A Life Pleasing to God

"But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8: 13.  In this chapter of Romans, Paul is telling us how to live by the Spirit of God.  He wants us to know that because we are "in Christ" we are able to live by the Spirit.  What does this mean?  What is Paul trying to say?

For most of us, we have seen few examples of someone who lives "by the Spirit."  We have known people who claim to have the Spirit in full and great ways.  Yet, they do not put to death the misdeeds of the body.  Often they are marked by these misdeeds!  We have known those who claim intimacy with God and "victory" over sin.  Yet, they are often filled with arrogance, pride, and judgment of others.  In fact, many of us want to follow God and learn to love others.  Yet, we struggle and often find the misdeeds of the body (and heart!) keep coming back.  What does this mean?  Let's answer this question by first figuring out what Paul doesn't mean.

First, Paul does not mean that life in the Spirit will entail sinless perfectionism.  At least if it does, Paul the super-apostle does not live it!  In context, chapter 8 follows chapter 7.  There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (8:1), because Jesus is the one who rescues us from our body of sin and death.  As Paul details his struggles in chapter 7, he affirms that like most of us he knows the good he ought to do.  He just cannot seem to do it!  He concludes, "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (7:18)  For Paul, our sin nature/flesh remains with us until death.  At the end of his life, he claims "I am the chief/worst of all sinners." (1 Tim 1:16)  

In other words, maturity in Christ does not lead to sinlessness, but a deeper recognition of our sin.  Such  recognition then leads to a deeper dependance upon Jesus for grace and mercy.

Second, Paul does not mean that the Christian life is without struggle.  Some Christians twist Paul's thought to argue that they do not need to grow in increasing personal holiness because God forgives them anyway.  I have met many who recognize their sinfulness- they might even be able to tell you great details of their understanding of their sin- yet they do not grow in love for God or others.  In this passage, Paul argues that because of Christ, "we have an obligation- but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it."  Paul knows the struggle (see Romans 7), but he encourages us to grow!  Thus, growth in personal holiness is possible and necessary, "if the Spirit of God lives in you."

Finally, Paul is not embracing a weird gnostic spirituality.  There is not a "higher way" that transcends life in the body and life in the world.  In his mind, Christian growth takes place in this world.  It is here that we "share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." vs. 17  It is here that we learn how to grow "in the Spirit," so that we might bear fruit for God's glory.  Paul recognizes that our body and our world are our laboratories for growing in grace.

So, how do we "live by the Spirit."  What does Paul say positively about this life?  

First, be sure you are lead by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14).  Do you know that you have the full rights of sons?  This is not a sexist term, but a declaration that all of us, men and women, have a full inheritance from the Father.  We have a declaration of justification over us (Romans 3:21-chapter 4).  We are at peace with God and have Christ's righteousness imputed to us (Romans 5).  We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us pointing out our sin so that we can repent and come to Christ for mercy and grace (Romans 6).

Do you realize your need for a savior?  Do you believe that Jesus is that savior who loves you desperately?  If not, repent and believe!  The gospel is here for you.  God has done the work that we passively receive by faith.

I know that you might not have heard this message or believed it fully.  Why put it off any longer?  Paul tells us, "You have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear."  Does fear and anger mark your life?  I know many professing believers like this!  In fact, I have been that believer at different times in my life.  

Instead of fear, believe!  Believe what?  "You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba Father!"  Call out to God in humble prayer.  Stop pretending you have it all together and ask Him to order your disordered life!

In other words, confess your need for God.  Believe in Jesus as God's answer.  Allow the Spirit to lead you into deeper repentance and faith.  You have not arrived, but you are a work in process.  In the midst of the process, there is no condemnation.  There is a Spirit that drives us to cry out to God saying, "Abba Father!"

May the Lord work mightily in your life this day and this weekend.  May His grace draw you into deeper repentance, dependence, and His life-transforming power!

The marks of a dying church

"It is possible for both individuals and churches to become devoted mainly to personal spiritual culture and forget outreach, especially if the process of reaching our involves touching those who may contaminate us. Thus many Protestant churches have in effect become closed systems for the nurture and servicing of the inheritors of a denominational tradition." Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life

Today I wish to explore this quote from Richard Lovelace.  Lovelace was one of my professors in seminary.  He was quite old and losing his mind when I had him as a student.  Yet, when talking with him, I could see glimpses of his brilliant mind.  This book was written in 1979, but its message still applies today.  In fact, I would say this book is one of the best books ever written and published that almost no one reads!  If you get a chance buy the book and read it.

In this passage, Lovelace is discussing the Mission of the Church.  He lists an emphasis on mission as a mark of authentic spirituality.  In this short paragraph, he also discusses an issue that directly impacts the direction of a church or a denomination.  In the past several years, I have had many discussions with individuals and denominational officials about how their church is dying and losing members.  There is generally great concern about how to get these people back.  Here is the general tenor of the comments.  "This younger generation just does not care about church.  Our church community is growing older and there are few children.  We were once such a vibrant church, but now there are so few of us.  Our culture is destroying the church.  There is nothing we can do."  I believe Lovelace's comments address all of these laments.

First, our cultural embrace of personal piety and religion as the essence of religion is very destructive to the mission of God.  It comes from an assumed plank of Enlightenment thought that all religion is personal and private.  It has been argued for over 200 years that religion is something that helps the individual to cope, but it is not true truth that can be rationally debated and discussed.  When we do not combat this incorrect assumption, we have already lost the battle for the souls of those who are not yet believers.  

If Jesus is the Son of God, this truth is much more important, lasting, and transformative than my personal thoughts, or even worse feelings, about this truth.  It is an historical fact that changes everything.  It means that there is a personal and caring God in this universe.  It means that sin is real and universal.  It means that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are building their Kingdom by dealing with sin and its effects.  People need to hear this great news!  Mission means taking this message of redemption into every area of life and to every corner of the world.  It goes beyond being merely personal.  It makes the difference for the entire world and how we relate with the world.

Second, when we think of those in our culture as "contaminating us" we misunderstand the nature of Jesus and His ministry.  Jesus associated with all types of people, and we are a continuation of Jesus' ministry as we minister in His name (Acts 2:33 and 26:23).  He met with a woman of ill-repute (John 4), tax-collectors (Mark 2), and other sinners (Luke 7).  In summarizing his ministry by saying, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)  In fact, the only people Jesus appeared to have problems with were the religious folks!  He warned people about "the yeast" of religious folks working through the entire batch causing its demise (Matt. 16).  In other words, Jesus warned that religious folks could corrupt one so they do not trust God.  The Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious folks in Jesus' day, promoted their traditions and purity as promoting and illustrating God's favor.  They refused to follow the example of Jesus' ministry, and they actually sneered and looked down upon sinners as beneath them.  Is this not exactly what Lovelace was talking about when he discussed those who "forget outreach, especially if the process of reaching our involves touching those who may contaminate us."

