When is a Calvinist not a Calvinist?

When his theology and teaching are man-centered.

Calvinists believe that fallen, sinful, rebellious men and women (and children) are unwilling and unable to repent of their sin and to come in faith to Christ. We Calvinists believe that for someone to respond properly to the gospel God must first send forth an effectual call that gives the sinner both the willingness and ability to repent and believe.

Furthermore, the Calvinist believes that after a person is regenerated and converted to Christ, he is still totally dependent upon God’s work in him “both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure” – to live as a God-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-dependent and obedient Christian who reflects Christ in his life. In short, we confess with Paul, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor.15:10).

The gospel of God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ is good news about what God does for sinners and in sinners and through sinners who are totally unable to do those things themselves. The Bible is all about this wonderful Savior and His saving work which alone can bring us to God and enable us to follow Christ in newness of life. In this new life we are “enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 35).

With such a God-centered theology and Christ-centered message, why would anyone descend to man-centered preaching and teaching? Such a ministry will be neither saving nor sanctifying (unless God is pleased to overrule it, of course).

What do I mean by “man-centered preaching?” I do not mean that the preacher does not know the Lord or desire to preach Christ. I do not mean (necessarily) that he is a heretic or a deceiver. I simply mean that in his ministry the Bible is approached in a very un-Calvinistic way. Such a ministry uses the Bible as a book of principles to be implemented and examples to be imitated. In the name of “practical Christianity” or “application in preaching” we are told that God blessed certain people because of what they did and if we do the same thing He will bless us. In fact, some go as far as saying (or at least implying) that we are not being blessed because we are not implementing the right principles or following the right examples. Then comes the guilt-trip to try to get us to do more.

As has been said in other posts (see http://jotzandtittlez.blogspot.com/2011/04/bible-what-its-all-about-1.html), the Bible is about God’s saving work through Christ, not about man’s self-saving or self-sanctifying work through the use of principles and examples. Even as a believer, I am still in need of salvation from the remaining darkness in my mind, the remaining perversion in my affections, and the remaining rebellion in my will. There is no quick fix to remaining corruption except suicide (which I am NOT advocating, of course). No amount of surrender, consecration, imitation, mystical expereinces or down home advice can deliver me from the sinning that my Savior alone can save me from. And that salvation does not come from considering what everyone else in Scripture did, but what God alone can do and does for His people. See Him in the Bible and preach Him in the pulpit. 

Born Again

    Being born again…by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 

(1 Peter 1:23)

In verse 22 the apostle Peter was inspired by the Holy Spirit to command us to do something that is truly impossible to man: “love one another with a pure heart fervently.” Fallen, self-centered man is unable and unwilling to love others in the same way he loves himself. He cannot deny his sinful nature because he is a slave to sin. Therefore he cannot love others in a way that is acceptable to God. Fallen man cannot stop being self-centered.

However, Peter is telling believers to love one another fervently. Why can he tell believers to do something that unbelievers cannot do? He gives the reason in verse 23: “Being born again.” What happens to make us able to act against our fallen nature? Peter calls it the new birth. This phrase is also used in other places in the New Testament to describe the change that God makes in someone to save him.

In John chapter 3 Jesus tells Nicodemus about the new birth. Jesus says that Nicodemus does not believe in Jesus because he has not yet received new life through the new birth. (John 3.3, 5, 11-12). Peter tells us that we were “begotten again unto a lively hope” (1.Pt.1.3). Because we have been given new life in Christ we have a hope and expectation that is very real and certain. Those who are still dead in sin have no hope and are without God in this world. In the epistle of James we are told that we were “begat…of the word of truth”. (Jas.1.18) This verse points to the same fact Peter brings out in our verse above. God gave us new life through His Word.

What does new birth and new life have to do with loving others? Since fallen man cannot act against his fallen nature, he needs a new nature if he is going to obey God. His fallen nature does not want to deny itself and love others. So, man needs a new life to do new things. What was impossible to fallen man becomes possible to the regenerated man. The Holy Spirit gives us a new nature that wants to obey God. He also gives us grace to do what our new nature wants. In this way we are ready, with the continued help of the Holy Spirit, to do what was impossible before.

Peter tells us that God uses His Word in giving us new life. How does He do it? That is a mystery. All believers can testify to the fact that God revealed Himself to them through His word. We can all say that God continues to bless His Word to us for our spiritual health. Exactly how He does it, we do not know. Peter calls God’s Word a “seed” in this verse. The seed is hidden in the ground when it sprouts forth. No one sees it until the plant comes up out of the ground. God’s Word is put into the heart when it gives new life. No one sees that either, but the life that springs forth is visible to all. The difference between God’s seed and plant seeds is this: God’s seed never fails to bring forth life. Farmers would love to have seeds like that! We do.

Have you been born again?

A More Sure Word

We have also a more sure word of prophecy…(2 Peter 1:19)

As death stares the apostle Peter in the face he tells the readers of his epistle that he is happy to be able to remind them of certain truths. He feels it his duty to help them think about the basic truths of the Gospel so they can pay closer attention to them after he is gone. As he explains these truths it is important for Peter to remind his readers that what he tells them is not just a fairy tale but the report of an eyewitness who saw the glory of Christ. He reminds them that he saw this glory when the Lord Jesus was transfigured on the mountain. He also heard the voice of God speaking directly to him in special revelation.

