Semper Reformanda

Machen on Christian Experience

2010-03-10T22:05:00.001-05:00

"Christian experience is necessary to evangelism; but evangelism does not consist merely in the rehearsal of what has happened in the evangelist's own soul. We shall, indeed, be but poor witnesses for Christ if we can tell only what Christ has done for the world or for the Church and cannot tell what He has done personally for us. But we shall also be poor witnesses if we recount only the experiences of our own lives. Christian evangelism does not consist merely in a man's going about the world saying: "Look at me, what a wonderful experience I have, how happy I am, what wonderful Christian virtues I exhibit; you can all be as good and as happy as I am if you will just make a complete surrender of your wills in obedience to what I say." That is what many religious workers seem to think that evangelism is. We can preach the gospel, they tell us, by our lives, and do not need to preach it by our words. But they are wrong. Men are not saved by the exhibition of our glorious Christian virtues; they are not saved by the contagion of our experiences. We cannot be the instruments of God in saving them if we preach to them thus only ourselves. Nay, we must preach to them the Lord Jesus Christ; for it is only through the gospel which sets Him forth that they can be saved.

If you want health for your souls, and if you want to be the instruments of bringing health to others, do not turn your gaze forever within, as though you could find Christ there. Nay, turn your gaze away from your own miserable experiences, away from your own sin, to the Lord Jesus Christ as He is offered to us in the gospel. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." Only when we turn away from ourselves to that uplifted Savior shall we have healing for our deadly hurt.

It is the same old story, my friends-- the same old story of the natural man. Men are trying today, as they have always been trying, to save themselves-- to save themselves by their own act of surrender, by the excellence of their own faith, by mystic experiences of their own lives. But it is all in vain. Not that way is peace with God to be obtained. It is to be obtained only in the old, old way - by attention to something that was done once for all long ago, and by acceptance of the living Savior who there, once for all, brought redemption for our sin. Oh, that men would turn for salvation from their own experience to the Cross of Christ; oh, that they would turn from the phenomena of religion to the living God!

That that may be done, there is but one way. It is not found in a study of the psychology of religion; it is not found in "religious education"; it is not found in an analysis of one's own spiritual status. Oh, no. It is found only in the blessed written Word. There are the words of life. There God speaks. Let us attend to His voice. Let us above all things know the Word. Let us study it with all our minds, let us cherish it with all our hearts. Then let us try, very humbly, to bring it to the unsaved. Let us pray that God may honor not the messengers but the message, that despite our unworthiness He may make His Word upon our unworthy lips to be a message of life."

- J. Gresham Machen, The Importance of Christian Scholarship in The Defense of The Faith, 1932

Him We Proclaim

2010-03-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

I have been working on completing Him We Proclaim by Dennis Johnson for some time now. I put it down for awhile and almost did not return to it. However, I am glad now that I did. It may seem strange that a layperson would read a book about homiletics, but Johnson's text is not just a how too book on preaching. Rather, it is mainly a hermeneutic, a way of viewing scripture. To that end, it has been very helpful in my understanding of the Bible.

Johnson speaks of two early camps on biblical interpretation. First, the Alexandrian school that erred by overemphasis on allegorism. By cutting the "text's spiritual significance loose from the constraints of the original context and demonstrable apostolic warrant in the New Testament. . .the . . .preacher is no longer the servant of the Word, subject to Scripture, but a master and manipulator of biblical words and images for his own theological purposes. . ."[p. 106] Conversely, the "[p]reachers of the School of Antioch therefore sought to limit their symbolic interpretation of Scripture to meaning for which they could demonstrate clear warrant in the text read in its original historical context, and to trace a historically oriented line of continuity between the promise implicit in the text's original sense and the fulfillment in Christ in the fullness of time." p. 107. Unfortunately, the medieval exegesis was strongly influenced by the Alexandrians, and this type of preaching would dominate for roughly a millennium." p. 108.

The following are some other notable quotes from Johnson's book:

"Pietists give priority to salvation from the control of sin by focusing their preaching on spiritual experience." p. 26

"Preaching Christ is preaching grace. This may seem obvious, but it is not obvious to all. . .Many preachers have thought they were preaching Christ when. . .they pointed to him as a stellar example to be followed. It is possible to preach about Jesus, even mention grace in the process, and yet be preaching law, calling people to reform themselves with a little help from their heavenly Friend. Such a message breeds either self-deluded complacency or self-contemptuous despair." p.81

"To focus on Jesus as example is to reduce him from sovereign Savior to ethical coach, and to transform his gospel into law". p. 15

"Sanctification can be viewed as a progressive weaning of the heart from its idols, those hollow 'authorities' whose approval we crave and from whom we seek security. Often, perhaps always, Christians' behavioral failures can be traced to misplaced trust and worship, to misgivings about the mercy and power of the triune God that tempt us to look elsewhere for acceptance and safety." p. 43

"Redemptive-historical preachers oppose the moralistic, particularly the exemplaristic, preaching of biblical historical narratives. They find it a serious misunderstanding of the purpose of biblical history to focus on the human participants in the narrative either as positive moral examples to be emulated, or as negative examples whose experiences warn against unbelief and evil." p. 50

"We need to repent not only of our sins but also our righteousness -- our efforts at self-atonement in lieu of surrender to the all-sufficient grace of Christ." p. 56

"Our idols are whatever (other than the triune God) we trust to gain "salvation," however we define it -- whatever we believe that we cannot live without." p. 57

"Apostolic preaching addresses human needs in all their diversity and depth. It does not just apply bandages to 'felt needs,' which are symptoms of secret infection. When God does the diagnosis through his whole Word, he pierces through the surface symptoms all the way to the heart, with the radical cure of God's holy truth exposing our infection in all its ugliness and applying Christ's amazing grace in all its sweetness and strength." p. 71

"Apostolic preaching is profoundly practical because it is profoundly theological. Transformed convictions transform attitudes and behavior." p. 177

"The allegorical interpreter prematurely draws too direct a line between the ancient text and his Christian hearers, without first asking the question of spiritual and covenantal significance to its ancient participants and original recipients. . .As a result, the meaning (or layers of meaning) that he symbolically derives from the text, even when it articulates doctrines related to Christ and his saving work, fails to disclose how Christ fulfills the redemptive significance of the original Old Testament event, replacing the imperfect with perfection and historial foreshadowings with reality. . ." p. 232

"The great weakness of moralistic, exemplaristic preaching is it tendency to enlist Old Testament examples in order to lay ethical obligations on hearers without showing how Christ kept covenant faithfullness where the negative examples failed, and how Christ's perfect righteousness fulfills eve the best obedience offered by the Old Testament's most positive examples" p. 234

"We are following the hermeneutic path that the apostles learned from Jesus, neither bypassing the meaning of the event in its own historical context nor ignoring the fact that the event and its immediate historical context are threads woven into a larger tapestry, the pattern of which is seen finally and fully in Jesus." p. 236-37

"Instead of motivating obedience by offering God's favor as contingent on human performance, the apostles spoke for a God who had begun the process of new creation by extending unmerited mercy and who thereby evokes from renewed people a grateful love and eager desire to obey" p. 265

"Israelite children must hear repeatedly the logic of grace-evoked obedience, which comes to its fullest fruition in the gospel of Christ. The typical structure of several Pauline epistles makes this clear: the indicative of the glorious redemptive work of Jesus. . .precedes, motivates, and empowers the imperatives that define the response of the redeemed." p. 299

"Scripture repeatedly identifies forgetfulness as a lethal spiritual danger." p. 357

"Could it be - Satan!"

2009-07-13T21:43:00.010-04:00

I recently rented the movie "Ghost Town" which came out in 2008. I thought the following was an interesting exchange by the two primary characters:

FRANK: “Hey, when the devil shows up, you think he’s gonna have little red horns and carry a pitchfork? No, he’s gonna work for Amnesty international, and he’s gonna give all of his money to the homeless.”

DR. PINCUS: “Well, if he did all that, wouldn’t he lose the title ‘the devil’?”

Hmmm. . .I think he would still be the devil. Of course, Dr. Pincus's answer is revealing. It reflects the world's minimalist view of goodness - a standard far below holiness. If he is a "good person," he CAN be the devil.

"the LORD saves not with sword and spear. . ."

2009-07-13T20:30:00.010-04:00

"The weapons of this warfare must not be carnal. . .The great apostles would not set upon the work of the ministry until they were 'endued with power from on high'. . .The Spirit will only work with his own tools." Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2005, p. 34.

Though we often try, we can not win the war by wielding weapons of our own design. While they may seemingly defend against our foe for a time, they grow dull quickly and fail us. We must pick up those armaments forged by God's almighty hand - the Word, sacraments (baptism and the Lord's Supper), and prayer. Westminster Shorter Catechism - #88. Then, and only then, will the victory be the LORD's.

In my weakness. . .

2009-06-15T21:34:00.004-04:00

"Far too often our concern with sin arises from how it makes us feel. Sinful habits, sometimes called 'besetting sins,' cause us to feel defeated, and we don't like to be defeated in anything, whether it's in a game of Ping-Pong or in our struggle with sin. . .sinful habits make us feel guilty and defeated." Jerry Bridges - The Discipline of Grace, NavPress, 2006, p. 149.

Just when I think my motivations are pure, I find myself once again caught by my own pride. How often am I more embarrassed about my weaknesses to a particular sin(s) and less about my insult to Christ's perfect work?

Colquhoun on Law and Gospel

2009-06-09T23:00:00.001-04:00

"'The law and the gospel are the principal parts of divine revelation; or rather they are the center, sum, and substance of all the other parts of it. Every passage of sacred Scripture is either law or gospel, or is capable of being referred either to the one or to the other . . . If then a man cannot distinguish aright between the law and the gospel, he cannot rightly understand so much as a single article of divine truth. If he does not have spiritual and just apprehensions of the holy law, he cannot have spiritual and transforming discoveries of the glorious gospel; and, on the other hand, if his view of the gospel is erroneous, his notions of the law cannot be right.'" --John Colquhoun

Kingdom Confusion

2009-05-16T21:40:00.004-04:00

Some of you may have heard of U. S. House Resolution 397 which designates the first week in May as “American Spiritual Heritage Week.” You can learn more about it here. I would propose a somewhat different resolution that might read as follows:

WHEREAS, Christians, just as all other Americans of religious or irreligious persuasions, shall actively participate in government as good citizens;

WHEREAS, although Christians shall be good citizens, they shall stop confusing the kingdom of God with the kingdom of man;

WHEREAS, Christians shall put down the sword and trust only in the power of the Gospel, and His sovereign hand, to bring about the fullness of His kingdom in His time;

I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

Once Bitten - Twice Shy

2009-03-11T21:00:00.001-04:00

". . .they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:18 (ESV)

I saw a documentary about snake handling churches in West Virgina a few weeks ago. Apparently, West Virgina is one of the few states in which snake handling services are still legal. What I found particularly interesting was a comment from one of the old timers interviewed. He said that you didn't have to worry about being bitten because if you died you were assured you would go to heaven, i.e., since you acted in faith by handling the poisonous snake you would be saved. Assuming I was from the Amelia Bedelia school of biblical interpretation, that is not exactly how I would read it. If you were bitten, wouldn't that mean just the opposite? That is, you are not a believer. The passage indicates that true believers would not be been bitten.

Frankly, the story was very sad. This kind of theology can only flow from a people who are gospel starved. Undoubtedly there are some bizarre reasons why a few may be attached to such an odd worship practice. However, if you drill down deep, I bet most of them are in fact simply looking for that assurance that God loves them. I see the same longing acted out in more measured and subtle ways among modern evangelicals. Nonetheless, I submit the better and more faithful way to gain that assurance, is through word and sacrament.

P.S. I guess it is telling that I don't need the closed captioning when they are interviewing mountain folk. I understand them plainly.

The Dark Knight

2009-01-06T21:30:00.002-05:00

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 (ESV).

I recently read that The Dark Knight was the highest grossing film of 2008 and the second highest grossing film of all time behind Titanic. The Dark Knight is more than a simplistic story of good versus evil. It explores several competing, and sometimes disturbing worldviews. Two of the main philosophies expressed are humanism and nihilism.

Although Batman is a very complex character, I believe he is best described as a humanist. He believes that the citizens of Gotham are basically good and, through their own strength and perseverance, they will build this utopian society. There is nothing that the human spirit can not overcome. The Joker, also a very complex character, could be labeled a nihilist. Life is without meaning and is void. Accordingly, he calls the people of Gotham to give up on the idea of civilization.

I have seen the movie twice now and I am as fascinated with it as I am disturbed by it. Ultimately, both of these worldly philosophies are Christ-less. Nonetheless, I have to say that the Joker’s approach seems more honest. Unlike Batman, the Joker, at least understands the hypocrisy of the humanistic world and, although he does not recognize it, he does not attempt to excuse his own depravity. In the Joker’s world, the thin veneer of a seemingly moral society only covers up the violence and chaos brewing just under the surface. Maybe that is why so many young people seem to be attracted to the Joker’s character. Perhaps they understand their sin better than their parents.

