Christian Research and Evangelism

A Walk Through Philippians - #7

2010-03-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. (Philippians 1:12-13, ESV)

This text yanks us out of comfortable, pain-free, easy American evangelicalism and hurls us into prison. Prison. Discomfort. Futility.

God's prison.

God's prison? Yes, that's exactly the way Paul sees his current circumstances. He is not enslaved to meaningless fate nor finding himself forsaken by God. Rather, he knows his trouble is precisely where God would have him be. This is faith clothed in courage, lived out in Paul's everyday situation among the people God has placed him with. God is big enough to guide Paul in trouble and trial for eternal benefit, including the here-and-now. Including the here-and-now of prison. What an irony, that the glory and blessing of the gospel would be worked in the midst of imprisonment. This is from the Lord, and confounds all so-called 'wisdom' of the flesh. It is not the plan we would conceive for furthering the gospel. It is much better than any plan we could imagine, just as the cross is much better than any salvation we could dream up.

How do you draw from a deep well? This text is a deep well of truth. It merits your effort to understand it. Meditate on it. Mull it over. Chew on it. Draw every last fragment of faith-building from it. Why? Why spend your time and your mind considering this little passage? Aren't there better, more successful things you could be doing? This is no theoretical, abstract truth. It is not merely a text. It will be reflected in your life. Are you prepared to clothe faith with courage when trouble comes? Is God big enough to guide you in trouble and trial for eternal benefit, including the here-and-now? Will you see your trials as Paul did, purposed by the loving hand of God? Or will you be crushed by the weight, convinced that God's blessing is demonstrated through riches, beauty, and 'success'? It is my prayer and hope that Paul's imprisonment will be a fountain of faith and courage for you, pointing as it does to our hope: fashioned by the hand of God in Christ, purchased by Christ on the cross, and lead on our path by the Good Shepherd. Trials are not the end of the story, brothers and sisters.

Oh to be used of God to advance the gospel! Can you imagine a higher aspiration for your life than this? Osteen, Copeland, Hinn, and many other preachers spew lies by denying the reality of God's purpose in tribulation. Do not fall for their poison. Ironic again, that slick messengers packaged in expensive suits and toothy veneers obscure the gospel proclaimed clearly by the prisoner Paul. Rather than chase their private jets in the hope that today will be trial-free, pursue the God of Philippians 1:12-13 to bring you to and through trial and trouble to advance the gospel.

Words of Wisdom

2010-03-20T12:08:00.000-05:00

Our fair morning is at hand;
the day star is near the rising;
and we are not many miles from home.
--Samuel Rutherford

Keep your calendars open...

2010-03-16T20:58:00.000-05:00

Rob Bowman and Dave Burke will be debating the Trinity on the Parchment and Pen blog starting in April.

Parchment and Pen » The Great Trinity Debate – Coming April 2010

James White: The Battle for Grace

2010-03-15T04:00:00.000-05:00

I have a great deal of respect for James White and have studied and used his books and recordings for many years. This video is one hour and 12 minutes long. It is an address to a conference about the grace of God.

Thoughts on Jesus' Demand to Repent :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library

2010-03-13T19:00:00.003-06:00

Here's a shout-out to a few of the young men in my home church. John Piper shares some helpful thoughts on repentance.

Words of Wisdom

2010-03-13T12:04:00.001-06:00

Honor God and shame the roaring lion.

--Samuel Rutherford

Comfort and Courage In Christ

2010-02-28T20:47:00.002-06:00

I had an opportunity to preach today at my home church. Click here for the mp3. It is a little over 25 minutes long.

Psalm 100

2010-02-14T08:36:00.001-06:00

I've been spending time memorizing and savoring Psalm 100. It fills my soul to overflowing. Click the link to listen.

Psalm 100 read aloud.

When This Passing World Is Done

2010-02-13T20:53:00.003-06:00

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o'er life's finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know, --
Not till then, --how much I owe.

When I hear the wicked call
On the rocks and hills to fall,
When I see them start and shrink,
On the fiery deluge brink,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know, --
Not till then, --how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne,
Dress'd in beauty not my own,
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,--
Not till then, --how much I owe.

