Dave Swavely

An Alternative to the "Dating Game"

2011-10-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

For the consideration of young people, their parents, and older singles, the following is a biblically wise alternative to the “Dating Game” that I've put together through years of study and discussion with church groups and Christian school classes. I hope you find it helpful, or at least challenging to your thinking. It's based on the basic idea that romance should wait until you're ready to get married, or in other words, "don't shop until you're ready to buy." (If you want to see more of a critique of the usual approach to dating, see Josh Harris’s book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and for more about the parents’ role, see Doug Wilson’s book Her Hand in Marriage.)

If you are not ready to get married yet:

Relate to members of the opposite sex as brothers or sisters (1 Tim. 5:1-2), and guard your heart against other thoughts and feelings. Be open with your parents about all of your relationships, and ask them to fulfill their responsibility of providing counsel, protection, and accountability for you (Eph. 6:1-2, 1 Cor. 7:36-38).

Stay in groups, don’t spend much time alone with any individual of the other sex (Prov. 4:23, Matt. 6:21). And be friends; if you do spend time together, do it as friends not as a “couple” or “boyfriend/girlfriend.”

If you do get too far along (“too close too soon”), mutually agree to separate totally for awhile (principle of “radical amputation” from Matt. 5:29-30).

Commit yourself to serving Christ with the time and energy you have (1 Cor. 7:32-35), and find ways to fill your life with learning, work, and other ministry.

Stay away from media and other influences that will cause you to long for romance or will generate sexual desires (Rom. 13:14).

Use this time as a single young person to grow in Christ, and to learn and practice what the Bible says about good relationships, and to pray and prepare for the right kind of marriage based on biblical principles (Prov. 31, Eph. 5:22-33, 1 Timothy 3, Titus 2, etc.).

Evaluate carefully, and with godly counsel, the reasons why you think you are not ready to get married. Determine if they are really biblical, wise, and legitimate reasons, especially if you are good friends with someone who could be a good life partner for you (Prov. 31:10‑11).

When you are ready to “date/court” for the purpose of marriage:

Pray a lot about this and prepare your heart and life to be a godly partner for someone, and evaluate any possible partners according to biblical principles and godly counsel from others—not according to feelings, physical attraction, pressure to get married, etc.

Until you meet someone that you want to “date/court,” or if a relationship doesn’t work out, learn and practice being content with the situation of “singleness” you are in (1 Cor. 7:17-24, Phil 4:11).

If a man wants to pursue a relationship beyond friendship with a woman, he should seek permission/approval from her father (or her pastor/elders, if the father is not fulfilling his responsibility). They should continue to be accountable to the protection and guidance of her father, and should again seek His permission/approval for engagement, if things go well (1 Cor. 7:36-38).

Fill the dating/courtship stage with worship, Bible Study, prayer, and ministry together, rather than merely the world’s ways of “dinner and a movie,” etc. Communicate openly about your intentions and plans, focus on serving the other person, and stay away from sexual sin, so that if it doesn’t work out it will not result in a debilitating “heartbreak” for either party.

When you get engaged, make it a short engagement, and get married even earlier if sexual sin is an issue (1 Cor. 7:8-9). But practice self-control and purity even in the engagement period, because if you don’t the problem will carry over into your marriage.

Get some good biblical premarital counseling, don’t go into debt on the wedding, and live happily ever after (for the glory of God)!

Age of Accountability?

2011-09-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me an email asking if I believed in an "age of accountability" for children, saying that it didn't seem to be in the Bible anywhere. Here is my response...

The first part of my answer is not pleasant to think about (even to me), but hang with me, because the second part gets a lot better and shows the "silver lining in the cloud."

I do not believe in an “age of accountability,” first because it's not in the Bible, as you pointed out, but also because I believe that all humans, except for the virgin-born Christ, became sinful and separated from God when Adam fell in the garden. “Just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12, also 1 Cor. 15:21-22).

This is called “covenantal headship” or “federal representation”… the word “Adam” in Hebrew is the same word for “man” or “mankind,” and he and Eve were mankind at the time, so their penalty of death (primarily spiritual, as explained above, but with physical death beginning as a result) passed down to all of us at conception, because we are “in Adam.” “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psa. 51:5, also 58:3).

We do not become sinners because we start sinning at some point in our childhood; we sin because we are already sinners by nature. “You were dead in your trespasses and sins…and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Eph. 2:1-3)

That’s why we don’t have to teach children (cute as they are) to say “NO!” or “MINE!” Instead we must teach them to obey and share. They are born sinners, and therefore are eligible for the just punishment that sin deserves. God may choose to save young children who die, but it would not be based on their "innocence," but merely because of His grace and mercy in Christ. (The Bible doesn't speak clearly to that issue of young children who die, which is probably intentional because if it did, people throughout history would have killed their children to ensure them a place in heaven, or grieved hopelessly if they were known to be in hell. We must simply trust that "the Judge of the earth will do right" as Abraham said in Genesis 18:25, and leave the "secret things" to God as Moses said in Deuteronomy 29:29.)

But back to the principle of representation (or "original sin"): it is admittedly a tough pill to swallow. “I became sinful and separated from God because of what someone else did?! That seems unfair!!” But I have come to accept it because it’s clearly taught in the Bible, and even more because I’ve realized it’s the only way I can be saved from my sins and guaranteed a place in heaven forever. If God didn’t relate to us through this principle, then Jesus couldn’t have lived a perfect life and died on my behalf… but as it is, I can receive all His righteousness and be forgiven of all my sins because of what someone else did. So my destiny is not dependent upon my performance, but on His.

If I had to “stand on my own” before God, like Adam in the garden, I’m sure I would eventually fall like he did... if not right away! And that could happen even if I somehow managed to get to heaven. Who’s to say that after a week, a year, a hundred or a thousand years in, I would not blow it like Satan and Adam did and be cast out? I would never know if I was there for good! But because I am “in Christ” (arguably the two most important words in the Bible), I know that God relates to me through this representative and I am safe forever. How long will Jesus be perfect? Forever. How long will Jesus be loved by His father? Forever. How long will Jesus reign in the new heavens and new earth? Forever. So I will enjoy all those things just as long as He does, because by faith I am in union with Him!

This is the good news (or “gospel”) of grace, which unfortunately many people don’t grasp yet, even many Christians (I was one of those for a long time). It’s been put well this way: “In myself I am more sinful and undeserving than I ever feared to admit, but in Christ I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared to hope.” And that understanding of grace helps us to relate to others in the same way, loving them fully and continually even when they don’t deserve it.

Jesus Calms the Storm

2011-08-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

When I think of Hurricane Irene now on the morning after, with my “cup half empty,” I am regretful that we canceled our church service today. That decision was really out of my hands, however, because the building where we meet was closed and a number of families said they would not be coming anyway, or at least didn’t want to. That is very understandable because of the possible flooding, blocked roads, and power outages that we were warned about. But now after the anticlimax of last night (our power didn’t even go off), it seems like this may have been another example of the media “manufacturing news.” I just finished watching Andersoon Cooper on CNN ask his weatherman “What happened to the hurricane?”—he seemed a bit embarrassed or even regretful that it turned out to be more of a speedbump for New York, the city where he was “on location” in his deluxe windbreaker. (But I won’t judge…)

On the other hand, when my “cup is half full,” I can look at it this way: Jesus calmed the storm! It could indeed have been much worse, but he spared us from that by His gracious providence. The weatherman’s answer to Cooper was that North Carolina “got in the way,” meaning that area took the brunt of the hurricane’s force and it diminished after that to a mere tropical storm. And that itself is an illustration of what Jesus did for us on the cross…we still have to face some troubles and trials in this life, but we never have to worry about the horrible hurricane of hell, because He bore that penalty in our place (2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 3:10-14, 1 Peter 2:24). So we have many reasons to worship the Lord today, by ourselves or together with our families, which would be especially good to do if your church didn’t have a service! Here are a few suggestions for how you could do that…

Even though the storm did not affect us as badly as was feared, we still had to face our fears of the storm, so you could start by listening to or watching a video for the song “Praise You in this Storm,” by Casting Crowns. You can simple google it to find the audio, or better yet check out one or more of the nice videos for the song on YouTube. Then you could read Luke 8:22-25 and other parallel passages about Jesus calming the storm, and listen to my friend Dyke Habegger’s message on those verses, appropriately called “Jesus Calms the Storm.” The message can be found under July 13 on this page: http://www.faithchurchpca.net/sermons_2008.html. Finally, spend some time in prayer, thanking God for His gracious providence that keeps us from disaster in this world, and His gracious provision of Christ that keeps us from ruin in the next. And ask God to give you the opportunity to be His “hands and feet” to provide help and hope for others, both physically and spiritually. Pray for those you know who have needs in one or both of those areas.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Problems with Christianity and Atheism

2011-08-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

I came across a quote in Neal Stephenson's novel Snow Crash recently, which will be offensive to most Christians and also to most atheists (what fun!). It said, "Ninety-nine percent of everything that goes on in most Christian churches has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual religion. Intelligent people all notice this sooner or later, and they conclude that the entire one hundred percent is bull___, which is why atheism is connected with being intelligent in people's minds."

I think "ninety-nine percent" is hyperbole or overstatement, but the basic sentiment is true. As always, Christianity is in dire need of reformation, though many of its adherents don't seem to notice. Recently I've had a number of conversations with or about young people who are "disappointing" their very sincere parents by not following in the traditions of their faith. And it occurred to me that in these situations this difficulty only exists because the traditions they are rejecting are not even found in the Bible! If only the older generation would not invent or perpetuate "standards" that originate from man rather than the Holy Spirit, the consciences of the believing younger generation would not have to conflict with what they have been taught so often. On the other hand, parents who are careful to draw the line between what are scriptural convictions and what is mere wisdom and preference find that they share a sweet fellowship with their grown children, because the main thing is the main thing and that is what bonds them together. (I'm not saying it's easy, however...in my own case I have had to say, "I wouldn't do it that way, but he has freedom before God and I'm determined to not be legalistic about this.")

The quote above also waylays atheists, in case you didn't notice the subtle implication. The character in the novel says that intelligent people can see there is a lot wrong with "Christianity" as it is commonly practiced, so they reject the whole kitten caboodle, and thus atheism has become associated with intelligence (wrongly, because atheism only goes "halfway" toward a more thorough intellectual investigation that would reveal true biblical Christianity to be reasonable). A friend said to me recently that she discovered by reading the New Testament that Jesus was not nearly as concerned with "right-wing politics" as many of his followers are today, and so she was also questioning "the whole Son of God thing." But these are apples and oranges. The connection between Jesus and right-wing politics is not one that can be made by a careful exegesis of Scripture, but nothing is more clear on its pages than Jesus' own claim that He was the Son of God. Christians do misrepresent what the Bible says (because we are all sinners, as the Bible says), but that doesn't mean the Bible itself is wrong. That widespread leap of logic is understandable, but fallacious nonetheless.

Another example of atheism being "halfway intellectual" is Penn Jillette, who has a new book out called God, No! in which he says that atheists (shouldn't it be agnostics?) are humble and Christians are arrogant, because the latter claim to know the truth about God. "I don't know," he says, "so I'm an atheist." Well, I don't know either...so...I would need someone greater and more knowledgeable than myself to tell me what the truth is, like someone who made the universe and then condescended to communicate with us by inspiring human literature that could then be available for people of later generations to study as an objective source of truth. And therefore I am not being arrogant when I say I believe something to be true based on those books, I am actually being humble because I am admitting that I do not have the ability in myself to determine what is true. In fact, I not only am incapable of observing or comprehending enough to discover or discern truth on my own, I am very likely to misunderstand it because of my many biases. So I am utterly dependent on outside revelation and supernatural illumination. This is hardly self-aggrandizing, in fact it goes against my natural pride to admit that I am so pathetically helpless without God's grace.

Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly, and The Meaning of the Universe

2011-08-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

I've been going through some of Philip K. Dick's fiction catalog lately (I won't call it science fiction, because it defies categorization), and I read A Scanner Darkly completely for the first time (I guess my tastes have matured enough that I could finally get through it). I also watched the movie adaptation, which I found to be unique and interesting (I have an edited version that omits the completely unnecessary nudity).

If the term "God-haunted" fits anyone, it fits Dick. Even before he ended his career, and life, with a trilogy of "theological mysteries" (Valis, The Divine Invasion, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer), he invented the religion of Mercerism in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (the basis for the movie Blade Runner) and named this award-winning novel after the verse in the Bible that says, "We now see through a glass darkly" (I Cor. 13:12, KJV). A Scanner Darkly has too much rambling and seemingly random content for me to call it a favorite (my favorite Dickian titles are Androids, Ubik and the early Vulcan's Hammer). But there are some classic passages in it, like the one below, which captures well the truth about how the universe started out and what has happened to it since. It's toward the end of the novel, when Donna is bemoaning the fact that her employers in the narcotics division have manipulated her fellow undercover agent Bob Arctor not only to investigate and inform on himself (!) but also to become addicted to Substance D and fry his mind so he could be their mole in the New Path recovery program, which they suspect of producing the very drug that they are treating (!). (And, of course, because it's Philip K. Dick, neither Donna or Bob know that the other is a narc, even though they are "dating.")

"How can justice fall victim, ever, to what is right? How can this happen? She thought, Because there is a curse on this world, and all this proves it; this is the proof right here. Somewhere, at the deepest level possible, the mechanism, the construction of all things, fell apart, and up from what remained swam the need to do all the various sort of unclear wrongs the wisest choices has made us act out. It must have started thousands of years ago. By now it's infiltrated into the nature of everything. And, she thought, into every one of us. We can't turn around or open our mouth and speak, decide at all, without doing it. I don't even care how it got started, when or why. She thought, I just hope it'll end some time...I just hope one day the shower of brightly colored sparks will return, and this time we'll all see it. The narrow doorway where there's peace on the far side. A statue, the sea, and what looks like moonlight. And nothing stirring, nothing to break the calm.

"A long, long time ago, she thought. Before the curse, and everything, and everyone became this way. The Golden Age, she thought, when wisdom and justice were the same. Before it all shattered into cutting fragments. Into broken bits that don't fit, that can't be put back together, hard as we try."

As I've always said, people without a Christian worldview can see what's wrong, very astutely at times. Unfortunately Dick, like many such astute observers, did not seem to find the answer. Here are some passages from an even better Author, which contain both the problem and the solution:

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned....Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death....For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body....And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (excerpts from the book of Romans)

Now we do see through "a scanner darkly," but one day we will see "face to face" with the One who bore the curse for us (Gal. 3:13)! My prayer is that all who share Dick's observations about this fallen world will not only see what he saw about its disease, but will also learn about the only true cure.

Far Beyond (Song for Jaclyn's Baptism)

2011-06-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

I wrote these words (from Psalm 127:3-5) for my daughter Jaclyn's baptism (five months old), and they were put to music by my son Nathan (college student). Yes, we have quite a variety of ages in the olive branches around our family table. The song and the psalm it's based on apply to all my seven children, of course, and to all other covenant children as well. It struck me as I was studying the passage one day that arrows enable the warrior to reach far beyond where he could without them...they increase his "range," if you will. And that is exactly what our children do in the spiritual battle, when they are raised according to God's Word. So here are the words for "Far Beyond," and if you want to hear the music, go to Nathan's Facebook page and you'll see a video of him singing it.

CHORUS:
I believe that you will go
Far beyond where I’ve been
I believe that you will see
Far beyond what I’ve seen
I believe that you will try
Things I’ve never tried
And I believe you will fly
So much higher than I

VERSE 1:
Like arrows in the hands of the warrior
Can make his reach so long
So the children of our youth
Will carry the battle on

Further up and further in
To well outside our range
And having many blessed weapons
Will bring a world of change

CHORUS

VERSE 2:
Like allies in the face of aggression
Will stand and defend your name
So the man with many children
Will not be put to shame

Further up and further in
And to the very end
The reward is that our children
Will end up as our friends

CHORUS

Pray for the Prosperous

2011-04-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

If we would learn to profit [spiritually] from our prosperity, we should not need so much adversity. If we would gather from a kiss all the good it might confer upon us, we should not so often smart under the rod... Charles Spurgeon

"The squeaky wheel always get the grease," they say, and all too often that is true in our relationships and ministries to others. But in my recent studies for teaching the book of Ephesians, I noticed again that the apostle Paul took time to pray for those who were spiritually prosperous, not just for those who were hurting. In Ephesians 1:15 he begins his prayer saying that he had heard "of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints." Many members of the Ephesian church were walking by faith and showing sacrificial love to all Christians without discrimination (even those in other cultures). These are marks of spiritual maturity and stability, so some of us might think that Paul was wasting his time by praying for them when there were so many others trapped in sin and doctrinal error. Shouldn't we primarily pray for those who are especially "needy"? Not according to Paul; in fact, a study of his other prayers recorded in the New Testament reveals that he actually seems to have prayed more often for those Christians who were succeeding spiritually. He did pray for people with problems, but he certainly did not take them off his prayer list when they had "conquered their problems" and were living in a manner pleasing to God.

One reason for this is that Paul knew there is always room for growth in any believer's life. None of us reaches perfection while we are in this world. We trust Christ but we do not trust Christ as much as we should. We love the saints but we do not love the saints as much as we should. We serve Christ, but we do not serve Him as much as we should. We know some of the Word of God but none of us knows as much as we ought to know. No church is as spiritual as it could be, and no individual Christian will get to the point in this life where he or she does not need our prayers any longer. On the contrary, there is actually a serious danger in withholding or removing prayer support from people simply because they are "doing well." First Corinthians 10:12 says, "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."

How do you think the Notre Dame football team took a 24‑0 halftime lead over USC in 1972, only to lose 55‑24? And how do you think the Buffalo Bills accomplished the greatest comeback in National Football League history in 1993 when they beat the Houston Oilers 41‑38 after being behind 35‑3 in the third quarter? Part of the answer must be that the Notre Dame and Houston players became overconfident with their big leads and relaxed their efforts enough to allow such debacles to occur.