If it were not for the grace of God and His assurance of the forgiveness of sins, I might also be found in the nihilist camp. Fortunately, this foolishness will save those that believe.

First Fruits

2009-01-06T21:26:00.004-05:00

In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. Genesis 4:3-5 (ESV).

Just before Christmas, I saw a story on Fox News regarding a new trend of online tithing. Apparently, some churches believe this will help with contributions in a strained economy. This got me thinking about how our worship services may be influenced by technology and an increasingly cashless society. What if at some point, in the not so distant future, all cash and checks are completely eliminated? Instead of offering plates, we will find the ushers passing some type of electronic gadget down each isle for the congregants to enter their pin and tithe amount? Personally, most of my bills are paid through electronic transfer. One of the few checks I write is to my Church. Thus, this doesn't seem like science fiction to me.

Of course, as Dr. Micheal Horton has exclaimed, if American Christianity can be described by only one word, it is "practicalism." With this in mind, it makes sense why online giving would be embraced. But a simple survey of the scriptures tells us that we worship a God who appreciates forms and styles. We worship a God who loves beauty. Accordingly, do we lose something if we eliminate the offering altogether from our services? I think we do.

The Sons of Our Fathers.

2008-12-13T07:17:00.004-05:00

I just finished listening to a NPR interview of Frank Schaeffer, the son of the late Francis Schaeffer. You can listen to it here. It was both disturbing and intriguing. While I would disagree with Frank Schaeffer on a number of points, which I will not take time to articulate here, I can certainly understand his complaints with modern evangelicalism.

No doubt, his story is shared by many believers who were raised in well meaning families that became distracted from the gospel by politics and an over realized eschatology, i.e. the kingdom of God is fully matured. What was surprising to me, but should not have been, is that even the brilliant Francis Schaeffer was in desperate need of the gospel.

I am not so naive as to believe that the church has not been in as bad or worse shape than it is now. Nonetheless, I am deeply concerned that ship is quickly coming apart from the inside out and it is a direct result of the failure to preach Christ and him crucified. God will preserve His church, he has promised no less, but I fear we may only be left with a small remnant to proclaim the gospel to the next generation.

What Titles Matter Most

2008-11-25T20:10:00.001-05:00

The following is an excert from The Lutheran Hour broadcast of October 5, 2003:

In 1989 Zita, the last empress of Austria and the last queen of Hungary died. The day of her funeral, 8,000 mourners filed out of Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral and fell in line behind the hearse drawn by six black horses. Two hours later the procession concluded at the Capuchin Church.

There, in keeping with tradition, a member of the funeral party knocked on the door and a priest asked, “Who goes there?”Zita’s titles were read aloud: “Zita, Queen of Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Galicia. Queen of Jerusalem. Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Cracow.”

“I do not know her,” came the voice from within the crypt.

The funeral group knocked a second time. “Who goes there?”

“Empress Zita,” was the more simple reply. Still the door remained shut.

The mourners knocked yet a third time. “Who is there?” “Zita, a poor sinner,” was the answer.

That answer was the right answer and the procession was allowed to enter. During the course of her long life, Zita had seen history swirl around her. She was nobility. She was acclaimed. But on the day of death, all of these things were meaningless. Only one thing was important—her trust in Jesus.

Empress Zita's funeral made me contemplate what might be my eulogy. After the gospel is proclaimed, I hope something similar to the following will be said: "Thomas, a poor mortal sinner, a child of the covenant, a baptized boy clothed in the righteousness of Christ - boldly approach the throne of the one true and living God."

I think those titles will do.

Why Your Theology Matters...

2008-10-31T13:17:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, a friend told me about an article in Time magazine entitled Maybe We Should Blame God for the Subprime Mess. The author questioned whether some fault for the subprime mortgage crisis can be attributed to the prosperity gospel. Not surprisingly, it seems that a number of disciples of the health, wealth, and prosperity message bought more expensive homes than they could afford because they thought their loan approval was a direct blessing from God as a reward for their faith. Unfortunately, in fact, it was often the curse of a greedy broker. Nevertheless, how will churches that preach this theology respond to the fallout after the real estate bubble has burst? Just like Jonas Nightengale, I imagine they will place the fault back on the congregant, i.e. "not enough faith."

P.S. Happy Reformation Day!

When Fig Leaves Aren't Enough

2008-09-21T21:00:00.001-04:00

"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity;I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." Pslam 32:1-5 (ESV).

The world seems to try to convince us to deny our sin or make excuses for it. I find that my natural tendency is to try to hide my sin from God either by denying its existence or by moving away from him. The Psalmist reminds us that blessed are those who do not try to cover their iniquity but confess it to the Lord. Rather than wallowing in our sin, we are given the opportunity to find true peace and reconciliation with a just and holy God. When will the descendants of Adam realize that fig leaves are not enough?

Blood People

2008-08-03T18:30:00.001-04:00

"Dia, What are you doing? Dia! Look at me, look at me. What are you doing? You are Dia Vandy, of the proud Mende tribe. You are a good boy who loves soccer and school. Your mother loves you so much. She waits by the fire making plantains, and red palm oil stew with your sister N'Yanda and the new baby. The cows wait for you. And Babu, the wild dog who minds no one but you. I know they made you do bad things, but you are not a bad boy. I am your father who loves you. And you will come home with me and be my son again." Blood Diamond (2006)

If you have not seen Blood Diamond, the foregoing dialogue comes from a powerful scene where Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) tries to convince his young son (Kagisa Kuyers), who has been brainwashed by a local warlord, to put down his pistol. Solomon is successful through reminding his son of his love for him and just who he is, and hence bringing him back to reality.

I was reminded of this scene as the pastor preached on 1 Peter 1-2 this morning: "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you." (ESV)

Like Vandy's young son, we often need to be reminded of who we are in Christ - a covenant child, heir to the promises, purchased with his son's precious blood, predestined to be his. The apostle Peter opens his first letter accordingly. Only when we know who we are can we truly respond, albeit not perfectly, in love and obedience to our Lord.

How quickly we forget...

You can't run, and you can't hide...

2008-08-01T08:13:00.001-04:00

"Do I believe in infant baptism? Heck, sir, I've seen it with my own eyes!"--Mark Twain

Some time ago, a new couple was joining our church and presenting their young son for baptism. The boy looked terrified at the prospect and I wondered if he might actually make a run for it. He didn't, but I thought to myself it wouldn't be so bad if he had. What would be a better example of our natural state and God's grace? Until Christ seizes us by his own hand, and turns our hearts toward him, we want nothing to do with him. We run terrified from his presence. Yet, his grace is effectual. He will have his people. Not one of them will be lost.

My prayer is that young boy will grow up to be a man, and he will never remember a time he didn't love Christ and his church.

The City of God

2008-02-14T22:21:00.003-05:00

"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come." Hebrews 13:14 (ESV).

A few weeks ago, my wife and I had the chance to vacation in New York City for a few days. We had a great time. While there, I obseverd that New Yorkers, as a group, seem extremely loyal to their city. One of our cab drivers proudly exclaimed, "New York. . .the greatest city in the World!" I would agree that it is a great place to visit, but, quite frankly, it still leaves a lot to be desired. I thought to myself, "Is this as good as it gets?" "Is this truly man's greatest city?"

In sharp contrast, I thought of God's promise of a new city - the City of God. "The ultimate goal of redemption will not be realized merely in a return to the pristine beginning of the garden. A new imagery of paradise arises in Scripture - the imagery of a city, of a hustling bustling center of activity for the redeemed." O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Covenants, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, Co. 1980. p. 107

It is upon those streets which I wish to walk. It is there I will place my citizenship . . .in the new Jerusalem.

The Faith of a Mustard Seed

2008-01-31T22:57:00.001-05:00

"My mother’s death was the occasion of what some (but not I) might regard as my first religious experience. When her case was pronounced hopeless I remembered what I had been taught; that prayers offered in faith would be granted. I accordingly set myself to produce by will power a firm belief that my prayers for her recovery would be successful; and as I thought, I achieved it. When nevertheless she died I shifted my ground and worked myself into a belief that there was to be a miracle. The interesting thing is that my disappointment produced no results beyond itself. The thing hadn’t worked, but I was used to things not working, and I thought no more about it. . .With my mother’s death all settled happiness, all that was tranquil and reliable, disappeared from my life. There was to be much fun, many pleasures, many stabs of Joy; but no more of the old security. It was sea and islands now; the great continent had sunk like Atlantis." - C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy.

February 11th will mark the 19th anniversary of my mother's death. That is, I have now lived as many years without her as with her. At that time in my life, I was closer to her than anyone. Her death marked a pivotal point in my life. It was an event that challenged my faith and beliefs and shaped me dramatically. I doubt that I will ever regain that "old security."

Although Lewis was apparently much younger at the time of his mother's death, his description of the event sounds hauntingly similar to my own. When she was diagnosed with cancer, I expected a miracle. When she died, I thought it was simply a lack of faith. Mistakenly, I had put my faith in faith itself. It has taken me many years to find the true meaning of faith and only worthy object of it - Christ alone.

Until the resurrection. . .

Fatal Retraction

2008-01-31T21:08:00.000-05:00

Sometime ago I was discussing with a friend of mine, immediately following our a worship service, how reformed some of Charles and John Wesley's hymns read. Unfortunately, I can not recall the hymn we had just sang. However, our Trinity Hymnal, published by Great Commission Publications, Inc., contains no less than twenty-four (24) of their works. Frankly, it just didn't make much sense given their theology.

I ran across this quote recently from John Wesley's work A Plain Account of Christian Perfection that may help to explain some of these seemingly inconsistencies:

"By perfection I mean the humble, gentle, patient love of God, and our neighbour, ruling our tempers, words, and actions. I do not include an impossibility of falling from it, either in part or in whole. Therefore, I retract several expressions in our Hymns, which partly express, partly imply, such an impossibility. And I do not contend for the term sinless, though I do not object against it."

Seated at the Table

2007-12-04T20:54:00.000-05:00

My oldest daughter, Hannah Grace, became a communing member on September 1st and then participated in her first Lord's Supper. As I reflected on her admission, I thought to myself that she has been seated at a eternal table. A table hosted by Christ himself. Just as physical food has nourished her body, my prayer is, this spiritual food help her to mature and draw her closer to Christ.

Comfortably Numb

2007-12-04T20:50:00.000-05:00

"We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn." Matthew 11:17 (ESV)

I sometimes wonder if the greatest threat from our sin may not necessarily be our capacity to do great evil. Rather, we grow comfortable with it over time. When we fail to recognize, appreciate, and mourn over our offense, we can never fully grasp the exceeding joy born out of Christ's love and sacrifice for his people.

Pagan Poet ? - Part II

2007-12-04T20:47:00.000-05:00

"How brittle are the Piers

On which our Faith doth tread -

No Bridge below doth totter so -

Yet none hath such a Crowd.

It is as old as God -

Indeed - 'twas built by him -

He sent His Son to test the Plank,

And he pronounced it firm." [#1433]

I recently finished a book by Wheaton College English Professor Roger Lundin entitled, Emily Dickinson and the Art of Belief, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998. Lundin's work is a fascinating, but sometimes tedious, study not only of Dickinson's life but also the rapidly changing political, scientific, and religious times in which she lived. What is so intriguing to me about Dickinson is her struggle with belief/unbelief and her willingness to deal with it honestly in her poetry and writings. Lundin writes, "With her numerous poems about God and faith, Emily Dickinson demonstrated an impressive grasp of intellectual history. She realized that she was living through a revolutionary period, when unbelief had for the first time in history become a lively possibility. . .In the end, as one who both doubted and believed, she resembled Dostoevsky more than Melville or Nietzsche. Like the Russian novelist, she won her way through doubt to a tenuous but genuine faith."Id. at 148. I hope that Lundin is correct as to Dickinson's faith, but there appears to be ample evidence from her works to support "virtually any conceivable claim about her beliefs." Id. at. 144.

I had the pleasure of hearing Bryan Chappell, president of Covenant Seminary, preach our traditional joint PCA Thanksgiving service a few Sundays ago. He preached on Romans 15:4 in which Paul writes, "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." What a good God we worship. Knowing how dense we often are, he gives us the scriptures which show us over and over again how he always keeps his promises. My prayer is that all of those who struggle with their faith and assurance, like Dickinson, might find hope in the Gospel.

