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Mourning and Encouragement
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be encouraged.”
Ordinarily, when we see these words, we reflect on them in the context of the larger pericope. In other words, those who recognize their own spiritual poverty (due to sin) will naturally grieve their sin and thus be comforted by our Almighty Father. And, indeed, there is great truth for the individual in this reading. Yet, remembering that Jesus is speaking to a large group of His disciples at this point — essentially the church — we also must ask how these words apply to the corporate body.
To understand that, we must look at the words translated here as “mourn” and “encouraged,” respectively. The word we render as “mourn” is the Greek word πενθέω (pentheo). It can refer to someone being sad, grieving, or mourning (typically over a death that has taken place). Arguably, as a church body, there are two ways of thinking about this mourning. We certainly mourn the death of those who have died from amongst our numbers. This mourning is not for the one who has died, for their spirit has passed into the presence of Christ. This mourning is for our loss in their absence. The second way of looking at this language in the corporate sense is to reflect on our own nature and the sin we commit when we are tempted. Sin not only grieves the believer who engages in it, but sin grieves the body as a whole, for when one part suffers, the whole suffers.
The word found in the latter part of this verse puts the earlier part of the verse in context. Here we find the word παρακαλέω (parakaleo). The most basic definition of the term is to call or summon someone into your presence. It can mean “to invite” or “to summon.” It can also mean “to exhort, to encourage, or to request.” This may seem like a wide range of meanings for a single word until you realize that for someone to be encouraged or exhorted, they first must be present. So, in a sense, the picture we are being given here is that of the King summoning His people to Himself (John 6:44) and then speaking to them both to exhort and encourage. Furthermore, the people of God are comforted not only in the encouragement of Christ, but also in the exhortation, for indeed, God disciplines those that He loves (Hebrews 12:6).
Historically, one of the marks of the True Church is that they practice discipline for the chastising of sin. True, as Paul writes in Hebrews 12, none of us likes discipline at the time it is administered, but the fruit of discipline is holiness. If the church is indeed to embrace holiness, it must also embrace discipline. When churches reject discipline according to the Word of God, they reject the means by which they will grow and mature in godliness. Further, they disobey their King.
The Church that is Poor in Spirit
“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
When we arrive at passages like this, we must begin by asking the question: “What is blessedness?” Sadly, over the years, there have been some translations that have rendered this phrase, “Happy are…” Is being happy the same thing as being blessed? No, it is most certainly not! Happiness tends to be based on external things that bring you joy or comfort: friends, a good meal, entertainment, etc… In contrast, blessedness focuses on one’s inward state. That is why one can be blessed even during the most difficult of times. Indeed, just a few verses down, Jesus speaks about those who are persecuted for His name’s sake as being blessed. Happy…probably not so much, but definitely blessed.
So, what then does it mean for a church body to be blessed? In a sense, that is the purpose of these eight blessings (beatitudes). Ultimately, it means that the kingdom of heaven is theirs. But, what does it mean that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to a church that is poor in spirit? To answer that question, we must first ask, to what does the Kingdom of Heaven refer?
A Kingdom, by its nature, is a nation or realm that is ruled by a king. In the context of the church, we are talking about King Jesus. The idea may seem obvious enough, but its ramifications are wide and sweeping. For instance, kingdoms are not ruled in a democratic manner; the king has absolute sovereign rule. One might share with the king one’s difficulties with an aspect of his rule, but like it or not, but the subjects of the king do not get to make the rules. That belongs to the King alone. Similarly, in the church, the subjects of the King (believers) do not get to make or remake the rules. Our role is to submit to His Lordship and to yield ourselves to His authority. Every man does not get to do what is right in his own eyes (yet, how many churches do just that!).
But wait, I sound as if I am speaking of the church today, not the church in heaven. True. You see, while we tend to think of the Kingdom of Heaven only in future terms, that is not how the Bible treats it. For instance, both John and Jesus preached that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand (Matthew 4:17; 10:7). Yet, Jesus also spoke as if the Kingdom of Heaven had always been present in the life of God’s people (Matthew 11:12). Finally, though, Jesus also speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven as something that will come at the end of all earthly time (Matthew 8:11). Perhaps, though, the Parable of the Mustard Seed presents the idea of the kingdom best. It starts very small and then grows into something mighty and magnificent (Matthew 13:24). In other words, it began small, in the Garden of Eden, and then grew through history until Pentecost, where it reached its branches to the ends of the earth. Further, it will come to completion in the New Creation when Jesus’ reign will be clear and universal. Nevertheless, in the here and now, the Kingdom exists and the King is seated on the right hand of God the Father, so the church should be in submission to the King’s rule.
That idea of submission brings us back to the beginning of the beatitude: blessed are the poor in spirit. So, to what does “poor in spirit” refer? The Greek word that is translated here as “poor” is the word πτωχός (ptochos) and refers to the idea of being entirely dependent upon others for support. It is the opposite of being proud and self-sufficient. At the same time, poor does not mean “without any other means,” but it means that any means one might have of their own are utterly inadequate to the task. And indeed, when it comes to heaven, membership in the Kingdom, and a life that honors Christ, we are utterly and completely bankrupt. Indeed, we are inadequate to the task.
If I might translate that a bit into the context of the life of the corporate church. It means there is no room for pride in the Church of Jesus Christ. It means that no matter how many dollars that the church has in the bank, they can do nothing. They are like vapor, summer grass that is burned up in a moment. Pride and the church are incompatible ideas if we are talking about the True Church of Jesus Christ. Civic associations have pride. Social clubs have pride. Yet, if we are to be a part of Christ’s eternal kingdom, we owe our past, our present, and our eternal future to Him. In turn, we must be obedient to His commands in life and in worship. It’s not about what we want. It is about what Christ commands.
Corporate Teachings on a Mountain
“And seeing the crowds, He ascended the mountain, and when He sat, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and taught them, saying…”
(Matthew 5:1-2)
These words introduce what is commonly called Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.” Follows in this sermon is a philosophy on Christian living, something that might be called the “Pastoral Theology” of Christ. We have a series on the Beatitudes, Jesus’ teaching on the nature of the Law and its application, on piety and prayer, and on the marks of a Christian as he or she lives out faith in this world. It is a boiled-down version of Jesus’ instructions for living a God-Centered life boldly in a fallen world.
Often, though, when we look at these teachings, we focus on them in the context of our personal living. And, while it is true that there is much personal application that can be made from within this text, we sometimes miss the corporate nature of this sermon. Indeed, to whom does Jesus preach this? He preaches to the crowds that are following Him. He preaches to His disciples, not just to the twelve. Corporately speaking, he is teaching the church, not just persons in the church.
As Americans, I fear that we often focus too much on the individual. We are “rugged individualists” at heart, and that is an asset in many parts of our culture. Yet, we sometimes forget that Christ has united us as a one body that is designed to be unified in thought, attitude, and action for the furtherance of His kingdom. Over the next several weeks, we are going to spend some time together on the Sermon on the Mount, beginning here in the Beatitudes. And while we will talk about many personal and individual applications, our focus will primarily be to apply this language to the church — the corporate gathering of Christians — to ask the question, are we really being faithful in being Christ’s church, or has the church simply become another civic organization to which we may or may not have ties.
For instance, is “church” just something you do one day of the week? Is your commitment to church something that begins and ends when you walk into the church building? For many professing Christians, the extent of church is just that — it is a program of sorts for Sunday participation. In contrast, if we take the Gospel (and this Sermon) seriously, we should see church not as something we do, but as the natural outflowing of who we are (or whose we are). As laid out here by Jesus, church is part of the fabric of your being, and it shapes all that you do, not just what you do on Sundays. Indeed, in light of these words of our Lord, I would suggest that taking the teachings of Christ seriously also ought to shape (or challenge) what we do when we gather as a body on Sunday morning and evening.
A final note. Who does Jesus gather to teach? We are told that he gathers His disciples. A disciple (μαθητής, mathates in Greek) is literally a student. Ask anyone who has ever taught, what is the mark of a good student? They learn and apply. You may learn every teaching that is given in the Bible, you might even memorize the Bible, cover to cover, but if you do not apply the things that you learn within the Bible to your life, then you are every bit as much a heathen as the person who is utterly disinterested in the Bible. Further, if you, as a corporate body — as a church — do not submit to the teaching of the Bible, but rather pick and choose what you like and you don’t like, you are not a True Church and have more in common with a social club than anything else. Corporately, we are a body with one Head who is Christ; we must live like it.
Unity, Honest Questions, Not Re-Inventing the Wheel, and Eternal Punishment
An Open Letter to Kirk Cameron and those exploring the question of Annihilationism:
Wow, that is a long title, and I suppose I ought to commend you for reading beyond the title, as many in today’s world prefer to live their lives in theological sound bites. The problem is that while theological sound bites may produce conformity in some circles, they rarely produce understanding. Due to providential hindrances, I am entering this conversation a little late, but there are a few things that seem to be missing from the broader dialogue that ought to be brought to the table. Yet first, please understand that I am not impugning Mr. Cameron’s salvation, nor am I condemning the raising of honest questions. As Christians, our goal ought not be to march blindly along a party line, but to use the tools that are at our disposal to understand why we believe the things we profess. How else will we be able to make a reasoned defense for the hope we have?