Despite having heard something by direct revelation from God, Peter says that there is a word that is “more sure”. How is it "more sure"? Is it possible that what Peter heard on the mountain was wrong? Of course not. It was God Himself who spoke. Then how can something be surer? Peter wants his readers to “take heed” or pay close attention to this word that is surer. He goes on to describe this word as a “prophecy of scripture” and talks about how the scriptures were written. In other words, he is contrasting this written word with the spoken testimony of those who had been eyewitnesses of the majesty of Christ. What Peter is comparing is the experience of the apostles and the writings of the apostles. The experiences of the apostles may be very true, but these experiences are not what we are to “pay heed” to. What Peter tells us to pay attention to is the written Word of God.

How can the written Word of God be surer than the experiences of the apostles? It is "more sure" because it has been inspired by God. The only way we can know the experiences of the apostles is from the written Word of God itself. This alone should tell us which is surer. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the experiences of the apostles are infallible. In the gospels we read of many experiences the apostles had that show us just how little they understood of Christ. If we had nothing but their experiences we would know as little as they did! Furthermore, the Lord Jesus promised that they should learn more about Him after the Holy Spirit had come. They were inspired to write these things in their epistles, which are part of the Word of God.

In some countries people are used to the electricity being cut off without warning. It is therefore common that they can go right to the place where they keep the candles without hitting anything in the dark. They have trained themselves by repetition to be able to go right to the light. Are we like that with the Bible? We live in a dark world. Many are calling us to believe their experiences and teachings. How do we respond when we are told about some unusual experience or some “new” truth? Are we able to go right to the light to see if what they say is true? God help us to train ourselves to do that, for…

We have a more sure word.

True Blessing - 2

Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." (Lk.11.27-28)

True blessing is related to hearing and obeying God as He has revealed Himself in His Word. The woman mentioned in our text was hearing the Lord Jesus as He spoke God's Word. She heard God Himself speak it! She had a priceless opportunity to learn about God because He was standing right there in front of her. Yet, for her, it seemed to be no more than an exciting experience. Therefore, Jesus corrects her and shows her the path to true blessing.

The Lord was not telling this woman anything new. The Psalmist had written about this long before anyone had heard Jesus speak. "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies " (Ps. 119.1-2). "Blessed is the man...(whose) delight is in the law of the Lord" (Ps.1.1-3). The path to true blessing was revealed long ago and Jesus was simply repeating it to this woman.

This path is identified as hearing and obeying the Word of God. Many people heard the Lord Jesus teach when He was on the earth. He told them that the wise person would hear His words and live by them (Mt.7.24-27). However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, how could anyone "hear" Jesus words? The obvious answer is that His apostles were moved by the Holy Spirit to write them down. As with the prophets of the Old Testament, these men were directed by the Holy Spirit to write down the very words of Jesus, as well as to give an inspired explanation of what He did. Their writings are the final part of the whole "Word of God" that Jesus is talking about in these verses. Therefore, even though we are not able to hear the Lord Jesus teach, as this woman heard Him, we can "hear" His words, the Word of God, in the pages of the Bible. In “hearing and keeping” the words of the Bible we will find that God is faithful to bless us and enable us to obey Him.

For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to read and study the Bible on a regular basis. The purpose of this little blog is to help you do that. I believe that what God says is true. The path to true blessing is “hearing and observing” His Word, as the Lord Jesus said. Unless we are hearing and keeping His word daily, we will not know true blessing. We may have wonderful experiences of God’s love and forgiveness and be helped to do “great” things, but unless we are hearing and keeping God’s Word, then the blessings we receive will be few and far between. God may need to “bless” us with discipline (for example, hard situations or temptations we cannot overcome) to show us our real need of regular “hearing” Him in His Word. We can live like beggars at our Father’s door or we can live inside at the table He has spread before us in His Word. The choice is ours.

Do you want to be truly blessed?

True Blessing – 1

Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." (Lk.11.27-28)

The teaching and miracles of the Lord Jesus were a cause of amazement to many people. They had never heard nor seen such great things before. More than once the gospel writers tell us that the people were amazed and astonished at the things Jesus did. On the occasion recorded in the verses above one woman was so overcome by her surprise that she cried out from the midst of the crowd while Jesus was teaching. She could not control her emotion. Her surprise at what Jesus was doing and saying made her cry out in amazement.

The woman's words tell us what she was thinking at the time. She blessed the woman who had brought Jesus into the world because she was glad to be hearing Jesus teach and to be watching Him do wonderful miracles. To this woman it was a glorious experience to be where Jesus was doing wonderful things. It was marvelous to her to hear Him silence the scribes and Pharisees by His words. She blessed the one who gave the world this amazing Person.

The Lord Jesus gave her a surprising answer. She expressed some degree of praise to Him but He does not seem to accept it. In fact, He contradicts the woman's statement, saying that she had a wrong perspective on things. It is certainly true that the Lord Jesus is an amazing person and that His teachings and miracles are glorious. However, simply seeing His works and hearing His teaching is not true blessing. Indeed, there were thousands who heard and saw what this woman did but who were never truly "blessed."

What then, does Jesus say true blessing is? "Blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it." True blessing is something related to the Word of God. It is not merely an experience of happiness, surprise or any other emotion. Such emotional experiences are temporary and unpredictable. They come and go and we cannot depend upon them. If true blessing is only an emotional experience, then most of the time it is quite impossible to be truly blessed. Most of the day we are busy with our jobs, our children, our schoolwork or other responsibilities and cannot stop to think about our happiness. On the contrary, if a person is always thinking about his happiness, he will not be blessed at all. Furthermore, he will be unable to have any useful role for God in this world. He will be so busy with himself that he will not have time for God or man.

