What Can I Believe Sermon Series? #2, 4.6.08
What Can I Believe About the Bible? ╬ Dr. Kevin Shrum
The IBC Pulpit ╬ 2 Timothy 3:10-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21
Introduction: We now come to the subject of the Bible. Last week we began this series with a message about the very person of God. The question comes, ‘Where can we get the most reliable information about God?’ The answer to this very important question is we get our information from God’s Word, the Bible. Our great God, among His many attributes, is a communicating God. He is a God of words. Though there is a record of God speaking through dreams and visions, God uses words to communicate with His people. The culmination of God’s speaking is what we call the Bible: 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
The Bible is not just a book like other books. Some would agree that the Bible has a special quality, but that it is no different than the inspiration we see in a Shakespeare or in a renown poet. In fact, some critics of the Bible would say that the Bible is the highest and most noble product of man, but it is nothing more than a humanly produced book.
The Bible is not just a religious book among many religious books. All world religions have their own scriptures. Some would argue that the Bible is simply the religious book of the Judeo-Christian faith, but has no more authority than other religious books. This false notion is untrue, as we shall see, first and foremost because the Bible speaks of the one true God, while other religious books speak of false gods or of a heretical view of the one true God.
The Bible is not an unimportant book. A number of people would go so far as to say that the Bible is an unimportant, antiquated book that should be ignored, discarded and banished. And yet each new generation brings with it a faithful remnant of believers who affirm the truths of God’s Word. In other words, no matter how much the critics attempt to banish, burn or belittle the Bible it keeps rising to the occasion. As Psalm 119:89 states it well, “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” That is, the Bible is rooted and grounded in the very nature of God. The Bible will not fail because God cannot fail.
There are many passages that speak to the inspiration, infallibility and authority of God’s Word! Let’s observe a few of them.
(2 Timothy 3:10-17) “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
(2 Peter 1:16-21) “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
(Luke 1:1-4) “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”
The Bible is not just a book like any other book nor is it just one religion book among many religious books. Instead, it is the book of all books – God’s very Word in written form. Let me make four statements that substantiate the claim that the Bible is the Word of God.
Because of how it was written!
The Bible was written through human instrumentation by 40 different authors over a 1500 year time period yet with the same themes and story lines that could not have been produced apart from divine intervention. The writers were divinely inspired by God to record the sayings and events that God desired for us to receive in the future. They were not mechanical robots, but were “…carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21) God used human writers, their personal backgrounds and individual interests, to produce exactly what He wanted produced in the way He wanted it produced. They were not mind-numbed robots, but thinking and feeling writers who were supernaturally moved by God to correctly write as they did. David, the Psalmist, said as much in 2 Samuel 23:2 when he wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; His word is on my tongue.” This is the meaning of ‘inspiration’ (2 Timothy 3:16) This is also what Dr. Luke was getting at in the introduction to his gospel when he wrote, “…having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you…” Luke followed the events of Jesus and put together an orderly account that was inspired by God Himself. The Bible, then, is a book that was inspired by God and that is time-bound in that it records the events, places and people of specific eras and epochs, but whose words, truths, principles and precepts are timeless, applying to all people everywhere in all ages.
Because of what it says!
The Bible is not only the book of all books because it was inspired by God through human instrumentation, but it is also the book of all books because of what it says – it is the Word of God to us. It says what God says. The Bible says what God says because it is God’s Word. The Bible does not contain the Word of Go that we must subsequently discover on our own. Rather, the Bible is the very Word of God. In fact, 2 Timothy 3:16 states that “All Scripture is breathed out by God…” The term scripture refers to the writings of the prophets and the apostles.
Because of Who it’s about!
The Bible is the book of all books not only because it is inspired and is God’s Word, but it has as its subject God Himself. The Bible is an immensely practical book. Yet, the main subject of the Bible is God Himself. It is the record of God’s redemptive activity in time and space. As Psalm 119:89 notes: “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.”
Because of what it does!
