Faith alone in Christ alone

From a recent comment:

How does Christ’s work and our faith relate?

What we don’t want to say is that Christ’s sacrifice brings 99 units of salvific merit and my faith brings 1 unit of salvific merit and between His contribution and mine I have accumulated the necessary 100 units.

Even if we say the blood of Christ is 999,999 units and ours is only 1 we have put our faith up where it doesn’t belong. We have made our faith into a work – a contribution towards salvation.

To say “faith alone” is another way of saying “Christ alone” – it is to say our salvation lies entirely outside of us (and therefore outside of our ‘works’). Instead salvation lies entirely in Christ.  A ‘faith alone’ person rests in the fact that the blood of Jesus has done everything.  But of course we’re not resting in the blood of Jesus alone if we have added our faith into the salvific equation.  In that case we would be trusting in “Christ plus our trust.” We then become (to some degree) the objects of our saving faith and not Christ alone!

Let me reiterate. Faith is absolutely essential. A person is not saved if they are not resting in Jesus.  But this ‘faith’, this ‘resting in Jesus’ is not our contribution to the equation.  It’s a description of what happens when Jesus ’sweeps you off your feet.’  It’s falling in love.  It’s being conquered by the gospel.

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In praise of “going through the motions”

Isaiah warned us and Jesus repeated it – it’s hypocritical to honour the Lord with your lips while your heart is far from Him (Isaiah 29:13; Mark 15:8).  It’s something I pray about every Sunday, “As I preach or pray or sing, may my lips and my heart be set on the Lord Jesus.”

But there’s another danger.  We can react the other way and disdain anything ‘external’.  We say to the world: “I reject ‘works’, I’m all about the inward life.”  And so we’re constantly taking our spiritual temperatures.  We neglect ritual (as though it always leads to ritualism).  And we start to think of faith as a thing – the one really meritorious work!

The faith-works polarity becomes, in our thinking, an internal-external polarity.  Internal – good.  External – bad.  We start to imagine that mental acts are good old grace while physical acts are nasty old law.

But that’s not how it is.  There can be a crippling legalism of the heart (ever felt it?) and there can be a wonderful liberation in gospel rituals (ever experienced that?).

Take communion.

Please.

No but seriously, take it.   Because here is a gospel ritual which, because it is external, brings home the grace of Jesus all the stronger.

We are not (or at least we should not be!) memorialists. Jesus has not left us a mental duty with the bread and wine as mere thought prompters.  We have been left a meal.  To chew.  And to gulp down.  There are motions to go through.  And they are the same motions we performed last week.  And the week before that.

But here’s the thing – these motions are means of God’s grace and not in spite of their externalism but because they are external.  Here is a gift that comes to you from outside yourself.  And it comes apart from your internal state.  But nonetheless it is for you – sinner that you are.

So take it regardless of whether your heart is white-hot with religious zeal.  Take it regardless of whether you are really, really mindful of the gravity of it all.  And as the minister prays the prayer of consecration and your mind wanders… oh well.  Don’t ask him to start again.  Go through the motions I say.  Your heart is meant to catch up with the motions.  That’s why the motions were given.  Because our hearts are weak and not to be trusted.

So allow the Word to come to you from beyond.  Allow Him to love you first. Don’t disdain ‘going through the motions.’  For many on a Sunday -  those grieving or sick or gripped by depression – they need to be carried along by these motions.  And for all of us – if we’re going to be people of grace, we need these externals.

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Don’t worry, you’re a christ, a son of God

Matthew 6:25-30

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Birds are taken care of by ‘your heavenly Father‘ and you’re much better than birds.  You are adopted children of the Father.

Grass is clothed better than Solomon (a Christ), and you’re better than grass.  You are christs, anointed to rule by the Spirit.

Therefore (v30) have faith in this: Apart from Jesus you are one of the heathen (v32) – worse off than birds and grass.  In Jesus, you are kings of creation – you are a christ, a son of God.  So don’t worry.

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Classics

Classic Crabb

In 30 mins he covers the last ten years of his teaching: ‘the narrow not broad road’, ‘the seven questions of spiritual theology’, ‘the Ecclesiastes-Job-Song of Songs cycle’ and ‘poets not chess players.’  (ht Jack Sturgeon)

For more on the seven questions of spiritual theology (which is basically an affective, trinitarian pastoral theology), download these two video talks:

Talk 1

Talk 2

You won’t find them anywhere else on the web I don’t think.  So download them now before it’s taken down.

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Classic Packer

The bible is God preaching

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Classic Frost

Affective, anti-intellectualist, trinitarian theology and an endorsement of Rick McKinley (click here for his sermons)

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Happy Friday

Peter Cook – always at his best when improvising…

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Do you like awesome sermons??

Then get a load of this:

David Field on Genesis 16-20 – The Promised Seed.

More David Field sermons here.

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Mor.

God is a Haggler

Genesis 18:20-33

God is a Haggler.  He wants us to haggle.

What do we feel about that?

Here’s a website offering to take the cringe factor out of your financial exchanges.  Instead of negotiating with a real, live human being, you can simply click a button in the privacy of our own home.

Are you from a haggling culture?

I wonder whether the way we shop and the way we pray are linked.  I’m used to fixed prices, no negotiations, no back and forth, no give and take, in and out in 18 seconds, the less chat the better.  And my prayers?  Are they just as clean and clinical?  Do I know what it is to haggle with God?

Here’s audio from a 10 minute talk for our prayer meeting last night.

Click below for the rest of the text.

Faith is not a thing [Thawed out Thursday]

A while back Matt Jenson wrote a brilliant short essay entitled: Faith is nothing at all.  Do read it if you haven’t already, it won’t take long.

We must constantly remind ourselves that faith is not a thing.  It is not a possession by which we make claim to salvation.  Faith is the absence of a thing – it is the confession of a complete lack.  To even ask ‘Am I having faith?’ is already an unbelieving question for faith is looking away to Christ.

If you make faith into a thing you run into problems.  Either you have to make it an imputed substance which God grants arbitrarily (in order to uphold sovereign grace).  Or you make it a legitimate factor contributing to our salvation. Sounds quite like many Calvinist-Arminian debates right? In many (certainly not all, but in many) of these debates you can see both sides making this mistake: they begin by considering faith to be a thing.  And from this premise, one side is in danger of making salvation a matter of divine caprice unrelated to Christ.  The other side begins from the same premise and makes salvation a matter of self-effort (and again Christ’s position is diminished).  But both have begun down the wrong track.  They’ve thought of faith as a thing and then they’ve got into trouble figuring out how a gracious salvation can be ‘by’ this thing.  We must remember though: Faith is not a thing.