If you were asked what true blessing was, what would you say? Would you talk about wonderful experiences of God’s help in trouble? Would you mention God’s provision of some great need in your life? Would you think of wonderful experiences of God’s love and forgiveness after falling into sin? These things are blessings indeed. But how many of us would answer this woman as Jesus did? How many of us would think that true blessing was being enabled to understand and obey the Word of God. That is what Jesus thinks it is. Do you?

Blessing!

Only One Source

“Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

The Lord Jesus said some things that were hard for His followers to understand and accept. In John, chapter six, He spoke about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. He obviously did not mean that His followers would become cannibals who would eat His body. He was speaking about eternal life and faith in Him as the Savior. But when people misunderstood His words they stopped following Him. When they stopped following Him they cut themselves off from the only source of life and truth. As Peter said, Jesus alone has “the words of eternal life.”

The Word of God has for us a unique place and performs a unique function as the only existing revelation of God’s mind and will. Scripture is the only revelation of the mind and will of God available to us. It is only in and through scripture that we have any knowledge of or union with Christ, who is the image of the invisible God. In the days of His flesh the disciples had no understanding of Jesus, or faith in Him apart from His spoken word. In the same way we are wholly dependent upon their witness, which was anticipated and foreshadowed in the Old Testament, and was recorded in the New.

Without scripture we have no knowledge, faith, or fellowship with Him who is the brightness of the Father’s glory and the image of His being. We are as destitute of the Word of life as the disciples would have been if Jesus had not revealed Himself through His spoken word. We would be deprived not only of the knowledge, faith, and fellowship of the Son, but also of the knowledge and fellowship of the Father and the Spirit. Our dependence on scripture is total. We depend upon the message of scripture for every doctrine of our faith, for the redemptive truth that illumines our minds, and for every hope against the needs of time and eternity.

Scripture is absolutely unique. It is unique because it is the only way we come into relationship with God and enjoy His gracious redemption. We have no encounter with God, with Christ, or with the Holy Spirit in terms of saving and redeeming grace apart from scripture. It is the only revelation to us of God’s redemptive will.

Why do people seek to know God from other sources? Some imagine they can know God through their feelings and experiences. God can be experienced and felt, but how are you to know it is God that you are feeling? We human beings were made to experience God but how can we know what we are experiencing is God? People imagine that if it makes them feel good or happy it must be God. But sin makes the sinner feel good. Is sin God? Obviously not. The fact that people do not like what Jesus says does not mean that they can find God somewhere else. God can only be found in the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Holy Scriptures. Do not think you can find Him anywhere else.

To whom do you go?

All About Jesus

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27)

Have you ever wished you could study something with one of the truly great teachers? Think of how much you could learn from someone who was a master in his field. This is very often how people learn trades and skills. Universities like to boast about how many professors they have on their staff. The best person to learn something from is often the expert. When we read about Jesus walking with the two men on the road to Emmaus, we can very easily wish that we had been there with them. Their hearts burned as He expounded the scriptures to them. What an enlightening experience for those two men! But, in spite of what Jesus taught them, they still did not recognize Him until it pleased Him to reveal Himself to them at the meal table. No matter what we learn from the Bible, we still need the Lord to enlighten our eyes by His Spirit in order to know Him.

Nevertheless, the Lord thought it important that He teach those men about Himself. He gave them a great lesson from the scriptures so they might understand Him and His work. They would not know Him without the scriptures. He started at the very beginning and went through the Old Testament to teach them about Himself. Even though He was God and could have given them new revelation on the spot, He chose to use what He had already inspired through Moses and the prophets to teach them about Himself. Those great old books were the textbook for His lesson. Why? The scriptures, Jesus said in another place, “testify of me.” (John 5:39) The whole Bible is about the Lord Jesus. He is in every book.

The Old Testament seems to be a book of long stories and instructions to priests. However, since God was working to bring salvation even from the moment Adam sinned, the book is really about what God does to save sinners. It is about salvation. In the beginning we see the need for salvation as Adam sinned and all men became sinners in him (see also Rom.5.12-21). Then the rest of the Old Testament is the preparation of salvation as God reveals Himself to the nation of Israel and teaches them about the coming Savior. The New Testament begins with the accomplishing of salvation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Then, the book of Acts tells about the proclamation of salvation and the epistles give us the explanation of salvation. Finally we read about the consummation of salvation in the book of the Revelation.

Since Jesus Christ is the Savior, He is the subject of each part of the scriptures.  “They testify of Me,” He said. As we read the Bible we will definitely get information about history and how God helped the nation of Israel. However, the story behind it all is what God did to prepare and accomplish our salvation through Jesus Christ. When you read the Bible, look for Jesus. Something about Him and His salvation is on every page.

“That I may know Him” (Phil.3.10)

Why the Bible?

"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:31)

When we read or study the Bible we need to ask why the passage we are reading was written. Was it written to give some information we are to know and believe, to expose some sin, to instruct us in true obedience to God? This question is also important concerning the whole Bible itself. Why was it written? Sometimes we wonder why we have only a little information about some people or events and why other things are given at length and in great detail. How we would love to read a complete biography about some people like Abraham or David! However, God did not have those things written.

Why the Bible, then? The apostle John tells that the things written in his gospel were written so that the readers might have enough information about the Savior to savingly believe in Him. The revelation of Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners is the purpose of the Gospel of John. It is also the purpose of the whole Bible. God has revealed what He has in order that we might know Jesus Christ and believe in Him. From Genesis to Revelation the purpose of the Bible is to reveal what God has done for us in Christ so that we might be saved from both the guilt and practice of sin. This is the central theme of the Bible. This is the message that God wants us to know and believe.