When the praise of heav'n I hear,
Loud as thunders to the ear,
Loud as many waters' noise,
Sweet as harp's melodious voice,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,--
Not till then, --how much I owe.

Chosen not for good in me,
Waken'd up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Saviour's side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love how much I owe.

Oft I walk beneath the cloud,
Dark as midnight's gloomy shroud;
But when fear is at the height,
Jesus comes, and all is light.
Blessed Jesus, bid me show
Doubting saints how much I owe.

--Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Morris on Justification

2010-01-23T16:53:00.002-06:00

"Many theologians have maintained that justification means 'to make righteous'. They assert that the term points to a change in men, so that, by the grace of God, they become the kind of people they ought to be. This is to confuse justification and sanctification. The very way we use the term ought to put us on our guard against this error. When we speak of justifying an opinion or action we do not mean that we change or improve it. Rather we mean that we secure a verdict for it, we vindicate it. And just as the English verb has nothing to do with changing for the better so is it with Greek verb. It signifies 'to declare righteous', 'to acquit', and not 'to make righteous'. While it is true that the justified man will be deeply concerned with holy living, it is also true that justification is not simply another name for his holy life. It refers to his standing before God, to God's acceptance of him."

--Leon Morris, The Cross In the New Testament, p.241-242

The Origin, Agent, and Goal of All Creation

2010-01-09T10:01:00.001-06:00

"The permanence of the universe rests, then, on Christ far more than on gravity. It is a Christo-centric universe."

--A. T. Robertson commenting on Colossians 1:16

I Saw the Cross of Jesus

2010-01-02T10:30:00.000-06:00

1—I saw the cross of Jesus
When burden'd with my sin ;
I sought the cross of Jesus
To give me peace within :
I brought my sin to Jesus ;
He cleans'd it in His blood ;
And in the cross of Jesus
I found my peace with God.

2—I love the cross of Jesus.
It tells me what I am ;
A vile and guilty creature,
Saved only through the Lamb :
No righteousness, no merit,
No beauty can I plead ;
Yet in the cross I glory,
My title there I read.

3—I clasp the cross of Jesus,
In ev'ry trying hour,
My sure and certain refuge,
My never failing tower.
In every fear and conflict,
I more than conqueror am ;
Living I'm safe, or dying,
Through Christ the risen Lamb.

4—Sweet is the cross of Jesus !
There let my weary heart
Still rest in perfect peace
'Till life itself depart.
And then in strains of glory
I'll sing Thy wond'rous power,
Where sin can never enter,
And death is known no more.

--F. WHITFIELD

Hymns for the Church on Earth, compiled by J. C. Ryle.

Human Dignity and the Watchtower

2010-01-01T10:00:00.002-06:00

Does the Watchtower's doctrine of human existence uphold the dignity of man or destroy it?

The Watchtower says Jehovah fashions a body and infuses it with the breath of life. You become "you" over time as you develop your character, thought life, emotional and mental life. In other words, you start as a blank slate of a body and impersonal energy that combine to become the person who is you, made up of your life experiences, memories, tastes, passions, ideas, character, emotional makeup, etc. This doctrine of human existence is intensely mechanical and physical. "You" consist of the firing of synapses in the brain controlling the physical body fashioned by Jehovah, energized by impersonal energy originally infused by Jehovah but now maintained through the natural living processes of the physical body.

What happens when you die? The Watchtower says that the impersonal energy dissipates or returns to God and your physical body rots away. You cease to exist entirely. There is no more "you" to be found anywhere. This is a fairly consistent application of their theory of being that an individual consists of a body, the breath of life, and their collected memories and character. Since the body and impersonal energy are split asunder, there is nothing left of the individual as their character, thought life, emotional and mental life cannot continue in the absence of a container and energy.

What happens when you are "resurrected", according to the Watchtower? Remember, you do not exist at all in any manner after your death. There is nothing to raise again. It is not a resurrection in the sense of raising "you" up. There can only be a new creature who is somehow made to believe it is you. To accomplish this, the Watchtower teaches that Jehovah God fashions a new blank-slate body and infuses it with the impersonal breath of life. But at this point, the story of this new human diverges from your original creation. Rather than allowing this physical body/impersonal energy human to develop as you were allowed to, Jehovah steps in and implants the memories of your life, fooling this new human into thinking that it is somehow "you". This is not and can never be "you". It is a new human who has been robbed of its own existence and self worth. It has been tricked through implanted memories to believe it is truly "you" through memories that are not its own, character that is not its own, emotional and mental life that is not its own.