The Gospel for John

2007-11-13T07:27:00.000-05:00

"Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." Matthew 11: 2-6 (ESV)

Did Christ not say there was no one greater born of woman than John? Was it not John that was the forerunner of Christ, announcing the good news, and calling for repentance by the people? Was it not John who witnessed the Holy Spirit descend upon Christ like a dove? Did he not leap for joy in his mother's womb when Mary's announcement was made? Yet, in his darkest hour even John the Baptist needed to hear the Gospel. Christ offered it willingly. How beautiful those words must have been to John. How beautiful they are still to us today.

P.S. November 11, 2007 was designated as the international day of prayer for the persecuted church. For most of us, living in "modern times," it is difficult to imagine that someone would be persecuted for their religious beliefs. Nonetheless, the voices under the altar who cry out "how long" are growing stronger each day. May our ears not grow deaf to them.

Lloyd-Jones on Romans

2007-10-16T21:29:00.000-04:00

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" - Romans 6:1 (ESV)

"There is no better test as to whether a man is really preaching the NewTestament gospel of salvation than this: that some people might misunderstand it and misinterpret it to mean that because you are saved by grace alone it does not matter at all what you do; you can go on sinning as much as you like because it will redound all the more to the glory of grace. If my preaching and presentation of the gospel of salvation does not expose it to that misunderstanding then it is not the gospel."

- Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounding on Romans 6:1.

Building the Testimony

2007-09-13T00:30:00.000-04:00

One of the remnants of revivalism, and perhaps evidence of our own narcissism, has been the call to share "our testimony." If you ever find yourself among modern evangelicals in a small group, it will not be long before someone suggests that you go around the room and share testimonies (especially if you are a teenager on a youth retreat and there is a camp fire). Additionally, all of the witnessing programs that I have had experience with, have insisted on the goal that each participant be able to clearly articulate his testimony. The presumption is that our stories will be one of the primary tools in winning the lost to Christ. Thus, we'd better know them cold.

However, when we look at the apostles, we find the New Testament rather bereft as to the details of their personal lives. Why is that? Perhaps it is because they were more concerned about preaching Christ than themselves. They were actually testifying, first hand, to historic events. A true witness in a legal sense. The late Edmond P. Clowney writes:

"But we often define witness as our own 'testimony' of God's grace in our lives. We recount how God has been gracious in saving us. In our day and culture in a postmodern world, however, such witness bears little weight. 'So you have had a religious experience? Great! I'm glad for you! I've had a few, too.' When we bear witness to Christ's name, we must not be content to speak of personal experience, though this is, of course, not to be excluded. We must join our own witness to that of the apostles and prophets, and even to the witness of Jesus to the Old testament. Without such roots, our own experience remains what our non-Christian friends have said:'a religious experience.'" How Jesus Transforms the Ten Commandments, P & R Publishing, (2007) p. 136

Any Christian who is relying on his own experience to witness to an unbeliever is setting himself up for failure. I remember one time in college talking with a friend who told me, with a tear in his eye, that if it had not been for marital arts he did not know how he would have made it through the hard times. It struck me ,at that time, how similar his testimony was to that of my Christian friends. So what is the difference to the unbeliever?

I recently listened to a series by Steve Smallman on "How Our Children Come to Faith" (which I would recommend). Smallman talks about how is own son fell under the pressure of his Christian peers to admittedly lie about his testimony. Growing up in a Christian home Smallman's son really didn't know a time that he was not a Christian. Of course, this doesn't make a very interesting testimony. So when his turn came "to share," he made something more dramatic up.

Is there a time and a place to share the blessing of what God has done for us? Certainly! However, I think we should first and primarily point to Christ's death and resurrection. Push the unbeliever to deal with the Christ of history - the Christ of scripture. Ask the question, "who was this person," rather than focusing on our own personal testimonies which can be so easily dismissed by a postmodern world.

If its too loud. . .

2007-09-07T07:49:00.000-04:00

I have been told that when Gustav Mahler wrote his Resurrection symphony in the final movement he stated that the human voice was the only instrument that could fully express the resurrection. Accordingly, he added a choir at the end of the symphony.

Although I think there can be appropriate times for instrumentals in worship, I would suggest that the primary and regular use of instruments should be to aid in congregational singing. I have found in both contemporary and traditional music genres that the musicians sometimes overwhelm the congregations to the point at which the human voice can be barely heard over the instruments. Have you ever heard a pipe organ really cranked up - wow! The result is often a disengagement of the people in worship. The congregation moves from participant to spectator.

If our Lord is a speaking God, unlike the mute idols, should we not respond in kind with our voices praising Him?

P.S. Even if we are a little out of tune. :)

O Death, Where is Your Victory?

2007-08-20T00:05:00.000-04:00

I recently finished John Murray's classic Redemption Accomplished and Applied, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan (1955). Frankly, I found the first part of the book, regarding the atonement, to be slow going. Nevertheless, I am glad that I continued to plow through it. I don't know if it would be the best book for a new believer, but it would be a good book for every believer to read at some point. I would not say that I learned a lot of new theological concepts, but Murray did help me to better understand, and thus reinforce, some major points of Christian doctrine. For that, I am grateful. If you are interested, here are a few highlights from his work I found especially interesting:

The Necessity of Atonement

"[H]ypothetical necessity maintains that God could have forgiven sin and saved his elect without atonement or satisfaction - other means were open to God to whom all things are possible." (p. 11) Conversely, "Consequent absolute necessity" holds that "while it was not inherently necessary for God to save, yet, since salvation had been purposed, it was necessary to secure this salvation through a satisfaction that could be rendered only through substitutionary sacrifice and blood-bought redemption." (p. 12) Apparently, the former view was held by early church father such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. The latter was favored by the protestant reformers. (p. 11)

Passive and Active Obedience of Christ

"He perfectly met both the penal and the perceptive requirements of God's law. The passive obedience refers to the former and the active to the latter." (p. 22)

Faith

"It is to be remembered that the efficacy of faith does not reside in itself. Faith is not something that merits the favour of God. All the efficacy unto salvation resides in the Saviour. As one has aptly and truly stated the case, it is not faith that saves but faith in Jesus Christ; strictly speaking, it is not even faith in Christ that saves but Christ that saves through faith." (p. 112)

"But faith, we must remember, is an act or exercise on the part of men. It is not God who believes in Jesus Christ, but the sinner who is being justified. Therefore faith is an indispensable instrumentality in connection with justification." (p. 129)

"Faith stands in antithesis to works; there can be no amalgam of these two." (p. 130)

"Justification is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. . .Faith works itself out through love. And faith without works is dead." (p. 131)

Justification - The Faith of Abraham

"[I]t might appear that it was the faith of Abraham which was reckoned as the righteousness on the basis of which he has justified, that faith itself was accepted by God as fulfilling the requirements necessary for a full and perfect justification. If this were the case then Abraham was justified and all other believers also are justified on the ground of faith because of faith. It is important to observe in this connection that the Scripture never uses such terms. It speaks always of being justified by faith, through faith, or upon faith, but never speaks of our being justified on account of faith or because of faith." (p. 125)

Sanctification

"It is necessary to be reminded that in the last analysis we do not sanctify ourselves. It is God who sanctifies. . .We must not forget, of course, that our activity is enlisted to the fullest extent in the process of sanctification. But we must not rely upon our own strength of resolution or purpose ["our complete dependence is upon the Holy Spirit"]. . .Self-confident moralism promotes pride, and sanctification promotes humility and contrition. (p. 146-47)

The Theory of What?

2007-08-05T19:53:00.000-04:00

I found this on TBNN. Apparently, it is a play on John Owen's "triple choice."

"The Father imposed His wrath due unto, and the Son underwent punishment for, either:

All the sins of all men.
All the sins of some men, or
Some of the sins of all men.

"In which case it may be said:

That if the last be true, all men have some sins to answer for, and so, none are saved. That if the second be true, then Christ, in their stead suffered for all the sins of all the elect in the whole world, and this is the truth.

But if the first be the case, why are not all men free from the punishment due unto their sins?

"You answer, "Because of unbelief."

"I ask, Is this unbelief a sin, or is it not? If it is, then Christ suffered the punishment due unto it, or He did not. If He did, why must that hinder them more than their other sins for which He died? If He did not, He did not die for all their sins!" Owens, John, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, Book 3, Ch. 3

The "Blue Law" Jesus.

2007-07-28T11:48:00.001-04:00

I imagine this how many nonbelievers, and some believers, view Christ’s ministry. Interestingly, God’s law is much more demanding than is demonstrated in this clip and His grace much more sufficient.

. . .Most to be Pitied.

2007-07-24T20:35:00.000-04:00

"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." 1 Corinthians 15:17-19.

Christianity is based on truth claims. However, in a postmodern world, it seems that we are losing the fight for "truth." Here is an interesting article by Dick Meyer entitled The Truth of Truthiness. When we can no longer can agree on the concept of "truth," I fear that leaves raw power to decide disputes among us. Are we ripe for dictator? See Narcissism Gone Wild, The White Horse Inn, February 4, 2007.

You're Not in Vegas Anymore...

2007-07-20T22:28:00.000-04:00

"What would things look like if Satan actually took over a city? The first frames in our imaginative slide show probably depict mayhem on a massive scale: Widespread violence, deviant sexualities, pornography in every vending machine, churches closed down and worshipers dragged off to City Hall. Over a half-century ago, Donald Grey Barnhouse, pastor of Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church, gave his CBS radio audience a different picture of what it would look like if Satan took control of a town in America. He said that all of the bars and pool halls would be closed, pornography banished, pristine streets and sidewalks would be occupied by tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The kids would answer ‘Yes, sir,’ ‘No, ma’am,’ and the churches would be full on Sunday … where Christ is not preached." Christless Christianity: Getting in Christ's Way, Mondern Reformation, May/June 2007.

Willimon on Worship

2007-06-12T22:46:00.000-04:00

Below is a link to an article by William H. Willimon which I thought was excellent.

"It's Hard to be Seeker-Sensitive When you Work for Jesus"

P.S. Please don't tell anyone I am citing to a Methodist, but Willimon is in his own category. :)

We Have the Whole World in Our Hands?

2007-06-08T17:26:00.001-04:00

I am certainly not one for trashing the environment. In fact, we have been charged with its care. However, Senator Dodd’s ad is poor form if you ask me. He should have picked another song to make his point.

Called to Communion

2007-06-08T07:58:00.000-04:00

Our oldest daughter, Hannah Grace, who is six (6), has been asking a lot of questions about Communion the past few months. When I asked her why she wanted to take Communion she said she wanted to think about it. A little later, she came back to me and announced that she felt she was being "called to take Communion." At first, I thought she had just picked-up on some Christian cliché. However, the more I thought about it, the more I thought that was actually a great answer! Just as I sometimes call my children to the dinner table, does not our Heavenly Father call His children to His table? Is it not a great blessing to be invited to this heavenly feast we call Communion? Yes, Hannah Grace, we are called to the table.

What Would Calvin Think?

2007-05-17T22:40:00.000-04:00

Yes, that is a Calvin bobble head. And yes, it is sitting on my desk. I wonder what Calvin would think looking over my shoulder at work. A lawyer by training, I imagine that he might inquire, "What is this thing called Westlaw?"

The Best Meal in Town

2007-04-26T09:38:00.000-04:00

"And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' But they paid no attention . . . Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests." Matthew 22:1-10 (ESV)

One of the privileges of serving on my church's Session is the opportunity to hand out communion on a weekly basis. It never gets old to me. A few Sundays ago, as the elders were preparing to come forward to return the trays to the pastor, I looked down to see all of the cups that were still remaining in the tray that I was carrying. I was struck with sadness considering the thought that there were many, at that very moment, finishing up brunch or sitting down for lunch all over my town. They had passed up this table, forgone the invite to dine with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, to partake of a food that would fill their stomachs for only a little while. Is this not truly a tragedy?

May we pray that Christ would call out all his elect and, in doing so, there would be no cups left remaining.

Grace and Peace.

Give No Quarter

2007-04-17T22:20:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading J. I. Packer's introduction to John Owen's classic the Death of Death in the Death of Christ, published by The Banner of Truth Trust, and I submit that it alone is worth the price of the book. In his essay, Packer gives no quarter to the Arminian, Universalist, or the self-righteous. Responding to the claim that Arminianism is a "result of reading the Scriptures in a 'natural,' unbiased, unsophisticated way," Packer writes: "Certainly, Arminianism is 'natural' in one sense, in that it represents a characteristic perversion of biblical teaching by the fallen mind of man, who even in salvation cannot bear to renounce the delusion of being master of his fate and captain of his soul."