Alan Torrance is fond of pointing out that reformers like John Knox spoke very little about ’salvation by faith alone.’ Instead he spoke of salvation ‘by the blood of Christ alone.’  Why?  Because he didn’t want anyone thinking that faith was the ‘thing’ that saved.  ‘Faith alone’ makes sense only in the context of ‘Christ alone.’  ‘Faith alone’ is the subjective correlate of the objective salvation in Christ alone – it cannot be considered apart from it.  To do so is to risk seeing faith as a thing.

Similarly Mike Reeves points out that Martin Luther’s favourite phrase for declaring our gracious salvation was not salvation ‘by faith alone’ but salvation ’by God’s Word’ alone.  Again, faith is not the ‘thing’ that saves and ‘faith alone’ is not possession of the single savingly significant substance.  (I suspect Luther would have trouble saying this phrase – especially after his fifth Wittenberg ale!).

Faith is, in Anders Nygren’s memorable phrase, ‘being conquered by the gospel.’  Note how passive this image is.  Faith is a description of what has happened to the person who’s been overwhelmed by Christ in His word.  It is not a thing.

Anyway, check out Matt Jenson’s article.

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Christ in the Wilderness 5

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

“We are not unaware of Satan’s schemes” says Paul (2 Cor 2:11).  That’s what the NIV calls them – schemes.  Other translations say “devices” or “designs”, you could call them his “methods” or “plots”.  In the latin Vulgate it’s the word “cogitationes”.  The devil is always thinking – always cogitating – scheming to outwit us.

So what are his schemes?  The context in 2 Corinthians 2 points to one of them – unforgiveness.   Paul wants the congregation to forgive and comfort an unnamed sinner lest he be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow (v7).  In this way they will resist the devil’s schemes.  Satan is ever the enemy of grace and the number one champion of conditionality.  He will seek to destroy my vertical relationship with Christ and my horizontal relationship with others through feelings of unforgiveness – first Christ’s for me, then mine for you.

It’s a devastating plot and it works a treat.  But I want to focus on a slightly different strategy  (though it’s very much linked).  What we see in Scripture from the very beginning is a plot to make us serve ourselves.

In the garden, Adam and Eve had everything except the forbidden fruit.  And all it took from Satan were a few words that denied the consequences, impugned God’s character and praised the fruit.  Then…

…the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  (Gen 3:6-7)

They caved in to their appetites, served themselves and fell.  This is plan A for the devil and he rarely has need for any other.

Think of Job.  In chapter 1 Satan can only imagine that Job fears God because of the blessings (v9ff).

⁹ “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰ “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

The way Satan thinks, people only love God because He pays them to do it – through blessings, wealth, health, family etc.  In Satan’s cogitations people only ever serve themselves.  And apart from Christ and those ransomed by Him, he’s right – people do only serve themselves.

In Ephesians 2 Paul speaks of our terrifying enslavement to the devil.  Every human being naturally follows the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Eph 2:2).  And verse 3 describes the essence of this bondage – we “gratify the cravings of our flesh and follow its desires and thoughts.”  Precisely when I say I am “free to do what I want any old time” right there I demonstrate my slavery.  Satan has us by the throat wherever we feed our own selfish desires.

With this in mind consider that famous verse from 1 Peter 5:8

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

If we don’t consider the context in 1 Peter and if we don’t consider Satan’s fundamental ’scheme’ we’ll minsunderstand this.  We might imagine that people are ‘devoured’ when they fall prey to financial or sexual scandal or some public apostasy.  Those are certainly options for the devil – handy snacks along the way.  But that’s not his staple diet .  His staple diet is self-serving comfort-seekers.  The main way Satan devours people is by giving them an easy life.

In 1 Peter the whole message is that Christians are aliens and strangers, scattered in this passing age as we wait for Christ’s glorious appearing, so don’t be surprised by suffering, hang on because you know your brothers and sisters around the world are suffering with you.  In that context, how will the devil swallow you up?  He’ll give you an easy life.  Once you’ve taken that bait, he’s swallowed you.

Anyway, just a thought.  Let me get back to the wilderness…

Think again about Matthew 4.  The wilderness temptations seem very puzzling on the surface.  After all there is a distinct lack of voodoo dolls, heavy metal music and ancient Indian burial grounds.  And – what a glaring oversight! – lust didn’t make it into Satan’s top 3!

We gravitate towards the Martin Scorcese school of temptation.  If he was in charge of ‘The last temptation of Christ’ then a final fling with Mary would have been the lure.  Surely that would have been a sterner test of Christ’s mettle?  Why on earth does Satan mess around with magical bakery and angelic bungee jumping??  Is this the best he can do?

Yes. Satan knows exactly what he’s doing.

Every man’s battle is selfishness before it’s lust.  And it’s selfishness long after it’s lust.

When we watch the wilderness battle, we are watching the two masters of temptation.  Satan is the master tempter, Christ the Master resister.  We’re all Padwan learners gaping in awe at their struggle.  We have much to learn.  But the learning begins with the realisation that these really are the most devilish temptations of them all – the temptations to serve, feed, protect and save self. In all his scheming, this is Satan’s plan A.

One more post to come…

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There’s Nothing ‘Adult’ About Porn

Over the summer we got Sky Sports so I could watch the Ashes (I still think I should ask for a refund!)  One morning I turned on to watch some highlights and caught the end of  ‘Aerobics Oz Style.’  I immediately laughed remembering the show from my youth in Australia.  As I recall, the whole thing was basically an ultra-gay fitness instructor in ultra-pink lycra teaching ultra-fat housewives to star-jump.

But it seems Aerobics Oz Style has changed.  The gay guy in spandex has been replaced by 5 supermodels – part silicone, part botox, part peroxide, all legs and boobs and hair and teeth – gently stretching in the Australian sunshine.  I stood there holding my remote – my laugh of recognition turned into this boyish burble.  “Hur hur hur- the purdy laydies with their purdy hair, hur hur.“  After a few seconds of slack-jawed, misty wonder I snapped out of it and changed channel.  But I couldn’t help asking myself – What just happened?  How did I go from grown-up to idiot boy in the space of 5 blondes?

Well here’s my quick answer: when women uncover themselves to serve passive men some fundamentals of masculinity are reversed. Or to put it another way: pornography turns a man into a child. (I’ll leave to one side women and porn here – though that needs thought too.)

Think about it:  A man is meant to go out from himself and win a bride.  He is meant to proactively serve an actual flesh and blood woman with real and costly service.  He – and he alone – is to uncover her nakedness (a common biblical phrase, see Lev 18) and enter into a deep oneness, not only of flesh but of soul and spirit also.  The woman is to be discerning, to give herself only to the one man who lays down his life for her.  She is to warmly receive him and him alone with single-hearted faithfulness.