Unfortunately, that kind of defeat can happen in the spiritual dimension as well, in the lives of churches and their individual members. The history of the church at Ephesus itself is a testimony to that sad fact. Paul wrote in his letter that it exhibited great faith and a love for all the saints, but not many years later Jesus had to speak these words to the church: "I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen" (Rev. 2:4‑5). And not only can churches or individuals "lose their first love," but they can also fall hopelessly into a spiritual deadness or even an outright denial of Christ (Rev. 3:14‑18; cf. Demas in Philemon 24 and 2 Tim. 4:10).

That danger should motivate us to not only pray fervently for churches and individual members who are in the midst of crises, but also for those who are currently in a spiritually prosperous condition. They can lose their enthusiasm, their stability, and their commitment to Jesus Christ and His truth. But through our prayers God can deliver them from such a fate and grant them His continued blessing (cf. 1 Cor. 1:11).

The Passion of the Christ

2011-04-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Good Friday, and tonight we are planning to watch and discuss an edited version of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (with the violence toned down some...see below), so I thought I would reproduce here a newspaper interview I did years ago, during the week that the movie was first released. I hope you find it interesting and edifying, and that it will help you to better understand the event that is truly the "crux" of history...

1) Are you planning special church programs on The Passion movie? Why or why not?

The only thing that our church might do is have a message around Easter time entitled "The Passion--Fact and Fiction," or something like that. The goal would be to instruct our congregation about the truth of Christ's sacrifice, but also to possibly attract some people that are interested in the movie and its topic. I am frankly surprised that so many church leaders are endorsing this movie, and viewing it as a form of evangelism, in many cases even before they have seen it! I have seen it, and find it to be a somewhat disconcerting--and potentially dangerous--mixture of truth and error.

2) Do you see this movie as bringing people to your church and/or Jesus? Why or why not?

Of course I do want people to be drawn to Jesus, and also to our church, if that is the best place for them. But if people are truly drawn to Jesus by the Holy Spirit, it will not be through the movie itself, or the emotional experience of viewing it. It will be through the Word of God (biblical truth) contained in the movie and expressed through it. The gospel itself is "the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). The medium of film definitely has the power to move people emotionally, but the power to change people spiritually can only come through an understanding of the words about Christ, as Romans 10:17 says.

3) What role does Jesus' suffering play in your spirituality? Why?

Wow! I would need to write a whole book to answer that question! But in shorthand, the source of all my motivation for living as a Christian comes from the conviction that because Jesus died for me, I should live for Him (2 Cor. 5:14-15, 1 Peter 2:24). I love Him because of what He did for me, bearing the penalty for my sins and freeing me from any fear of the judgment of God. Also, Jesus' suffering is a model for me, since He said that I should take up my cross, and follow Him (Luke 9:23-25). I need to be willing to give myself up for the glory of God and the good of others.

4) What do you think of the way the movie treats the Virgin Mary? Why? What role does she play in your spirituality? Why?

This is one of my biggest misgivings about the movie. Knowing that Mel Gibson believes strongly that Mary is both a "co-redemptrix and co-mediatrix," as he told an interviewer recently, and merely having my eyes open while watching the film, it is obvious that he wants people to place their trust not only in Christ, but also in His mother. Mary is referred to as "Mother" by everyone, is portrayed as if she is offering up her Son, and at one point she matches steps with Satan on the other side of Jesus, implying that she is also a more-than-human character playing a significant spiritual role in the proceedings. But most significant is the fact that every time Jesus falls under the cross, he looks to Mary and receives from her the strength to go on. Mel Gibson himself said that he was surprised that evangelicals are so supportive of the film, "because it is so Marian."

I believe what the Bible says about Mary, and nothing more. She was a good model for us when she submitted to God's will and praised Him (Luke 1:38-55). But she was also a sinner like everyone else who needed to be saved like everyone else (Luke 1:47). The big problem with making her more than that is what I alluded to above: people direct their trust and worship toward Mary when the Bible is very clear that we should trust and worship God alone. So what we end up is a dangerous form of idolatry--or "maryolatry," as some have called it. And the Bible makes it abundantly clear that idolatry is displeasing to God and dangerous to those who practice it.

5) Do you consider the movie too violent? Why or why not?

Yes, that is the other biggest problem I have with the movie. I can't say it better than so many of the critics have ("the goriest story ever told," "a merciless excursion into motion-picture ultraviolence," etc.). But I can suggest a couple possible reasons for Gibson's enigmatic excesses. First, he is a product of Hollywood, where whole companies exist to create special effects for the purpose of depicting grisly realities. So if it can be done, they will do it, sometimes only because it can be done! Second, and more significantly, he is inordinately preoccupied with the physical suffering of Christ, which is actually consistent with his Roman Catholic beliefs. He believes that the mass (which the cast of the movie observed every morning on the set) is a re-sacrifice of Christ, in which the bread and wine are changed into the literal body and blood of Christ. The belief of Reformed Christians (and I would say the teaching of the Bible), on the other hand, focuses more on Christ's spiritual suffering, when the Father turned His face away and Jesus bore the pains of hell in a once-for-all, unrepeatable atonement.

For your information, by the way, Matthew and Mark and John only mention briefly that Pilate "had him scourged," without giving any further details. Luke does not even mention the scourging, and records a speech that Christ gave after He was scourged (Luke 23:28-31), which is long enough and cogent enough that it would have been unlikely he could have delivered it after the kind of beating that the movie depicts. The fact is, Gibson got the excessive scourging idea from a mystic and stigmatic 19-century nun who claimed to be receiving visions from God about the passion.

I think it is very unfortunate that what many will remember most about the movie is the overdone violence and gore. The Bible simply doesn't linger on it like the movie does, not even close. So it will be known as the movie Roger Ebert called, in a positive review, "the most violent film I have ever seen." The fact is, Jesus' physical death was not the most violent death ever, so the movie warps reality. On the other hand, His spiritual suffering--the Son being separated from the Father--was utterly unique. But that can't be captured on film, and Gibson makes little attempt to communicate it.

6) Would you take children to see the movie? Why or why not?

Not unless I thought they were old enough, and mature enough, to discern the truth from error and to realize that it is merely a movie, the gore is just special effects, etc. Rather than watching it in a theater where the screen is huge and we are at the mercy of what flows across it, I would rather view it on video where it can be fast-forwarded and discussed along the way. I also do not believe my children, or anyone for that matter, would be impoverished in any way if they do not see this movie. The written Word of God, read and taught, is sufficient to produce faith and godliness, and a wonderful relationship with God, as I alluded to above (see 1 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3).

7) How does Mel Gibson's Catholicism affect your view of the movie? Why?

Well, I think you can figure that out from the comments above! I view the movie as a kind of "evangelistic tract" for Roman Catholicism. In fact, it has been reported that cast and crew members were converted to Catholicism during the filming. Mel Gibson is not just selling Christ--he is selling a particular perspective on the person and work of Christ. That being said, I am grateful for the scriptural truth that is included in the movie, and I believe and pray that God can use that truth to draw people to Himself.

8) How does your spirituality treat the suffering Jesus? Why? Do you focus more on the Resurrection? Why or why not?

Yes, you keep reminding me of problems I have with the movie! I don't want to be overly negative, because I think much of the source material (namely, the New Testament) is fantastic! But maybe my criticisms can serve as a helpful balance to those who are uncritically accepting the movie...

I understand that the movie was about the passion of Jesus Christ, and not His resurrection, and that one movie cannot cover everything about Christ, or even everything about His passion. But again, when it lingers so long on the gory details of his suffering, and adds the resurrection merely as the cinematic version of a footnote, it seems to say something about the perspective and priorities of the filmmaker. It also implies that the resurrection, and the details surrounding it, are not necessary to an understanding of the passion. I would say they are, and that in true biblical thinking about Christ, the resurrection is just as important as the passion. Narratives about the resurrection and post-resurrection appearances are given just as much space in the gospels, if not more. And the epistles almost always mention the resurrection, in one way or another, when they mention the death of Christ.

9) Do you think Christianity needs to focus more on Christ's suffering? Why or why not?

We are always in danger of forgetting the great price that our Lord paid for our sins, and we need to be reminded of it. However, I don't believe we need to meditate extensively on the details of His suffering, especially on the extra-biblical details that this movie fabricates and obsesses over.

10) Do you see Christ's sufferings merely as past history,or something still relevant today? Why or why not?

I do not believe Christ's suffering are continuing today, or being repeated today, as Romans Catholics do. But I certainly do believe they are relevant today, as I explained in my answer to number 3 above: The source of all my motivation for living as a Christian comes from the conviction that because Jesus died for me, I should live for Him (2 Cor. 5:14-15, 1 Peter 2:24). I love Him because of what He did for me, bearing the penalty for my sins and freeing me from any fear of the judgment of God. Also, Jesus' suffering is a model for me, since He said that I should take up my cross, and follow Him (Luke 9:23-25). I need to be willing to give myself up for the glory of God and the good of others.

11) What do you think of crucifixes? Why?

Crucifixes are problematic in several ways. First, many people venerate them or use them as an aid in worship (e.g. kissing them, praying to them), and that can be a form of idolatry--placing trust in the object, as if it had some kind of magical powers, rather than trusting in God, who alone has divine power. Also, I think the fact that Jesus is represented as "still on the cross" often reflects the Roman Catholic misunderstanding of the Lord's Supper and the nature of His sacrifice (which I discussed above under number 5). So if we choose to display a cross, in our churches or around our necks, I prefer an empty one, so we can remember that the Lord is risen and reigning in heaven at the right hand of the Father!

12) What is the role of suffering in your spirituality? Why?

I assume that you mean my own suffering, because you already asked about Christ's. My suffering plays a very important role in my spirituality. I do not go looking for it, nor do I enjoy it, but when God allows suffering in my life by His providence, He uses it to help me "become conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29). Suffering turns my heart toward heaven and away from the things of this world; suffering strengthens my character; suffering gives me an opportunity to trust God more; suffering enables me to help others who are going through tough times; and suffering for the sake of Christ gives me assurance that I belong to Him.

God's Eye Better Than Ours

2011-04-16T07:27:00.001-07:00

Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotional for today is about 1 Peter 1:19, "The precious blood of Christ." He says, "The blood of Christ is likewise 'precious' in its preserving power. We are safe from the destroying angel under the sprinkled blood. Remember it is God's seeing the blood which is the true reason for us being spared. Here is the comfort for us when the eye of faith is dim, for God's eye is still the same."

A Gold Rush of Great Poetry, Part Deux

2011-04-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

Quick to judge Quick to anger Slow to understand Ignorance and prejudice And fear walk hand in hand... ______ To you, is it movement or is it action? Is it contact or just reaction? And you...revolution or just resistance? Is it living, or just existence? Yeah, you! It takes a little more persistence To get up and go the distance...I'm not giving in to security under pressure I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure I'm not giving up on implausible dreams Experience to extremes Experience to extremes... ______ It slips between your hands like water This living in real time A dizzying lifetime Reeling by on celluloid Struck between the eyes By the big-time world Walking uneasy streets Hiding beneath the sheets Got to try and fill the void...You know how that rabbit feels Going under your speeding wheels Bright images flashing by Like windshields towards a fly Frozen in the fatal climb But the wheels of time Just pass you by Wheels can take you around Wheels can cut you down We can go from boom to bust From dreams to a bowl of dust We can fall from rockets' red glare Down to "Brother can you spare..." Another war Another wasteland And another lost generation ______ It's not how fast you can go The force goes into the flow If you pick up the beat You can forget about the heat More than just survival More than just a flash More than just a dotted line More than just a dash It's a test of ultimate will The heartbreak climb uphill Got to pick up the pace If you want to stay in the race More than just blind ambition More than just simple greed More than just a finish line Must feed this burning need In the long run... From first to last The peak is never passed Something always fires the light that gets in your eyes One moment's high, and glory rolls on by Like a streak of lightning That flashes and fades in the summer sky... Your meters may overload You can rest at the side of the road You can miss a stride But nobody gets a free ride More than high performance More than just a spark More than just the bottom line Or a lucky shot in the dark In the long run... You can do a lot in a lifetime If you don't burn out too fast You can make the most of the distance First you need endurance First you've got to last... ______ The office door closed early The hidden bottle came out The salesman turned to close the blinds A little slow now, a little stout But he's still heading down those tracks Any day now for sure Another day as drab as today Is more than a man can endure...Dreams flow across the heartland Feeding on the fires Dreams transport desires Drive you when you're down Dreams transport the ones who need to get out of town... The boy walks with his best friend Through the fields of early May They walk awhile in silence One close, one far away But he'd be climbing on that bus Just him and his guitar To blaze across the heavens Like a brilliant shooting star The middle aged Madonna Calls her neighbor on the phone Day by day the seasons pass And leave her life alone But she'll go walking out that door On some bright afternoon To go and paint big cities From a lonely attic room It's understood By every single person Who'd be elsewhere if they could So far so good And life's not unpleasant In their little neighborhood ______ So many things I think about When I look far away Things I know, things I wonder Things I'd like to say The more we think we know about The greater the unknown We suspend our disbelief And we are not alone...Mystic rhythms Capture my thoughts Carry them away Mysteries of night escape the light of day Mystic rhythms Under northern lights Or the African sun Primitive things stir the hearts of everyone We sometimes catch a window A glimpse of what's beyond Was it just imagination Stringing us along? More things than are dreamed about Unseen and unexplained We suspend our disbelief And we are entertained Mystic rhythms Capture my thoughts Carry them away Nature seems to spin A supernatural way Mystic rhythms Under city lights Or a canopy of stars We feel the powers and wonder what they are ______ How many times do you hear it? It goes on all day long Everyone knows everything And no one's ever wrong Until later...Who can you believe? It's hard to play it safe But apart from a few good friends We don't take anything on faith Until later...Show me, don't tell me...You can twist perceptions Reality won't budge You can raise objections I will be the judge And the jury I'll give it due reflection Watching from the fence Give the jury direction Based on the evidence...Show, don't tell ______ If we burn our wings Flying too close to the sun If the moment of glory Is over before it's begun If the dream is won Though everything is lost We will pay the price But we will not count the cost When the dust has cleared And victory denied A summit too lofty River a little too wide If we keep our pride Though paradise is lost We will pay the price But we will not count the cost And if the music stops There's only the sound of the rain All the hope and glory All the sacrifice in vain, And if love remains Though everything is lost We will pay the price But we will not count the cost ______ I'm old enough not to care too much About what you think of me But I'm young enough to remember the future And the way things ought to be ______ In the house where nobody laughs And nobody sleeps In the house where love lies dying And the shadows creep A little girl hides shaking With her hands on her ears Pushing back the tears 'Til the pain disappears Mama says some ugly words Daddy pounds the wall They can fight about their little girl later Right now they don't care at all... No matter what they say... Everyday people Everyday shame Everyday promise shot down in flames Everyday sunrise Another everyday story Rise from the ashes and blaze In everyday glory... In the city where nobody smiles And nobody dreams In the city where desperation Drives the bored to extremes Just one spark of decency Against a starless night One glow of hope and dignity A child can follow the light... No matter what they say... If the future's looking dark We're the ones who have to shine If there's no one in control We're the ones who draw the line Though we live in trying times We're the ones who have to try Though we know that time has wings We're the ones who have to fly ______ A certain measure of innocence Willing to appear naive A certain degree of imagination A measure of make-believe A certain degree of surrender To the forces of light and heat A shot of satisfaction In a willingness to risk defeat Celebrate the moment As it turns into one more Another chance at victory Another chance to score The measure of the moment In a difference of degree Just one little victory A spirit breaking free One little victory The greatest act can be One little victory A certain measure of righteousness A certain amount of force A certain degree of determination Daring on a different course A certain amount of resistance To the forces of the light and love A certain measure of tolerance A willingness to rise above ______ Driving away to the east, and into the past History receeds in my rear-view mirror Carried away on a wave of music down a desert road Memory humming at the heart of a factory town... All my life I've been workin' them angels overtime Riding and driving and living So close to the edge Workin' them angels overtime... Riding through the Range of Light to the wounded city Filling my spirit with the wildest wish to fly Taking the high road to the wounded city Memory strumming at the heart of a moving picture... Driving down the razor's edge 'tween the past and the future Turn up the music and smile Get carried away on the songs and stories of vanished times ______ Like the solitary pine On a bare wind blasted shore We can only grow the way the wind blows ______ Exit stage left