Where does this rejection of Jesus' ministry style leave us?  As Lovelace states, "Many Protestant churches have in effect become closed systems for the nurture and servicing of the inheritors of a denominational tradition."  The result is a slow, prolonged death.  It begins with a church claiming it wants to reach out to the lost, but the actions of its leadership and members declare to all visitors, "You are not welcome unless you are just like us."  This ministry style then gets institutionalized by allocation of funds and ministry focus on church members.  Now the ministries of the church promote the message, "You must be like us to be welcome here."  After years, the young people leave the church.  They are raised in this church, but they leave to go somewhere else or drop out all together because they are looking for authentic community or a place with less hypocrites.  After years of this process, the church is a beautiful building that sits virtually empty of on a Sunday.

Is this the only trajectory for churches?  No!  A thousand times no!  Yet, it is the trajectory of thousands of church throughout America and the West.

Duck Hunting, Leadership Training, and the True Church

The fall season is officially and completely upon us.  How do I know?  I am tired after several days of getting up at 3 AM for duck hunting!  

The weather has been very hot for late September in Maine (highs around 80 and lows around 60).  That has made the mosquito population very heavy and very hungry.  Still, it has been great getting out on the water by 4:30 or 5 AM.  It is so quiet; and with the clear skies, the stars and shooting stars have been fabulous.  There is little better than watching the world grow increasingly light.  I have enjoyed the company and the hunting.  It does put a slight limp to my blogging, but please extend some grace to me!

Today we had our second Grace Leadership Training.  We discussed the purpose of the church.  I appreciate all of the comments and observations made in the class.  We also discussed the marks of a true church.  One of the quotes we investigated comes from an early Protestant confession called the Augsburg Confession (1530).  It states,

A true church is the “congregation of saints in which the gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments rightly administered.” Augsburg Confession Article 7

The gospel rightly taught.  So what does this mean?  Luther's understanding of the gospel includes the full-orbed explanations that I share on this blog.  It is not distilled down to "what will get you into heaven," but it is marked by a life of repentance and faith.  Such a life impacts every dimension of a believer, and it propels the believer to trust in Christ alone for all of life.  

A true church will teach, preach, and hold dearly to Christ alone as the source and securer of our salvation.  It will cling to salvation by grace alone, and it will emphasize faith alone as the means of living in right relationship with God.  It will also cling to the proper understanding of scripture alone as the revelation of God's will for faith and practice.  I say proper understanding because it will emphasize that one must interpret scripture within and from its proper historical, grammatical, and lexical context while keeping the whole of biblical revelation in mind as one interprets each passage.  Such an interpretation takes thoughtful exegesis and careful application.  Finally, a true church will also be committed and involved in spreading the gospel to all.  It will not just talk about reaching out, but it will challenge both believers and unbelievers to live a life of repentance and faith.  The result of this challenge will be changed lives and conversions.  The true church is never a club for religious insiders, but instead she is an outpost for mission to a lost and hurting world!

I was sharing with the folks in the meeting that I would gladly travel 45 miles on a Sunday to attend such a church.  I would hope that I could find one closer, but in Maine we do not have that many choices of gospel- and grace-centered churches.  We have churches that hold some of these principles, but few that make all of these principles central to their faith and practice.  I encourage all of us to find these churches and join them to make them stronger!

What are the practical implications of what I am saying?  First, if you are looking for a church, do not settle for one that has "great youth programs" or anything programmatic.  The most important element of a church is not that the music makes you feel great.  First and foremost look for a church where the gospel is rightly preached and the sacraments rightly administered!  Upon these two factors we should judge the suitability of a church.

Second, if you are part of a church that holds some of these traits but not all of them, be very careful!  Try to help the church repent and change.  Yet realize that a system like a church is very hard to change once it becomes set in its ways.  This is particularly true if you are not the leader of the church!  If you cannot move the system back to gospel- and grace-centered, it might well be time to leave.  Why?  The true church needs your help.  Gospel- and grace-centered churches have always been the minority of churches in the land.  Their witness needs to expand.  Join with them and be part of what God is doing!

The World We Bring with Us

"It is possible for both individuals and churches to become devoted mainly to personal spiritual culture and forget outreach, especially if the process of reaching our involves touching those who may contaminate us. Thus many Protestant churches have in effect become closed systems for the nurture and servicing of the inheritors of a denominational tradition." Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life.

"What is the salt loses its saltiness?  It is no longer good for anything.  It should be thrown out!"  Jesus (Matt 5:13)

Throughout all of church history there has been a pull toward Christians to not be "of the world."  The bible is full of passages that encourage believers to stay clear of the World's influences.  One example is found in 1 John 2:15-16, "Do not love the world, nor the things of the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."  Furthermore, throughout the OT, the Israelites are warned against the evil world that exists outside of its borders.  Many churches and many Christian take these warnings to mean that they cannot associate with the evil world "out there."  I find this tendency particularly strong with some who God rescued from deep-seated sin tendencies as well as with those who grow up with performance-oriented religion.

The questions that need to be asked are two-fold.  First, what is the world that we are warned about?  God warned the Israelites and the apostles warned the church about the world.  What does this mean?  The past couple week's worth of blogs should help with this.  The world is a system of structures and values that makes true godliness look foolish and wickedness righteous.  It is empowered by the Evil One, and it works in tandem with our flesh to bring about a lack of faith and trust in the grace of God.  The world is attractive to our flesh, and thus it is deceptive.  It has a sensual side that we are warned often about.  This should be avoided because it is destructive to our souls!  

The problem is that it also has a religious side that is equally destructive to our souls.  This religious side promotes self-righteousness that can be clearly seen in an holier-than-thou attitude.  It breeds an us against them attitude that can be smelled a mile away.  In the individual Christian or Christian family, it promotes a certain "weirdness" that everyone else can see, but the individual or family cannot.  Unfortunately, this "weirdness" does not look or smell like the person and ministry of Jesus, but it looks and smells like religious self-righteousness and judgment that says, "Come, be converted, and be like me."  For 99% of those not yet believing, this proposal looks and sounds horrible.

In other words, the world we are to avoid is not just outside the church and Christian community, but we bring it with us everywhere we go.  We need to repent of our attraction to it, and our embrace of it.  It is the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees that will spoil the whole batch (Matt. 16).

A second question that is should be asked by individual believers is, "How do I share this great discovery of Divine grace?"  In the context of 1 John 2 15-16, verse 17 states, "And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever."  What is the will of God?  I would think that Jesus and the apostles state it well.  Jesus brought the Kingdom of God into every area of the world that he touched.  He ate with and associated with "sinners."  He set people free.  Why would we not do the same?  How can we witness to God's faithfulness and love if we do not?  Paul and the apostles took the message of the gospel to the very ends of the known world.  Even the OT states that the purpose of the Jewish nation was to be a blessing to the entire world (Gen 12: 1-3).