If we do not understand the basic purpose and message of the Bible we will miss the meaning of what we read. At the same time reading something we do not understand will frustrate us. Do you want to understand and enjoy the Bible? The first thing to remember is that the book is about the Lord Jesus and what He has done to save sinners and to prepare them for heaven. When you read a book or a passage ask God to show you your need of Christ. Ask God to show you what you are to learn about the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The answer to these questions may not be easy to see at first, but as you learn to read with this prayer in mind, God will teach you the things He has revealed for your salvation.

Why the Bible? The answer we are giving to this question includes the Old Testament as well as the New. The apostle Paul understood this when he wrote to Timothy: “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 3:15) The “holy scriptures” he was talking about were the scriptures of the Old Testament. They were able to “make him wise unto salvation” because they showed him Christ. As Timothy learned these scriptures he was taught to look for God’s Redeemer. He found Him, too. Have you? If not, keep looking so you might believe in Him and be saved. If you have found Him in the Bible, keep looking, because God wants you know and love Him more.

Why the Bible? Christ is there.

Follow by email option

Friends,

I have just added the "Follow by Email" option to the blog. Now you can get email notification of new posts right to your Inbox. Simply enter the email address you want notifications to come to and, voila, you will receive timely notice of future postings. Thanks for your interest and support by reading these little ramblings.

God bless you all,
Steve L.

Preaching – Protestant or Not?

The “worship” of the Church of Rome focuses on the mass in which the priest magically turns a wafer and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The participant then partakes in a fairly passive way of what the priest has prepared for him. The central feature of the service is the priest. The “worshipper” goes home basically unchanged and none the better for having been at “worship.”

The Protestant Reformation rescued the Word of God from the obscurity it suffered at the hands of Rome and made it once again the central feature of true Christian worship and life. However, we Protestants are in danger of returning to the centrality of a man, in this case, the preacher, at the expense of neglecting the Word of God. How so?

Part of the problem stems from the philosophy both of preacher and congregation as to what constitutes a “message” from God’s Word. When you hear a preacher talking about “getting a message” for the Lord’s Day it can reflect the mentality that borders on the prophetic, in the biblical sense of the word. It can be common to refer to someone’s preaching ministry as “prophetic.” People expect to hear messages that are not only timely, but also speak powerfully to the things around them. They want messages that confound their enemies and speak to their needy nation, as did the prophets of old.

However, the prophets of Scripture “got messages” from God because He newly revealed them to them. Their messages were revelation in the strict sense of the word. They did not so much “get” messages; rather God “gave” them to them. However, the New Testament preacher (which we all are since the ascension of Christ) is in a different situation. The canon of Scripture is closed. There is no more new revelation. There is no ministry that is “prophetic” in the strict sense of the word. The office of prophet ceased with the last of the apostles. This means that God has said all He wanted to. This also means that the Scriptures themselves are God’s message. God preaches to us in His Word.

So far, so good. But how does a preacher obscure God’s message and make himself the central feature of Christian worship? It comes back to “getting a message” for the Lord’s Day. Preacher, you already have your message – it is Scripture. You don’t have to “get” it; rather you have to study it in order to pass on what God has already said to us in the text you will preach. The text is the message; God preaches it to us. Your mission is to understand the text to the best of your ability and to “repeat” it, or to explain it to the congregation. That is all the “getting” there is (apart from the Holy Spirit’s leading as to which text to preach).

The text is the message. You don’t have to traipsing all over the Bible to pull together various threads to make a garment. The garment is fully made in the text. It may be illustrated in various biblical passages, but the thought of God is the text itself. You may need to bring in instruction from other passages and explain theological concepts used in the text, but the message itself is the text itself.

The problem comes in with the expectation of preacher and congregation. What is a “message” as far as they are concerned? Is it what God has already said in His Word, or is it what the preacher puts together from often disparate sources on a “timely” theme? Is it the plain meaning of the text or is it a compilation of timely thoughts or even good doctrinal statements that “spring” from the text? I say “spring” because a text is often a “springboard” that a preacher uses to get to the “timely thoughts” he already has in mind for his congregation. He might as well use Luke 7:40 as his text, “I have somewhat to say unto thee.”

When a preacher concocts a message from various texts or uses a passage for a purpose other than what it was inspired by the Holy Spirit to fulfill, the congregation is entirely dependent on that preacher for whatever he is going to impart. The message reflects the preacher’s own mind and not the text. There is no way the congregation could ever reread the message in the text because the message did not reflect the text. They must depend on note taking (which is not a bad practice in itself) and perhaps on a catchy alliterated outline to remember anything that is said. However, when they read the text again in their regular Bible reading what the preacher said is only a distant memory at best.

The worst thing about all this is that the congregation did not hear from God. They heard from the preacher. They might have heard truth and they might have heard some sort of helpful “ought to” for their Christian life. However, they did not hear God speak from His Word. They may have heard God speak in spite of the sermon, but they did not hear His voice through the sermon. The logic of the sermon came from the preacher’s mind, not from God’s mind.

The result of such an approach to preaching is that the central feature of the worship service is not the Word of God, but the preacher. The participant listens in a fairly passive way to what the preacher has prepared for him. The central feature of the service is the preacher. The worshipper goes home basically unchanged and perhaps none the better for having been at worship.

Never Read the Bible...

