The Law, Expectations, Anxiety, and the Gospel

Yesterday I wrote about how my life expectations were merely another form of the law.  In particular, I argued that these expectations make me miserable and they do not have the power to grant me joy.  Instead, joy is found as we talk in trust and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ allowing Him to use us as He wills.

I did not realize it until reading this week's posts that I have been on an extended tangent concerning the law, expectations, and ministry.  Today I wish to continue this discussion by drawing my attention to Galatians 3: 15-22.

In this passage and within the context of the passage, Paul insists that the Law is always secondary to grace.  As I see it, Paul argues that the Law was 1.) added because of transgressions (because it has a restraining feature); 2.) holds us prisoner until the coming of Christ; and 3.) is a tutor or guardian that leads us to Christ by pointing out our failings.  

What does this mean?  I would argue that there is a way that seems right to us as fallen beings.  We believe that if we know the rules and follow the rules, it will go well.  This patterns is how we live.  It is our reality.

Yet, does this pattern that we know and live really give us life?  I would argue from Paul a firm no!

Why?  What does this look like in real life?

Anytime we feel peer-pressure, we are feeling the effects of the law.  Why?  Because peer-pressure is a cultural law that all of us feel, but from which none of us truly gain life.  Instead, peer-pressure makes us miserable by proving us to be "not quite with it" or miserable because we are self-righteous bullies who look down on those who do not make the grade.

How would Paul put this?  He argues "if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law." (Gal. 3:21)  I think one reason why depression and anxiety are such an epidemic today is because our cultural standards produce and induce death with us.  We feel the "peer-pressure" and we know we do not make the grade.

This includes our work life, our home life, our thoughts about ourselves, our thoughts about others, and how we view God in light of how well He meets our desires.

Again I turn to Paul Zahn who wrote about this very same point.  As he states,

The commandment of God that we honor our father and mother is no different in impact, for example, than the commandment of fashion that a woman be beautiful or the commandment of culture that a man be boldly decisive and at the same time utterly tender.

Take the idea that a man should be decisive as well as outwardly expressive of his feelings, or that he should lead and be the passive sidekick for a strong woman.  You may be thinking that this trivializes law by equating it with ever-changing, culturally conditioned "laws."  But I am saying that they are the same thing.

How is this possible?  How can Sinai law, with its ennobling demand for personal and social rectitude, be equated with the world of fashion or the world of psycho-sexual politics?  But that is my point: they function exactly the same way in human experience.  Men become bowed down and paralyzed in fact by demands from the other half of the human race, and women are utterly freighted by the conflicting demands to be a perfect professional and the mother of dazzling children.  The weight of these laws is the same as the weight of the sublime moral law.  Law, whether biblical and universally stated or contextual and contemporarily phrased, operates in one way.  Law reduces its object, the human person, to despair.

This theology of everyday life makes no distinction between the law of God and the laws of human interaction individually felt and socially expressed.  Law and laws constitute a unity in their effect!

Why is this idea resisted?  It is resisted because it brings the faith of Christians too close to home.  If the demand of God has to do directly with the subduing and depressing demands of one's faith or mother, or the guilt one feels in relation to one's siblings, or the high pressures of a job or a boss, then this Christianity might actually touch somebody.  It might actually relate to people.  Someone near me commented about a devout evangelical Christian in her family: "She is wholly sold out to the gospel just so long as it doesn't come anywhere near her real life." 

Grace in Practice, 29

How do we escape the despair of the law or Law?  Most try to ignore it, or they try to make themselves out to be better than they really are.  I firmly believe such efforts are fallen human foolishness!  All these attempts do is make us psychologically fractured, self-righteous, and self-deluded.  It is time we get off this false treadmill.

How?

Believe the gospel.  Armed with God's grace, confess that you have sinned against God by violating the Law.  Confess to God, yourself and others that you cannot keep the laws of "proper" society.  Repent and believe!

Jesus Christ is the substitutionary atonement for sinners like us.  He came to fulfill the Law and law (Matthew 5:17), and He did so perfectly.  In the process, by His grace, we have fulfilled the Law and laws!  "Do we then overthrow the law by this faith?  By no means!  On the contrary, we uphold the law." (Romans 3:31)

If believers in Christ would just believe this truth!  Our feelings of guilt are real because we are law breakers everyday.  How should we handle these feelings?  Repent and believe!  Cling all the more to Jesus.  Our "trying harder" or our insisting on living in guilt leaves us disconnected from the power source of the Christian life- the Holy Spirit who comes in response to our repentance and faith.

May the Lord bless us with joy as you reflect upon Christ's love for us and His work for us in fulfilling the Law.  May despair, guilt, and self-effort/self-righteousness fall away as the Lord leads us to repentance and faith. 

Expectations, the law, and the Spirit

"Because through Jesus Christ the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Romans 8:2

This past week we enjoyed a wonderful time of ministry at First Seattle.  We had our first "Youth Extravaganza."  We used this term because I like the word extravaganza.  In reality, it was a short three day VBS that had a Western theme.

This Youth event was an attempt to jump start our ministry to families that I feel has not been as intentional or as extensive as it could have been.  Like many established churches, we do not have many (enough?) young families and our congregation is getting older.  Thus, I proposed a year ago that we try this type of event at the end of August to help us gear up for a more focused family ministry plan this fall.

I say all of that as background so you understand today's point.  I have been working with folks and attempting to prepare for this event for many months.  I had a goal in mind that we would have 40-60 kids.  I thought this would be a good number to start.  I prayed much for this event and this number of children.  