I think what is needed is a change in focus.  What if we as believers "contaminated" the surrounding culture and individuals with the incredible love of God found in the gospel?  Why are we scared to share this good news?  My guess is not our fear of rejection (what is often claimed), but our lack of real, life-changing faith that this message is great!  If we drink deeply of the gospel and the grace of the Lord, the world, in all its forms, is not attractive.  In fact, drinking deeply of the love of God is the only thing that will break the power of sin in our lives.  When we are healed and changed, we praise God and declare His love.

Unfortunately, many of us live like the 9 men healed of leprosy who did not thank God in a loud voice with joy.  As a result, our faith has not made us well.  We are still soul sick.  Soul sick people do not witness to God's life-changing power that is working daily in their heart.  They might witness to what God did years ago, but they do not have a new story to tell.  Often their life begins to focus on their needs and wants instead of doing the will of God.

If you find yourself in this place today, repent and believe!  Confess your lack of love for those still bound by sin.  Confess the fact that you are bound by the sin of self-concern and self-righteousness.  Ask that God will help you to do as Jesus did: engage and love sinners while believing and resting in the Love of God.

Effective Evangelism and the Gospel

"Jesus's teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day.  However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect.  The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones.  We tend to draw conservative. buttoned-down, moralistic people.  The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church.  That can only mean one thing.  If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did.  If our churches aren't appealing to younger brothers, they must be more full of elder brothers than we'd like to think."  Tim Keller, The Prodigal God, 15-16.

Just last evening in a discipleship class, we had a discussion on how to reach out into our postmodern world.  The state of Maine is a follower among the states in most social and economic categories.  Regardless of this status, we do lead in secular thinking!  What I mean is that most in Maine do not even think of religion as having any answers for their lives.  Most folks live a life completely apart from God.

In our discussion, it was mentioned that waiting for someone to notice you life and have questions doesn't seem to work.  I could not agree more!  Why?  We have the largest population of "noners", those who claim no religious affiliation, than any other area of the country.  This means that most folks do not even think of religion as a category for providing answers to life's problems and issues.  In fact, most people are very skeptical of anyone who comes from an overtly religious position.  If an individual or church desires to reach out to others in this culture, you need to learn new strategies.

All of this to say that Keller's opening quote should provide us with a basis to think of these new strategies.  The point of his book is that the real gospel provides a basis to reach out to those with no religious background or inclination.  It also provides a basis for reaching out to the confused and moralistic religious folks.  

The Prodigal God is about the parable of the two sons, which some mistakenly call the parable of the prodigal son.  He points out that the parable is really about three scandalous people: the younger son, the eldest son, and the Father.  We only focus on the younger son because so many of us are eldest brother types whose lives are marked by doing the right thing and hard work.  Unfortunately, the elder brother also is marked not by his love for the Father (God in this case), but his desire to work for the Father so he can get something back in return.  As Keller argues, true or authentic faith is marked by repentance from both our outright sin and our religious self-effort.  In other words, we must repent of the evil we do and the good we do.  What a scandalous message!  I would recommend reading the brief book.  I have heard Keller preach on the topic, and it was life-changing.  His book carries on that life-changing message.

Overall, I was struck and affirmed by his opening quote.  I know as a young pastor, I was very good at attracting the "conservative, buttoned-down, type."  I preached the Bible, thought I was building people up in their faith, and felt pretty good about myself.  Unfortunately, I saw no one come to faith outside the mold of conservative, buttoned-down type or those repenting of a brief foray into sin from their conservative, button-down type upbringing.  In other words, I had a great ministry to Pharisees!

The problem is that Jesus did not have a good ministry to Pharisees, but he had a great ministry to everyone else.  In my life, I encountered the grace of God through a series of bad decisions and failures.  I was a strong man who had not failed.  I learned that success in ministry does not depend upon me.  I learned personally that I was, and probably still am, a Pharisee.  As I repented of my sin, I tied into the grace of the Lord Jesus.  I found unmerited love.  This is the same Love that the Father gives freely to both the younger and eldest son in the parable of the two sons.  As I did, I found that my ministry changed as did my message.

How?  Well, first of all I was attractive to the broken-hearted, downtrodden, and out-right sinners.  They liked me.  We talked about Jesus.  They felt comfortable.  Many came to faith or at least began a faith journey that I pray and trust will lead to faith.  I also became much more comfortable in my own skin, and I believe I became more authentic as a person.  I have even seen a few eldest brother types come to faith, though the going on that front has been slow.  Yes, the opening quote encourages me that I was doing something right!

Yet, my ministry also changed with the eldest brother types.  While I was once their darling, now I am an outcast.  I have found that the religious types just do not understand me.  They might like me, but they do not trust me.  I have found that religious types judge me and find me wanting.  I  have seen their sideways glances at their friends, and I know I have been judged not good enough.  Often these folks come to church or a class I teach and then walk away unchanged by the grace of God.

At first this reaction of the eldest brother types was very dismaying.  It even made me angry (a true mark of an eldest brother type!).  Could they not see the grace of God?  Did they not want it?  I judged them.

Notice the Father in the parable.  He offered grace and restoration for the eldest brother.  We do not know if he took the offer since as an excellent story-teller, Jesus left that response untold.  Yet, the Father had an open heart.  I think in the past few years I have learned to a greater degree to leave my heart open to the eldest brother types, and to leave the grace of God wide-open for them.  I do not find myself judging them as much, and I repent when I do.  Still, the eldest brother types are the hardest to win to the gospel of grace.  They are so right that they do not need Jesus.

May all of us this day be amazed at the awesome grace of God.  May this grace shatter our younger brother and eldest brother tendencies to bring us to repentance and rest.

The Judgmentless Gospel

The gospel is like a three-legged stool.  Each leg represents an important part of the entirety of the gospel; and if any part is missing, the entire stool falls to the ground.  These three legs include the gospel story, the gospel announcement, and the gospel community (See previous post on Wax's book from Sept. 19 called "The Gospel Defined" for more information).  Yesterday we looked briefly at the therapeutic gospel.  The therapeutic gospel denies the beginning of the gospel story by rejecting the biblical truth of the fall of humanity.  It makes our happiness the goal of Christianity instead of God's glory.  In the process, the therapeutic gospel denies our very real need to repent and confess the very real sin that inhabits each of our hearts in this fallen world.  Such a practical theological move diminishes the need for Christ and God's grace.

Today we will briefly look at the Wax's second counterfeit gospel, the judgmentless gospel.  This fake is becoming increasingly popular in the evangelical world, and it matches perfectly with the tolerance movement driven by the popular culture of the day.  It takes many forms, but at its heart it denies the reality that God's judgment will be given on all.  As Wax states,

The Temptation in our day and age is to let the last part of the Apostle's Creed slip by unnoticed.  Many evangelicals talk a lot about justice and very little about judgment.  Justice here and now is a popular subject.  Judgment there and then?  Not so much.

