I was reading today in The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World and read something that Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, wrote about displaying our love for our community. I tried to articulate these thoughts in my posting on March 27th but he does a much better job. Here is the question he poses:
"Are we the kind of church of which the world says: We don't share a lot of their beliefs, but I shudder to think of this city without them. They are such an important part of the community. They give so much! If they left we'd have to raise taxes because others won't give of themselves like those people do."
"...though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God..."
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 5:10
“I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine...”
In whom did Paul’s confidence rest? In Jesus. This verse speaks to so many areas of the Christian life. Today, in particular, it speaks to me about missions and evangelism. I think Christians today, generally speaking, put their confidence in the wrong places. In terms of evangelism we tend to put our confidence in programs and activities, in music, in a cool building, or in an engaging preacher. Ultimately it comes down to the fact that we place our confidence in ourselves and what we are able to accomplish instead of placing our confidence in the Lord. If we take the emphasis off of us and place it on Jesus it will drastically change the way we think about missions and evangelism.
If we place our confidence in ourselves then we force ourselves to “sell” Christianity to others. If the emphasis is on us then we feel the pressure to “sell” the Gospel by making it sound eloquent or relevant in hopes that the person we are speaking to will “buy into” Christianity. We think “maybe if the music is good enough or if we have a coffee shop it will convince people to come back to church and they will believe in Jesus.” I’m not saying it’s bad to have an eloquent, relevant message or that it’s bad to have good music and a coffee shop. I am saying those things are bad if they are what we rely on to get people to know Jesus. When we use anything other than Jesus to get people to Jesus we are placing our confidence in the wrong place. We ultimately end up selling a product, hoping we can make it sound good enough to convince people to buy. If we try to sell Christianity we are turning Jesus into a product and Church into a marketplace. We already know what Jesus thinks of that: “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.”
Instead we should follow Paul’s example and place our “confidence in the Lord.” Think about how this would change things. We would no longer be relying on ourselves to sell anything. We wouldn’t be selling Jesus to anyone. Instead we would be presenting the Gospel unedited knowing that through the proclamation of the word of God all whom the Father has appointed will come to know His son Jesus. Paul experienced this himself in the book of Acts. After preaching the Gospel “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” Those who believed that day were not convinced by Paul that they should believe. They were appointed by God to believe. All Paul did was tell them the truth about Jesus. He didn’t feel the need to sell them anything. Many of us get nervous when we talk to people about Jesus. We are unsure of ourselves or don’t think we know enough to share or don’t think we are eloquent speakers. If we understand this truth, none of that matters and the pressure goes away because we know that it is not up to us to convince anyone to become a Christian. When we understand that it is God who calls people to believe and our responsibility is not to convince them of anything but to share the Gospel faithfully with them it will transform the way we look at missions and evangelism.
I am blessed to be a part of a church, Church of the Cross, that understands this truth. On Sunday I saw a flyer for our Easter service. The flyer simply said:
“No Fireworks. No Skits. Just Jesus.” Amen.
In whom did Paul’s confidence rest? In Jesus. This verse speaks to so many areas of the Christian life. Today, in particular, it speaks to me about missions and evangelism. I think Christians today, generally speaking, put their confidence in the wrong places. In terms of evangelism we tend to put our confidence in programs and activities, in music, in a cool building, or in an engaging preacher. Ultimately it comes down to the fact that we place our confidence in ourselves and what we are able to accomplish instead of placing our confidence in the Lord. If we take the emphasis off of us and place it on Jesus it will drastically change the way we think about missions and evangelism.
If we place our confidence in ourselves then we force ourselves to “sell” Christianity to others. If the emphasis is on us then we feel the pressure to “sell” the Gospel by making it sound eloquent or relevant in hopes that the person we are speaking to will “buy into” Christianity. We think “maybe if the music is good enough or if we have a coffee shop it will convince people to come back to church and they will believe in Jesus.” I’m not saying it’s bad to have an eloquent, relevant message or that it’s bad to have good music and a coffee shop. I am saying those things are bad if they are what we rely on to get people to know Jesus. When we use anything other than Jesus to get people to Jesus we are placing our confidence in the wrong place. We ultimately end up selling a product, hoping we can make it sound good enough to convince people to buy. If we try to sell Christianity we are turning Jesus into a product and Church into a marketplace. We already know what Jesus thinks of that: “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.”
Instead we should follow Paul’s example and place our “confidence in the Lord.” Think about how this would change things. We would no longer be relying on ourselves to sell anything. We wouldn’t be selling Jesus to anyone. Instead we would be presenting the Gospel unedited knowing that through the proclamation of the word of God all whom the Father has appointed will come to know His son Jesus. Paul experienced this himself in the book of Acts. After preaching the Gospel “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” Those who believed that day were not convinced by Paul that they should believe. They were appointed by God to believe. All Paul did was tell them the truth about Jesus. He didn’t feel the need to sell them anything. Many of us get nervous when we talk to people about Jesus. We are unsure of ourselves or don’t think we know enough to share or don’t think we are eloquent speakers. If we understand this truth, none of that matters and the pressure goes away because we know that it is not up to us to convince anyone to become a Christian. When we understand that it is God who calls people to believe and our responsibility is not to convince them of anything but to share the Gospel faithfully with them it will transform the way we look at missions and evangelism.
I am blessed to be a part of a church, Church of the Cross, that understands this truth. On Sunday I saw a flyer for our Easter service. The flyer simply said:
“No Fireworks. No Skits. Just Jesus.” Amen.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 5:7-9
“John Calvin comments, ‘Satan’s stratagem is, that he does not attempt an avowed destruction of the whole gospel, but he taints its purity by introducing false and corrupt opinions.’ The blatant heresy endorsed in many churches today did not come out of nowhere. Only through the slow erosion of truth do the visible churches of Christ come to the point where they deny Jesus.” (Sproul)
There are two ways in which we can keep this leaven, or false doctrine, from permeating the church today. The first and most important is to appeal to Scripture. For every belief or doctrinal stance we hold we should be able to back up our belief in Scripture. If you cannot find support for your belief in the Bible then you cannot claim it as doctrine. Often times someone will tell me a belief or opinion they hold to as doctrine but upon questioning they are unable to back up their stance with Scripture. My point is that if you hold a belief then make certain that belief is grounded in Scripture. In this case we should follow the example of the Berean’s in the book of Acts: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” The Berean’s did not take what they believed for granted. They were always “examining the Scriptures” to ensure they were not being led astray. Practically this means that if your friend, your spouse, your mentor, or even your pastor makes a claim or statement that he or she declares as Biblical truth, it is our duty to compare the statements made to our ultimate authority, our sola scriptura, the Bible.
The second way to keep false doctrine from invading the church is to appeal to apostolic tradition. Of course this is always subordinate to our appeal to Scripture but is nevertheless a useful tool in examining truth claims. “Arianism and Pelagianism – both of which would be condemned as heretical, although for very different reasons – appealed to an impressive array of Biblical texts in support of their teachings. Their opponents, however, argued that their interpretation of these texts was incorrect. It was not enough simply to quote the Bible; it was necessary to interpret it in an orthodox manner.” (McGrath) Almost anyone can pull a sentence from the Bible and make it mean whatever they want it to mean. This was as much a problem in the early days of the church as it is today. The way that some of the early church fathers such as Irenaeus and Tertullian dealt with this problem was through an appeal to apostolic tradition. They asked the question “does this interpretation line up with the what the earliest church fathers understood this particular text to mean?” They argued that “Scripture could not be allowed to be interpreted in any arbitrary or random way: it had to be interpreted within the context of the historical continuity of the Christian church.” (McGrath) The closer we can trace any given doctrinal stance to Jesus himself, the less chance we have of any human influence on that particular issue. Because of the tendency for humans to twist a text to mean what they want it to, a simple appeal to Scripture is sometimes not good enough. Whenever a difference in interpretation arises we should appeal to the earliest church fathers and see how they understood the issue at hand.