One of the concerns that I have is that many of the conversations are centered around matters that are essential and matters that are non-essential to salvation. While I appreciate the spirit behind such a position, I do not see this distinction either in Scripture or in the life of the early church. One might respond lightly that there are teachings on which we may disagree, where we will openly expect to see one another in heaven (and then have our views corrected). True. I baptize babies and do so by pouring water; others only baptize those who profess faith and do so by immersion. We disagree strongly in these matters, but the vast majority of creedo-baptists that I know would expect to see me in heaven one day, as I would expect to see them. Yet, where do we see the idea of such “non-essentials” presented as a virtue in Scripture? You might be tempted to cite Jesus’ remark in Mark 9:40 that “whoever is not against us is for us,” but I would respond that such is not the end toward which Christians should strive. Instead, Paul speaks of us maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3) and that we have “one faith” (Ephesians 4:5) through which the church is built up in the truth and in love (Ephesians 4:16). The principle here seems clear, we will have some points of disagreement within the body of Christ, but we ought never be content to remain in those points of disagreement, but in love and unity search the scriptures to find answers that will keep Christ’s church from being tossed about by every wind of doctrine like a boat in a storm (Ephesians 4:14). So, let us agree that if God thought it good and wise to provide it to the church in the scripture, it is essential (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We just may need to labor together within the scriptures to better and more accurately understand what God is teaching us in such areas.
To illustrate this principle, I would appeal to the Council of Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 15. A debate arose between the Christians who had a Jewish background and the Christians who had a pagan background. Did these Gentiles need to be circumcised to be saved (Acts 15:1)? Some said yes; some said no. What was the solution? Notice that the solution was not to allow the church to split into two factions. No, the desire was to be clear on how the Bible instructed Christians to order their lives. The solution, then, was to call a meeting of all of the Apostles and of all of the Presbyters in Jerusalem to debate the matter. Why? They recognized that while the church had disagreements, God was not confused in what He taught. The end result was to insist that circumcision was not necessary for the Christians, but there were four rules that were necessary: abstain from things polluted by idolatry, from sexual immorality, from what has been strangled, and from blood. These rulings were put in the form of an authoritative letter to the churches and Paul would circulate that letter as he traveled on his missionary journeys (Acts 15:22-29; 16:4; 21:25).
Though there is only one such council recorded in the New Testament, the church would follow this practice when teachings arose that threatened the unity of the church. These later councils are not Scripture as there were no Apostles present, but they were gatherings of the church in the same spirit as was recorded in Acts 15. These Councils would articulate what the Bible taught on new areas of debate that arose within the church. From these Councils, we have received Creeds like the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed, the Chalcedonian Definition, and the Athanasian Creed. We also find that these councils clarified those books that were to be understood as inspired Canonical books. This does not mean that they invented the Canon, but they were used by God to clarify for the church as a whole those books which were inspired by God and useful for the edification of the church body (much like the Jews did when they defined the canonical books of what we call the Old Testament).
Further, like the Council of Jerusalem, these Councils addressed specific questions and teachings that had arisen in the church with the aim of bringing clarity to “the faith that was once and for all time delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). They addressed matters like the Trinity, inspiration, the dual nature of the God-man, who should serve in the office of Elder or Deacon, and the practice of church discipline. Again, these teachings were meant to preserve the unity of faith amongst the church as it was challenged with new ideas. These Councils were not perfect, and often we see later Councils correcting earlier Councils. In other words, they were not inspired Scripture, but applications and interpretations of Scripture that were meant to be binding on the church as a whole.
One of the ideas the early church debated was that of annihilationism. Why must hell be understood as eternal? The Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople (AD 553) addressed this matter. The conclusion of the Council was articulated in its ninth anathema:
If anyone says or thinks that the punishment of demons and of impious men is only temporary, and will one day have an end, and that a restoration (ἀποκατάστασις) will take place of demons and of impious men, let him be anathema.
In essence, this anathema is simply denouncing any teaching that would depart from that of the Athanasian Creed, which states: “And they who have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.”
It should be understood that this position was not simply the position of the medieval church; it was considered the universal teaching of the church, even by the Reformers. The Belgic Confession (Article 37) and the Westminster Confession of Faith (Article 33) echo this language with even further clarity. Knowing Mr. Cameron’s Baptistic leanings, it should also be noted that such was the view of the London Baptist Confession (Chapter 32). Likewise, the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Confession (Article 41) articulates the same doctrine. Arguably, this has been the consistent teaching of the True Church across the ages. This point cannot be stressed highly enough. Here are the councils of the church, looking to the Word of God, and seeking to articulate for the body the clear teachings therein, defending against false teachings and heresies.
Does that mean that Mr. Cameron is not entitled to ask questions? Absolutely not! We should ask questions and seek to understand what the Councils have articulated according to the Scriptures. My criticism lies not in his asking an honest question. As Peter wrote of Paul’s teachings, some of them are hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16). And herein lies the problem with our culture today. As in the days of Judges, where every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25), today it seems that theology is done in much the same manner. The reason, we are told that people behaved as they wanted was because there was no king in Israel. At least, there was no human king. God was king, but people chose to do what was right in their own eyes as if they were God and as if they had His authority. Essentially, what the author of Judges was saying is that the people behaved like Adam and Eve, discerning what was good and evil in their own eyes rather than submitting to the authority of God.
Today, there are thousands of different denominations and innumerable people and groups who evaluate theology on the basis of what seems good to them. Even though there is a King in Christ’s church, people act as if they are their own authorities rather than as men and women under the authority of God. The scriptures tell us of an interaction that Jesus had with a Roman Centurion. What is striking about this encounter is that, unlike most, the Centurion was content with Jesus’ word alone and did not insist that Jesus come and enter his home. Why? The soldier spoke of being a man under authority, and he believed that the physical world itself was under the authority of Jesus. In this case, we are told that Jesus marveled at this man’s faith (Matthew 10:8-9). What is the common thread? One of the effects of sin is that people desire to be like God, discerning right from wrong themselves. Nevertheless, we are meant to be men and women under authority, submitting to the clear and consistent teaching of the word of God as our authority. How do we discern that? Indeed, we look to the Word of God itself as our ultimate authority, but we are also to listen to and submit to the Consiliar rulings that our spiritual fathers have made. As noted above, Counsels and Confessions are not scripture, but they are authoritative for the church. And so, while we may not understand a given theology as articulated, let us say, in the Westminster Confession, we begin there by affirming its teaching as people under authority while seeking those wiser to understand why it is worded in a given manner. Remember, Mr. Cameron is a teacher in the church, and teachers are judged by God with greater strictness (James 3:1). Like it or not, his questioning orthodox teachings here is opening the door for others to pursue this error as well. To borrow the words of Anselm of Canterbury: “I believe so that I may understand.” Faith in God’s revealed Word must always be preeminent.
So, my concern for the path that Mr. Cameron is going down is that all scripture is God-breathed and thus all things are essential to believe and strive to understand. In addition, we should not be spending all our effort on reinventing the wheel. These are matters that the church has already wrestled through; why ought we be starting over again and again? In the case of Annihilationism, the church recognized the notion of eternal punishment was so significant to the Christian faith that they anathematized (essentially placed a curse upon) those who taught otherwise. In other words, this is a very important doctrine to understand and “get right.”
So, with the principle laid forth, why has the doctrine of Eternal Punishment been one that the church has so universally held to and defended? Or, perhaps, one might more simply ask, “Doesn’t eternal punishment seem vindictive on God’s part?” Of course, the answer is that, no, it is not vindictive, but perhaps we should define why it is just and right. To make an analogy to our experience in society, imagine that one day, after a particularly bad day at work, someone in the parking lot angers you. The reason why is not important, but imagine a situation where someone “pushes all of your buttons” just right and you, in anger, haul off and punch them, breaking their nose. Yes, that would be pretty bad, and you would likely be arrested and charged with a crime. Yet, once justice is served and a fine is paid, life goes on as it normally would. Now, imagine the same setting, but that you punched the President of the United States. The likelihood is such that you would end up in prison for a lot longer than if you hit a co-worker. Neither situation is good, excusable, or commendable, but with the increase in someone’s station in society comes an increase in the severity or duration of the punishment. To complete the analogy, apply it to God, who is infinitely greater and higher in society than any human might be. Hence, justice demands that the punishment be infinitely greater than any punishment served for a crime against a human. As God is the being greater than which no other being can be conceived, sin against God, in turn, is greater in severity than any other sin which one may commit. Thus, sin against the person of an eternal God warrants eternal judgment. You might be tempted to respond that your sins are not so much against God as they are against your fellow man. James makes it clear that when you break one aspect of God’s divine Law, you have broken the whole (James 2:10). Thus, even the sin of lying to one’s neighbor makes one guilty of breaking the whole of God’s Law. Justice demands that sin be punished.
It might be said that one’s view of sin parallels one’s view of grace. The more seriously we take our sin, the more weighty we will understand grace to be. The more lightly that we look at sin, the less seriously we will take grace. If sin is not such a big deal, neither is grace. If we realize that even our more “insignificant” sins deserve eternal condemnation in the fires of Hell, the more in awe we will be over the grace of God. If you make light of one, you make light of the other; if you treat one with great gravity, so too will the other be seen as weighty. So, what does the Bible say, specifically, about God’s judgment upon the wicked? There are three general categories in which the Bible speaks of Hell. It is a place of privation (a separation from anything good), positive retribution (punishment that is deserved due to sin), and eternal destruction (not annihilation, but a permanent time of slowly being destroyed). Below we will break down all three categories, but 2 Thessalonians 1:9 gives us an overview that includes all three aspects:
“They will pay the penalty [positive retribution] of eternal destruction [destruction] apart from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. [privation]”
Privation:
This refers to a separation from anything good, glorious, peaceful, wholesome, pleasant, or good. It is a place without rest (Isaiah 57:2,20-21) or even light (Nahum 1:8). It is sometimes referred to as “the outer darkness” (Matthew 22:13) and of eternal chains in gloomy darkness (2 Peter 2:4). It is a place for those who do not abide in Christ (John 15:6). Further, it is described as a place of waiting until the final judgment will be brought. Any comfort you may have is gone; any pleasure that one might experience is removed. It is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12) and it is an abyss (Psalm 71:20).