But then, what happens with the man who indulges in pornography?  He doesn’t go out from himself but turns in on himself.  He pursues nothing but his own desires.  He woos no-one but himself.  He is not the active servant, he is the passive recipient.  He doesn’t uncover her nakedness, she indiscriminately uncovers herself.  He doesn’t engage her mind or heart but merely consumes her flesh.  This image calls forth nothing from the man except his credit card details.  And the habituation of this selfishness will only shut him down further.  Pornography turns a man into a child.

Which is why the male icon of the porn industry pads around his mansion in his jim-jams.

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Marriage Course Handout 3

Handout 1

Handout 2

Marriage Course 3

INTRO – Matthew 19:5-6

The Fact of Oneness – you don’t produce oneness.  God HAS produced it.

The Kind of Oneness – Oneness on a mission.  INTIMATE ALLIES

Both ‘face to face’ and ‘side by side’

The Priority of Oneness – Marriage needs to be your ultimate human relationship

Have you left father and mother?

Are other relationships trumping your marriage relationship?

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DISCUSSION 1

How are you tempted to feel that your spouse is ‘alien’ to you?  How do Jesus’ words confront this feeling?

Can you describe a time when you experienced a deep oneness with your spouse?  What did you enjoy about this?

Is your marriage your ultimate human relationship?  Does your spouse know that you put your marriage first?

One way of asking this question is to ask:  Is your spouse’s respect and approval the one you seek most (or is it family/job/friends)?  Are you more afraid of upsetting family/job/friends or upsetting your spouse?

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PART TWO: SEX AND WORDS

Sex takes the clothes off every blessing and every problem of marriage!

Sex is not shallow.  It’s very deep.  One flesh is the very nature of your relationship.

The man moves out in strength to woo and serve and uncover his woman, to enter her world for her benefit and to bless her and make her fruitful.

The woman is to encourage his advances and warmly receive her husband and nurture their union.

Here I’m talking about sex, but I’m also talking about everything.

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1 Corinthians 7:1-5 – you belong to each other – bodies and all!

Neither spouse can simply demand sex and neither can simply refuse it.

There is a clear bias towards making love here.

Sex is to be freely given but it’s also to be freely given.  You’ll have to talk about it!

For married couples seeking to reignite romance in marriage: http://www.romanceinmarriage.org/

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WORDS

Proverbs 12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Words are life or death!   Use very carefully!

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Proverbs 15:1 – Christ has turned away the wrath due to us.  He answered our harshness with gentleness

Part of taking up the cross will be to answer each other with gentleness.

It will feel like a tremendous sacrifice – but it will bring life

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DISCUSSION 2 Beware putting pressure on each other.  Remember change begins with ourselves and the atmosphere of marriage is unconditional love.

SEX

What messages about sex did you receive growing up?  What does sex mean to you today?

What do you think a God’s eye view of sex is?

“Sex takes every problem and every blessing of the marriage into the bedroom and takes the clothes off it.”  Does that resonate with you?  What problems and blessings have been intensified in your sex life?

How can you ensure that sex is freely given and freely given?  Is there added time and space you need to give to your sexual relationship?  And/or do you need to talk to another trusted couple about this area?

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WORDS

How were words used in your home growing up?  Has that affected the way you use words in your marriage?

When have your spouse’s words brought ‘healing to your bones’?  When have your own words brought death?

What makes for a good and healing conversation?  Perhaps it will be different for you than for your spouse.

Jesus ‘washes us with water through the word’ (Ephesians 5:26).  Do you have a vision for how your words can cleanse and heal and bring your spouse towards greater Christlikeness?  What can you do to ensure you keep on speaking healing words to each other?

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Forgiveness

Three images:

1)      Cancelling a debt;

Matthew 18, especially v27: Take pity, cancel the debt, let them go

2) Turning the other cheek;

Not lashing back.  Not shrinking back.

Standing your ground in gentleness

Ignore the aggression, leave the relationship on the table

3) Overlooking wrongs

Not everything has to be confronted!!!

This will require a big view of Christ’s forgiveness.

Put a figure on it – He has cancelled £100 billion for me.  My spouse cost me £200 today.

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Homework:

On Forgiveness:

How can you seek to remind yourself of Christ’s forgiveness daily?

Are there issues where you need to ‘take pity’, ‘cancel the debt’ and ‘let your spouse go’?

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Finally, write each other a vision letter:

Jesus washes His spouse with water through the word (Ephesians 5:26).  His words to us cleanse us and bring to where we ought to be as His people.  A vision letter is an opportunity to do this for our spouses.  What is your vision for your spouse?  As you look at your spouse you see wonderful, God-given gifts and you see fears and sins holding them back.  Where do you think they could be in 10 years time if the Spirit really got a hold of them?  Put words to your vision for your spouse.  Read out your letters to one another (they only need to be a side in length).  Pray together towards this vision.

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Marriage Course Handout 1

At some point I want to re-jig and expand the marriage stuff we did.  Week 1 is where I’d change things the most (I’d probably do more stuff like this and this). But for those who are interested, here is Handout 1.  Handout 2 is here.  I’ll post Handout 3 tomorrow.

Marriage Course 1

INTRO – Not a bubble bath!

Lifting the lid on the fairytale.  It’s really a battle!

The culture says it’s meant to feel like a relaxing bubble bath.

Instead it feels like a scalding hot bath full of antiseptic, and you are covered in cuts and bruises.

But it’s very healing!

Marriage and the Cross – dying to live

You can live to self and your marriage will die, or you can die to self and your marriage will live.

Your spouse has the power to harm and heal you like no other.

Marriage depends on change.  And it starts with you.

Here’s our prayer for the course – it’s for each of us individually to pray:

Psalm 139:23-24:

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

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DISCUSSION 1

What picture of marriage did you have when you began?  Where did that come from?

How were these expectations changed by the reality of marriage?

Have you seen personal change for the better in your spouse which you can encourage them about?

Do you have a sense of where the LORD is calling you to die?  Pray together about it (using Ps 139).

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What is a marriage? Gospel presentation

One man and one woman bound together the way Christ is united to His church.

It is a gospel proclamation:

“All that I am I give to you, all that I have I share with you.”

Christ says that to you.  Do you know this to be true?

Now you say it to each other…

… and the world looks on and sees the gospel.

Your marriage preaches

For good or ill!  But you can’t stop it preaching

You may be preaching a lousy Christ to your wife, but you can’t stop preaching Christ to her

You may be preaching a lousy gospel to the world, but you can’t stop preaching

Marriage is momentary.