But justice and judgment are two sides to the same coin.  You cannot have perfect justice without judgment.  God cannot make things right without declaring certain things wrong.  It's the judgment of God that leads to a perfectly just world.  Try to take one without the other and you lose the good news.

The judgmentless gospel distorts a major part of the gospel story- the end.  And if you've ever heard a good story, you know that once you change the ending, you alter everything. (The Counterfeit Gospels, 68)

So what does this look like in real life?  Some people claim that everyone is going to heaven.  It appears that the old Protestant heresy of universalism is alive and well!  Others claim that what is really important is not the afterlife, but our mission in life.  This point is somewhat true, and it might be a corrective to those churches which teach the sole goal of believers is to get people into heaven.  The problem is when people go to the other extreme of believing and teaching that the real goal of Christianity is social justice.  

Honestly, Wax does not do a great job of fleshing out the expressions of this false gospel.  I am not sure why he did not go into more detail!  For many of the points he makes, he could just point out that old school Protestant liberalism has maintained many of these perspectives for 140 years!  The judgmentless gospel is Protestant liberalism.  The problem is that in recent years, many evangelical leaders and churches have suddenly become infatuated with these ideas.  They believe they have uncovered something new; but when they forget the holiness of God and the reality of God's justice, they branch unto well-worn paths that have led to the demise and contraction of most mainline denominations.

How do they get on these well-worn paths?  In the name of tolerance and love, folks stop speaking of God's holiness and the reality of sin.  In so doing, they reject the need for Jesus to be a savior for very real sinners.  He becomes a good moral teacher or an example.  He is not a savior.  What often follows is a rejection of substitutionary atonement as important.  From this we lose justification and instead focus on our works as what proves our righteousness.  From this, we have a mix of Christianity, Buddhism, self-help messages, and other moralist religions.  In one generation, the Christian part transforms into something sub-Christian at best.

A better book to deal with this judgmentless gospel is Tim Keller's, Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just.  It is simply not true that one either has to be concerned with someone's salvation or working toward a just society.  The real gospel allows and encourages both!  

If we give up the message of the gospel story, we lose our entire message.

The Therapeutic Gospel

The best way to spot a counterfeit bill is to know a real bill perfectly.  Before the age of every sales clerk swiping a pen across $5 bills, people were trained to spot fake bills by spending hours looking at and studying real ones.  I did not go through this training, but I am told that to those who have looked at a real $20 or $50 bill for hours can immediately spot a counterfeit even if it looks and feels good to the average eye.

Today I will be writing about the first of Wax's Counterfeit gospels.  I believe the same advice applies to distinguishing true from false presentations of the gospel as applies to spotting counterfeit money- look at the real gospel long and hard!  Study it and let it penetrate deep within your mind, heart, and soul.  When you look at the true gospel long enough, fakes are immediately obvious.

The problem is that many of us from the Evangelical camp have not learned the real gospel!  We have been taught and find a level of satisfaction with cheap imitations.  These counterfeits have a measure of the truth, but they lack in important areas.  I believe that many who affirm these counterfeits are truly believers in Christ.  I am not doubting their salvation.  The problem is that these counterfeits rob the Church of its witness, and they keep individuals from growing in grace and godliness.  Most who have embraced these false gospels are always "looking for something more" or "deeper" that will change them and give them life.  In the process, they miss the beauty of Christ, and they lack truly transforming power in their life!

The first counterfeit Wax calls the therapeutic gospel.  This gospel has many forms, but all involve making us happy and fulfilled as the highest goal in life.  Why is this so appealing?  Well, in our fallen selfish state, all of us believe this!  We want to find happiness and fulfillment.  We want to find peace and security.

Does not the gospel proclaim that true joy, peace, and love are found in Christ?  Of course it does!  That is why this counterfeit is so attractive.  The problem is when we believe that joy, peace, and love means fulfilling the "American dream" and it involves God becoming our puppet to help us achieve our goals.  In other words, for those who embrace this counterfeit gospel, God's purpose is our happiness instead of our purposing being to glorify and enjoy God.

To illustrate this point, Wax uses the illustration of a happy meal.  As he states,

The brilliance of the Happy Meal comes from its promise not only of the toy, but of happiness.  The mere thought of a McDonald's Happy Meal lights up a child's face.  Parents aren't just purchasing greasy chicken and soggy French fries; they are purchasing an experience that will make their kids feel good.

Sometimes we package the gospel in a way that makes God out to be a kind of Ronald McDonald who wants to give kids a Happy Meal.  We make 'pursuing happiness' the central goal of life, and we work toward this goal by being nice and helpful to other people.  Whenever we do have conflicts, we resolve them quickly so we can restore our own peace of mind.  As peace of mind becomes the goal of the Christian life, the idea that we would need peace with God slowly becomes incomprehensible.  (after all, what could Ronald McDonald possibly have against me?)

How do you know whether you've fallen for the Happy Meal gospel?  One very practical way is to examine your prayer life.  When are you most likely to go to God in prayer?  What kinds of requests do you make?  Is your biggest concern your unmet emotional needs?  Or are you concerned about how your life reflects the glory of God? (45)

I believe in the West today, or perhaps with all influenced by rampant consumerism, this gospel counterfeit is very appealing.  In fact, most of us believe it at some level!  The real problem with this counterfeit is that it denies the reality of our sinful heart that is in rebellion against God.  It believes that our tendencies and desire are all sent from God.  It denies the weakness of our flesh and the temptations of world to excite our flesh to walk apart from God.  

At its root, this form of spirituality will sap our joy.  It cannot explain suffering and sin.  It cannot tolerate difficult times.  It lacks any power to put to death our very real sinful nature.  In fact, it is so popular because it appeals directly to the worst part of us- that which is in rebellion against God!

What do you do if you have slipped into this belief?  Repent and believe the real gospel.  Take a look at my previous posts about the gospel.  I plan to index these posts soon to make this easier.  If the gospel sounds foreign to you, you might want to subscribe to this blog and find better teaching close to home!

May we all walk in repentance and faith today!

The Gospel Defined

Today I begin writing on some issues that will not fit within this blog.  As I begin this process apart from my blogging, I will be writing in the mornings about some of the books I am currently reading.  For the next couple of posts, I will be writing about Trevin Wax's Counterfeit Gospels.  I have found this book interesting and well worth the time of reading.

Wax describes the gospel as a three legged stool.  He uses this analogy because with a three legged stool, if you remove one leg the stool fails!  Each element of the gospel is important for the entire structure to stand.  Wax argues that each of the six counterfeit gospels he identifies strikes at one of the legs of the stool.  As a counterfeit, it looks good.  It might even be orthodox about all five of the other legs of the stool.  The problem is that by rejecting one important element of the gospel, they cause the entire structure to fall.