Here is another interesting quote from Packer:

"Our minds have been conditioned to think of the Cross as a redemption which does less than redeem, and of Christ as a Saviour who does less than save, and of God's love as a weak affection which cannot keep anyone from hell without help, and of faith as the human help which God needs for this purpose. As a result, we are no longer free either to believe the biblical gospel or to preach it. We cannot believe it because our thoughts are caught in the toils of synergism[Cf Monergism]. We are haunted by the Arminian idea that if faith and unbelief are to be responsible acts, they must be independent acts; hence we are not free to believe that we are saved entirely by divine grace through a faith which is itself God's gift and flows to us from Calvary. Instead, we involve ourselves in a bewildering kind of double-think about salvation, telling ourselves one moment that it all depends on God and the next moment that it all depends on us. This is a hollow anticlimax. . .We have not exalted grace and the Cross; we have cheapened them. We have limited the atonement far more drastically than Calvinism does, for whereas Calvinism asserts that Christ's death, as such, saves all whom it was meant to save, we have denied that Christ's death, as such, is sufficient to save any of them. . .It can hardly be wondered at that the converts of the new gospel are so often both irreverent and irreligious, for such is the natural tendency of this teaching."

Note: I have noticed that often the first thing that a new Calvinist will do, after he gets off his knees in thanksgiving to God, is go to his Arminian neighbor and pound him over the head with his new found theology. This will not do. I have found that most Arminians do not even know they are Arminians, where as I have not yet met a Calvinist that did not know he was one. It has also been my experience that most Arminians genuinely believe they are defending the character of God rather than the sovereignty of man. Accordingly, I would urge gentle patience, praying that the Holy Spirit will reveal to them ,this truth, in time.

Who Limits Atonement?

2007-04-17T07:03:00.000-04:00

Here is a classic quote from C. H. Spurgeon on limited atonement or what is sometimes referred to as particular redemption.

Facing the Giants

2007-04-02T22:28:00.000-04:00

I saw "Facing the Giants" the other night and it was about what I expected. Unfortunately, the Christian ghetto has once again shown just how bad it is at making movies. Technically speaking, it was good for a low budget film with an almost all volunteer staff. At times it was pretty funny and other times inspiring. However, it was the underlying message that disturbed me. What I got from it, and what I believe most unbelievers will get out of it, is the supposedly temporal blessings of being a faithful Christian. Even more disheartening is the films inability to ask the right question -- i.e., how does sinful man stand in the presence of a holy God? "Sin," which I can't recall the word actually being used once in the entire film, seems to be defined as failure to meet one's personal goals. The film's answer is, if you do your part and believe really hard, God might give you a winning football team, a new F-150 pick-up truck, and you get to go to heaven too! I have heard it said that Francis Schaeffer told his students, regarding evangelism, please first present Christianity as true rather than that it is helpful. In this regard, Facing the Giants misses the mark terribly.

Grasshopper’s Challenge

2007-03-07T07:34:00.000-05:00

"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 the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." John 10:27-29 (ESV)

Do you remember the 70's hit TV series "Kung-Fu?" I used to love it as a kid. You may recall at the beginning of each episode they would show the scene were "Grasshopper" is challenged to take the pebble from his master's hand before he closes it. Of course, it takes many years of martial arts training before Grasshopper can accomplish the task.

I remember my friends and I would argue as to whether or not the master just let Grasshopper take the pebble when he was "ready" or whether he really was quicker than his master. Nonetheless, when I read the above scripture passage recently, I was reminded of that scene. Do we really think that we are faster than God or that we have the strength to wrestle our salvation out of his hand? Rather, is it not the master who snatches us from the fire.

Grace and Peace.

His Bride

2007-02-26T23:24:00.000-05:00

"Hallelujah!For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"-- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. Revelation 19:6-8.

When I attend a wedding, I am often reminded of the passage above and how Christ is preparing His bride, the church, for that glorious day to come. Leon Podles writes that one of the causes that has lead to the feminization of the Western church is the rise of radical individualism and the loss of a high view of the church.

"The transfer of the role of bride from the community to the soul has helped bring about the pious individualism that has dissolved ecclesiastical community in the West. The Church is the bride and the object of the bridegroom's love, and individuals are the objects of that love insofar as they are members or potential members of the society of the redeemed. The Church should yearn for the presence of her bridegroom, who consoles her and makes her fruitful in good works and in new children. This imagery was natural to the Fathers, but has been lost. Instead the individual is felt to be the center of God's affections. . .the juridical structure itself largely disappears into voluntary denominationalsim, and the only real concern of Christianity is 'Jesus and me.'" Podles, Leon J., The Church Impotent -- The Feminization of Christianity, 1999, p. 118.

Accordingly, we should not be surprised that the majority of the regular church attenders are female in both the protestant and Catholic church. Podles goes on to say, "For men the consequences have been disastrous. Bridal language used to describe a Christian's relationship with God has homosexual overtones to many men, unless they engage in mental gymnastics and try to think of themselves as women. . .What is lacking in the West is a language of intimacy that expresses the closeness that men feel with men." Id. at 119.

One of the results has been men walking out the back door of the church and finding more masculine places to worship such as the local football stadium.

"Because sports provide an initiation into masculinity, they can easily become a religion. Sports are often the way the boy puts away the soft, sheltering world of the mother and her femininity and enters the world of challenge and danger that makes him a man. . .In modern America, the coach is the mentor who brings boys into manhood." Id. at 168.

Despite good intentions, the author writes that most modern attempts to bring men back to church have failed and cites Promise Keepers as a prime example.

"Promise Keepers, a movement that is trying to bring men back into church life, has inherited this language [Bridal Mysticism]. Its founder, Bill McCartney, claims that 'we were created to be in a love affair with Jesus' and 'Scripture tells us the only way to please God is to be passionately in love with Jesus Christ." Id. at 117.

YUCK! Perhaps that is why it often takes me a few moments to figure out whether I am listening to a "Christian" radio station or a secular station because the same romantic language is employed toward Christ as toward one's lover.

Note: For anyone who is raising young boys to become men, I think Podles book is a must read. Although the author does a good job defining the problem and documenting historically how the church has been feminized, one of the short comings of his book, I felt, was the lack of a viable solution. Perhaps what we need is a new reformation, which might bring us closer to the church of the apostles. Podles writes, "[m]ost scholars recognize the rejection of the religious feminine by the Reformation: 'The Reformation substantially purged Christianity of its feminine elements, leaving men and women alike faced with a starkly masculine religion." Id. at 152.

Calvin on Piety

2007-01-30T21:41:00.000-05:00

How do you define "piety?" It is a definition that I continue to struggle with in light of the Gospel. So many explanations seem to point inward to one's self rather than outward towards one's neighbor and God. The best definition of piety that I have found comes from that master theologian John Calvin.

"Thus we learn to await and seek all these things from him and thankfully to ascribe them, once received, to him. For this sense of the powers of God is for us a fit teacher of piety, from which religion is born. I call 'piety' that reverence joined with love of God which the knowledge of his benefits induces. For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his fatherly care, that he is the Author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him -- they will never yield him willing service."[emphasis added] John Calvin, Institutes of The Christian Religion, Chapter II

In my reading, the key here is the Gospel. The engine that drives "that reverence joined with love of God" is compelled by "the knowledge of his benefits." Oh yes. . .I will take some more of that!

Early Christian Bloggers

2007-01-10T06:52:00.000-05:00

"I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write." -- Augustine

The Christ Centeredness of Scripture

2006-12-17T17:20:00.000-05:00

Before I came to the reformed tradition, I failed to appreciate the Christ centeredness of all scripture. The Old Testament was useful in understanding the history of the Jews, and some good moral insights might be discerned from the characters, but the New Testament was really all I needed. Looking back, it is not difficult to see how those from the same theological camps, or lack thereof, could also come to the conclusion that only the red letter passages in their bibles are the truly significant ones. That is, if Jesus did not set forth the proposition it could not be trusted as the word of God. The result is a very small and incomplete version of the scriptures. Vos addresses this gross error brilliantly in the following passage:

"To take Christ at all He must be taken as the centre of a movement of revelation organized around Him, and winding up the whole process of revelation. When cut loose from what went before and came after, Jesus not only becomes uninterpretable, but owing to the meteoric character of His appearance, remains scarcely sufficient for bearing by Himself alone the tremendous weight of a supernaturalistic world-view. As a matter of fact, Jesus does not represent Himself anywhere as being by his human earthly activity the exhaustive expounder of truth. Much rather He is the great fact to be expounded. And He has nowhere isolated Himself from His interpreters, but on the contrary identified them with Himself, both as to absoluteness of authority and adequacy of knowledge imparted [Luke 24:44; John 16:12-15]." Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2004, p. 302.

By better understanding this essential truth, - i.e., Christ is the center of all scripture, the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is so much richer. God has given His people the wonderful story of how he has, is, and will redeem His people. Let us tell it often, lest we forget His incomprehensible grace, mercy, and love.

Naughty or Nice?

2006-12-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

My oldest daughter and I were out shopping for Christmas gifts a few days ago when I heard the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" over the store's stereo system. I was singing a long with it in my head when I came across the line "he's making a list, and checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty and nice. . ." It dawned on me for the first time, what a horrible position to put children in - i.e., to ask them whether they have been "naughty or nice." If they are honest with themselves, they are sinners just like their parents. However, if they want any presents under the tree, children are not only encouraged to lie about their sinfulness to themselves, but to argue a case for their own self-righteousness while sitting on the knee of this jolly old elf. Is this not the exact opposite of how we should be training our children? Should we not hope and pray, as they mature, they will begin to be convicted more and more by the Holy Spirit of their own sinfulness and prompted toward true repentance? It is at that point we must be ready to point them to the cross - to point them to a righteousness outside of themselves. They need to be reminded of the promises of God, as we do, every day.

I guess if we are honest with ourselves we all should be getting switches and ashes this year. However, for those that believe we look forward to a crown.

Consider the Offense

2006-12-06T23:35:00.000-05:00

"'Ah! The Ring! said Boromir, his eyes lighting. 'The Ring! Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing? So small a thing!'" J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring.

I think that we oftentimes, if ever, fail to consider how great the offense of our sin is to a holy God. Did Christ go to the cross out of disappointment? Was His blood spilt because he was sad? Rather, it was to appease the wrath of a holy God for my sin. God is not simply disappointed or saddened by my sin, he is righteously angry. On the cross, Jesus drank that cup of wrath that was set out before me.

Isaiah certainly understood the offense of his sin when he cried "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Isaiah 6:5. Geerhardus Vos writes, "Being not merely holy but majestic in holiness, Jehovah upholds and asserts his ethical glory for the punishment of sin. Isaiah has felt most keenly that God would not be God, would not respect his own divinity, did he not avenge evil. Because he is the absolutely good, because his name, the essence of his being is holy; therefore in him holiness in attended with the sovereign right to vindicate its own supremacy." A Geerhardus Vos Anthology, P&R Publishing Company, 2005, p. 138.

Once we begin to understand the greatness of our offense, we can then begin to appreciate the true sacrifice of the cross and the blessings of his mercy and grace. Once we understand this, the gospel is a much sweeter fruit.

Gospel Confusion

2006-12-01T23:30:00.000-05:00

Ask any three (3) Christians to define the gospel and you will get four (4) different answers. It seems that a term so frequently used and so important to defining our faith would have a more universally accepted definition. Graeme Goldsworthy points out that some confuse the gospel with the proper response to it.

"But it is important to keep the gospel itself clearly distinct from our response to it or from the results of it in our lives and in the world. If our proper response to the gospel message is faith, then we should not make faith part of the gospel itself. It would be absurd to call people to have faith in faith!. . .[W]hat you or I do in response to the gospel is not itself the gospel. You cannot say that repentance and faith are the gospel. They are what the Holy Spirit enables us to do about the gospel." According to Plan, InterVarsity Press, 1991 p. 81,83.

So how do you define the gospel? Goldsworthy defines it in part as follows:

"It [the gospel] deals with the problems that he [God] perceives and defines. It does not primarily deal with our needs as we perceive them - how can I live a better life, overcome my hang-ups, make sense of my existence - although it may include these. The gospel is God's way of dealing with his 'problem' of how he, a holy and just God, can justify and accept the sinner." Id. at 81-82.

Of course, the cross was His complete and perfect solution.

To Boldly Proclaim the Gospel to New Worlds and New Civilizations

2006-11-26T09:39:00.000-05:00

And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15 (ESV).

I'm not sure this is what Jesus intended when he issued the Great Commission. However, someone has developed the Klingon Language Version (KLV) of the Bible. Just type in the verse and the KLV translator will give you the Klingon translation. I wonder if the folks at Wycliffe Bible Translators know about this?

The Geneva Bible

2006-11-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

Every preschool child knows the story. The Pilgrims set sail from Plymouth, England on the Mayflower September 6, 1620 and arrived in Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. They endured a perilous Winter that cut their number in half. Nevertheless, the following Fall they prepared a feast and gathered together to thank God for their blessings. What you might not know is that they carried with them the Geneva Bible.

