Reformation Day

For Protestant believers, October 31 is Reformation Day.  Reformation Day marks the anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany.  Luther had no intention of breaking away from, or dividing, the Catholic Church.  His intention was to invite discussion about what he believed to be abuses related to the selling of indulgences.  In Luther’s day, the Catholic Church promoted purchasing indulgences as a means of freeing loved ones from the agonies of purgatory.  In Thesis 32, Luther stated, “Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned together with their teachers.”  In Thesis 52, he declared, “It is vain to trust in salvation by indulgence letters, even though the indulgence commissary, or even the pope, were to offer his soul as security.  For such statements, Luther was tried by the Catholic Church and condemned as a heretic.  Still, Luther’s 95 theses touched a nerve.  The discontent of many within the Church rose to the surface and the Protestant Reformation was born.

In light of the Reformation what does it mean to be Protestant?  The fundamental beliefs that gave birth to the Reformation are often referred to as the “Five Solas.”  They are as follows:

 Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone).  The Bible is our ultimate authority for what we believe and how we are to live.  All truth claims rooted in lesser authorities—including personal experience, teachers, preachers, popes, self-professed prophets, etc.—must be measured against the truth of God’s written Word.  It was Luther’s commitment to the authority of Scripture that compelled him to stand firm during his trial in Worms.  He declared, “I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God.  I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience.  I cannot do otherwise, here I stand.  May God help me, Amen.”

 Sola Gratia (Grace Alone).  Every religion, except biblical Christianity, is rooted in the idea that forgiveness and salvation are—at least in part—dependent on our own efforts and obedience to God’s law.  The reformers rightly rejected this understanding.  Scripture teaches that, in the light of God’s holiness, we are each fallen and hopelessly depraved.  This means our best thoughts and deeds are stained by sin and unacceptable to God (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10-18, 23, etc.)!  Our only hope for forgiveness of sin and deliverance from divine wrath is God’s grace. 

Sola Fide (Faith Alone).  Along with the understanding that salvation is by grace alone, the reformers recovered the biblical truth that God’s grace must be received through faith in Christ.    Saving faith means entrusting our lives and destinies to the person and work of Jesus.  Having lived the perfect life we cannot live, he died on the cross to pay our sin penalty in full.  On the cross, God made him to be sin who had no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Saving faith is not a human work.  It is the gift of God.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9).   

Sola Christo (Christ Alone).  The reformers embraced the truth of the exclusivity of Christ as Savior.  “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).  Jesus alone can save us from sin because only Jesus is God become man.  Only Jesus paid our sin penalty when He died on the cross.  Only Jesus conquered death when He rose from the grave.  Jesus himself declares, I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).  Turning away from Jesus to trust anyone or anything else for salvation—be it a person (including yourself), institution, religion, or church—leads to eternal condemnation. 

Sola Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone).  It is God who reveals Himself to us in His Word.  It is God who initiates and completes our salvation in Christ.  It is God who gives His gifts of repentance and faith.  It is God who gave His Son to be our Mediator and Savior from sin.  Thus, it is God alone worthy of our unending gratitude and praise!

This Reformation Day, thank God for men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox—and many more.  Because of their commitment to his Word, God used such men to clarify and restore the gospel.  Tragically, the saving truths the reformers recovered are now ignored, or denied, in many self-professed “Bible-believing” churches.  Perhaps we need another reformation.  May we be faithful to proclaim God’s truth in our day like the reformers were faithful to proclaim it in theirs?   

The Marks of Genuine Faith

What are the marks of genuine saving faith?  In light of Jesus’ warning, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 7:21), there’s no question more important than this.  Fortunately, the Bible provides a clear answer in 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 where Paul reflects on the faith of the Thessalonian believers when he writes, “your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.  For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 

 The Thessalonian believers bore the marks of genuine saving faith—the first of which is repentance.  To repent is to change direction.  The biblical word literally means “to do an about face”.  The Thessalonians were previously idolators (as we all are by birth) who worshiped self, sex, worldly success, and false gods of their own making.  But when the gospel of Christ was preached to them in power and the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:4-5), they repented.  They did an “about face”!  They decisively turned to God from idols.  Trusting Christ as both Lord and Savior, they willingly abandoned their past commitment to sin and self to serve the Creator of heaven and earth. 

Which brings us to the second mark of a genuine faith—a transformed life.  Returning to Paul’s description of the Thessalonians’ conversion we read, “you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”  Do you hear it?  What happens when God stirs someone’s heart to turn to him from idols?   The Bible is clear.  Those who have truly repented in the past will be found serving God in the present.  Not perfectly.  Not without some stumbling.  Nonetheless, the pattern that marks every genuine believer’s life will always be Godward.  Why?  Because the Spirit-empowered decision to turn to God from idols transforms a believer’s nature and desires.  Before we move on, we must take note.   Paul says a genuine believer serves the one “true God” revealed in Scripture.  This means embracing all God is.  While it is essential to know that God is love (1 John 4:8).  It is also essential to know that the God we turn to from idols is also gloriously just, righteous, and holy.  The God of the Bible judges sin and will ultimately condemn unrepentant sinners who reject his offer of salvation in Christ.    

Which speaks to the final mark of genuine saving faith.  Again, we read, For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 

The third mark of genuine saving faith is a future hope rooted in the promise of Christ’s return.  Having risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, Jesus promises to return to both rescue his people from God’s righteous wrath and to condemn those who reject him.  In short, a day of final judgment is coming when all will stand before God to give account for their rebellion and sin.  However, genuine believers look forward to that Day knowing that Jesus has already absorbed the wrath we are due when he died on the cross as our substitute (Isaih 53:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:21).  In light of this, the day of Christ’s coming will be the Day when “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Philippians 1:6).  On that Day God will forever purge our lives—and our world—of sin (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 12-15).  Do you long for that Day?  Are you diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish” when he comes (2 Peter 3:14)?    

 The marks of a genuine believer are repentance, a transformed life, and a future hope rooted in Christ’s return.  Are they evident in your life?   

Our Nation’s Hope

Our nation has seldom been so polarized.  Both sides proclaim “the end of democracy” is at hand unless their side wins.  Sure, we have an obligation to participate in the electoral process we have inherited as Americans.  But we must never forget that the future of our nation doesn’t ultimately rest on who controls Congress or occupies the White House.  It rests in the sovereignty of God who “changes times and seasons” and “removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21)—sometimes to bring blessing; sometimes to bring judgment.  What role, then, are we as believers to play? 

As we approach next month’s mid-term election, let’s all take a deep breath and remember the lessons of Scripture and history—ultimately, our country’s future doesn’t depend on the politicians we elect nearly so much as it depends on the faithfulness of God’s people and the condition of Christ’s Church. 

            Do you believe that?  Do you believe that our faithfulness as Christians packs a bigger punch than anything going on in Washington D.C.?  Do you believe that we, as American believers, have God’s power to transform our nation (and the world) in ways politicians never can? 

            Think about it.  Looking back 2000 years, whose influence remains greater—that of Jesus or that of all the Caesars of Rome combined?  Was it Caesar who “turned the world upside down” or was it the first disciples and the apostle Paul?  Has history been shaped more by scores of now dead German kings and lords or by a single German monk who discovered God’s grace—a monk named Luther?  And, more recently, was the Berlin wall and communism able to withstand the prayers of God’s people?  

            History demonstrates that faithful ambassadors of Christ possess God’s power to change nations in ways kings, presidents and politicians can’t!  But before that can happen, we must honestly answer some hard questions.   

            Question #1:  Will we trust God?  Who do we trust?  Aren’t we tempted to believe that our lives—and the life of our country—will prosper only as long as we keep someone in the White House who thinks like us?  Don’t we act like righteousness can reign only if we swing the Supreme Court our way?  We need to remember what Jeremiah 17:5-7 declares, Cursed is the man who trusts in man…Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord? 

            Believers in Jesus Christ, we have the potential to change this nation—but only if we stop trusting in politicians and start trusting in God!  God is sovereign.  God’s will is going to be done next month—just like God’s will is being done today!  Life is not random!  And neither are elections. 