Positive Retribution:
Why use the term “positive” here? It is positive because the retribution that is poured out by God is earned by the wicked. We may feel that sometimes punishment can be vindictive, but this punishment is just, fair, and moral. The language found here helps us to understand just how greatly our sin is an affront to God. It is described as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:51) and that of a fiery furnace that will destroy (Matthew 13:42). It is also described as a place where people are tormented for all eternity (Matthew 18:34 — note that many Bibles use the term “jailer” here, but the Greek word βασανιστής is better translated as “torturer” or “inquisitor.”)
Destruction:
The key verses when dealing with this matter are Matthew 7:13 and 10:28. It should be understood, is that when this teaching is harmonized with the other Biblical teachings on Hell, annihilation is not in view. Instead, it is a picture of a slow and gradual destruction that will take place across eternity. Think of an eternal unmaking. As humans are made in the image of God, something perfected in glory, destruction implies a gradual decay and ruin of the Imago Dei through fire and worms. One of the terms that is used to describe Hell in the Greek New Testament is Gehenna, a Helenized reference to the Valley of the Sons of Hinom (Joshua 15:8; 2 Kings 23:10). It was a place where infants were sacrificed to Molech (also known as “The Burning Place — Isaiah 30:33) and was seen as the place where God would enter into final judgment (Isaiah 66:24), characterized by worms and fire, weeping and gnashing of teeth, and torture (Matthew 13:42,50; 18:8,34). By Jesus’ day the valley was used as a place where the offal from Jerusalem was dumped and burned. Some rabbinic references speak of the stench of Gehenna as something that could be smelled for miles. Ultimately, it became one of Jesus’ most common analogies for what God’s eternal judgment would be like.
Eternality
What one must note is that the uniform teaching surrounding Hell is that it is eternal. There is essentially an equal ultimacy in view. God offers eternal life to His elect and delivers eternal death to the reprobate. For Christians, the horrors of Hell are one of the reasons we share the Gospel so energetically.
Human language often lacks the ability to capture the fullness of eternal concepts. Yet, analogies are meant to get us as close to the principle being addressed as humanly possible. Thus, Hell should not be understood as a metaphor, but our finite minds and language will never capture the fullness of the Hell and fire reserved for the enemies of God. Knowing, as we do, that God is love often makes the doctrine of Hell difficult for people to reconcile, yet we need to remember that God is also just and holy, thus punishment must be exacted upon those who offend the God of glory. Indeed, God is merciful, but in His mercy, he renders punishment upon the wicked, which is a loving act toward those who are objects of His eternal redemption. Finally, the one who speaks of Hell and its reality the most frequently is our Lord Jesus Christ himself. If we are going to be faithful to the Biblical text, we must not water down the doctrine of Eternal Conscious Torment that is presented in the Bible and has been testified to by the church councils.
The good news for the Christian is that none shall bring any charges against God’s elect, for it is God who justifies, but it is also Christ who condemns, as He is the one raised to the right hand of God Almighty (Romans 8:33-34). The bad news for unbelievers is that unless they repent of their unbelief, they will die in their sins and face the wrath that they deserve (John 8:24).
So, what is the conclusion? Heaven and Hell are real, and we need to submit to the unified teaching on the matter as laid out in the Scriptures. We also need to learn from the Councils of the Church, for this matter was resolved long ago; there is no sense in trying to re-invent the wheel.
Divisions
In C.S. Lewis’ novel, The Great Divorce, he depicts a kind of metaphorical bus tour of Heaven , Hell, and a kind of in-between place, much as did Dante in his Divine Comedy. For Lewis, the aspect of Hell that he emphasizes the most is that of privation, or the separation from anything that is good. While Lewis did not reject the language of positive retribution or destruction that the Bible speaks of, it is the idea of the “outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth” that depicted the awefulness of Hell to him.
As part of this tour, he described the people building houses with walls, but the walls only kept other people out and did nothing to protect the one within from the weather. Further, he depicted hell as a place utterly devoid of community. When someone would move nearby, those already there would quickly move away to avoid interaction with others. Lewis understood, as did Aristotle, that humans are social animals and separation from others is a most difficult thing to face — something that was a suitable part of God’s eternal and righteous judgment.
Yet, what strikes me as odd is that as a society, we are doing everything in our power to create that context here in this life, in this case, through the many labels that have been assigned to people, putting them into ever-smaller groups in both church and in society. We use terms like liberal and conservative, which have meanings, but don’t always define a person’s specific view. Most of us fall across a spectrum that falls between the far left and far right. In matters of religion, there are fundamentalists and liberals, orthodox and Neo-orthodox, evangelicals, confessionalists, Reformed or Arminian, pentecostal or cessationist, post-mil, a-mil, pre-mil, pan-mil and a wide range of in-betweens. I sometimes describe myself as a Confessionally Reformed, a-mil with post-mil sympathies, supralapsarian, paedo-baptist, creedo-communion, presuppositional in the Clarkian school of thought, sola psalmis, Christian with certain theonomic sympathies. And, I imagine that some of you, dear readers, either don’t know what all of these distinctions mean and others may be outraged by some of them.
My point is this: labels can be useful when understanding a person’s thoughts and motivations, but they are destructive when they just create walls between people that prevent constructive conversation. Socially, we see the same thing happening. People have created numerous “gender expressions,” which tend to put people into boxes that separate them from genuine community with anyone who does not hold their exact set of preferences. Largely, this generation has grown up being told they can be anything they want to be. Even in the church, this has been taking place as people often misquote Philippians 4:13. Paul saying that he can “do all things through him who strengthens me” does not mean that Paul could flap his arms and fly. It does not mean that he could breathe underwater. Similarly, people with lousy eyesight are not going to become Air Force fighter pilots even if that is what they most “want to be.”
Humans thrive in community and one of the reasons that the American Experiment has been so wildly successful (at least culturally and technologically) is because people of varying backgrounds have been able to come together to share ideas, cultural traditions, and to meet shared goals while also sharing a commitment to Truth (both in natural law and in spiritual law). Yet, today, as labels arise, as “personal truths” supplant the idea of absolute truth, we create chasms between ourselves, our ideas, and our cultural distinctives that do not belong if we are going to live in a united society.
Church Discipline
“Of whom are Hymenaios and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan in order that they may be taught how not to blaspheme.” (1 Timothy 1:21)
Paul gives us two examples of people who have not been faithful as “good soldiers” of Jesus Christ. Hymenaeus, we see again in 2 Timothy 2:17, along with Philetus, as one who is irreverent in his speech and was leading people into ungodliness. If we presume that this Alexander is the same person as “Alexander the Coppersmith” found again in 2 Timothy 4:14, it can be inferred that these men did not learn their lesson.
What lesson, perhaps, is that? It is the lesson that calls upon all who name the name of Christ to live out lives in accordance with the way God has called us to live. Jesus said that we are to make disciples of the nations and part of that disciple-making process is to teach said disciples to obey all that Christ has commanded (Matthew 18:20). In turn, when sin is embraced rather than put to death, there is a place in the life of Christ’s church for the practice of discipline for the chastisement of sin (see Matthew 18:15-20). Here, Paul is referring to an instance where he has disciplined those in the community where Timothy is laboring (Ephesus).
The question that many raise is, why does Paul name-drop here? Arguably, it is not simply to make a point, but to prepare Timothy for those who might work against him. Those who had been disciplined by the Apostle Paul may very well become enemies of Paul’s emissary. Yet, that brings up a question of propriety. Many would suggest that for a preacher today to name-drop would be in poor taste. Nevertheless, Paul stated that we should imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). It should also be said that if a church disciplines a member of the church, especially to the point of removing that member from the rolls, then the rest of the body should know who that happens to be and why indeed they should be avoiding them (2 Thessalonians 3:6). Further, should not a shepherd warn his sheep of known threats from false teachers? While it may not seem to be “in good taste,” it is the example set for us in God’s word…something which we should be keen to follow.
The goal, though, of all discipline, is to teach the body how not to blaspheme, whether that blasphemy is to be uttered with one’s lips or communicated by one’s actions.
All Kinds of Prayers for All Kinds of People
“I urge you, firstly, that all kinds of requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be made for all mankind,”
(1 Timothy 2:1)
When we arrive at these verses, we often have a tendency of focusing on the importance of our praying for kings and other leaders. While it is true that we are to pray for such people who are in positions of influence over our lives, we sometimes overlook the two things that are being asserted here. First, our prayers should be for all kinds of people, not just the rich and powerful. We should be praying for the poor, the widow, the laborer who lives down the street, as well as those who are doctors, lawyers, and other people of wealth and influence. We should be praying for blue-collar and white-collar workers alike. We should be praying for soldiers and police officers. We should be praying for firemen, EMT personnel, nurses, therapists, farmers, mechanics, and the many other people who labor in our midst as moving parts of what we might call the great human-machine of society.
On a certain level, we indeed understand the importance of doing so, but do we pray for such people who are working for our overall good, but whose work makes our daily life more inconvenient? For instance, how often have we been running late to our own jobs only to find roadwork being done on the primary route we drive? Do we pray for such folks or do we hurl expletives into the air because crews have torn up the road for what seems to be the third time in as many months? When the person in front of us is driving too slowly, or who is moving too slowly down the middle of an aisle in the grocery store, do we pray for such people or just grumble at them? When a police officer gives you a ticket for going too fast on the road, do you grumble that the officer just happened to be present, like a shark seeking prey, or do you pray for said officer and give thanks to God for people who labor to keep our community safe (even if it means keeping the community safe from people who drive too fast)?