The point is this: in order to keep ourselves from being led astray by the dangers of false doctrine we must always appeal to the inerrant word of God and look to see how the earliest Christians interpreted that particular text.
There are two ways in which we can keep this leaven, or false doctrine, from permeating the church today. The first and most important is to appeal to Scripture. For every belief or doctrinal stance we hold we should be able to back up our belief in Scripture. If you cannot find support for your belief in the Bible then you cannot claim it as doctrine. Often times someone will tell me a belief or opinion they hold to as doctrine but upon questioning they are unable to back up their stance with Scripture. My point is that if you hold a belief then make certain that belief is grounded in Scripture. In this case we should follow the example of the Berean’s in the book of Acts: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” The Berean’s did not take what they believed for granted. They were always “examining the Scriptures” to ensure they were not being led astray. Practically this means that if your friend, your spouse, your mentor, or even your pastor makes a claim or statement that he or she declares as Biblical truth, it is our duty to compare the statements made to our ultimate authority, our sola scriptura, the Bible.
The second way to keep false doctrine from invading the church is to appeal to apostolic tradition. Of course this is always subordinate to our appeal to Scripture but is nevertheless a useful tool in examining truth claims. “Arianism and Pelagianism – both of which would be condemned as heretical, although for very different reasons – appealed to an impressive array of Biblical texts in support of their teachings. Their opponents, however, argued that their interpretation of these texts was incorrect. It was not enough simply to quote the Bible; it was necessary to interpret it in an orthodox manner.” (McGrath) Almost anyone can pull a sentence from the Bible and make it mean whatever they want it to mean. This was as much a problem in the early days of the church as it is today. The way that some of the early church fathers such as Irenaeus and Tertullian dealt with this problem was through an appeal to apostolic tradition. They asked the question “does this interpretation line up with the what the earliest church fathers understood this particular text to mean?” They argued that “Scripture could not be allowed to be interpreted in any arbitrary or random way: it had to be interpreted within the context of the historical continuity of the Christian church.” (McGrath) The closer we can trace any given doctrinal stance to Jesus himself, the less chance we have of any human influence on that particular issue. Because of the tendency for humans to twist a text to mean what they want it to, a simple appeal to Scripture is sometimes not good enough. Whenever a difference in interpretation arises we should appeal to the earliest church fathers and see how they understood the issue at hand.
The point is this: in order to keep ourselves from being led astray by the dangers of false doctrine we must always appeal to the inerrant word of God and look to see how the earliest Christians interpreted that particular text.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 5:6
For those who are Christians, the things we do, the words we say, the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, or the movies we watch count for nothing in terms of our righteousness. That’s what Paul is telling the Galatians here when he says “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything”. So whether you wear a three piece suit or jeans with holes in them, it doesn’t count for anything. It doesn’t matter. The man wearing the nice suit will not, in any way, be seen by God as more righteous than the man with holes in his jeans. As humans, because of tradition and other factors we sinfully perceive the man dressed nicely to be more righteous. Paul tells us here that we are wrong when we make those judgments.
So what then counts toward our righteousness? Paul tells us that “only faith working through love counts for anything”. So nothing we do is credited to us as righteous in the eyes of God. It is only by faith in Jesus that we are seen as righteous. But notice that it doesn’t stop at faith. Paul tells us that it is our faith that is credited as righteousness and that faith will work itself out through love. This is not an issue of faith vs. works. Let me be clear: we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone, not by works. That whole concept of faith vs. works is ridiculous anyway. That concept puts faith at odds with works as if they are enemies or opponents. Faith and works are allies, they go hand in hand and where we see faith we should also see works. I love the way Paul puts it because they are so intertwined that they cannot be separated. Look at it: “faith working through love.” Faith uses love as the vehicle in which it manifests itself in our lives. Faith and works go hand in hand, they are married to each other. James puts it perfectly in his letter: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James then goes on to address an objector who argues that faith and works are indeed separable, and James responds that faith can be shown only through righteous deeds: “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” He ends the section on faith and works with this: “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”
Can everyone see this? We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone and that faith manifests itself in loving works aimed at those around us who are in need. As Christians our faith should be working itself out in the community so that if we disappeared from our community we would be dearly missed. Ask yourself this question: If I were to die today would my presence be missed by those around me because of the love and compassion I have showed to them?
What’s your answer?
So what then counts toward our righteousness? Paul tells us that “only faith working through love counts for anything”. So nothing we do is credited to us as righteous in the eyes of God. It is only by faith in Jesus that we are seen as righteous. But notice that it doesn’t stop at faith. Paul tells us that it is our faith that is credited as righteousness and that faith will work itself out through love. This is not an issue of faith vs. works. Let me be clear: we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone, not by works. That whole concept of faith vs. works is ridiculous anyway. That concept puts faith at odds with works as if they are enemies or opponents. Faith and works are allies, they go hand in hand and where we see faith we should also see works. I love the way Paul puts it because they are so intertwined that they cannot be separated. Look at it: “faith working through love.” Faith uses love as the vehicle in which it manifests itself in our lives. Faith and works go hand in hand, they are married to each other. James puts it perfectly in his letter: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James then goes on to address an objector who argues that faith and works are indeed separable, and James responds that faith can be shown only through righteous deeds: “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” He ends the section on faith and works with this: “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”
Can everyone see this? We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone and that faith manifests itself in loving works aimed at those around us who are in need. As Christians our faith should be working itself out in the community so that if we disappeared from our community we would be dearly missed. Ask yourself this question: If I were to die today would my presence be missed by those around me because of the love and compassion I have showed to them?
What’s your answer?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 5:2
Paul is calling on the Galatians to make a choice. Either you accept that you are a sinner to your core and can do NOTHING to merit God’s grace, or you decide that maybe there is enough good in you that you can earn righteousness by your works. If you choose the former then you will be able to fully understand and accept what Jesus did for you on the cross. If you choose the latter, Jesus has nothing to offer you and you should go join a false religion like Mormonism or Islam where salvation by works is at the core of their beliefs. Paul is drawing another proverbial line in the sand. It is only when we understand how terminally ill we are that we see our need for a Savior. When we think we are healthy enough to play some part in our salvation, that we are able to live lives good enough to merit heaven, we see no need for someone to save us. We see salvation to be gained by our own effort or will when we just learned from John 1:13 that our spiritual rebirth is “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” IT IS OF GOD! IT IS NOT OF THE WILL OF MAN!
There is no in between when it comes to salvation. It is either all God or all man and you must make a choice in whom you will rely on for salvation. This verse reminds me of that ridiculous bumper sticker I see every once in a while that says “Jesus is my co-pilot”. Can I just say I hate that saying! That is really so ridiculous. It connotes that for the most part we are in control of our lives but every once in a while we reach some rough weather and we need Jesus, our co-pilot, to come and give us a hand. What a joke! Let me give you a clearer picture of what the cockpit really looks like: We are sitting in the pilot’s seat with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. There is blood and brain matter splattered all over the controls because of the carnage that our sin produces. Because of our own sin we are DEAD! DEAD, DEAD, DEAD!!! Ephesians 2:1 tells us of our condition: “And you were DEAD in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.” With a dead guy at the helm the plane is in a complete nose dive headed for certain destruction. Depending on our situation we may be in the plane alone or we may have our wife and kids with us who, as men, we are responsible for. Then, for some of us, Jesus shows up, picks us up out of the pilots seat and takes the helm, pulling the plane out of the nose dive while ripping out our black, cancered, calloused, rock hard heart and replacing it with a new heart that would desire him. Can you picture it? It’s AWESOME!!! Jesus comes in like a superhero, flies the plane and performs a heart transplant at the same time! I want us to notice that we never called a mayday and asked Jesus to come save us or that we never got up out of the pilot’s seat and allowed Jesus to take over for us. WE WERE DEAD! WE DID NOTHING! We didn’t have the capability to ask Jesus for help or do anything that would have helped Jesus in saving us because we were lifeless, incapable of doing ANYTHING.