            Have you ever read a novel, or at least a short story? In a novel the author creates a world in our imagination that may more or less resemble the real world. The world he creates is one that fits his story line and characters to produce a somewhat believable whole, at least in the context of his story. When we read the story we are transported to the made-up world, and to some degree we live out what his characters experience. For the duration of our reading we are living a different life, in our imagination. However, when we close the book, we immediately move back into the real world. We might carry some residue of feeling around with us for a while and we might remember some of the lines of dialog or description. But for the most part, that “other life” is over.

            The same is true of movies, and even TV series. The world of the movie is our world, and the lives of the leading characters, or heroes, are our lives for as long we watch. But when the movie credits come on, the lights come up and we step out of the air-conditioned comfort of the theater into the steamy, hot parking lot and get in our stuffy car, the alternate reality is over and “real” reality kicks back in. We go and get a pizza and get back to the humdrum of everyday life. [For those who do not frequent movie theaters, the same experience of a return to “real” reality occurs, except perhaps for the pizza, when the DVD is over and the children are sent off to bed.]

            One of the elemental features of reading fiction is that when we close the book, life in that unreal world is over. We entered that world for a time to understand the author’s point, if there was one worth understanding. But once we finished the book, we finished life in that world. It’s over. However, one of the problems with fiction is that people can think that the imaginary world is the real one, and it can be lived out in this world. Star Trek comes to mind as one example where people adopted the identities and characteristics of fictional beings and attempted to live life as a “Trekkie.” Thankfully, most people recognize that this is not the secret to a fulfilling life. Once the story is over, life in that world is over, too. Then, it is “back to porridge,” as the British say.

            Christians generally like to read. One popular genre is the Christian biography. We all have our heroes of the faith. Reading the lives of those who have gone before us can be encouraging and edifying. It is heartening to read how God met simple people who had a great and faithful God working on their behalf. We can receive hope for our difficult times and strength of heart for the long nights of suffering as we see God meet others with similar needs. However, in reading Christian biographies there is a danger similar to the one faced by novel readers and movie watchers. As we read the dramatic accounts of the lives of others, we can imagine that we ourselves are actually experiencing what they went through. We can identify with these heroes of the faith to the point of assuming something of their path in life. Their experience becomes our experience, at least in our imagination.

This is especially true of 19^th Century missionary biographies. Although the stories of those heroic characters are largely true, they are often recounted in a “larger-than-life” way that approaches fiction. Such books border on praising men for the work of God. If a reader has any sensitivity to the “greatness” of the call to the mission field, or any other kind of “full-time service,” he can begin to see himself in that same “larger-than-life” way. If the reader is to any degree idealistic, then what he has read of others must also become true of himself. He becomes like the Trekkie who lives out the imagined “Spock” or “Kirk,”, but the name has been changed to “Hudson Taylor,” “C. H. Spurgeon,” or “Amy Carmichael.” What the hero of faith did and experienced must be seen again in the reader’s life. They did certain things that God blessed, so to have the same blessing, I must do the same things, or live with the same convictions. Then I will see the great blessing of God as they did.

I hope we can see the fallacy in such thinking. God creates everyone to be different, to live in different circumstances and times, and to do different things in the kingdom of God. I can learn much from the lives of others, perhaps mostly from their mistakes. But to think that my feeble efforts of imitation, even my best efforts as a Christian can guarantee the blessing of God is to treat God as a giant candy machine. If I put the same money in the machine that my hero did, then I will get the same candy as he did. This might sound a little harsh to those who believe that the greatest benefit of historic examples comes from imitating them. As far as I understand from Scripture, God is the Hero of history, not man. We have only to ask our heroes, with the apostle Paul, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor.4:7). Furthermore, as far as our heroes were truly men and women of God, they certainly did not attribute the blessing of God to their efforts. “God did not bless us,” they would say, “because we were good. He blessed us because HE is good.” God is the real Hero of history.

To take this thought to a higher level, such a man-centered “candy machine” mentality can bleed over from reading biographies to reading the Bible. Bible characters can assume a heroic status and become examples for us to imitate. Of course they were not perfect, it is reasoned, but they must be in the Bible to show us what God expects from us. That conclusion is built upon the assumption that man is the most important person in the universe. Man, it is wrongly supposed, must be the center of attention. After all, look what God did for him at Calvary. However, the Scripture is clear that what God did at Calvary was first of all “To the praise of the glory of His grace… to the praise of His glory…(and) unto the praise of His glory” (Eph.1:6, 12, 14). However much God may value those He purchased at the cost of the substitutionary death of His Son, the primary beneficiary of the cross was not man, but God Himself. If, however, we read the Bible with man in the forefront of our thinking, then the not-always-implicit supposition is that if we do imitate them, we will get the same blessing they did. In fact, it can even be communicated that unless we do imitate them we will get no blessing at all.

The God who is the Hero of history is first and foremost the Hero of the Bible. God is the central Figure in the Bible, which makes Him the central Figure in every book of the Bible, which makes Him the central Figure in every chapter of every book. His role might be only implicit in some places, but we must NEVER read the Bible without God foremost in our mind. The book is not about great believers, but about the Great God they believed in. They, too, would rebuke us with, “What did we have that we did not receive?” To be sure, they performed great exploits. But “they were what they were by the grace of God” (1 Cor.15:10). They only performed those exploits because God was gracious in turning their hearts to Himself, and faithful in doing what He promised to perform, usually in spite of their unbelief and disobedience. (That, by the way, is the whole point of Hebrews 11. It is not “The Hall of Fame of Faith” but “The Hall of Fame of the Faithful One” who is worthy of our continued trust in Him.)