The Bible is also a book above all books because of what it does. It is through God’s Word that we are saved. 1 Peter 1:22-25 describes the power of God’s Word o save sinners in this way: “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” God’s Word accomplishes God’s purposes as Isaiah 55:10-11 states, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” The Bible does what it does because it is the inspired, God-saturated, life-changing, powerful Word of the Lord.
Unpacking One Text – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Scope of the Bible
“All scripture…” This refers to all the writings of the Bible, the prophets, the gospels, the wisdom books and the pastoral epistles. Inspiration applies to all of God’s Word, not some parts or the parts we like, but to all parts.
The Inspiration of the Bible
“…is breathed out by God…” The Greek term is ‘theopneustos’ and literally means the breath of God. This is a reference to the work of God in the writers as they recorded the events and sayings that are in Scripture.
The Authority of the Bible
“…and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” To be profitable means to be helpful, advantageous, the supreme guide. Teaching is that thing that refers to the substance of a subject. And reproof is the correcting, chastising nature of Scripture, while correction is to set a thing right, correct to restore. So, the Bible is filled with authoritative and advantageous instruction on the substance and subject of God; it is confrontational in that it has the ability to square up with our sin and it is correcting in that it positively sets right the things that have been crooked.
The Sufficiency of the Bible
“…that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” This means that it is only through the Word of God that we are made mature in Christ. The Bible is sufficient to order our lives by. To say that the Bible is inspired and authoritative is one thing, but to actually order our lives competently by God’s Word is another thing. This is where the rubber hits the road. This is where we must ask ourselves questions like, ‘Is our marriage ordered according to God’s Word?’ ‘Are we raising our children according to God’s Word?’ ‘Are we managing our finances according to the Bible?’ ‘Have we set our plans for life according to God’s Word?’ Every good work is a reference to a life ordered and structured by God’s Word.
This is why we are to study the Word of God on our own, and it is why we need teachers/pastors. Ephesians 4:11-16: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
What Can I Believe About God
What Can I Believe Sermon Series, #1, 3.30.08
What Can I Believe About God?
The IBC Pulpit ● Isaiah 42:5-9; 44:6-8; 48:9-11 ● Dr. Kevin Shrum
The sermon series entitled – What Can I Believe? – is delivered out of a deep concern that God’s people know what they believe and why they believe it. In an age where spiritual confusion and biblical illiteracy reign knowing the great truths of the Scripture is essential. In this series we will look at the Doctrine of God, the Doctrine of Scripture, the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, the Doctrine of Salvation and the Doctrine of Last Things.
Introduction: We begin with God! What can we believe about God? Are there many gods? Is there but one god? Is Allah the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Is God a single unity or is God a trinity? Many of these questions will be answered in this message, as well as the other messages in this series. Let’s begin with several base texts (although there are many texts that could be used and will be used in this message).
(Isaiah 44:6-8) “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.’”
(Isaiah 48:9-11) “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. 10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”
How does one begin to think about such a large issue as God? Let’s allow these texts, and others, direct our thinking about God. There are five main thoughts that emerge concerning God throughout Scripture.
God is a Self-Referential God!
What does it mean to say that God is a self-referential being? It’s actually very simple. Humans are time-bound, referenced creatures. We do not exist on our own. We must have a reference point in order to define who we are: parents, birth date, job, death date, etc. We are dependent, created beings. On the other hand, God has no reference point in that He is an un-invented, uncreated, unreferenced being! He exists all by Himself. As Isaiah 44:6 notes, “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”
This is exactly what God was getting at when Moses asked about the identity of God at the burning bush: (Exodus 3:13-14) “Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I Am Who I Am.’ And He said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I Am has sent me to you’” Again, God is not a created being; He is not a dependent being; He is not a man-made concoction. He is simply I AM!