So goes the situation with our lives. People, it is of the utmost importance that we understand that we are spiritually dead. We are incapable of doing anything that would lead to our salvation. Salvation is, from beginning to end, a work of God, not of man. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
There is no in between when it comes to salvation. It is either all God or all man and you must make a choice in whom you will rely on for salvation. This verse reminds me of that ridiculous bumper sticker I see every once in a while that says “Jesus is my co-pilot”. Can I just say I hate that saying! That is really so ridiculous. It connotes that for the most part we are in control of our lives but every once in a while we reach some rough weather and we need Jesus, our co-pilot, to come and give us a hand. What a joke! Let me give you a clearer picture of what the cockpit really looks like: We are sitting in the pilot’s seat with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. There is blood and brain matter splattered all over the controls because of the carnage that our sin produces. Because of our own sin we are DEAD! DEAD, DEAD, DEAD!!! Ephesians 2:1 tells us of our condition: “And you were DEAD in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.” With a dead guy at the helm the plane is in a complete nose dive headed for certain destruction. Depending on our situation we may be in the plane alone or we may have our wife and kids with us who, as men, we are responsible for. Then, for some of us, Jesus shows up, picks us up out of the pilots seat and takes the helm, pulling the plane out of the nose dive while ripping out our black, cancered, calloused, rock hard heart and replacing it with a new heart that would desire him. Can you picture it? It’s AWESOME!!! Jesus comes in like a superhero, flies the plane and performs a heart transplant at the same time! I want us to notice that we never called a mayday and asked Jesus to come save us or that we never got up out of the pilot’s seat and allowed Jesus to take over for us. WE WERE DEAD! WE DID NOTHING! We didn’t have the capability to ask Jesus for help or do anything that would have helped Jesus in saving us because we were lifeless, incapable of doing ANYTHING.
So goes the situation with our lives. People, it is of the utmost importance that we understand that we are spiritually dead. We are incapable of doing anything that would lead to our salvation. Salvation is, from beginning to end, a work of God, not of man. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Monday, March 23, 2009
Christian Liberty (Romans 14)
I recently had an experience with some life-long Christians whom I doubt ever read this chapter. The overarching theme of this chapter is Christian liberty. Paul is writing to a church that is having numerous quarrels among its members. They are arguing about things like whether or not is was ok to eat this or that, drink this or that, or whether or not a certain day is holy. Paul clearly sides with the theologically “strong”, who did not feel compelled to follow Jewish laws. He then encourages them not to enter into arguments with those who have a weaker faith. But Paul was just getting started. Most of us would probably expect Paul to say something like “try and come to a compromise where everyone can be happy.” But Paul, in his wisdom, does the exact opposite! He doesn’t tell them to compromise. He says “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.” Paul is telling them that God is glorified in both abstaining and partaking. I love this. But notice the first part of what Paul says: “each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” What does that require of us? It requires that we diligently read and study our Bibles and let the Holy Spirit lead us into understanding.
Another theme to this chapter is tolerance. I realize this can be a dirty word but understand I’m not talking about tolerance of sin or departure from Scripture. The issues that the Roman church was dealing with were secondary issues. Mark Driscoll illustrates this to his church using an open hand and a closed hand. In the closed hand are all the theological issues that are a non-negotiable for him and those that join Mars Hill. In the open hand are those issues on which there can be disagreement and debate while still having unity in association. The Roman church was dealing with open hand issues. Paul is telling the Roman church to be fully convinced about what they believe and to be tolerant of what others in the church believed. Today we see this manifested in issues like clothing, music and even some theological issues. God is honored just as much by the guy with holes in his jeans as he is by the guy with slacks and a tie on as long as both are honoring the Lord in word and deed. God can be honored in hymns as much as he can in rock, as long as the object of worship remains God. No church this side of heaven will ever offer everything we want and desire in a church. We are called to be tolerant of the things we don’t like and understand that the church is not there to serve us and that God can be glorified even in the things we disagree with. Obviously there are issues that are major enough that would cause us to seek worship somewhere else but in general they should not be over secondary, open handed issues.
Paul then goes on to tell us that although we have liberty and freedom in many areas we should never do anything that would be a hindrance to a fellow Christian. Paul says “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. It is not good to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.” If your Christian brother is an alcoholic Paul is saying don’t invite him over for beers. Although drinking beer is not a sin it would cause your brother to stumble so you shouldn’t do it in front of him.
Another theme to this chapter is tolerance. I realize this can be a dirty word but understand I’m not talking about tolerance of sin or departure from Scripture. The issues that the Roman church was dealing with were secondary issues. Mark Driscoll illustrates this to his church using an open hand and a closed hand. In the closed hand are all the theological issues that are a non-negotiable for him and those that join Mars Hill. In the open hand are those issues on which there can be disagreement and debate while still having unity in association. The Roman church was dealing with open hand issues. Paul is telling the Roman church to be fully convinced about what they believe and to be tolerant of what others in the church believed. Today we see this manifested in issues like clothing, music and even some theological issues. God is honored just as much by the guy with holes in his jeans as he is by the guy with slacks and a tie on as long as both are honoring the Lord in word and deed. God can be honored in hymns as much as he can in rock, as long as the object of worship remains God. No church this side of heaven will ever offer everything we want and desire in a church. We are called to be tolerant of the things we don’t like and understand that the church is not there to serve us and that God can be glorified even in the things we disagree with. Obviously there are issues that are major enough that would cause us to seek worship somewhere else but in general they should not be over secondary, open handed issues.
Paul then goes on to tell us that although we have liberty and freedom in many areas we should never do anything that would be a hindrance to a fellow Christian. Paul says “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. It is not good to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.” If your Christian brother is an alcoholic Paul is saying don’t invite him over for beers. Although drinking beer is not a sin it would cause your brother to stumble so you shouldn’t do it in front of him.
Thoughts on John 1:13
A term often used for someone who has become a Christian is “born again.” It’s a confusing term. Nicodemus struggled with this idea two chapters later when he asked Jesus how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? Jesus goes on to answer him: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Jesus is making a clear distinction here between physical birth which is, as verse 13 puts it of blood, of the will of the flesh and of the will of man or husband (NIV), and spiritual birth which is of God. Verse 13 tells us that this spiritual birth is unlike physical birth because it is not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. “Those three negative statements stress the fact that salvation is not obtainable through any racial or ethnic heritage (blood), personal desire (flesh), or man-made system (man)” (MacArthur).
There is a line clearly drawn in the sand here and it is a distinction we all need to see. Physical birth is the result of the free will of man and the desires of his flesh. Spiritual birth, on the other hand is not the result of the will of man, it is not due to any action of man or the choices that he makes. Those who are born again are not born by their own will but they are born of God. “Our being reckoned the sons of God does not belong to our nature, and does not proceed from us, but because God begat us willingly, (James 1:18,) that is, from undeserved love” (Calvin).
There is a line clearly drawn in the sand here and it is a distinction we all need to see. Physical birth is the result of the free will of man and the desires of his flesh. Spiritual birth, on the other hand is not the result of the will of man, it is not due to any action of man or the choices that he makes. Those who are born again are not born by their own will but they are born of God. “Our being reckoned the sons of God does not belong to our nature, and does not proceed from us, but because God begat us willingly, (James 1:18,) that is, from undeserved love” (Calvin).
Friday, March 20, 2009
Rebellion (Romans 12:2)
Do not be conformed to this world.