The point is, for a community to function, there are all sorts of people who must be engaged in labor. We are called to pray for these as well as our governors. Secondly, we are to offer all sorts of prayers. We are to intercede on behalf of others. We are to pray with those who are suffering and facing great challenges in life. We are to pray with those who cannot even lift prayers of their own. We are to pray for the needs that others happen to have and make requests on their behalf. And further, we are to make thanksgiving. We are to thank God for their presence in our community and we are to celebrate when they achief goals (even if we are struggling to meet our own goals!).
In the end, do we pray all kinds of prayers for all sorts of people? Sometimes the prayer life of Christians can be rather selfish and limited. Try spending a day praying for everyone you encounter. You might just find that you have far more for which you can pray than you initially thought.
I Don’t Care
(What you want, what you really, really want…)
In the mid-nineties, the Spice Girls had a hit song called “Wannabe,” which contained the refrain, “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. So tell me what you want, what you really, really want…” The tune was catchy and spoke of the nature of friendship and relationships, but it also provided an apt commentary on our Western culture. Burger King’s tagline is “The way you want it.” Chik-fil-A stresses, “It’s our pleasure to serve you.” Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, used to say, “There is only one boss, the customer.” Slogans that tout the importance of customer satisfaction abound in our culture today. It’s how businesses succeed in building a loyal customer base. Further, as someone who has been in small business himself, a satisfied customer is what you ultimately want, and the businessman should strive to give his or her customer what they “really, really want.”
Yet, churches are not businesses. Nevertheless, church leaders fall into the trap of thinking of themselves as businesses. Surely, when attendance goes up, revenue tends to go up. When attendance drops, revenue drops. Yet, while the purpose of a business is to generate revenue, the purpose of the church is to build Christ’s kingdom. And these, my friends, are two very different goals. Nevertheless, churches often circulate surveys and other questionnaires asking the people in the pews what they want in a pastor, what they want from the pastor, what they want as part of the worship service, and what kind of programs the people want…what they really, really want.
The problem is that the church is a Kingdom, or at least, the local church is meant to be a microcosm of the Kingdom of Heaven. And, Kingdoms have Kings. In the case of the church, these Kings are not mere figureheads like the King of England, but it has a real King with real rules and commands, and the King expects His citizens to obey said rules. In fact, the King has established offices in His Church to ensure that His laws are taught to His citizens, that they are trained and equipped to carry them out, and to discipline said citizens when the citizens refuse to submit to His authority.
Who is this King over the church? It is Jesus Christ the Lord. Who are His ministers? They are Elders, Deacons, and Pastor-Teachers. Deacons are charged with ensuring that the poor, the widows, and orphans are cared for and treated with equity. Elders are charged as overseers over the body, and Pastor-Teachers are given the awesome responsibility to teach and equip the citizens of Christ’s Kingdom for ministry, so that the people are also able to live their lives as disciples, obeying all that the King has commanded.
And so, within the Kingdom of Christ, what is important is not what the people want, what is important is what the people need to train them to be good and productive citizens of the church. Of what value, then, are polls and questionnaires? What is important is not citizen satisfaction, but the satisfaction of the King. In fact, the citizens will discover, if they submit to the will of the King, that they will find far more satisfaction in the things that satisfy the King than in the things that they think will satisfy themselves.
And so, what you (or I) might want (or think we might want) is irrelevant in the life of the church. The only thing that is relevant is what Christ wants. And so, as a Pastor-Teacher in the church, I really don’t care what you want, what you really, really want; I care what Jesus wants, what He really, really wants.
Faith and a Good Moral Conscience
“having faith and a good moral conscience. Those who cast this aside have shipwrecked their faith.”
(1 Timothy 1:19)
What are the qualities of a good soldier of Jesus Christ? While we might list many attributes that Christians are to strive to have, Paul focuses on two here in this verse and combines them with a warning. What are those two attributes? The first is faith and the second is to have a “good conscience.”
Faith ought to be obvious. One cannot please God apart from faith (Hebrews 11:6) and likewise, all that is done without faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Further, this faith is not something we generate within ourselves, but we must be born again from above (John 3:3), it is the means that guides the way the believer lives and walks (Hebrews 11:1; 2 Corinthians 5:7) and it is not only how we are saved on this side of the Cross of Jesus, but it is the way the saints of old also walked (Romans 4:12; Hebrews 11:2). If you would be a good soldier of Christ, saving faith is the starting point and it is God’s doing.
Yet, there is an aspect of this “good soldiering” that also speaks to our participation. We are called to have a “good conscience.” Paul uses the word συνείδησις (suneidesis) in this context, which primarily speaks of the question of morality, or that of a moral conscience (hence the translation above). In other words, Paul is speaking about a person who chooses right over wrong, life over death, and God’s way over the ways of man (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Romans 12:1-2). The one who knows what is right and yet refuses to do it is not a good soldier; indeed, he is one from whom we must separate ourselves (2 Thessalonians 3:6). And those ignorant of the ways of God must be taught (Matthew 28:20).
The challenge (to preserve the analogy) is that many in the church are not good soldiers and many churches are not interested in training good soldiers. People are often lax when it comes to growing in their faith and obedience to Christ’s commands and are often content with the idea that they are destined for heaven while they go about living worldly lives. If you have ever served in the military, you understand that obedience to the commands of your leaders is not an option and contentment in mediocrity is never an acceptable option. It isn’t in the church either. At least, it isn’t in Christ’s true church.
While it is certainly true that a true conversion (which is God’s work in us) does often supernaturally produce a change in the moral conscience. Indeed, it must! One is being transformed from death to life! Nevertheless, the true believer also seeks to mature his or her moral conscience every day of their life. We seek to discern what is the good and acceptable will of God and as we mature in the faith God has given to us, we grow more like Christ and less like the world. We grow to hate the things that God hates and to love the things that God loves in every aspect of our lives. In other words, we participate in maturing our “good moral conscience” so we may become a better soldier.
What happens if we do not? Therein lies the warning (and even examples in the following verse!). When you do not seek to be that good soldier, you make a shipwreck out of your faith. Does that mean you will lose your faith? No, God loses none of His own. But it does mean that your spiritual life will be tossed and battered by every wave and storm of human invention. And folks, if you have ever been aboard a ship that has been in danger of shipwreck, you understand that it is not a voyage that you would enjoy. A life such as that is filled with misery and guilt rather than with the satisfaction that comes with the fact that God is using you to build Christ’s Kingdom.
So be that good soldier and build on the faith that God has instilled in you (Jude 20).
Wage War as a Good Soldier
“This commandment I put before you, my child, Timothy, in accordance with the prophesies about you that preceded this, in order that you might wage war as a good soldier through them.”
(1 Timothy 1:18)
Paul now focuses on a direct instruction given to Timothy, yet it is one that is instructive for all of us. Timothy is to wage war as a good soldier. Wage war in what way? Wage war against whom? Paul will flesh this out as he continues through this epistle. Yet, what is clear is that the prophesies made about (or over) Timothy when he was a child were given for one purpose: that Timothy might rise up as a soldier in Christ’s church, fighting the Good fight (as Paul would once again instruct Timothy in chapter 6, verse 12, and as Paul would strive himself to do, 2 Timothy 4:7).
How is this instructive for us? As Christians, we live here in this world in a time of war. Indeed, we are not waging war against the flesh (2 Corinthians 10:3); we fight against the rulers, authorities, and powers over this present darkness and the spiritual forces in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). Indeed, there will be times of peace in the new creation, but not here in this world. And, just as Timothy was commissioned for this task by the prophecy and the laying on of hands (2 Timothy 1:6), we too are called to approach the Christian life as ones who are engaged in warfare. And we are to be “good” soldiers. We are an expeditionary force of heaven, yet, a quick survey of the landscape around us will indicate that we (as the True Church) have largely been losing ground.
Losing ground? Society in the West is in decline. The church, which is called to be the “pillar and buttress of the Truth” (1 Timothy 3:15) is commonly filled with corruption, social syncretism, and narcissistic strife. What is worse, like the church in Laodicea, the church in the west has largely become lukewarm and comfortable in its own filth. Loved ones, this is not how soldiers take to the battlefield. This is not how soldiers honor their captain (2 Timothy 2:3-4). This is not how members of a kingdom honor their King. Beloved, sometimes, as a church, we wonder why the culture will not listen to us. Yet, before the culture will listen, we must repent. We must worship and conduct our lives as the great Captain of our Faith calls us to live. Then, and only then, will God hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Wake the Sleeping Giant
“And, coming from the town square, unless they have baptized [themselves], they do not eat and there are many other things that have come down to them that they hold dearly, such as baptizing cups and pitchers and copper kettles and dining couches.” (Mark 7:4)
In our home, there reside four adults. In addition to my wife and me, we have two adult children, and it should be said that all four of us have somewhat different work schedules. My wife’s alarm clock is typically the first to go off on any given day, and then the others follow, sometimes creating a cacophony of various beeps and tunes between our bedrooms. My wife is a light sleeper, and so she chooses a quiet melody as her alarm sound, one that wakes her up without disturbing my slumber. I tend to be a heavy sleeper, so I choose the most obnoxious-sounding alarm tones available to ensure that I will roll out of bed on time to go to work.
It has been said that the church, during times of relative peace, is like a sleeping giant. During persecution, that giant awakens and rises to a level where it changes the world. Yet, during seasons such as what we experience in the Western World, where persecution is fairly negligible, the Giant slumbers. It is as if it is genuine persecution, where people are losing their lives and churches are being shut down, that provides the obnoxious-sounding alarm that causes the Giant to wake.
I’d suggest that three things happen when the Church slumbers. First, every man does what is right in his own eyes, creating traditions that are both unbiblical and idolatrous. Second, we find ourselves fighting and bickering over the validity of our traditions rather than boldly proclaiming that people must repent and believe. And third, the society around us looks to other sources for finding meaning in life. Will any of you argue that society isn’t filled by all three of these sorts of things?