            Question #2:  Will we speak for God?  We live in a nation where many people have stopped believing in absolute truth.  Are we willing to tell them that God’s truth still stands?  Are we willing to speak for God by telling our friends, relatives, and co-workers that he’s real and he’s coming soon to judge the living and the dead.  Will we speak for God by proclaiming the realities of heaven and hell?  Will we speak for God and proclaim the good news that Jesus died and rose again for our salvation?  Will we speak for God by telling those around us that, apart from repentance and faith in Jesus, they stand eternally condemned?  Will we speak God’s truth concerning moral issues like abortion, gay “marriage,” self-centeredness, racism, materialism, and greed?  Will we speak for God? 

            Question #3:  Will we pray to God?  Will we remember that the future of our nation rises or falls on the prayers of God’s people?  Listen to what God says to King Solomon concerning the nation of Israel in 2 Chronicles 7:14.  If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  While it’s important to remember this promise belongs specifically to Israel, the general that a nation’s health often depends on the prayers of God’s people stands true.  That’s why, in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul writes, I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live quiet and peaceful lives…

            Question #4:  Will we be God’s salt?  Will we be God’s light?  Like salt preserves food and flavors a meal, God calls His people to preserve and flavor our nation.  Like light dispels darkness, God call us to shine in the darkness.  Here’s what that means—we must be different!  Salt always remains distinct from the food it seasons.  By definition, light can never be dark. 

            Here then is the question.  Why would we expect our nation to repent when those who profess Jesus won’t?  

            However you feel about the outcome of next month’s election, you need not despair!  America’s future doesn’t ultimately depend on who controls the Senate or lives in the White House.  America’s future lies with God—and with us—his sons and daughters!  

            As followers of Jesus, let us trust in God, speak for God, pray to God, and live for God by being salt and light.  Here lies our hope.                                   

 Dean

Lessons From a Hike

During the summer of 1976 I worked as a breakfast cook in Grand Teton National Park.  My days-off were spent hiking the canyons of those spectacular mountains.  My most memorable hike was a 25-mile hike up Cascade Canyon to Hurricane Pass, across Alaska Basin and back down Death Canyon.  Ten years ago, at age 62, I took a 40th anniversary hike back to Hurricane Pass.  I backpacked 32 miles in three days and two nights.  I learned some lessons along the way.  Here are three. 

First, like hiking, spiritual growth requires stepping out of your comfort zone.  The older I get, the more I’m inclined to cling to familiarity, routine, and “personal peace.”  I don’t like change.  I don’t find myself seeking out challenges.  This tends to make my life, well, boring.  But that’s not the real problem.  The problem is I’m too often happy to be bored.  After all, boredom implies the absence of conflict and stress.  Boredom sometimes feels like rest.  That’s why my return to the Tetons was important for me.  Embracing the challenge of that hike forced me out of my comfort zone.  I had to plan.  I had to make time for conditioning hikes.  I had to endure a lot of discomfort and sore muscles.  It wasn’t always fun.  But it was invigorating!  Embracing a goal I wasn’t certain I could accomplish added a fresh sense of purpose to my routine.

It works the same way in our walk with Christ.  When we constantly choose the path of least resistance we stop growing.  When we stop growing our sense of purpose and joy are diminished.  In what way is God calling you to step out of your comfort zone today?  Is He calling you to minister to children?  To witness to a co-worker?  To give sacrificially?  To make time for Bible study and prayer?  To walk away from a relationship that doesn’t please Him?  To serve Him in ways you’ve never served before?  Is God calling you to confront a child or a fellow Christian concerning their self-destructive sin?  Embrace the challenge!  It won’t be easy.  But in the end, you won’t be sorry.  Stepping out of your comfort zone in obedience to God infuses meaning into your life. God will use you and you’ll know His pleasure.  Never forget, worldly comfort is for a moment.  God’s joy never ends.

Second, like hiking, spiritual growth is a process that requires effort!  At the beginning of that summer, I was physically incapable of taking that hike I’d scheduled for August.  I began to take weekly conditioning hikes in the Wasatch mountains of Utah.  My first conditioning hike was a 6-mile round trip up Grandeur Peak.  I barely made it and, frankly, came close to barfing.  The following three hikes didn’t go much better.  Even so, I kept at it and gradually things improved.  By the end of July, I was ready for my return to the Tetons.

Christian growth works the same way.  It’s a process that requires effort.  When God gives us His Spirit, He gives us everything we need for spiritual growth (2 Peter 1:3-4).  But growth won’t happen if we remain passive (2 Peter 1:5-8).  We must exercise our spiritual muscles.  Growing stronger means working at prayer.  It means working at studying God’s word and applying it to our lives.  It means actively pursuing righteousness and obedience in our lives and our walks with Jesus—even when we don’t feel like it!  Nonetheless, there’s joy in it.  Are you actively engaged in the process of your own spiritual growth?

Finally, like hiking, spiritual growth works best when we don’t walk alone.  We addressed this in a recent blog but it’s worth saying again—the Christian life is a community life.  The believer who intentionally walks alone is destined to fail.  On my return to the Tetons, I would never have reached Hurricane Pass without the encouragement of my wife, Nancy, and Lucas, my associate pastor and friend.  Both took conditioning hikes with me.  On one hike Lucas literally picked me up when I stumbled and fell (getting older has its challenges).  On another hike he ran back down the trail to the car for water when I became seriously dehydrated.  He accompanied and encouraged me on the trail to Hurricane Pass.  I would not have reached my destination without him.

In the same way, Ephesians 4:15-16 makes it clear that the only way we grow in Christ is for all of us to grow in Him together.  Paul writes, …speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

‍ ‍Just like a good, hard hike—walking with Jesus isn’t necessarily easy in the moment.  But, in the end, it’s rich beyond imagination.  Never fear when God calls you to step out of your comfort zone.  Engage in the process of your own spiritual growth.  And, finally, remember that the Christian life is a community life.  Don’t try going it alone.

Dean

Thanks for reading. If you have questions or comments, please email me at deanpshriver@gmail.com. Past blog posts can be read at www.deanshriver.com.

Biblical Humility

God hates pride.  Pride makes us think much about ourselves and little about others.  Especially God.  No wonder humility is an essential element of Christian holiness.

How, then, do we as Christians guard against pride?  How can we foster the growth of genuine humility in our lives?  One thing is for sure.  We’ll never embrace humility if we don’t understand what biblical humility is.  The apostle Paul helps us here.  In his example we learn that biblical humility isn’t the absence of confidence.  Rather, biblical humility is the possession of confidence rooted in its proper source.  This is the humility Paul demonstrated when he defended his apostolic ministry in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6.  Refuting the attacks of false teachers, Paul writes “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant…”   

I’ll be honest.  When I first read Paul’s letters as a young Christian he struck me as arrogant.  I immediately understood that lack of confidence was not his issue.  However, in spite of my first impression, I now know Paul’s confidence never reflected a lack of humility.  In his letters Paul sincerely calls himself “the least of the apostles, less than the least of all God’s people, and the worst of sinners.” Which raises the question, “How is it possible for us to be genuinely humble and supremely confident at one and the same time?  For Paul, the answer was found in the source of his confidence.

In 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, we see that Paul’s confidence in life and ministry was not self-confidence.  The irony is that, humanly speaking, Paul had every reason to be self-confident. He possessed more outward righteousness, more zeal, a better education, and a more impressive religious heritage than any of his apostolic contemporaries.  In spite of this, Paul chose to anchor his confidence in God rather than self.  Understanding the weight of his calling, Paul acknowledged his inability and personal incompetence in order to embrace the competence that can only be found in God.

 Biblical humility, then, is not the absence of all confidence.  It is the rejection of self-confidence rooted in the pursuit of self-glory.  Genuine humility is confidence not in what we think ourselves capable of.  It is confidence in what we know God is capable of in us and through us.