We think that Christ and the church is like marriage.

No – Christ and the church is the true marriage.  We’ve got the copy.

You marriage therefore is not ultimate

Remember – you will not be married to your spouse in heaven (You’ll be great friends though!)

We are not to build a World of Our Own.

The dangers of feeding each other’s sins – Ephesians 2:3!

Interlocking neuroses!

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DISCUSSION 2

How do you feel about the fact your marriage preaches the gospel?

How do you feel about the fact your marriage is momentary?

Are you in danger of seeking too much from your marriage / your spouse?

Are you aware of areas where you demand or allow sinful patterns in your marriage?  What needs to change in you to address this?

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What is a marriage?  Covenant union.

God’s covenant “I will be your God, you will be my people”

Unconditional love – ‘I love you because I love you.’

Deuteronomy 7:7-8

Conditionality is the Killer!!

Think of ways in which you approach your spouse conditionally.

Usually resentment will be a good indicator of prior conditionality.

A troubled couple say “We don’t love each other any more.”  The solution: “Love each other then!”

“Don’t love her because she’s beautiful, love her to make her beautiful.”

Unconditional love has power to cleanse and rename  (Eph 5:26; Isaiah 62:4)

Vision for your spouse is crucial – Christ works with a vision for the church

In the context of unconditional love, there is the power to reshape our identity.

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HOMEWORK

Individually, think and pray through the following questions (keeping in mind Eph 2:3)

What are my cravings?

How am I using my spouse to gratify them?

What is the shape of my flesh?  Am I naturally needy, closed, loud, withdrawn, sharp, cold, lazy, driven?

How does this affect my spouse?  How does it play out in the marriage?

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Together, read through Ephesians 5:22-33:

How are husband and wife supposed to be different?

How are husband and wife supposed to be united?

How are we going?  Are we different where we need to be different? And one where we need to be one?

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Christ in the Wilderness 4

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

As we’ve noted, the temptations of the wilderness were a battle, not the whole war.  Luke 4:13 states, the devil left only to return at an opportune time.

What times were opportune?

Well in Matthew 16 we have another heavenly declaration of Jesus’ identity.  This time it comes through the lips of Peter – “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v16).  But as with the baptismal declaration, this would be immediately tested by the question, What sort of Christ?  What sort of Son of God will Jesus be?

Verse 21: From this time on Jesus begins to show His disciples that He must suffer and die.  As soon as His divine identity becomes clear like this, Jesus immediately seeks to combat our natural theology of glory.  He ’shows’ them that He must suffer.  That’s interesting isn’t it?  He doesn’t simply tell them, He shows them – obviously from Scripture.  For the bible has never revealed a theology of glory – it has always revealed the theology of the cross.  Jesus makes this plain.  And Peter, who one minute previously has been a mouthpiece of heaven (v17), is now a mouthpiece of hell.

Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”

Immediately Jesus recognizes the devil’s assault:

“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Peter thought the things of God were the things of power, prestige, safety and comfort.  Jesus says, No, those things are the things of men.  And, shockingly, the things of men are the things of Satan.

It couldn’t be clearer could it?  Satan’s way is the way of all men – the way of comfort, the way of self, the way of safety.  Christ’s way (which is God’s way) is the way of the cross, and He calls every follower to it (v24ff).

The next time ‘temptation’ is mentioned in Matthew is in the garden of Gethsemane (26:41).  Here again the way of the cross was brought into an agonizing contrast with the way of all flesh.  Would Jesus let the cup pass (v39)?  Would He save Himself or save us?  Again He resolved to let His Father’s will be done.  This is not something different from His resolve to save us – it is precisely the same thing.

At His arrest, again the chance came for the angels to rescue Him (v53), but the Scriptures must be fulfilled (v54).  Both the Father and the Scriptures speak with one voice – the Christ, the Son of God must suffer and must die.  And Christ submits.

So as He pours out His life on that cross, here is the final ‘opportune time’.  The religious leaders called out to Him:

Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, `I am the Son of God.’”  (Matt 27:40-43)

Do you recognize those words?  “If you are the Son of God” began each of the wilderness temptations.  Here is Satan again using his mouthpieces to offer Jesus a way out.  Contrary to Martin Scorcese’s imagination, the last temptation of Christ was not some lustful fantasy.  It was the much more seductive, much more truly carnal, temptation to save Himself.  Thank God He resisted.  For He did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

And when He died, the most unlikely man of all suddenly got it.  A Roman centurion declares: “Truly this was the Son of God!” (v54)

That’s been the issue ever since the baptism.  What does it mean to be the Son of God?  Satan threw everything at Jesus to make Him live like Adam, like Israel, like every other son in the history of the world.  But Jesus refuses to live for self.  Instead He dies for others and in this astonishing reversal a power is unleashed.  There’s life from the dead (v51-53) and the man most likely to love vainglory and flesh and the way of Satan is turned around.  Even in the eyes of this Gentile, the wonder of the cross becomes the definition of true Sonship.  This is a power to overturn the world.

Satan is crushed.

More later…

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The strange new world of the bible

What do you see when you look up?

This?

or this:

ht Mark Meynell

A theological revolution occured early last century when Karl Barth turned from his liberal protestant heritage to jump with both feet into “the strange new world of the bible” (the title of an early book of his).

Have you jumped in, or only dipped your toe?  It’s a very hard thing to do.

It’s so hard, you might just need Mike Reeves, Michael Ward and CS Lewis as guides.  So if you haven’t listened to this brilliant podcast – do so forthwith.

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Want a taste of the promised land?

I love how the word “BIBLICAL” is used here.  “BIBLICAL” means NOT JUNK.  (In spite of how Scripture loves “fat portions”).

Of course it all depends on which Scriptures you choose.

What about sour grapes, bitter herbs and ashes?  Now with 30% more locusts!  That’s also biblical…  Or, what about… No, there are too many ingredients I can’t mention on a family blog like this.

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T4G Cribs

What’s all this T4G Cribs nonsense?  There’s a growing number of these videos.  Just watch the first minute of this one and you’ll get the idea:

I’m saying nothing about the men featured.  I am questioning the pedestal on which they’re being placed.

I mean the opening credits are a massive turn-off for me.  Am I misplacing my angst here or are these preachers being set up like rock stars?

And the whole series of “come see my study” seems designed to make 20-something hot-prots salivate with envy.  It’s aspirational TV.  And it’s majorly unbalanced.  We do not need a whole generation of young evangelicals aspiring to this. Where are Dever’s congregation members who work hard at their jobs, share the gospel with workmates, teach and pastor their homegroups and serve in countless unseen ways?  Where’s their video?  Where are those who pour out their lives for their families and friends in the name of Jesus?  Where’s their video?  What are we holding out to people as the epitome of Christian superstardom?