So, what is the gospel?  According to Wax it has three components.

"First, there is the gospel story, the overarching grand narrative found in the Scriptures." (16)  This grand narrative is what I call the foundation for a biblical and Christian worldview.  It states that God created the universe out of nothing, and all of creation was declared good.  It further argues that through willful disobedience, sin entered the good creation causing all of creation to be less than its created good.  Into this fallen state, God enters to redeem the fallen world in the person of Jesus, the second member of the Trinity who is fully God and fully man.  Jesus' death and resurrection end the reign of sin and death, and from that moment until He returns to set all things aright, God's Kingdom is growing.  As Wax states, "The gospel story is the scriptural narrative that takes us from creation to new creation, climaxing with the death and resurrection of Jesus." (16)

The second leg of the gospel is the gospel announcement.  This message is the classic definition of substitutionary atonement.  In other words, "God- in the person of Jesus Christ- lived a perfect life in our place, bore the penalty for our sin through His death on the cross, was raised from the dead to launch God's new creation, and is now exalted as Lord of the world." (16)  In response to this message, and individual should walk in repentance and faith.

The third leg of the gospel is that of gospel community.  The message of redemption, what Wax calls the gospel announcement is not a "one-time" commitment of Jesus nor is it a commitment lived in isolation from others.  Instead, through the Church, we live as a community that embodies the message of the gospel.  We live a message of repentance and faith.  We live in community centered around the redemptive work of Jesus.  We live a life reflecting the reality of the gospel story.

In upcoming posts, I will explain how each of these legs of the gospel are denied or warped by movements within contemporary church culture.  I will also make Wax speak my language, as his expressions don't always match the way I think and write!  

Overall, this is a helpful book and I would recommend it.

Justification the Key to Authentic Life

"Only a fraction of the present body of professing Christians are solidly appropriating the justifying work of Christ in their lives.  Many have so light an apprehension of God's holiness and of the extent and guilt of their sin that consciously they see little need for justification, although below the surface of their lives, they are deeply guilt-ridden and insecure.  Many others have a theoretical commitment to this doctrine, but in their day-to-day existence they rely on their sanctification for justification, in the Augustinian manner, drawing their assurance of acceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience of conversion, their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience.  Few know enough to start each day with a thoroughgoing stand upon Luther's platform: you are accepted, looking outward in faith and claiming the wholly alien righteousness of Christ as the only ground for acceptance, relaxing in the quality of trust which will produce increasing sanctification as faith is active in love and gratitude."

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life, 101.

In recent years much of the scholarly literature on the gospel has turned away from Luther's understanding of justification to an understanding that emphasizes our faithfulness as the key to being right with God.  I think this theological move is rife with error on a number of fronts.  The most important is that it dooms Christianity to be a religion for the strong- those who can get their act together through their will-power.  Such a theological move makes spirituality shallow, and it denies hope to those who are not smart enough or strong enough to make surface changes.  In a brief paragraph, Lovelace diagnoses the symptoms of shallow spirituality, and he describes the basis of true spirituality. 

Why?  First, Luther's though emphasizes the holiness of God.  Many of us do not understand the true holiness of God.  We have made God in our image instead of letting His image challenge and confront our sin.  Thus, we believe that surface changes are all that is needed to be "right with God".  

What is needed is a heart transformation not just surface changes!  Because we cannot change our heart, we feel guilt-ridden and insecure.  Instead of understanding the real issue of our heart, we blame others or events for our condition instead of confessing our need for God.  At other times, we profess belief in God’s work in Christ, but we judge our relationship with God by how well we are doing.  Again, we feel guilt-ridden and insecure, but what can we do about it?

Luther's answer is simple yet profound.  He consistently encourages us to believe the gospel.  The gospel is not just a ticket to heaven, but a way of daily life.  God does not just accept me, but He loves me!  Why?  Because of Jesus: His perfection and life have been given to me.  My righteousness comes wholly from Him.

From this point the entirety of Luther's and Protestant spirituality makes a consistent refrain: take time to remember and believe the gospel!  We often want something deeper, but what is deeper than the gospel?  Pray.  Read the Word of God.  Confess your sins and needs.  Repent of your self-effort and lack of faith.  Ask for grace to love others.  Make all these activities Gospel-centered.  Repeat daily.  

There really is nothing deeper than living in light of our new identity in Christ!

Growing through suffering

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8: 18

Suffering.  Even as I mention it, I recoil.  It is not a subject I enjoy thinking about, and I enjoy going through it even less.  Often it seems like all I can do is endure.  Right in the midst of suffering, I don't even learn that much.  It takes time and reflection to learn, and in the midst of intense suffering I often lack the strength for reflection.

Perhaps this is why many Christians avoid the subject of suffering.  Entire breeds of Christians have banished all talk of suffering under the guise of spirituality by claiming Christ suffered for us so we do not have to suffer.  All I can say is, tell that to Paul!  He endured beatings, imprisonment, rejection, and other sufferings for the lost and for the Church.  In the preceding verse, he mentioned that "we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."  For Paul, sufferings were a way into deeper dependence and identity in Christ.

So what does this mean for us?  In the midst of broken relationships that cause so much pain, in the midst of the death or impending death of those we love, in the midst of our bad decisions, how should we deal with suffering?

First, admit to God, yourself, and others that you are suffering.  Understand that we live in a fallen world marked by suffering.  All of creation "groans as in the pains of child birth" and is subject to "frustration" by the effects of sin.  

Call sin, sin.  In yourself, in others, and in events confess what is not as it should be.  Confess what is not according to its created good.  Cry out to God about the pain of separation.  Ask Him to restore and redeem what the consequences of sin have brought about.  We were not created to suffer through separation like death, but God can relate as He and Jesus were separated on the cross as Jesus suffered to do away with sin and death.

Second, remember the gospel.  We have a taste of redemption, adoption, and freedom now in Christ.  One day, He will set all things aright, and we will know in full a restored relationship with God, others, ourselves, and creation.  If you have not believed, repent and accept His love!  Then, hope in the ultimate reality that you belong to Christ.  This life is fleeting.  Eternity is forever.  Pray for grace to "wait patiently" for our final hope.

Third, pray.  This is how the gospel gets applied to our life.  Take time to be before God and ask the Spirit to lead you to pray for what is really needed (8:26-27).  Pray for healing of your soul.  Pray for restoration of broken relationship.  Pray in confession of your sin and the sins of others.  Whatever the cause of the suffering, take time to pray about it.  We were made to live a life of faith.  Prayer is the avenue into an active faith.

May the Lord use our sufferings to bring about our growth in grace, truth, and love.