On Thursday, the first day of the event, we had around 20 kids.  We had enough volunteers to man all our stations, and I have to confess that everything went as I planned and hoped.  The gospel went forth well.  The kids had a great time.  We even had two or three new families join us.

Yet, this number of kids did not meet my expectations.  I went home disappointed.

That next morning, I awoke early to meet with my God in prayer and His Word.  I talked with Him about our lack of kids.  I prayed about it.  I felt such encouragement from the Spirit that the YE was going great.  I felt like He was saying, "Well done."  I felt assured that I had done everything I could to bring the gospel to these children, and now God was at work.

Yet, what about my expectations?  What about my prayer for more children?

On Friday, we did have some more kids.  We also had some new families who have never been to our church join us.  On Saturday, we had a carnival and meal for the families and kids.  Again, several new families joined us.  Overall, we had at least four or five completely non-churched families join us over the three days.

Yet, what about my prayers and expectation for 60 kids?  We were well short of this total.

After it was all done, I had two families from our church share that this was the best church event that they had ever attended.  They thought it was better than the big event VBSs of any other church.  They shared how much their children just loved it!  The music, the fellowship with others, the messages, the schedule.  All of it worked.

Another person who had served as a team leader for six or eight kids shared how one new girl asked her, "What is this pray you are you talking about?  What is pray?"  The team leader shared that praying is talking to God.  Later that evening when we asked the question for the day, "Who is this Jesus?" this same girl yelled out, "He is God!"

In other words, God was at work doing what He does best.  He was drawing people to Himself.  He was working behind the scenes and through our efforts.  He was blessing us!

How often do I have such expectation for what God should do that I miss enjoying what God is actually doing!!!?

My expectations are often merely another form of the Law.  They are my expectations of how I think the world should be.  They are my beliefs about my importance, my plans, my destiny, my life.

The problem is that they also often do not match what God plans for me, for the future, and for how He will build His kingdom!  All these expectations do is condemn me.  They make me miserable.  They place the law of sin and death squarely upon my shoulders.

As I move into the fall, I hope to enjoy what God is doing more.  I want to know the law of the Spirit of life.  I want to partner with Him instead of asking Him to be my co-pilot.  Truly He needs to fly this machine and I am merely blessed to ride along!  

I wish to ride the winds of the Spirit instead of trusting in work of my law.  I bet I will enjoy life and ministry much more if He grants me the grace to do this.  How about you?

  

The Law as our Tutor

I am so blessed with many inquisitive friends and parishioners who are not afraid to ask good questions.    Most of the time I answer these questions with conversation or a private e-mail.  Today, I wish to answer a question by public post.  Why?  It is a good question that gets to heart of the gospel!

The following is a long quotation from an e-mail I received late last week.  It reads:

 I hope that the following points of vagueness on my part are due to the translations or the wording, but I'm afraid it may just be I am thick in the head sometimes! Ha!

The first portion of text that is tripping me up a bit is Galatians 2:17-21 which I reproduce for your own convenience from the ESV:

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.  Gal 2: 17-21

When Paul here asks about Christ being a servant of sin if those who believe are found to be sinners, what does he mean? It seems strange that some would think Christ is a "servant (minister HCSB) of sin" because those who believe in him sin! Did these folks believe in an early form of holiness doctrine, where once you converted you needed to live perfectly? I can somewhat understand this in context, if Paul is countering a potential claim of the Judaizers that you had to follow the law, presumably perfectly, once you believed in Christ. This seems to fit his response as well, as he puts the guilt of sin squarely on the transgressor. 

He then says, "Through the law I died to the law...". What does he mean here? Is he referring to Christ fulfilling the Law one our behalf, thereby freeing us from it by operating and fulfilling it from within? This would fit the later context of chapter 4:4, where he says Christ was born "under the law, to redeem those who were under the law...". 

Further, when he says, "the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God..", is he here referring to that conflict of the flesh and Spirit, whereby we still struggle with the flesh in our mortal bodies but live by faith in Christ that were are justified and forgiven? This seems to make sense, as he goes on to say that we do not nullify the grace of God with out sin, because sin is aroused and seen by the Law, but we are set free from the Law (vs. 21). Therefore, even though we continue to sin, we remain justified because it is by Christ's live and work, not our own works of the Law, that justify us? 

The first and most important rule of interpretation is that context determines meaning.  I know this idea sounds old-fashioned for those raised in reader-response postmodernism.  I don't care.  This whole movement of thought is at least 90% wrong.  

We do bring our own bias to the reading (that's the 10% correct), but we come to a text to understand what the author intended.  The author wrote for a purpose.  Understanding this purpose helps us understand what the author is saying.  Honestly, this should not be that difficult to understand. If it were not true, we would never write or even speak in an attempt to communicate!

Anyway, Paul's argument begins a paragraph before and it runs through the next two chapters.  What is his point?  "By the works of the law no one will be justified." (Gal. 2:16)  Thus, Jew and Gentile alike are justified by faith.  Faith is the instrument that God works to bring salvation.  It always has been, and it always will be.

What does this mean in the life of a believer?  Here is Paul's point in this passage.  Paul is writing briefly about Christian experience.  He is writing to a group that is deeply confused.  They have "begun by faith, but are now being perfected by the flesh." (Gal. 3:3).  Paul does not believe this perfection by the flesh/law/self-effort is possible.  