In light of this we must remember that biblical humility is not an exercise in self-depreciation. Paul speaks freely of the competence he possesses in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:6), the weight of his personal sufferings (2 Corinthians 11:24-29), and the significance of his labor for Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:10).  In short, biblical humility never means denying the value of what we do for Jesus.  It does mean maintaining a proper perspective.

 In the end, genuine humility means acknowledging that all we are in Christ and all we do for Christ is done in his strength and by his grace!  In the end, we are not the heroes of our own stories. God is. As Paul himself says, “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

            Almost two hundred years ago Robert Murray M’Cheyne wrote, “Pray for more knowledge of your own heart—of the total depravity of it—of the awful depths of corruption that are there.”  This is not a morbid plea. Nor is it a plea to deny the value of your own labor for Christ. Rather, it is a call to remember what we are apart from God’s grace. It is a call to pursue humility because, left to ourselves, we have no reason to be proud.

Marriage: God’s Gift Rejected?

When she rounded the corner and he saw her in her gown, he could hardly contain his emotions.  As she walked the aisle, she didn't even try.  Tears streamed down her face.  I felt my own emotions rise.  I had to look away.  I was, after all, performing the ceremony.  I needed to keep my composure. 

I don't do many weddings.  That's not intentional.  It just worked out that way.  As a pastor (now retired), I do Christian weddings.  Sadly, authentic Christian weddings aren't so common anymore.  I suppose that's why I struggled with my own emotions as I watched this bride and groom struggle with theirs.  I saw something I hadn't seen for years at a wedding.  Wonder.  The obvious intensity of his feelings as he watched her walk towards him.  The tears that streamed down her face as she drew closer.  These said it all.  The bride and groom felt a sense of wonder that this day had come.  They stood in awe of the reality that God was giving them the gift of each other.

Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18).  But how many young men believe that today?  Immaturity, self-absorption, an obsession with instant gratification/entertainment/video games, an aversion to commitment, and the easy availability of sex have seemingly convinced multitudes of young men that marriage is no pressing issue.  For an entire generation, many (maybe most) see no problem with the idea "that the man should be alone."              

Then the Lord God said...I will make him a helper fit for him...So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of the ribs and closed up its place with flesh.  And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man" (Genesis 2:18, 21-22). 

 But again, how many young women long to be the "helper" of one man?  How many girls are being raised up to find satisfaction in being a husband's "completer" instead of his competitor?  What woman longs to merge her identity with his in order that they might become "one flesh" (Genesis 2:24)?  For many, the mere suggestion stirs rage.  And so they tell us (ad nauseam) that male and female are the same.  If a man can do it, so can a woman.  And she must prove it.  Career trumps marriage.  Husbands are unnecessary--even to produce a child. 

 So tragically, far too often, the man remains alone.  And so does the woman God created to complete him. 

 But not the man and the woman I married that day.  On that day their tears fell because they felt the wonder of God's plan.  On that day they embraced God's reality that it is not good that the man should be alone--nor the woman.  On that day they stood in awe of God's gift of each other.  They stood in awe of His gift of marriage. 

Will their life be a fairy tale from this point forward.  No.  There will be struggles.  There will be pain. There will be a continuing need to practice the discipline of forgiveness.  Even so, may the wonder this bride and groom felt on their wedding day remain.  It will remain.  It will remain by God's grace through faith in Jesus to whom we also have been betrothed. 

If you are a husband, if you are a wife, may God renew your own sense of wonder at His gift of marriage.  Where there are wounds, may God heal them.  Where there is bitterness, may God give you His power to forgive.  Where there is disappointment, may God's promises in Christ satisfy your soul.  As husbands and wives, may we stand in awe of the gift God gave us when He gave us each other. 

Questions to Consider

J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) was an Anglican pastor who became the first Bishop of Liverpool.  In 1878, he challenged his congregation with the following.  While I have greatly condensed his words, I believe his challenge remains relevant today.

Ryle wrote, “We live in an age of particular spiritual danger.  A painfully large proportion of all the congregations in the land consists of unconverted people.  …Surely, in times like these there is a great need for self-examination.  I think the shortest plan will be to suggest a list of subjects for self-inquiry.  …I desire to speak to myself as well as to you.  I approach you not as an enemy—but as a friend:  

Do we ever think about our souls at all?  Thousands, I fear, cannot answer that question satisfactorily.  They never give religion any place in their thoughts.  Death, judgment, eternity, heaven and hell—are never calmly considered.  They live as if they were never going die, rise again, stand at the bar of God, or receive an eternal sentence.  Look at the class I have been describing, and then look at your own soul

Do we ever do anything about our souls?  There are multitudes who think occasionally about religion—but unhappily never get beyond thinking.  There is no actual separation from the service of the world and sin—no taking up the cross and following Christ.

Are we trying to satisfy our consciences with mere “formal” religion?  There are myriads who, like the Pharisees of old, make much ado about the outward part of Christianity, while the inward and spiritual part is totally neglected.  There is no heart in their religion.  This formal religion does them no good.  They are not satisfied.  Remember our Savior’s words about the formalists of His day: “These people draw near with their mouth…but their heart is far from Me.  In vain do they worship” (Matthew 15:8-9).

Have we received forgiveness of sins?  Forgiveness is a thing which each individual must receive for himself by his own personal faith, lay hold of by faith, appropriate by faith, and make his own by faith; or else, as far as he is concerned, Christ will have died in vain. 

Do we know anything by experience of conversion to God?  Without conversion there is no salvation.  We all need a complete change which is the special office of the Holy Spirit to give to us.  Call it what you please—new birth, regeneration, renewal, new creation, quickening, repentance—the thing must be had if we are to be saved.  And if we have the thing it will be seen in 1) a sense of sin and deep hatred for it; 2) faith in Christ and love for him; 3) delight in holiness; 4) love for God’s people;  5) distaste for the things of the world. 

Do we know anything of practical Christian holiness?  Holiness is not absolute perfection and freedom from all faults.  Yet as weak and imperfect as the holiness of the best saints may be, it is a real thing, and has a character about it as unmistakable as salt and light. 

Do we know anything of enjoying the means of grace?  When I speak of the means of grace I have in mind’s eye five principle things:  1) reading the Bible; 2) private prayer; 3) public worship; 4) the Lord’s Supper; 5) the rest of the Lord’s day. 

Do we ever try to do any good in the world?  A Christian who was content to go to Heaven himself and cared not what became of others would have been regarded as a kind of monster in primitive times, who did not have the Spirit of Christ.  There is a generation of professing Christians now-a-days, who seem to know nothing of caring for their neighbors.  Whether others are happy or miserable, well or ill, traveling towards heaven or hell—these appear to be questions about which they are indifferent.  Can this be right?

Do we know anything of living the life of habitual communion with Christ?  Many are content with a little faith, a little hope, a little peace, a little measure of holiness.  Communion with Christ is the privilege of those who are continually striving to grow in grace, faith, knowledge, and conformity to the mind of Christ in all things.

Do we know anything of being ready for Christ’s second coming?  Are we living as if we long to see Him again, and love His appearing?  The vast majority of Christians seem like the men in the time of Noah and Lot, who were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, planting and building, up to the very day when the fire and flood came.  “Take heed lest at any time your heart be overcharged with the cares of this life, and that day comes on you unawares” (Luke 21:34).

I find Ryle’s questions helpful when considering my own walk with Christ.  I hope you will too. 

Counting the Cost

In Luke 14:25, Jesus journeys towards Jerusalem.  Once there, he knows he will be arrested, tortured, and brutally murdered.  However, in that moment Jesus remains wildly popular.  The text says, “Great crowds accompanied him.”  Along the way, Jesus turns and addresses them.  His words are surprising.  Rather than encourage his admirers, it seems Jesus wants to thin the herd!  In Luke 14:26-33 he challenges them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.  Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple…So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (26-27, 33).

With these words, Jesus makes clear—there’s a difference between being part of the crowd and being his disciple.  The multitudes loved Jesus because of what he did—his miracles, his preaching, his willingness to confront abusive religious leaders—along with their expectation he would soon deliver them from Rome’s rule.  However, there’s more to discipleship than following Jesus for the sake of benefits received.  Those who would be his disciples must ultimately love Jesus for who he is—God become human, Lord of all Creation, our Hope of salvation!   