God's Work through Us

I just spent five days with a delightful missionary couple with Campus Crusade for Christ (soon to be known as CRU in the States) who are stationed in the Philippines.  We have known them for years, but I think over the past five days we became better friends.  I am amazed at the global impact of their ministry, and I pray for them as they continue to raise their support.

After spending time with them, I was reminded of how often folks express and believe that only "super-Christians" like these missionaries could be used by God.  I have often heard people say, "I wish God could you me like he uses pastors and missionaries."  Others say, "I mess up so much that I doubt God could use me."  Somehow many believe that "When I get it all together, then I will be able to serve God."

In my years in the ministry, I have heard all these statements expressed in different terms, but uttered many times.  Many people believe such nonsense!  I am writing today to encourage us that God can use anyone and everyone who is open to His leading.  Yes, God can use you to advance His Kingdom.

Let me give an example from Jesus' most famous followers, the Disciples.  In Matthew 28:17, the writer gives us a glimpse into their hearts and minds.  As a group, they go to Galilee in response to Jesus' request.  He appears to them and "When they saw him, they worshiped him."  Obviously, they believed he was the Messiah.  A good Jew of that day and age would not have worshiped anything but God.  They believed that Jesus had risen from the dead.  Obviously they did not understand all that this means (who has!), but they knew Jesus was the Messiah.

"But some doubted."  This is the next part of versus 17.  What did they doubt?  Obviously from the context they did not doubt that Jesus was the Messiah.  Instead, Matthew's context might give a glimpse into the cause of their doubts when he records the Great Commission.  "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples..."

These early Christ-followers doubted that God could use them.  Why?  They had rejected him.  Peter might have been one of the biggest doubters as he had sworn his fidelity to Jesus, and then denied him three times in an evening.  They had more questions than answers.  In the last week of Jesus' life, they had fought over who was the greatest.  They no longer had the assurance of Jesus' presence in a physical sense.  From the accounts, it is obvious the risen Jesus did not show up on command.  He had appeared, but when would be the next time?

They were living and believing just like we often do today!  How could Jesus use them?  They were so disappointing.  They were struggling.  They did not have all the answers.  They now did not have Jesus' physical presence.  How could God use them?

"Surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age."  Jesus concludes with words of promise and hope.  Words of Grace into the midst of the disciples' fear and doubt.  He was not leaving them as orphans!  He would lead them!  He would work in, through, and even in spite of them.  He would use their strengths, their weaknesses, their sin, their doubt, and their times of faith.  He knew their past, but He did not condemn.  He gave a command to go and make disciples sandwiched between the promise of His power and authority (it is really about Him and not us), and his promise of abiding presence.

How can God use you?  How can He use me?  Real ministry is about trusting in His grace that He can use you even with our weaknesses.  In fact, Christ often uses us through our weaknesses, as Paul tells us that His power works through broken vessels (2 Cor. 4:7).  As I see it, there are three keys to being used by God:

1.) Recognize and confess that we are broken "jars of clay."  Don't put on airs or think your answers will change anything or anyone.  Confess your need for God to work!

2.) Ask God to work through you. Missionaries or pastors are not a special class of Christian.  We are all priests of the Great King!  Ask Jesus to use you at work, at home, or where ever you find yourself.  Walk in partnership with Him.  Talk with Him about people and situations.

3.) Be open to God's leading.  In other words, have your eyes open to opportunities to love God and neighbor.  Sometimes this means speaking.  Often it just means going out of your way to express love and concern.  As you do this, you will be amazed at the opportunities that will arise to speak about what God has done in your life.

Authentic grace means that God can use people like the disciples, like you and like me!  I am so encouraged by this fact.  Do not fear for Jesus is the risen King!

Authentic Maturity through knowing God

Today's blog is a rewrite of an older post.  May each of us enjoy the Lord's presence this weekend!

"For my days to remain healthy, I needed this silence.  For to be renewed in strength I needed to come before my God.  It is amazing how a few minutes with our God can so energize us and empower us to return to our daily work.  To miss out on this time of quiet is to deny ourselves our birthright as daughters and sons of God.  If I am to speak meaningfully about God to others, I need to spend time in his presence and learn of his love.  In the same way, if I am to talk meaningfully to God about others and his world, I need to be immersed in the world and relate to others." Adam, The Road of Life, 109.

I have so enjoyed reading this book.  I have taken the time to ponder, to pray, and to meet with God as I read it.  In my years of walking with Christ, I have also found this message to be so true.  If you desire more of God in your life, there is no way to get it except to pursue Him!  

I am always amazed by those who will then argue theologically with me on this point.  They will claim, often with a dismissive and condescending tone, "Don't you know that you have every spiritual blessing in Christ?  You do not need more of God!"  To this I must say, "Really?"  I find that I need more of God's presence and work in my life!  The older I get the more I find I need Him.  To argue theologically about this reality illustrates an aversion to the gospel, to God's presence, and to our need.  As I read scripture and church history, everyone who really walked with God has sought His presence and grown in an awareness of need.

Let me give one example, the Apostle Paul.  Paul writes early in his ministry that we are to be imitators of him, just as I am of Christ.  In what ways do we imitate him?  I believe it was in his humility as he came to Christ for mercy and grace.  At the end of his life, Paul writes "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am the foremost of all.  And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life." 1 Tim 1:15-16.

The key to this verse is that Paul uses the present tense to describe his life.  He is the chief of sinners.  I know some will argue that he was using to present tense to show past participation.  I find that argument hogwash.  As Paul matured in the faith, he understood his need for Christ to grow.  He understood his sinful self-sufficiency and pride as more and more real.  Christ came into the world to save sinners, and he knew himself to be the foremost sinner!  

This should give us so much hope and encouragement.  We do not have to minimize or fake the reality of our sin.  We should confess it, repent of it, and seek Christ's help to grow deeper.  As we do this, we find God's presence.  We also find wisdom, power, grace, love, and mercy.  All of this leads to peace and joy.  Why?  Because we find fellowship with Jesus.

Take a moment to think of the opposite way of growing.  I believe this is completely hypothetical because it does not match anyone's experience even as we try to make it match our vision of the Christian life!  It has a slight resemblance to the truth, but it ultimately untrue.  Here is the vision of maturity.  Believers grow more and more holy as they become more and more immersed in the Christian community.  We learn how to put aside sin more and more as we mature in the faith.  How?  By growing in knowledge and by escaping the evil World.  The result of such separation from evil will be that we will grow in our knowledge of God and this leads us knowing Him better.  As a result, we put away our sinful tendencies and grow into Christ.  You can tell mature Christians by their personal holiness.  The problem with this vision of grow is where it leads.  Eventually, we find that we do not need a savior as we now have it all together.  Now Jesus is our equal, as we are just like Him.