But this is not all. God is not only an uncreated being, He is a Trinitarian unity. That is, God is One. Deuteronomy 6:4 states, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is one.” Christians do not believe in a polytheistic system of gods or in a pantheistic god where God is equated with nature, but rather in One, Personal, Trinue God. Yet, when we come to the New Testament we discover a deep mystery about God – God is also Trinitarian in nature. That is, though God is One, we also see that He is made up of three separate and distinct personages – Father, Son and Spirit. There are not three gods; nor, is there simply One God with three different names. Instead, there is One God who is revealed in three distinct, unique and separate personages within the unity of the Godhead. What gave birth to this view of God? Scriptures such as Matthew 3:13-17 where the Son is baptized, the Father speaks words of affirmation from heaven and the Spirit anoints Jesus. 2 Corinthians 13:14 recognizes the mysterious nature of God: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” In essence, God is God all by Himself in the perfect fellowship of Father, Son and Spirit.
God is a Sovereign God!
Our great self-referential God is also sovereign. That is, He is in control of all things, ordaining, guiding and accomplishing His will in His time and in His way. He is neither surprised nor caught off guard by any event in history. In fact, He is behind, in and works through all events of history. He has a design for all things and will accomplish this design by His great power and for His glory. It must occur to us that nothing has ever occurred to God as if by surprise. Isaiah 44:6 notes, “I am first and I am the last; besides me there I no god.” God numbers our days and makes all things to happen according to His will. God is sovereign in creation. Isaiah 42:5 puts it this way, “Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it.” God is sovereign in salvation in that He has chosen to save a people for Himself out of every nation and every tongue and every tribe for the praise of His glory (John 13:8; Rev. 7:9). God is sovereign in all things, especially in stewarding His creation and saving sinners for Himself.
God is a Saving God!
Our great, sovereign God is also a saving God. In Isaiah 44:6 God is called the “Redeemer, the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 43:14 concurs with this description of God by adding, “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” God as redeemer is also a New Testament concept. Galatians 4:4 states, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” To redeem something means to purchase at a price. In other words, God has purchased sinners with the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
So, how does God redeem sinners? Through Jesus Christ! God is a saving God because He is holy, righteous and just. He is able to declare sinners not guilty in His Son, Jesus Christ. He is able to save because He is also a God of grace, mercy and love. Grace is receiving what we do not deserve - forgiveness. Mercy is not receiving what we deserve – wrath and judgment. And love is the redemptive engine that makes God’s love and mercy possible. God demonstrated His justice and righteousness toward sin and sinners by punishing His Son, Jesus Christ, so that He would bear the penalty for our sin. God poured out His wrath on Jesus so that He could pour out His righteousness on sinners (Romans 3:21-31).
(Galatians 3:10-14) “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’ 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ 12 But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’ 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
(Titus 2:11-15) “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”
God is a Sending God!
The God who is God all by Himself, the God who is a sovereign, saving God is also a sending God. That is, He has ordained that word about Him and His great mercies be spread through the means of His chosen people. This is why Isaiah 44:8 puts things this way, “Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses!” Earlier in the Book of Isaiah God had called Isaiah to be a prophet with Isaiah answering in the affirmative (Isa. 6:1-8). The sending nature of God is also seen in that familiar passage in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” God sends us as witnesses of His sovereign, saving grace so that sinners will hear and believe the good news (Romans 10:14-21). We are His ambassadors declaring His message for His glory and for the sake of sinners (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).
God is a Self-Glorifying God!
In the end, the chief end of God is to glorify Himself. God is not a man-centered God, but a God-centered God. This rather arrogant statement is actually not arrogant at all. If I, as a human, were to say such a thing you may call the men in white jackets to take me away. But for God to say this is actually right, true and loving because God is a perfect being who alone deserves all praise, glory and honor. If God doesn’t glorify Himself in all things then He is giving His glory to something else and that would be idolatry.
(Isaiah 42:8) “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.”
(Isaiah 43:25) “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, I will not remember your sins.”
(Isaiah 49:9-11) “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. 10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”
(John 17:1-5) “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”
What Can I Believe About God?