Well then what is the opposite of conformity? Rebellion. Christians are supposed to be rebels looking to Jesus, the ultimate rebel, as our example. Jesus came and turned the world upside down. He rebelled in the desert against Satan, refusing to fall to temptation, he brought the Mosaic law to fulfillment, completely changing the way people thought about the law, he called the religious leaders of the day “hypocrites” and told us not to be like them, he ate and drank with sinners, he kicked people out of the temple, and he claimed to be God which is what got him arrested and killed.
Think about the culture today. So many people try to be rebels by tatting their whole bodies, listening to controversial music, using foul language, smoking, saying “truth is relative”, getting drunk, going to strip clubs, having sex with anyone who has a pulse, and whatever else they see as rebellious. The hilarious thing is that all these “rebels” are nothing but conformists being blown around by the winds of popular culture. Think about it. If everyone is doing it, it’s no longer rebellion, it’s conformity.
Paul is telling us here not to be conformists like the rest of the culture who follow whatever is cool at the time. So if you want to be a rebel here is some advice: read your Bible every day, save yourself for marriage which you define as being between one man and one woman, go to church and actually give an offering, don’t curse or smoke or get drunk, don’t cheat on your spouse or get a divorce, don’t go to strip clubs, believe that truth is absolute and not relative to each person, and be willing to say that if a person does not believe in Jesus they are going to hell. That is the only rebellion left! Most people will read this and think that it sounds ridiculous. THAT’S THE POINT. It’s rebellious and it’s what we are called to do.
Well then what is the opposite of conformity? Rebellion. Christians are supposed to be rebels looking to Jesus, the ultimate rebel, as our example. Jesus came and turned the world upside down. He rebelled in the desert against Satan, refusing to fall to temptation, he brought the Mosaic law to fulfillment, completely changing the way people thought about the law, he called the religious leaders of the day “hypocrites” and told us not to be like them, he ate and drank with sinners, he kicked people out of the temple, and he claimed to be God which is what got him arrested and killed.
Think about the culture today. So many people try to be rebels by tatting their whole bodies, listening to controversial music, using foul language, smoking, saying “truth is relative”, getting drunk, going to strip clubs, having sex with anyone who has a pulse, and whatever else they see as rebellious. The hilarious thing is that all these “rebels” are nothing but conformists being blown around by the winds of popular culture. Think about it. If everyone is doing it, it’s no longer rebellion, it’s conformity.
Paul is telling us here not to be conformists like the rest of the culture who follow whatever is cool at the time. So if you want to be a rebel here is some advice: read your Bible every day, save yourself for marriage which you define as being between one man and one woman, go to church and actually give an offering, don’t curse or smoke or get drunk, don’t cheat on your spouse or get a divorce, don’t go to strip clubs, believe that truth is absolute and not relative to each person, and be willing to say that if a person does not believe in Jesus they are going to hell. That is the only rebellion left! Most people will read this and think that it sounds ridiculous. THAT’S THE POINT. It’s rebellious and it’s what we are called to do.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Romans 8
My reading for today was Romans 8 in its entirety. Where can I even begin to attempt to write commentary on this chapter? This is perhaps one of the richest chapters in the whole Bible. I am just deeply humbled as I read it. I am reminded of how awesome and wonderful our God is. This chapter literally brings me to my knees in prayer, repentance, and thanksgiving. Think about this: God speaks to us through His word. God wrote you a letter. Can you even grasp that? GOD WROTE YOU A LETTER. If you went to your mailbox today and in the upper left hand corner of a letter you received is the name "God" with a return address of "Heaven" what are you going to do with it? Seriously!! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT? (I am screaming this at the top of my lungs) I can tell you what most of us do with it. We look through the other mail to see what else we got, we walk inside and throw God's letter on the coffee table and read some garbage magazine. What? Think about that for a minute. God writes us a letter, we throw it on the coffee table and instead read what Britney Spears has to say about her love life? Are you kidding me? This sounds ridiculous but this is exactly what we do. How much time do we spend reading or watching gossip about celebrities, reading self-help crap, or sitting on the edge of our seats wondering who Bret Michaels is going to kick off this week rather than reading what the Creator of the universe has to say to us? As I write this it seems so ridiculous to think that anyone would do that. But I do, most of us do. How stupid are we, seriously? I'll say this again because I just can't seem to wrap my mind around it: God, the creator of heaven and earth, the sovereign king of the universe wrote you a letter in which He shares with you His most intimate secrets, His advice on any hardship you are facing, His deepest desires for you and your life, the way to live life to its fullest, and how to spend eternity with Him in paradise and bring your family and friends with you and you choose to read about Britney Spears' love life? WAKE UP!!!!!
This is a call to anyone reading this to stop now. Stop reading garbage written by men and pick up God's letter to you and read and don't stop reading until you are standing in front of God Himself and He can tell you in person.
This is a call to anyone reading this to stop now. Stop reading garbage written by men and pick up God's letter to you and read and don't stop reading until you are standing in front of God Himself and He can tell you in person.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Role of the Law in our Lives
The majority of my last posts have been an attack on the law as a means of salvation. It should be understood though that the law in itself is not a bad thing. In his book to the Romans, Paul writes in chapter 7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Paul even goes on to say that the law is holy. What does this all mean? I have spent some time attacking the law and now I am saying that the law is a good thing? Exactly.
The law, when used as a means to salvation is bad. But that is not the intention of the law. The law was given to us as a gift from God. Like all of God's other gifts, man has a way of misusing them and turning them into sin.
So what was the original purpose of the law, before it was perverted by man? Paul tells us in verse 7: Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. He goes on in verse 9: I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment (law) came, sin came alive and I died. Verse 13: Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.
The purpose of the law is twofold. First, the law shows sin to be sin. It reveals sin in our lives. Paul says in verse 7: For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." Sin has always been there, the law just brings it into the light and reveals it to us so that we know when we are sinning. In my opinion, the best explanation of this purpose of the law was given by John Bunyan in his book "The Pilgrims Progress". Bunyan paints this picture: A large dustcovered room in Interpreter's house symbolizes the human heart. When a man with a broom, representing God's law, begins to sweep, the dust (sin) swirls up and all but suffocates Christian. This is what the law does to sin. It so agitates sin that it becomes stifling. And just as a broom cannot clean a room of dust but only stir it up, so the law cannot cleanse the heart of sin but only make the sin more evident and unpleasant.
That brings us to the second purpose of the law which is to show us how far we are from God's standard for us. The law is designed to make us realize that we are so far away from God that there is nothing we can do to get back to Him. As Bunyan would put it: the law cannot cleanse the heart of sin but only make the sin more evident and unpleasant. This purpose of the law is to show us that we are in desperate need of a Savior. It is designed to show us that we are so sinful that we are spiritually dead. That is what Paul was talking about in verse 9 when he said: I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment (law) came, sin came alive and I died. Spiritually dead people cannot save themselves and once we realize that, the second purpose of the law is fulfilled, that we may rely on faith alone in Christ alone for our salvation.
So now we know that the law in itself is a good, holy gift from God. It serves two main purposes: to reveal sin in our lives and to show us how far we fall from God's standard for us. Once we come to understand the role of the law in our lives we will no longer rely on the law to save us but instead look to Jesus, who is the only way to salvation.
The law, when used as a means to salvation is bad. But that is not the intention of the law. The law was given to us as a gift from God. Like all of God's other gifts, man has a way of misusing them and turning them into sin.
So what was the original purpose of the law, before it was perverted by man? Paul tells us in verse 7: Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. He goes on in verse 9: I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment (law) came, sin came alive and I died. Verse 13: Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.
The purpose of the law is twofold. First, the law shows sin to be sin. It reveals sin in our lives. Paul says in verse 7: For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." Sin has always been there, the law just brings it into the light and reveals it to us so that we know when we are sinning. In my opinion, the best explanation of this purpose of the law was given by John Bunyan in his book "The Pilgrims Progress". Bunyan paints this picture: A large dustcovered room in Interpreter's house symbolizes the human heart. When a man with a broom, representing God's law, begins to sweep, the dust (sin) swirls up and all but suffocates Christian. This is what the law does to sin. It so agitates sin that it becomes stifling. And just as a broom cannot clean a room of dust but only stir it up, so the law cannot cleanse the heart of sin but only make the sin more evident and unpleasant.