What, then, separates a true disciple from a member of the crowd?  First, a disciple’s relationship with Jesus supersedes his or her relationship with everyone else—including their own family.  In fact, Jesus’ language in verse 26 is so strong it’s often misunderstood!  When telling us that being His disciple requires us to “hate” our parents, siblings or children, Jesus isn’t calling us to despise our loved ones. In fact, God commands us to honor our parents and provide for our families.  The point Jesus makes is that our commitment to Him must take priority over our commitment to family and friends.   

Christ’s command is necessary because we have no guarantee that our loved ones will trust and follow him.  In fact, Jesus warns that in the last days, “brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death” (Mark 13:12).  In light of this, it’s possible someone you deeply love will reject (or has already rejected) both Jesus and you.  Should that day come, how will you respond?  Will your faith stand firm?  Will you continue to follow and worship Christ?  In the midst of your grief, will continue to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind?

But not only does a disciple love Jesus more than his own family, a true disciple loves Jesus more than his own self.  In verse 27, Jesus continues, Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.  Likewise, in verse 33 he declares, “any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

            Remember, in the days of Jesus, a cross wasn’t a piece of jewelry.  Nor was a cross used to decorate a wall or a building.  In Jesus day the cross was an instrument of execution and death.  When Jesus declares that a disciple must bear his own cross, he’s telling us that those who come to him come to die.  Why?  Because we cannot find new life in Christ until we die to our old life of sin and self-centeredness.  By God’s grace, dying to self means living for Jesus.  Dying to self means His values become our values.  His purpose becomes our purpose.  His will becomes our will—even when sacrifice is required.  But above all else—dying to self means his life becomes our life.  And what a glorious life that is! 

Are you a disciple?  Or just a part of the crowd?  Do you love Jesus more than anyone else—including you? 

A Community Life

The Christian life is a community life.  Ultimately, we cannot love Jesus and not love his church.  When I say “church” I am not, of course, talking about a building or an organizational structure.  I am talking about your spiritual family.  I’m talking about a local fellowship of believers—your local fellowship of believers—who serve together, worship together, and grow together by investing in each other’s present, and eternal, well-being.  Where there’s no love for that church, there’s no real love for Christ. 

            The Bible never defines the Christian life in terms of “me and Jesus”!  It’s always “us and Jesus!”  When the New Testament addresses believers as “you”, the word is always—with only a couple of exceptions—plural.  Think “y’all”.  The idea of an isolated Christian soldiering alone with Jesus is foreign to Scripture.  When the first Christian sermon in Acts 2 bore the fruit of 3000 converts, those converts were immediately defined in corporate terms.  They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship… (Acts 2:41-42).   When the first disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, the model Jesus offers is a corporate, Our Father…give us this day our daily bread…forgive us our debt…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…(Mt. 6:9-13).  In short, the Bible presents life with Christ as life in fellowship with His people—that is, life in fellowship with His church.   

            Bottom line?  If you’re attempting to walk with Jesus alone—stop it!  If you think active participation in a Bible-believing church is optional for a follower of Christ—repent.  There’s too much at stake!  Here’s the truth.  Our attitude towards “church” is an indicator of the genuineness of our faith.  Refusal to commit to a local church (spotty attendance, little involvement in ministry, refusal to submit to spiritual authority, lack of financial support, no desire for relational connection, etc.) is, at best, a mark of spiritual immaturity.  At worst, it’s an expression of unbelief! 

            You might be thinking I’m overstating my case.  I’m not.  First, Jesus defined the purpose of his earthly ministry by declaring, I will build my church…  In other words, Jesus didn’t come to redeem millions of disconnected individuals.  Jesus came to build a community for himself.  The Bible says Jesus is the head of his Church which is his body.  The head and the body are inseparable!  You cannot love Christ, the head, and not love his body, the church. 

In the same way, Titus 2:13-14 reveals that Christ died and rose again in order to “purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”  Again, the goal of Jesus’ death on the cross extends beyond your individual salvation or mine.  Jesus died to create a transformed community.  Jesus suffered to purify his church!   

In light of this, we must remember that spiritual growth takes place in community.  As irritating as we each can be, we need each other!  Paul insists on this in Ephesians 4:11-16 when he writes, “And he (God) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, make the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”  In other words, if we don’t grow up together, we won’t grow up at all.  At least not according to God’s design. 

            There’s no getting around it.  If you claim Christ as Savior and have no love for his church, something’s wrong!  Those who love the Head will love the body.  Therefore, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25). 

Ripening Fruit

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Charles Simeon preached 54 years at Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge, England.  Although little known today, he was greatly used by God to spread the good news about Jesus in Britain and around the world.  His faithfulness to God’s word brought him much opposition and ridicule (his own congregation once locked him out of the church).  Like each of us, Simeon was not a perfect man.  Simeon was born an aristocrat.  Early in his ministry he continued to act like one.  He could be proud, hot-tempered, and impulsive.  As a young minister, Simeon visited the home of a seasoned pastor named Henry Venn.  Venn’s eldest daughter was not impressed.  She describes her reaction,  “It is impossible to conceive anything more ridiculous than his look and manner were.  His grimaces were beyond anything you can imagine.  So as soon as he was gone, we all got together into the study, and set up an amazing laugh.”

When Venn heard his children mocking young Simeon, he called them into the garden.  In spite of the fact that it was still early summer, he asked them to pick a peach for him.  The peach was green and inedible.  Venn then instructed his children, “Well, my dears, it is green now, and we must wait; but a little more sun, and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet.  So it is with Mr. Simeon.” 

Henry Venn understood what his children did not.  It takes time—but the saving grace of God transforms lives.  In the life of every genuine believer we will normally see movement from pride to humility, from obsessive materialism to simplicity, from immorality to purity, from gossip to self-control, from uselessness to usefulness to God!   Even if we are “green” today, God promises to ultimately make each of us ripe and sweet.  The apostle Paul expresses his confidence in that promise when he writes, “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).  Likewise, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Paul prays, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” 

 Do you believe these promises are yours in Christ?  What besetting sins mark your life?  What depravity seems to consistently sabotage your relationship with God and others?  Does the continuing presence of sin in your life deflate you?  Should we not rather rejoice in Scripture’s promise that the same God who “began a good work in us” will bring it to completion and that we will be found blameless at the coming of Christ?  God is faithful!  He will do it!   

 But don’t stop with yourself!  What about your brothers and sisters in Christ?  Are we right to fixate only on our spiritual siblings’ shortcomings?  Should we not rather remember what we, and they, are progressively becoming by God’s grace in Christ?  How can we become the Church God calls us to be if we choose to see nothing but each other’s present quirks, sinful tendencies, and shortcomings?  Should we not believe God’s promise together that, even now, he is shaping each of us into the image of Christ?   

Lord, help us to be like Henry Venn.  Rather than focus on what young Charles Simeon was on the day of his first visit, Venn saw what Simeon would become—and was becoming—in Christ!  Well my dears, it is green now, and we must wait; but a little more sun, and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet.  So it is with Mr. Simeon.

Yes!  And so it is with you and me.  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 

Is God a Monster?

Last week I introduced the sobering topic of hell.  Hell is not something we like to think about.  Even so, hell is real.  We would be insane to ignore it.  Many people ask, “Doesn’t the reality of hell make God a monster?”  The problem with the question lies in its implied—and less than subtle—accusation.  In our struggle to grasp hell’s gravity, we must remember that God’s character is not subject to our judgment.  Ultimately, the existence of hell demonstrates, not that God is monstrous, but that we are!  Hell is nothing more, or less, than God’s necessary and just response to human sin. 