The IBC Pulpit ● Isaiah 42:5-9; 44:6-8; 48:9-11 ● Dr. Kevin Shrum
The sermon series entitled – What Can I Believe? – is delivered out of a deep concern that God’s people know what they believe and why they believe it. In an age where spiritual confusion and biblical illiteracy reign knowing the great truths of the Scripture is essential. In this series we will look at the Doctrine of God, the Doctrine of Scripture, the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, the Doctrine of Salvation and the Doctrine of Last Things.
Introduction: We begin with God! What can we believe about God? Are there many gods? Is there but one god? Is Allah the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Is God a single unity or is God a trinity? Many of these questions will be answered in this message, as well as the other messages in this series. Let’s begin with several base texts (although there are many texts that could be used and will be used in this message).
(Isaiah 44:6-8) “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.’”
(Isaiah 48:9-11) “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. 10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”
How does one begin to think about such a large issue as God? Let’s allow these texts, and others, direct our thinking about God. There are five main thoughts that emerge concerning God throughout Scripture.
God is a Self-Referential God!
What does it mean to say that God is a self-referential being? It’s actually very simple. Humans are time-bound, referenced creatures. We do not exist on our own. We must have a reference point in order to define who we are: parents, birth date, job, death date, etc. We are dependent, created beings. On the other hand, God has no reference point in that He is an un-invented, uncreated, unreferenced being! He exists all by Himself. As Isaiah 44:6 notes, “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”
This is exactly what God was getting at when Moses asked about the identity of God at the burning bush: (Exodus 3:13-14) “Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I Am Who I Am.’ And He said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I Am has sent me to you’” Again, God is not a created being; He is not a dependent being; He is not a man-made concoction. He is simply I AM!
But this is not all. God is not only an uncreated being, He is a Trinitarian unity. That is, God is One. Deuteronomy 6:4 states, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is one.” Christians do not believe in a polytheistic system of gods or in a pantheistic god where God is equated with nature, but rather in One, Personal, Trinue God. Yet, when we come to the New Testament we discover a deep mystery about God – God is also Trinitarian in nature. That is, though God is One, we also see that He is made up of three separate and distinct personages – Father, Son and Spirit. There are not three gods; nor, is there simply One God with three different names. Instead, there is One God who is revealed in three distinct, unique and separate personages within the unity of the Godhead. What gave birth to this view of God? Scriptures such as Matthew 3:13-17 where the Son is baptized, the Father speaks words of affirmation from heaven and the Spirit anoints Jesus. 2 Corinthians 13:14 recognizes the mysterious nature of God: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” In essence, God is God all by Himself in the perfect fellowship of Father, Son and Spirit.
God is a Sovereign God!
Our great self-referential God is also sovereign. That is, He is in control of all things, ordaining, guiding and accomplishing His will in His time and in His way. He is neither surprised nor caught off guard by any event in history. In fact, He is behind, in and works through all events of history. He has a design for all things and will accomplish this design by His great power and for His glory. It must occur to us that nothing has ever occurred to God as if by surprise. Isaiah 44:6 notes, “I am first and I am the last; besides me there I no god.” God numbers our days and makes all things to happen according to His will. God is sovereign in creation. Isaiah 42:5 puts it this way, “Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it.” God is sovereign in salvation in that He has chosen to save a people for Himself out of every nation and every tongue and every tribe for the praise of His glory (John 13:8; Rev. 7:9). God is sovereign in all things, especially in stewarding His creation and saving sinners for Himself.
God is a Saving God!
Our great, sovereign God is also a saving God. In Isaiah 44:6 God is called the “Redeemer, the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 43:14 concurs with this description of God by adding, “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” God as redeemer is also a New Testament concept. Galatians 4:4 states, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” To redeem something means to purchase at a price. In other words, God has purchased sinners with the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
So, how does God redeem sinners? Through Jesus Christ! God is a saving God because He is holy, righteous and just. He is able to declare sinners not guilty in His Son, Jesus Christ. He is able to save because He is also a God of grace, mercy and love. Grace is receiving what we do not deserve - forgiveness. Mercy is not receiving what we deserve – wrath and judgment. And love is the redemptive engine that makes God’s love and mercy possible. God demonstrated His justice and righteousness toward sin and sinners by punishing His Son, Jesus Christ, so that He would bear the penalty for our sin. God poured out His wrath on Jesus so that He could pour out His righteousness on sinners (Romans 3:21-31).