A Gold Rush of Great Poetry

2011-04-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's cold comfort to the ones without it To know how they struggled, how they suffered about it If their lives were exotic and strange, they would likely have gladly exchanged them for something a little more plain, maybe something a little more sane. ______ We are secrets to each other Each one's life a novel no one else has read Even joined in bonds of love We're linked to one another by such slender threads We are planets to each other Drifting in our orbits to a brief eclipse Each of us a world apart Alone and yet together, like two passing ships We are strangers to each other Full of sliding panels, an illusion show Acting well rehearsed routines or playing from the heart? It's hard for one to know We are islands to each other Building hopeful bridges on a troubled sea Some are burned or swept away, some we would not choose But we're not always free Just between us, I think it's time for us to recognize The differences we sometimes fear to show Just between us, I think it's time for us to realize The spaces in between leave room for you and I to grow ______ All the world's indeed a stage And we are merely players Performers and portrayers Each another's audience ______ Unstable condition, a symptom of life In mental and environmental change Atmospheric disturbance, the feverish flux Of human interface and interchange The impulse is pure, but sometimes our circuits get shorted By external interference Signals get crossed and the balance distorted By internal incoherence A tired mind becomes a shape-shifter Everybody needs a mood lifter Everybody needs reverse polarity Everybody's got mixed feelings About the function and the form Everybody's got to deviate from the norm An ounce of perception, a pound of obscure Process information at half speed Pause, rewind, replay, warm memory chip Random sample, hold the one you need Leave out the fiction; the fact is, this friction Will only be worn by persistence Leave out conditions; courageous convictions Will drag the dream into existence A tired mind becomes a shape-shifter Everybody needs a soft filter Everybody needs reverse polarity Everybody's got mixed feelings About the function and the form Everybody's got to elevate from the norm ______ Invisible airwaves crackle with life Bright antennae bristle with the energy Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free All this machinery making modern music Can still be open hearted, not so coldly charted It's really just a question of your honesty One likes to believe in the freedom of music But glittering prizes and endless compromises Shatter the illusion of integrity For the words of the prophets were written on the studio wall, concert hall And echo with the sounds of salesmen ______ Sprawling on the fringes of the city In geometric order, an insulated border In between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown Growing up it all seems so one-sided Opinions all provided, the future pre-decided Detached and subdivided in the mass production zone Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone Subdivisions...in the high school halls, in the shopping malls Conform or be cast out Subdivisions...in the basement bars, in the backs of cars Be cool or be cast out Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truth that the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth Drawn like moths we drift into the city The timeless old attraction, cruising for the action Lit up like a firefly just to feel the living night Some will sell their dreams for small desires Or lose the race to rats, get caught in ticking traps And start to dream of somewhere to relax their restless flight Somewhere out of a memory of lighted streets on quiet nights... _______ His world is under observation We monitor his station Under faces and the places Where he traces points of view He picks up scraps of conversation Radio and radiation From the dancers and romancers With the answers but no clue He'd love to spend the night in Zion He's been a long while in Babylon He'd like a lover's wings to fly on To a tropic isle of Avalon His world is under anesthetic Subdivided and synthetic His reliance on the giants In the science of the day He picks up scraps of information He's adept at adaptationB ecause for strangers and arrangers Constant change is here to stay He's got a force field and a flexible plan He's got a date with fate in a black sedan He plays fast forward for as long as he can But he won't need a bed, he's a digital man ______ The dancer slows her frantic pace in pain and desperation Her aching limbs and downcast face aglow with perspiration Stiff as wire, her lungs on fire with just the briefest pause Flooding through her memory, the echoes of old applause She limps across the floor and closes her bedroom door... The writer stares with glassy eyes, defies the empty page His beard is white, his face is lined and streaked with tears of rage Thirty years ago, how the words would flow with passion and precision But now his mind is dark and dulled by sickness and indecision And he stares out the kitchen door, where the sun will rise no more... Some are born to move the world, to live their fantasies But most of us just dream about the things we'd like to be Sadder still to watch it die than never to have known it For you, the blind who once could see The bell tolls for thee... ______ And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start To mold a new reality, closer to the heart______ Changes aren't permanent, but change is

Hardware, Day of the Barbarians, and Monstrum

2011-03-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Since my last few blog entries were about discernment in entertainment and the popular arts, I thought it would be good to give you some examples of good books I've read recently. I'd like to have a site just devoted to book reviews from a Christian perspective, because there is a real scarcity of such sites out there. (Are there any at all, in fact? Let me know if you are aware of any.) But I'm too busy to start a new site, and "Voracious" and "VoraciousReader" are both taken as site names (bummer!). So I'll just put some recommendations on my blog from time to time, for movies and music as well as books, and hope somebody benefits from them.

Hardware: The Man in the Machine, by McDuffie and Cowan
This is a really cool graphic novel, by African-American creators, collecting a comics series from years ago that only lasted about 10 issues. But it's got great art by Denys Cowan and beautiful coloring (a rather unique look), and the extra bonus that makes this book special is the theme of revenge vs. justice. The hero, who is more of an anti-hero at first, actually progresses in character development as the story goes, with the arc coming to a satisfying conclusion, especially for those who care about the truth.

The Day of the Barbarians, by Alessandro Barbero
I picked up this short book at a discount store, and I was fascinated by it. It describes the battle of Adrianople in 378 AD, which this Italian historian says was the beginning of the end for the Western Roman Empire. One of the more interesting themes was how the Romans assimilated the barbarians into their culture, only to regret it later. How that might relate to the immigration trends in Europe and America today, I'll leave that for you to decide.

Monstrum, by Donald James
This one I bought at a thrift store because I thought the cover looked good and it sounded like an interesting premise...a future Moscow ravaged by civil war and a serial killer who may be more than he seems (or she). The author is a historian who is an expert on Russia, so all that happens in the novel is probably possible. If you can stand the constant profanity (Russian style) from some of the characters and the anti-hero's often anti-heroic actions, an illustration of God's grace emerges eventually as He uses an unlikely and undeserving tool to save the country. Along the way, twists and turns keep you turning the pages.

Vast Wasteland

2011-02-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

(Christianity Today publishes a devotional called "Men of Integrity," which recently adapted some material from one of my books for a week of readings. I thought you might enjoy seeing them...)

Key Bible Verse: So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days (Ephesians 5:15-16). Bonus Reading: Matthew 5:29-30

Movies, TV, and music so dominate the lives of many, including Christians, that they have no time to think about anything spiritual. Add net-surfing, computer games, sports, and other hobbies, and we have a society drowning in entertainment! Our souls are so constantly submerged in a sea of pleasure-seeking that we rarely break the surface to study the Scriptures, worship God, and serve others.

Satan wants you to waste your time. Too often our pursuit of pleasure preoccupies the mind, consumes the energies of the body, and drains the checkbook. So we fulfill Paul's forecast of the last days (2 Timothy 3:4), when people "love pleasure rather than God." That's why you must set strict limits on the amount of time and money you spend on entertainment.

The application of the surgical language in today's Bonus Reading to your entertainment choices is clear: If something you watch, read, or listen to influences you toward evil in your heart or actions, stay away from it. If you find yourself consumed with a particular hobby, get it out of your life until such a time that you can enjoy it in moderation and propriety.

—Dave Swavely in Who Are You to Judge? (adapted with permission)

My Response: To be a faithful disciple, I need to eliminate or cut back on …

Joker and Monty Python

2011-02-22T14:59:00.000-08:00

(Christianity Today publishes a devotional called "Men of Integrity," which recently adapted some material from one of my books for a week of readings. I thought you might enjoy seeing them...)

Key Bible Verse: But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires (Romans 13:14). Bonus Reading: 1 John 2:15-16

In the movie Batman, Jack Nicholson's Joker has more fun by far than anyone else, leading audiences to appreciate and remember this psychotic murderer more than any of the good guys. Another surprising example of the glorification of evil is a Bibleman episode in which the Scripture-quoting hero is boring compared to the villain, who gets to star in his own MTV-like video. After watching this show, my children couldn't quote any of the Bible verses, but danced around singing over and over, "I am the prince of pride; I've got an ego ten miles wide!"

The concern of today's Bonus Reading is the heart. John doesn't say that we can't view or listen to anything that comes from worldly artists, but he does say we're not to love the lust and pride in them, and often presented by them. So I can split my sides with my friends and older children as we enjoy the unique, insightful humor in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, while skipping scenes like the "virgins in the castle" and the cartoons depicting God. I can expose those examples of inappropriate humor by explaining to my family and others why those parts are wrong, and in doing so we can enjoy a spiritual benefit as well as a good laugh.

—Dave Swavely in Who Are You to Judge? (adapted by permission)

My Response: I'll plan to lead an informal evaluation of the next movie or TV show we watch together.

Thought to Apply: Indifference to evil is complicity with evil.—SOURCE UNKNOWN

Laugh Lines

2011-02-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

(Christianity Today publishes a devotional called "Men of Integrity," which recently adapted some material from one of my books for a week of readings. I thought you might enjoy seeing them...)

Key Bible Verse: Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes--these are not for you.… Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins (Ephesians 5:4, 6). Bonus Reading: Ephesians 5:4-14

God hates sin. It is therefore wrong for us to enjoy it in any way. Unfortunately, much of modern entertainment is designed to make money by appealing to our sinful nature. This is obviously the purpose of most sexual content, and much of the violence motivated by ungodly revenge and uncontrolled rage. But the popular arts appeal to our sinful nature in more subtle ways, such as our covetousness (beautiful stars, rich characters, exotic locations) and pride (motivations of self-glory).

In today's popular art, God and religion are played for laughs, and jokes about sex have almost become synonymous with the concept of comedy. But the Bible is very clear that both of these matters are not to be played for laughs. The third commandment says, "Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God," and the hottest hell is reserved for those who mock God. [Today's Bonus Reading] uses similar language in regard to sexuality. It is a sin worthy of God's anger and condemnation to be amused by jokes about Him. It is equally wrong to laugh at coarse sexual humor.

—Dave Swavely in Who Are You to Judge? (adapted by permission)

My Response: Have I ever turned off a TV show part way through it or walked out of a movie or play? Should I have?

Thought to Apply: Television makes so much money at its worst that it can't afford to do its best.—FRED FRIENDLY (broadcast news producer)

Talk Back to Your TV (and other entertainment)

2011-02-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

(Christianity Today publishes a devotional called "Men of Integrity," which recently adapted some material from one of my books for a week of readings. I thought you might enjoy seeing them...)

Key Bible Verse: Test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). Bonus Reading: Philippians 4:8

If you soak up the media with your brain in neutral, you'll be captured by the enemy's destructive ideas. To apply today's Key Bible Verses to the entertainment you enjoy, keep your brain in gear, know your Bible, and evaluate based on what it says. Talk back mentally to your TV, music, books, and the movie screen. When you see or hear something good, note the truth communicated or illustrated. If it's bad, note how and why it displeases God. That's conquering rebellious ideas and teaching them to obey Christ ( 2 Corinthians 10:5).

If I enjoy a certain kind of music, I can thank God for giving musicians the talent to produce it. But when the words aren't coming from hearts that love Christ, I'll often intentionally hear or sing them with an elevated meaning. Many songs on love and sex written about an unmarried couple can apply to my relationship with my wife. Single people can think of the lyrics as describing a future marriage relationship. This is applying today's Bonus Reading command by finding the good in the things we observe and disciplining our minds to dwell on that. Of course I don't sing or let my mind dwell on songs that can't possibly be reinterpreted like this.

—Dave Swavely in Who Are You to Judge? (adapted by permission)

My Response: Do I passively accept media messages or do I talk back to them?

Thought to Apply: All television is educational television. The only question is, what is it teaching?—NICHOLAS JOHNSON (former Federal Communications Comm. chairman)

Take Jesus to a Movie?

2011-02-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

(Christianity Today publishes a devotional called "Men of Integrity," which recently adapted some material from one of my books for a week of readings. I thought you might enjoy seeing them...)

Key Bible Verse: And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father (Colossians 3:17).

When you view or listen to some form of the arts, your motive can't be merely to please yourself, and it certainly can't be to enjoy ungodly pleasures. Your motive must be to please God. Jesus said, "You must worship the Lord your God, and serve only him" (Matthew 4:10). First Corinthians 10:3o-11:1 says you should engage in only what you can thank God for, and what brings Him glory.

Many Christians haven't learned how to enjoy the popular arts in a way that brings glory to God. They've watched movies, for instance, only because they wanted to pass the time, or experience the thrill of action, romance, or a good laugh. Or the movies have been a time they were spending apart from God, because they were deriving enjoyment from things He wouldn't like.

So when a friend asks, "Would you watch that if Jesus were sitting next to you?" (a good question to ask, by the way), they could never honestly say yes, because they've never taken Jesus with them to see a movie! But I've watched many movies fully aware that Jesus is with me, and I've communed with Him during the entire movie. Next, we'll discuss how.

—Dave Swavely in Who Are You to Judge? (adapted by permission)

My Response: Would Jesus have accepted an invitation to the last movie I saw?

A Balanced View of Baptism

2011-02-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

Imagine that you were sitting in an airplane, before it left the ground, and you suddenly realized that one of the wings was very big and the other wing was very small. What would you do? You would get off that plane very fast, wouldn’t you?!

A plane cannot fly unless both wings are balanced. Otherwise it will tip over to one side and end up crashing. I want to suggest to you that our understanding of baptism is the same way. Many people tip over on one side, and many people tip over on the other side. And the right understanding of Christian baptism is “right” in the middle…a biblical balance.

So I want to tell you about two errors that many people fall into, and why they are wrong according to the Bible. Then I will tell you the truth about baptism, according to God’s Word.

Error #1

First, one error is expecting too much from baptism. Some people believe that when they are baptized in a church, that baptism is like magic. It washes away all the sins they have committed so far, or washes away the “original sin” they have from being born into a race of sinners. Others believe that because they have been baptized, they do not need to be “born again,” because that happened in their baptism. And others believe that they do not need to study the Bible, or pray, or worship, or obey God’s commandments, because in some way their baptism guarantees that they have a right relationship with God.

But the Bible clearly says that no religious ritual can make us right with God:

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.

Titus 3:4-7
But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

So you see that it is not the “washing” or “pouring out” of the water in baptism that saves us from our sins and enables us to go to heaven when we die, but the “rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” which happens because Jesus Christ died for us. It is not a physical washing that makes us right with God, but a spiritual washing that gives us a new heart. This is what Jesus meant when he told Nicodemus, who had observed all the required religious ceremonies, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). Nicodemus had been circumcised as a baby, which was the Old Testament precursor to baptism, like a seed is to the plant and the boy is to the man. But Jesus told him that all his religious activity meant nothing unless he turned away from his self-righteousness and turned to Jesus in personal faith. Nicodemus needed a new heart, and so do you and I, even if we have been baptized.

Error #2

Second, however, there is another error that people believe about baptism, on the other side. Some people think too little of baptism. They know that baptism does not ensure our salvation, because they know that we are saved by faith, but they think that baptism does basically nothing. They think of it more or less as an empty ritual with no real meaning in their lives. They do not realize that their baptism is a special means of grace that places a serious responsibility on them to live as a Christian, committed to God and His glory. They do not realize that baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a “sign and seal” of God’s covenant of love, which means they must love God in return, or be considered a traitor by Him.

Baptism is like a wedding ceremony, in a way. (In fact, the church is called “the bride of Christ” in the Bible.) When we become married, we make promises and give rings to each other. The rings do not cause us to be married, but they are a sign that we are married. And the fact that we are wearing that ring means that our life will change in many ways—our life must change in many ways. Would you say that your life changed after you were married? I know mine did, and one way was that if I am not faithful to my covenant of marriage, I wouldl be in a worse place than if I had never been married. The same is true of baptism: once that sign has been placed upon us, we have an increased obligation to be faithful to the covenant God has made with us:

Romans 6:1-5
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

The Truth About Baptism

The truth about baptism, according to the Bible, lies in between those two errors. Baptism does not guarantee the forgiveness of sins, but it is a sign that God has made a covenant with us.

So if you have been baptized, you still must repent of your sins and believe in Jesus. You will not be able to stand before God on the Day of Judgment and say, “I was baptized, so You should let me into heaven.” Only by trusting in Jesus Christ, and His death for our sins, can you escape the fires of hell. If you have never been born again by the Holy Spirit, ask God to give you a new heart. Tell him you are sorry for ignoring Him and disobeying His Word, and ask Him to forgive your sins because Jesus died for us on the cross. That is the only way God can forgive our sins.

If you have not been baptized, or if your children have not been baptized, you are missing a wonderful gift that God wants to give you. As I study and learn more about baptism, I have seen that my own baptism, which I received as a young boy, becomes more meaningful to me every year. How can I be unfaithful to a loving God who has given me this “wedding ring” as a token of His unending love? How could you refuse such a gift from the lover of your soul? And how could you not want to live your life for the Savior who died for you?

Acts 2:38
Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.

God is speaking to you through that passage, just as he was to the people at Pentecost 2000 years ago. Maybe you need to repent right now (turn away from your sins). Maybe you need to be baptized, or to bring your children to baptism. If God is calling you to commit your life to Jesus, or to receive this sign of His love, then talk to God right now about it and tell him you will do what He wants you to do.

Help! I Need Somebody...

2011-01-19T04:04:00.000-08:00

One of the prayers sent up to God most frequently, if not the most, is just two words: "Help me!" Well, I have some good news for those of us who often cry out in this way (or mutter it under our breath)... God will help us! I was profoundly reminded of this recently in my daily reading from Charles Spurgeon's devotional Morning and Evening, which I have committed to go through this year with my son. (You can get a copy of it here: http://www.cvbbs.com/.)

I will reproduce Spurgeon's January 16 morning entry here with the language somewhat updated, so all the "thees" and "thous" don't get it anyone's way...

"I will help you, says the Lord."
Isaiah 41:14

Let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each of us: "I will help you. It is but a small thing for Me, your God, to help you. Consider what I have done already. What! Not help you? Why, I bought you with My blood. What! Not help you? I have died for you; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less? Help you! It is the least thing I will ever do for you; I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose you. I made the covenant for you. I laid aside My glory and became a man for you; I gave my life for you; and if I did all this, I will surely help you now. In helping you, I am giving you what I have bought for you already. If you had need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it to you; you require little compared with what I am ready to give. 'Tis much for you to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. 'Help you?' Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of your granary asking for help, it would not ruin you to give him a handful of your wheat; and you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of my all sufficiency. 'I will help you.'"

O my soul, is not this enough? Do you need more strength than the omnipotence of the United Trinity? Do you want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring hither your empty pitcher! Surely this well will fill it. Haste, gather up your wants, and bring them there--your emptiness, your woes, your needs. Behold, this river of God is full for your supply; what can you desire beside? Go forth, my soul, in this your might. The Eternal God is your helper!

"Fear not, I am with thee, oh be not dismayed!
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand."

The Wormwood Letters: Undoing the Reformation (Sola Fide)

2010-12-06T21:13:00.000-08:00

My dear Snagheel,

I enjoy Latin—primarily because it serves as a nostalgic reminder of the way we used it so effectively, for so many years, to separate most normal people from the Book that could have changed their lives—were it not confined to a language that only the educated could read. But there are a few Latin words that I find so sickening, even debilitating at times, that I prefer not to even utter or write them. But I will force myself, for the sake of your continuing education, and the anticipated promotion I will enjoy if you ever become an accomplished tempter.