Tragically, an increasing number of professing believers reject the notion of an eternal hell.  Most do so on the basis of Scripture’s declaration that “God is love” (1 John 4:8).  It is, of course, true that God is love!  At the same time, however, it’s just as true that God isn’t only love—or even primarily love.  In addition to love, God’s perfections include holiness, justice, righteousness, omniscience, omnipotence, infinity, immutability and more.  We must remember that not one of his attributes can be expressed in isolation from all his attributes together.  To dismiss the reality of hell on the basis that “God is love” is to wrongly isolate his love from—or elevate his love above—all his other perfections.  Those who do so not only distort God’s character—they distort the nature of divine love itself.  In his book, The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God, D.A. Carson writes, “I do not think that what the Bible says about the love of God can long survive at the forefront of our thinking if it is abstracted from the sovereignty of God, the holiness of God, the wrath of God, the providence of God, or the personhood of God—to mention only a few nonnegotiable elements of basic Christianity.  The result (of doing so) is that the love of God in our culture has been purged of anything the culture finds uncomfortable.”

This explains why so many, in the name of “God’s love”, foolishly dismiss the Bible’s warnings about final judgment and hell.   

So, no.  The existence of hell doesn’t make God a monster.  Apart from repentance and faith in Christ, we are the monsters.  Again, because God is holy and just, hell is his necessary response to human rebellion and sin.  

But what about God’s love?  Since no single attribute of God can be expressed in isolation from all his attributes together, how does hell express God’s love?  In regard to God’s love for his people, we must remember that if there is no hell, there can be no heaven. The consummation of our salvation requires the purging of all evil from our eternal home.  God’s final condemnation of Satan, demons, and unrepentant sinners to hell assures us that heaven will be a place where only righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). 

Of course, the ultimate expression of God’s love in the face of hell is Jesus.  In Christ on the cross, God himself died our death and suffered our hell so we can have heaven.  In his resurrection, Jesus forever conquered death so we can live forever with him. 

God is no monster.  If you know Christ as your Savior, worship him.  Stand in awe of his willingness to bear hell’s sufferings in your place.  If you’ve never repented and put your trust in Jesus, why not make today the day of your salvation.

A Sobering Reality

Knowing he would soon die, a man wrote the following for inclusion in his obituary.  “Well folks,” he said, “it’s been fun and I’ve enjoyed every minute.  But this is the big it.  I’m off to the great beyond.  Drinks with Churchill, Hemingway, and my brother Tom are next.” 

It sounds delightful.  But was this man’s optimism justified?  Having now entered what he called “the great beyond”, is this man really sharing drinks with Churchill, Hemingway, and his brother Tom?  Can we all look forward to being reunited with loved ones and socializing with historical figures after we die?  Will we, like I’ve heard so many say, find ourselves “up there” fishing or golfing or doing whatever else we love to do here on earth?  When death comes, will we all live happily ever after?  I’d love to say yes.  But that’s not what the Bible teaches.  On the contrary, because God is holy and we are sinners, the Bible says our default destiny is not heaven.  Apart from saving faith in Christ, our default destiny is hell. 

Today, we don’t talk much about hell.  In many churches, the reality of hell is seldom, if ever, mentioned.  Even as Christians, we don’t—at least on an emotional level—want hell to be true.  Regarding hell, C.S. Lewis said, “There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power.”  I can relate.  Here’s why.  From our “this world” perspective hell seems unfair.  How can it be right to punish someone forever in hell when they only sinned on earth 50, 70, or 90 years?  How can that be fair? 

Most people have decided it’s not fair.  Because God is love, they reason that—if hell exists at all—it can’t go on forever.  They insist that, in the end, everyone will end up in heaven or—after sufficient punishment—simply cease to exist. 

It’s tempting to believe that.  The thought of people I love consciously suffering in hell with no hope of relief—ever—is overwhelming.  But as much as I’d like to believe that the agonies of hell will come to an end, I can’t.  Not if the Bible is God’s word.  In Matthew 25:46, Jesus himself tells us that both the joys of heaven, and the agonies of hell, never end.  Speaking of those who will ultimately be condemned, Jesus says, “…they will go away to eternal punishment.”   Then, in his next breath Jesus adds, “but the righteous—that is those who are redeemed—to eternal life”.  Unbelievers to eternal punishment!  Believers to eternal life!

Here’s the point.  In the same sentence, Jesus applies the word “eternal” to both heaven and hell.  That’s significant!  It’s not rational to believe that, in the same verse, the word “eternal” has one meaning in regard to “eternal punishment” and a different meaning in regard to “eternal” life.  If “eternal” means “unending” with regard to heaven, it must also mean “unending” in regard to hell. 

Which brings us back to our original question.  “How can this be fair?” The most obvious answer lies in who we sin against.  That would be God.  It’s hard for us to grasp—but sinning against an infinite God is worthy of infinite punishment?  The reason we don’t comprehend this is because the weight of our mutiny against God is lost on us.  But I promise.  It won’t be on the day we see him face-to-face. 

There’s more.  A second reason the agonies of hell will never end is because the sinning of its occupants will never stop.  We catch a glimpse of this in Revelation 16:8-11 where John describes the response of rebellious “earth-dwellers” to God’s severe judgment just prior to Christ’s coming.  While literally suffering “hell on earth” those without Christ obstinately steel themselves against God, curse him, refuse to repent, and defiantly refuse to offer their Creator the glory and gratitude he is due.

Too often we imagine hell being filled with people who are now sorry for their sin.  People who are longing for a second chance.  People who are hungering to follow Jesus if only they could.  But that’s not what we see here.  Certainly, every occupant of hell will be desperate to escape their sufferings.  But even if that were possible, not one of them would choose to do so at the cost of bending the knee to Jesus.

This is all very sobering.  I need to say more but I’ve run out of space.  A critical question remains.  How can a loving God send people to hell?  Doesn’t the reality of hell make him a monster?   We’ll address that question next week.         

The Way God Loves

Fill in the blank.  “God, if you loved me, you would _____________”.

What?  Let me win the lottery?  Heal my cancer?  Give me a spouse?  Save my marriage?  Let my baby live?   Restore my relationship with my son, my daughter?  Overlook my sin?  And what if he doesn’t?  What will you think about God and his love then?

God is love.  About this the Bible is clear.  Still, in the face of life’s injustices, disappointments, griefs—and our own willful sin—a critical question remains.  How does God love?  Does God love us by granting our every worldly desire?  The obvious answer is “No”.  Does God love us by protecting us from life’s disappointments and pain?  Hardly.  Does God love us by promising to forever condone our sin?  Absolutely not.  In the end, God doesn’t love us the way we so often want to be loved.  He cares too much for that.  God loves us the way we need to be loved.  And, in light of coming judgment, the way we need to be loved is Jesus.

The Bible is clear about this.  John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world…  How?  He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  In Romans 5:8, Paul writes, God shows his love for us…  How?  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  In 1 John 4:9-10, we read, In this the love of God was made manifest among us…  How?  God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  John continues, In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us…  How?  By sending his Son to be the propitiation (the atonement) for our sins.

Jesus on the cross paying our sin penalty—that’s the way God loves sinners in need of forgiveness like you and me.  That’s the way God loves our lost and dying world.  Which raises a question.  Why do so many people reject the self-sacrificing, saving love of God?  Why do so many refuse to receive God’s love the way he offers it—through repentance and faith in the Jesus who died on a cross and rose from the grave to save us from our sin?   

The answer lies in our own arrogance and our lack of self-awareness about how desperately sinful and worthy of God’s wrath we are.  After all, no one seeks a Savior until they know that a Savior is what they need.  Beyond that, those who know they need a Savior must understand that Jesus is the only Savior who’ll do!  While multitudes of people proclaim that “all roads lead to heaven,” the Bible stands firm.  Forgiveness and life are found in Christ alone.  In John 6:14 Jesus himself declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  In Acts 4:12, Peter rightly insists that salvation can be found in no one else but Christ.  For there is, he says, no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  

Here’s what that means?  If you end up in hell, it won’t be because God didn’t love you.  If you end up in hell, it will be because you refused to accept God’s love the only way he offers it—through faith in Jesus who died on the cross to pay our sin penalty and who conquered death when he rose from the grave.   