(Galatians 3:10-14) “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’ 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ 12 But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’ 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
(Titus 2:11-15) “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”
God is a Sending God!
The God who is God all by Himself, the God who is a sovereign, saving God is also a sending God. That is, He has ordained that word about Him and His great mercies be spread through the means of His chosen people. This is why Isaiah 44:8 puts things this way, “Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses!” Earlier in the Book of Isaiah God had called Isaiah to be a prophet with Isaiah answering in the affirmative (Isa. 6:1-8). The sending nature of God is also seen in that familiar passage in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” God sends us as witnesses of His sovereign, saving grace so that sinners will hear and believe the good news (Romans 10:14-21). We are His ambassadors declaring His message for His glory and for the sake of sinners (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).
God is a Self-Glorifying God!
In the end, the chief end of God is to glorify Himself. God is not a man-centered God, but a God-centered God. This rather arrogant statement is actually not arrogant at all. If I, as a human, were to say such a thing you may call the men in white jackets to take me away. But for God to say this is actually right, true and loving because God is a perfect being who alone deserves all praise, glory and honor. If God doesn’t glorify Himself in all things then He is giving His glory to something else and that would be idolatry.
(Isaiah 42:8) “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.”
(Isaiah 43:25) “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, I will not remember your sins.”
(Isaiah 49:9-11) “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. 10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”
(John 17:1-5) “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”
Monday, March 3, 2008
The Empty Suit Syndrome
The Empty Suit Sndrome
Kevin Shrum
Have you ever heard of the ‘empty suit syndrome?’ The term ‘empty suit’ was coined several years ago to describe a person who looks good, dresses in style and looks the part, but who lacks any kind of substance. The ‘empty suit syndrome’ places great emphasis on appearance, with little focus on the depth of personality and character. The modern era and post-modern era has continually brought to us a focus on the vain and temporal. We have become a society enamored with looks, appearances and style.
This ‘empty suit syndrome’ has crept into the church today. Too many attend out of duty but with no passion for God; some participate in the body of Christ as a social exercise so that they will have something to do and friends to relate to, but with no desire for Jesus Christ. There are too many spiritually empty suits, if you will, in the church, devoid of spiritual power and the Word of God.
This type of thing must have been on Paul’s mind when he penned his last epistle, 2 Timothy. It would be in 2 Timothy 3:5 that Paul would write to Timothy to warn him of false teachers, leaders and members that would invade the church after his death – “…having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” This monumental verse is staggering in its implications. It set in the larger context of a passage that speaks of the difficulty of the ministries:
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.”
This is substantial. Paul tells Timothy to avoid the empty suits of the church. The words of 2 Timothy 3:5 are telling:
Ø Avoid those “…having the appearance of godliness…” The term for “appearance” can also be translated “form.” The Greek term is ‘morphosin’ from the root word ‘morphe’ from which we get our term metamorphosis, which refers to a change, but in this case refers to outward appearances that are absent any content. It is a reference to a form without substance. There was an outline without anything in the middle. It’s like a cookie cutter, but with no dough in the middle. And what was the appearance of these false teachers, leaders and members? It was the appearance of being godly. These false teachers, leaders and members were playing church, but had no clue as to the power of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Ø And what did Paul say about these teachers, leaders and members who appeared godly but weren’t? He notes that they have denied the real, authentic power of God. Read verse 5 again, “…having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” The word for “deny” is ‘arneomai’ and carries with it the meaning of deliberately and intentionally disowning, refusing or denying a thing. In other words, in these ‘empty suits’ there has been a willful rejection of the very godliness that they are attempting to represent.