That brings us to the second purpose of the law which is to show us how far we are from God's standard for us. The law is designed to make us realize that we are so far away from God that there is nothing we can do to get back to Him. As Bunyan would put it: the law cannot cleanse the heart of sin but only make the sin more evident and unpleasant. This purpose of the law is to show us that we are in desperate need of a Savior. It is designed to show us that we are so sinful that we are spiritually dead. That is what Paul was talking about in verse 9 when he said: I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment (law) came, sin came alive and I died. Spiritually dead people cannot save themselves and once we realize that, the second purpose of the law is fulfilled, that we may rely on faith alone in Christ alone for our salvation.
So now we know that the law in itself is a good, holy gift from God. It serves two main purposes: to reveal sin in our lives and to show us how far we fall from God's standard for us. Once we come to understand the role of the law in our lives we will no longer rely on the law to save us but instead look to Jesus, who is the only way to salvation.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Thoughts on Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The effects of this truth are far reaching. Since justification comes through faith and not through works we can be at peace, never fearing we have not done quite enough to earn entry into heaven. Galatians 5:1 says For freedom Christ has set us free. Christ’s death on the cross liberates us. It frees us from the legal demands of the law, all rituals as the basis of salvation, the slavery of sin, from bondage to the fear of death, and frees us to live in the peace of knowing that we are saved, not by what we do, but by faith in Jesus. It gives us the peace of knowing that since there is nothing we can do to gain our salvation, there is nothing we can do to lose it. Salvation is a gift from God. It is not earned but given despite the fact that we are enemies of God.
I know people who either do not understand this truth or in their pride refuse to believe it. They do not live lives of freedom in Christ but instead live in bondage fearing that the next sin they commit may the one that throws them from God’s graces and condemns them to hell. The error in their thinking begins with the fact that they believe that they did something in the first place to earn the grace of God or gain His favor. The Bible makes it clear that we are sinners from the womb and are born speaking lies (Psalm 58:3). The “good deeds” we do that we think get us into the graces of God, He looks at and says they are filthy, like a bloody tampon (Isaiah 64:6). In order for us to live in the full freedom of Christ and live our lives to the fullest we must understand that we are sinners from the start and that while we were still enemies of God, in His love for us, chose to save us, not by anything we do, but by faith in his son Jesus. Once we understand that Christ saved us despite the fact we have done NOTHING to deserve it we can live in the peace of knowing that there is NOTHING we can do to cause God to remove His grace from us and condemn us to hell.
Let me be clear: if you are a Christian with a new heart, filled with the Holy Spirit, having faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior your are going to heaven, PERIOD. If you are truly a Christian you will never be anything but a Christian again. We will all have ups and downs and struggles but we will never lose our salvation. The Bible is clear on this. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). The moment we come to believe in Jesus our fates are sealed. Jesus says All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out (John 6:37). He goes on and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day (John 6:39).
Here is the point: if we belong to Jesus, he will never let us go and we have freedom and peace in the knowledge of that truth.
The effects of this truth are far reaching. Since justification comes through faith and not through works we can be at peace, never fearing we have not done quite enough to earn entry into heaven. Galatians 5:1 says For freedom Christ has set us free. Christ’s death on the cross liberates us. It frees us from the legal demands of the law, all rituals as the basis of salvation, the slavery of sin, from bondage to the fear of death, and frees us to live in the peace of knowing that we are saved, not by what we do, but by faith in Jesus. It gives us the peace of knowing that since there is nothing we can do to gain our salvation, there is nothing we can do to lose it. Salvation is a gift from God. It is not earned but given despite the fact that we are enemies of God.
I know people who either do not understand this truth or in their pride refuse to believe it. They do not live lives of freedom in Christ but instead live in bondage fearing that the next sin they commit may the one that throws them from God’s graces and condemns them to hell. The error in their thinking begins with the fact that they believe that they did something in the first place to earn the grace of God or gain His favor. The Bible makes it clear that we are sinners from the womb and are born speaking lies (Psalm 58:3). The “good deeds” we do that we think get us into the graces of God, He looks at and says they are filthy, like a bloody tampon (Isaiah 64:6). In order for us to live in the full freedom of Christ and live our lives to the fullest we must understand that we are sinners from the start and that while we were still enemies of God, in His love for us, chose to save us, not by anything we do, but by faith in his son Jesus. Once we understand that Christ saved us despite the fact we have done NOTHING to deserve it we can live in the peace of knowing that there is NOTHING we can do to cause God to remove His grace from us and condemn us to hell.
Let me be clear: if you are a Christian with a new heart, filled with the Holy Spirit, having faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior your are going to heaven, PERIOD. If you are truly a Christian you will never be anything but a Christian again. We will all have ups and downs and struggles but we will never lose our salvation. The Bible is clear on this. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). The moment we come to believe in Jesus our fates are sealed. Jesus says All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out (John 6:37). He goes on and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day (John 6:39).
Here is the point: if we belong to Jesus, he will never let us go and we have freedom and peace in the knowledge of that truth.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 5:1
In his book Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, John Piper lists “to abolish circumcision and ALL rituals as the basis of salvation” as one of them (Piper). In the context of this verse Paul is especially talking about circumcision when he refers to the “yoke of slavery.” But Jesus did not die on the cross just so we wouldn’t have to get our manhood cut on. He died to free us from ALL rituals that were seen as contributing to the salvation of a person. This verse specifically answers the question “Why did Jesus die on the cross?” The answer is in the first two words of this verse: “for freedom.” Jesus came to set the Galatians free of the legalism of the Judaizers who were insisting on their circumcision. He came to die to free us from the legalism of self-righteous Christians who insist that salvation is to be gained by the suit we wear to church, the size of the check we put in the offering, or the decibel level of our prayers. They say salvation is to be lost by the percentage of alcohol in our drinks, the number of piercings in our bodies, or the “unchristian” music or movies we enjoy. For those of us who live our lives in the freedom that Christ affords we face pressure from “traditional Christians” whose traditions are not even grounded Biblically. We are pressured to wear our “Sunday best”, to not listen to “that” music or watch “those” movies, or do anything that would make said traditionalists uncomfortable. The Galatians were also being pressured to live according to the traditions of the Judaizers. What does Paul tell them? “Stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Paul is telling them that they were once slaves to human tradition but Jesus died to set them free from human tradition as a means of salvation. He says now that you are free don’t go run back to the shackle and chains of tradition. Instead, live in the freedom that Jesus gives.
I should say here that I am not making a sweeping statement that all tradition is bad. It is due to tradition that through the years the church has fought many attacks and heresies and lived on to be a force in peoples lives today. We owe much of what we have today to the traditions passed on by the early church fathers and through generations. What I do demand of traditions is that they be rooted in the Bible. They must be grounded in God’s word. If you subscribe to a tradition related to the church show me where that tradition is rooted in Scripture. If you cannot then it is merely your opinion. Period.
I am also not saying that because we are not bound by the chains of tradition we should make an effort to rebel against “traditional Christianity”. As Paul tells the Corinthians “’All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.” Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. Our actions should be from the heart and done in love. We have the freedom to be who God created us to be; and the freedom not to be who tradition says we should be. Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, says the best advice he has ever received as a church planter came from John Piper and it is this: “Be a sanctified version of yourself.”
I should say here that I am not making a sweeping statement that all tradition is bad. It is due to tradition that through the years the church has fought many attacks and heresies and lived on to be a force in peoples lives today. We owe much of what we have today to the traditions passed on by the early church fathers and through generations. What I do demand of traditions is that they be rooted in the Bible. They must be grounded in God’s word. If you subscribe to a tradition related to the church show me where that tradition is rooted in Scripture. If you cannot then it is merely your opinion. Period.