Paul believes we must be justified by faith and we must live by faith.

Why?  Human experience.  Believers and unbelievers alike struggle with sin.  When the law is correctly applied to our life, it does not bring freedom and joy.  Instead it brings condemnation, doubt, and death.  In our fallen world, the Law always proves us to be sinners.  Thus, before a Holy God we are dead meat!

What should be our response?  Repentance and faith in Christ.  When confronted with our sin, we should not attempt to lessen the reality of our need by explaining away God's holiness or by emphasizing our good intentions.  We need to be honest!  We are guilty before God and we need help.

This help comes from Jesus Christ who "was born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." (Gal. 4: 2-3)

What Paul is emphasizing in this passage is the entry way into our new life.  He is emphasizing the importance of conversion by faith in Christ.  This conversion is entered into by repentance and faith.  When we believe, the old self is crucified with Christ, and we are raised again in a spiritual sense with Christ.

This act of conversion through repentance and faith is just the beginning of a new life-style.  Those who were throwing the Galatians into confusion denied this life-style.  They maintained that we are justified by faith, but we grow by a now "correct application" of the Law.  Paul teaches that this is nonsense.  

In Paul's mind, God works through and by faith.  Faith allows us to be honest that we often fall to obey the law.  Thus, faith leads us to repentance and repentance leads us to faith.  In this way, the Law is our tutor/guardian that leads us to Christ. (Gal. 3:24  Not a huge fan of the ESV translation here)

So how do we live this life in Christ?  By faith.  It is started by faith and it continues by faith.  While walking in faith, I often find I am a law-breaker.  This does not nullify the truth in Christ!  In fact, it confirms that I need Jesus.

I think this great question has the right pieces, but they are not quite in the right order.  The context of the book gives us Paul's primary point in writing.  He wants the Galatians and us to know that we are redeemed and rescued by applying Christ's finished work through repentance and faith.  He also wants us to know that the entire life as a believer must be lived by that same repentance and faith.

In what do you trust to find your joy, satisfaction, and motivation in life?  Are you formed by conscience repentance and faith or have you "grown" past that stage?  According to Paul, we never grow past that stage!  If you understand this perspective, you will understand the argument contained within the book of Galatians.

A Second Counterfeit: The Judgmentless Gospel

What is the gospel?  In my post on August 14, I provided a template for understanding the gospel borrowed from Trevin Wax's The Counterfeit Gospels.  He argues that the gospel is like a three legged stool in that it has three distinct elements and if any of the elements is missing the stool will fall.

As he presents it, these three gospel legs include the gospel story, the gospel announcement, and the gospel community.  Each of these elements are vital for maintaining the truth of the gospel.  Each of these elements are often forgotten, lost, or ignored by segments of the "Christian community."  I think one of the most helpful elements of Wax's book is his take on how these gospel legs are ignored and forgotten.

For example, on August 19, I posted briefly about Wax's first gospel counterfeit, which he calls 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?

There are several popular forms of this counterfeit.  Today, as with every age of the Church, some professing believers claim that everyone is going to heaven.  This belief is nothing more than the old Protestant heresy of universalism.  Wax writes to warn us that this belief is still alive and well. 

Another form of the judgmentless gospel is a bit more pernicious.  This form argues that social action is the real goal of Christianity.  In other words, what is really important is not the afterlife, but our mission in life.  This point is somewhat true (James does say that faith without works in dead!), 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 200 years!  

In fact, as I see it, 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 moralistic 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!  

In other words, if we give up the message of the gospel story, we lose our entire message.  Christianity is founded upon a revolutionary message that includes the gospel story, the gospel announcement, and the gospel community.  We must keep all three in balance to maintain "the faith handed down once for all."

Gaining Wisdom 101

"Prepare plans by consultation,

and make war by wise guidance" 

Proverbs 20:19

Have you met anyone who is a fool recently?  Have you been the fool?  I know that much of my life, I have been a fool.  All to often I have had to learn the hard way (by personal painful experience).  How about you?

How do we gain wisdom?  If we listen, I think life does a really good job of teaching us.  Yet, I know many folks who lack self-awareness and live a life lacking any reflective ability.  These folks have many teachable moments and events that pass them by like a speeding car because they do not have eyes to see or ears to hear God trying to break into their life!  

The Lord desires to give us wisdom.  How do we get this wisdom?  We must learn how to hear the voice of God.

How do we do hear God's still small voice?  

First and foremost, we need to saturate our life in the Word of God and prayer.  The Word of God is His revealed will for us.  It contains His perfect guidance on life and practice in this world.  If we do not know it, we will often stumble through life like blind men without any guidance.  

Notice I added prayer as part of the first step to gaining wisdom.  Why?  Prayer is a learned discipline.  It is learning how to communicate with God.  Notice I said communicate!  It is not just us bringing a laundry list of requests.  It is also listening.  How do we do this?  I find it is best to talk with God with His Word open in my lap so as I read, God can impress upon my spirit what I need to know or remember.  

How does this work?  Well, sometimes I am dealing with a particular issue- let's say someone who is hard to deal with.  Let's say they were just plain ornery to me!  I cannot understand why they are difficult.  As I am praying about the situation and reading in the Psalms, I will run into a passage on the "wrath of my enemies."  It is like a light coming on!  The Lord impresses upon my spirit that this person is angry.  I pray for them.  As I pray the Lord guides me to pray for their work situation.  As I talk with the person over the next few weeks, I ask, "How's it going at work?"  They tell me about the unfair treatment they are receiving from their boss.  See, the issue wasn't that they were mad at me.  They were struggling.  If I had not taken time to pray about it with the Word of God open, I might have handled it in a totally different manner!