God is love.  In Jesus, God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  What more can he do?  The ball’s in your court now.  Will you humble yourself and receive God’s love the way he offers it?  When you embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior, you embrace God’s love.  When you reject Jesus, you reject God’s love.  And that will forever  be on you.    

Why Give?

“From the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them.  Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.  But you say, ‘How shall we return?’  8) Will man rob God?  Yet you are robbing me.  But you say, “How have we robbed you?”  In your tithes and contributions.  9)  You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.  10)  Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.  11)  I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts.”   (Malachi 3:7-11)

Prosperity preachers twist the meaning of Malachi 3:7-11.  For them, it’s all about the money.  If you want more money from God, give more money to God.  But what if this passage isn’t ultimately about money?  What if the prophet’s point is that stinginess or generosity toward God reveals our priorities and depth of love for him?  Malachi 3:7 tells us that the Israelites had turned away from God.  Their love for him was not sincere.   In response, God graciously invites them to return to him.  How?  By repenting of their covenant-breaking thievery and honoring him with the fullness of their tithes.

For the Israelites, giving was a matter of obedience and covenant-keeping.  Generosity was intended to mark their love for, and faith in, God.  In practice, their tithe made temple sacrifice and worship possible.  When God made a covenant with Israel, he commanded them to give back to him 10% of everything they received (see Leviticus 27:30).  This tithe was used to support the priests and the Levites—including the musicians who served in the temple.  In short, because worship wasn’t optional in Israel, neither was their giving.  That’s why, here in Malachi, God accuses his people of robbing him when they broke faith and refused to bring to him their tithes.  Israel’s refusal to tithe revealed their lack of their commitment to, and respect for, the God who saved them!

Of course, all this has to do with the Old Covenant, right?  As New Testament Christians, what does tithing have to do with us?  Answer?  In regard to the Law, it has nothing to do with us.  Even so, in Matthew 6:24 Jesus makes it clear, our own giving (or lack thereof) reveals the depth (or shallowness) of our devotion to God.  Without specifically commanding the tithe, Jesus declares, “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.”    In 2 Corinthians 8:5 Paul makes clear—those who give themselves first to the Lord will also generously give back to God according to his will. 

Christian, when push comes to shove, God doesn’t “need” your money.  The ultimate reason God calls us to give is because he himself is Giver of all.  As his people, should we not be givers too? 

So what about it?  As a Christian do you have to tithe?  Ultimately, that’s between you and the Lord?  Personal Opinion Alert: For me, it makes no sense that someone living under grace would want to give less than those living under Law.  The more we understand God’s generosity towards us in Christ, the more generous we’ll become towards him and others.  The New Testament calls for sacrificial giving with a joyful heart.  When we ask, “Lord, what’s the minimum percentage of income you require of me?” we’re asking the wrong question. 

Questions to consider: 

1.  What does your giving reveal about your relationship with God?

2.  What does your giving reveal about the depth of your trust in God?

3.  What does your giving reveal about the location of your “treasure”?  See Matt. 6:19-21.

Relational Wisdom

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.  16)  The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.  18)  …There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:15-16,18). 

The depth of wisdom possessed by an individual is revealed by how he interacts with others: 

Proverbs 12:15 reminds us that the wise man is teachable.  When relating to others, he is willing to hear and heed good advice.  The wise man is willing to learn from others and yield to those with more knowledge and life experience.  The fool, on the other hand, is convinced he has no need for advice.  He is arrogant and sinfully self-sufficient.  He looks down on others and sees no need for anyone’s help.  The fool is fully committed to himself and his own opinions.  In Genesis 4, Cain exemplifies such a fool.  When angered that God accepted Abel’s offering while rejecting his, Cain refused even God’s advice.  With love and patience, God advised Cain to repent and warned Cain that “sin is crouching at the door…but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7).  Yet, ignoring God’s advice, Cain arrogantly yielded to his own pride and anger.  The result was Abel’s murder and his own self-destruction.  In our own struggle against pride we also can be tempted to ignore the wise advice of others.  In God’s strength, we must resist this temptation.  While all advice must be tested by Scripture, we need to be humble enough to hear and heed the wisdom of those who are trustworthy.

Proverbs 12:16 teaches that a person’s response to an offense demonstrates either their maturity or their foolishness.  Governed by insecurity and self-absorption, the fool angrily responds to every real or perceived slight.  This response to a personal attack has no place in the life of a believer.  Rather, “…the prudent ignores an insult.”  The apostle Peter writes, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.  He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.  When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”Do we do the same?  When reviled are you instantly angered?  Do you quickly jump to your own defense?  Or are you prudent and wise?  Are you willing to entrust yourself “to him who judges justly” like Jesus entrusted himself to his Father? 

Once spoken, words cannot be unspoken.  With this in mind, Proverbs 12:18 reminds us that spoken words are powerful.  Words have the power to heal.  Words have the power to wound.  Without doubt, we each bear the wounds of words that, at one time or another, pierced our souls.  At the same time, we have also experienced the power of healing words.  What kind of words do you speak?  Do your words please God and heal others?  Or are your words too often rash, destructive words—words that stab and wound?  This proverb calls us to consider the words we speak before we speak themdeclaring, “The tongue of the wise brings healing.”

The apostle Paul writes, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).   

May God quell our arrogance and empower our tongues to build up rather than tear down.                  

Chaos or Calm

A godless man is governed by his self-centered impulses and self-willed desires.  Not so for the man controlled by God’s Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-24).  In Proverbs 29:8, 11 Soloman provides a contrast between those governed by their sin nature and those governed by God’s Spirit.  Specifically, Proverbs 29:8 contrasts the chaos a godless man creates in his community with the peace a godly man seeks and inspires in his community.  Proverbs 29:8 reads, Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.

In Proverbs, a mocker (also translated “scoffer” or “scorner”) is a man whose life is marked by pride and arrogance (Proverbs 21:24).  He is a law unto himself.  He has no regard for God’s truth and habitually rejects rebuke and correction (Proverbs 9:8; 15:12).  Because he is hard-hearted, the mocker is unable to comprehend God’s wisdom (Proverbs 14:6).   Proverbs 29:8 warns that godless, self-absorbed mockers create conflict and chaos in their communities.  Because of this Proverbs 22:10 suggests a straight-forward solution to strife and conflict—expel mockers/scoffers from the community.   

Unlike the mocker, a wise man “turns away anger.”  A godly man seeks unity and peace.  Romans 12:16-18 says that a wise man governed by God’s Spirit strives to “live in harmony” with others, “not repaying evil for evil,” being careful “to do what is right in the eyes of everybody,” and as far as it depends on him to “live at peace with everyone.” 

One of the clearest biblical illustrations of the contrast between a mocker who “stirs up a city” and a wise man who “turns away anger” is found in Acts 19:23-41.  When Paul’s preaching of Christ began to impact the financial well-being of idol-making silversmiths in Ephesus, a God-mocking man named Demetrius stirred up a riot endangering Paul, those he’d led to Christ, and the community at large.  By contrast, the city clerk demonstrated his wisdom when he quieted the crowd and dismissed the assembly to their homes (Acts 19:35-41).

The power of mockers to create chaos and stir up trouble remains evident today.  In our own nation, scoffers actively plant seeds of political, racial, and social division.  Too often dialogue is replaced by “cancel culture” and slander.  Grace, empathy, and a willingness to at least try to understand another person’s viewpoint have all but disappeared from the public square.  As believers, how should we respond?  If we respond to arrogance with arrogance and to anger with anger—do we not become mockers ourselves?  Rather, should we not respond with gentleness (Proverbs 15:1)?   Embracing God’s wisdom, should we not offer our opponents God’s grace (1 Peter 3:14-17)?    As believers we must learn to control how we respond to people and situations that produce anger in our own hearts.  Our second verse, Proverbs 29:11 addresses this.  It reminds us, A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. 

An essential mark of Christian maturity is the ability to control (by the power of God’s Spirit) one’s temper.  The person who cannot control his temper is slave to his impulses, his emotions, and the manipulation of others.  Uncontrolled outbursts of anger are self-destructive.  Worse, such outbursts have the power to devastate those we love most.  Countless children, spouses, and churches bear the scars of physical and emotional violence caused by uncontrolled anger.  Angry violent acts cannot be undone.  Angry violent words cannot be unspoken.    