Slogans like Sola Fide (Unggghhh… It hurts to even write it!) and Sola Scriptura (Ouch again!) were invented by the Enemy and used widely by His servants during the Dark Age known as The Reformation (one more stab of pain shoots through me when I think of that…). That malignant movement did so much damage to our cause, that since then we have spent an exorbitant amount of time and energy simply trying to undo it. My discomfort is mitigated, fortunately, by the fact that we have had much success in this endeavor, generally speaking. But there is still much work to do.

Undoing the Reformation in a society, church, or individual is a difficult task that requires skill and subtlety, because for some reason the “Reformed” ideas of religion, once accepted, tend to cling to their adherents rather tenaciously. One way you can begin (though it will not solve the whole problem), is to remove offensive terminology, like those words mentioned above, from the hearts and lips of Christians. As you know, my unscrupulous student, the best way to keep dangerous truth from reaching the world is to muddle it in the minds of God’s people. So perhaps you can convince them that it is not in their best interest to keep alive those old Latin labels, other historical words that describe theological concepts, and the names of men long ago who have been thorns in our side. When terminology like that falls into disuse, there will be less interest aroused in the Dark Age and less people drawn into the study of it. Before too long, if we are lucky, most will have forgotten that it even happened. And as Mark Twain once said, “He who does not know history is doomed to repeat it.”

Many of the Christians who love the Reformation also love the Enemy, so you will have to persuade them that speaking of things which are “old” or “theological” is somehow detrimental to the promotion of His kingdom. Suggest to them that they should discard such discussions for the sake of “seekers” or “new believers” who might be put off or confused by language they don’t yet understand. They might also be led into a pursuit of unity with other Christians that downplays “doctrinal distinctives” because they might be too “divisive.” Or perhaps, since familiarity breeds contempt, they may simply grow tired of rehearsing the same old truths and go looking for something new. In that case, all you have to do is make sure there is something for them to find.

But as I mentioned, my reddish recruit, it will not be enough to merely make Christians forget about the Reformation. You must also undermine the ideas that were rediscovered at that time. Sometimes they linger in places where people are unaware of the Dark Age itself, but even in a half-dead state they can still cause us problems. In fact, you may want to reference the prolific work of our brother Bragdrench, whose fine book Diseased Tulip contains the interesting thesis that the success of our work has been directly proportional to the disappearance of the “doctrines of grace,” as some of them have been called. In other words, the less people understand and believe them, the more damage we can do.

So aim your fiery darts at the idea of Sola Fide, to begin with. That repugnant slogan from the Dark Age means “faith alone,” and one of its champions often said that it is “the hinge on which everything turns.” Mark that, Snagheel—he had a point. When our prey abandon all other objects of trust, even their own religious works, and turn to Christ as their only hope for eternity, we have been dealt a death blow. So we must work unceasingly to provide them with as many false saviors as possible, so that they will rely on something other than the One who can actually save them. Many are preserved from heaven by non-Christian religions, of course, and the agnostic worship of pleasure, love, or money. But we have also gloriously succeeded among those who call themselves Christians, by fooling them into thinking that the Enemy saves and loves them because of something they are or something they do (note how well this tactic worked with the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14). By trusting to any degree in their own worth and goodness, they narrowly miss the principle of free grace that alone could assure them of heaven.

We had, at one time, so thoroughly infiltrated the Enemy’s church with this idea, that it was about to make many of our doctrines into official teaching, and thus plunge the whole Western world into an exquisite era of darkness. But the Enemy had mercy on His people, and delivered so many of them from our influence, that the Dark Age of His Reformation overshadowed our own accomplishments in the Roman church. So from that point on, throughout much of the Christian world, these Protestants were wary of our schemes, and we could no longer dupe them with the ones that have worked so well in the Roman system. Among the heirs of the Reformation, we have been forced to invent new ways of diverting their trust from Christ alone. Fortunately, these new ways have proven almost as effective, and by making use of them you can advance our Father’s cause by undoing the Reformation…

Suggest to them that they are saved by “making a decision” or praying a prayer, as if the Enemy dispenses His grace in response to their own choices, and as if He is obligated to forgive them because of some religious act they perform. In other words, substitute such “evangelical” works for the Roman practices of confession, penance, and indulgences.

Obscure or belittle the biblical doctrine of predestination, for wherever it thrives, our power languishes. A rediscovery of that accursed doctrine was, of course, one of the primary features of the Dark Age.

Confuse them into thinking that judicial, heavenly declarations like being “crucified with Christ” and being in “union with Him” are really descriptions of their own pious behavior or mystic experience.

Water down the commands of the Enemy’s law so that the scum will actually think they can obey them. Do whatever you can to keep that law from fulfilling its primary purpose of revealing their sin and driving them to the cross. (One “Christian” book we inspired, which was about the Ten Commandments, had the title Believe in the God Who Believes in You. What a wonderful example of using the Enemy’s weapons against Him!)

If all else fails, and they irritatingly persist in understanding the doctrine of “justification by faith alone” correctly according to the Enemy’s book, try to make them think it is their theological knowledge and orthodoxy that makes them right with God, rather than the work of Christ Himself. “Faith alone” in a principle will never save them; only faith in a Person can do that.

Affectionately Yours,

Your Uncle WORMWOOD

The Wormwood Letters: A Crash Course in Screwtapery

2010-11-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

My dear Snagheel,

It is my deliciously nefarious privilege to offer you the following summary of the strategies that have been used most effectively by your fellow tempters in this present age, two thousand years since our Enemy walked the earth in human form. I learned many of these basic principles from Screwtape, my ingenious tutor, but I have updated and added to them for your benefit. When my time-consuming current assignment in Philadelphia has ended, I will endeavor to compose for you a more complete handbook of letters, to assist you in your significant, if not happy, business.

To begin with a time-honored method: Prompt your human subjects to suppose that we do not exist. Build upon the helpful groundwork laid by the scientific empiricism of the modern age, and capitalize on the tendencies of their own hearts to think that nothing exists but what they can see, touch, or experience emotionally.

If they do believe we are real, trick them into thinking we are grotesque, slobbering monsters, rather than sly and subtle tempters. If they should discover that our master appears as an angel of light, for instance, they may become far too skeptical and discerning for their own good.

Entice them to forget that we are at war with the Enemy and with their own souls. Our most powerful weapons in this regard are the various entertainment media, of course. If you can get them to absorb large amounts of the television, movies, music, and netfare we inspire, you will most likely succeed on that count alone. And you will most certainly be successful if you can get them to do this mindlessly, without recognizing the subtle and not-so-subtle temptations and lies imbedded in their "fun."

If they do recognize the reality of spiritual warfare, try to divert them into perverse variations and additions to what the Enemy has enjoined upon them in his loathsome Book. Encourage them to think they should talk to us, "bind" us, "cast us out," or resort to ritualistic prayer formulas. You will find, if given the enviable opportunity, that there are few enjoyments greater than willfully suspending your influence on a human subject when a well-meaning friend "binds you" or "casts you out." This amusing frolic leaves the friend thinking he has power over us, while the subject has been "delivered" by some other means than his own repentance.

Remember the power of "little sins" like pride, gossip, laziness, and judgmentalism. As Screwtape so elegantly instructed me, time and again, the usefulness of these lies in the fact that a subject's life can be utterly filled with them, while he continues to be esteemed by others and think of himself as a godly man.

If the hairless apes do become agitated at their own sins, quickly offer them alternate explanations for why they have done wrong. Do not allow them to accept personal responsibility for their crimes against the Enemy, because from there they may stagger closer to his cross (which is the last place we want them to go). Toward this end, you can supply them with numerous excuses, drawn from the infinite well of modern psychological theory.

If those excuses fail for some reason, and they look toward religion for absolution and forgiveness, encourage them in this pursuit. But, as I already said and will say a thousand more times, keep them away from the cross at all costs. Non-Christian religions are ideal, most forms of Christianity are acceptable, and even evangelical Christianity will pose no problem as long as they think the Enemy is saving and forgiving them because of something that they do, and not because of his free, undeserved grace. We have made great inroads into the once formidable evangelical church by suggesting that making a "decision" or saying a prayer somehow moves the Enemy to bestow his grace. We have so successfully obscured the meaning of the word faith that even many of his captains are misusing it. I shall write more of this glorious victory in the future, but for now it suffices to say that any way of "salvation" that bypasses the cross, even slightly, is highly desirable. Like the pilgrim in that infamous and repulsive old book by John Bunyan, your subjects will most surely lose their burdens of sin and guilt if they are allowed to hear and understand what Jesus was doing on that most despised of all days. We have lost far too many promising subjects when the Spirit of the Enemy has made use of such learning, turning them away from all self-reliance and turning their hearts toward him in trust and love.

Finally, Snagheel, permit me to summarize my summary by saying that your goal should be to turn their attention away from the person of Jesus Christ, by any means available. Tempt them to focus on themselves and the world around them, or even on doctrines about Christ, benevolence in his name, or other things that are not bad in themselves. Though they might be "good" things, they fortunately can become "bad" when they distract from the one at his right hand. When such distractions fail, and the humans take the time to sit at their Savior's feet, he invariably demonstrates a frustrating ability to win their hearts completely. He becomes so awe-inspiring and beautiful to them that they willfully and cheerfully become his servants forever. Then for us, all hope is lost.

Affectionately yours,

Your uncle WORMWOOD

The Wormwood Letters: Introduction

2010-11-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

“I have no intention of explaining how the correspondence which I now offer to the public fell into my hands,” wrote C.S. Lewis in the preface to his 1961 collection of “positively diabolical” advice from one devil to another (which he entitled The Screwtape Letters). The four additional letters I am about to publish on my blog were crafted by Screwtape’s nephew Wormwood to one of his lowerlings, and have an equally mysterious origin, considering the fact that Wormwood was on the verge of being “eaten” at the end of The Screwtape Letters! But apparently the young apprentice survived (unless this is all a trick), and has left us his own legacy of bad counsel.

As you read these missives in the coming days, you will notice that most of Wormwood’s strategies are centered on the communication and proliferation of ungodly ideas. For the most part, as a careful study of Scripture bears out, the demonic forces of evil spend much more time spreading doctrinal and philosophical lies than they do in personal, experiential temptations. For instance, we are much more likely to find demons plotting a new twist on an old heresy or influencing the media to make sin attractive than we are to find them soliciting an individual to believe that particular lie or to indulge in that particular sin. This is because the devils know that within man himself lies the capability of the greatest evils; as Jesus said in Mark 7:21-23: "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

Satan and his minions do not need to create evil inside us, nor do they even have to directly produce experiences that can mislead us. Sinful tendencies and desires lie deep inside of all of us, as does the psychological capability to manufacture “spiritual” experiences which we believe to be “from God.” And though the demons may sometimes act directly upon us (with God’s permission), it is only necessary for them to create an environment in which we will be tempted. In other words, they don’t somehow force us to fall—they simply provide the opportunity, and we fall just fine by ourselves. By our very nature we are attracted to their false ideas, and to the opportunities to sin which they present.

The first temptation recorded in Genesis 3:1-6, in fact, reveals much about the essential character of Satan’s activity. Notice that he took basically two approaches to Eve: he made sin seem attractive to her, and he also presented to her ideas that were contrary to the revelation of God. And this is what the enemies of God are still doing today, but with even more success now that we are fallen and sinful in our nature.

Finally, before you read the following entries, I must warn you that Wormwood does not write as well, nor is he as clever, as his uncle Screwtape was in his letters. Wormwood is also not nearly as creative, because his mentor innovated the practice of writing letters to junior tempters, while he is merely imitating it. Though this may unfortunately result in duller reading, for which I apologize, it may actually be a good sign for the forces of good. Perhaps as time goes on, our enemies are becoming less proficient at their schemes, and so in the end the Lord may win many more than He loses…

(Watch this blog in the coming days for Wormwood's "positively diabolical" advice about the Bible, the Reformation, women's roles, and more...)

Christmas in October

2010-10-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

The ladies at our former church in Sonoma, CA had an annual event called “Christmas in October,” where they enjoyed a nice meal and learned about gift ideas for the holiday season. I usually wrote a short story for the event, but one year I decided to do a poem. Our family was having a tough time in various ways, so I thought this would be a good way to encourage my wife and children, as well as the ladies at the event. Hopefully you will also find some encouragement in it…

‘Twas two months before Christmas
And all through the house
A pall had fallen on our family
We were definitely “down in the mouth”

Summer trips and birthday gifts
Had left our pockets low
We were struggling to make ends meet
Hoping to get “out of the hole”

This year’s schoolwork was overwhelming
For mom and for the kids
We didn’t think we could do it
And wondered how we ever did

The leaves were falling with our spirits
Awaiting the winter winds
And soon with Daylight Savings Time
Even the evenings would grow dim

The flu season had begun
And with seven sharing air
Someone was always sick
It just didn’t seem fair!

Desperate for encouragement
And longing for some cheer
We opened the family Bible
And were given ears to hear

We read that God has granted us
The gift of eternal life
And this gift that keeps on giving
Is ours both day and night

No matter what we’re going through
We always have the hope
He’ll never let us slip too far
Or reach the end of our rope

When we receive God’s gifts by faith
They replace our doubts and fears
So it’s really Christmas in October
And it really is all year!

Evangelism: Practical Dos and Don'ts

2010-09-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

These are suggestions based on the doctrinal truths explained in the previous article (“Evangelism: Back to Itch”). I say “do” and “don’t” for economy of words and direct application; I am not intending to say these are legalistic rules that everyone must keep in order to please God or be effective in evangelism. They are suggestions, but I do think they are wise and consistent with the biblical “doctrines of grace” I discussed previously. (Note: The original version of this article was written about the evangelism of children, and it has undergone only slight modifications, so you will find it very applicable to them as well as to adults.)

DOS
1. Tell the gospel to those you want to reach, and teach the Scriptures to them, especially the doctrines of salvation—and then tell and teach them some more! You don’t need to have a bunch of “decisions” to know that your work is producing results: God says that His Word will never return void, it will always accomplish its purpose, and its purpose is often to save many of the hearers (Rom. 1:16; Heb. 4:12).
2. Tell them that God commands them to repent from their sins and believe in Jesus Christ (and don’t forget to explain what the words repentance and faith mean!). Make it clear to them that unless they repent and believe, they will not be in heaven.
3. Make sure they understand that repentance and faith are matters of the heart, and not some outward action they can perform.
4. Ask them if they have repented from their sins (e.g. “Do you want to obey the Lord in your life?”) and if they believe in Jesus Christ (e.g. “Do you understand who He is and what He did, and are you trusting in Him to save you, and nothing else?”).
5. Always continue explaining and instructing in whatever matters they do not understand and cannot articulate themselves, especially those that pertain to salvation.
6. When they say things like “I believe in Jesus” or “I love Jesus,” encourage them by telling them what blessings God has given them, if what they say is true. Tell them, “That’s great you are saying that you believe. Remember, Jesus said that if you continue in His Word, then you are truly His disciple.”
7. Pray a “sinner’s prayer” with them—but not just one time, giving them the impression that God saves them because of some words they say. No, pray a “sinner’s prayer” over and over again, because a good “sinner’s prayer” is an expression of the continuing faith of a true believer. For example: “Dear Lord, I am a sinner unworthy to enter your presence or expect any goodness from you. Please cleanse me of my sin through Jesus’ blood. I know you will because you promised to do that when we come to you in faith. Please help me to turn from my sins, to trust in you more and more, and to obey and serve you with all my heart. Thank you for your grace to me, that has brought me into a relationship with you forever. Thank you for Jesus, who died and rose again for me. Amen.” Or just use the Lord’s prayer—the Author of it has much more wisdom than this writer!
8. Explain to them that assurance of salvation is not based on something they have “done” at some time in the past, but that it is based on the objective truths about the cross of Christ and the subjective experience of fruit in their lives.
9. Teach them the Scriptures some more! And live the Scriptures in front of them.

DON’TS
1. Don’t neglect or avoid any doctrine of Scripture because you think it might scare them, bore them, or “turn them off.” If God thought doctrines like original sin or predestination were dangerous to anyone, He would not have put them in the Bible. On the contrary, He obviously wants people to know all that He has said. But be careful that other doctrines, even important ones, are never allowed to eclipse the gospel itself in your focus and emphasis (see 1 Cor. 15:3).
2. Don’t have them “pray to receive Christ.” We do not receive Christ through prayer—we receive Christ through faith. If they say that they have repented and are believing in Christ, as you have been teaching them the meaning of those words, then encourage them to express their faith (and gratefulness, repentance from their sins, commitment, etc.) in prayer to God.
3. When speaking to a group, don’t ask “How many of you want to receive Christ?” (or believe, or accept, or whatever) as if that is an action they are going to perform. A better question, if you want some response in a group, is “How many of you want to talk with someone about what it means to be saved?” or even “How many of you want to be baptized, or come to the Lord’s Supper?” (because in the New Testament those are the outward signs of belonging to Christ).
4. Don’t use the following terminology (or at least try to use it as little as possible), because is not found in the Scriptures and can be misleading: “Accept Jesus into your heart”; “Open the door of your heart”; “Make a decision for Christ”; “Invite Jesus into your life.” Any terminology found in Scripture is obviously acceptable—but remember that it is always important to explain the meaning of the terms you are using.
5. Don’t state or imply that someone is saved because he prayed a prayer or “made a decision.” Because many people are impressionable and easily influenced to a confession (especially children), it is important when working with them to say things like, “If you really believe in Christ, then all your sins are forgiven...” Again, don’t give them the impression that God saves them because of something they do. Salvation is something that God does. Tell them they must believe, plead with them to repent and trust Christ—but let God do that work in their hearts according to His timing; don’t try to speed up the process by giving them some easy way to “believe” (like a prayer). Instead, teach them enough about the nature of repentance and faith that they will be able to recognize when they have been born again by the Spirit of God. Then they will have the true assurance that comes from the witness of the Spirit, rather than the witness of men.
6. Don’t ever stop teaching them the Word! Take every opportunity that presents itself, and then teach them some more (Matt. 28:20)…“For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12).