It seems to me that we rarely have the same situation twice.  Yet, we have God's principles and Word that are eternal.  Taking what we know, or what we should know, and applying it is the heart of wisdom.  

What happens when we mess things us?  Please understand that such times need to be times of learning, not times to merely beat ourselves up for being stupid!  Repent, talk with God about with the scriptures open, reflect on what went wrong, and ask for wisdom on living the truth better next time.  There is also no reason to hide from God or to think we need to do some form of "penance" before we can be right with God again.  Repent quickly, believe the gospel, and move on!

A second way to gain wisdom is to find wise people to ask for advice.  In fact, I often hear the voice of the Lord through the mouthpiece of others.  Sometimes, God's wisdom even comes from and through those who are not so wise!  

How?  What I do is try to listen.  Boy is this hard for those of us who like to talk.  It has taken years for me to learn how to do this.  As I listen, I pray for wisdom and the person I am listening to.  I often find that people will say something that brings to mind my thoughts from earlier in the day or week.  They might clarify what I was reading and thinking about from God's word.  Yet, when I hear it, I just seem to know it is the Spirit of God speaking through these folks.

One word of caution, though I could give many.  All to often, listening to wise people is a step which we in the West have particular struggles.  We are so individualistic that we shy away from asking for advice, particularly from people that are wise!  Even if we get it, some of us are so prideful that we will not take it because we did not come up with it ourselves.  In the past few years, I have heard this reasoning more times than I care to mention.  Remember, if the Lord can speak through a donkey, He can use anyone to speak His will! (Numbers 22:28)

We need to know that God has granted some people a special degree of wisdom.  They can cut to the heart of the matter and help us see what we need to do.  As individuals and churches, we need to locate and encourage these people for leadership!  We should search them out and inquire of their opinions.  Make sure they can explain what they are advising as coming from Biblical principles.  Then listen and try to implement what they recommend.  If we do, even the unreflective among us can walk in wisdom (if we will just listen!).

May the Lord help us to grow in grace and wisdom!

The Spiritual Battle Dimension of Outreach

"Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Matt. 16:18

While the New Testament states unequivocally that Christ totally defeated the powers of darkness in his atoning work, it also makes clear that the results of this victory still remain to be worked out through the increasing liberation of the earth from the occupying army of hostile spirits.  Jesus told his disciples, "I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the powers of the enemy and nothing shall hurt you." (Lk 10:19)  It is actually the risen Lord who is striding forth through his body on earth, striking the forces of darkness with the two-edged sword of truth, driving them back and chaining their influence among the nations through the transforming power of the gospel.  Paul tells the Roman Christians, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom 16:20).  In folk religion the posture of the Christian toward fallen angels is defensive; in Scripture the church is on the offensive, and the blows it receives from Satan come from a retreating enemy.

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of the Spiritual Life, 136.

"Why can't we reach out to the people around us?  Why don't people seem interested in the gospel?"

I have heard both of these questions asked numerous times in the past month.  As I hear it, I always struggle to come up with an answer.  There are always many, many reasons why our evangelism and outreach is in effective.  Sometimes our message is not presented clearly.  Sometimes our cultural baggage gets in the way of reach those outside our culture.  Sometimes outreach does not occur because people talk about it, but do not do it (OK this one happens often!).  It could be a combination of all these things.

Yet, sometimes outreach to the searching gets lost because folks have not taken the spiritual dimension of evangelism to heart.

We are in a battle.  There are shots rings out, bullets flying over our heads, and real conflict in front of us.  Because most believers do not believe this or live like it is true, those who take ministry, evangelism, and outreach seriously often get wounded in this battle.  Unfortunately, they have few who will assist them with their real needs- prayer, fasting, encouragement, and instruction.

When you repent and believe in Jesus, you enter a whole new realm of existence.  The spiritual, while always present, becomes more real.  Why?  Before faith you were totally captured and bound by the world, the flesh and the devil.  When faith comes by the Holy Spirit, you are set free by a changed heart.  Now, your life is marked by a constant choice.  Will I follow the leading of the Spirit and walk with God or will I follow the still indwelling flesh that love the sin and death of this world and that listens all to often to the temptations of the evil one.  Thus the battle begins in earnest within us!

This is as far as most believers get in their understanding of the work of Christ.  It is all about me and my walk.  We know our struggles.  We rejoice in our victories.  Yet, there is so much more!  In fact, this inward focus is the cause of most critiques against modern evangelical expressions of Christianity.

While Jesus loves you, His work was really not for you alone!  He has called you to join his army.  He has called you to take the light He put into your heart to others.  He has called and. believe it or not, equipped you to be salt and light wherever He leads you.

Here is where many believers miss the power of the gospel in their life and ministry.  As you go forth proclaiming what Christ has done, you will experience difficulty, opposition, anger, and unforeseen road blocks.  This will happen!  I will also say that if you pray it through and continue in outreach, you will also experience incredible joy, power, personal growth, and people will come to know Jesus.  This will happen!

Jesus encountered opposition to His ministry.  The apostles encountered opposition to their ministry.  All believers throughout the history of the Church encounter opposition.  Yet, all who preservere also see the Kingdom advance through their witness.  