Such thought does not match the experience of the Apostle Paul.  Nor does it match the testimony of anyone I would trust throughout church history.  The only folks that believe this believe in the Enlightenment ideal of progress through education.  These often well meaning folks deny the effects of original sin and in the process deny their desperate need for a savior.  What is missing in this vision of the Christian life is the gospel.  Because it misses the gospel, it is nothing more than bad self-help advice.

So where does it go wrong?  The hint of the truth is that maturity will be lived out in personal holiness.  As we grow, we do put aside many of the obvious sinful tendencies that marked us.  The problem is that our cultural vision of the Christian life dismisses the very power that can change us.  If we are honest, we find that as we come to know the real God, we find ourselves struggling more and more with real and damaging sin.  

At one time, our problem was pornography.  Now it is a heart and mind that just thinks of sexual sin seemingly without cause.  

Another example, our problem was outward fighting, brawling, and a rebellious heart.  Now our problem is a heart and mind that cannot stop judging others and looking down on those who are different.  

Others have grown to recognize and put aside materialism.  Yet, now they find their heart and soul are so captured by temporary comfort and the pleasant events in this life that we take our eyes of Jesus.  Before we were blind to how our outward actions were really driven by these inward, seemingly innate desires.  Now we see them more and more.

So what should we do?  Do not pretend that these inward thoughts, desires and sin tendencies do not exist.  

Maturity means that from the outside people can see us growing more holy, but inwardly we grow to understand our need for repentance and faith.  

Confess your struggles with others.  Pray, seek God's face, have others pray for you.  Slow down and seek God in solitude.  Most importantly, remember that the gospel is central to all of life.  It is not merely a ticket to heaven, but it is the foundation for authentic living in a fallen world.

Will you quiet yourself enough today to listen to the power yet still small voice of the living God?

The Myth of the Pure Church

How do we guard the church from division and evil?  An entire branch of Christianity states that the way to do so is to "make sure" everyone who joins is a believer.  While I do not disagree with the sentiment, I do wonder how we can "make sure" someone is authentically transformed by faith.  In my experience, people can say the right things, act the right way, and still turn out to be a great cause of division.  Their later actions illustrate that they were working evil and not the fruit of the spirit (Matt. 7:20; Luke 3:8-9; Jude 12).  At times their action even illustrate that they were not redeemed, but like the evil one himself, "masquerading as an angel of light." (2 Cor. 11:14)

So what does this mean?  Several distinctions are in order.  First, I believe in the absolute purity of the universal, invisible, true Church!  All of those authentically called, justified, and adopted by Jesus, throughout all of time and space, are part of this true family of God.  These folks are the true body of Christ in the world.  

The problem is that until heaven we will not be united together.  At this time, we live in a fallen world composed of many local churches.  These local congregations are the expressions of the Church universal, but they are mixed bodies full of the redeemed and those not yet or not ever redeemed.  We do the best we can in encouraging to membership those who truly believe in Jesus; but because the leadership and the individuals are fallen, sometimes an unredeemed person comes into membership.  In fact, all to often these unredeemed folks become leaders within the local congregation!

Let me give an example to illustrate my point.  In Acts 20:28-30, Paul is speaking his farewell to the Ephesian Elders.  He is giving his final encouragement and instruction.  He states, 

"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them."

What does this mean?  The Ephesian church leaders had among themselves those who would lead the church astray.  How is this possible?  Did not Paul train them and help install them?  Yes.  Did they not later in the chapter kneel down and pray with Paul?  Yes they did.  "By their fruits you will recognize them." Matt 7:20.  What matters is how you run the race and how you finish.

The Christian life is meant to be a life marked by dependent faith in Christ.  It is marked by authentic humility expressed in repentance and faith.  Have you noticed how leadership often is not marked by these traits?  In particular, leadership that goes wrong is not marked by these traits!

Living in a fallen world means that we must always be on guard against the schemes of the evil one.  He is a liar, a murderer (the root of all anger, jealousy, lack of love), and a pretender to authentic grace.  His schemes include placing false assurance into the hearts of some in hope that they will later wreck the mission and testimony of the church through their pride.

Again I ask, what does this mean?  Should we not join a church since it might be a mixed crew?  No!  It is important to join a church.  Joining the church means willingly submitting to the order and authority of the local church.  It does not mean that you will agree with every decision made by the church, but that you will work to maintain the peace and purity of the church through healthy discussion, quick repentance when you wrong someone, and quick forgiveness when wronged.  It means that you willingly allow the Elders to speak the gospel into your life.  Most importantly, it also means that you are willingly ingrafted into the a local expression of the body of Christ.  It was an assumed condition for the Jews of Jesus' time.  It is important!

Yet, we should not be surprised or shocked when the behavior of others turns ugly.  We live in a fallen world!  We should not allow ugly behavior to continue in the name of being nice.  If we do so, we are encouraging and allowing evil.  We should lovingly confront and encourage repentance and faith.  Often the response will be repentance.  It might take time, but it will be so.  

Other times the response will be a striking out at you for mentioning their sin.  Does this surprise you?  Remember we live in a fallen world.  By their fruits you will recognize them.  One who refuses to repent from obvious sin should be treated as an unbeliever.  In other words, they need to hear the gospel.  Repentance, faith, trust in Christ, confession of sin, and walking in grace and truth should be lovingly proclaimed and announced.

Again, more can be said and probably should be said.  This post is getting long, so I will stop for today.  Comments and discussion are always welcome!

Why we feel separation from God

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save;

Neither is His ear so dull that it cannot hear.

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,

and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear." Isa. 59: 1-2

What exactly is Isaiah speaking of in this passage?  I believe for most of my Christian life I would have answered that this is the condition of those apart from Christ.  In other words, those who do not know Jesus as Lord and savior do not have the Lord's ear.  What can you do?  You should take heart that his hand is not too short to save!  No matter who you are.  No matter what you have done.  Jesus can and will answer if you cry out to Him in repentance and faith!  This passage was for unbelievers and it is a call to faith.

Yet, what about those folks who are not believers and they cry out to the Lord for help with an accident or illness, and He answers their prayer?  What about the ways that God miraculously shows up bringing people to faith?  

On the other side, why is that so many Christians feel at different times in their lives that God does not hear them?  They trust in Jesus, what is going on?

Even as I spent time this morning speaking with the Lord in prayer and reading His word, I was struck by these questions.  I know there have been times and even seasons of my life where I wondered where the Lord was.  He just did not seem to hear my prayers for deliverance and my cries against evil.  Other times I did not feel peace even as I prayed for peace in the midst of life's storms.  Why?

One thing I have learned is that God's ways are not my ways.  What I feel and experience in this fallen world does not always match the ideal.  If I am God's child, why do I have such experiences?

I notice I have ended each thought with a question.  I think such questions- some would call them doubts- are helpful and good if they are handled properly.  What I mean is that we must not allow these questions to control our relationship with God.  Sometimes we must ask different questions.  