Some of you might be tempted to protest by saying, “Wait, but our local church meets all three of the marks of the True Church. Perhaps you do and praise God for that, but are you really fulfilling what the church is called to be doing? For those unfamiliar with the “Three Marks,” Chapter 29 of the Belgic confession lays these out as 1) the pure doctrine of the Gospel is preached therein, 2) the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ, and 3) that church discipline is exercised for the chastizing of sin (it should be noted that the Second Helvetic Confession, chapter 17 contains a much fuller description of the true church).
The problem is that many of the churches stop with a bullet-pointed list when the Belgic Confession itself goes on to summarize the nature of the true church in that same chapter, as one in which Christ is the only head of the church. A head is a ruler. A head is a lawgiver. A head is the one that you obey and follow. As Jesus stated: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). There are also no qualifiers. The sheep are not to follow Christ their head some of the time. They are not to follow Christ their head when it is appealing to their taste or pleasing to their senses. And, they are not to follow Christ their head only when the path is easy. The sheep are to follow Christ their head at all times. The sheep are to follow Christ their head even when the road is hard, uncomfortable, and distasteful.
In turn, the true church is to do likewise. They are not to do what is right in their own eyes. They are not to follow and defend the traditions of men. And, when they discover that they are following human traditions, they are to repent no matter what the ramifications of doing so may be. Many denominations claim that they have Christ as their only head, but if you challenge them in an area — their approach to worship, their approach to leadership, their practice of discipline, their practice of koinonia — where said things reflect the traditions of men, then you will find yourself labeled as a “troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:17).
You see, the problem is that the traditions of men lull the church to sleep. To borrow from an old pop-song, they have become “comfortably numb.” The church today seems to be more interested in its own agendas, its own entertainment, and its own preferences…not that of the Head they claim to follow. They remain stuck in the morass of uninspired, man-centered, entertainment-driven, therapy rather than true worship. It needs a wake-up call. It needs to be told that man-made traditions, even while benign, are never okay. It needs an obnoxious-sounding alarm clock to wake it up. It needs to discover worship in Spirit and Truth, genuine koinonia, and a declaration of the Gospel that is proclaimed and then lived out, despite what the consequences may be. It needs a wake-up call. And, when the sleeping Giant truly awakes from his slumber, he will transform the world with that declaration.
The Unexamined Church
In Plato’s apology, he presents Socrates as stating: “The unexamined life is not lived by man.” More commonly, it is phrased as “the unexamined life is not worth living” or “the unexamined life is not worthy of a man.” In the end, he conveys that a life lived without introspection, self-examination, and a critical examination of the heart is a life that will amount to very little once all is said and done. One of the things that separates man from the natural order is that we have the ability to think and reason, but if we are not to apply that reason to ourselves and our lives, what good will that reason be to us?
Certainly, this notion ought to resonate with the Christian as he goes through life. We are called to examine ourselves and the way we conduct our lives to determine whether or not we are walking in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). We are called to examine ourselves before we come to the Lord’s Table for Communion (1 Corinthians 11:28). The very title that is given to Elders in the church is that of “Overseer,” implying that one of the roles that these men play is that they are to examine the church as a whole to determine where it is walking in truth or where it may have lost its first love and is walking in error (1 John 1:6; Revelation 2:5).
And, it is that latter notion that we often miss as Christians. We do understand the importance of self-examination (though often we are not as honest with ourselves as we ought to be because we have grown accustomed to justifying sin), but we also feel uncomfortable when others in the church examine us. To that, we often cry out the world’s mantra, “Don’t judge me!” Yet, we need that judgment. How can church discipline be practiced (Matthew 18:15-20) if judgment is not exercised in the examination of the body? How will the Elders root out the wolves from the midst of the sheep if examination is not practiced (Matthew 7:15) and distinguish the antichrists who are seeking to lead people away from the body (1 John 2:18-19).
In turn, we should note that it is not just the Elders who should be examining the body, but the individual Christians should likewise be examining the body as a whole to discern whether they are in a true church or a false church. Is Christ the King of the church or is man its king? Is there true worship, faithful to the Scriptures, being practiced or do people practice what they most like or according to the traditions of men? Are the Scriptures taught faithfully, rightly dividing the Word of Truth, and is the Gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone proclaimed from the pulpit or are works somehow injected into the message of salvation? Are the sacraments practiced as Jesus presented them and is discipline used for the chastisement of sin?
It is my experience that churches are often happy to examine others but are want to examine themselves. They want to hold that their traditions are fine and that nothing needs to be changed and act like an ostrich, burying its head in the sand, ignoring any critical evaluation of their practices. Sometimes, they have practiced an unbiblical tradition so long that they are blind to it entirely. Yet, spiritual growth does not take place apart from examination. In fact, I would suggest that growth never takes place until a person, or a group of persons in a body, is willing to critically examine all of their practices in the light of the Word of God. And thus, just as the unexamined life is not worth living, the unexamined church is not worth attending.
Disinterest or Just Disinterested?
I have learned over the years that often people in churches are disinterested in learning what the Bible teaches beyond a certain point. Often, that certain point has a great deal to do with a person’s comfort zone (particularly in the realm of Christian living) and often that certain point has to do with what a person finds to be overall “interesting.” Talk to people about David and Goliath, Joel, Jonah, or Lot’s daughters and people’s attention is grabbed, but challenge people on their sexual ethics or approach to worship and they turn you off. In this case, much like some people’s hearing, interest can be selective.
Interestingly, the word “disinterest” has two different uses. Commonly, we use it as a synonym for the word “uninterested.” If we don’t give a flying leap about a matter, we are not interested. We might say we are uninterested, but very often we simply say that we are disinterested in that particular topic.
Yet, in a more technical sense, while being “uninterested” in a topic means that you don’t find it interesting, being “disinterested” in a topic means that you are unbiased toward a given outcome. In other words, being a “disinterested judge” in a matter is actually a good thing and something toward which we should strive. It means that you are willing to listen to the argument at hand and if the facts of the argument demonstrate an error in your view, you will alter your view accordingly.
What might it be like, were we able to conduct theological debates in disinterested ways? Often, when I have had theological debates with a person, I have laid out all of the Biblical reasoning behind a view and the response of the person would be to say, “Yes, but I prefer to do such and such (whatever that might be).” That response is an “interested” response because a person has gone into the matter with their own preconceptions that they are not willing to change. A disinterested response would be: “Wow, you are right about what the Bible teaches; I guess that my views on the matter do need to change.”
It does not matter as to the topic that is at hand. We may be talking about Creation, the use of Psalmody in worship, the doctrine of Election, Abortion, or the nature of the human will, whether we are comfortable with a notion is irrelevant. The question that must be asked is, “Is this True and Right?” If it is true or right, it does not matter what our preferences may be nor does it matter what we might find comfortable. What matters is if we are aligning our understanding with God’s understanding as He reveals it in the Scriptures. Then, what matters is if we are aligning our practice with God’s revealed Truth. In the words of one contemporary philosopher, “nothing else matters.”
Historically, being disinterest was a mark of good philosophical thought, but it was also a hallmark of the pre-Reformation and the Reformation itself. Here were men like Waldo, Wycliffe, Huss, Zwingli, and Calvin who were disinterested in what Rome was teaching that God used their disinterest to drive them back to the Bible and the early church. Yet, somewhere in the western world we have become comfortable in our preconceptions and are often unwilling to have them challenged.
In the Reformed world, this is essentially the notion of Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda (sometimes abbreviated simply as Semper Reformanda). If the church is reformed yet always reforming (what the phrase means), then on what basis is the church always reforming? Certainly it must not always be reforming to match the culture or the preferences of those in the church. No, the church is always reforming on the basis of a disinterested approach to theology as found in the Bible and as has always been understood by the True Christian church. Yet, the only way to get to that point of disinterest is to become interested in honoring God, loving what He loves, and obeying what He commands. That will have great consequences in the church. You may even discover that some groups that claim to be churches aren’t really churches at all — at least as defined by the Bible and the “faith that was once and for all time handed down to the saints.” No, there will be upheaval in the church if people truly approached theology and practice with a disinterested demeanor. But, it would also mean reformation in the church and perhaps our God will honor that disinterested reformation with revival.
Eternal King
“So, to the Eternal King, imperishable, invisible, God alone, honor and glory forever unto the ages, Amen!”
(1 Timothy 1:17)
Doxologies like this are not only common in Paul’s writings, but in the Bible as a whole. How can we even begin to put into words the glorious character of our God? Statements like this make a great start. And we must be very clear that we understand that declarations like this are not a matter of mere fancy or flights of spirituality, but they are clear statements as to the character of the God we serve, and as such, they should instill within us a holy fear for who He is.
One of the trends of the last generation has been to try and emphasize the personal and the relational nature of our God. Indeed, He is personal and he does condescend to us. Yet, the Bible also presents Him as being gloriously transcendent and our theology needs to capture both. Today, talk about the “Fear of the Lord” is frowned on in many circles, yet if we are going to take this passage seriously, these words should engender just that fear in our lives, for they speak of God’s profound transcendence over all He has made.
He is Eternal King. In other words, he is the ultimate ruler over all that exists. He has always been its ruler and always will be its ruler. He is God. Kings also protect what is theirs and they enforce the Law. Since God is also Lawgiver, now we see the language of Him being Law Enforcer, which reminds us that he is the final judge over all things. We may be tempted to think that if we write human laws in such a way that they excuse our sins that we are okay when it comes to judgment. Nevertheless, human laws do not supersede divine ones. He sets the standard. We often abuse it, twist it, warp it, and malign it for our own ends. And we will be judged accordingly for having done so.