Does the Watchtower's doctrine of human existence uphold the dignity of man or destroy it?

Jesus' Character Displayed

2009-12-31T10:27:00.004-06:00

"In considering the association of Jesus with the people at large, we are struck at once with the fact that though pure and sinless, he did not shrink from contact with the most sinful and the most despised. He was in this respect the very opposite of the Pharisees. Their name signifies separatists. Fundamental in their conception of a pious life was the idea of scrupulously avoiding any social intercourse, or even the slightest contact, with persons who habitually violated the ceremonial law, as well as with those guilty of gross immorality. This was the idea of personal purity materialized, and pushed to an utter extreme. Accordingly, the Pharisees found it hard to believe that one could be a prophet, a teacher come from God, who would consent to eat at the table of a publican, or would allow his feet to be washed with the tears of a fallen woman.

"Jesus often found it necessary to explain and vindicate his course in this respect; and it was for this purpose that on one occasion he gave the three beautiful parables which tell of joy at the recovery of the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son. Contact with vile people is proper or improper according to our aim and the probable results. It must be avoided or carefully limited if of such a character as would probably assimilate us to them. But the thoughtful and consistent followers of Jesus have been moved by his example and teachings to far more of kindly effort to redeem the vile than ever existed in the world beyond the influence of Christianity; and to do still more in this direction would only be acting according to his spirit.

"Jeremy Taylor has said that Jesus moved among the despised of humanity like sunshine, which falls among foul things without being itself defiled. To imitate this in our measure must be an attainment full of blessedness for us and rich in blessing to others. Jesus was very weary with months of earnest teaching as he sat that day beside Jacob's well; yet he aroused himself to speak most kindly with one who came to draw water, and that a woman who was living sinfully with a man not her husband. His conversation with her is a suggestive model of skill in the introduction of religion into private conversation - one of the finest of all accomplishments for Christian men and women. The delicate tact with which he aroused her conscience and thus turned her thoughts away from the mere satisfaction of bodily thirst to the water of eternal life, is among the most wonderful touches in his consummate teaching."

--John A. Broadus, Jesus of Nazareth, pp.23-25

Whate'er My God Ordains is Right

2009-12-30T10:00:00.002-06:00

Samuel Rodigast (1649-1708)

Whate'er my God ordains is right:

His holy will abideth;

I will be still whate'er He doth,

And follow where He guideth.

He is my God, though dark my road,

He holds me that I shall not fall;

Wherefore to Him I leave it all.

Whate'er my God or-dains is right:

He never will deceive me;

He leads me by the proper path;

I know He will not leave me.

I take, content, what He hath sent;

His hand can turn my griefs away,

And patiently I wait His day.

Whate'er my God ordains is right:

Though now this cup, in drink-ing,

May bitter seem to my faint heart,

I take it all unshrinking.

My God is true; each morn anew

Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,

And pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate'er my God ordains is right:

Here shall my stand be taken;

Though sorrow, need or death be mine,

Yet I am not forsaken.

My Father's care is round me there;

He holds me that I shall not fall;

And so to Him I leave it all.

HT:21st Century Puritanism

Leon Morris on the Person of Christ

2009-12-29T10:30:00.003-06:00

I have been helped immensely by the writings of the late Leon Morris. Here is a 1960 article he wrote about Jesus. He lays a foundation of sober thinking of our situation before launching into the riches of the person of Christ.

"The Bible makes it abundantly clear that as we live out our lives we are not engaging in some light-hearted parlour game, with no particular importance. Our actions have eternal significance. What we are in the next life is determined by what we are in this life. Since all men are sinners (Rom. 3.23) the prospect is very bad."

HT: Church Society

The Belgic Confession of Faith (1561): Concerning the Word of God

2009-12-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

Article 3: Of the written Word of God.