Ø And what was it they were denying? Again, read verse 5, “…having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” The term for “power” is ‘dynamin’ and is the root word from which we get our word dynamite. And what is the power of God? The power of God is the third person of the trinity – the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:7-8 unfolds the promise of the power of the Spirit: So when they had come together, they asked him, “‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ 7 He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” The unveiling of this power would be unleashed at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on His disciples as a fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32. Acts 2:14-21 states it well: But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
Ø Paul’s command to Timothy was to avoid such people who had the appearance of being godly, but who had deliberately denied the power of God in the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:8 identifies two examples of this kind of ‘empty suit’ spirituality, Jannes and Jambres. Jewish history identifies these two men as the men referenced to in Exodus 7:11-12, men who were magicians before Pharaoh and who challenged Moses as he came to declare the Word of God – let Israel go! In essence, spiritually empty people are nothing more than spiritual magicians with no real power. Avoid such men!
How can we avoid this kind of ‘empty suit spirituality?’ It comes from being filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 commands, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” And Ephesians 4:30 states, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Further, 2 Thessalonians 5:19 states, “Do not quench the Holy Spirit.” In other words, we are to be filled and controlled by the Spirit of God just as a drunkard is controlled by intoxicating drink. In essence, we are to be spiritually intoxicated. This is what it means to be a Christian (Baptist) Pentecostal. To be reborn, regenerated, filled and controlled by the precious Holy Spirit of God! So, how do we become filled and controlled by the Spirit of God? How can we avoid being an empty suit that denies the very power of God?
Paul answers this question in 2 Timothy 3:10-17: “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
Paul outlines several things in 3:10-17 that Timothy needs to incorporate into his life if he is to avoid being an ‘empty suit’ and if he is to deal with those who deny the very power of God. These are amazing principles that are as current for us as they were for Timothy in day!
Ø Check up to see if you’re a saved person! This is what Paul reminded Timothy of in Chapter 1 (vs. 5): “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” An empty life is overcome by being a saved person, filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit of God.
Ø Hook up with a spiritual mentor! In 2 Timothy 3:10-11 reminds Timothy of how he had followed Paul’s example. That is, Paul was a mentor to Timothy, praying for him, giving him advice and helping to guide him spiritually so that Timothy would avoid the many spiritual pitfalls that can trip up a believer. As a result, it is imperative to hook up with a spiritual guide. There is great accountability in the mentoring process. Find someone who is spiritual in your life who will pray for you, love you and hold you accountable.
Ø Stand up and get ready for hard times! Paul reminds Timothy that following Christ will be difficult at times as 2 Timothy 3:12-13 notes – “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” The hard times would be characterized by 1) individual persecutions and by 2) having to deal with imposters who would invade the church in an attempt to sidetrack her from the Word and from her mission. His word to Timothy is not very sympathetic – instead he challenges him to expect hard times. Hard times are on the way, especially hard times brought on by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ø Fill up your head and heart with God’s Word! Adding to a spiritual check up, a hooking up with a spiritual mentor and a standing up under the onslaught of persecution, we are to add filling up on the inspired Word of God as noted in 2 Timothy 3:14-17: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
Ø Finally, look up for Jesus is on His way! Again, this was Paul’s last letter prior to his death in Rome. Yet, he would write in 2 Timothy 4:6-8: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” The Lord is coming in two ways in terms of day. There is the ‘day’ of the Lord and the ‘Day’ of the Lord. Small caps ‘day’ is the day you will die. More than likely, that day will come before the LARGE CAPS ‘DAY’ of the Lord comes – the day the Lord Himself returns. But no matter if Jesus comes for you on your day of death or if He comes on His day to take the church away, the hope of Jesus’ return is something that ought to fill us with power and confidence (2 Thess. 4:18).
Kevin Shrum
Have you ever heard of the ‘empty suit syndrome?’ The term ‘empty suit’ was coined several years ago to describe a person who looks good, dresses in style and looks the part, but who lacks any kind of substance. The ‘empty suit syndrome’ places great emphasis on appearance, with little focus on the depth of personality and character. The modern era and post-modern era has continually brought to us a focus on the vain and temporal. We have become a society enamored with looks, appearances and style.