The point of this long ramble is this: when we read Scripture, especially the stories (narratives), our question must NOT be, “How can I do what they did for God?” but “How can God do for me what He did for them?” NOT, “What does God expect from me?” but “What can I expect from God?” After all, He is the Savior, not me.

The Process of Change – 4: Correction

            If the second step of biblical change outlined in 2 Timothy 3:16 is seeing what I am doing wrong (in thought, speech, and action), then the next step must be to see what I need to do in order to live correctly. What is “right?” The answer to that question should not be too difficult, since the Scripture that convicted me also spells out how to act in a way pleasing to God. In fact, the correction may be little more than making the negative statement, “Stop doing this” into “Start doing the opposite.” To use Paul’s language (Eph.4:22-24) the second step shows me what I need to “put off” (like dirty clothes) and the third step shows me what to “put on” (clean clothes).

What I do that displeases God needs to be repented of. Often people misunderstand the word “repent” to mean, “be sorry for.” However, that is only one element of true repentance. Sin has been defined as “any want (lack) of conformity unto or transgression of the Law of God” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 14). Sin is not only a failure to obey God (want of conformity), but it is also active rebellion  (transgression) against God. Repenting is therefore not only desisting from the active rebellion, it also involves active conformity (obedience) to God’s revealed will. Stopping a sinful action is only the beginning. True repentance moves us on to loving obedience to our Heavenly Father.

So, the liar, for example, has not repented when he stops telling lies. Repentance takes him on to speaking the truth. Correction is the goal of repentance. Doing right is what the child of God aims at. However, much of our problem stems from the fact that it is easy to be complacent in the Christian life. If we are not conscious of flagrant sin in our life, then it easy to go through our busy days on “auto-pilot,” much as a jetliner does on long flights. The captain sets certain instruments to automatically guide the plane along its route, and than he relaxes and more or less keeps his eye on things. If only living a fruitful Christian life were as easy as flying a plane! I am afraid we have very low expectations when it comes to bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

We all have many relationships to look after, many responsibilities to take care of, and many shortcomings and failures that need attention. God has something to say about all those things, and more besides. If we were to take inventory of the various connections we have with people and simply aim at loving each one as we love ourselves, it would take more study than earning a PhD! Add to that all the complications created by our own sin and theirs, as well as the lost world that needs to hear and see the gospel, and a lifetime is not long enough to take care of it all. Correction will keep us busy for the rest of our lives. How can people ever think they do not need more biblical input, that they have somehow "matured" or "arrived?"

The Process of Change – 3: Conviction

           According to 2 Timothy 3:16, when we come face to face with God’s righteous will we begin to see how unrighteous we are. Just take a look at the “practical” sections of Paul’s epistles to see not only how much we still fail to obey, but also how much we continue to disobey. Some of the things written to Christians make one wonder just how sinful we really are. 

           People can be forgiven it they think that conversion makes such a dramatic change in our lives that sin is not much of a problem any more. Although it may not be directly stated in evangelistic presentations, much of modern evangelism is focused on “getting saved” and on missing Hell.

The fact that the repentance that begins at conversion must continue and grow throughout the Christian life is often ignored. Some may think that salvation by grace excludes the idea of a changed life. They want to become believers but not disciples. While we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, yet that saving grace comes “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Tit.2:12). The idea that once we are saved we are done dealing with sin is absolutely foreign to Scripture. Christians should be the most sin-conscious people in the world. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

Therefore, when we read the Bible, we should not be surprised to see our own faults and shortcomings. On the contrary, we should look for them. We should look for the specific commands of Scripture to see that “there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed” (Joshua 13:1).

However, do not let Satan burden you with vague accusations and condemnation. When the Holy Spirit shows you your sin His work is precise and specific. He shows you the very definite, and usually obvious ways you still miss the mark of love for God and for your neighbor. This work of conviction is not for the purpose of making your life miserable. The aim of the Bible’s conviction is to save you from a path of sin that you habitually walk on. The aim of this second step is biblical change. The only path of joy in the Lord is the path of obedience (John 14:21-23).

The first step of biblical change leads us to say, “I know the will of God.” This second step brings us to say, “I see my sin and I repent.” What will the third step show us?

The Process of Change – 2: Doctrine

In 2 Timothy 3:16 the word translated “doctrine” in our Bible speaks of instruction by means of giving information. The emphasis of the word is on the content of what is taught. The Bible is our source of information about God and His saving work and will. Without Scripture we would have no redeeming knowledge that would “make us wise unto salvation” either in our conversion or in our daily progress in holiness. Without Scripture we would be ignorant of these things.

Moreover, apart from God’s revelation of Himself in the “sacred writings,” we would have many wrong ideas about Him. We are not born as a “tabula rasa” (blank slate), as unbelieving psychologists claim. We are born as sin-darkened rebels who hold many wrong concepts about God and salvation. We need the Bible not only to inform our ignorance, but also to expose and rectify our native idolatry.

So, the first reason we read Scripture daily is to grow in our knowledge of God as He informs us via the inspired page. God’s Word is our “instruction book” for life. In the OT the Hebrew word often translated “law” is the word “torah,” which speaks of instruction. The “law” is far more than only the Ten Commandments, or even all the commandments. Everything God says is “law,” in that whatever He speaks is authoritative instruction for man. And is that is just what we need – authoritative instruction for life and godliness.

