to be persuaded into the amill camp, but I am enjoying reading the book so far and gaining a better understanding of the amillenial position rather than hearsay from secondary sources. I want to gain a more thorough understanding, rather than abide by someone’s overly simplistic definition.

I just hope that in matters of more secondary importance, believers can be more inclined to exercise more grace toward one another. This does not mean that we cannot have strong opinions concerning our convictions. It is certainly acceptable to teach according to our convictions and I believe that we should. But we also should exercise restraint before leveling charges of heresy against each other.

Amillenialists in an Uproar

2007-03-13T21:12:00.000-05:00

Well it seems that the amillenial folks are all stirred up as a result of the opening session of the Shepherd’s Conference, where John MacArthur delivered the message on "Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is a Pre-Millennialist." Now, I was not there to hear what MacArthur said, but if everything I have heard is true, I think that I would have taken a little different approach to the topic, even though I am in substantial agreement with MacArthur. But I am not sure if it is more of a case that the amill crowd had taken things a bit too personal.

While I disagree with the amillenial view, I do not see it as rank heresy. It is certainly within the realm of biblical orthodoxy, though I disagree with the arguments in favor of the view. I still find merit from Scripture for the premillenial view.

But there have been plenty of charges railed against those of us who hold to a premillenial view from the amillenial camp. And the disagreements have not always been expressed in very gracious terms. Last year, Jason Robertson over at Fide-O went the amillenial route. I am certainly appreciative of the fact that Jason has taken the time to express his eschatological views on his blog. It has certainly been helpful in gaining an understanding of the amillenial position, even though I do not agree with his view. But I think that it is important to explore and discuss this subject and understand the differing views. I have been in several Independent Fundamental Baptist churches, where the only view that was taught was the dispensational premillenial view, and it seemed that anyone who even hinted at another view such as amillenialism, was almost considered a rank heretic.

I still hold to a dispensational premillenial view of eschatology because I see support for it from Scripture. I will share my thoughts in some upcoming articles.

For discussions on the subject of MacArthur’s message, you may want to check out these articles.

Tim Challies

Founder’s Ministries

Fred Butler