I am also not saying that because we are not bound by the chains of tradition we should make an effort to rebel against “traditional Christianity”. As Paul tells the Corinthians “’All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.” Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. Our actions should be from the heart and done in love. We have the freedom to be who God created us to be; and the freedom not to be who tradition says we should be. Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, says the best advice he has ever received as a church planter came from John Piper and it is this: “Be a sanctified version of yourself.”
Friday, March 13, 2009
Feminism, Chauvinism, and Rape
I read an article today that reminded me how the words of the Bible, written thousands of years ago, are still true today. The title of the article is "S. African gangs use rape to 'cure' lesbians". Is is really possible that a book written so long ago could address issues we face today? Yes.
In Genesis chapter 3, verse 16, God says to Eve "Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” God says these words right after the fall. He tells Eve that because of her sin, she will "desire" her husband. The meaning here is that Eve will want to take Adam's place as the head. She will not desire to submit to her husband's authority and instead will desire to assert authority over him. God uses the same term in the next chapter, when talking to Cain He says "And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” The Hebrew word is the same. In this case, sin's desire is for Cain. It desires to overtake him and control him in the same way that women from Eve's time forward would desire to overtake men and control them. The feminist movement today is a result of sin in the garden.
Back to 3:16, God tells Eve that her husband "shall rule over you". This is today's male chauvinism. God tells Eve that she will desire to overthrow her husband and he will desire to hold her back. He will not lovingly lead her, love her, and protect her. Instead he will beat her and abuse her and rape her. As a result of the fall he will not love her as he should, instead he will rule over her.
As I read this article I could not help but think of how thousands of years ago God told us things like this would happen. In the case of this article we have women who refuse the amazing role that God has made for them, a role that only a woman can do. They not only desire the authority that comes with the role of husband, they literally want to be the husband, a role specifically set aside for the man. Then we have the men who, instead of lovingly leading women to understand the character and heart of God and the role that he has set aside for them, now turn to rape.
Sin is disgusting. It leads to feminism and chauvinism and rape. God wrote a book telling us that these horrible things happened and will continue to happen unless we repent of sin and accept the gift He has given us. When will we begin to listen?
In Genesis chapter 3, verse 16, God says to Eve "Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” God says these words right after the fall. He tells Eve that because of her sin, she will "desire" her husband. The meaning here is that Eve will want to take Adam's place as the head. She will not desire to submit to her husband's authority and instead will desire to assert authority over him. God uses the same term in the next chapter, when talking to Cain He says "And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” The Hebrew word is the same. In this case, sin's desire is for Cain. It desires to overtake him and control him in the same way that women from Eve's time forward would desire to overtake men and control them. The feminist movement today is a result of sin in the garden.
Back to 3:16, God tells Eve that her husband "shall rule over you". This is today's male chauvinism. God tells Eve that she will desire to overthrow her husband and he will desire to hold her back. He will not lovingly lead her, love her, and protect her. Instead he will beat her and abuse her and rape her. As a result of the fall he will not love her as he should, instead he will rule over her.
As I read this article I could not help but think of how thousands of years ago God told us things like this would happen. In the case of this article we have women who refuse the amazing role that God has made for them, a role that only a woman can do. They not only desire the authority that comes with the role of husband, they literally want to be the husband, a role specifically set aside for the man. Then we have the men who, instead of lovingly leading women to understand the character and heart of God and the role that he has set aside for them, now turn to rape.
Sin is disgusting. It leads to feminism and chauvinism and rape. God wrote a book telling us that these horrible things happened and will continue to happen unless we repent of sin and accept the gift He has given us. When will we begin to listen?
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 4:21
Paul is asking those who are following the Judaizers teachings and thus putting themselves in submission to the law if they even listen to and understand the book from which they draw their laws. This should hit close to home for a lot of Christians today. If asked of Christians today the question would go something like: “Tell me, you who call yourselves Christians, do you even read your Bibles?” This question should be asked of two types of people.
First Christian leaders should be asked this question. Sometimes Christian leaders today come up with some pretty insane ideas of what Scripture says. They either completely ignore certain portions of Scripture because it’s uncomfortable or doesn’t seem to back up their position or they mutilate a portion of Scripture to make it say what they want. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy he tells him, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” ALL Scripture is profitable and from God and ALL Scripture should be taught. If we ignore the parts we don’t like, God’s message to us is not complete and we will not have a full understanding of Him or of what He expects from us. Christian leaders also mutilate some sections of Scripture to make it say what they want it to say. I am still a fairly immature Christian but even I have seen this over and over again by men uncomfortable with the doctrines of grace. Some today even go so far as to deny the virgin birth, the inerrancy of Scripture, and the exclusivity of the Gospel. All I can say about them has already been said: “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” We should be asking these men, “Tell me, you who call yourselves Christians, do you even read your Bibles?”
Secondly, Christians in non-leadership positions should be asked this question. This was the group that Paul was addressing. Even though leaders and teachers will be judged more strictly (James 3:1), it is up to all Christians to examine what they are being taught to make sure it lines up with what Scripture teaches. There is only one way to do that: know what Scripture teaches. How do we know what Scripture teaches? By praying for God to give us understanding before we read, reading our Bibles daily and meditating on what we have read. The Christians in Berea are a good example for us today: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
First Christian leaders should be asked this question. Sometimes Christian leaders today come up with some pretty insane ideas of what Scripture says. They either completely ignore certain portions of Scripture because it’s uncomfortable or doesn’t seem to back up their position or they mutilate a portion of Scripture to make it say what they want. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy he tells him, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” ALL Scripture is profitable and from God and ALL Scripture should be taught. If we ignore the parts we don’t like, God’s message to us is not complete and we will not have a full understanding of Him or of what He expects from us. Christian leaders also mutilate some sections of Scripture to make it say what they want it to say. I am still a fairly immature Christian but even I have seen this over and over again by men uncomfortable with the doctrines of grace. Some today even go so far as to deny the virgin birth, the inerrancy of Scripture, and the exclusivity of the Gospel. All I can say about them has already been said: “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” We should be asking these men, “Tell me, you who call yourselves Christians, do you even read your Bibles?”
Secondly, Christians in non-leadership positions should be asked this question. This was the group that Paul was addressing. Even though leaders and teachers will be judged more strictly (James 3:1), it is up to all Christians to examine what they are being taught to make sure it lines up with what Scripture teaches. There is only one way to do that: know what Scripture teaches. How do we know what Scripture teaches? By praying for God to give us understanding before we read, reading our Bibles daily and meditating on what we have read. The Christians in Berea are a good example for us today: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 4:18
"It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and a not only when I am present with you" -Galatians 4:18
I am confused about this verse. It seems like it could mean a number of things. Is Paul talking about himself here or the Galatians? I think we have to go back to verse 17 and look at Paul using the same term “make much of” in reference to the Galatians. He was telling them that the Judaizers were complimenting them and lifting them up but for the wrong reasons. It think verse 18 is simply Paul saying, “look it’s not always a bad thing to be complimented and lift each other up, in fact, it’s always a good thing if it’s done with the right motive.” He talks about this in his letter to the Ephesians. He says “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Granted this means that sometimes we have to confront each other with uncomfortable subjects but it is only done with the intention of building the other person up.
When Paul writes, “and not only when I am present with you”, does he mean that he is building them up even while he is gone or does he mean for them to build each other up when he is not there? I think the answer is both. He wants them to know he wishes to build them up even while he is away. He is also exhorting them to do so for each other. Maybe there was a tendency for the Galatians to build each other up in front of Paul so that he would think highly of them. Here he tells them “Don’t do it for that reason. Do it even when I’m not around.”
I really struggled with and prayed over this verse. If anyone has any other opinions or insights about this one please let me know.