God is imperishable. In some senses, this goes along with God being eternal, but it is a reminder that were we to stand up against God, we will never prevail. God is invisible, for He is spirit. And, God is alone. He is not one God amongst many nor is he even the superlative example of a class of beings. No, God exists alone. He is in a class that is entirely His own and there is none to rival Him; all others are pretenders at best.
And thus, all honor, glory, and praise belongs to our God forever. And the only right statement to add to these words is, “Amen!” It is our testimony that these words are both true and that they are engrained in the very innermost part of our being. Indeed, He is the one to be praised! Amen and Amen!
An Outpouring of Grace
“Yet the grace of our Lord poured over with faith and love in Christ Jesus.”
(1 Timothy 1:14)
The language of the twenty-third psalm echoes behind these words of Paul. What pours over from the cup on the table that pours over (Psalm 23:5)? It is God’s grace (symbolized by the wine). What is the result of our cup pouring over? It is faith and love in Christ Jesus. Recognize this: Paul did not believe in Jesus because he consciously decided to do so. In fact, Paul left behind a comfortable life on the Sanhedrin for a life of persecution when he became a Christian. He became a Christian entirely because of the work of God in him. And the same goes for you and for me. We did not become Christians because we made a decision, prayed a particular prayer, answered an altar call, or did any good work. We became Christians because God poured out His grace into our lives and made us ones, giving us faith and love in Jesus Christ.
What ought the work of God in our lives look like? We live lives of faith in Jesus and love for Jesus. Faith is more than just an intellectual assent. It is assent to the Word of God that flows into applying the teachings therein to every aspect of your life. Love applies likewise. Love is worked out in a life of obedience to Christ (John 14:15). It is behaving in a manner that is consistent with the teaching of scripture and living for God’s glory and not for your personal goals or pleasures. We spend ourselves and are spent for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is indeed what we see modeled by the Apostle Paul. This is rarely what we see in western Christianity. Something to consider…
A Covenant Forever
“This he made with Abraham and His sworn oath to Isaac;
Which he established with Jacob to be a statute,
To Israel as a Covenant forever.”
(Psalm 105:9-10)
David circles back in these verses to add clarity as to the nature of this Covenant. It is the covenant that God made with Abraham, which he renewed with Isaac and then again with Jacob. It is everlasting and it came along with an oath. As Paul writes:
For when God was making a promise to Abraham, since he had nothing greater against which to swear, he swore against himself! Saying, ‘I will indeed bless you, and I will surely multiply you.’ In this way, remaining patient, he obtained the blessing, for men swear against that which is greater and, for all of them, an oath is taken for the final validation of a lawsuit — in which he abundantly desired to exhibit to the heirs of the promise his unchangeable purpose, so he guaranteed it with an oath.
(Hebrews 6:13-17)
Too often people in churches act as if the New Testament is the only thing of any value to them. I have even heard people call themselves “New Testament Christians” or speak of attending “New Testament Churches.” This phraseology is nonsensical at best. Without the Old Testament, we do not have the New Testament. God’s promise to his church is meaningless unless we find that promise grounded in the promise that he made to Abraham. As noted already, the church is the fulfillment of the promise that God made all of those years ago, when he swore an oath to Abraham (Galatians 3:29).
Thus, who is true Israel? Christ’s church. Such is the error of many dispensational writers, who wish to see Israel and the church remain as separate entities. Yet, how can they be, when Paul makes a direct connection between Christian faith and the promise of Abraham? No, the church began in Eden, continued through Abraham and through Israel and found its fullness in the church of Jesus Christ. Remember, not all Israel is true Israel, only those with faith in Jesus Christ through whom the promise of election has been worked out (Romans 9:6-8). To believers, it is a covenant forever.
Getting to the Amen
“Now, to the one who has power to work far beyond all things which you can ask or comprehend according to the power that is at work in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations to the ages of the ages, amen.”
(Ephesians 3:20-21)
And so Paul closes this section of his letter with one of the glorious doxologies of Scripture. It is to God that the glory belongs both in the church and in the work of Christ, and it is God who is working in us in ways that we cannot comprehend — even more wonderfully than we can ask. And so, to that, we say with Paul, “Amen!”
But, as with so many things, saying this or reading this, is often easier said than done. Truly, when all things are going our way, perhaps, but when we are struggling through fears, grief, loss, or other trials, that is an entirely different matter. Indeed, if God is able to work far beyond what we can ask or comprehend, why does he often do what we ask for and can comprehend? The answer is often a bitter pill to swallow, but it is precisely because God is able to do that for which we cannot ask and cannot understand that he does so. His ways, most ultimately, are good.
That is not always an easy position to get to…at least emotionally…but it is the only place we will find peace in the midst of turmoil. We are not the adults who have all things figured out — there is a great deal we cannot comprehend about God’s perfect plan. We are the children standing on the ledge of the swimming pool needing to learn to trust our Father who calls out to us from the deep end, “Follow me!” At first, the deep water looks frightful and intimidating, but we will never fully understand the ability of the strong hands of our Father to keep us afloat until we let go of our fears and trust him enough to jump. The saying is easy; the doing is often quite another thing. Yet, until the doing is done, we will not utter the hearty “Amen!” with the Apostle.
Walk the Walk
“For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand in order that we might walk in them.”
(Ephesians 2:10)
As believers, God has created us to walk in good works. Certainly, the notion of walking in the Bible is often used to describe the way someone lives. When God is preparing the people to receive the Law, he instructs them that it is by these statutes and laws they are to walk (Exodus 18:20). In contrast, we are told that we are not to walk in the way of the Egyptians or that of the Canaanites (Leviticus 20:23). God promises that if we walk in His ways, he will provide for our needs (Leviticus 26:3-4), but if we choose not to walk in his ways, he will bring panic and fear and disease (Leviticus 26:14-16). King David describes difficult times as walking in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4) and Habakkuk speaks of the faithful one being made to walk in high places (Habakkuk 3:19). Finally, Isaiah calls the people to follow him into the Mountain of the Lord (Zion, which is the place of worship) so that God may teach us his ways and we may walk in them (notice that an important part of worship, according to the prophet, is to learn the things of God and live them out).
The analogy speaks to the mindset of the Christian. Walking is an intentional act. We don’t always do it perfectly — sometimes we trip and sometimes we get distracted and stumble — but it is something we decide to do. Walking also leads us to an intentional destination. When we get up to walk, we don’t let our feet just take us somewhere for the sake of walking, we walk in a particular direction that is governed by our minds. Even if we are the type to walk in circles or pace a room unconsciously, the walking is still a deliberate act.
For the Christian, the faithful life as a disciple of Jesus Christ is to be a deliberate act as well. Jesus said that we are to obey all that he taught us (John 14:15) and that a disciple is one who does the same (Matthew 28:20). And, to be obedient to a law, you must not only know what those laws are, you must also strive to live them out. Too often people think of Christian obedience as something that is optional. People get the notion into their heads: “I am saved by grace, not by works, so I can live however I want to live.” They forget the statement of Paul that we are saved to a life of good works to the glory of God. Oh, and what are good works once again? They are works that are conformable to the Law of God.
Dear Christian, Jesus did not die on a cross to give you fire insurance. He died on the cross to redeem you from the fire and to raise you to newness of life — to make you a different creature than you once were before you were a believer (that is the context of this whole chapter!). And newness of life means that the dead works of the flesh are meant to fall away and you are to go about walking in the good works that God has prepared for you to walk in — most namely in diligent obedience to the Law of God.
But what does this mean in a practical, and day to day sense? It means that your ideas about what is morally right and morally wrong should align with the scriptures. We should detest as morally evil all false worship, idolatry, blasphemy, sabbath-breaking, dishonoring of our parents, murder, adultery, theft, false witness, and covetousness. And, we should understand those things not only in terms of the letter of the law, but in light of the intent of the Law as Jesus interpreted them. We should love the brotherhood and sacrifice for fellow believers. We should seek to tear down every thought and idea in our own life and in the world around us that stands against the Word of God. This is an active and intentional calling, not a passive one. And, where there is no evidence of striving to walk in this way, there is no evidence of a transformation worked by Christ. True Christianity is not about sitting in a pew; it is about deliberately walking in obedience to God’s ways and not man’s.
His Power toward Us — Those who Believe
“giving light to the eyes of your heart to know the hope of his calling, which is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and which is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us, those who believe, according to the outworking of his power and might.”
(Ephesians 1:18-19)
Okay, time to make some people grumpy. What a way to start off. Here’s the problem, people in the west have bought into the idea that human beings are all part of a “brotherhood of man” and that as such, we are all children of God. And in that myth, our problem lies. While there is but one race (the human race), which makes the prejudices that we might have a foolish proposition, within that one race, there are two lines of people. There are some who are children of God and others who are children of the devil (1 John 3:9-10). What distinguishes between the two lines? God’s seed abides in his children and the seed of the devil abides in his.
This, beloved, is what we call election, plain and simple. God has chosen some as his own and places his seed in them. We do not deserve this privilege nor did we earn it or choose it (Romans 9:16). It is a work of God’s grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). And why might such an idea make people mad? It is plainly taught in the Scripture? It makes people mad because they have bought into a wrong side — a wrong paradigm that makes God responsive to the desires of man — and changing paradigms is often a difficult process. In addition, this very principle means that the blessings of God of which Paul is speaking in this text, only belong to the believer. They do not belong to those outside of the faith.
And thus, Paul writes, that all of these things which we have been speaking, through the power of God, have been “toward us, those who believe.” The unbeliever is not adopted into God’s household and thus cannot address God as “Father.” The children of the devil can have no assurance of glory and eternal life in heaven. The reprobate do not have light for their eyes that would give them spiritual sight — they are left blind so that they will not turn from their wicked ways and repent (remember Isaiah’s language that we cited above). And yes, people often get testy when confronted with ideas such as these.