Evangelism: "Back to Itch"

2010-09-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

As we begin a month of focus on evangelism in our church, the "how tos" are important and I want to address them soon. But I want to start by going back to "scratch," or even further back to "itch," by first talking about some doctrinal truths that will form the foundation of the practical suggestions that will follow (in my next blog)...

SIX TRUTHS FROM SCRIPTURE THAT SHOULD SHAPE OUR APPROACH TO EVANGELISM:

1) The radically corrupt nature of man (Gen. 6:5; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 3:10-18; Eph. 2:1)

As a result of the Fall, every person born into this world is spiritually dead and utterly unable to respond in faith and love toward God, because it is his nature to depend upon his own resources and love himself supremely. We always choose according to our strongest inclination, which is determined by our nature; therefore in our unregenerate state we will always choose to suppress the truth of God (Rom. 1:18), either through an outright denial of the truth or through some form of false religious practice.

2) The gracious choice of God to convert a great multitude of people from their sin and forgive them in Christ (Isa. 43:1-13; John 17:1-9; Rom. 9:22-24; Eph. 1:3-14)

Although God would have been perfectly just to leave all of mankind to our deserved doom of continued unbelief and eternal destruction, He did not (Hallelujah!!). Before the foundation of the world, He decided to demonstrate His love to “men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9) by mercifully delivering them from the bondage and consequences of their sin.

3) The perfect obedience of Jesus Christ and His effective, substitutionary atonement on behalf of His people (Isa. 53:4-6, 10-12; John 10:14-16, 25-30; Rom. 8:28-34; Acts 20:28)

God accomplished the salvation of His chosen people by sending His Son Jesus to be their representative by living and dying as a man. Just as Adam had represented all mankind in the Garden and had plunged us all into sin and ruin, so Jesus Christ represented all who believe in Him with His perfect life of obedience and His crucifixion, where He bore the Divine wrath that was deserved by sinners. We were condemned to the hopeless bondage of sin by the actions of our father Adam; we are gloriously saved from that bondage by the actions of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:12-21). Jesus did not merely “provide a way” for people to be saved; He actually accomplished their salvation on the cross (John 19:30). We cannot add anything to His accomplishment—even our faith. Our faith is merely the means through which God has chosen to give us the blessings of Christ.

4) The effectual conviction and call of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who are being saved (Ezek. 36:25-27; John 3:3-8; 6:44, 65; 2 Thess. 2:13-15).

The benefits secured by the atonement of Christ are applied to God’s people during their lives by the Holy Spirit, who shows them their sinfulness and need for Christ, and then transforms their nature so that they trust in Christ alone and desire to do His will. Without this supernatural work of regeneration, there would be no true faith, regardless of the variety and intensity of religious actions or experiences. And because both true repentance and true faith are a result of God’s work in the heart (2 Tim. 2:25; 2 Pet. 1:1), it does not lie within the power of men to “decide to believe” at any time. God alone has the power and the prerogative to bestow His gifts of mercy whenever He wills to do so (John 15:16; Rom. 9:15‑16). And He does this through the clear proclamation and explanation of the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).

5) God’s continuing work in the hearts of His children (John 8:31; Phil. 1:6; Heb. 3:14, 10:36)

True believers will never stop believing. Their nature has been so radically altered by God that they can now be called “slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:18). Thus perseverance in faith is a condition of salvation in Scripture (Matt. 24:13; Col. 1:22‑23)—not because it is the basis of our salvation, but because it is an evidence that our salvation is genuine (Matt. 13:18-23). True saving faith will also inevitably produce works of obedience (James 2:14‑26), and therefore godly changes in our attitudes and actions are an essential source for a full assurance of salvation (2 Pet. 1:5-11; the entire book of 1 John).

6) The nature of saving faith as a reliance upon the mercy of God alone, with no contribution whatsoever from our own merit, effort, or choice (Luke 18:9-14; John 1:12‑13; Rom. 4:3-8, 9:16).

It is the tendency of our sinful nature to think that we contribute something to our salvation. This is because of our prideful desire to think well of ourselves, and also because the idea that we can do something to secure our destiny is a much easier “road to heaven” than being subject to the sovereign choice of God and dependent on His work of regeneration in our hearts. We also can find assurance much more quickly in a “decision” or “4-step process” because we have now “done it,” and God presumably is obligated to save us because we have “done it.” But when we understand that salvation comes through biblical faith, which is not a one-time act but an ongoing state of the heart that produces a genuine love for God and works of obedience to Him, then we realize that our fate is not in our hands, but in God’s. This truth is quite troublesome to the unregenerate mind (and even to Christians in some cases), but we must be very careful not to accommodate unbelief by redefining faith as a work that someone can perform. There are many Christians today who essentially do this, and although their enthusiasm and good motives are to be commended, their methods and terminology have unfortunately left thousands of people with the impression that because they raised a hand, walked an aisle, prayed a prayer, or performed some other work of man, their eternal destiny is settled forever. So many of those converts, not fully understanding the righteousness of God, have sought to establish a righteousness of their own (Rom. 10:3). Their greatest need, and the greatest need of every sinner, is to be led to “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe” (Rom. 3:22).

Meditate on those truths for awhile and think about how they might practically apply to the way we tell people about Christ. In the next blog I will give you my ideas on that subject...

A Prayer for the Church

2010-08-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

My wife Jill always says, "When you can't sleep, that means you should pray." My sleep patterns have been messed up since a recent sickness threw them off, so rather than lying there thinking about the rest I'm not getting, I thought I would pray for the church and record it here so it could possibly be a blessing to others as well...

"Dear Lord, thank you for the church for which your Son Jesus died. It really is a great idea: a spiritual family to meet the needs that are left unmet by our fallen, broken physical families. And even though Your original intent for your body has so often been 'lost in translation' in the hands of fallen, broken people like us, it still endures as an instrument of Your grace in so many lives. And even our weakness is a part of Your Divine plan to show that the adequacy in gospel ministry does not come from ourselves, but from the One who deserves all the glory for all good things that happen.

"Please light a fire of love for You and others in our hearts by your Holy Spirit, and fan the flames by Your means of grace--the Word, prayer, service, fellowship, and the sacraments. May we comprehend the height, depth, width, and breath of the love of Christ for us, and may that love compel us to conduct the ministry of reconciliation by calling others to be reconciled to God. May we all be 'Great Commission' believers by exalting You in worship, evangelizing the lost, enfolding new people into the body, and edifying and equipping them by the ministry of the Word, so they can become 'Great Commission' believers also.

"Please help us to remember that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing...that the gospel of grace in Christ is 'of first importance,' as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:3. Keep us from allowing the gospel to be eclipsed in the church by other, less important issues, even ones that are found in the Bible but are not as clear and central as the gospel itself. May our perspectives on important issues like worship, education, counseling, and historical systems of theology never become so important that the identity of the church is bound up in them or we cannot fellowship together with others whose perspectives are different. And please, please don't let extra-biblical matters like music styles, physical appearance, and personality differences drive a wedge between us or keep anyone from coming to learn about Christ with us.

"May we ask not what our community can do for us, but what we can do for our community, and even for the world outside our community. May we freely and cheerfully give our time, talents, treasure, and yes even our very selves to anyone and everyone we have the opportunity to help. Help us to 'reverse the curse' of selfism and materialism in the places where we live by being models of giving rather than getting, both as individuals and as a corporate body of believers. In each situation may we always ask the question 'How can I serve?' rather than 'What can I gain from this?' And may we do this with joyful hearts, so that the people around us can see the truth of Jesus' maxim, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive."

We pray all these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!

Owen on Sin and Temptation, Part 4 (More Morricone...)

2010-08-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Since I know you all enjoyed having Enrico Morricone's insanely catchy score for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly running through your heads during my last blog on Owen, I'll keep the same theme here... (can you hear the warbling whistle and wah-wah trumpet?)

The Good in my recent reading of Owen (I'm almost done) is how he confirms on pages 174-175 something I've always believed, that God gives us many different motivations to godliness, including fear of consequences (which is not a wrong motivation), but the best one is gratefulness for what He has done for us, because it produces the most energy for change. Also, I liked how he reminds us eloquently and repeatedly that sin is always with us in our "flesh" (see pages 246-247) so we shouldn't be surprised at its temptations and even victories over us. And last but not least I found his description of the unregenerate man on page 248 to be strangely comforting, because it gave me assurance that I have been changed from my former state and do in fact belong to God.

The Bad in the sections I've read recently, in addition to the usual discourses on fine points that don't seem that important, is the legalism that reared its head briefly, which the Puritans have been too famous for but thankfully has not made much of an appearance in this book. On page 178 he indicates that his definition of worldliness includes "to play at cards, dice, revel, dance," all things that the Bible itself does not prohibit. Fortunately in other places, however, Owen does define worldliness in a more biblical manner, like shortly after that last quote and then on page 180 when he speaks of "ambition, vain-glory, and the like." Those vices have ruined far more people than card-playing has! (For a thorough discussion of the issue of legalism, see my book Who Are You to Judge?)

The Ugly is something that I will be talking about on this coming Sunday in my message at Faith Church, and in fact will be reading the following quote from Owen, about the ugliness of "cheap grace," as Bonhoeffer called it. (By the way, have you seen the new book on Bonhoeffer by Eric Metataxas in which he proves that the German martyr was an evangelical, contrary to popular opinion and suspicion?) But back to Owen, and this great quote from pages 282-283:

"Most men love to hear of the doctrine of grace, of the pardon of sin, of free love, and suppose they find food therein; however, it is evident that they grow and thrive in the life and notion of them. But to be breaking up the fallow ground of their hearts, to be inquiring after the weeds and briars that grow in them, they delight not so much, though this be no less necessary than the other. This path is not so beaten as that of grace, nor so trod in, though it be the only way to come to a true knowledge of grace itself. It may be some, who are wise and grown in other truths, may yet be so little skilled in searching their own hearts, that they may be slow in the perception and understanding of these things. But this sloth and neglect is to be shaken off, if we have any regard unto our own souls. It is more than probable that many a false hypocrite, who have deceived themselves as well as others, because they thought the doctrine of the gospel pleased them, and therefore supposed they believed it, might be delivered from their soul-ruining deceits if they would diligently apply themselves unto this search of their own hearts. Or, would other professors walk with so much boldness and security as some do if they considered aright what a deadly watchful enemy they continually carry about with them and in them? Would they so much indulge as they do carnal joys and pleasures, or pursue their perishing affairs with so much delight and greediness as they do? It were to be wished that we would all apply our hearts more to this work, even to come to a true understanding of the nature, power, and subtlety of this our adversary, that our souls may be humbled."

Behind the Music: "Lucky One" and the Love of God in Christ

2010-08-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

God has blessed me with a new friend who is very talented musically and also happens to write and play music that I like (which is not easy, because I'm picky!). Wayne Haines was most recently the lead for the band Lost in Rotation, which has some good stuff on itunes but most of their best stuff (in my opinion) is available only on CD at this point. If you're interested in hearing it, I can get you a copy of "Greatest," named for their best songs but also for the One they sing about.

Wayne and I worked on a song together recently (I helped with the lyrics)...you can listen to it at

http://www.myspace.com/floridawaynemusic

and then come back here for a look at the lyrics and some "Behind the Music" info on the meaning of the song (see if you can figure it out yourself before I tell you). I like the song and hope you will too, but I like the main idea behind it even more, because it is my only hope for this life and the one to come!

Here are the lyrics to "Lucky One." Read them through and see if you can figure them out, and then I'll tell you the meaning below...

Your debt’s been paid in full
Even though you broke the rules
Nothing that you can do
Could pay for the sins inside of you

You’re an adopted son
An heir of all the world
You’d run the race and won
Before you had heard the starting gun

You are the lucky one
The lucky one is you
You are the lucky one
The lucky one is you
You are lucky one
There’s nothing you can say or do
You are the lucky one
The lucky one

No worries in this world
Safe in the Father’s hand
His grace will take you from
The wilderness to the promised land

Though you may suffer here
The pain cannot compare
The weight of glory there
Will make it all seem as light as air

You are the lucky one…

There’s no such thing as luck
No blind role of the dice
Nothing I have done
Just the Father’s love for Christ

I am the blessed one
A fortunate son
I am the blessed one
A fortunate son
I am the blessed one
There’s nothing I have said or done
I am the blessed one
The blessed one

The perspective of the first two verses of the song is that of a non-Christian who has a friend who is a Christian, and knows a lot about the promises in the Bible that are made to those who believe, like his friend. And it seems to him that his friend is just plain lucky to have all these great things going for him, because he knows his Christian friend well enough to know that he is a sinner too, and does not deserve any of those good things. In fact, a lot of times the Christian isn't any better than the non-Christian, and sometimes he's worse! But yet according to the Bible the Christian has all these great blessings from God even though he has done nothing to earn them. So he is, in the eyes of the non-Christian friend, the "Lucky One"...he can't see any other explanation than that.

But then in the bridge and final chorus the Christian answers him and says that although he does not deserve all these blessings (the non-Christian is right about that), it's not actually luck but a "deeper magic" as C.S. Lewis talked about in The Chronicles of Narnia. The reason that the Christian receives all these blessings is "just the Father's love for Christ," and that leads me to one of my favorite ideas in the universe, if not my favorite...

God the Father loves His Son Jesus Christ with an infinite and perfect love, and He planned to bestow every spiritual blessing to all who are united with Christ by faith, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Christ has done by identifying with us in His incarnation, taking our sins upon Himself on the cross, and rising from the dead so that we would have a new life through our union with Him. So the reason God loves us and gives us all good things is not because we deserve it (we deserve the opposite), or even because we are made in His image (we have marred that image through our sin), but because He loves His Son and has graciously included us in Him and the love He deserves. A helpful analogy is that I understandably have no special love for a kid named Brent that merely goes to school with my son, but if he becomes my son's good friend, I will have a special relationship with him and even treat him as part of the family. In a similar way, by being "in Christ" we are adopted into God's family and receive His special saving love.

Now read Ephesians 1:3-14, a passage that you may be familiar with, but perhaps have not notice how repeatedly it makes this point that all the blessings of God's saving grace come to us "in Christ" (the two most important words in the Bible, occurring over 50 times in the New Testament, and three times as much in other forms with the same meaning):

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."

Now that you know more about the meaning behind the music, listen to the song again at http://www.myspace.com/floridawaynemusic and praise God for His glorious grace!

Owen on Sin and Temptation, Part 3

2010-07-20T08:21:00.001-07:00

I've seen The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in my recent reading in Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen, edited by Kapic and Taylor. (Consider Ennio Morricone's famous movie score as the soundtrack for this blog, because I'm sure it's stuck in your head now!)

The Good is the numerous profound passages I've encountered along the way, including the parts where Owen discusses the need to know our enemy on page 76 (so simple, but so true and often neglected!) and the necessity of being a believer in Christ in order to truly mortify sin (pages 79-86), which also should be obvious but is basically ignored by a lot of self-help and self-improvement teaching and programs today. But the most moving and useful contributions Owen makes, in my opinion, are when he provides prayers for us that flow from the depth of his reflection and meditation upon the Scriptures and his own sin. Here's a great example:

"What have I done? What love, what mercy, what blood, what grace have I despised and trampled on! Is this the return I make to the Father for his love, to the Son for his blood, to the Holy Ghost for his grace? Do I thus requite the Lord? Have I defiled the heart that Christ died to wash?, that the blessed Spirit has chosen to dwell in? And can I keep myself out of the dust? What can I say to the dear Lord Jesus? How shall I hold up my head with any boldness before him? Do I account communion with him of so little value, that for this vile lust's sake I have scarce left him any room in my heart?" (page 105)

This next one starts on the same dark note, which is important to hit, but it thankfully does go on to the "succor" of the gospel, as men like Owen used to call it:

"I am a poor, weak creature; unstable as water, I cannot excel. This corruption is too hard for me, and is at the very door of ruining my soul; and what to do I know not. My soul has become as parched ground, and an habitation of dragons. I have made promises and broken them; vows and engagements have been as a thing of naught. Many persuasions have I had that I had got the victory and should be delivered, but I am deceived; so that I plainly see, that without some eminent succor and assistance, I am lost, and shall be prevailed on to an utter relinquishment of God. But yet, though this be my state and condition, let the hands that hang down be lifted up, and the feeble knees be strengthened. Behold, the Lord Christ, that has all fullness of grace in his heart (John 1:16), all fullness of power in his hand (Matt. 28:18), he is able to slay all these his enemies. There is sufficient provision in him for my relief and assistance. He can take my drooping, dying soul and make me more than a conqueror (Rom. 8:37)."

Owen then quotes Isaiah 40:27-31, which is the famous "wings like eagles" passage, which I have read many times before. But in this context I saw it in a new way, with the emphasis on "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." The point Isaiah is making is not primarily that we should wait or persevere in faith, though we certainly should do that. But in context he is emphasizing is that we must wait on the Lord because no other source of hope or help will do the trick.

The Bad in my recent reading of Owen are a few passages that I didn't like as much, either because they were sub-par or perhaps I failed to understand them correctly (which is certainly possible!). But I have to point out some negative things about Owen's writing, so I can be a good example of exercising discernment like the Bereans and not just nod dully to everything he says simply because he's a great theologian. On pages 112-118 he goes on and on about a particular issue that does not seem to warrant such an extensive discussion (how much more we can know of God than the OT saints did)...it seems that he was in the middle of some controversy with someone at the time, but it is not as applicable to most of us. Also, on pages 126-127 he seems to be advocating a rather mystical approach to knowing when we are forgiven...kinda like "you know that you know when you know." I found this confusing and not very helpful. And finally, the distinction he makes between temptation and "entering temptation" on pages 159 and following also seems unnecessary and confusing to me. Aren't the two wordings just different ways of saying the same thing? The Puritans had a tendency to over-parse the text, precisely because their meditations on it were so thorough and deep. So as with all of us, their strength can be their weakness sometimes. But like I said, I may not be smart enough to fully understand Owen's thinking in these passages...I'm very willing to admit that possibility. Maybe someone who reads this can enlighten me...