I don’t need to see Mark Dever’s study.  If I were in his congregation I might want to “consider the outcome of his way of life and imitate his faith” (Heb 13:7).  But the T4G cameras do not need to show us where the magic happens.

This is not where the magic happens.

Am I being unfair here?

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Walking as He walked [Thawed out Thursday]

25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”  (Matthew 14:23-33)

Here Jesus walks on water – He treads on the abyss. But Peter walks as Jesus walks (cf 1 John 2:6). How?

Notice he doesn’t just step out. He asks for Jesus to command him. He’s been in a storm with Jesus before (Matt 8:23-27).  Peter knows the power of Jesus’ word – His word is obeyed! So Peter wants a word from Jesus to command him. And the word is powerful to enable that which it commands (Jesus’ word is like that). Peter does the impossible because Jesus commands it.

Of course he sinks (looking at the waves and not looking at Christ). But in His grace, Peter only ‘begins’ to sink.  This is not gravity acting on Peter or he’d sink like a stone. How slowly Jesus lets him down!  But when Peter calls out, ‘immediately’ Jesus saves.

His words of rebuke tell us how we can walk like Jesus: ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’  Now what is Jesus referring to here?

Peter did not doubt that Jesus could walk on water.  And it wasn’t self-belief that Jesus was recommending (Peter has no ability to walk on water!).  Peter’s problem was that he doubted Jesus’ word to him.  He doubted the word which both commands and enables what it commands. Peter doubted that he truly had been made into the person Jesus said He had – one who walks like He walks.  That was Peter’s problem.

When Christ speaks a word to us then trusting Him involves trusting that we are the people Christ says we’ve become.  Jesus says to you:

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

So, don’t look at the wind and waves.  Don’t look at your heart and your abilities.  Trust the word that Jesus has spoken to you.  His word is powerful to make you who He says you are.  You can’t make yourself into this person, but neither can anyone or anything else prevent you from being it.  The word of the LORD is supreme, you can trust Him.  You will not be condemned.  You have crossed over from death to life.  And now, you can walk as He walked.

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Who sounds sillier – Stephen Baldwin or Richard Dawkins?

Stephen Baldwin has been ridiculed for his comments on Celebrity Big Brother regarding evolution.  He said:

If we’re descended from apes, how come there are still apes?

Ok, a misunderstanding of the theory.  But is the theory more or less silly than the misunderstanding?

Here’s Richard Dawkins answering the very objection Baldwin makes.  See if you can watch it with a straight face:

What we have here is a Professor of Zoology faced with a line up of four apes and an accountant from Swindon.  And he refuses to identify the odd one out.  The whole story he invests his life in says that none are superior to any other – all are equally well adapted to their environment.  It’s just 4 monkeys and Pam sitting in a tree -  M-U  T-A-T  I-N-G.

To say that Dawkins has put Baldwin right is like saying:

Ohhh.  Sorry for thinking your theory was nuts.  I thought you believed in alchemy.  Now I realize you have a magical goose to lay your golden egg.

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Christ in the Wilderness 3

source

As we’ve seen, Satan’s three temptations concern Christ’s identity as Son of God.

Round 1:

³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matt 4:3-4)

The devil assumes that Jesus is able to produce miraculous bread in the wilderness.   That’s what the Son of God has always done (e.g. Exodus 16).  And it’s what He would do again (Matthew 14 and 15).  But in those cases the Son of God provides bread for others and in so doing proves Himself to be the true Bread, torn apart to feed the world (John 6:48-51).

But Jesus will not feed Himself.  He has come to die – and a death far worse than starvation – to feed others.  And so He says: I entrust Myself utterly to My Father, knowing I can abandon everything to My Father and live.  That’s round 1.

Round 2 is fought along similar lines:

⁵ Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “`He will command his angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”  <sup>7</sup> Jesus answered him, “It is also written: `Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

The devil, like so many of his servants, is a preacher.  And he knows enough of the bible to know that the Psalms proclaim the Son of God.  So he says to Jesus – “Psalm 91, as everyone knows, concerns the Son of God.  Well then if you are the One of Psalm 91, you’ll be able to do this celestial bunjee jump and the angels will catch you.”

In a future post we’ll consider Christ’s rejection of this kind of PR stunt.

But the bottom line is, Jesus won’t cave.  He has come to hurl Himself down, and not simply to be dashed on the stones of the temple courts.  He had come to hurl Himself into the great Abyss for us.  And explicitly at His arrest He refuses the help of angels to prevent it (Matthew 26:53-54).   As Son of God He must die on that cross and though 12 legions of angels are on 24 hour stand-by, the Scriptures must be fulfilled.  The Son of Man must go as it is written of Him – He must be the One who dies.  Jesus will not test His Father but obey Him, even to the point of death.

Round 2 resisted.

Round 3:

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Satan is the prince of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) – not by right but by popular choice.  The world does indeed follow the devil and his lying, self-serving, death-dealing ways.  So Satan offers Jesus the chance to form a coalition government.  Satan says, “Let’s not be enemies here.  You know what it will cost you to dethrone me (Gen 3:15) – it will cost your life.  Let me offer you another way.  Let’s rule the world together.  Forget the painful business of eradicating evil, compromise with it and you can avoid the whole way of the cross.”

But Jesus will receive the Kingdom from His Father, not the devil.  He will not bow to Satan, He will crush Him.  Though it cost Him His life, Jesus will not compromise with evil.  His heart is wholly for God His Father and so His heart is wholly for the cross.

Christ proves Himself to be exactly who the Father had declared.  He is the beloved Son of God because through every temptation to the contrary He resolves not to serve Himself but others.  He will not save Himself but save others.  This is the only power to defeat the ultimate Egotist.  Everyone else in the history of the world has failed Satan’s tests.  No-one has ever walked the way of the cross like this. But the True Son of God did.  And Satan must depart.

But as Luke says, Satan limps off only to regather his strength for future assaults (Luke 4:13).  We’ll consider these in the next post (here).

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Instant Bravery

In a bible study yesterday the subject of courage came up.  Someone mentioned the courage of David versus Goliath.  So the question was asked “How were the people meant to be brave in the face of Goliath and the Philistines?”

One person answered:  “Look at David!”

Good answer.  Instant bravery, just look at your King’s victory.  You don’t even have to think about it.  Once you see the Giant fall there are no further mental processes required, no negative automatic thoughts to conquer, no re-framing of core-beliefs.  You see the victory of your Champion and you will be brave.

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Jesus is Saviour to all

I just heard again that song: ‘Shout to the North’ (lyrics here).  Great tune huh?  What do we think about the lyrics?