This ‘empty suit syndrome’ has crept into the church today. Too many attend out of duty but with no passion for God; some participate in the body of Christ as a social exercise so that they will have something to do and friends to relate to, but with no desire for Jesus Christ. There are too many spiritually empty suits, if you will, in the church, devoid of spiritual power and the Word of God.
This type of thing must have been on Paul’s mind when he penned his last epistle, 2 Timothy. It would be in 2 Timothy 3:5 that Paul would write to Timothy to warn him of false teachers, leaders and members that would invade the church after his death – “…having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” This monumental verse is staggering in its implications. It set in the larger context of a passage that speaks of the difficulty of the ministries:
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.”
This is substantial. Paul tells Timothy to avoid the empty suits of the church. The words of 2 Timothy 3:5 are telling:
Ø Avoid those “…having the appearance of godliness…” The term for “appearance” can also be translated “form.” The Greek term is ‘morphosin’ from the root word ‘morphe’ from which we get our term metamorphosis, which refers to a change, but in this case refers to outward appearances that are absent any content. It is a reference to a form without substance. There was an outline without anything in the middle. It’s like a cookie cutter, but with no dough in the middle. And what was the appearance of these false teachers, leaders and members? It was the appearance of being godly. These false teachers, leaders and members were playing church, but had no clue as to the power of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Ø And what did Paul say about these teachers, leaders and members who appeared godly but weren’t? He notes that they have denied the real, authentic power of God. Read verse 5 again, “…having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” The word for “deny” is ‘arneomai’ and carries with it the meaning of deliberately and intentionally disowning, refusing or denying a thing. In other words, in these ‘empty suits’ there has been a willful rejection of the very godliness that they are attempting to represent.
Ø And what was it they were denying? Again, read verse 5, “…having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” The term for “power” is ‘dynamin’ and is the root word from which we get our word dynamite. And what is the power of God? The power of God is the third person of the trinity – the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:7-8 unfolds the promise of the power of the Spirit: So when they had come together, they asked him, “‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ 7 He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” The unveiling of this power would be unleashed at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on His disciples as a fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32. Acts 2:14-21 states it well: But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
Ø Paul’s command to Timothy was to avoid such people who had the appearance of being godly, but who had deliberately denied the power of God in the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:8 identifies two examples of this kind of ‘empty suit’ spirituality, Jannes and Jambres. Jewish history identifies these two men as the men referenced to in Exodus 7:11-12, men who were magicians before Pharaoh and who challenged Moses as he came to declare the Word of God – let Israel go! In essence, spiritually empty people are nothing more than spiritual magicians with no real power. Avoid such men!
How can we avoid this kind of ‘empty suit spirituality?’ It comes from being filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 commands, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” And Ephesians 4:30 states, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Further, 2 Thessalonians 5:19 states, “Do not quench the Holy Spirit.” In other words, we are to be filled and controlled by the Spirit of God just as a drunkard is controlled by intoxicating drink. In essence, we are to be spiritually intoxicated. This is what it means to be a Christian (Baptist) Pentecostal. To be reborn, regenerated, filled and controlled by the precious Holy Spirit of God! So, how do we become filled and controlled by the Spirit of God? How can we avoid being an empty suit that denies the very power of God?
Paul answers this question in 2 Timothy 3:10-17: “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
Paul outlines several things in 3:10-17 that Timothy needs to incorporate into his life if he is to avoid being an ‘empty suit’ and if he is to deal with those who deny the very power of God. These are amazing principles that are as current for us as they were for Timothy in day!
Ø Check up to see if you’re a saved person! This is what Paul reminded Timothy of in Chapter 1 (vs. 5): “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” An empty life is overcome by being a saved person, filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit of God.
Ø Hook up with a spiritual mentor! In 2 Timothy 3:10-11 reminds Timothy of how he had followed Paul’s example. That is, Paul was a mentor to Timothy, praying for him, giving him advice and helping to guide him spiritually so that Timothy would avoid the many spiritual pitfalls that can trip up a believer. As a result, it is imperative to hook up with a spiritual guide. There is great accountability in the mentoring process. Find someone who is spiritual in your life who will pray for you, love you and hold you accountable.