I am confused about this verse. It seems like it could mean a number of things. Is Paul talking about himself here or the Galatians? I think we have to go back to verse 17 and look at Paul using the same term “make much of” in reference to the Galatians. He was telling them that the Judaizers were complimenting them and lifting them up but for the wrong reasons. It think verse 18 is simply Paul saying, “look it’s not always a bad thing to be complimented and lift each other up, in fact, it’s always a good thing if it’s done with the right motive.” He talks about this in his letter to the Ephesians. He says “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Granted this means that sometimes we have to confront each other with uncomfortable subjects but it is only done with the intention of building the other person up.
When Paul writes, “and not only when I am present with you”, does he mean that he is building them up even while he is gone or does he mean for them to build each other up when he is not there? I think the answer is both. He wants them to know he wishes to build them up even while he is away. He is also exhorting them to do so for each other. Maybe there was a tendency for the Galatians to build each other up in front of Paul so that he would think highly of them. Here he tells them “Don’t do it for that reason. Do it even when I’m not around.”
I really struggled with and prayed over this verse. If anyone has any other opinions or insights about this one please let me know.
Thoughts on Galatians 4:17
Have you ever met someone who is really nice to you only so they can get something out of you? These are the Judaizers. They are being nice to the Galatians, trying to win them over with praise and compliments. They are befriending them and spending time with them, building them up. But Paul tells them they are not doing it for good purpose, they are not doing it because they genuinely care about the Galatians. They are doing it so that the Galatians would get used to the constant petting and attention and then after the Judaizers ceased their fake affection the Galatians would come running, making much of the Judaizers. The Judaizers had ulterior motives. The Judaizers never cared about the Galatians. They lifted them up and made them feel good about themselves, and the Galatians were buying the lie. Paul wrote Timothy about this tactic: “For the time is coming when people will not endure n sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Paul was the one who truly loved them and cared for them because he told them the truth about their condition.
How many churches do we see today who would fall into this category of the Judaizers? I can think of plenty off the top of my head. These are the churches led by men like Joel Osteen who preach the “health, wealth, and prosperity gospel.” These are the churches that choose not to mention uncomfortable subjects such as sin from the pulpit. It makes me sick. These churches and their leaders are the Judaizers of today. We need to love people and that means speaking the truth, not telling them what their itching ears want to hear.
How many churches do we see today who would fall into this category of the Judaizers? I can think of plenty off the top of my head. These are the churches led by men like Joel Osteen who preach the “health, wealth, and prosperity gospel.” These are the churches that choose not to mention uncomfortable subjects such as sin from the pulpit. It makes me sick. These churches and their leaders are the Judaizers of today. We need to love people and that means speaking the truth, not telling them what their itching ears want to hear.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Amazing Grace
Amazing disGrace, how dark the heart,
That beats inside of me,
I turn my back at every chance,
And nail you to that tree.
-Robert Gilliland
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For 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. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
I think grace may be the most beautiful word in the English language. Without it there is no hope of salvation. There is no forgiveness. Apart from grace I deservedly spend eternity being tormented in hell. “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace.”
We live lives full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and maliciousness. We are gossips, slanderers, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. And that’s just the beginning. God is a just God who cannot let sin go unpunished. He must deal with sin. Sin must be atoned for.
Enter Jesus.
In what Martin Luther calls “the great exchange” God “made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is grace in action. Jesus came and exchanged places with us and in doing so became the worst of what we are. Jesus took our place on the cross, atoning for our sins. We take Jesus’ place in heaven.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
- John Newton
That beats inside of me,
I turn my back at every chance,
And nail you to that tree.
-Robert Gilliland
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For 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. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
I think grace may be the most beautiful word in the English language. Without it there is no hope of salvation. There is no forgiveness. Apart from grace I deservedly spend eternity being tormented in hell. “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace.”
We live lives full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and maliciousness. We are gossips, slanderers, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. And that’s just the beginning. God is a just God who cannot let sin go unpunished. He must deal with sin. Sin must be atoned for.
Enter Jesus.
In what Martin Luther calls “the great exchange” God “made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is grace in action. Jesus came and exchanged places with us and in doing so became the worst of what we are. Jesus took our place on the cross, atoning for our sins. We take Jesus’ place in heaven.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
- John Newton
Thoughts on Galatians 4:16
The Gospel is a very offensive message. And people need to be offended. People need to be confronted with the truth that they are, when compared to God’s standard for us, basically scumbags. Scripture tells us that we are estranged from the womb and are born speaking lies (Ps. 58:3). We need to be confronted with that truth and accept the fact that we are not “good people.” It is only then that we will be open to what Jesus has to offer. I love the way John Stott puts it in his book Basic Christianity: “Only when we have had the malady accurately diagnosed, shall we be willing to take the medicine” (Stott). Only when we realize we have a sickness (sin) will we be willing to take the appropriate medicine (Jesus).
The truth of our condition must always be spoken with one goal in mind: repentance and salvation. We are to speak the truth in love because we truly care about those who are sick and lost and want to see them made well. Stott puts it much better than I ever could: “This exposure of sin has only one purpose. It is to convince us of our need for Jesus Christ, and to prepare us for an understanding and an acceptance of what he offers. Faith is born of need. We shall never accept Christ unless we feel our need of Him.” He goes on: “Only when we have realized and admitted our sickness and it’s gravity, shall we admit our desperate need of the soul’s Physician” (Stott)
The truth of our condition must always be spoken with one goal in mind: repentance and salvation. We are to speak the truth in love because we truly care about those who are sick and lost and want to see them made well. Stott puts it much better than I ever could: “This exposure of sin has only one purpose. It is to convince us of our need for Jesus Christ, and to prepare us for an understanding and an acceptance of what he offers. Faith is born of need. We shall never accept Christ unless we feel our need of Him.” He goes on: “Only when we have realized and admitted our sickness and it’s gravity, shall we admit our desperate need of the soul’s Physician” (Stott)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 4:15
In Scripture, the Christian life is sometimes described as a race (Heb. 12:1; 1 Cor. 9:24). When Christ draws people to himself, and they accept the wonderful gift of grace they are, in effect, entering into a race. Typically, we see two types of runners. The first type enters the race, darts for the starting line and sprints as fast as they possibly can thinking they have entered the 100 yard dash. They are not pleased when they stop at the 100 yard mark, gasping for air, only to realize that the race they have entered is a marathon. The second type of runner enters the race, goes and sits down on the grass to stretch his previously unused muscles, and stays there for years, thinking he’s not quite limber enough yet to start running. I fell into the second category. From the sound of verse 15, the Galatians fell into the first.
Paul is asking them “What the heck happened?” While he was among them they were so eager to serve the cause of Christ. Paul says “if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.” The Galatians had been sprinting, and now, exhausted, were taking advice on how to run this marathon from the Judaizers. They may as well have been taking advice from Hugh Hefner on monogamy.
Paul is asking them “What the heck happened?” While he was among them they were so eager to serve the cause of Christ. Paul says “if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.” The Galatians had been sprinting, and now, exhausted, were taking advice on how to run this marathon from the Judaizers. They may as well have been taking advice from Hugh Hefner on monogamy.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 4:12
Paul exhorts the Galatians to be like him. His primary meaning here is that, like him, they should not live as slaves bound by the Mosaic law and ceremonial covenants and that they should enjoy the freedom of living by faith alone in Christ alone.
I think we can take something else away from this though. I think Paul is saying that it’s acceptable, in fact, it’s beneficial to have mentors. Of course Jesus is who we ultimately look to and measure everything against. But sometimes it really helps to see what Jesus teaches modeled in another man. Sometimes it’s hard to make the connection to what Scripture says and how to actually live it out. The Galatians were having a hard time reconciling faith alone in Christ alone because, like me, their pride (and the Judaizers) told them that there must be something they can do to earn their salvation. God used Paul as a mentor to them to show them how this concept is actually lived out in everyday life. Like the Galatians needed Paul to help steer them towards Jesus, we too need more mature, experienced, faithful, wise, humble, Jesus-loving men to help steer us toward Jesus and teach us how all of Scripture points toward him.