Years ago I led the music in a church (a very small church you understand, but my knowledge of four guitar chords made me a relative virtuoso).

Well happily enough, Shout to the North has only four chords.  So it went straight onto the ‘playlist’.  The only issue was my troubled conscience.  You see, while I only knew four chords of guitar, I knew a whole six doctrines of theology (neat diagrams to boot).  And something grated.  The lyrics say “Jesus is Saviour to all.”  Now we can’t be singing that can we?

I can’t remember, but I think I used to hurry on through that line – Jesus is Saviour to those who call… or something.

Because here’s my unexamined, gut-level assumption – Jesus is Lord of all and Saviour of some.  Isn’t that what all right-thinking evangelicals believe?  Lord of all, Saviour of some.  Which is basically to say that Jesus is fundamentally Lord but secondarily and more narrowly Saviour.  He’s Lord through and through, He’s partially Saviour.

And this gut-level assumption is strengthened by the fear of universalism.  (Fear is a wonderful tool to prevent us examining our beliefs).  Surely if we sing “Jesus is Saviour to all” we’re demolishing any distinction between saved and unsaved, aren’t we?

Well no, that’s not how the bible argues.  Jesus is constantly called Saviour of the world (e.g. John 3:17f; 4:42) and Paul says:

We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe.  (1 Tim 4:10)

So actually Jesus is Lord of all (but especially those who believe) and Saviour of all (but especially those who believe).

There is a distinction.  It’s there in the word ‘especially.’  But it’s not in the scope of Christ’s Lordship versus His Saviour-ship.  He is equally both.

This has implications for many areas, but let’s just think about evangelism.  If I go with my gut-level assumption, how do I offer Christ to the unbeliever?  Well I can’t presume to offer Christ as Saviour can I?  After all Jesus might turn out not be Saviour to this individual.  So perhaps I conclude: it’s safer to confront the unbeliever with His Lordship.  And, on this understanding, this is a ‘Lordship’ that’s considered somewhat apart from His Saviour-ship.

So I speak more of His hands raised up against us than His hands stretched out towards us.  I define sin far more as rebellion against His rule than resistance against His grace.  I offer salvation as submission to His sovereignty much more than resting in His rescue.

Now I will certainly mention those latter aspects.  But they are deviations from the norm.  They are potential fringe-benefits – not the main story.

In all this, I understand that there’s massive overlap between Lordship and Saviourship.  In fact that’s really my point.  When you say ‘Jesus is Lord’ you are saying ‘The Saviour is Lord’ (for ‘Jesus’ means Saviour!)  His Lordship is expressed and established precisely in His cosmic salvation.  Therefore we must not divide these aspects up and we certainly should not favour one over the other.

But if this is so then it can’t be true that a preacher is good on ‘Jesus is Lord’, but not as strong on ‘Jesus is Saviour’.  If we’re not holding out the Saviour-ship of Christ then we’re not properly holding out the Lordship of Christ either.

So what if we took the song seriously?  What if we really believed that Jesus is the Saviour of the world?  Imagine that loved one who you pray for – you desperately want them to turn to Christ for you know that Jesus is their Lord.  Do you know equally powerfully that He is their Saviour too?

In my conservative evangelical constituency we bang the Jesus is Lord drum very loudly.  I’m just not sure we hold Him out as Saviour with equal passion.  And it flavours our evangelism in some unhelpful ways.

Thoughts?

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Christ in the Wilderness 2

Who is this Spirit-Anointed Champion?

The Baptism and the Temptations go hand in hand.

Just as Israel passed through the waters and into the wilderness (and this was a baptism – 1 Cor 10:1ff), so the True Israel, Jesus, would pass through the waters of baptism and into the wilderness.  Note also that the Spirit takes charge in both cases (see, for instance, Nehemiah 9:19-20.  Interestingly the Spirit and the pillar are mentioned in the same breath…)

The devil’s fiery arrows are aimed directly at the baptismal declaration.  The Father had said:

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

The devil keeps asking, “If you are the Son of God…”

So what does it mean to be the Son of God?  Well the words at baptism are reminiscent of at least three OT Scriptures.

First, Genesis 22:2

God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

The beloved son is to be the atoning sacrifice on the holy hill.

Second, Psalm 2:6,7

“I have poured out my King on Zion, my holy hill.”  I will proclaim the decree of the LORD : He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.

The beloved son is to be the King poured out like a drink offering on the holy hill.

Third, Isaiah 42:1

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.

The beloved son is the suffering servant who will bring justice to the world through weakness (see the rest of the servant songs).

The devil’s words in the wilderness go to the heart of Christ’s identity as Son of God.  Satan – ever the theologian of glory – tempts Jesus to be the Son of God who avoids sacrifice and weakness.  Jesus – the true theologian of the cross – embraces this sacrifice and weakness precisely because He is the true Son of God.

As we’ll see…

(next post here)

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Truth for sale

As spotted yesterday in an airport bookshop.  Sorry for the blur, I was in a hurry.

Note the section.

Christ in the Wilderness 1

In Matthew 4:1-11, Christ is driven by the Spirit into the desert. In His battle with Satan, Christ is like Adam, like Israel and like David.

Like Adam, the devil confronts Him with audible temptations to doubt God’s word and eat.  And like Adam the fate of humanity rests on His shoulders.

Like Israel, He is called ‘Son of God’, and goes through the waters straight into a wilderness trial.  Where they caved in to temptation over 40 years, Christ would be the true Israel, resisting temptation over 40 days.

Like David, He’s just been anointed and now faces a giant, man-to-man, whose 40 days of taunts reproach the God of Heaven.  And like David, Christ’s victory would mean victory for His people.

Adam failed.  Israel failed.  But Christ, the anointed King goes to battle for His people.  He steps up as Adam – the True Man.  As the Son of God – the True Israel.  As David – our Spirit-filled Champion.  And through apparent weakness He slays the giant who has dismayed and defeated us at every turn.  His triumph is our triumph.

Christ’s temptations are not in Scripture to model for us a three point primer in spiritual warfare!  They narrate for us the actual victory of our Anointed Champion.  This is not Jesus your Example.  Not primarily.  This is Jesus who has taken your humanity to Himself, who has become Himself the true people of God and who has waged war on our behalf.

If you only see  ‘Jesus our Example’ you lose the gospel and put yourself at centre stage.  If you see ‘Jesus our Champion’ you get the example thrown in.  But fundamentally your eyes are taken from yourself and fixed where they should be:

When Satan tempts me to despair

And tells me of the guilt within

Upward I look and see HIM there

Who made an end of all my sin

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Christ in the Wilderness 2

Christ in the Wilderness 3

Christ in the Wilderness 4

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Happy Friday – Sleep Talkin Man

From Sleep Talkin Man.