The Geneva Bible has a significant history. It was translated by exiled protestants in Geneva during the reign of Queen Mary I a.k.a. "Bloody Mary." The Bible was not only unique because it was the first to employ a number system for each verse but it also had an extensive commentary written in the margins. Shakespeare oftentimes quoted from it in his plays. You may read an interesting article about this edition by Bruce M. Metzger here.

Reflecting on its history in the Plymouth Colony, I have wondered, how many frigid Sunday mornings the preached word was proclaimed from the Geneva edition? How many Pilgrims read it late at night seeking comfort after the death of a loved one or facing the uncertainty of surviving another day themselves? How many times were the Psalms read out of it in praise?

If you have an extra $60,000.00 lying around, you can pick-up an original 1st edition at www.Greatsite.com. Greatsite has facsimile copies that are much more moderately priced between $250.00 and $750.00. Finally, if your budget is very limited you can view one online at the Digital Christian Library in PDF format. I bought a facsimile copy a few years ago to serve as our "family Bible" and I hope that it will be passed down for generations to come. It is also of special significance to me since it appears my Dutch Reformed ancestors, who settled New Amsterdam (modern day Manhattan), likely read from the Geneva Bible.

This Thanksgiving weekend I am thankful for the Gospel which we would not have but for the faithfulness of God preserving it through his saints down through the ages. While I gather with family and friends, I look forward to the day when we will all gather around Christ's table for that penultimate feast that he will provide for us by his own hand.

Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. Another interesting note about the Geneva edition is that it contains the Apocrypha. I was surprised to learn that many of the original protestant versions apparently contained the Apocrypha as well. However, the translators did not consider the Apocrypha to be part of the canon as reflected in the Geneva Bible's preface to these books. It that states they were included for the furtherance of knowledge of history.

Moby-Dick and Calvinism

2006-11-09T06:36:00.000-05:00

Bradford Mercer has a great post over on the First Presbyterian Jackson MS blog entiled Moby-Dick and Calvinism.

Prone to Wander

2006-11-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." Luke 15:4-7 (ESV)

Before we left town Friday evening, my wife and I spent forty-five (45) minutes looking for her cell phone. After turning our house and cars inside out, and calling the phone about a dozen times, it was nowhere to be found. Finally, we just gave up. While traveling back last Sunday we had the opportunity to worship at New Life Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Tifton, Georgia. While the pastor read the passage above, I was convicted of getting so angry and frustrated over not being able to find the cell phone. However, unlike myself, I was reminded that God does not give up on his sheep.

". . .Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above."

See Come, Thou Fount of Every blessing by Robert Robinson. Although my wicked heart is prone to wander, I am thankful of a good shepherd who does not give up on me. A good shepherd that laid his life down for me to make sure I get home.

P.S. We found the phone in my wife's suitcase. :)

"What a Good Boy am I!"

2006-10-26T21:16:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago I ran across an interview on Fresh Air featuring Dr. John Hagee. You can hear the interview here. If you are not familiar with Dr. Hagee, he is a dispensationalist on steroids. However, I came away from the interview more concerned about Dr. Hagee's soteriology than his eschatology.

When asked about who is going to Heaven Dr. Hagee replies, "There is no market on who's going to heaven. Only God himself knows who those people are who are walking and living as they should." [emphasis added] The interviewer later asked Dr. Hagee, "What are you doing to prepare [for the rapture]?" Dr. Hagee responds, "I am doing what I do everyday. I live right, read the bible, pray, try to treat other people like I would like to be treated and I am going to leave the rest to the grace of God." [emphasis added]

Now if you asked Dr. Hagee do you believe in a works based salvation, I would guess that he would resound with an emphatic "no." However, his theology clearly does not match up with sola fide. My question is who among us is "walking and living as they should?" Moreover, who is "living right?" If you lower the requirements of holiness to being a moral person you may have a few. However, the demands of the law are far greater- you must be perfect. Have I loved God with all my heart? Have I loved my neighbor as myself? If you have never done so, I would invite you to review the Westminster Larger Catechism questions 103-149. I think you will come away with the same conclusion as I did: most mornings I break all of the ten (10) commandments before I walk out the door for work. Where is our hope then?!

A dying J. Gresham Machen in a telegram sent to John Murray said, "I'm so thankful for active obedience of Christ. No hope without it." Meredith Kline comments on Machen's death bed declaration:

"The active obedience of Jesus is his fulfilling the demands of the covenant probation. By the passive obedience of his atoning sacrifice he secures for us the forgiveness of sins. But he does more than clear the slate and reinstate us in Adam's original condition, still facing probation and able to fail. Jesus, the second Adam, accomplishes the probationary assignment of overcoming the devil, and by performing this one decisive act of righteousness he earns for us God's promised reward. By this achievement of active obedience he merits for us a position beyond probation, secure forever in God's love and the prospect of God's eternal home." Meredith G. Kline, Covenant Theology Under Attack.

Dr. Hagee, I am leaving it all up to the active obdience of Christ. No hope without it.

The Cart Before the Horse

2006-10-24T23:03:00.000-04:00

As Michael Horton has pointed out in a number of his works, a recurring theme in scripture is that the indicative precedes the imperative. That is, the promises of God precede his commands. Geerhardus Vos's exegesis of the patriarchs is illustrative of this point.

"God does not begin with working upon the inward psychical states of the patriarchs, as though they were subjects of reform -- an unbiblical attitude which is, unfortunately, characteristic of too much of modern religion. He begins with giving them promises. The keynote is not what Abraham has to do for God, but what God will do for Abraham. Then, in response to this, the subjective frame of mind that changes the inner and outer life is cultivated." [emphasis added] Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology, The Banner of Truth Trust, p. 80.

Vos on Faith

2006-10-17T23:46:00.000-04:00

"Faith and a desire for more faith frequently go hand in hand. The reason is that through faith we lay hold upon God, and in grasping the infinite object, the utter inadequacy of each single act of appropriation immediately reveals itself in the very act. It is the same in the Gospel: 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief' [Mark 9:24]." Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology p. 83

May we ever thirst for more faith until that day we see with our eyes and need faith no more.

A Culture of Life

2006-10-11T21:16:00.000-04:00

"Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man." Genesis 9:5-6.

I was reviewing O. Palmer Robertson's work, The Christ of the Covenants, the other day in preparation for Sunday school and ran across his commentary of these verses. Robertson makes a good case that not only is capital punishment allowed, it is commanded in certain circumstances.

"All created life is sacred. Yet the highest value must be attached to the life of man. . .Because God's own image is stamped in man, the murderer must die. . . humanity must be preserved from the muderous forces of man and beast, which so obviously are present in a depraved world. The taking of life of the manslayer enforces the sanctity of human life, and preserves the race for future multiplication [see Gen. 9:1]. . .In effect, God institutes the temporal power of the state as his instrument in the insistent necessity of controlling evil." O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Covenants, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1980, p. 114-15.

Of course, the administration of such punishment should never be taken lightly nor overextended. It requires a civil government that is just and laws that properly safeguard the innocent.

Girls and Snakes

2006-10-01T15:55:00.000-04:00

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

It sounds silly now, but growing up I thought the purpose of this verse was primarily to explain why girls did not like snakes. As an adult, I think I just dismissed the verse like so many others that I could not explain. However, after reading Geerhardus Vos' Biblical Theology, I found the Gospel there.

"The emphasis rests on the pronoun: God says 'I will put enmity'. Here is not primarily an appeal to man but a divine promise. Nor does God merely instigate or promote enmity; He sovereignly puts it. . .The essence of the deliverance consists in a reversal of the attitude assumed by man towards the serpent and God respectively. Man in sinning had sides with the serpent and placed himself in opposition to God. Now the attitude towards the serpent becomes one of hostility; this must carry with it a corresponding change in man's attitude toward God. God being the mover in the warfare against Satan, man, joining in this, becomes plainly the ally of God." Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology, Banner of Truth Trust, 2004, p. 42.

I look forward to that day when our redemption is complete and we love sin no more.

All Creatures Great and Small

2006-09-24T20:12:00.000-04:00

Meet Daisy (a/k/a defender of the backyard against the evil squirrel king and his band of pecan thieves), the newest addition to our family. She is proof positive that God has a sense of humor or that man has a warped sense of breeding.

The Bruised Reed

2006-09-12T08:52:00.000-04:00

"A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory." (NKJV) Matthew 12:20.

I just finished The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes and highly recommend it to every believer battling sin and the sufferings of this world. The Bruised Reed is one of those books that every Christian should read a couple of times a year. Contrary to the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel that is all too common today, Sibbes declares that it is through our bruising that we are sanctified.

". . .God often works by contraries: when he means to give victory, he will allow us to be foiled at first; when he means to comfort, he will terrify first; when he means to justify, he will condemn us first; when he means to make us glorious, he will abuse us first. A Christian conquers, even when he is conquered. When he is conquered by some sins, he gets victory over others more dangerous, such as spiritual pride and security." Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed, The Banner of Truth Trust, p. 95.

Nevertheless, the author gives great encouragement by reminding us that although the reed may be bruised, Christ will not break it, and while the flax may only smolder, Christ will not quench it.

"Satan, as he slanders Christ to us, so he slanders us to ourselves. If you are not so much as smoking flax, then why do you not renounce your interest in Christ, and disclaim the covenant of grace? This you dare not do. Why do you not give yourself up wholly to other pleasures? This your spirit will not allow you to do. Where do these restless groanings and complaints come from? Lay your present state alongside the office of Christ to such, and do not despise the consolation of the Almightly nor refuse your own mercy. Cast yourself into the arms of Christ, and if you perish, perish there. If you do not, you are sure to perish. If mercy is to be found anywhere, it is there."Id. at 64-65.

C. H. Spurgeon wrote, 'Sibbes never wastes the student's time, he scatters pearls and diamonds with both hands.' Id. at vii. Hear hear! I submit that this seventeenth century puritan's work is much more edifying than anything that you will find written by any contemporary Christian author today.

The Haunting

2006-09-11T08:36:00.000-04:00

As Charles Hodge once said (or at least I have heard it attributed to him), "It is not the ghost of Pelagius that I fear, but the ghost of semi-Pelagius." Unfortunately, Dr. Hodge, the ghost of both still haunt us today.

Shaking My Head at the Radio (Again)

2006-09-07T23:35:00.000-04:00

The other day I was listening to the local "positive" radio station (Shh...don't call them "Christian") and I caught a song by Stellar Kart entitled "Me and Jesus." The following chorus really stood out to me:

"Someone loves you even when you don't think so don't you know you got Me and Jesus by your side through the fight you will never be alone on your own you got me and Jesus"

If you are a big fan of Stellar Kart, I apologize in advance. Perhaps these guys are really faithful to their friends and loved ones, but I know, unlike Jesus, that I am going to fail those I love the most. Moreover, I know that I can not begin to show the love Christ demonstrated on the cross and would never equate my commitment with his. Christ's glory will not be shared. In the end, Christ is the only true promise keeper.

God of Promise - Horton on Sanctification

2006-09-07T08:56:00.000-04:00

"As Paul warns, we do not receive justification and forgiveness by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, and then go on to sanctification as a matter of personal achievement (Gal. 3:1-4). In the new covenant, all of the blessings have Christ and his obedience as the only ground qualifying us as heirs. Not some of the blessing, but all of the, are comprehended 'in Christ.' This spells the end of both legalism and antinomianism: none of the blessings are the result of our own achievement, and at the same time, those who inherit the blessing of justification are equally beneficiaries of regeneration and sanctification." Michael Horton, God of Promise. P. 76.

Are not justification and sanctification both driven by law/gospel?

"There are many things in the Christian life that are useful and assist us in our walk. Disciplines of prayer and Bible reading, fellowship with believers, evangelism, and social concern are habits that the individual and the church cannot live without. Yet the Word and the sacraments are distinguished from all else as means of grace. While prayer is, as the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, 'the chief part of gratitude,' it is something that moves from us to God, while in preached Word and sacraments, the movement is from God to us." Michael Horton, God of Promise. P. 162.

Why is it that we often more attached to the self-help books on the Christian book table than the means of grace that God has provided for our sanctification (e.g. the preached Word, the Lord's Supper, Baptism, prayer)?