We need to know God’s will for everything that touches our eternal destiny as well as our temporary stay in this world. In fact, from our present perspective, the eternal destiny part is pretty simple: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” It is the daily slog that we need daily light for. We have so many relationships, responsibilities and opportunities that we need a personal coach all along the way. And that is just what we have for daily Christlikeness – our gracious Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, enlightening and enabling us by the Holy Spirit to conform to His loving will as revealed in His infallible Word.

Is that why you read the Bible? I am sure that often we have read it in order to “get a blessing,” which may mean nothing more than a good feeling or a sense of God’s love. However, God’s aim is far higher – he wants to understand His will for our daily lives in this world. And that means far more than just what He wants us to do. It includes the multitude of ways that we need to change in order to stop reflecting our own egocentric lives and instead to reflect His love and holiness. It takes in all that there is of Christlikeness. Not a small topic! You think you studied in school! Christian, you are just beginning to get the picture! That Bible could be a lot bigger than it is, but what we have will take a lifetime to learn. Your assignment: know the Lord.

Next: think about what the second step might be. What will happen to us when we learn God’s will? 

The Process of Change – 1

2 Timothy 3:16

I thought I’d give you a few extra days to look for it. This verse outlines the four-step process of biblical change. This is how “progress in holiness” takes place. This is how we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2  Pt.3:18).

            In 2 Timothy Paul is seeking to fortify Timothy’s courage and faith. Paul himself is on the way to glory and this, of course, gives Timothy cause for concern. The young minister had leaned heavily on the old apostle and would miss him greatly. What’s worse, the outlook on the horizon is not any brighter, and the battle for the church is heating up considerably. Younger Timothy feels some trepidation over the prospects. Paul senses this concern and writes to help his younger protégé buck up for the coming battles. One of his themes throughout this epistle is the sufficiency of the gospel and the Word of God for all Timothy has to face.

            Paul reminded Timothy of the sacred writings he already knew in what we call the Old Testament. These Scriptures were used of God to make him “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (3:15). [Note: the OT is about “salvation through faith in Christ {Messiah} Jesus.” It is not a catalog of examples and precepts for us to follow. More on that in another post.] Moreover, the apostle urges him to “continue in the things” he had learned from Paul. Paul lets him know several times in this epistle that the apostolic teaching of the gospel is as authoritative as the sacred writings of the OT. In other words, they are the NT of God’s Word. Both OT and NT were “breathed by God” to be authoritative and reliable communication to us of God’s saving work and will.

            It is the same Word that was instrumental is Timothy’s faith in Christ that would be instrumental in both his work as a minister and his personal growth in grace as a believer. Christ our Prophet makes known to us by His Word and Spirit “what we must do to be saved” as well as “what we must do to be sanctified.” So, what must I do to be sanctified? Read 2 Timothy 3:16 and see what you can come up with before my next post, Lord willing.

Change: Sanctification

In our last post we thought about the three changes that occur in the Christian: conversion, sanctification, and being “made perfect in holiness” at death. The change that happens at death is obviously out of our hands. But the first two, conversion and sanctification, involve human activity. No one is converted who does not repent and believe the gospel. While only the Holy Spirit can enable someone to do that, no one is saved who does not do that. In the same way, our progress in holiness is both enabled by the Spirit and advanced by our obedience. This is what Paul says in Phil.2:12-13 – “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you (enabling) both to will and to do (obeying) of his good pleasure.” That is the lifelong change we call sanctification. The Holy Spirit is at work in you to lead you into a life of obedience. He directs that obedience through His Word.

Some people have said that this work of sanctification is a mystery. They don’t know how it happens. And as far as God’s part is concerned it is unseen, mysterious, and something that is beyond our comprehension. However, sanctification has two sides to it. From our side of things, there is no mystery about it at all. The Bible is perfectly clear about the process of our continual progress and growth in grace. God’s Word outlines our contribution to this process of change we call sanctification. That outline is found in – see if you can find it before tomorrow’s post.

Change is what Sanctification is all about.

The Need for Change - 2

The gospel tells us that saving changes are made:

1. FOR US on the basis of the sacrificial death of Christ. He purchased our eternal redemption, that is, our salvation from the guilt of our sins, from our slavery to sin, and from our well-deserved condemnation.

2. IN US by the powerful working of the Holy Spirit. His works in us are regeneration, initially, and sanctification, continually.

3. THROUGH the instrumentality of the Word of God. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom.10:17).

The Christian life in this world is a life that:

·        Begins with a change – conversion

·        Grows through lifelong change – sanctification

·        And ends with a change – “made perfect in holiness”

Change is what the Christian Life is all about.

The Need for Change

        “In a world of sin everything goes to pot” (Jay Adams). Scientists tell us that the created world is characterized by atrophy – everything is running out of energy. Furthermore, the history of civilizations also reveals a pattern of decline. Our own country is a case in point. However high the moral standard of our founding fathers may have been, the last two hundred years have brought us to the brink of moral collapse. Things that were abominable to previous generations are now the goals of political and social action. Societies made up of sinners never get better. The best we can hope for is a temporary arrest of the moral slide and a temporary stay of execution. In addition, the Bible tells us that this moral downgrade is true of individuals. Sin is never satisfied. And the outcome of a life of unremitting sin is judgment.

        In this world of sin the creation is deteriorating, societies are falling apart and individuals are steadily going downhill. Unless there is a change in the nature of these things, there is no hope of escaping the expected judgment.