"The gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church."

These folks understood that life, gospel-power, and the Holy Spirit are on always on the offensive.  The true Church will be attacking the gates of hell.  The enemy must  retreat before the glorious Son of God!  In His name, we will be demanding the release of prisoners.  In His name, we will be asking that the blind regain their sight.  Always, always, always, it is not us doing it, but Jesus working through us to build His Church.

We are in a battle.  We need to realize this.  We also need to find others who understand the full dimensions of this struggle.  We need their prayer, encouragement, instruction, and advice.  We also need them to join us in praise to God when He works "abundantly beyond all that we can imagine or think, according to His power that is at work within us." (Eph. 3:20)

The First Counterfeit: The therapeutic gospel

What is the best method of spotting counterfeit money?

I can assure you it is not our current practice of having every sales clerk swipe a pen across every bill that passes by them.  While this might catch some bad counterfeiters, it does not catch the truly sophisticated folks.  I think it catches those who have been passed fake money, but the big time counterfeiter would never be so stupid to get caught in this manner!

No, the best way to spot counterfeit money is to spend hours looking at and studying real ones.

I never had this training, but I am told that to those who have looked at and studied a real $20 or $50 bill for hours can immediately spot a counterfeit even if it looks and feels good to the average eye.

I think this same principle applies to understanding and spot true from false theological ideas.  The best way to spot a counterfeit idea is to take a look at the gospel for long periods of time.  We should study it intently and allow its shape, texture, and form penetrate deeply within our mind, heart, and soul.

When one knows the true, life-transforming gospel, fakes look cheap and unappealing!

In my humble opinion, the problem is that many professing Christians have not had the opportunity to study and know the real gospel.  Why?  Because our theology is shallow, pragmatic, and not truly biblical.  Unknowingly, many of us have settled for cheap imitations of the real gospel.

What is the result?

As a Church, we have lost our prophetic witness.  As individuals, we do not know how to grow in grace and godliness.  In other words, "we have a form of godliness, but we deny its power." (2 Tim 3:5)

What is one such cheap imitation that keeps us from believing and knowing the true gospel?

Trevin Wax calls it the therapeutic gospel.

This imitation gospel has many forms, but all of its forms revolve around me as as individual.  It makes the faith about making me happy and fulfilled as the highest goal in life.

Why is this so appealing?

Because our fallen state leaves us feeling and knowing that something is missing.  We so desperately want peace, security, love, wholeness, and happiness.  Of course God must want this too!

So what is so wrong about these desires?  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."   The problem is most apparent when we make God 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 purpose 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 the gospel counterfeit is particularly appealing anywhere in the world that has been influenced by rampant consumerism. In fact, most of us who have the means to read this blog 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 the real gospel in great detail.  Find a local church body that is dedicated to it.  Ask the HS to change your heart so that you deeply desire God's glory more than your own.

In other words, grow up as a believer and pursue maturity!  How?  Walk in true repentance and faith.

Why Economic Systems Fail...

I found this post extremely interesting.  The writer is not writing from a Christian worldview, but he is arguing clearly for why economic theories do not work perfectly because of the fall of humanity.  I will add () and comments where he does this.  

I know some of you do not like economic talk on this blog site concerning authentic spirituality and grace.  I am not sorry, as economic life issues from the condition of our hearts.  In fact, Jesus talked more about money and its relationship to the individual than he did any other subject!  

Why?

Show me your checkbook and I will show you your priorities.  We spend our resources on what we see as important.  Governments/people in power do the same but on a larger scale.  That being said, enjoy these astute observations!

Submitted by Charles Hugh-Smith of OfTwoMinds blog, Found on Zero Hedge 8/17/13.

Although economics doesn't recognize it, the operative phrase here is systemic injustice.

 

Correspondent C.G.D. recently asked what I consider a very profound question: why isn't there demonstrably correct economic theory?

 

"My wife has asked me a 'simple' question that I can not answer. After 2000 years, why do we not know which economic theory is correct: Keynesian or Hayek-Friedman? Surely, there is a demonstrably, statistically correct answer."

Let's add Marxism to the short list of contenders, and then consider why we have cargo-cult faiths (Keynesianism) instead of demonstrably correct models of economic behavior.

 

Many others have noted the obvious, that economics is a pseudo-science rather than a real science: beneath the fancy quantification and math, economics is fundamentally the study of human behavior, and that complex mix of dynamics cannot be reduced to a tidy model that spits out accurate predictions.  (Why?  Because we are created good and we have an innate desire for perfection.  Yet, we are fallen and we work contrary to our created desires)

 

One key element of science is that the results must be reproducible, that is, the same experiment/conditions should yield the same results time and again. I suspect that economic models are not applicable across all times and situations; a model might "work" in one era and in a very specific set of circumstances, but fail in another era or in a similar set of circumstances.

 

Since human behavior is based in culture as well as in naturally selected (genetically driven) behavior, then cultural milieus and values obviously play critical roles in shaping economic behaviors.  (True, but not the whole story.  Fallen human will pollutes and inhabits all cultures.  Each culture might have different forms of sin that dominate, but they all end up in the same place: selfishness rules and power corrupts)

 

So presenting an economic model as "scientific" and quantifiable is in effect claiming that the bubbling stew of human culture can be reduced to quantifiable models that will yield predictions that are accurate in the real world. This is clearly false, as culture is not a static set of objects, it is a constantly shifting interplay of feedback loops.