I choose to believe these are the genuine nocturnal ramblings of one Englishman as recorded by his American wife.  I believe this in spite of the fact his wife records him using words like “douche-bag” and “doofus”.

By the way, he also uses some more choice words, so if that kind of thing offends perhaps don’t visit the site and just enjoy the highlights I’ve gathered here:

“No, not the cats. Don’t trust them. Their eyes. Their eyes. They know too much.”

“I want to be a cowboy. I don’t want to be a panda. Pandas are boring, stupid and boring. Bad panda!”

“You can’t be a pirate if you don’t have a beard. I said so. MY boat, MY rules.”

“I’m baking pillows. Burn them slowly, keeps them fluffy! Mmmmmm, pillows.”

“Your mum’s at the door again. Bury me. Bury me deep.”

“Oompa loompas don’t sing in heaven. They tidy up the clouds.”

“Legs time! Everybody get your legs!”

“You can stop clapping now if you want. Really. You’ll need your energy for cheering me later. Shhhhhhhh. shhhhhhhh.”

“I haven’t put on weight. Your eyes are fat.”

“I’d rather peel off my skin and bathe my weeping raw flesh in a bath of vinegar than spend any time with you. But that’s just my opinion. Don’t take it personally.”

“Elephant trunks should be used for elephant things only. Nothing else.”

“Fluffy bunny + twitchy nose + big ears = great stew.”

“Do you like what you see? No? Well, bloody look harder. Strain your eyes!”

“I can’t control the kittens. Too many whiskers! Too many whiskers!”

“You keep looking at the sun until your eyes dry up like raisins and fall out of your skull.”

“Robots making sweets? But they’ve got no taste buds! Metal smarties.”

“This fish has got big floppy lips. Floppy lips. Fishy kissy fishy kissy. Oop, took one on the mouth! Not nice.”

“Don’t talk to me like that. I’m just gonna throw up in your face. Eat the carrots.”

“Hey I know you, but I don’t like your face. Take it off… That’s much better, much better.”

“Yeah. Don’t forget to dry-clean the baby.”

“Look. Look at my left foot. Look at my left foot. Smack you in the face!”

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Trinity Day Conference in Swansea

They’re doing it again.  And it looks a winner.  Another Trinity day at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Swansea.

Saturday 30th January: 10.30am-3pm

This time they’ve got Mike Reeves and Stuart Olyott as well as Martin Downes.

Stuart Olyott “Why doctrine matters”

Mike Reeves “The Trinity in the writings” and “The Trinity in the gospels”

Martin Downes “Fighting to keep the Trinity clear”

Please book with Jo Smallacoombe by calling the church office: 01792 412128

Crèche facilities and lunch provided.  And if you need a place to stay, ask Steve Levy on the office number and tell em Glen sent ya.  There might be some floor-space for you somewhere.  (That’s as close as you get on this blog to a freebie).

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More than a million dead

Since the earthquake – more than one million have died worldwide.  150 000 per day.  Every day without fail a Haiti-sized disaster strikes.  This is not to play down the horror of this crisis.  It’s to awaken us to a daily horror that we accept all too readily.  56 million people – that’s almost the whole UK population – return to dust every year.  And I will be one of those statistics.  Sometime this century.  I live on a fault line every bit as treacherous as the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone.  No house could ever be structurally sound enough.  This world will be the death of me.

‘Not one stone will be left on another, every one will be thrown down’ said Jesus about the house of God (Mark 13:2).  This was just the start of a top-down judgement.  First the flesh and blood House of God was torn apart on the cross.  Then the brick and mortar house of God in AD70.  One day it will be God’s house – the whole cosmos – that comes crashing down.  The stars from the heavens, the sky torn in two, the moon turned to blood.  It’s scheduled for demolition.

Can you imagine how the disciples would have viewed the temple after Mark 13?  For the next 40 years they would visit the temple (e.g. Acts 2:46) but they would never again be taken in by its ‘massive stones’ and ‘magnificent buildings (Mark 13:1).  They knew it was about to be shaken to its foundations.

We know that earth and heaven will be shaken (Heb 12:27-28).  And in the meantime, we see portents.  Earthquakes (Mark 13:8).  This is the world that we know.  Tsunamis destroy, volcanoes erupt, plagues devour, cyclones flatten, wildfires rage and the very earth upon which we stand quakes.

But here’s a surprise.  Jesus doesn’t call these ‘death-throes’.  He calls them ‘birth-pains’. (Mark 13:8)  Because the demolition to which we are heading is, in fact, a palingenesia – the renewal of all things. (Matt 19:28)  This top-down judgement is for the sake of a top-down resurrection.

We’re heading towards ‘the end’ – the goal of all things (Mark 13:7,13); summer (v27); the cloud of His presence (v26); gathering (v27) and the power and glory of the Son of Man (v26).  We’re heading for a new heavens and new earth – a kingdom that ‘cannot be shaken’ (Heb 12:28).

May this earthquake awaken true compassion in us – (here are some places to give money).  May the Body of Christ speak boldly of the Redeemer from all evil (Genesis 48:16) and demonstrate His suffering love in the midst.

But may we also reconsider our own precarious position.  This ground is not solid.  Not right now anyway.  It will be shaken and it groans under the weight of sin and curse.  It will rise up to strike me down and swallow me whole.  Yet so often I marvel at the ‘massive stones’ and’ magnificent buildings’ of ‘this present evil age.’  I cosy up in the demolition site.

May we wake again to the reality of a whole world under judgement.  May seeing these deaths re-ignite our hatred of death.  Every day the tragedy of Haiti is repeated the world over.  But mostly we try to ignore that the last enemy is swallowing everything we love!  Let us wake up and snort with indignation at the grave the way Jesus did (John 11:33-38).

And then, through the lens of His resurrection may we look to the most audacious hope – a new Haiti, secure, prosperous, radiant, gathered under the wings of the Son of Man, every tear wiped away by the Father Himself.

The non-Christian can hope for nothing greater than ’safer’ buildings on the same old fault line.  And as they labour admirably for this, many will ask why God does not seem to be cooperating with their desire to pretty up the demolition site.  They plan to build some lovely houses on this sand and they imagine God to be standing in the way of their saving purposes.  Of course it’s the other way around.  And of course it’s we who have a small view of redemption.

The Lord has a salvation so audacious He can call earthquakes ‘birth-pains’.  (As can Paul – Rom 8:22).  Certainly they are birth-pains.  But they are birth-pains.  Jesus has a redemption so all-embracing that it will include even these evils.  It won’t simply side-step Haiti, or make the best of a bad situation, it will (somehow!) lift Haiti through this calamity and birth something more glorious out of the pain.