God of Promise - Horton on the Sacraments

2006-09-02T07:04:00.000-04:00

Two Extremes to be Avoided

"For the former [sacerdotal error], no real sacrament actually exists: baptism is regeneration, and the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The sign is swallowed by the signified: it no longer exists, despite appearances to the contrary. For the latter [memorialist error] also, there really can be no sacrament, for all that is left is the bare sign itself. Baptism and the Lord's Supper may be occasions for a spiritual event by encouraging the participant's powers of reflection, self-examination, and pious memory, but they are not themselves regarded as the occasions of God's powerful witness and work." Michael Horton, God of Promise. P.157

The Real Presence

"The Reformed did not, therefore, deny the reality of the presence of Christ in the sacrament but strenuously affirmed the union - not transubstantiation or commingling - of the sign with the thing signified. . .Reformed theology does hold to the real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper but does not limit the supper to the elements themselves. . .'It is a great mistake to confuse the idea of 'presence' with that of nearness in space. . . 'Presence,' therefore, is not a question of space; it is relation.' This is the crux of the Reformed understanding of the eucharistic presence. As grace is not a question of substance but divine acceptance, the sacramental presence is not a question of space but of covenant ratification and assurance. It is here, at the font and the communion table, as well as in the pew as we hear the gospel preached, that the question is finally settled for us: God is present; he is near. And he comes in peace." Michael Horton, God of Promise. P.168, 170.

Christ Unites

"The Word, baptism, and the Lord's Supper form a single island of divinely created unity out of the world's divisive rivalries. Here is the one place where all are one in Christ. It's not the musical style that unites them, the socioeconomic or racial complexion of the community, the age or political orientation. Here, in the pew, at the font, and at the table, only one division really matters: Christ and idols." Michael Horton, God of Promise. P. 160.

Help Our Unbelief. . .

2006-08-27T21:00:00.000-04:00

I have been giving a lot of thought to a post I read a few days ago on the Evangelical Outpost entitled "Plagued by Certainty." In sum, Carter indicates he simply never has doubts about his faith nor fears death, while his wife struggles with unbelief and the thought of death regularly. I imagine that if you took a survey of Christians, you would find more that struggle, from time to time, with unbelief than those who express absolute certainly as to their convictions all the time.

That leads me to the following question. Are we required to have certainty or faith? I do not know that they are the same. To be absolutely certain of anything would we not have to be God?

Consider this hypothetical. There is a wooden chair that you intend to sit in. Before you sit in it, can you be certain that it will not break? What if you have a structural engineer examine it first? He says that it is safe. What if you have a five (500) hundred pound man sit in it to test it out? It does not even creak. What if you have sat in the same chair a thousand (1000) times before? You never had a problem. Still, can you be certain that this time it will not break? Even given the previous tests, I submit that you can not be certain that the chair will bear your weight. However, you do have faith that the chair will not break and because of your faith, you sit down. It does not break. You were not certain that the chair would not break, but you did trust that it would not and acted on it. Is that not the difference between faith and certainty?

John Calvin's examination of the Mark 9:24 is very helpful in understanding our belief/unbelief. Calvin writes in his commentary:

"Lord, I believe. He declares that he believes, and yet acknowledges himself to have unbelief These two statements may appear to contradict each other, but there is none of us that does not experience both of them in himself. As our faith is never perfect, it follows that we are partly unbelievers; but God forgives us, and exercises such forbearance towards us, as to reckon us believers on account of a small portion of faith. It is our duty, in the meantime, carefully to shake off the remains of infidelity which adhere to us, to strive against them, and to pray to God to correct them, and, as often as we are engaged in this conflict, to fly to him for aid. If we duly inquire what portion has been bestowed on each, it will evidently appear that there are very few who are eminent in faith, few who have a moderate portion, and very many who have but a small measure."

There is no doubt that we must believe the Gospel. We must believe that Christ will get us to the promised land. But how much faith is enough? Any will suffice. May we continue to grow in faith until that blessed day when we will no longer need faith, because we will see with our own eyes.

God of Promise -- Holiness

2006-08-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' Matthew 7:21-22.

In addition to Hebrews 6:4-6, I use to worry about the Matthew 7 passage above. I read these verses to mean, Jesus was saying you can never have assurance of salvation. Even if you have prophesied in the Lord's name, cast out demons, and done many mighty works that may not be sufficient. How could I have hope of salvation when I had done so little comparatively?

I read it differently from a Reformed perspective now. If you look closely, the folks in this passage are not saying have mercy on us because we are wretched sinners. Rather, they are saying look at OUR good works -- look at what WE did for you Lord. Surely, we DESERVE to enter the kingdom of God. Patently bad answers! Are we not lost unless we rest on the complete and finished work of Christ? His sheep have no room to boast.

Michael Horton writes on holiness:

"Jesus made it amply clear that the sheep will be distinguished from the goats on the last day by the marks of their profession (Matthew 24). It is important to remember, however, that the sheep are apparently unaware of their having fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and cared for the poor and those in prison, while the goats insisted that they had. Holiness, which is defined by love of God and neighbor, is usually something that is seen by others rather than by us [Matthew 25:34-40]." God of Promise P. 182.

Let the Little Children Come to Me. . .

2006-08-15T08:39:00.000-04:00

At least one (1) consumer driven church is now offering First Class and Economy Class Sunday School. Check out this link to First Class Kids. :)

The Potter and the Clay

2006-08-12T11:30:00.000-04:00

In his post entitled Don't be Stingy, John Hendryx, over at Reformation Theology (one of my favorite blogs), responds to Brian McLauren's assertion that anyone who believes in election must be so self-absorbed in their standing before God that they view themselves as having what he calls 'exclusive privilege' over others. Here are a few nuggets from his response. . .

"If Jesus died for all our sins, this includes the sin of unbelief. So even the very heart and new life needed to apprehend the excellency of Christ are granted to us. Our unregenerate wills are not sufficient to pull ourselves out of our own hostile nature. In other words, the moment we remove divine election from Christianity is the moment we remove salvation by grace alone in Christ alone."

"Let me say this, if you reject election, EVEN if, in word, you say that all glory goes to God, your theology loudly declares otherwise, for it is not the grace of Jesus Christ alone that saves but grace plus some additional element you wish to keep back for yourself. So in actuality it is those who reject the biblical doctrine of election that can boast of privilege due to some factor in their natural selves."

Steven Camp, of the Calvinist Gladfly, has called for the discipline of McLauren for his heretical beliefs, i.e. his challege to "the veracity and authority of Scripture; justification by faith alone; imputation of the righteousness of Christ; substitutionary atonement; the omniscience of God, Hell-eternal punishment, etc." While I second the motion, I doubt the Emergent Church folks have the courage or the structure to begin such a task.

God of Promise - Hebrews 6

2006-08-10T23:06:00.000-04:00

I use to lose a lot of sleep over Hebrews 6. Could I fall away? If I did, could I ever be restored? Even approaching it from a Charles Stanley once saved always saved position, I still could not truly understand the passage. It was not until I came to believe in covenant theology that this enigma, like so many others, was answered.

"[A]ll of those who belong to the covenant of grace may be said to participate in the semi-eschatological life, even those who fall away, but they are in a worse position than those outside the covenant, for they are those 'who have once been enlightened [baptized], who have tasted the heavenly gift [the Eucharist], and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come' (Heb. 6:4-5)." God of Promise (2006) P.152.

Although some theologians view this passage as a hypothetical, I tend to agree with Horton. Hebrews 6 is addressing the covenant child who has received all the benefits thereof, yet does not have a circumcised heart. Thus, while scripture gives us great hope that the covenant child is elect, this is not always the case. That is, being in covenant does not equal being elect.

God of Promise -- Horton on Israel

2006-08-10T22:29:00.000-04:00

I finished reading God of Promise by Michael Horton a few weeks ago and I thought I would share some of my thoughts on his work over several post. I welcome your comments.

Horton on Israel

Horton attempts to take a middle position between replacement theology or supercessionism and the notion of two peoples with two distinct plans of salvation.

"The church does not replace Israel. . .despite its [Israel's] national judgment as a covenant-breaker, is nevertheless kept alive by extensive pruning and grafting at the level of individual salvation through Christ. After bringing in the full number of elect Gentiles, God will pour out his Spirit on the Jewish people en massse (Rom. 11:25-32)." P. 132.

I am not sure that I agree with Horton's view on Romans 11. However, perhaps it would be better to describe the church as the maturing Israel rather than replacement of it. This may be somewhat similar to the view that covenant baptism does not replace circumcision but is the maturing sign of it.

Mars Hill Podcast

2006-08-10T13:00:00.000-04:00

Mars Hill Audio now has a podcast. Enjoy!

The Messengers

2006-08-05T16:43:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks I have been following a new reality show on TLC entitled The Messengers. The stated purpose or goal of the series is to find the next great inspirational speaker. Each week, the “messengers,” who come from all walks of life, are given a topic to speak on such as charity, struggle, etc. After hearing all the speeches, which are no more than two (2) minutes in length, the audience then votes one (1) of the messengers off.

While I have enjoyed the show and agree that the art of public speaking needs to be recovered by our culture, the messengers ultimately leave me empty. You see, the central criteria given to the audience for judging the messengers is “did it move you” and did it “come from the heart.” Frankly, that scares me a little because, if the producers of the show were honest with themselves, Hitler, along with a long list of historical tyrants, would be superstars based on that standard.

When I hear a speaker, I am looking for them to present to me not so much how they feel about something as much as an objective truth. I know that their hearts are deceitful and wicked just the same as mine (Jeremiah 17:9). That is, of course, where the Gospel comes in. The Gospel stands outside of me as declaration made by God. Left to myself, there is only condemnation and weak excuses. Michael Horton writes in God of Promise, “Every person carries around within himself or herself the tarnished recognition of the covenant of works, the law written on the conscience. The gospel, by contrast, comes as news from outside of us, brought to us by a messenger. It is not natural to us, but utterly foreign. Law cannot bring life. Religion is the house of bondage. Yet the gospel brings good news about what someone else has done for us” (p. 191). How beautiful are the feet of those who bring it (Romans 10:15)!

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs. . .

2006-08-01T22:00:00.000-04:00

If your church is considering getting one of those signs with movable letters to place out by the highway, I would respectfully suggest that you nix the idea. They can be a practical means of communication with folks as they whiz by in their SUVs. However, I assure you that the person in charge of the sign is going to feel compelled to put something on it whether they have anything beneficial to say or not. I have found that this often results in some bad theology and evangelical efforts gone awry. If you still feel the need to have a church sign you might want to try the church sign generator first. Maybe it will help get it out of your system.

I See More

2006-07-27T07:18:00.000-04:00

Despite horrible reviews, my wife and I went to see the Lady in the Water the other night. My wife's movie standard is, if it gets bad reviews, we might like it and vice versa. Accordingly, we both thought it was great!

The following morning I read some more reviews of the movie to see why I had such poor taste in films. I ran across a review from Steven Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer entitled "Lady in the Water: I see Wet People." It was, as you may have guessed, another diatribe on how big an idiot director M. Night Shyamalan really is. Rea concludes his review with the declaration, "I see wet people."

Rea's review got me thinking. Why is it that some see and others do not? Why is it that some are prompted to fall on their knees in repentance after hearing the preached Word, while others remain unaffected? How come some find great hope in reading the Word, while others see only myths and fairy tales? Are some people just smarter than others?

I think that the Westminster Confession of Faith summarizes the biblical answer quiet nicely as follows:

"We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverend esteem of the Holy Scripture. And the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is, to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God: yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts." [Emphasis added] Chapter I - V.

It is, of course, nothing less than the working of the Holy Spirit. May many more eyes be opened through the preaching and reading of the Word.

I see more. . .

"Faith Night"

2006-07-27T06:50:00.000-04:00

I ran across a story on Marketplace yesterday regarding ballparks sponsoring "Faith Nights" to help boost ticket sales on certain games. On "Faith Night"there will be personal testimonies from star players to be followed by a Christian rock concert. I think these "Faith Nights" are rather appropriate since our culture tends to worship sports and athletes. Moreover, churches, more and more, resemble stadiums. I am surprised some church growth guru hasn't thought of offering free baseball hats to the first 500 people to attend Sunday worship!

I know -- I am being very cynical. . .

Lig on Worship

2006-07-17T23:35:00.000-04:00

I have recently enjoyed listening to a 2002 round table discussion regarding worship with J. Ligon Duncan, III a.k.a. "Lig," Bob Kauflin, Carl "Chip" Stam, and Mark Dever. Although I found some common ground with all of the pastors, I believe Dr. Duncan's overall approach to worship is most true to scripture.

There was simply too much food for thought in the discussion to address in this short post. However, I was particularly struck by one of Dr. Duncan's experiences while worshiping in the Free Church of Scotland. If you don't know, these churches are exclusive Psalmists and do not believe in using instruments in worship. He relayed that for the first time in his life he realized that if there was going to be worship -- he was going to have to worship. That is, no one was going to worship for him. It was not going to be done for him vicariously through someone else's prelude, ensemble, or choir anthem.

I thought to myself how often do we find ourselves vicariously worshiping through others? Is there such a thing as vicarious worship? How can our worship services be designed for more corporate and direct worship of God?

*You may listen to the discussion online at the IX Mark's website at this link.