 

This helps explain why human behavior is so unpredictable. Virtually no one successfully predicted World War I in 1909, and no one predicted the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1985.

 

Another reason all economic theories fail as scientifically verifiable models is that economics boils down to a very simple dynamic: those in power issue financial claims on resources as a "shortcut" way of gaining control of the resources without actually having to produce the resources or earn the wealth via labor and innovation.

 

I think this is the one fundamental dynamic of economics, and it does not lend itself to reductionist models.  (Again, notice how people in power use their power to take from others.  Why?  Because they are sinful beings who are fallen and thus selfish)

 

We can understand this dynamic by stripping down the process of expropriation to its basics.

 

In the bad old days of rampaging hordes and empires, those in power simply took what resources and wealth they wanted after defeating the defending army: gold, women, wine, etc. were simply grabbed by the conquerors and hauled off.

 

The advent of finance enabled new and less overt forms of expropriation. Let's say that three traders enter a great trading fair seeking to buy goods to sell elsewhere for a fat profit. That is, after all, the purpose of the fair: to enable buyers and sellers to mutually profit.

 

One trader uses the time-honored method of letters of credit: he buys and sells during the fair by exchanging letters of credit which are settled at the end of the fair via payment of balances due with gold or silver.

 

Ultimately, the trader's purchases are limited by the amount of silver/gold (i.e. real money) he possesses.

 

Trader #2 has access to leveraged credit, meaning that he has borrowed 100 units of gold with a mere 10 units of gold and the promise of paying interest on the borrowed 90 units.

 

This trader can buy 10 times more goods than Trader #1, and thus reap 10 times more profit. After paying 10% in interest, Trader #2 reaps 9 times more profit based on the credit-based expansion of his claim on resources.

 

The issuance of paper money is an even more astonishing shortcut claim on real-world resources. Trader #3 brings a printing press to the fair and prints off "money" which is a claim on resources. The paper is intrinsically worthless, but if sellers at the fair accept its claimed value, then they exchange real resources for this claim of value.

 

Needless to say, those with access to leveraged credit and the issuance of fiat money have the power to make claims on resources without actually having produced anything of value or earned tangible forms of wealth.

 

Those with political power and wealth naturally have monopolies on the issuance of credit and paper money, as these enable the acquisition of real wealth without actually having to produce or earn the wealth.

 

This system is intrinsically unstable, as the financial claims of credit and fiat money on limited real-world resources and wealth eventually far exceed real-world resources, and the system of claims collapses in a heap. Though this end-state can easily be predicted, the actual moment of collapse is not predictable, as those holding power have a vast menu of ways to mask their expropriation and keep the game going.

 

To fill out the menu, just list every program and press release over the past five years of financial legerdemain from the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan and the Chinese state banks. They all boil down to enforcing the claims of unearned wealth, i.e. freshly issued credit and currency, on real-world resources.

 

Although economics doesn't recognize it, the operative phrase here is systemic injustice.  (This is the condition of our fallen world!  The Church is to prophetically announce and seek to help transform the systemic injustice.  Unfortunately, when the church becomes part of the system it lacks the ability to be that prophetic source of truth.  This can happen whether someone is conservative or progressive/liberal)

Reconnecting Prayer

"My heart is steadfast, O God; 

I will sing and make music with all my soul.

Awake, harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, higher than the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

and let your glory be over all the earth." 

Ps. 108: 1-5

It has been one of those weeks.  In fact, it has been one of those months!  After a fairly quiet end of June and July, the month of August heats up greatly as a new ministry year starts.  Next week we have our first Youth Extravaganza.  It looks like there will be many details to pull together.  It will be a great week of ministry, but I grow excited and weary just thinking about it!

Last night we had our monthly prayer and praise service.  I did something different.  It was a time of prayer, but not guided too much.  There was a bit of music, but the focus was on meeting with God, bearing the burdens for others, and taking some time to relax in the presence of the Lord.  I know I needed it!

Why?

Because I was working in my flesh.  I was focused on the many tasks at hand and not upon God.  While I know and affirm that Prayer is the work of ministry, I lost connection with the source of all power.  Here was my reality.  I allowed myself to lose focus and direction.  This does not mean that I was not praying.  In fact, my mind was going non stop!  The problem is that my heart drifts away from resting in God's hands and presence.

Is there a distinction between praying with my heart and praying with my mind?  I think so.  The problem is how to explain it!

Prayers of my mind come all the time.  As I am walking through life, I notice things around me and I speak with God about them.  I find I often pray about my life, my family, my ministry, and my needs.  Notice how often "my" is in there!  I also pray for people I know and think about.  What I find interesting is that with these prayers I can move through life without really engaging with my God.  In my arrogance, I am informing God about His universe.

Now, this is not the worst thing in the world.  There was a time when God did not enter into my perspective on anything.  These prayers of my mind show me that God has penetrated my thoughts and worldview.  I am thankful that I often pray in this manner!  Still, there is something more if I really want to grow in depth as a person, a believer, and a servant of the Lord.

Growing deeper in Christ is what I am pondering this morning.  When my heart informs my mind, prayer is powerful, effective, and life-changing.  When my mind tries to change my heart, it seems to seldom work as I intend.  In fact, it can become rote and boring.  In my opinion, the only life-changing power that can transform our tendency toward rote, dry prayer is what I am calling the prayer of the heart.