The Ugly in my readings in Owen has been my own sinfulness reflected in the mirror of his words...words like these: "There are traitors in our hearts, ready to take part, to close and side with every temptation, and to give up all to them...Do not flatter yourselves that you should hold out; there are secret lusts that lie lurking in your hearts, which perhaps now stir not, which, as soon as any temptation befalls you, will rise, tumultuate, cry, disquiet, seduce, and never give over until they are either killed or satisfied" (page 171). It's hard to look in a mirror for any length of time and not like what you see...you want to avert your gaze and not have to focus on the ugliness there. But though it is far from pleasant, I have realized it is a necessary means to humility and the recognition of my need for God's grace. To switch the metaphor to a biblical one, I have to realize how sick I am before I will go to the Great Physician for help, and the more sick I know I am, the more help I will seek from Him and the more I will rely on Him for that help.

Three Movie Recommendations

2010-07-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

We took a family vacation/retreat this week, and we watched three movies that were great examples of good entertainment with thought-provoking spiritual themes...

Remains of the Day has been one of my favorite movies for years, but I hadn't watched it for a long time, and loved re-experiencing it. Most of the kids fell asleep during it, so it's not for those easily bored by "no action," but it is for those who like great acting, beautiful locations, and a powerful lesson about "casting your bread upon the waters," as Ecclesiastes 11 says. Stevens the butler is a profound metaphor for the opportunities we all have missed in our lives because of fear, selfishness, pride, and even unbiblical traditions.

Jeremiah is a made-for-TV Bible epic that I had seen good reviews for on Amazon, and picked up for $9.99 at my local Genuardis. It was great! I identified with Jeremiah in some ways in his ministry, but also was made grateful that I don't have to suffer quite as much as he did! It has almost as bleak of an ending as Remains of the Day, but hope breaks through in the form of the gospel (missing from the secular movie, of course), when Jeremiah prophesies that God would make a new covenant with His people...in Jesus Christ!!

The Blind Side is one of the few bright spots in Hollywood's recent history...most really good movies are outside of Hollywood in some way, but this one not only was made by a major studio but garnered Oscar nods as well... and it's true! And it's about Christians!! And it's about Christians who actually live like Christians (at least in their ministry of mercy, which is a big part of being a Christian...see Matthew 25:31-46)!!! The movie is a great illustration of what I've said for years...if every Christian family would help just one needy individual or family, the world would be changed in a significant way.

Owen on Sin and Temptation, Part 2

2010-06-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Overcoming Sin and Temptation contains three books by the 17th century puritan theologian John Owen, and the first is “On the Mortification of Sin in Believers.” Owen introduces the topic by talking about how important it is, and then he expounds on “the nature of mortification.” (Mortification is mentioned in Romans 8:13 and means to kill sin in our lives…before it kills us, as Owen likes to say). In this section on the nature of mortification, I found several passages very interesting and helpful.

First, Owen discusses a passage on “false repentance” I have never noticed before, even though I have taught for many years on the topic. It is found in Psalm 78:32-27: "In spite of all this they still sinned, and did not believe in His wonderful works. So He brought their days to an end in futility, and their years in sudden terror. When He killed them, then they sought Him, and returned and searched diligently for God; and they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth, and lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant."

Owen points out how the repentance of these people, like that of Esau’s mentioned in Hebrews 12:16-17, was energetic and emotional, but failed to bring about the forgiveness of God because it was motivated more by the consequences suffered than the suffering of the Savior. This reminded me how dependent we are upon God’s grace in our lives, not only for the forgiveness that only He can grant, but also for the true Spirit-caused repentance that only He can create in us. Truly we must rely on Him to create in us a clean heart (Psalm 51)!

On the next few pages Owen gives us some deep insights into the doctrine of total depravity, first explaining why even unbelievers may not seem to be “always doing evil” as Genesis 6:5 says, but they really are in the sight of God: “The reason why a natural man is not always perpetually in the pursuit of some one lust, night and day, is because he has so many to serve, every one crying to be satisfied; thence he is carried on with great variety, but still in general he lies toward the satisfaction of self” (page 73).

Then he explains how even those with more “respectable sins” are still totally depraved and in need of grace and forgiveness: “Some men may go in their own thoughts and in the eyes of the world for mortified men, who yet have in them no less predominancy of lust than those who cry out with astonishment upon the account of its perplexing tumultuatings, yea, than those who have by the power of it been hurried into scandalous sins; only their lusts are in and about things which raise not such a tumult in the soul, about which they are exercised with a calmer frame of spirit, the very fabric of nature being not so nearly concerned in them as in some other” (page 75). In other words, just because someone is not visibly “torn apart” by their sin doesn’t mean they have less; the more subtle and unnoticeable sins can be worse because they adhere harder to the soul while leaving the impression of less need for change. I’ve noticed this in my own life, that I’ve often been worse off when I’m having “victory” over the “big sins” of action while the hidden ones of the heart are still festering there, perhaps unknown to anyone else. May God grant me the grace to mortify the sins of the heart as well as those of the body!

Some light summer reading...Not!

2010-06-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

I just began my summer reading project, and it's a challenge...400 pages called Overcoming Sin and Temptation, by the Puritan theologian John Owen. A few friends are joining me, and we'll be meeting on Saturday morning August 21 to discuss the experience and pray about what we've learned. If anyone else would like to join us, please let me know... (you can skip the introduction like I did and go straight to Owen's own words--that will cut out almost 40 pages right off!).

I'm only a little way in and I think I've come upon the theme statement of the work, which I think is also the most famous quote from it. It goes like this: "Be killing sin or it will be killing you." In explanation Owen adds, "Your being dead with Christ virtually, your being quickened with Him, will not excuse you from this work." And later he says, "Not to be daily mortifying sin is to sin against the goodness, kindness, wisdom, grace, and love of God, who has furnished us with a principle of doing it." This is all commentary on Romans 8:13, which says, "If you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live."

In those quotes you can see the balance that Owen strikes between the free grace of God in justification and dependence on the Spirit's work on the one hand, and personal self-denial and discipline on the other. He seems to have a very wise and complete picture of the process of sanctification, which is refreshing when compared to the extremes we modern believers can sometimes fall into, in which we over-emphasize grace at the expense of the law, or vice versa.

I am looking forward to soaking in this wonderful biblical wisdom during the next two months!

Ethical Eschatology

2010-05-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

Studying and understanding what the Bible says about the future (eschatology) is very important, and is necessary to live a successful Christian life. Studying and understanding what the Bible says about the future (eschatology) is not that important, and can even be a fruitless waste of time for a Christian. Can those statements both be true? I think so, depending on how you look at it.

Every passage in the Bible containing future prophecy is given for an ethical or "pastoral" purpose. None of them are intended as a mere "crystal ball" to satisfy our curiosity about what will happen, give us intellectual goosebumbs, or to fill in our end-times charts. When the timing or sequence of events is even mentioned, which is rare, it is never the main point of the passage and is merely implied (or must be inferred). We get our theological systems regarding the order of future events (pre-, post-, etc.) mostly by bringing separate passages together or plugging them into a pre-existing overall scheme. A classic example of this would be the dispensationalist interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 that sees the "rapture" there as a removal of the New Testament church because God must return to the nation of Israel to complete the 70 weeks mentioned in Daniel 9:24.

But 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 is also a perfect example of ethical eschatology (a term I've stolen from my favorite seminary professor, Dr. George Zemek). The larger passage of which it is a part begins, "We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope" (v. 13). And after talking about the rapture Paul adds, "Therefore comfort one another with these words" (v. 18). He has no concern whatsoever in this passage about whether this event is before, during, or after "the tribulation," or even if there will be such a time of trial in the future. He merely wants us to know that we will see our loved ones again, and take encouragement from that blessed truth.

(By the way, it seems to me that if we want to infer the timing of this "rapture," it would be better to look at the closer context of 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10--same author, same audience--where Paul refers to the "gathering together," which is presumably this same event, and uses temporal participles to say it will happen at the same time that God judges the wicked.)

So I would say that the aspects of future prophecy which have a direct application to the way we live our lives are very important, and also happen to be the ones that are emphasized in Scripture. But the details of timing and sequence are far less important, because most of the views we might have on those issues are not going to interfere with the ethical and pastoral purposes of future prophecy. I say "most," however, because I do think there are a few extremes that we need to avoid in our eschatology, precisely because they would hinder us from fulfilling the practical purposes of biblical prophecy.

One extreme we should avoid is to assume that Jesus will not be coming back for a long time. This was one of the mistakes the bad steward made in Luke 12:45 ("My master will be a long time in coming") and it is a mistake made by many postmillennialists, who say that there must be a golden age prior to the return of Christ. I believe that there may be such a golden age, but I don't believe there must be one before the Second Coming. The biggest problem with this view, besides reading more into certain texts than is actually in them, is that we are told over and over again in the Scriptures to be ready at all times (e.g. Luke 12:35-40, then verse 45 as mentioned) and the apostle Paul clearly believed that Christ might return in his lifetime (e.g. 2 Cor. 5:2-4, and his language in 1 Thess. 4 mentioned above). The belief that Christ could return at any time bears much pastoral and ethical fruit in our lives, but what exactly he will do when he returns and whether he may do other things after that is not so important or impactful.

We should also avoid the other extreme of thinking that Jesus will necessarily return soon; He may tarry hundreds or thousands of years, and we need to know that so we will plan for the future and pass down God's covenant promises to the generations who succeed us. I realize that many Christians are constantly seeing the "signs of the times" in current events, but people have been doing that ever since the first century (see the introduction to Gary DeMar's book Last Days Madness) and they have all been wrong up till now. Why should we think we are different, or have greater insight into prophecy than they did? I personally do not see any clear indication in Scripture that Christ will return in our generation, and I think that is consistent with the spirit of His teaching that "no one knows the hour of My return." Or the day, or the year, or the decade, or the century...that's the idea, I think.

This is a good time to comment on what I could call the "intentional obscurity" of much biblical prophecy. The Old Testament saints had all kinds of prophecies concerning the first coming of the Messiah, but few if any actually understood what was going to happen in any detail. I think it will be the same for us in anticipation the second coming...we'll understand it all a lot better after it happens. In the meantime it is foolish and counter-productive to gospel ministry to make our eschatological views so important that we are suspicious and separatistic toward one another, or spend too much of our precious time arguing about them.

So my "ethical eschatology," for what it's worth, is that we should always be ready because Jesus could come back in our lifetime, and we should always be planning and preparing for the future because He may wait a long time before He returns. And things could turn around for the good in our culture and in the world at large...that has happened before in the ebbs and flows of history, and it could happen again. I don't believe everything must get worse and worse until Jesus returns--that's another extreme that can rob us of the hope and energy we need for gospel ministry.

Beyond those basic, life-changing truths, I'm a classic pan-millennialist...I believe it will all pan out in the end! We'll understand prophecy completely when it happens. Until then, let's discuss it graciously and with toleration for different viewpoints, and not let it become too important, or come between us, or get in the way of our Great Commission calling.

Examine Everything Carefully

2010-05-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

The title of this entry comes directly from 1 Thessalonians 5:21, one of the great scriptural calls to discernment, and a theme verse for a conference I had the privilege of speaking at last week. The bi-annual St. Louis Conference on Biblical Discernment was sponsored by a ministry called Personal Freedom Outreach, led by Kurt Goedelman, and featured some wonderful speakers like Paul Maier, Gary Gilley, Robert Lightner, and Ron Rhodes.

My seminar topics were "Decision Making Questions: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," "The Case Against Judging," and "The Es of Entertainment." My favorite talks by other speakers were "Jesus: What More Do We Know?" by Paul Maier, about the extra-biblical evidence for the gospel accounts, and "The Question of Homosexuality" by Ron Rhodes. You can get copies of any of these by visiting www.pfo.org. I also spoke at the host church on Sunday morning on the topic of "Relating to Church Leadership" (a.k.a. "How to Make Your Pastor Happy"), and you could listen to that online at www.gracebaptistchurch.info.

On Sunday after church Kurt and his wife Angela graciously took my son Calvin and I to visit the St. Louis Arch, which occurred to me is a giant illustration of the need for biblical discernment. I was amazed at the skill that was needed in the planning and construction of this amazing monument, one of the "seven wonders of the modern world." If a construction in the physical world requires such careful thought and exactness, how much more do we need to be careful and exact in building the church of God and handling his eternal Word!

The Mystery of Mystery Novels

2010-05-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

The mystery of mystery novels is how to find a good one! I love Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe stories from the 1940s (The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye, etc.), but I can only re-read them every couple years when I've forgotten the plots, and so in between I've been searching far and wide for other good ones (mostly in libraries and used book stores). As in most categories of art and entertainment, I've only found about one in a hundred that I like. I usually stop reading them shortly after I start, because they just don't draw me in enough, they're not my kind of thing, or they have too much offensive material. But once in a while I find a "keeper," so I thought I could save you some time searching yourself by telling you about a few that I liked...

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Childs is his most recent Jack Reacher novel (there's about ten or so). I've read several others in the series, and they have pulled me in, but I was not pleased with the total product, partially because of uneven quality but also because Jack Reacher is so often amoral and immoral. Gone Tomorrow is consistently good and mostly unoffensive, except for the one brief but totally unnecessary episode of fornication toward the end. Fortunately it is not described graphically...but why do authors have to throw sex into every story?! Do they think that a relationship can't be good or complete without it? Anyway, the story is very interesting, the hero has some good qualities, and the cover is soooo cool-looking! (Yes, the way a book looks is important to me, and yes, I know I'm weird that way.)

The Good Guy by Dean Koontz was a good read. I've tried several other books by Koontz and have only finished one (The Husband, which was underwhelming, especially at the end). But I thought The Good Guy kicked some derriere...probably largely because of my Christian sensibilities... the main character is actually a good guy, for goodness sake, and that was refreshing in this age of the anti-hero. I have to admit the end was a bit anticlimactic, but at least it was satisfying, and the ride to there was great. Check this one out.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane kept me turning page after page to find out what in the world was going on...it was certainly successful by that standard. But it also raised some interesting issues about mental health, psychiatry, and even psychopharmocology that I enjoy mulling over. I tried a couple of his older private eye novels (A Drink Before the War, Prayers for Rain) but can't recommend them because the protagonists are so depraved and the ultimate "lessons" are so nihilistic or hedonistic. But though Shutter Island definitely shared some of the nihilism, it is more well directed at the depravity of man and his hopeless attempts to cure "mental" problems without God.

"Church" Online

2010-02-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

Our church could not meet on Sunday, since the building we rent was closed because of snow. So since we have this amazing medium of the web, I thought I would do my “pastorly duty” by leading our church family in an “online worship service” of sorts, which I sent to them by email. I enjoyed doing it myself, so maybe you will as well…

LORD’S DAY (Online) WORSHIP

For Praise and Thanksgiving, read or sing the words to one of our most loved songs at Faith Church, which we would have been singing this morning:

Greatly Rejoice
(1 Peter 1:2-8)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
Who has caused us to be born again to a living hope
Who has caused us to be born again to a living hope
A hope that won't fade away
Reserved in heaven for us
Protected by the power of God through faith
We are saved, we are saved

CHORUS:
We greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible
Greatly rejoice with glorious praise
Greatly rejoice in a life incorruptible
Love beyond measure and infinite grace
Love beyond measure and infinite grace

Through the trials of life You're working
To prove our faith as gold
In Your love we're persevering
For one day, Lord, we know
You'll explode through the clouds
As Your shout cracks the sky
Dead in Christ will arise
As You call home Your bride
And though we've not seen Your face
This greatest glory awaits
'Til then by the power of God through faith
We are saved, we are saved

CHORUS

© 1997 Sovereign Grace Worship (Integrity's Hosanna! Music)
Steve Earl, CCLI #2799265

Also, to continue the theme of God’s sovereignty and love even through the pain and suffering in life, listen to the Caedmon’s Call song “Lead of Love” at this link:
http://s0.ilike.com/play#Caedmon's+Call:Lead+Of+Love:615361:s13865597.8123684.946373.0.1.88%2Cstd_9329e292af5c5e9a4d86fabb0a00cd46
Or if that doesn’t work, google “Lead of Love Caedmon’s Call” and that should be the first link that comes up. Or if that doesn’t play the full song (it did the first time for me), try YouTube.

“I had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view… and looking back, I see the lead of Love” AMEN!!

For Prayer and Confession, read and pray along with these words to the Lord:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory.” Those are the words of the angels around your throne, and those are the words of praise we bring this morning. Heavenly Father, You are holy; Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil. Jesus Christ the Son, You too are holy; no man has ever come close to matching Your perfection and glory. And Holy Spirit, you set apart and forever change the lives of all those whom You touch.

We thank You so much that the God who is so holy does not utterly destroy us, Your creatures who have become so unholy. Instead You freely give us the grace we do not deserve, and grace upon grace. We thank You for Your eternal plan of redemption, in which the Holy Father sacrificed His Holy Son, so that the Holy Spirit could bring us all the benefits of Your saving love. And we pray that as the One who called us is holy, so may we be holy ourselves in all our behavior, so that You might receive glory and honor and praise through our lives, as well as our words. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.

For Prayers of Intercession, pull up a world map site on the internet, and pray for five or ten other countries, that God would guide and protect His children in those places, and bring many more sheep into His fold by the Spirit and the gospel.