Yet, if you are a believer, then these promises do belong to you. What makes one a believer? We talked a little about assurance above, but it is worth going back to Paul’s language of Romans 10:9-13. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Indeed, there is much that can be said as we unpackaged these verses, but on the most basic level, there must be faith in the historical bodily resurrection of Christ. That does not mean you believe that he spiritually rose and “lives in your heart,” but that he physically rose and ascended into heaven where now he sits at the right hand of God as King over his Church and over his creation.
Yet salvation is not just a matter of belief; it is a matter of confession that Jesus is Lord. That is simply another way of saying that Jesus is not just a King, but that he is your King and that you live your life in submission to him. That, of course, sends us back to John’s language which speaks of practicing righteousness or practicing sin. You cannot confess Jesus as Lord with any sense of integrity or meaning if you do not seek to live in obedience to His Law. No, we are not saved by our obedience; our obedience is the testimony that we are saved. If someone seeks to live life however they wish and cares not for what the Word of God commands of him, that person cannot be said to be a Christian and thus these promises do not belong to him. Sobering, isn’t it?
Being one of “those who believe” is not something that only requires church attendance from you — a couple hours on Sunday mornings. No, being “those who believe” is something that demands a lifestyle from you — one that is in submission to the Word of God in every way possible. No, we won’t get it right all of the time, but that is not the call. Our call is to strive in that direction so that our King is honored by the actions of those who profess Him.
Assurance of Salvation
“giving light to the eyes of your heart to know the hope of his calling, which is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and which is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us, those who believe, according to the outworking of his power and might.”
(Ephesians 1:18-19)
And thus, when there is light in the eyes of your heart — when the Holy Spirit has opened your eyes so that you may see with eyes of faith and not with natural sight — what is the end goal? It is that we may know the hope of God’s calling. This is a matter of both confidence and assurance.
Assurance is a question with which many Christians struggle. “How can I know that I am saved?” people often ask. Arguably the two most poignant passages that can be pointed to are in Habakkuk 2:4 and Romans 8:16. In the first, the prophet makes the very clear statement that the righteous shall live by faith. This passage, of course, is quoted by Paul in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and then in Hebrews 10:38. The second passage mentioned above speaks of the Holy Spirit testifying to our spirit that we are children of God. Since only those who are elect to salvation are God’s children, if the Holy Spirit so testifies to us that we are God’s children, then that is a mark of the faith we have.
True, these two passages are somewhat subjective. Nevertheless, they give you a clear starting point. Look at your life. Do you live righteously? Or, at least, do you try to do so to the best of your ability? And, when a Christian brother or sister points out sin in your life, do you seek to reform that sin because you want to honor Jesus by the way you live? If this describes you, it is a pretty good indication that you are a true Christian. And, if the testimony of the Holy Spirit affirms with your spirit that you are a born again believer — a child of God — then again, you should take this as assurance.
In a more objective sense, 1 John also offers us a very clear indicator of the mark of a Christian versus the mark of a non-Christian. There are various questions about what one believes regarding sin, regarding the person of Christ, and how one lives out their faith. One of the most striking questions that John asks is whether you love your brothers and sisters in faith. John goes as far as to say that if you see a fellow believer in need and you close your heart to him when you have the ability to help, then God’s love does not abide in you (1 John 3:17). In the verses that lead up to this statement, John addresses things from the other perspective and states that everyone who hates his brother is a murderer and eternal life does not dwell in him (1 John 3:15). So, more objectively, perhaps, you can ask yourself, have you hardened your heart against a fellow Christian and are refusing to help him or her when they have need? If so, you are not a believer according to the Apostle John. Repent and sin against your brother no more.
Faith gives assurance, but that faith needs to be a genuine faith — one that affects not just the perception you have of yourself but also the way you live. And that is where the boldness of hope comes into play. Part of the reason that the Christian does not live in the same way the world lives is because we have a hope of something better. What is the world to us when we are promised both heaven and a new creation? Why would we even want to build our treasure here where it can be spoiled or taxed away from us? No, as Christians we store up our treasures in heaven. We do not allow our churches to function as businesses; we function like military outposts in enemy territory, laboring to tear down every stronghold that raises itself up against the knowledge of God. We have the boldness or confidence to live in that way because we hav the hope of glory. Beloved, if you are a true Christian, you will seek to store your treasure in heaven and not on earth. Be at work building the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Questions of Assurance
“who is the downpayment of our inheritance, into the redemption of his possession, to the praise of his glory.”
(Ephesians 1:14)
The classic definition of faith is found in Hebrews 1:11:
“And faith is the essence of that which is hoped for, the proof of things not seen.”
This is a definition which we have explored elsewhere and does not bear repeating here. The main idea that the author of Hebrews is driving home is that the faith given to us is part of the proof that God is working within our lives — proof to us and proof to the world. What follows, then, in Hebrews 11, is a series of examples from the lives of those with faith as to what that faith looks like when it is lived out in a believer’s life. One might summarize the chapter this way, “If you live boldly for God and for His Kingdom then it is an indication that you have faith and the faith that you have (as it comes from God) is that which affirms that you are genuinely a child of God.
Paul is alluding to that same idea here. Paul again, ties this idea of a downpayment (or earnest) with the notion of being sealed by the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians 1:22 and reminds us that this is once again a work of God in 2 Corinthians 5:5. Why a downpayment? That is simply because we will not understand the fullness of the sealing of the Holy Spirit and the fullness of our faith until we are glorified in the presence of our King and Lord, Jesus Christ. Yet, for now, God gives us a little taste of such things in this life through the faith we are given — and this is a big part of the assurance that we have.
Over the years as a minister, one of the questions that I have often fielded is that of assurance. “How can I know that I am saved?” people ask. Certainly, one of the places I go is to Romans 10 and ask, “Do you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead?” Then I ask, “Do you confess that Jesus is Lord of your life in word by action?” Assuming the answer is “yes” to both of these questions, then my response is to remind them of God’s promise that you will be saved. Remember, our salvation rests in God’s will and power and not in our own.
That said, people often want something that is more experiential in nature (not that a living testimony of Jesus’ Lordship is not experiential — it most certainly is!). So, in such cases, I remind them of this passage and of that in Hebrews 11:1. I ask, “Do you have faith?” If the answer is “yes,” then that faith comes from God himself and he has given it as a kind of “good-faith payment” to assure you that in the fullness of time, what he has begun in you he will make complete and whole. Though you see as through a mirror dimly now, you will one day see as if face to face. If you struggle with assurance of salvation, be encouraged by the faith you have, it is deposited in you by God as a sign that he will fully apply the payment worked by Christ on the cross and bring you eternally into his presence.
There is Intellectual Content to the Christian Faith
Soapbox time… One of the things that really bugs me is when people believe that they can believe whatever they want to believe and yet still be called a “Christian.” True, there are certain things that are disagreed upon within the Christian faith — subject and mode of baptism, forms of liturgy, and the nature of the end times for example. But there are also some ideas and facts that are non-negotiable and are a “must be affirmed” part of the Christian faith.
This means two things…first, that there is intellectual content to the Christian faith. In other words, there are ideas that a person must positively affirm to be considered a Christian. Or, maybe even simpler yet, Christianity is not a set of feelings that you might have toward God or fellow man. It is not that “fuzzy-warm” sense that all things are going to be okay. And being a Christian (and with that, your assurance of salvation) has a great deal more to do with what you think than what you feel inwardly.
Think about it this way: there is a saying in America that the only things that are guaranteed are death and taxes. Let’s take the second part of that. Every year, come mid-April, people in America need to file their income tax paperwork (or an extension in some cases). If you do not file your taxes by this time than you can be assured that the IRS is going to visit you at some stage of the ballgame. As Americans, we are assured of this — that is the job of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). That assurance does not come from any set of feelings that we may or may not have. It comes from the facts that surrounding what the IRS is and what it is designed to do. It is built on an intellectual content about the IRS that is defined not by you, but by the IRS.
Similarly, when it comes to our assurance of salvation, we too must recognize that this assurance does not come from our inward feelings or preferences. It comes from our knowledge of God — who he is, what he has done, and what he has promised to his elect. Feelings and preferences are irrelevant in this case. We know what we know about God because God has revealed these things about himself…feelings about God are irrelevant. All weight must be based on what has been revealed in the Scriptures.
The second thing that this means is that if we are going to call ourselves Christian, we must affirm those things that God reveals about himself and cannot confirm that which is contrary. For example, there are some people who claim to be Christian yet deny the Triune nature of our God. Such is an untenable position. The God presents himself within the Scriptures as three persons yet one God. The creeds and confessions do not create this doctrine, the creeds and confessions simply articulate in a concise form what the Scriptures teach in a more exhaustive way. And thus, there are not only teachings that the Christian must positively affirm to be a Christian, but there are also positions which one cannot reject.
And thus, question 22 of the Heidelberg Catechism asks, what does the Christian have to believe (intellectual content of the Christian faith)? The answer? “All that is taught in the Gospel…” And what is the Gospel? Good News — and that is all of Scripture. What comes next is how the Apostles’ Creed is helpful in explaining this in concise form (so long as we understand the Creed rightly). And though we are not saved by our knowledge, those who are brought to Christ in faith submit their understanding to the authority of Christ just as they do every other aspect of their lives.
A Sincere Trust
Remember those days when you were first learning to swim, perhaps with your father or mother standing beside the swimming pool, encouraging you to jump in and they would catch you? Perhaps it was learning to ride a two-wheeled bike for the first time and your parent (or maybe a trusted older sibling) was keeping you up, saying “trust me, I’ve got you.” Perhaps the thing to which you can relate is stepping out in a business venture and your partner or backers saying, “trust me, you got this!”