Notice in today's Psalm, "I will sing and make music with all of my soul."  Here the Psalmist is speaking of the core of his being, what can be called both our heart or our soul.  He is affirming that he is praising God from the core of his being.

Many of us in the West misunderstand the importance of this concept.  We believe that we make up our mind, and then act according to our decision.  This presupposes our mind is free and clear to make rational choices.

The biblical understanding is different.  It argues that from the heart flows the life that empowers all we do.  It is the seat of will or volition.  It is the core of our being.  It is what informs our mind, shapes our thoughts, and ultimately determines our actions.  As Jesus encourages and warns us in Luke 6: 45 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil out of the evil stored in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."  

The Psalmist is using the tool of music to bring his heart or soul into praise of God.  How does he do this?  By focusing his whole being on the love and faithfulness of God.  In other words, but focusing upon the truth of the gospel and allowing it to penetrate deeply within his heart.

I believe the only thing that can change our rebellious and hard hearts is love.  It is a powerful and intoxicating motivator between us as individuals, and it is even more powerful and intoxicating when we find ourselves falling in love with Christ.  When we know in the core of our being the love of God, it changes us.  It prompts our love for God.  It transforms our decision making.  It drives us to ministry and service not out of fear, but out of thanksgiving for God's love for us.  We find ourselves affirming, "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth!"

So, how do we enter into this prayer of the heart?

Ask God for it.  Repent of our self-effort and the sin that we often prefer to God's presence.  Ask for mercy and love to transform you.  Ask that He would allow you to pray with your whole being.  As you do these things, the Holy Spirit will begin to teach you as your ask.  Find others who have walked this journey before you and ask them for advice.  Read the Psalms reflectively, slowly, and with a listening ear.  Do not give up into the gospel penetrates deep within your heart.

There is so much more to say, but I repent of my desire to say it!  Please begin to pray from the heart.  The following is a sample, though shallow prayer to give an example. 

Lord, forgive me for the busyness of my mind and scattered nature of my thoughts.  

       Father, You are with me.

Lord, have mercy upon me as I need your love more than all I think will bring me life.  

       Christ have mercy. 

Lord, lead me to meet with you and transform me by your love.

       Holy Spirit lead me to know you and to meet with you.

What is the Gospel?

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..."

Romans 1:16

There is no idea more central to the NT than the importance of the gospel.  It is the "good news" of Jesus.  It is the message of Jesus and the message of the Church.

I sure wish it was that easy!  Won't it be great if everyone knew and understood what the gospel is, what it means, and how to proclaim it?  I am saddened that even within my peer group (pastors) there is great confusion and disagreement about what the gospel is all about.

Why is this the case?  It requires accurate and good exegesis (interpretation) of the bible to understand the gospel.  In the West today, particularly in America, there is very little tolerance for learning how to interpret the bible and even less for engaging in sustained theological thought.  I say this to our shame.  Instead of reflection we love expediency and "usefulness."

Somehow we have missed the reality that there is nothing more useful than deep reflection and knowledge of scripture!  The bible is like every complex book and object of study.  Some parts of it are hard to understand unless you understand its central themes and ideas.  Yet, the themes and ideas can only be grasped as someone struggles to understand all of scripture, including the difficult parts.

Today, I wish to move toward a definition of the most important concept in all of scripture: the gospel of Jesus Christ.  What is it?  How does it explain the entirety of scripture?

To help with this definition, I will look at Trevin Wax's Counterfeit Gospels as a guide.  While I do not write and think exactly like Wax, I am glad he has done to leg work on moving toward a definition.

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. 

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.

While this is the definition of the gospel, Wax argues for the importance of the gospel by illustrating how six false gospel definitions, what he calls counterfeits, each deny one of the legs of the stool.  These counterfeits might even be orthodox in two of the three legs, but by denying one central truth they cause the stool to fall.

Experiencing the Nearness of God

"This extra 'glimpse of God' is what most of us crave.  With any experience of God's nearness comes all the blessings of God's divine nature: renewal, power to change, deliverance, comfort, joy, and peace.  It is no coincidence that these are the very things for which the world is longing and searching." Sally Morgenthaler, Worship Evangelism, 97-98.

Monday, bloody Monday.  I know the feeling of Monday morning is coming after a busy Sunday, but I am always amazed at the weariness Monday morning brings as I serve as a pastor.  It is unlike anything I ever experienced as a professor, a teacher, or any other occupation.  I am glad to know that I am not alone, as many other pastors have expressed feeling the same way.  Thankfully, I schedule to work, but I plan to work slowly on every Monday!

What do you think about the quote at the top of the page?

Morgenthaler's argument is that worship should bring us to this place.  If it does, it is attractive to both believers and unbelievers.  The question we should ask is whether people come in contact with the living God while in worship.  Personally, I think this is a great question.

I have served at churches and I prayerfully am leading First to be a place where everyone- long-time attenders, visitors, new believers, skeptics, and anyone who walks through the door- experience the presence of God in worship each week.  

Why?  Because this is our greatest human need and longing!

I know I am going against "popular" Christian thought, but I believe on the evidence of scripture and creation that experiencing and enjoying God's presence is our greatest need.  Of course, the only way to truly enjoy the presence of God is to know Jesus Christ as one's savior and Lord.  Yet, unbelievers can "taste" the presence of God even though they cannot understand it when the Spirit is moving.

In other words, worship is vital to a healthy Christian life because it should lead us into the presence of God.

So, what if we take these thoughts in a different direction.