Instead of "Where are you and why have you not heard me," we should ask, "What are you trying to say?"  We must cling to and declare to our soul the promises of God.  By faith we are declared righteous.  We are His children and He loves us.  Jesus' righteousness is ours by faith.  This world is not all there is but is a shadow of eternal life.  We must meditate upon and believe these truths.

We also need to remember that the second verse of Isaiah 59 is also true.  "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear."

The unbeliever who cries out for help often cries out for mercy.  For a brief moment they confess their inadequacies and need.  They are vulnerable before the living God, and He answers.

The believer stuck in a situation can easily ignore the cry for mercy and instead cry out for justice.  "Lord, bring justice to this situation!  This is so wrong, fix it!"  

Our demand for justice means it must begin with us.  The Lord often uses bad situations to help us grow.  He uses them to point out our self-righteousness, our pride, and our sin tendencies.  When He does so, we should repent and believe!  Cry out for mercy and confess your need for grace.  Such prayers the Lord does not despise.

In other words, a believer is justified or declared righteous in the sight of God by faith.  From the moment of first faith, the Lord begins to shape us and transform us by His grace toward our created good.  This process, called sanctification, is achieved through dependent faith.  So, when we depart from dependent faith, the Lord often calls us back to repentance and faith by pointing out our sin to drive us back to Jesus.  We may not want to hear about it, but such a state of repentant faith allows the Lord to hear us!

May you walk in dependent faith throughout this busy and stressful day!

The Problem of Evil for a Good and Holy God

A repost of yesterday's holiday post.  I know many were not in front of their computers yesterday, so I will repost with a different title.  Keep sharing these posts with friends!

This past weekend I had two interesting questions.  The first involved the auto accident just down from my home where two people were killed.  A man driving a mini-van fell asleep at the wheel, crossed the center line, and hit another mini-van head-on.  The result was the death of two local folks in the car doing nothing but driving home.  Why did God allow this to occur?  I think it is more shocking because it happened near the time when school was letting out and many in our church were on that same road.  It could have been us!

The second question involves a young boy in a local town who is transgendered and identifies with being girl instead of a boy.  In the local paper, the lead story was concerning this "heroic" family who fights against the bigoted, ignorant Mainers who question how this anatomical male can be allowed to use the girl's bathroom in Middle school/high school.  As you can see, our paper has a far-left lean in how they set up the article.  The question was asked, "How does a Christian worldview answer the questions of a transgendered person?"  A second question was related in how do we understand the "obvious" tension between what is and what God's word declares as true?

I think there are two ways to look at both of these questions.  First, one can answer them by saying that what is is what is right.  This is the answer of secularism and most of our culture (including many Christians who have adopted this view).  So with the car accident, we have no answer.  Some will attempt to give it a moral application by saying that such events should prompt us to be thankful for our family.  It causes temporary sorrow, but what can we do?

Others will be outraged.  They will argue that as a culture we should do everything we can to help protect people from such evil.  For many this means legislation against "Driving when tired".  It means a political campaign to stop "senseless" behavior.  Of course the man who had the accident was taking his children from Canada to Boston for a family trip.  Was this "senseless"?  How do we judge?  Many of our seemingly well-intentioned laws are direct attempts to answer such questions.  Folks have determined that they will protect society by legislation.  They will change by political force what is, so the evil consequences will not occur again!

Similarly, in the case of the transgendered boy, many argue what is is right.  This boy did not "choose" his sexual identity, therefore what he is is right.  Really?  Evolutionary science argues that humans are sexual beings.  99% of men (the other 1% lie) are often attracted to others sexually.  Should they just act on these impulses?  Is what is right?  

What would happen to society if we acted on these impulses?  For one thing Father's Day would be very confusing!  For another, the entire society would break down.  In fact, this is what we are seeing because social planners have implemented these ideas into our culture.  Marriage, fidelity, and purity are seen as prudish and foolish.  Living together, divorce, and sexual exploration are seen as the normal.  Moreover, since we see such behavior, it must be right!  To argue against such behavior means you are bigot, a racist, and an unenlightened person.

I could say more, but the question was how does a Christian worldview address these questions and tendencies in our culture?  First, we must realize that there are behaviors which are wrong and sinful.  In the article in our local paper, the enlightened, tolerant parents were pitted against a backward, bigoted grandfather who objected to the boy using the girl's restroom saying, "We do not need faggots in our school." (or something like this)  In the judgment of the writer and most posting in response to the article, this man's reaction was harshly judged and condemned.  Is this not declaring his behavior as ultimately and completely wrong and sinful?  Of course it is!  The question is how to judge right from wrong?

Here is where the Christian worldview comes in.  Regardless of whether I think it is wrong, if God declares it so, then it is wrong.  Treating others badly is wrong.  The grandfather should not have said this to the boy.  Is thinking it evil?  Maybe, maybe not.  What about transgendered folks?  What happened here?  

Jesus actually answered the question in John 9.  When presented with a man born blind, he was asked, "Who sinned, this man or his parents?"  Today we would have asked, is this really the result of individual sin?  The boy had no choice.  This is so unfair!  Similarly, with the car accident, we see it was a tragic accident.  The deaths were so unfair!  Ultimately we come to our real objection and question. How could a good and righteous God allow this to happen?!  Are not both of these events proof against a good and righteous God?

Jesus' answer is telling.  "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.  We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9: 3-5

Our world was created good, but it is fallen.  Sin permeates every sphere of experience.  There are still vestiges and glimpses of the created good, but sin is present!  The result of sin is more sin, death, and decay.  Individuals, cultures, and entire institutions are in motion either toward or away from their created good.  Jesus entered into this fallen world to help make all things right.  Ultimately it will be right when sin and death is finally destroyed and the new heavens and new earth emerge!  Until then, we struggle against sin, death, and decay.

Thankfully, Jesus' life, death, and resurrection have overturned sin and death.  His Spirit is at work turning individuals to repentance and faith.  These individuals then continue the work of Jesus to bring light into the darkness.  Hopefully and prayerfully this means the turning of other individuals, cultures and institutions back toward their created good.  Such action is not bigoted but loving.

So, why do accidents happen?  We live in a fallen world.  Thankfully our hearts are made for eternity so this world is not all there is.  I do not know the why and neither does anyone else.  I do know that God can work to redeem even tragedy.  Through tragedy love, mercy, and grace are seen.  The key is to not allow tragedy to turn one bitter and blaming.

So, why do people express transgendered tendencies?  We live in a fallen world.  Even our healthy and natural sexual appetites can be twisted and perverted from their created good.  Like all of us, transgendered folks need love and grace!  No one is beyond the power of Jesus to be changed toward their created good.  Healing and restoration are possible.  

I could say more, but I will leave it here.  What do you think?