Reason No. 1002 -- Why I do not attend a PCUSA Church

2006-07-16T19:24:00.000-04:00

Al Mohler, in a blog entry entitled The God Who Names Himself,writes the following:

On June 19, the 217th General Assembly of the church [PCUSA] voted to "receive" and commend to the church for study the paper entitled "The Trinity: God's Love Overflowing." The recommendation before the General Assembly was modified so that the report was "received" rather than "approved," but the result is practically the same. The paper is now a part of the official proceedings of the General Assembly and it is now forwarded to local congregations for study and application.

In its most controversial sections, the report suggests new triads of language that can be used in place of the biblical language for the Trinity--namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The new triads, suggested for employment in worship, include "Rainbow, Ark and Dove," "Speaker, Word and Breath," "Overflowing Font, Living Water and Flowing River," "Compassionate Mother, Beloved Child and Life-Giving Womb," "Sun, Light and Burning Ray," "Giver, Gift and Giving," "Lover, Beloved and Love," "Rock, Cornerstone and Temple," "Fire that Consumes, Sword that Divides and Storm that Melts Mountains," and "The One Who Was, The One Who Is and The One Who Is to Come."

What??? To the good folks in the PCUSA still trying to keep the ship afloat -- you are in my prayers.

The Dominion Mandate

2006-07-14T20:15:00.000-04:00

"We have only one thing to give up. Our dominion. We don't own the world. We're not kings yet. Not gods. Can we give that up? Too precious, all that control? Too tempting, being a god?" Anthony Hopkins as Ethan Powell. Instinct (1999)

I have found that Hollywood often times portrays the depravity of man correctly. However, it rarely, if ever, gets the solution right. It simply does not understand the Gospel. A few years ago, I might have somewhat agreed with Ethan Powell's statement. That is, I saw mankind as the environment's biggest problem. I did not grasp that all of creation was cracked when Adam sinned. I thought that if we would just let nature take its course, it would work itself out. Today, I see that attitude is entirely unbiblical.

Are we not given the mandate to subdue the earth?

And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:28-31 (ESV)

Granted, we will not see a perfect earth until it is restored by our Lord, but in the interim we are in a sense the caretakers of it Mr. Powell. To give up control of it, moreover, not to actively pursue dominion over every corner of it, would cut against scripture.

I was recently given a tour of a large state farm that a good friend of mine supervises. He described the research they were doing to produce better varieties of fruits and vegetables, e.g., ones that were resistant to disease. I thought what a great example of subduing the earth. In effect, should we not be working toward restoration of the earth to its pre-fall condition?

The Gospel at Dairy Queen

2006-07-14T13:12:00.000-04:00

. . .Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:9. (ESV)

I have found that the Gospel goes well with cheeseburgers and fries. Recently, on a return trip from vacation, my family stopped a Dairy Queen for supper. It is interesting how the Holy Spirit prompts little hearts to ask deep eschatological questions that are difficult for adults to answer. One of those is, "What is the Gospel?" How do you explain it to a three (3) year old or a thirty (30) year old for that matter? I have taught my girls that the Gospel is simply this, "Jesus will make sure you are at the party." They seem to understand it quickly. They love parties! I want to remind them in the same sentence that it is Christ's work, not their merit, that will get them there. I want to emphasize the promises of God, if you will. Now, they ask me all the time, "What will the party be like?" and "Who will be at the party?" I even overheard my oldest daughter, who was five (5) at the time, ask her cousin, who was her same age, "Do you love Jesus?" He responded, "Yes." My daughter replied, "Then you will be at the party!" I think she gets it.

How do you explain the Gospel to your little ones? How do you explain it to yourself?

The Man in the Mirror

2006-07-06T22:55:00.000-04:00

"When we hear the divine benediction on the creation of humanity, 'It is very good,' we are meant to see that here God saw himself in the mirror. The law was natural not only for God, but for his image-bearer. The difference was that while God cannot transgress his own moral character, since he is necessarily holy and righteous, creatures are only contingently so." Michael Horton, God of Promise (2006) p. 84.

God looks in the mirror and sees righteousness and holiness. The sinner looks in the mirror and sees Adam. God looks at the believer and sees Christ!

Acting Outside My Vocation - Thoughts on Vocation (Part 6)

2006-07-04T07:36:00.000-04:00

Gene Veith writes "When we act outside our vocations -- that is, when we try to do something we have no calling for -- we are only creating trouble for ourselves. Sometimes this may involve a moral transgression, as in taking the law into our own hands instead of calling the police or having sex with someone we are not married to. More often, acting outside of vocation is morally innocent, but it results in ineffectiveness, frustration, and wasted time." God at Work (2002) p. 139.

Well, four (4) hours of labor, and the creation of this octopus, has shown me that it was not my calling to be a satellite TV guy. But hey. . .it works!

The Ultimate Consumer Driven Church

2006-07-02T16:24:00.000-04:00

Me Church!

The Body

2006-06-22T23:03:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I discovered an interesting blog entitled Bioethics.com. The blog's quote of the week for June 16th was as follows:

"If you look at all the discussions surrounding biotechnology, I feel that we are clearly focusing too much on ethics." by Toine Manders, Dutch liberal member of the European Parliament, on discussions in the European Parliament about stem cell research.

What!? Mr. Manders' quote got me to thinking about why bioethics matter -- at least to the believer. Do the scriptures not tell us that we bear the image of God almighty himself? Is this something to be taken lightly? Do we not bear that image even in our mothers' wombs? Does it go away when be become old and feeble? Are the mentally challenged, the maimed, the grotesquely deformed not included?

In a Gnostic worldview the body is something to be discarded. It is simply a mortal coil to be shed. Although I doubt they would admit it, I would suggest that many modern evangelicals are practical Gnostics. However, I have developed a new appreciation for the body from reformed theology. While our present bodies disintegrate a little more each passing year, we look forward to a new and resurrected body. That is, we will not simply float around in the spirit world for the rest of eternity. The bible tells us that Christ is the first fruit of this resurrection to come. So Mr. Manders the body does matter and I think the time spent on bioethics is time well spent.

P.S. How should Christians properly dispose of a dead body? Is cremation biblical?

WWJD (What Would Jesus Drink?)

2006-06-17T23:47:00.000-04:00

Apparently the Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly passed a resolution last week condemning the manufacture and consumption of alcohol. Moreover, the resolution also suggested that no one who drinks alcoholic beverages should even be elected to the convention's boards, committees, or entities. Kudos to Tom Ascol, a reformed Baptist and executive director of the Founders Ministries, who opposed the resolution and pointed out that Jesus actually turned water into wine. See "Debate on Alcohol use Dominates Resolutions Committee Report Time."

Signs & Seals of the Covenant

2006-06-16T18:44:00.000-04:00

Of course, I am an admitted White Horse Inn ("WHI") junkie, but next week's program entitled "Signs and Seals" of the covenant is excellent. It should be available on June 18, 2006 at the WHI website. The hosts even get into a brief discussion regarding the differences between Lutherans, Reformed Baptist, and Reformed/Presbyterians on the subject of infant baptism. If your reading this after June 24, 2006, you should still be able to find the program in the WHI's broadcast archive s.

Ferguson on Piety

2006-06-13T07:27:00.000-04:00

I found this quote on the Monergism, regarding growing in grace, and thought it was excellent.

"This first thing to remember, of course, is that we must never separate the benefits (regeneration, justification, sanctification) from the Benefactor (Jesus Christ). The Christians who are most focused on their own spirituality may give the impression of being the most spiritual ... but from the New Testament's point of view, those who have almost forgotten about their own spirituality because their focus is so exclusively on their union with Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished are those who are growing and exhibiting fruitfulness. Historically speaking, whenever the piety of a particular group is focused on OUR spirituality that piety will eventually exhaust itself on its own resources. Only where our piety forgets about ourself and focuses on Jesus Christ will our piety nourished by the ongoing resources the Spirit brings to us from the source of all true piety, our Lord Jesus Christ."

- Adapted from Dr. Sinclair Ferguson

Hearing or Seeing?

2006-06-13T00:08:00.000-04:00

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

Have you ever considered which of your five (5) senses is most important to you? I think most people would give up taste first and probably sight last. In-between, I imagine there would be a fair amount of variance in a survey of the same. However, how many of us would give up our hearing last? How often do we behave like the disciple Thomas demanding to see the Gospel ("Unless I see. . .")? I would suggest this is a rather pagan notion. That is, it is the pagans that create graven images of their gods. But the covenant God is a God of the Word. It is through God speaking into the darkness the world and all that is in it was created. Moreover, it is through the preached Word that we are made a new creation. Never to hear the Gospel again -- what a tragedy that would be.

Whirling Wheels and the Gospel

2006-06-11T23:48:00.000-04:00

Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. Ezekiel 10:18-19 (ESV).

Our associate pastor has been teaching out of the book of Ezekiel for several weeks now. Last Sunday, he discussed the passage above regarding God leaving the temple. I thought to myself, how horrifying it must have been when Ezekiel heard the whirling wheels and first realized that God was about to depart. Can you imagine the fear and sorrow that he must have experienced? Yet, despite our sinfulness, our God still shows mercy. How grateful I am that there is a new and better covenant which promises Christ will never leave us or forsake us. Thanks be to God!

Coming to a Waffle House near you. . .

2006-06-02T22:46:00.000-04:00

Believe it our not, Wisconsin artist Tim Pahs has developed a new and fun way for you to create graven images. It is the Jesus frying pan! Apparently, they are selling like hot cakes on eBay. How does Mr. Pahs know what Jesus looked like? He based it on the Shroud of Turin, of course. Personally, I am convinced that Dan Brown is behind this.

Wrestling with the Flesh

2006-05-25T06:32:00.000-04:00

In 1998 I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. If you are not familiar with melanoma, it is a very aggressive and a potentially deadly form of skin cancer. If detected early it is highly treatable, but after it has metastasized, there is often little that can be done if the tumor(s) can not be surgically removed. Fortunately in my case it was caught very early and, other than acquiring a new scar on my back, I suffered no further ill effects. Since then, any suspicious moles are removed immediately by my dermatologist. Frankly, I can not remember all of the biopsies I have had over the past eight (8) years, but they have been numerous. Last week another suspicious mole was removed from my back, and by God's grace it came back benign.

A few years ago, I saw an interview with a seasoned fighter pilot from the Vietnam War on television. During the interview, the pilot described the intensity of a dog fight and how after each time he won, he felt as if he had been born again. I can relate to that feeling. It usually takes a few days for the pathology to come back on any new biopsy. During that time of uncertainty, I find myself wrestling with the providence of God, my own sinfulness, and believing the Gospel. However, after a biopsy comes back negative, like the fighter pilot, I feel as if I have been given a new lease on life.

The Confederate general, and Presbyterian, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson once wrote, "My religious beliefs teach me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time of my death. I do not concern myself with that, but to be always ready whenever it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and all men will be equally brave."

I wish that I could muster such courage and faith as General Jackson. I look forward to that day when I will have a new body that does not produce these little cancers and a spirit that no longer desires to sin against my God. Until then. . .I believe, help my unbelief.

You Must Be Perfect!

2006-05-16T20:35:00.000-04:00

I rented Friday Night Lights last weekend. If you have not seen the movie, it is about a small West Texas high school football team struggling to win the state championship and the immense pressures placed on these young men by their community. Although I did not play football in high school, I found the community's attitudes in the movie strikingly similar to those in the small Georgia town where I grew up. At one point, the team's coach, played by Billy Bob Thornton, asks his players, "can you be perfect?" The players end up adopting the coach's challenge as their slogan -- "be perfect." As a Christian, the same demand is put on us by God -- " Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 (NIV). Of course, we end up fumbling the ball most of the time. Unlike simply losing a football game, the consequences are much more dire. "Doing our best" or "trying hard" just will not be sufficient to appease a righteous and holy God. We have to play a perfect game. For each sin we store up more wrath against ourselves. However, Christ's perfect obedience has secured a place for his elect. Otherwise, there would be no hope. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 (NIV). Thanks be to God!

Machen Anthology -- The Church

2006-05-11T20:07:00.000-04:00

I have just finished reading J. Gresham Machen's Christianity & Liberalism and wanted to pass on some of the nuggets of wisdom from the book. While in was written in the early 1920's, I find it still very relevant today.