We long for the grace of God and thus His presence.  We know we need it.  Why don't more of us figure out how to achieve this?  Why don't we give everything we have to be in the presence of God?  

I think we need more "believers" to come into the presence of God.  I believe that tasting the mercy of God's life-changing grace drives us to want more.  We know we are lacking something good when we do not have it.  We might substitute other objects, people, sins, experiences for our greater good, but none of these satisfy.  

Why are so many people then satisfied?  Why are so many people, even and particularly believers, not abandoning anything that gets in the way of knowing the grace of God?

Perhaps because many do not know there is something better?  Perhaps because the comfort of religion feels better than the wildness of meeting with God?  Perhaps because our greatest need is true revival?

What do you think?

Growing in Dependence and Grace

"In repentance and rest is your salvation,

in quietness and trust is your strength,

but you would have none of it." 

Isa. 30: 15

How do we grow in our relationship with God?  How do walk in victory in Christ?

On the one hand is the advice of much American Christianity.  Protect yourself!  Be pure!  Be careful!

How does that work for the new convert who is trying to exit a life of worldliness or sin?  How does that work for the religiously self-righteous person who cannot see how their self effort keeps them from trusting God?

What is an example of this teaching?  While I like much that is said in the book, the first few chapters of Mark Bubeck's The Adversary contain such teaching.  The first few chapters explain and magnify what   we must do to keep pure. Without our purity and wisdom, we will fall headlong into the devil's schemes.  These schemes come from the totally corrupt "world system" and many hapless Christians have fallen prey to worldliness thus losing their salvation (23-24).  The last part can only be inferred as he does not come right out and say it, but the context dictates it.

Perhaps the greatest idol of American religion and American Christianity is our fascination with self.  We do not need to be lured by the "world" into a self-centered life because the church and our own flesh does a fine job encouraging it.  Of course if you have an accurate understanding of "the world" that includes all non God-centered thoughts and philosophies as "worldly" such a declaration will not shock you.  You will realize that much of what passes for Biblical religion is really rehashed worldly thought.  Instead of promoting faith and trust, we often promote self-righteous dependence upon our own efforts.

One test of spiritual truth we should teach in every evangelical church: Our life must be God-centered, Christ-centered, and dependent upon the Holy Spirit-centered in its thought and application.

Does my religion promote a trust in myself or a dependence upon God?  Do my religious thoughts promote authentic humility, which is confident trust in God and despair of self, or do they promote self-effort as a means of growth?  These are questions church leaders and each individual Christian should  ask themselves daily as we read God's word and pray each day.

In today's passage from Isaiah, we see God's take on self-centered religion as opposed to authentic spirituality.  On the one side is Israel rejecting God's ways and running off to Egypt for help against her enemies.  To those folks, God declares they will get what they want.  They will trust in Egypt and Egypt will fail them.  

On the other side is that of authentic spirituality.  "In repentance and rest is your salvation."  Repentance means crying out to God for help.  We have the promise that God "longs to have compassion on us."  He will be our teacher if we just repent of our self-effort and rest in Him.  He will change our hearts so that we do not desire sin but His presence and holiness.  As we walk in repentance and faith, the life changing power of God flows!

Furthermore, "In quietness and trust is your strength."  God is able to save from Israel's enemies.  He is able to save us from our natural inclinations toward sin and from the world that activates our desires.  Do we believe it?

I have heard it said often that Christian spirituality believes, "If it is going to be, it is up to me."  Really?  Anything lasting and real must come from God and His work.  We can trust him and quietly depend upon Him.  Such humility is our strength.

So, how do we do it?  How do we "train" ourselves to live this way?

I call it active passivity.  We must actively repent of our self-effort and attempts to control our situation.  Such repentance runs contrary to our sinful nature.  It seems like death to us!  Yet, it is the doorway into true life and into God's power.  We actively repent and believe in what God has done and will do.  This is resting in and under God's righteousness given to us in Christ.  It passively receives Christ's righteousness and power as its own.

Do you long for God's reviving hand in your life?  Do you wish that God's power would flow through you to bring about His kingdom?  Do you desire to see your friends, family, church, and community changed by the power of God?  Repent of self-effort to bring this about and believe the gospel.  Ask that God would open hearts and opportunities.  Rest in His mighty power and love for you and others.  Trust in His love and power.  Actively quiet yourself before Him.  As you do, you will find that you are participating in what God is doing instead of asking Him to bless what you do.

How could a good, all-powerful God allow that to happen?

It has been one of those weeks.  Many meeting with folks, much on my plate, and little time or energy left to write.  I cannot believe it is Wednesday already!  Alas, if idle hands are the devil's toys, I have not had to worry about being his pawn so far this week.

Today I wish to explore a question that drives about 95% of those who claim to be atheists.  If God is all-powerful and all-good, why does evil exist?  Could not God just eliminate it?  Does not our experience show that such a God could not exist?

I will get into these questions by giving two examples from my past pastoral experience.  Both occurred while I lived in Maine.  In one week's time, two jarring incidences occurred.

The first involved an 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 un-enlightened 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 about the boy.  Yet, questioning having an anatomical male in a girl's bathroom in middle school is not complete foolishness.  This is the center of the debate and discussion.  Merely asking the question cannot be out of bounds, but the questions and answers must be given in a respectful manner.

In terms of this boy, I think the more pressing question is how could he be like this?  How could a good and holy God allow this to happen?  After all, he did not choose these desires.

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!

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?