We confess that this Word of God was not sent, nor delivered by the will of man, but that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, as the apostle Peter saith. And that afterwards God, from a special care, which he has for us and our salvation, commanded his servants, the prophets and apostles, to commit his revealed word to writing; and he himself wrote with his own finger, the two tables of the law. Therefore we call such writings holy and divine Scriptures.

Article 4: Canonical Books of the Holy Scripture.

We believe that the Holy Scriptures are contained in two books, namely, the Old and New Testament, which are canonical, against which nothing can be alleged. These are thus named in the Church of God. The books of the Old Testament are, the five books of Moses, namely: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; the books of Joshua, Ruth, Judges, the two books of Samuel, the two of the Kings, two books of the Chronicles, commonly called Paralipomenon, the first of Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, the Psalms of David, the three books of Solomon, namely, the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs; the four great prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel; and the twelve lesser prophets, namely, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

Those of the New Testament are the four evangelists, namely: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the Acts of the Apostles; the fourteen epistles of the apostle Paul, namely: one to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, one to the Galatians, one to the Ephesians, one to the Philippians, one to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, one to Titus, one to Philemon, and one to the Hebrews; the seven epistles of the other apostles, namely, one of James, two of Peter, three of John, one of Jude; and the Revelation of the apostle John.

Article 5: From whence the Holy Scriptures derive their dignity and authority.

We receive all these books, and these only, as holy and canonical, for the regulation, foundation, and confirmation of our faith; believing without any doubt, all things contained in them, not so much because the Church receives and approves them as such, but more especially because the Holy Ghost witnesseth in our hearts, that they are from God, whereof they carry the evidence in themselves. For the very blind are able to perceive that the things foretold in them are fulfilling.

Article 6: The difference between the canonical and apocryphal books.

We distinguish those sacred books from the apocryphal, namely: the third book of Esdras, the books of Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Jesus Syrach, Baruch, the appendix to the book of Esther, the Song of the three Children in the Furnace, the history of Susannah, of Bell and the Dragon, the prayer of Manasses, and the two books of the Maccabees. All of which the Church may read and take instruction from, so far as they agree with the canonical books; but they are far from having such power and efficacy, as that we may from their testimony confirm any point of faith, or of the Christian religion; much less detract from the authority of the other sacred books.

Article 7: The sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures, to be the only rule of faith.

We believe that those Holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God, and that whatsoever man ought to believe, unto salvation, is sufficiently taught therein. For, since the whole manner of worship, which God requires of us, is written in them at large, it is unlawful for any one, though an apostle, to teach otherwise than we are now taught in the Holy Scriptures: nay, though it were an angel from heaven, as the apostle Paul saith. For, since it is forbidden, to add unto or take away anything from the word of God, it doth thereby evidently appear, that the doctrine thereof is most perfect and complete in all respects. Neither do we consider of equal value any writing of men, however holy these men may have been, with those divine Scriptures, nor ought we to consider custom, or the great multitude, or antiquity, or succession of times and persons, or councils, decrees or statutes, as of equal value with the truth of God, for the truth is above all; for all men are of themselves liars, and more vain than vanity itself. Therefore, we reject with all our hearts, whatsoever doth not agree with this infallible rule, which the apostles have taught us, saying, Try the spirits whether they are of God. Likewise, if there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house.

Christian Classics on Google Books

2009-12-27T17:37:00.003-06:00

If you can't afford a kindle but would like to have some digital books available for reading in any browser, try Google Books.

Here's the library I've compiled so far, with an eye towards reading them over my lunch hours. I'm not sure how the library link will work, so I'm going to wing it and then try it out on another laptop.

(PS - Looks like the link works fine so I'll leave it in place.)

Not all the Blood of Beasts

2009-12-27T10:30:00.000-06:00

Not all the Blood of Beasts
by Isaac Watts

Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain
Could give the guilty conscience peace
Or wash away the stain.

But Christ, the heavenly Lamb,
Takes all our sins away;
A sacrifice of nobler name
And richer blood than they.

My faith would lay her hand
On that dear head of Thine
While like a penitent I stand
And there confess my sin.