We know this because Jesus began the cosmic shake-down with His own destruction.  And He was perfected through this suffering (Heb 2:10).  His death (Matt 27:54) and His resurrection (Matt 28:2) were attended by earthquakes – they were the original earth-shattering events.  And through this death and resurrection was birthed a new creation reality beyond death and decay (1 Cor 15:54-57).  Where the Head has gone, we will follow, and the whole creation with us.  And as Christ bears and exalts the wounds of His own suffering into eternity, somehow the evils of this last week will also be caught up into resurrection glory.

I don’t pretend to know how and I don’t pretend that this answers our grief or our questions.  It’s the answer of faith and not sight.  But, unlike the answer according to ’sight’, this answer takes us deeper into the tragedy – we all face this fate (Luke 13:4-5!).  And it points us much higher to its redemption.

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My sermon on Mark 13 from last year

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Born neutral or born in sin?

I was recently discussing original sin with some people who disagreed with it.  It seemed to them something like the doctrine that ‘God hates babies’.  Fumbling around for what to say, I eventually settled on this.

If you buy into the ‘born neutral’ position, you’re living in a world in which performance is everything.  God’s waiting with a clip-board to assess how you develop the ‘blank slate’ He’s given you.

If you go for the ‘born in sin’ position, you’re living in a world in which God’s grace to sinners is everything.  It’s all about His forgiveness, not our good behaviour.

The bible says “God has bound all people over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all.” (Romans 11:32) Original sin is actually all about the mercy of God.

Initially original sin may sound like the harsh option.  Actually the ‘born neutral’ position is the really harsh doctrine.  Especially once you become aware of your own sin.

If I’ve failed to convince you that ‘original sin’ is what the bible teaches, can I at least convince you that ongoing sin is true in your own life?  And if you realize that ongoing sin is a problem for you, let me ask you which world you’d rather live in – the world of performance or the world of grace?

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Cold Contact Evangelism? [Thawed out Thursday]

I first wrote this 2 years ago.  The comments here are well worth reading – especially Missy’s, for whom door-to-door was her way into the Christian life.  I’ve slightly updated the post.

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A friend of mine recently asked which was better – 5 sessions of 5 pairs spending two hours door-knocking; or those 5 pairs having neighbours round five times in a season?

Some responses:

• Good thought!  See especially here where Rory Shiner discusses Gospel intentionality as a good ‘third way’ between cold-contact and friendship evangelism.  He (like my friend) has been very impressed by the Crowded House churches.
• The personal investment involved in such hospitality is often far greater than the fear factor involved in door-to-door.  In this sense door-knocking, though appearing to be the more impressive, can often be more of a cop-out.
• A deep sharing of life is surely a far superior context for sharing the faith!

But having said that

• The context for sharing my faith is, fundamentally, not my friendships (though clearly that is ideal).  More fundamentally the context for sharing the faith is resurrection, pentecost and second coming. Christ is risen – this is my authority to speak of Christ.  The Spirit has been poured out – this is the power to do so.  He is coming – this is the urgency.  I realise my friend would not wish to disagree with this but it’s still good to remember what is, at root, my authority for speaking.
• There are millions in this country alone who don’t have Christian friends (at least Christian friends who are willing to share their faith).  Friendship evangelism will not reach them.
• If it’s a question of ‘effectiveness’ – stranger evangelism ‘works’. I have prayed with people on the street to receive Christ.  I have seen them continue on with the Lord.  And this is precisely what we should expect given the point above regarding resurrection, pentecost and second coming.
• Think of the beginnings of the Salvation Army or David Wilkerson (Cross and Switchblade) – there was no bridge upon which they built their ministry apart from the declaration of the word.  Now they committed themselves to those who responded and very meaningful relationships blossomed (along with ministries that often lost their confidence with the power of the word proclaimed plainly!).  But the footing on which those relationships were placed was the proclamation of the gospel to strangers.
• Jesus did both – He did blow into town and speak to strangers.  And He also went to dinner parties and built into very significant relationships.
• We are to sow on all the soils (Mark 4).

The advantages of cold-contact evangelism seem to be:

• It mirrors the urgency of the message.  To me, this is absolutely vital.  Will people really understand the nature of our message if we don’t communicate it in a ‘Wisdom cries aloud in the streets’ kind of way?
• It mirrors the summoning nature of the message.  We communicate the gospel powerfully when we call people to Christ.  Immediately it becomes apparent that we’re not discussing a moral philosophy or religious programme but summoning people to a Person.
• It more closely reflects the profligacy of the gospel offer.  None are disenfranchised, you go after everyone in your area!
• It gets down to brass tacks fast.

Dinner-table evangelism has these advantages:

• It’s more corporate.
• Church life is modelled in front of the unbeliever.  (John 13:34-35)
• The gospel’s less likely to be seen by the unbeliever as a gnostic, disembodied teaching.
• It models 1 Thes 2:8 and 2 Cor 4:5 – sharing life and serving those we evangelise.

This doesn’t mean you can’t have life-sharing, serving, door-knocking nor a dinner party that quickly gets down to brass tacks but these seem to be the considerations.

We need to make sure that those who we invite are not simply our friends (Luke 14:12-14!) and that we target those who are not only beyond the walls of the church but beyond our friendship groups and comfort zones.  Door to door is never to be an end in itself but the basis on which a relationship will ensue.  It should never be “Gospel apart from relationship.”  But if it were ever a choice between “Gospel => relationship” or “Relationship => Gospel” (and many people want to make it a choice) then I can’t imagine how, theologically, we could ever justify the latter over the former!

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Getting to the heart of things

Heart warming sermon by Rich Owen on the Lord’s Supper. The middle 20 minutes are pure gold!

Dave K nails it on reason.

Our old heart… invents, borrows and distorts logic… to fit our desires. You cannot reshape that distorted reason with more reason. It requires a changing of the heart from which our reason flows.

Ron Frost writes some very juicy stuff on affective theology.

The will and the mind are only instruments of the heart, never its directors, so that once a love for God is present in us our thinking is reoriented and our choices are redirected.  It is in this affective primacy that spirituality takes a very different pathway to other spiritualities.

And if you like Ron Frost (which you do), you’re gonna love this:

Ron Frost and Peter Mead have launched Cor Deo in the UK.  They want to mentor and train Christian men in ministry (preaching, discipleship, leadership) who are ‘gripped by God’ and who want to ’share His heart’.  Mike Reeves is a trustee and advisor.  I think the whole thing looks an absolute winner.  Go to the website to learn more.

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