How, then, do we overcome godless anger?  Our hope is found in Christ and a deepening walk with Him.  In Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us.  He bears his fruit in our hearts and lives—the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  Godless anger and the fruit of God’s Spirit cannot coexist.  No wonder Paul instructs us, “let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).  May the fruit of God’s Spirit grow in us as we walk together in Christ.   

Overthrowing Anger

DEVOTIONAL: Ephesians 4:31-32

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”  (ESV)

None of the various forms of anger forbidden in Ephesians 4:31 are expressions of righteous anger—anger over the dishonoring of God or the abuse of others.  Instead, they are expressions of self-centered anger motivated by a desire for revenge or to have our own way.  All such anger is rooted in our sin nature.  All such anger has power to destroy friendships, marriages, families, and churches.  In Ephesians 4:31, Paul makes clear that self-centered anger has no place in our lives as Christians.  When Paul defines various forms of sinful anger, the first word we must note is the word “all”.  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice be put away for you!  When confronting our sinful anger, we often fail embrace the word “all”.  Having suffered some particularly deep hurt or injustice, we often cling to a false notion that God grants us the right to harbor to at least some of our anger or continue to hold at least some of our grudges.  Not so!  Rather than excuse unrighteous anger we must recognize that when God says “put away all unrighteous anger, He means “put away all unrighteous anger.

So what kind of anger has no place in our lives and churches?  How does Paul describe it?  First Paul commands us to put away all bitterness.  The Greek word translated “bitterness” refers to a smoldering resentment.  This anger burns slowly over time.  It is the kind of anger that holds a grudge.  The ironic thing about bitterness is that it does no harm to its object.  Bitterness only destroys the one who harbors it. Most important, bitterness hinders a believer’s fellowship with God (1 John 4:20-21).     

Second, Paul commands us to put away all wrath or rage (NIV).  “Rage” suggest an outburst of uncontrolled passion.  Rage is like a smoldering fire that suddenly burst into flames.  Rage often leads to verbal or physical violence—and sometimes even murder. 

Third, Paul commands us to put away all anger.  While the word “anger” is often used in a general sense, here it seems to represent a settled attitude of hostility towards another. 

Fourth, Paul commands us to put away all clamor or brawling (NIV).  The Greek word literally means “to shout”.  It refers to a public outburst—that is, a loss of temper and self-control.  This is the anger we express when we shout at our spouse, our kids, or our co-workers.  As believers, such outbursts ought not be part of our lives. 

Next Paul commands us to put away all slander.  To slander is to abuse another person with your tongue.  It is to speak evil of another—especially behind their backs—defaming them and/or destroying their reputations. 

Finally, Paul says we must put away all malice.  Malice is ill-will towards another.  It is to wish evil—or perhaps to even plot evil—against another.  It is to desire someone else’s hurt or destruction. 

To practice any, or all, of these forms of unrighteous anger is to misrepresent Christ to a lost and dying world.  In the same way, unrighteous anger destroys the unity of Christ’s Church. 

So how do we go about “putting away” all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice?  We find God’s answer in Ephesians 4:32.  Here, Paul calls us to replace our self-centered anger with kindness, tenderheartedness (NIV translates “compassion”), and a willingness to forgive others like we have first been forgiven by God. 

Paul begins by calling us to “be kind to one another.  Being kind simply means doing good for others.  To act with kindness is to follow God’s own example (see Luke 6:35).  God himself is kind to wicked and ungrateful people.  Therefore, 1 Thess. 5:15 instructs us, Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else (NIV).  2 Tim. 2:24 adds, And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel;  instead, he must be kind to everyone…not resentful (NIV). 

But is it really possible to respond with kindness rather than anger when we have been wronged?  Paul says yes!  But only if we share the tender and compassionate heart of Christ (see Matthew 9:36; Luke 23:32-34).  Jesus never lost sight of the spiritual needs of those who wronged him.  Do we share his compassion for those who wrong us?  Do we hurt for them?  Do we long for their deliverance from sin and Satan?  If so, it becomes natural for us to forgive others as we ourselves have been forgiven.   

In the end, only the choice to forgive will set us free from the bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice that hinders our walk with God and destroys the unity of Christ’s Church.  In the strength of his Spirit, may God empower us to be kind and compassionate like he is kind and compassionate.  By his grace may we learn to forgive others even as God has forgiven us in Christ.                     

Standing in the Breach

Ezekiel was one of two Old Testament prophets who conducted their ministries among the Jewish exiles in Babylon.  Daniel was the other.  Ezekiel 22:30-31 forms the conclusion of a prophetic oracle in which God exposes Judah’s utterly depraved condition and the necessity of their expulsion from the Promised Land. Judah had seen God judge the northern kingdom of Israel by the hand of the Assyrians for her idolatry and sin.  Even so, she refused to fear God and repent of her own rebellion.  Rather, Judah chose to imitate her fallen “sister” by mimicking the northern kingdom’s willful rejection of God.  In Ezekiel 22, the magnitude of Judah’s rebellion is detailed.  In reference to Judah’s practice of child sacrifice God condemns Jerusalem as “the bloody city” defiled by the idols she has made (v. 2-6).  In violation of their covenant with God, parents were treated with contempt (7), foreigners were extorted (7), orphans and widows were oppressed (7), Sabbaths and temple worship were profaned (8), lewdness and immorality were practiced (10-11), dishonest gain was pursued (12-13).  In verses 23-29 we learn that Judah’s prophets were liars, her priests dishonored God, her princes oppressed the people, and the people themselves practiced extortion and robbery! 

Through Ezekiel, God responds to Judah’s willful depravity.  To the exiles in Babylon, God announces that his judgment had already fallen on Judah and Jerusalem.  God explained, “And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.  Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them.  I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath, I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God”(Ez. 22:30-31, ESV).

Several principles regarding both judgment and grace emerge from Ezekiel 22:30-31.  The first is the inevitability of God’s wrath where repentance is absent.  Having already reviewed the various expressions of Judah’s sin, we need now consider its universality.  In verse 30, God declares that he searched for, but could not find, one Israelite righteous enough to effectively intercede on behalf of God’s chosen people.  Such was the depraved state of Judah.  Where repentance is absent, sin spreads until it infiltrates every corner of human life and culture.  When this happens, judgment is the only possible outcome. 

At the same time, Ezekiel 22:30-31 reminds us of God’s patience and his divine impulse to forgive.  In the face of Israel’s long history of rebellion and idolatry, God patiently sent his prophets to call his people back into relationship with him.  Wrath is not God’s first impulse when confronted by human sin.  Before judgment comes, grace and forgiveness are offered.  Even when responding to Judah’s rebellion, God refused to execute his wrath until he searched one last time for someone qualified to intercede on their behalf.  No one could be found.    

Which brings us to a third principle found in this passage—our own need for an intercessor.  As fallen sinful people, we cannot be saved from God’s wrath apart from a man qualified and willing to “stand in the breach” for us before God.  In his mercy, God himself has provided the man we need in Christ (1 Timothy2:5-6; 1 John 2:1-2).  May we stand in awe at the remembrance of God’s grace.    

Finally, Ezekiel 22:30-31 reminds us that, even as Christ intercedes for us, we are called to intercede for others.  Abraham “stood in the gap” by interceding with God for Sodom and his nephew Lot (Genesis 18:22-33).  Lot was delivered.  After the Israelites crafted and worshipped their golden calf, Moses “stood in the breach” between them and God preventing their destruction (Psalm 106:23).  Since we have now been made righteous in Christ, we too can intercede for each other and for the lost.  How faithful are we to intercede for our church?  For our wives, our children, our extended family?  How faithful are we to intercede for our community, our nation, our world?  Will we believe God’s promise that “…the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16)?  May we prove useful to God in our own ministry of intercession.