For a Message from the Word, how about something different (since “online church” is pretty different already!)… go to http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/february/3.20.html and read the article(s) about sports, since tonight is the biggest sporting event of the year (the Super Bowl, for anyone who’s either been living under a rock, or commendably living out some implications of the article!). I believe you will find it very insightful and challenging—a message that desperately needs to be heard by believers today, regardless of how you end up applying the Scriptures in your own life in this area. We must be careful not to judge one another, but we do need to be stimulated to think critically and biblically about this important area of life!

Finally, here’s a Benediction for you, from a Puritan prayer:

Thou Great Three-in-One,
Author of all blessings I enjoy, of all I hope for,
Thou has shown me,
That the experience of Divine love in the soul
Is superior to and distinct from bodily health,
And that often spiritual comforts are at their highest
When physical well-being is at its lowest.

I bless Thee for tempering every distress with joy;
Too much of the former might weigh me down,
Too much of the latter might puff me up.
Thou art wise to give me a taste of both.
I love Thee for giving me clusters of grapes in the wilderness,
And drops of heavenly wine
That set me longing to have my fill.

Apart from Thee I quickly die,
Bereft of Thee I starve,
Far from Thee I thirst and droop,
But Thou art all I need.

Let me continually grasp the promise,
“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”
In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Biblical Counseling, CCEF, Jay Adams, etc.

2010-02-02T17:52:00.000-08:00

I recently participated in the following email exchange about those topics with some friends, which started with one of them [Friend 1] saying that he read the book How People Change by Paul Tripp and Timothy Lane (from CCEF), and thought that it seemed to contradict my approach to counseling and shepherding. My response to that starts this string of emails, which I reproduce here for your interest and edification. As always, I welcome any posts to continue the discussion...

(My response:)
Thanks! I definitely want to discuss this more with anyone and everyone… there is nothing except the gospel itself (and maybe the doctrines of grace) that is more important and impactful to the life and vision of a church than how people change and how we deal with our problems!

But to begin with, I can tell you right now that I agree with almost everything in How People Change, and I think its a great book, but it is not complete in that it doesn’t discuss everything that is important to change, and especially church ministry (no book can, of course). I am a pastor and the men who wrote that book were not pastoring at the time they wrote it, so maybe that explains why they don’t include much about shepherding and discipline, for instance. Notice in the Scripture index that no reference is made to passages about those topics like Matthew 18:15-18, Acts 20:28ff, 1 Corinthians 5:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, 1 or 2 Timothy, Hebrews 13:17, James 5, 1 Peter 5:1-5, or the churches in Revelation.

Maybe the fact that I talk about and even sometimes emphasize those things is why you think I may contradict Lane and Tripp, but of course I don’t believe that emphasis contradicts them in any way, because it’s all from the Bible. In fact, I think that my “additions” to the content of that book fit very well with their emphasis on change being a “community” project. They just didn’t talk about that important aspect of church community…important because it is talked about so often in the New Testament (passages above). That’s why I talk about it and sometimes emphasize it, by the way, because it’s all over the Bible and because I have observed that it is often neglected. For instance, a long-time Christian who was sick recently said they didn’t even know about James 5:14-16 until I showed it to them, and it’s the most direct reference in the Bible about what to do when you’re sick.

Maybe there needs to be some additional books called “How to know if the people under your care are changing,” “What to do when people don’t change,” or most important “How church leaders can help people change.” That book would definitely need to include at least some of the passages above.

In Christ, Dave

[From Friend 2:]
Dear Brothers,

The biggest thing the Lord has been teaching me in 2009 is about his present grace. We all agree on the past and future ramifications of the work of Christ on the cross. We are lost without the mercy and work of God, and are fully saved and justified by the death and resurrection of His son Jesus. We are risen with Him to eternal life in Him. But what does this mean to our present walk in the Lord? What does it mean to the present state of our hearts? How then should we live now in Christ ?

I have come to learn much better that Christ lives in me, and I live in Christ, and that through Him I am able to stand in him and honor him in my life. But my heart remains an idol factory, prone to wander from Him in many ways. Some of those ways are outward hypocrisy on the other six days of the week (and on Sunday also, in the temple), but just as many of those ways are pride and self-righteousness, where I am "doing the right thing" and "telling myself the right thing", but for the wrong reasons, to my own glory/justification, to want to feel that God somehow "owes" me a good life because of all the good I am doing for Him. And what I have learned (and am learning) well is that I cannot stop myself from either the wrong actions or the right actions for the wrong reaons, except by the present mercy of the Lord to guide and deliver me. But that mercy and grace is ever present in my life, both guiding me in the right direction and forgiving and training and shaping and encouraging me when I fail in younger brother acts of rebellion by outward hypocrisy or in older brother acts of rebellion by self-righteousness.

Recognition of this in our lives, and from the pulpit and in our teaching, can, by God's grace, lead to an open fellowship where we are able to share our struggles and failings and encourage one another in the grace of God, because we recognize that we are all constantly in the midst of struggles and failings, and that we are all constant recipients of present grace.

But anything that tells us that we are saved and therefore need to try harder in ourselves to stop sinning and honor God more and do better is prone to lead us to self-righteous behavior and a pharisaical atmosphere where we are trying to all convince ourselves and one another that we love God and therefore want to do and are doing the right thing. It will lead us to deny our inward self-righteous sins of the heart, only focusing on outward behavior, and dividing us into the "well-behaved" people who "love God" and the "problem" people who "need help". This is the state of almost every church I know, and brings glory to "good Christian people" rather than to God.

[From Friend 1]
Dave,

I'm still trying to understand your position on the role of the church officers in how people change. If I summarize what I think you are saying, could you please let me know if I'm right about what you are saying or where I'm wrong?

Here's my summary of what I think you have taught us:

The work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts is necessary but not sufficient for sanctification. In addition to the Holy Spirit's work in our hearts, Christians need to be motivated to stop sinning by increasing levels of loving confrontation of sin by the church officers. This starts with preaching the Word and the general threat of discipline, then as the officers find out specific sins that people persist in, it leads to telling the rest of the church about specific sins and finally censures.

Is this accurate?

[My response:]
The work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts is sufficient for sanctification. Not only that, it is the only way anyone can be sanctified. (That’s actually the point of all my talk about “biblical counseling” as opposed to psychological or pharmacological methods of dealing with our spiritual problems.) But the Holy Spirit does His work of sanctification in our hearts in many different ways, all discussed in the Scriptures and commonly known as “the means of grace.” When another believer encourages me (Heb. 3:12-13) or stimulates me to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24), that is the Holy Spirit doing His work of sanctification in my heart. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper also are ways that He works in the hearts of God’s people. When we pray “in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18), we are sanctified and strengthened for spiritual battle. And so on…everything truly good that is done in us and by us (another way to say “sanctification”) is a product of the Holy Spirit’s work.

And that includes the oversight and shepherding of elders, which is Spirit-ordained (Acts 20:28) and Spirit-empowered (Col. 1:27). And part of the work of elders is to exemplify and oversee the process of loving confrontation and church discipline taught by Christ in Matthew 18:15-18 and illustrated in passages like 1 Corinthians 5, 1 Timothy 1:20, Philippians 4:2-3, and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15. This is only a part of the elders’ work, but it is an important part, especially because it is so often neglected today while being so often mentioned in the NT. It is one of the ways that the Holy Spirit uses elders to encourage and stimulate the members of the body to growth in Christ. The Holy Spirit gave us the Scriptures (and empowers us) “for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Those four activities, with prayer added in, could serve as a summary of the elders’ ministry, and of how people are sanctified. In fact, it seems that Paul used them in that very way in the passage. And talking about and practicing church discipline, though it is only a small part of how we do those ministries, has relation to all of them: It is instructive to the body (1 Tim. 5:20), it is a heightened form of rebuke and correction when necessary, and it provides added motivation for continuing in righteousness (2 Cor. 13:2, Rev. 2:5 and 3:19-20).

On a different but possibly related topic, I don’t know if this applies to any of you, but we need to guard ourselves from an error that I and others have noticed can sometimes develop along with the emphasis on “Sonship,” “gospel-centered living,” “living by grace,” etc. This emphasis is very biblical and important, especially for people who tend to have a legalistic or “performance” mentality, but it should never be emphasized to the exclusion of other important biblical principles like self-discipline, church discipline, etc. Nor should our counsel to people be only concerned with inward faith and repentance, without helping them to practically put off and put on in their actions (Eph. 4:22-32). The heart is of utmost importance, no question, but remember that Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). Who you are inside affects what you will do, very definitely, but what you do also affects who you will be inside.

Sometimes people get excited about the doctrines of free justification, Sonship, and the role of faith in sanctification (and well they should, because those doctrines are exciting!), but then they start to think that any concern or teaching about our behavior or morals is behavioristic or moralistic, and they lapse into a modern form of quietism, or worse, antinomianism. But behaviorism or moralism is talking about what we do exclusively without referencing why we do it… a biblical balance is what we need. To bring this back around to our original topic of conversation (the book), I can put it this way… If someone thinks that How People Change is a comprehensive treatment of sanctification, they are wrong. There are many aspects of sanctification not discussed in that book (of course, because no book can cover it all, except the Bible itself). I’m sure the authors don’t think it is exhaustive, but if they or another else did that would be an error akin to quietism or antinomianism, because of the important aspects of sanctification and ministry that it does not address. Jay Adams’ books tend to emphasize more the behavioral aspects of sanctification and counseling, and the “new CCEF” guys tend to emphasize the heart and gospel aspects more. I think they are both basically biblical in what they say, and should be combined for a good balanced approach to Christian life and ministry. That’s what I try to do... with varying degrees of success, I’m sure!

In Christ, Dave

[Friend 2:]
- Quietism and Antinomianism would be very grave errors indeed. Thankfully, I have not seen them whatsoever in the Gospel Transformation materials or in the reading and training I have had through CCEF. All of the aforementioned are very concerned with outward change toward holiness, but that it come from a heart that is turned to and reliant upon the Lord, that finds it's righteousness in Christ rather than in the individual.

- Agreed that 'How People Change' is not a standalone book claiming to be the first and last word on sanctfication. It deals with inner change. It is part of a trilogy, along with 'Instruments in the Hands of the Redeemer' (which is subtitled "People in need of change helping people in need of change") and 'Relationships: A Mess Worth Making'. It would be good to read all three books.

- I don't see inward faith/repentance and outward change as either/or, or even as both/and. Outward change that is true, meaningful, God-pleasing, and lasting, can only come from inward heart change. If it could work the other way, the pharisee and the older brother would have been growing in Godliness and approved by God in Luke 18:9-13 and Luke 15:11-32 respectively. If we are working with the behaviors apart from the heart, we are helping to produce pharisees and can't help but engender self-righteousness. If the old heart is no longer sinning in one way, it is not growing in righteousness in the Lord, but rather sinning in new, different ways (and often will then also return to the old ways in frustration). I am in constant fear of that in my own life, and for my children. Any teaching that is urging moral behavior from them, but not impressing the gospel and their needy hearts on them, is working against what they need to grow in their reliance on the Lord, and is producing a self-righteous, better than thou attitude.

[My response:]
Good thoughts! I totally agree with you that “working with behaviors apart from the heart” is wrong and counter-productive. I would just encourage you to recognize also, based on Scripture, that God uses “outward” means in our sanctification process (defined as change that flows from the heart). The Pharisee and elder brother did not want to do the right thing, so no amount of behavioral counsel or change could make an iota of difference in their relationship with God (as you said). But for believers who want to do what is right, become more like Christ, etc. what we do is an important part of God’s means of grace (Kent Hughes and Jerry Bridges have called them “The Discipline(s) of Grace” in good books by that title). And I think we also need to say that God can use “outward” discipline, even from human authority, to work in people’s hearts. A clear example is parental discipline… Proverbs says “foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him” and “You shall beat him with the rod and save his soul from death” and etc. etc. If I just spank my kids but don’t teach my children the gospel, they will never believe and honor God; but on the other hand, if I only teach them the gospel but never discipline them, they probably won’t either. Likewise, a man who has been addicted to porn can want to change and even “preach the gospel to himself” regularly, but if he doesn’t discipline himself to pray, spend time in the Word, practice radical amputation in specific ways, and put off and put on in other ways in his actions, he likely will not see permanent change. And if he does do those things out of a desire to please God, that will contribute to further heart change, for again as Jesus said, “Lay up treasure in heaven…for where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.”

So in our understanding of sanctification, we need to factor in that verse and the others mentioned above (particularly Eph. 4:21-32) plus Romans 6:12-13, where after telling us our spiritual position (“died with Christ”) Paul commands us to live out that position practically: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” Romans 12:1-2 also comes to mind, where our response to the mercies of God involves both our actions (“present your bodies as a living sacrifice”) and our hearts (“be transformed by the renewing of your mind”), with logical priority placed on the heart change.

[Friend 2:]
Thanks Dave, very helpful email and one I want to digest for awhile. You make some really good points that I think it would be fruitful to discuss how they should inform preaching. I'll flesh that out in another email after I have a chance to think through it some more...

[Dave's concluding note about the emails:]

The comment below by a pastor friend uses the word "conflict" to refer to this discussion, but I don't think any of the ideas presented in the emails are really conflicting (though the writers might be like "passing ships" sometimes). That's what I was trying to say throughout, that positional and practical righteousness are both important truths taught in the Bible and are not contradictory to one another. And I think those who emphasize one can learn from people who emphasize the other, and we should not "polarize" in opposite directions. I hope this discussion has been helpful to you as you seek to understand the Scriptures and how they apply to our lives!

The Wife of a Husband of One Wife

2010-01-25T07:58:00.000-08:00

I've been teaching on the list of elder qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 the past few weeks at Faith Church, and even though it's a long four-part series, I'm still having difficulty fitting in everything I want to say! One matter I hoped to address but just didn't have time is this: "What kind of woman helps her husband to be a one-woman man?" That is the basic meaning of the second qualification in that passage, as I understand it...it speaks of marital faithfulness and sexual purity. (It can't only mean you have one wife, because many men with only one wife are not being faithful and pure.)

The primary responsibility in this regard lies with the men, of course, because regardless of how our wives look or behave or treat us, we can still choose to do what is right by the power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that we will never be tempted above what we are able to bear. But it occurred to me that although wives cannot make their husbands into one-woman men, they can make a big difference by helping them to be more godly in this area of their lives.

First, a wife can help her husband by loving and respecting him, and even admiring and adoring him for his good qualities. Many wives may think this is impossible because of all their husband's weaknesses, but just as faithfulness is a responsibility and choice that husbands can make by the power of the Spirit, so a wife can choose to have this kind of good attitude toward her husband. And if she does it will go a long way toward helping him to be "exhilarated always with her love" (Prov. 5:19), because he will be less likely to look elsewhere for the appreciation he desires.

Also a wife can work hard to be attractive to her husband, and to satisfy him at all times (Prov. 5:19 again). As I've already mentioned, a man must bear full responsibility for any impurity in mind and body, but it also seems to me that many wives have to bear their own responsibility also for not helping their husbands as they should in this regard. Some wives act as if they deserve faithfulness from their husbands, when clearly they do not, because they have contributed to the problem by neglect and done so little to solve it. Some advice for wives at this point: Find a godly woman (or more than one) whose husband is in love with her, and find out from her what she does to be a "helper suitable to him" in this area (Gen. 2:18). Be open to biblical counseling from such a woman, or even from a godly pastor (together with your husband, of course), because you may need help to be a helper if you have never had good discipleship in this area of life and/or you have developed bad habits and patterns over time.

A final thought (though I'm sure there are many more) is that a wife can help her husband to be a one-woman man by protecting him from temptation. She should understand what activities can cause him problems, respectfully encourage him to stay away from them, and make sure to never cause him to stumble in any way. An example would be some of the TV shows and movies that couples may watch together, which include female characters that are depicted in a way designed to appeal to the desires and pleasures of the males who watch them. A wife may not even think about the effect that might have on her husband, and may make a mistake by enjoying the good things about the show without considering the possible dangers. She may not ask her husband direct and thorough questions about those possible dangers, perhaps because it is just not on her "radar" as a woman. But men are different from women, and a woman who understands the difference can help her husband more.

The Privilege of Submission

2009-12-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

This Sunday I taught our church from 1 Timothy 2:11-14, which says, "Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression." I didn't have enough time (what else is new?) to share some quotes that I think are helpful regarding the issue of submission, so here I will reproduce a slightly modified section from my book Life in the Father's House that contains them...

The numerous interpretive issues in that passage and the many questions of application that arise from it are beyond the scope of my discussion in this article. They are dealt with ably and exhaustively elsewhere (see Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, by Piper and Grudem). But I believe that two concepts are very clear in that passage, and others in the New Testament: (1) In the context of the local church, each woman should submit herself to male leadership and should learn from the teaching of men rather than being a teacher of men. (2) Eldership and other positions of authority over men are not a biblical option for a Christian woman. God has designed for the submissive learning of women to be a key element in the revelation of His character through the church and the effective witness of the body.

This submissive role of women does not mean that they are inferior to men in any way. The difference between men and women is not one of quality or ability, but of function. This difference is illustrated in 1 Corinthians 11:3, where Paul says, “I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” Man being the head of the woman does not mean man is superior to woman any more than God’s being the head of Christ means that God is superior to Christ! “God is the head of Christ” refers to the subservient role Jesus took upon Himself when He walked the earth, and “man is the head of woman” simply refers to the differing roles God has assigned to men and women.

And the “differing role” of women, contrary to the complaints of feminists, is not a burdensome one at all. As William Hendriksen wrote in his commentary on 1 Timothy, "Though these words in I Timothy 2:11 and 12 and their parallel in I Corinthians 14:33–35 may sound a trifle unfriendly, in reality, they are the very opposite. In fact, they are expressive of the feeling of tender sympathy and basic understanding. They mean: let a woman not enter a sphere of activity for which by dint of her very creation she is not suited. Let not a bird try to dwell under water. Let not a fish try to live on land. Let not a woman try to exercise authority over a man by lecturing him in public worship. For the sake both of herself and the spiritual welfare of the church such unholy tampering with the divine authority is forbidden."