My soul looks back to see
The burden Thou didst bear
When hanging on the cursed tree
And knows her guilt was there.

Believing, we rejoice
To see the curse remove;
We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice
And sing His bleeding love.

HT: 21st Century Puritanism

Thoughts on Scripture and the Style of Catechisms

2009-12-26T09:45:00.001-06:00

I was reading through one of Horatius Bonar's books this morning in Google Books. It is his republication of ancient Scottish catechisms. He said something in the preface that caught my eye, simply as food for thought about catechisms in general.

Bonar wrote:

If the Bible has proved itself unsuitable to any age or nation, it must have proved itself destitute of that which is one of the special characteristics of a revelation, universal adaptation. Flexible yet not mutable ; capable of expansion yet not of compromise ; possessing every variety of note, yet never uttering an uncertain sound ; speaking to the Apostolic age, speaking also to the age of the Reformation; teaching the first century, yet teaching the nineteenth with equal explicitness ; such is the Bible.

Nor is this adaptation secured at the expense of accuracy, or by means of allegory. On the contrary, the more that its minute accuracy and literality are assumed, the more complete is its adaptation found to be. It is the EVERLASTING word ; not the word of this age or that age, of this nation or that nation ; but of all; not the word that suits one national character but not another, that does with barbarism but not with refinement, that falls in with one temperament but not with another ; that speaks to the Jew but not to the Greek, to the Athenian but not to the Roman, to the Persian but not to the Scot, to the Genevese but not to the Parisian, to the Teuton but not to the Celt; but truly the word which finds passage for itself into every ear, which wakes up a response in every soul; suiting all men, all ages, all minds, all nations ; the only book which can bear translation into every language, and which, the more literally it is taken, is found the more suitable to all.

And as is the Bible, so are those works which most largely embody it; which are most thoroughly penetrated by its truths ; which come nearest it in spirit and in diction. Such we believe our Reformation standards to be ; not the Scottish only, but the English, the Helvetian, the Belgian, the Bohemian, the Gallican, and others of that era. Being human compositions, arranged after human manner, clothed in human phraseology, and compiled to meet the exigencies and errors of a particular age, they do not partake of the largeness and manifold fitness or expressiveness which belong to the divine volume ; yet they have less of the provisional and ephemeral than uninspired compilations usually have. We meet with expressions once and again, which we should be disposed to part with, especially when we get upon sacramentarian ground ; for the dregs of the baptismal and eucharistic opus operatum of Popery are visible in many a Reformed document; but, discounting some small expressions, we accept these old creeds as still true and still suitable ; more universal in their teaching than some modern progressionists like to allow. We can still safely say to our children as our fathers did to theirs,

" Go, reid the buik, repeit the storyis auld."

Our Scottish catechisms, though grey with the antiquity of three centuries, are not yet out of date. They still read well, both as to style and substance ; it would be hard to amend them, or to substitute something better in their place. Like some of our old church bells, they have retained for centuries their sweetness and amplitude of tone unimpaired. It may be questioned whether the church gained anything by the exchange of the Reformation standards for those of the seventeenth century. The scholastic mould in which the latter are cast has somewhat trenched upon the ease and breadth which mark the former ; and the skilful metaphysics employed at Westminster in giving lawyer-like precision to each statement, have imparted a local and temporary aspect to the new which did .not belong to the more ancient standards. Or, enlarging the remark, we may say that there is something about the theology of the Reformation which renders it less likely to become obsolete than the theology of the covenant. The simpler formulae of the older age are quite as explicit as those of the later ; while by the adoption of the biblical in preference to the scholastic mode of expression, they have secured for themselves a buoyancy which will bear them up when the others go down. The old age of that generation is likely to be greener than that of their posterity.

A Walk Through Philippians - #6

2009-12-24T20:50:00.000-06:00

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11, ESV)

After several weeks on the shelf, we resume our walk through Philippians. Speaking of "walking", recent travels have given me an appreciation for a wide variety of walking styles. Having visited both Chicago and San Francisco on business this fall, I can heartily testify that walking in the city is much different than walking in the rural midwest. Given my bent towards a slower pace of life, perhaps a more fitting title for this series would be "ambling around Philippians", or "moseying in Philippians". In a tip of the hat to our Aussie readers, perhaps "walkabout Philippians"? I can appreciate the rapid pace of life in the big cities through a brief visit but I wouldn't trade my slower-moving life for a bajillion dollars. And with that, on to the text.