I think we can take something else away from this though. I think Paul is saying that it’s acceptable, in fact, it’s beneficial to have mentors. Of course Jesus is who we ultimately look to and measure everything against. But sometimes it really helps to see what Jesus teaches modeled in another man. Sometimes it’s hard to make the connection to what Scripture says and how to actually live it out. The Galatians were having a hard time reconciling faith alone in Christ alone because, like me, their pride (and the Judaizers) told them that there must be something they can do to earn their salvation. God used Paul as a mentor to them to show them how this concept is actually lived out in everyday life. Like the Galatians needed Paul to help steer them towards Jesus, we too need more mature, experienced, faithful, wise, humble, Jesus-loving men to help steer us toward Jesus and teach us how all of Scripture points toward him.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 4:8-11
Before the Galatians knew God, they worshiped other false gods of other religions and were slaves to the systems and sacrifices required by those religions. Man-made religions require our sacrifice in an effort to reach God and know Him. We become slaves to legalism in trying to always do one more thing so that we can be holy enough for God to notice us. What kinds of false god’s enslave us today? Is it the muscle car in the garage that we worship with our thoughts, time, and money? Is it our beloved sports teams whom we want to identify with by wearing the jersey or even dressing up as our favorite team’s mascot (Rom 1:21-23)? Is it our children, our spouse, our family, our friends? This is an important question.
Jesus, who by nature is God, frees us from slavery (Heb 2:14-15). Christianity is not about what we can do to reach God. It is about what God did to reach us. That is the fundamental difference between Christianity and all other religions.
Paul makes it clear that initially, we are known by God and not the other way around. There is nothing we can do on our own to know God. By His grace He chooses to reveal Himself to us and allow us to know Him. Hebrew 1:1-2 talks about God revealing Himself to us. Apart from that revelation we would know nothing about the true God.
Paul then questions them as to how they could possibly, after having known about the freedom that Christ offers, desire to go back again to being enslaved by man’s legalism. He tells them that is exactly what they are doing if they give in to the Judaizers insistence that they be circumcised. He says they will end up enslaved again, this time by the Mosaic law, specifically the cermonial laws of the Mosaic covenant. “To require Christians to follow such OT laws is to forfeit the gospel of justification by faith alone, in Christ alone.” (Gathercole)
Jesus, who by nature is God, frees us from slavery (Heb 2:14-15). Christianity is not about what we can do to reach God. It is about what God did to reach us. That is the fundamental difference between Christianity and all other religions.
Paul makes it clear that initially, we are known by God and not the other way around. There is nothing we can do on our own to know God. By His grace He chooses to reveal Himself to us and allow us to know Him. Hebrew 1:1-2 talks about God revealing Himself to us. Apart from that revelation we would know nothing about the true God.
Paul then questions them as to how they could possibly, after having known about the freedom that Christ offers, desire to go back again to being enslaved by man’s legalism. He tells them that is exactly what they are doing if they give in to the Judaizers insistence that they be circumcised. He says they will end up enslaved again, this time by the Mosaic law, specifically the cermonial laws of the Mosaic covenant. “To require Christians to follow such OT laws is to forfeit the gospel of justification by faith alone, in Christ alone.” (Gathercole)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 4:6
Because we are sons we receive the Holy Spirit. Notice it’s not because we go to church every Sunday, or because we helped that old lady across the street, or because we put a five in the offering plate, or because we pastor a church of 10,000 members, or because we wear a ONE bracelet or bought a (RED) product. We are not sons because of what we do. We could never do enough. We are sons because God chose to adopt us and sent Jesus to the orphanage to seal the deal. We are not sons because our hearts cry out “Abba Father!” rather we cry our “Abba Father!” because we are sons, and the Holy Spirit inside of us prompts us to do so.
The term “Abba” is key here. In the first-century AD “Abba” was the intimate Aramaic term used within Jewish families for “Dad.” Our God is an intimate God. He is our “Dad.” Most man-made religions portray a distant, out of touch god with whom there is no relationship. God Himself tells us that He desires a close familial relationship with His people and that He is able to have one. Anytime we are talking with God (which should be continually) we would do well to remember that He is “Abba”, He is “Dad.” We don’t need to use fancy “religious” words when we're talking with Him, in fact we’re told not to (Matt. 6:7). We need to talk to Him like we should talk to “Dad”, with respect, admiration, and the expectation that He will take care of us.
The term “Abba” is key here. In the first-century AD “Abba” was the intimate Aramaic term used within Jewish families for “Dad.” Our God is an intimate God. He is our “Dad.” Most man-made religions portray a distant, out of touch god with whom there is no relationship. God Himself tells us that He desires a close familial relationship with His people and that He is able to have one. Anytime we are talking with God (which should be continually) we would do well to remember that He is “Abba”, He is “Dad.” We don’t need to use fancy “religious” words when we're talking with Him, in fact we’re told not to (Matt. 6:7). We need to talk to Him like we should talk to “Dad”, with respect, admiration, and the expectation that He will take care of us.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 4:5: Adoption
Jesus redeems us from the curse of the law (Gal 3:13). That term redeem means to gain possession of something in exchange for payment. What is paid and what is received? Verse 5 tells us. Jesus redeems us, he makes the payment for us. On the cross Jesus paid the price for all sin, past, present, and future (Heb 10:12). What do we gain? We gain sonship. We become children of God. We are adopted into the family of the Almighty. In Knowing God, J.I. Packer devotes an entire chapter to the idea of adoption. He says “were I asked to focus the New Testament message in three words, my proposal would be adoption through propitiation, and I do not expect ever to meet a richer or more pregnant summary of the gospel than that.” (Packer) He goes on to talk about the benefits of adoption: “First, the family relationship must be an abiding one, lasting forever. Perfect parents do not cast off their children. Christians may act the prodigal, but God will not cease to act the prodigal’s Father. Second, God will go out of His way to make His children feel His love for them and know their privilege and security as members of His family. Adopted children need assurance that they belong, and a perfect parent will not withhold it.” (Packer)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Thoughts on Galatians 4:1-3
As children we are under “guardians and managers.” For the Jew this would be the Mosaic Law. In 3:25 Paul speaks of the law as a guardian when he says, “now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” As a minor, an heir has no say or right to the things his father had left him until the date pre-determined by the father. The minor does not get to set the date or determine what is left to him. He is at the mercy of his father. The same is true of us. We do not receive what the Father has set aside for us to receive until the time He has set aside. For some it happens sooner than others. For others still it does not happen at all. We are at the mercy of the merciful, gracious, just, perfect, loving God and I praise Him for that. I would much rather my fate be in the hands of a perfect God than in my own. I know that, apart from God, my heart is only evil continually (Gen 6:5), that I can do no good (Rom 3:10-12), and that, in God’s eyes, the things that I do that I think are righteous he equates with a bloody tampon (Isaiah 64:6). It’s obvious what my fate is apart from God stepping in and removing my heart of stone and replacing it with a heart that would desire Him. Let me restate that I am thankful that God does not leave my fate in my own hands.
When we are children (not yet redeemed by God’s grace) we are enslaved to the ways of the world. We will desire the world. We will follow the course of the world and all it’s evil spirits (Eph 2:1-3). We will be enslaved by the laws or systems that we follow until Jesus sets us free from the curse that enslaves us (Gal 3:13).
When we are children (not yet redeemed by God’s grace) we are enslaved to the ways of the world. We will desire the world. We will follow the course of the world and all it’s evil spirits (Eph 2:1-3). We will be enslaved by the laws or systems that we follow until Jesus sets us free from the curse that enslaves us (Gal 3:13).
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