In a similar vein, R. L. Dabney wrote, "Paul does not say that the woman must not preach in public because he regards her as less pious, less zealous, less eloquent, less learned, less brave or less intellectual than man. In the advocates of women’s right to this function there is a continual tendency to a confusion of thought, as though the apostle, when he says that a woman must not do what a man does, meant to disparage her sex. This is a sheer mistake... woman is excluded from this masculine task of public preaching by Paul, not because she is inferior to man, but simply because her Maker has ordained her for another work which is incompatible with this. So he might have pronounced, as nature does, that she shall not sing bass, not because he thought the bass chords more beautiful—perhaps he thought the pure alto of the feminine throat far sweeter—but because her very constitution fits her for the latter part in the concert of human existence, and therefore unfits her for the other, the coarser and less melodious part."

Our sinful society (and perhaps our sinful hearts) have convinced many of us that it is more blessed to lead than it is to follow. That is not necessarily true, for leadership brings problems, difficulties, and heartaches that followers never experience. God made women to be dependent upon men, so that men would protect, provide, and care for women. Any husband who truly loves his wife and desires to be the proper head of the home knows that this is no easy task. Sometimes it would be much more enjoyable to follow than to lead. And any elder who truly loves the Lord and desires to be the proper leader of the church knows that his is no easy task. During many difficult times he might desire strongly to relinquish his role to an eager successor!

So submission in the church should be viewed as a privilege rather than a problem! The direction and instruction of the whole body is not a burden that women have to bear. They should be grateful to God for that, and joyfully seek to fulfill the many other crucial ministries to which they have been called.

The "Worship War" We Should Be Waging...

2009-10-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

I just came home from our monthly music practice and read some emails that contained feedback about the music in our church (which I had asked for). So church music is on my mind right now, as are the intense and emotional responses that it often illicits, and I wanted to point out that while most "worship wars" and unnecessary and destructive to a church, there is one kind of worship battle that we should all be fighting... the battle we fight in prayer! (See Eph. 6:18) If we talked to the Lord more about the music in our churches, we probably would be less critical and less disappointed/frustrated when it's not what we like.

So toward that end, here are the prayer requests I put together awhile back as a part of our Vision/Prayer project for Faith Church. It starts out with our "core value" of God-Centered Worship, a brief explanation of what that means, and then the requests, which also reflect a lot of the philosophy behind what we do in our Sunday services (so you may find it helpful in that regard).

God-Centered Worship
Sunday services that enable us to see the greatness of God in all His attributes, bringing joy to His heart and to ours through singing, praying, confessing, learning, and communing.

Pray that all the believers who gather to worship at Faith Church on Sundays would be there primarily to please God, and their hearts will be focused on what honors Him much more than on their own enjoyment. Pray that those who plan and lead worship would also be thinking this way, and would constantly find ways to remind and encourage people to focus on the Lord rather than on themselves.

Pray that our Sunday worship would represent God accurately and reflect His Divine attributes in a balanced way, so that the members of the body and anyone who joins us would see Him in all His glory. Pray that our worship would communicate both His transcendance and His immanence, the fact that He is both a God of the ages and a God of today, and the balance of formal order and informal spontaneity that is revealed in His creation. (This is why elements of our worship are both “traditional” and “contemporary”—why we sing both old and new songs, for example, and offer some prayers that are scripted and some that are spontaneous.)

Pray that we will always follow a thoughtfully planned, theologically-informed order of worship (Praise, Renewal, Commitment, and Communion), so that people will develop good habits in worship, and that we will always include the scriptural elements of singing, praying, confessing, learning, and communing. But pray that we will also have variety in the way we practice the order and elements, so that we might reflect both the order and variety in God’s character and creation.

Pray that our worship music would always be biblical in its content, and that those who lead and accompany the singing would always plan and practice their ministry in a way that encourages participation from the congregation, rather than performance from the people up front. Pray that the style of the music will have variety, for the same reason mentioned above, but that it also will “flow” with enough uniformity that the variety will not be a distraction to the worshippers.

Pray that the pastor would at least be involved in the planning of the Sunday worship, if not leading some himself, but that through him God would also raise up others who can participate in this ministry, and carry it on “in stride” if the pastor is not there.

Pray that we will make use of all the musical talents of the people who attend the church and who are led by God to serve in this way.

Pray that our worship would serve as a model to other churches, and that God would give us opportunities to encourage and train others in this God-centered, biblically balanced approach.

The Good Fight, Henry V Style! (Plus...What if Hamlet had been Reformed?)

2009-10-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

As usual, I didn't have time this morning in my Sunday message to share everything I had prepared, and as usual what had to go were some of the illustrations, which are the "fun" part! (It's somewhat of a Catch 22 for me as a teacher...either break it up more with less biblical content or go deeper and be more "boring." I usually end up "erring" on the side of Bible content...How can that be wrong, right?)

So that's one reason I have this blog... I can have my cake and eat it too! And here is the illustration I wanted to share of how to "fight the good fight," as Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18. While I thought about the spiritual warfare we face, Shakespeare's words in Henry V kept coming to mind... "Once more unto the breach!" Here's that part of the play, with King Henry leading his troops at the battle of Harfleur:

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger!

Then later, at the battle of Agincourt, in the famous "St. Crispian's Day" speech, notice especially the different ways that Henry motivates his troops, and imagine that God is using these ideas to engage you in the real ongoing battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil...

WESTMORELAND.
O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING.
What's he that wishes so? My cousin Westmoreland?
No, my fair cousin.
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires;
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more, methinks, would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart. His passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse.
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say, "To-morrow is Saint Crispian."
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say, "These wounds I had on Crispian's day."
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words,
Harry the King, Bedford, and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered,
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

As you read that, did you notice all the different ways that Henry motivated his men? (If not, go back and see if you can identify them...it's fun!). He did so by the promise of reward, the shame of cowardice, personal satisfaction for the present and the future, leaving a legacy to the next generation, friendship and community with others, redemption from past sins, and a sense of great accomplishment. I love all those aspects of the speech because they all reflect biblical motivations that the Scriptures provide for us as well! That's why you should "fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience," as Paul told Timothy.

Speaking of Shakespeare and the Reformation, by the way, the two are more related than a cursory observer might think. I would love to write a paper/article on that issue sometime, if I ever become disabled or otherwise end up with the time I would need to write everything I want to! But I'll give you a little taste here...

The Bard lived in a post-Reformation England, of course, and although he dabbled in Roman Catholicism (a "rebel heart" manifesting itself?), he no doubt was influenced by the brighter lights of the Protestant movement (and perhaps inspired to some of his biting satire by the darker parts). One of the most interesting examples of this, that almost no one is aware of, is in the beginning scenes of Hamlet, where he makes the point at least twice (it might be three times, I can't remember right now) that the young prince of Denmark was headed to school in Wittenburg--yes, the same German city where Luther had taught--before his evil uncle talked him into staying at the castle. The implication, to me at least, is that if Hamlet would have gone to Wittenburg, he would have learned about the grace of the cross and all the tragedies in this tragedy would have been avoided! In case you think that's too much of a stretch, I would add that Horatio, who represents the moral compass of the play (notice he's the only character who remains pure), was already enrolled in the Reformed school at Wittenburg and had spent the previous year there. It's all in the play...check it out some time if you don't believe me!

Great Movie! One Night with the King!!

2009-10-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

Some of my kids are sick, so for our Sunday night family worship we are watching One Night with the King, a terrific movie that recreates the story of Esther from the Old Testament book. It is very faithful to the biblical story, with just a few minor exceptions, and sometimes even the "embellishments" are a blessing, like the subplot of Xerxes' and Esther's marital problems, which illustrates the consequences of wrongful judging (1 Cor. 4:5-6) and bad communication (Prov. 18:13, 17).

To me the very best part of the movie is the scene in the marketplace where Naaman demands that Mordecai bow to him... what a great example of standing for the truth (literally!), and some great comic relief thrown in too.

I highly recommended this movie for any age, though you may have to talk to the youngest childern about some of the adult themes.

The Grand Demonstration -- God's Sovereignty and Evil

2009-10-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

The passage we studied in church this Sunday (1 Timothy 1:12-17) speaks of the “Grand Demonstration,” as Jay Adams calls it in his great book by that name (one of my favorites listed in my profile on this blog). Paul says that even though he was a blasphemer, persecutor, and violent aggressor, he received the mercy of apostleship because he “acted ignorantly in unbelief,” which highlights God’s providence in allowing him to go far away from God, but only so far. See Galatians 1:15 where he says he was set apart from his mother’s womb to be an apostle…obviously God knew he would do those awful things and let him do them until the time was right for him to be saved and called into service. And 1 Timothy 1:16 says God did all this to “demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”

This is the Grand Demonstration Paul speaks of (using the same Greek word endeiknumi) in Romans 9, verses 17 and 22, and in Ephesians 2:7. And in the following verse in 1 Timothy 1:17, it leads Paul to eulogize God in the famous “immortal, invisible” verse that ends with “honor and glory forever and ever” to the only God. So as the verses in Romans and Ephesians also clearly state, God allows evil and causes salvation, all as a part of His divine plan, so that He will receive glory! And (thankfully!) one of the ways He brings glory to Himself, in addition to demonstrating His wrath and power in judging and destroying those who oppose Him, is through causing it all to work for good in the lives of His people, as Romans 8:28 says.

Along those lines, I read this section from my book Decisions, Decisions:

“Realizing that God is in control of your life is one of the biggest answers to the emotional problems that plague so many Christians. After the apostle Paul delivered the Bible's most frank and thorough explanation of God's sovereignty in Romans 9-11, he did not crawl into a corner and sink into deep depression, complaining that this doctrine makes us all into ‘puppets,’ makes our efforts pointless, and causes division between Christians. No, as Paul reflected on his revelation of the sovereignty of God, he broke into a paeon of joyful praise:

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

“Why did the truth of God's sovereign control bring so much joy to Paul? I think it was because he had learned to practice what I call ‘the spectator principle.’ Once we understand that God has a plan for this world and for our individual lives, we can begin to see some of what He is doing in the world and in our lives. You cannot know God's sovereign will before you make a decision, and even afterwards you won't be able to understand all of what He has planned and why, but sometimes (many times even, if you look hard) you will be able to see what He is doing and some of the reasons He is doing it. And nothing can bring more holy delight than watching the Master Artist weave the tapestry of history, observing the Conductor of the universe orchestrate all things together for our good, and discovering the perfect storyline that has been plotted by the Divine Director for His own glory.”

Finally, I shared a real-life example of the “spectator principle” that blessed many of those who heard it, so I want to reproduce it here. I’ve been counseling a dear sister whose husband left her and their three children to pursue an adulterous relationship. I addition to memorizing Romans 8:28 and reading Jerry Bridges book Trusting God (also on my list of favorite books), I gave her an assignment to write out a list of all the ways she can think of that God might bring good out of this trial in her life. Here is her list, with some comments from me in brackets:

…Learning to trust God more
…Learning to keep Him first in my life [when the other “gods” we worship are stripped away from us]
…Learning to rely on Him for all my needs [when the other things we rely on are gone]
…Learning to be a better wife, mother, person
…Realizing all I have to be thankful for [when you lose a lot, the things remaining are sweeter]
…Refocusing our family and drawing us close to God and each other
…Gaining assurance that I am a chosen child of God (Hebrews 12:3-11, Romans 8:17 and the rest of the chapter)
…Looking forward to heaven [we should do this, and trials tend to wean us from this world]
…Seeking God’s will and kingdom purposes, rather than mine
…Developing true friendships
…Learning to love my enemies, and pray for those who mistreat me (Matt. 5:43)
…Producing steadfastness, endurance (James 1:2-4, Romans 5:5)
…Giving others the opportunity to minister to me
…Giving me the opportunity to witness to others [we always end up talking about our trials to others, even non-Christians…we can talk with them about our faith!]
…Giving me the ability to help others in similar circumstances (2 Corinthians 1:3‑7)
…Giving me joy as a “spectator” watching God at work in my life
…Learning to live one day at a time
…Becoming more financial responsible, and a better steward of God’s money
…The children learning to rely on God as their Father [because their earthly father has been unreliable…maybe this is exactly what God will use to bring them to true salvation and service for Him]
…Allowing me to warn others not to grow “comfortable” in their relationship with God, spouse, even friends. Don’t take these relationships for granted—always work on them—love and appreciate others!

She has already seen God work in many of the ways she listed, and when she begins to feel depressed, anxious, fearful, angry or frustrated because of her situation, I told her to pull out the list, read over it, and thank God for what He is doing through the situation, and what He will do in the future. This is one great way of fulfilling the principle of 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I hope you will consider doing that same “assignment” when you are going through hard times… I know it will make a difference for you!

Only One Way to Heaven

2009-10-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

(Published in original form in the Sonoma Index-Tribune, August 2005)

Many of you will not like what I say here. In fact, the title alone may have caused you to bristle with irritation. But I feel compelled to address this topic precisely because so many will disagree with it.

Martin Luther once said, “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely the point that the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages is where the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is merely flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”

So I must follow the orders I have been given by my divine Commander in Chief, and tell you that there is only one way to heaven. All roads do not lead to God. All religions are not equally valid. This is an essential part of the message that Jesus Christ proclaimed to the world, which He told all His followers to pass along.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jesus said. “No one can come to the Father, except through Me” (John 14:6). The apostle Peter added, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And Paul agrees: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Then the Scriptures go on to say clearly that people from other religions cannot be saved unless someone tells them about Jesus, and they turn to Him (verses 11-16). “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (verse 17).

Not only do these historical, well-attested sources reveal that Jesus and His appointed messengers believed in only one way to heaven, but it is simply the most reasonable and logical conclusion when we consider how the world works.

Imagine if you arrived at a door with a full key chain in your hand, and someone told you, “It doesn’t matter which key you use—any one will work in the door.”

Or you and your friends have 20 minutes to make it from Malvern to a movie in King of Prussia, and the driver of the car decides to go through downtown Philadelphia on the way. “That’s not the best way to get to King of Prussia,” you tell him. “But it’s the best way for me,” he insists. “And who are you to say that I’m wrong?!”

What if they told you at the hospital, “You don’t need the surgeon to do your appendectomy, the receptionist will do just fine?” You ask them what kind of drugs they’ve inhaled, but they insist that the receptionist is equally qualified, “in her own way.”

How would you like it if a family visited your home, and the parents told their children, “It doesn’t matter where you go to the bathroom—it doesn’t have to be in the toilet.” Then they accuse you of being “narrow-minded” and “bigoted” when you object.

A couple insists that feeding their newborn baby ice cream at every meal is just as valid as any other nutritional approach. And I could go on…

But the point is, of course, that in this world there is knowledge and there is ignorance, there is truth and there are lies, there is right and there is wrong. This is the way things are, so the real issue is, What do we need to know, What is the truth, and What is right? So I want to encourage you to learn more about the One who claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life. Open up a Bible and read about Him, or find a church that believes and teaches all of His Word, including His clear word that there is only one way to heaven.

False Teachers in 1 Timothy

2009-10-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

Here's an email follow-up to my Sunday message that I sent to the Faith Church family:

I've been thinking about doing this for a long time, but have never gotten around to it... following up my Sunday messages with further thoughts/application/information for you. I always have good stuff that I can't include for time's sake, because I'm trying not to add to the "Church Bored" by going too long! So here is the passage again, and a quote from William Hendriksen's commentary on 1 Timothy that I thought was really interesting. Let me know if you think these type of email additions would be helpful, or I should say if you would actually read them, so I know whether to do it again. Also see the additional note at the bottom...

1 Timothy 1:3-4 -- As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.

Hendriksen comments:

It is a known fact that from early times the rabbis would "spin their yarns"--and endless yarns they were!--on the basis of what they considered some "hint" supplied by the Old Testament. They would take a name from a list of pedigrees (for example, from Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah), and expand it into a nice story. Such interminable embroideries on the inspired record were part of the regular bill of fare in the synagogue, and were subsequently deposited in written form in that portion of The Talmud which is known as Haggadah.
The Book of Jubilees (also called The Little Genesis) offers another striking example of what Paul had in mind. It is a kind of haggadic commentary on the canonical Genesis; that is, it is an exposition interspersed with an abundant supply of illustrative anecdotes. The book was probably written toward the close of the second or at the beginning of the first century B.C. It covers the entire era from the creation until the entrance into Canaan. This long stretch is divided into fifty jubilee-periods of forty-nine (7x7) years each. In fact, the entire chronology is based on the number 7, and heavenly authority is claimed for the arrangement. Thus not only does the week have 7 days, the month 4x7 days, but even the year has 52x7=364 days, the year-week has 7 years, and the jubilee has 7x7=49 years. The separate events regarding the patriarchs, etc., are pin-pointed in accordance with this scheme. The sacred narrative of our canonical book of Genesis is embellished, at times almost beyond recognition. Thus, we now learn that the sabbath was observed already by the arch-angels, that the angels also practiced circumcision, that Jacob never tricked anybody, etc.
In every age there are people who love to indulge in such strange mixtures of truth and error. They even treat these adulterations as being the all-important thing. They carry on lengthy debates about dates and definitions. Instead of brushing aside all such syncretistic rubbish, they discover fine distinctions and engage in hairsplitting disputes. They pile myth upon myth, fable upon fable, and the end is never in sight. Thus the law of God is made void by human tradition (cf. Matt. 15:6), and the picture drawn in the sacred original becomes grossly distorted.

(Was he thinking of Harold Camping when he wrote that, I wonder?!)

My other girlfriends...

2009-10-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

My daughter saw my new blog and said, "What about your other girlfriends?"... So I thought I would test out the picture option, and see how it works:

My other girlfriends are in this picture:

I am now a blogger!

2009-10-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'm with it now! I'm hip (finally)!! Or at least I'm not a dinosaur anymore...