Weapons of Warfare

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.  4) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  5) We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”      2 Corinthians 10:3-5

The apostle Paul’s relationship with the church in Corinth was strained.  It shouldn’t have been.  Paul was the Corinthian believers’ spiritual father.  In the face of violent persecution, the apostle faithfully preached the gospel to them.  He sacrificially served them for one-and-a half years at his own expense.  Predictively, when Paul left Corinth for Ephesus, spiritual charlatans arrived to fill the void he left.  Under the influence of these self-serving leaders, many in the church at Corinth turned against Paul.  They foolishly gave heed to these so-called “super-apostles”—men who dismissed Paul as being no apostle at all.  After all, Paul carried no letter of recommendation when he arrived to minister in Corinth (3:1-3).  In contrast, the super-apostles’ paperwork was found to be in perfect order.  In addition, they reminded the Corinthian church of the time Paul promised to visit but didn’t show up.  This, they claimed, demonstrated Paul’s lack of integrity (1:16-17, 23-24).  Most significantly, these self-appointed “authorities” challenged the notion that Paul himself could be an apostle on the basis that he was not—at least by this world’s standard—an impressive man.  After all, they were trained orators!  Paul, on the other hand, lacked flare (10:9-10; 1 Cor. 2:1).  The “super-apostles” were prosperous and respected everywhere they went.  In contrast, Paul was seldom well-received.  In fact, Paul was constantly getting beat up, imprisoned, or run out of town (11:23-29).  Why submit to him?  Many in the Corinthian church decided not to. 

In 2 Corinthians chapters 10 and 11 Paul rightly defends his ministry.  He condemns the false-teaching fake apostles who were deceiving the Corinthian church (11:13).  Here in chapter 10, Paul appeals to the Corinthian believers by specifically addressing their accusation that, while he was bold in the exercise of his authority when absent, he was weak and unimpressive when physically present.  In verses 1-6, Paul challenges their misjudgment of him—a false judgment rooted in their worldly understanding of leadership and authority.  Paul calls his spiritual children to repent and submit to his God-given authority rather than the self-serving demands of the false teachers they had foolishly embraced.   

In verse 3, Paul answers the accusation that he ministers, not in God’s strength, but in the strength of his own flesh.  Paul acknowledges that he does, in fact, “walk in the flesh”.  In other words, the life Paul lives in this fallen world is the same life common to all humanity.  Left to himself, Paul has nothing to offer them or God.  But God did not leave Paul to himself.  He dramatically saved Paul!  God dramatically transformed Paul!  As one “untimely born”, God appointed Paul to be an apostle (1 Cor. 15:8)!  Because of this, Paul makes it clear.  While he walks “in the flesh”, he is not “waging war according to the flesh” (verse 3).  On the contrary, Paul’s strength—Paul’s spiritual authority—comes directly from God!  He writes, “For” the weapons of our warfare (that is, spiritual warfare) are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (verses 4-5). 

Unlike the Corinthian “super-apostles”, the weapons Paul wielded in his ministry were not of this world.  As a genuine apostle, Paul rejected reliance on entertaining oratory, personal charisma, self-promotion, a domineering style of leadership, or the manipulation of people and Scripture for the sake of popularity.  As unimpressive as he seemed to the Corinthians, the primary weapon Paul wielded against anti-God arguments and human arrogance was the straight-forward preaching of God’s gospel (1 Cor. 1:17-18; 2:1-2) in the power of God’s Spirit (3:3-6; 12:9-10; 1 Cor. 2:4-5) accompanied by meekness (10:1-2), integrity (4:2), and the sharing of Christ’s sufferings (4:8-12; 11:23-28).  This is the nature of real spiritual authority and life-transforming ministry. 

Like Paul, we have been called to make disciples in the midst of our resistant, dying world.  While we are not apostles, the “weapons” of our “warfare” remain the same.   Our only effective response to this world’s anti-God arrogance and resistance to Truth is the straightforward proclaiming of God’s gospel in the power of God’s Spirit accompanied by humility, integrity, and a willingness to share in Christ’s suffering.  May God grant us grace to answer his call.       

Christ’s Brawling Bride

Imagine being at a wedding ceremony.  Down front stands a handsome groom smiling, full of anticipation…anxiously awaiting his bride.  The magical moment arrives as the organ reaches full crescendo and the wedding march begins.  Everyone rises and looks toward the door for their first glimpse of the bride.  Suddenly there is a horrified gasp!  Instead of a lovely woman dressed in elegant white, smiling behind a lace veil, the bride is limping down the aisle.  Her dress is soiled and torn.  Her leg seems twisted.  Cuts and bruises cover her arms.  Her nose is bleeding, one eye is purple and swollen, and her hair is disheveled.  Does not this handsome groom deserve better?  Alas, His bride, THE CHURCH, has been fighting again.

So reads Karen Mains parable, “The Brawling Bride”.  As a local church family, we are a part of Christ’s Church.  We are His bride.  What then, does Jesus see when he looks at us coming up the aisle?  In us, does Jesus see a radiant bride pure and spotless?  Or does Jesus see a “brawling bride”—a church family marked by conflict, bitterness, and gossip? 

Judging from the letter Paul wrote them, the church at Philippi was one of the healthiest churches addressed in the New Testament.  Even so, in Philippians chapter 4, we learn that the effectiveness of the Philippian church was being threatened by internal conflict.  Two godly women in the church had lost their focus on Christ.  They were “brawling” with each other, locked in dispute.  Paul addresses the issue in Philippians 4:2-7.  In verses 2-3, Paul calls both women (with the help of a church leader) to “agree in the Lord” and to restore unity in the church.  Next, in verses 4-7, Paul teaches how harmony between believers—believers like Euodia and Syntyche—can be maintained within the body of Christ.  As we read Philippians 4:4-5, it’s important to keep this context in mind.  In verse 7, “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” is most often understood to refer to a believer’s personal peace.  While this application is not necessarily illegitimate—it is, at best, secondary.  Both the context and the plural verb forms make it clear—the primary application of this text relates to corporate peace within the local church.   With this in view, Philippians 4:4-5 reads, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.  The Lord is at hand.”  

How can unity in a local church—a church full of forgiven, yet imperfect, sinners—be restored and maintained?  This is the question Paul begins to answer in Philippians4:4. Here, then, is the first practice that promotes unity within a church—Rejoice in the Lord always!  To make sure we don’t miss the point, Paul repeats, again I will say, Rejoice.  The logic behind this command is simple.  It is impossible for the people of God to truly worship and rejoice together in Christ and—at the same time—be in conflict with each other.  Rejoicing together over our common life in Christ—a life rooted in the wonderous and humbling grace of God—knits our hearts together.  Think of it!  Together we have been forgiven of our hell-deserving sin!  Together, we have become “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession…” (1 Peter 2:9)!  Together, we have been given the privilege of proclaiming God’s saving gospel!  Together, we have a glorious future with God in the new heaven and earth!  Together, how can we not rejoice?  In Christ, do we not all stand in wonderous awe at the foot of the cross?  What’s left to fight about?

So what happens when we learn to “rejoice in the Lord always!”?  What happens is “reasonableness”.  In Philippians 4:5 Paul continues, Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.  The Greek word translated “reasonableness” or “gentleness” carries the idea of forbearance.  It means “to yield” or “to be kind” to one another.  It means being willing to give the other guy (or gal) a break!  In short, “being reasonable” means bearing with one another and forgiving each other like God forgives you in Christ (Ephesians 4:31-32).  It’s impossible to genuinely “rejoice in the Lord” together and—at the same time—hold a grudge, stew long over an offense, or be unreasonable with each other as believers.  This is especially true when we remember, as Paul reminds us, that The Lord is at hand.  

In Philippians 4:6, Paul goes on to remind us that a third key to peace with God and with each other is habitually taking everything—including our conflicts and anxieties—to God in prayer with thanksgiving.  In prayer—governed by Scripture—we find God’s perspective, comfort, and strength.

 In summary, “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” will naturally mark the life of our church when, together, we choose to “rejoice in the Lord always”; when, together, we choose to “let our reasonableness be known by all”; and when, together, to learn to cast our anxieties on God by praying with thanksgiving.