We rely a great deal on trust…and to some extent, if you don’t place your trust in others you end up becoming a curmudgeon and a cynic and you isolate yourselves from relationships. But even though trust is a part of most of our relationships, often we do not spend much time thinking about what trust happens to be.
The dictionary defines trust in terms of your “belief in the reliability” of another — in other words, it points to someone or something that is outside of you upon which you rely. In many ways, the word is almost synonymous with the word, “faith.” Trust is that recognition that if you rely upon another person, they will not let you down.
And so, when the Catechism, in Question 21, asks about true faith, it speaks of having a sincere trust that the Holy Spirit works in me through the Gospel. What is this all about? The Spirit has many roles in the life of the believer — he is counselor (John 16:7), teacher (John 14:26; 1 John 2:27), and giver of gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) amongst other things. But most basically, His role is to conform the life of the believer into the image of the Son.
How does the Spirit do this? The most basic way he does this task is through the Gospel — through the word studied and preached and applied to the life of the Christian. We might even more simply speak of this in the context of the “ordinary means of grace” or in the context of the “keys of the kingdom,” both of which we will talk about more later in this catechism.
And so, an aspect of True faith, or saving faith as some would put it, is the trust that the Spirit is at work in me, conforming me into the image of God’s Son (Romans 8:29) — in other words, that tomorrow I might look more like Jesus than I did today. Trusting also implies that we act upon that trust — striving as empowered by the Holy Spirit toward this goal of honoring Christ, whether through applying the Ten Commandments to my life as a way to grow in my sanctification or in seeking to be obedient to the many other commands we would see Jesus, our Lord, set before us. In other words, genuine trust requires an action on my part — a response to that trust — jumping in the pool, riding the bike, entering that business venture. We act in faith in the confidence that the Spirit is acting in us through the Gospel.
And note one more thing…it is the trust that the Spirit is acting in us through the Gospel — this does not require (or even speak of!) supernatural works (this I would argue, ended at the close of the first century with the close of the Canon). It is through the Gospel — the written revelation of God contained in the Bible. A humble and faithful life, rooted in the Word of God, is a far greater testimony than all the “miracles” that man might like to think he can produce.
The Tyranny of the Devil
“Be self-controlled. Be Alert. Your enemy the devil goes about roaring, seeking one to devour. Oppose him firm in the faith, knowing that these things are being endured throughout the world by your brothers.”
(1 Peter 5:8-9)
“And the dragon became angry about the woman and departed to make war with her remaining offspring — those who keep the commands of God and who have the witness of Jesus.”
(Revelation 12:17)
As a Christian in this fallen world, life can be hard. We know the promise that Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33) and thus, in Him, we also have overcome the world by faith (1 John 5:4). We know that the world will hate us (1 John 3:13) and that we are engaged in a war with the powers and principalities of evil in the world around us (Ephesians 6:12). Yet, that does not lessen the reality that life can be really hard — choices of doing the right or the wrong thing, times of grieving in the presence of death, persecution and mocking for the faith that we have, life is not easy.
Perhaps that is why we most need to be reminded that, as Christians, not only has Jesus’ blood paid the penalty to satisfy the Law of God, but his blood has also broken us from the power of the Devil. Yes, the Devil is still a tyrant. And yes, the Devil is still an accuser. And yes, too, the Devil still seeks to prowl and destroy and can make our lives miserable. Yet, the Devil has no eternal power over us and can do nothing to us apart from the permission of God, which means the Devil is often God’s tool to refine the Christian in faith.
But why does the Heidelberg Catechism speak of Jesus’ blood as that which breaks the power and tyranny of the Devil? The author of Hebrews puts it this way:
“Therefore, because the children share in the blood and flesh, he also similarly partook of it in order that through death he should exhaust him who holds the power of death, that is the devil.”
(Hebrews 2:14)
Peter similarly writes:
“And if you call upon him as Father, who is an impartial judge over the deeds of all, live in fear during your time as an alien, knowing that not with the perishable silver or gold you were ransomed from your vain lifestyle inherited from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ — like a lamb without blemish and without defect.”
(1 Peter 1:17-19)
Do you see what these texts are saying? The power that the Accuser had over us was that we stood guilty before the Law of God. Yet, with the death of Christ on the cross, he removes our guilt, taking it upon himself — Jesus being the substitute to fully satisfy the Law of God for all of God’s elect. And if Jesus has done this, then the power the devil has over us is exhausted — completely and thoroughly. There is no nuance of the Law that Jesus did not satisfy and thus the Devil is without power.
And, for those who go through trials in this life where it seems as if the Devil is perpetually pouncing, this is good and encouraging news. Sadly, there are many who would rob the Christian of this assurance. They would argue that the death of Christ only creates a potentiality not an actuality. In other words, they say that Jesus’ death makes it possible for a person to be released from the Devil’s grasp, but there remains in the hands of the individual believer an action that must be taken to turn this potential into something that is realized. In most cases, that action is a choice that the person must make to ask for this release.
You might say, but what inmate in prison would not ask for release from their bondage? The reality is that many prisoners do not. They have become accustomed to their cells, they are afraid of what release might entail for them, the comfort of their wicked ways shines brighter to them than the moral obedience required in society. Further, in the kind of prison that unbelievers are in, from the point they enter the world, is such a kind as those in prison do not realize that they are in prison. They are bound and they know no different. And so, if they do not know they are enslaved, how is it possible to ask for release? Further, if they believe they are free agents, how will they believe those who will tell them otherwise? No, they must be given ears to hear that will register and understand their predicament and new ears, just like new life, must come from God, not man.
In addition, the presumption that man must ask for release implies that there is some small nuance of the Law that Jesus’ blood did not satisfy. And if one suggests that Jesus’ blood does not satisfy even the smallest bit of the Law, does that not contradict what Jesus said when he claimed to come to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17)? I do not think that even those who claim you must ask for Jesus’ fulfilled work would be so bold as to suggest that Jesus’ death is lacking, but that is the implication of their view.
Think of it in this way. If someone commits a crime and is sent to prison for a five-year sentence. At the end of his (or her) designated time, that person is set free. Not only does that person not have to ask to be set free, but were that person to ask to remain in prison for another 3-5 years, his request would be flatly denied — the demands of the law have been satisfied, it would be unjust to keep you in prison for a crime that is no longer held against you. And, if such is the case with earthly prisons, how much more so when it comes to eternity?
No, if one suggests that a small portion of the Law has not been satisfied (namely the request to make it your own), then the Devil still has leverage in your life. Perhaps you did not ask in the right way. Perhaps you need to ask more frequently than you have done so. Perhaps the asking did not “take,” could it be that since you still struggle with sins that you were mistaken in your asking? Do you see how easily the Devil can exploit this gap? If a weed gets its roots set in even the smallest crack in your concrete walkway, it will grow and expand that crack — it will even break the concrete to pieces if left unchecked long enough. And this idea of “decision theology” leaves open no mere crack, but a chasm large enough to bring doubt through.
No, loved ones, the Bible is quite clear that Jesus’ work is sufficient to save and there is nothing we can add to it and nothing we can take from it. That means the Law has been fully and absolutely fulfilled by Jesus for God’s elect. God then applies that salvation in His time by giving people spiritual rebirth and faith so that they might have ears to hear the call of the Gospel and that they might have lips to repent of their sins and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Yes, the believer makes a confession, but the confession is not that which applies salvation to their soul, no, the confession is the response to God’s saving work in their lives.
And thus, believer, take heart, for Jesus has overcome the world and in faith, we too are overcomers.
Pursuing Virtue is a Virtue
“The last thing, brothers, is that whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is upright, whatever is holy, whatever is lovely, whatever is praiseworthy, if there is virtue and if there is praise, think on these things.”
(Philippians 4:8)
Virtue is again one of these words we don’t hear a lot in our modern, western culture…perhaps apart from a phrase that no one really seems to take seriously: “Patience is a virtue.” Indeed, patience is a virtue but few people seem to want to work on practicing patience as they live out their lives. Everyone seems to want the things they want… “And we want them, NOW!”
Yet there is more to the idea of a virtue than just patience. The meaning of the term is to have “excellence of character.” Interestingly, this Greek term only shows up 4 times in the New Testament…in each case, commending us to live virtuous lives, but never giving us a detailed exposition of those traits that one might consider virtuous. Yet, as we study the Bible, we are not left to our own imaginations as to defining the term for virtue, because it is also used 6 times in the LXX (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) and in each case, the term is applied to the character of God. Thus, it is God’s character that defines what is virtuous and as we seek to model our lives after the example of Jesus Christ, we then seek virtue.
In historic Christian theology, virtue was often defined as “Faith, Hope, and Love,” reflecting Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 13. During the reign of King Louis IX (1226-1270 AD) in France, the notion of Christian virtue was nuanced slightly to become “faith, wisdom, and chivalry,” but again, embracing the notion of excellence in character. In the Roman Catholic Catechism, they present 7 virtues (to contrast with the “Seven Deadly Sins”) by combining the ancient Greek “Cardinal Virtues” of prudence, justice, temperance, and courage with the three “Theological Virtues” of faith, hope, and love.
However you construct or deconstruct these lists, the end result should be the same…we should emulate the character of God as we live our lives and in doing so, that produces virtue within us. God is the source and seat of all virtue, we will only find that virtue in emulating Him and His ways. Further, Peter reminds us that adding virtue to the faith God has given to us is not simply a virtuous thing to do, but it is commanded lest we remain “nearsighted to the point of blindness” (2 Peter 1:9).
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