"The fundamental fault of the modern Church is that she is busily engaged in an absolutely impossible task -- she is busily engaged in calling the righteous to repentance. Modern preachers are trying to bring men into the Church without requiring them to relinquish their pride; they are trying to help men avoid the conviction of sin. . .Even our Lord did not call the righteous to repentance, and probably we shall be no more successful than he." (p. 68)

"The Unitarian Church is frankly and honestly just the kind of church that the liberal preacher desires -- namely, a church without an authoritative Bible, without doctrinal requirements, and without a creed." (p. 165)

"Nothing engenders strife so much as a forced unity, within the same organization, of those who disagree fundamentally in aim. . .Involuntary organizations ought to be tolerant, but voluntary organizations, so far as the fundamental purpose of their existence is concerned, must be intolerant or else cease to exist." (p. 168-69)

"At the present time, when the opponents of the gospel are almost in control of our churches, the slightest avoidance of the defence of the gospel is just sheer unfaithfulness to the Lord. . .In such times of crisis, God has always saved it not by theological pacifists, but by sturdy contenders for the truth." (p.174)

The Word

2006-04-29T20:40:00.000-04:00

We have been using Graeme Goldsworthy's book According to Plan - The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible in our college Sunday School class the past few months. I would highly recommend it for use in any adult bible study. In Chapter Nine (9), the author points out the relationship between creation and God's Word. "Creation by God's word also has the effect of showing that God has chosen to relate to all things by his word. The truth cannot be over-emphasized. The supremacy of the word of God in the world goes back to creation. All creatures must bow to his word." Id. at 91. Thus, unlike Merlin waving his magic wand or flinging pixie dust into the air, God simply speaks and it is. Moreover, by the preaching of his Word we are also made new creatures. Goldsworthy states that ultimately the fall of man results from this lack of trust in God's Word. They eat of the tree because they don't believe God's warning, and perhaps even more importantly, they don't believe God really loves them. God can not be trusted. "The most important effect of this is that God is no longer accepted as self-evident Creator and Lord. His Word is no longer accepted as self-evident truth, but is reduced to the status of the word of the creature. Both God and his Word are seen as lesser authorities that must constantly be tested by higher authorities. . .The truth of any proposition would from this point onward [i.e., after the fall] be tested by what was in humans themselves. In this sense they became as God." Id. at 104. How quickly do we forget the Gospel and place our trust in ourselves. Forgive us for our unbelief.

God or the Girl - Thoughts on Vocation (Part 5)

2006-04-24T22:20:00.000-04:00

I have been watching a series on A&E entitled God or the Girl. In a nutshell, it is a reality show about four (4) young men trying to discern whether they are called to be Roman Catholic priests. Unlike their protestant counterparts, they are also struggling with the requirement of celibacy. One of the themes I have noticed has been the need to sacrifice for God. Yes, I agree, we should expect trials and tribulations as believers. However, what I find interesting is if their lives do not seem to be sacrificial enough they then artificially create some hardship. For instance, when challenged by his priest, a guy named Dan builds an eighty (80) pound cross out of wood and then commences to carry it down the highway for twenty-two (22) miles! This is when theology matters. I am reminded of Luther's work on vocation, "The cross is not to be chosen by us; it is laid upon us by God, i.e. the cross comes to us uninvoked in our vocation." Wingren, Gustaf, Luther on Vocation, 53 (1957). My heart goes out to these guys because I doubt they have ever been exposed to the biblical doctrine of vocation. Like most kids their age, they are making life changing decisions based on some very bad theology. Only by the grace of God I escaped making some very bad decisions along the way. Nonetheless, I wish someone would have introduced me to Luther's work while I was in college. It would have saved me a lot of grief.

Excessive Love of this Present Life. . .

2006-04-13T22:57:00.000-04:00

John Calvin once wrote, "God uses tribulations to wean us from an excessive love of this present life. God fashions each tribulation for us as a perfect means to treat each individual's need for transformation. We are often placed in such circumstances because it is our tendency to leave unnoticed the vanity of this life. We need to be purged of it by force, and such tribulations and difficulties in cross-bearing help us to do this." Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 9 - Meditations on the Future Life

Beggars All has a thoughtful post entitled "Suffering" that is worth a look.

Any Given Sunday

2006-04-10T23:08:00.000-04:00

For a little over a year I have had the privilege of teaching the college Sunday school class at my church. We have a small, but great group of kids who are eager to learn more about the Christian faith from a reformed perspective. A good number of the students are athletes that play for one of our local universities (a historically Baptist institution). While I have noticed their passion for sports, their passion for corporate worship, on the Lord's Day, is also striking.

Unfortunately, it appears to be a growing trend for collegiate scheduled practices and games to fall on Sunday. When I was in college, back in the early '90's, this did not seem to be much of an issue except for the professional teams. Now days, however, it appears to be the rule. I have seen how these young athletes have suffered persecution and pressure from coaches and peers if Sunday games or practices were even questioned.

It doesn't stop there. Even more troubling is that I have also observed how Sunday play and practice is filtering down to children playing sports. And for the most part, the parents of these children I know, do not even flinch. It just seems to be a given. Although I would not consider myself a strict Sabbatarian, I fear that we are losing, if we have not already lost, any sense as Sunday being set aside as the "Lord's Day." The loss of the Sabbath, coupled with our society's fanatical view of sports, is trying the faith of more and more believers. Did Eric Liddell see this day coming?

The Big Red Gospel

2006-04-09T16:17:00.000-04:00

In concluding his series on the book of Ruth this morning, my pastor made an interesting observation about the popular kids show Clifford the Big Red Dog. You can find the Gospel in the theme song! Check out the lyrics:

". . .Clifford needed Emily, so she chose him for her own,
And her love made Clifford grow so big that the Howards had to leave their home. . ."*

May your home be too small.

*Composed by Mark Mothersbaugh and Josh Mancel

Shaking my Head at the Radio

2006-04-04T22:57:00.000-04:00

While flipping through the radio dial recently, I noticed what may be a new trend emerging among Contemporary Christian stations. That is, some of these stations have taken the word "Christian" out of the music genre. Some of the new adjectives they are employing are "inspirational," "positive," "uplifting," etc. I guess this is the next logical evolution to the consumer driven church which seeks to remove any offense, including the cross, to the nonbeliever. It seems we are surrounded today with more and more "religious" and "spiritual" programming than ever, but we hear less and less of law or Gospel. Will we come to a place, in the not so distant future, that we find nonbelivers increasingly attracted to these f/k/a Christian stations? Will we see them on the interstate smiling and singing gleefully to "inspirational" songs with no notion that they are sitting under the wrath of a holy God, and without knowledge of the sweetness of the Gospel? Instead of "positive" music, perhaps AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" would be a better selection. It might be more honest.

No Mickey Mouse Church

2006-04-03T19:57:00.000-04:00

When my family is vacationing, one of the things we enjoy most is visiting new churches. Last week my oldest daughter was on Spring break so we made our way down to Ormond Beach, Florida. After several days of playing at the beach, long afternoon naps, and eating lots of ice cream, we took a short road trip down to Orlando to visit St. Paul's Presbyterian Church (PCA) on Sunday.

Frankly, our last few experiences visiting churches, all of which were PCA, have been pretty disappointing. This was not the case as St. Paul's. We found a group of believers committed to worshiping the Lord with reverence and awe. One of the things I liked about St. Paul's was it had kneelers (I just wished they had used them more often). Another was, when it came time to take the Lord's Supper, the pastor prayed with each of the covenant children individually that were not yet communing members.

If you find yourself in Orlando on a Sunday, I would encourage you to gather with the saints at St. Paul's. You will be blessed.

* Have you noticed that while on vacation some wish to take a vacation from worship as well? Why is this and what does it indicate about their view of worship? I am not saying this to boast. Rather, I know how badly I need to hear the Gospel.

Sovereignty v. Responsibility

2006-03-23T21:53:00.000-05:00

"All Christians believe in divine sovereignty but some are not aware that they do, and mistakenly imagine and insist that they reject it. What causes this odd state of affairs? The root cause is the same as in most cases of error in the Church--the intruding of rationalistic speculations, the passion for systematic consistency, a reluctance to recognize the existence of mystery and to let God be wiser than men, and a consequent subjecting of Scripture to the supposed demands of human logic. People see that the Bible teaches man's responsibility for his actions; they do not see how this is consistent with the sovereign Lordship of God over those actions. They are not content to let the two truths live side by side, as they do in the Scriptures, but jump to the conclusion that, in order to uphold the biblical truth of human responsibility, they are bound to reject the equally biblical and equally true doctrine of divine sovereignty, and to explain away the great number of texts that teach it. The desire to over-simplify the Bible by cutting out the mysteries is natural to our perverse minds, and it is not surprising, that even good men should fall victims to it." J. I. Packer

Kingdom Confusion

2006-03-23T21:01:00.000-05:00

Pagan Poet?

2006-03-08T23:16:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, my wife and I were browsing through Books-A-Million when I ran across a book of poems by Emily Dickinson. Frankly, I have never really liked poetry, I much prefer prose, but ever since I was first introduced to Dickinson in high school, I have found her poetry fascinating. Dickinson once said that she knew she was reading poetry when it took her head off. My experience has been precisely that when I read hers.

As I perused through the book, I noticed a lot of her familiar references to scripture, death, heaven, etc. In fact, Sarah Klein writes an interesting article entitled Adjusting the Symbols in which she discusses Dickinson's use of the sacraments in her poetry. Nonetheless, I asked myself, was Dickinson a believer? It seems that many have asked the same question and while several atheists claim her as their own, others suggest she may have been a Christian. See Emily Dickinson and the Art of Belief by Roger Lundin.

The following is a quote from a letter Dickinson wrote to a friend in 1846 which evidences her internal struggle:

". . . I was almost persuaded to be a Christian I thought I never again could be thoughtless and worldly - and I can say that I never enjoyed such perfect peace and happiness as the short time in which I felt I had found my savior. But I soon forgot my morning prayer or else it was irksome to me. One by one my old habits returned and I cared less for religion than ever. . .I feel that I shall never be happy without I love Christ. . .When I am most happy there is a sting in every enjoyment. I find no rose without a thorn. There is an aching void in my heart which I am convinced the world never can fill. I am far from being thoughtless upon the subject of religion. I continually hear Christ saying to me Daughter give me thine heart. Probably you have made your decision long before this time. Perhaps you have exchanged the fleeting pleasures of time for a crown of immortality. Perhaps the shining company above have tuned their golden harps to the song of one more redeemed sinner. I hope at sometime the heavenly gates will be opened to receive me and The angels will consent to call me sister. I am continually putting off becoming a Christian. Evil voices lisp in my ear - There is yet time enough. I feel that every day I live I sin more and more in closing my heart to the offers of mercy which are presented to me freely - Last winter there was a revival here. The meetings were thronged by people old and young. It seemed as if those who sneered loudest at serious things were soonest brought to see their power, and to make Christ their portion. It was really wonderful to see how near heaven came to sinful mortals. Many who felt there was nothing in religion determined to go once & see if there was anything in it, and they were melted at once. Perhaps you will not believe it Dear A. but I attended none of the meetings last winter. I felt that I was so easily excited that I might again be deceived and I dared not trust myself. Many conversed with me seriously and affectionately and I was almost inclined to yield to the claims of He who is greater than I. How ungrateful I am to live along day by day upon Christs bounty and still be in a state of emnity to him & his cause. . .I hope we shall all be acquitted at the bar of God, and shall receive the welcome, Well done Good & faithful Servants., Enter Ye into the Joy of your Lord. I wonder if we shall know each other in heaven, and whether we shall be a chosen band as we are here. I am inclined to believe that we shall - and that our love will be purer in heaven than on earth. I feel that life is short and time fleeting - and that I ought now to make my peace with my maker - I hope the golden opportunity is not far hence when my heart will willingly yield itself to Christ, and that my sins will be all blotted out of the book of remembrance. Perhaps before the close of the year now swiftly upon the wing, some one of our number will be summoned to the Judgment Seat above, and I hope we may not be separated when the final decision is made, for how sad would it be for one of our number to go to the dark realms of woe, where is the never dying worm and the fire which no water can quench, and how happy if we may be one unbroken company in heaven. . . Although I am not a Christian still I feel deeply the importance of attending to the subject before it is too late."

Apparently, Dickinson was raised in a Congregationalist church with a Calvinist theology. However, her church and community were influenced by the Second Great Awakening and revivalism. From what I can gather from my brief research, she was baptized as an infant but never took communion because of her church's requirement that she testify to a visitation of the Holy Spirit. See Emily Dickinson: Pagan Sphinx by Gary Solan.

One could certainly write a dissertation about Dickinson's struggle with her faith, and I am sure there are those that have. Ultimately, I end up with more questions than answers. What influence did revivalism have on Dickinson? Did she ever hear the Gospel? Was Dickinson held back from embracing the cross because of some pentecostal or charismatic notions of Christianity that she could not subscribe to, or did she simply reject the living God out of a purely rebellious heart?

This side of heaven we will not know whether Dickinson finally trusted in Christ. Just as Dickinson's friends and family certainly worried about her, I know it is difficult to watch those that seem so close to belief, but do not ever seem to quite get there. I hope that Dickinson is one that I will dine with at the Lamb's supper table. In the interim, it reminds me to be more patient with those who struggle with faith, to welcome their sometimes difficult questions, and not to give purely simplistic responses.