        But, thank God, there is the hope of change, because there is a God who changes things. One day He will change the creation. Its present groaning under the curse of sin will be changed into psalms of praise. There will also be a new society of changed people on that new earth who will reflect an atmosphere of God’s holiness and love. But, both of these longed-for changes are yet in the future. However, individuals can know God’s changing grace here and now. That is the hope in the gospel – God changes sinners into people who:

·        Are no longer under the cloud of God’s coming judgment;

·        Are no longer under the curse and control of sin; and

·        Are THEREFORE no longer known for their progress in sin, but rather for their progress in holiness.

        These changes are true for every one of God’s children. These are changes that each and every Christian experiences.

Change is what the Gospel is all about.

Two Extremes: Head and Heart

Throughout the history of the church the pendulum of Christian experience has swung between the extremes of Scholasticism and Pietism – between an emphasis on the head and a focus on the heart. Scholasticism was prevalent in the generation after the Reformation. The followers of the Reformers turned heartfelt faith into a matter of the intellect. They had not had the heart-rending experiences of their spiritual predecessors. The faith they inherited was a new system of understanding Christianity that had put them outside the Roman Church and had founded new churches in their respective countries. The ground was fertile for the development of the great cardinal truths that had been so recently unearthed. However, their enthusiasm often carried these new theologians far into the realm of the speculative. The warmth of a personal knowledge of God faded into the background as unity based upon creeds came to the fore. Along with an intellectual focus came a stress on church attendance, reception of the sacraments and learning the catechism. All this was done to educate the masses, but the effect was to produce a sterile state church.

The most notable movement of Pietism (from which we its name) came as a reaction to the dead orthodoxy of German Lutheranism. This view of Christianity took its beginning with the individual. The Pietists focused on personal conversion and faith. Personal experience of God’s saving grace led to baptisms of adults and the gathering of believers into fellowships. The gospel spread from these groups and people from all classes of society were converted. There is much to cheer about with Pietism.

However, the important point to note with Pietism is the individualistic nature of this version of Christianity. Pietism can easily lead one into thinking that life is all about himself. The Bible becomes a book of personal feelings and experiences. It becomes a book that is full of “examples” to imitate. The pietist goes to the Bible looking for himself. The words of Scripture are taken to point us to the thoughts and “lessons” of the authors, not to the message of God. The key hermeneutical (interpretative) questions are, “What did this person feel, experience or think?” and “Why did he do what he did?” not “What does God say?”  Of course, the authors were inspired to write the thoughts of God and were themselves learners of these thoughts. However, the Bible is a message that comes from God, not from men and their inward (e)motions.

Dr. Michael Barrett has well said, “all study is devotional.” That statement is a balanced perspective between the two extremes outlined above. We who are dead in our trespasses and sins definitely need a life-giving experience to become Christians at all. Dead orthodoxy never raised any sinner to newness of life in Christ. The regenerating ministry of the Holy Spirit is irreplaceable. However, the Book that God inspired is not “all about us.” It is all about Him. It is God preaching and revealing His thoughts to us, which are higher than our thoughts. The words, the grammar, the syntax (how words are put together to form sentences and paragraphs), the genre (type of literature a particular text is), and the historical background are all parts of God’s “sermon.” These elements require serious and strenuous study. If we are to hear God speaking in His Word, then the literary elements listed above must all be taken into consideration by those who would teach us and preach to us. The Bible is not about what I “feel” it is, about some warm fuzzy feeling I get from it, or about the “message” I might “get” as an experience in prayer. God has already spoken. The message is already there. The role of the teacher and preacher is to let God speak through His already-given message. Teaching and preaching will simply pass on to others what God has already said. That is the only message that will bear fruit. That is the only message that God will use to change peoples’ lives. 

Preaching: Restoration in Christ

God graciously restores sinners to Himself through Jesus Christ.

            Some theologians draw the plan of salvation in three broad strokes: Creation, Fall, and Restoration (or Redemption). If we think of salvation as simply “gettin’ saved,” we can miss out on a lot of the work of Christ as He restores the image of God in His people. When Adam sinned, the image of God in him was terribly marred. Moreover, all Adam’s children are born with the same “birth defect.” By “ordinary generation” we are born not only with a bad record (guilt), but also with a bad heart (depravity), with sins continually flowing from it. God’s saving work in Christ not only answers to our guilt, but also to the issue of our sin-sick heart. God not only restores us to a right relationship with Himself, but also restores in us the family likeness – His love and holiness. Restoration begins with the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and continues with His work of sanctification. This wonderful process will continue to advance until the grace that began it is swallowed up by the glory that completes it.

            This truth of restoration has momentous application when it comes to Bible interpretation and preaching. If God’s work in the believer is that of restoration, then the aim of Bible interpretation and proclamation should be the same. Mere information, theological disquisitions, or sentimental musings fall far short of the target. Rehearsing the same doctrines and pet applications ad infinitum does the hungry sheep no good. Neither does it help the as-of-yet fully unrestored sheep. As Bryan Chapell explains in his book Christ-Centered Preaching, the Scriptures are given to us to restore us from our fallen condition. They address those areas that are still unrenewed in us and show us the restoration in Christ that He purchased for us in His redeeming death. While it can be pleasant to sort out theological knots, or to get a “warm fuzzy” from Scripture, the sheep need to have their issues diagnosed and exposed, and their diseases treated.

            Let us approach the Word of God to see Christ and His saving work. Anything short of this is a waste of time. Among other things, this will mean detailed exposition of those “practical” parts of Scripture that tell us in no uncertain terms how we are to live – how we are to express our love God and to others. There are no clearer diagnostic tests than the plain statements of exhortation applied to every heart – our own first of all.

            God help us be good “medics” on the battlefield!