Paul seeks a three-fold blessing for the Philippians in his prayer. First, overoverover flowing love that continues to overflow more and more. We looked at this part of his prayer earlier in the series. The blessing of overflowing love is no small gift of God. How many blessings would arise out of the generosity of abundant love? They cannot be numbered. Surely this is the pinnacle of blessings, and they have their beloved friend Paul pleading their case before the Almighty. And yet...

Isn't it interesting that Paul pleads for more than love? He alloys overabundant, overflowing love with both knowledge and discernment. While love is the greatest virtue, it does not stand best by itself. Love needs the sound and sure footing of knowledge and discernment in order to stand strongly in the face of a wicked world. Due to the twisting of reality by sin even the highest form of love must be bolstered and supported.

In today's world it is common to think of love as simply an internal emotion, a warm feeling that you have inside. Sin has so twisted us that love is no longer seen as an outward-directed commitment to do good to others but rather it has been turned in upon itself, becoming the driving force fueling a quest for feelings and emotions experienced by and for our self. But this is not love. It is a sin-soaked lie. Feelings take wings and fly away. We are as fickle as the wind if our lives are founded on feelings. One minute we enthusiastically pursue a goal, focusing our entire life around it. The next minute it has become a curse to be replaced as quickly as possible with something that makes us feel better.

Paul is not seeking to bless the Philippians with a warm fuzzy feeling. He desires that they abound in and overflow with active love informed by real knowledge and full insight. In doing so, they will live blameless, holy lives that redound to the praise and glory of God. Love like this is action-packed, just as God's love for the world is. And it does not simply make good in the lives of the Philippians. They are able, through use of knowledge and judgment, to perform the greatest acts of love for their fellow man.

How fitting it is that Christians earnestly pursue active, abounding, overflowing love in accordance with knowledge and insight. In so doing, they earnestly demonstrate the infinite love of the Savior for a lost world. Dear brother and sister, here is real fuel for your prayer fire. It is a rich and precious vein of ore to return to time and time again on behalf of your brothers and sisters. Mine riches for the household of faith and ask God in Christ for His treble blessing of love, knowledge, and insight on their behalf.

How fitting indeed that the God who demonstrated infinite love would have us abound in love mixed wholly with understanding and wisdom. What great light shines daily in the kingdom of darkness that is this brokenness when we understand what our lives are to be about and know how to pursue it.

Jesus, the Savior of Hopeless People

2009-12-12T10:54:00.004-06:00

A man named Jairus came to Jesus, begging him to help his dying daughter. Before they could get to his home, she passed away. In a hopeless situation, Jesus reassures Jairus, "Do not fear, only believe."

How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds

2009-11-28T07:05:00.010-06:00

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole
And calms the troubled breast;
'Tis nourishment to hungry souls,
And to the weary rest.

Jesus! my Savior, Shepherd, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I'll praise Thee as I ought.

(a hymn by John Newton)

Resting in Jesus

2009-11-28T06:47:00.003-06:00

Justification by Faith Alone Illustrated

Romans 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: 7 "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. 8 "BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT." (NASB)

One of the great truths of the Gospel that was recaptured and rightly emphasized through the Reformation was the Biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone. Justification by faith alone was so foundational to the work of reformation that it became embodied in one of the slogans of the Reformation--Sola Fide (Faith Alone). It is not the only "sola" of the Reformation and there is a need to see it in combination with the other solas to understand the full picture. But such an examination is outside the scope of this little note. We are going to focus our attention on sola fide and will leave the broader examination for another time.

During the Reformation, "Faith Alone" was set in contrast to the Roman Catholic concept of works of merit done in a state of grace for which it was fitting (in the Catholic view) for God to judge them as worthy of reward. But the Reformers uncomprisingly held to the Biblical witness that our salvation is based SOLELY on the person and work of Jesus Christ, and not on anything done in us or by us. The Reformers held that God's judicial verdict of "righteous" in favor of us could be based solely on our sin being counted to Christ and correspondingly Christ's perfect righteousness being counted towards us. How can our sin be laid upon Jesus and His righteousness made ours? By placing our faith in Jesus as Savior, trusting Him to save us. This faith in Jesus has, at times, been described as "resting in Jesus".

"Faith Alone", like all Biblical doctrines, can be misunderstood. One way it is misunderstood is when people hear "faith alone" and think it means the following:

God does not justify us because of our good works. He justifies us because of our faith. Our faith stands in the place of good works. Our faith is what deserves our justification before God. In other words, faith becomes the one good work which we must do so that we deserve to be saved.

In such a view, faith itself is seen as being our righteousness, not as the means of connecting us with the righteousness of Christ. In this view, faith replaces the work of Christ and becomes the basis upon which God gives salvation to us. Repeatedly throughout the years, as I have discussed "faith alone" with people, I have been conscious of the danger of misunderstanding "faith alone" in such a way. As I was thinking about "faith alone" and how to overcome this misunderstanding, the imagery of resting in Jesus came to mind. Let me describe what unfolded in my mind's eye.

As I thought on the phrase "resting in Jesus", an illustration came to mind which might help us see why faith itself is not why God will justify us. Now, this is an illustration, and no illustration is perfect. Think of your bedtime. At the end of a long, wearying day you look forward to a night of restful sleep. When bedtime arrives, you sit on the edge of the bed, turn off the light, pick your feet up off the floor, and rest on your bed. When you pick your feet up and lay down, your full weight is carried by the bed beneath you. You are "resting in bed". It is the bed which is holding you up. It is bearing the burden of all your weight. You cannot lay on it harder or softer. Your entire weight is all you have and no amount of "laying down harder" will put any additional load on the bed. We don't speak of laying down hard or soft. It's not a matter of degree. Laying down is not done in parts. It's all of you. When we speak of "resting in Jesus", it is this kind of resting that is being described. This kind of "full weight laid upon another to bear the load" is what I have in mind for "resting in Jesus".

Well, if you misunderstand "faith alone" to mean that you are saved by your work of faith instead of by Jesus' righteousness, how would that change the illustration? You would probably want to do the best job you could of laying in bed. So once you pick your feet up off the floor, you may think this way, "I must lay down as good as I possibly can. I am doing such a good job of laying here. I'm certain that this bed is going to recognize the quality of my laying here and reward me for it. Others can see that I am doing my best at laying here. I will continue to do my best at laying here." Perhaps you will think you should lay down harder, bearing down on the bed with all of your might (which really accomplishes nothing and certainly does not contribute to your rest). Or maybe you become convinced that you should lay lighter, but how would that be done? Perhaps you should stand and merely lean on the bed? Once again, you will not find true rest in such a posture. Are you really contributing anything to the bed's ability to hold you up as you lay there? Of course not! It is the bed that is upholding you and not anything to do with your laying will make you to be held up any better or more than you already are.

You see, "faith alone" is "resting in Jesus". This resting is a placing of all your weight on Jesus for HIM to bear you up. This resting, like physical resting, is not something which can be done more fully through exertion. It is a trust in HIM to uphold your full weight. It is a resting in HIM from the weariness of sin. Who does the work? Jesus does the work in holding you up, just as the bed alone holds you up and you contribute nothing to it without ruining your rest. And when people look to your resting in Him, what will they see? Not the fact that you are resting so well that God should forgive you, but that Jesus is holding you up entirely and perfectly. When you look to your own resting, what will you see? Not your resting, but the Beloved One who holds you up.

Do you see that faith alone does not point to your resting or to your faith but to the one upholding you. He is the one bearing you up fully and completely. This is "faith alone". This is for His praise and glory. Amen.

A Better Declaration By Far

2009-11-27T07:57:00.003-06:00

This evangelical-authored, evangel-oriented declaration far exceeds other declarations of the past 20 years, including ECT I, II, and Manhattan. Since the collective evangelical mind thinks 'church history' extends clear back to last Sunday's sermon, it might be a bit of a stretch to consider something from ten years ago as relevant. But it is. It is.