Ø Stand up and get ready for hard times! Paul reminds Timothy that following Christ will be difficult at times as 2 Timothy 3:12-13 notes – “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” The hard times would be characterized by 1) individual persecutions and by 2) having to deal with imposters who would invade the church in an attempt to sidetrack her from the Word and from her mission. His word to Timothy is not very sympathetic – instead he challenges him to expect hard times. Hard times are on the way, especially hard times brought on by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ø Fill up your head and heart with God’s Word! Adding to a spiritual check up, a hooking up with a spiritual mentor and a standing up under the onslaught of persecution, we are to add filling up on the inspired Word of God as noted in 2 Timothy 3:14-17: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
Ø Finally, look up for Jesus is on His way! Again, this was Paul’s last letter prior to his death in Rome. Yet, he would write in 2 Timothy 4:6-8: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” The Lord is coming in two ways in terms of day. There is the ‘day’ of the Lord and the ‘Day’ of the Lord. Small caps ‘day’ is the day you will die. More than likely, that day will come before the LARGE CAPS ‘DAY’ of the Lord comes – the day the Lord Himself returns. But no matter if Jesus comes for you on your day of death or if He comes on His day to take the church away, the hope of Jesus’ return is something that ought to fill us with power and confidence (2 Thess. 4:18).
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Re-Wired
Re-Wired for the Future
Dr. Kevin Shrum
Since October of ‘05 God has been rewiring me and my family for the next phase of ministry and life. The first twenty-seven years of ministry has been quick and awesome. We have journeyed through school together, served several churches with joy together and have been able to do and see things that we never dreamed we would be able to do and see. But we have determined that we do not want to keep with the status quo, drifting through the second-half of our ministry life. We want to make an impact with the rest of our lives.
The stirring God began in us is preparing us for the next phase of life and ministry. It’s as if God broke open our hearts, reached in and pulled out our spiritual circuitry boards and began rewiring us for a new day. It has been an unnerving, exhilarating and rewarding process, and it’s not yet complete. A personal story is in order to illustrate what we’re learning in this process.
One Sunday morning I awakened with a deep sense of needing to ‘get to God’ in worship with other believers. It had been a rough couple of weeks and I needed a touch from God. We made our way to church as a family. I attended a couple of early morning meetings, taught a Sunday School class, fielded many individual questions and attended to the needs of many in the church, preached a sermon, spoke to many with questions after worship and finally made our way to the car to go home.
Nothing was wrong with any of the aforementioned activities. In fact, all of them were good things, even necessary things – at least according to the structure of the church. But I was weary and tired when I looked at my wife and said, ‘Honey, today I needed to get to God and the church got in the way. And I’m the preacher!’ I wondered how many weary, but committed laymen feel the same way every Sunday as they drag themselves through a difficult week at work only to spend their weeknights and weekends propping up a church system that too often keeps them from the very thing they really long for – God. We needed to be re-wired; and the church needs to be re-wired, as well.
Here’s what we’re learning through God’s re-wiring process. First, we have been reminded that the only constant in life, other than the things of God, is change itself. This is not an original insight. But it’s true. If you expect things to stay the same you will be disappointed. If you get locked into a particular phase of life thinking that things will ‘always be this way’ you will be severely inhibited in your spiritual growth. A renewed sense of commitment is growing in us to see God in the new phases of life, to embrace change and to see where God will take us next.
Second, we have replaced the word retire with the word transition. There is no doubt that one day we will be much older (we’re in our mid 40’s) and need to respond to the changes in our life in appropriate ways. God willing, we have another 35-40 years of service in us. However, retirement is often a dead end for many when it comes to spiritual effectiveness. As a pastor, I have seen too many people retire from work, retire from church work, retire from spiritual growth and eventually retire from life altogether. Rather than transition to new phases of God’s work, too many Christians retire into ineffectiveness and spiritual atrophy.
Third, we are learning that God is planting a desire in us to see the work of the church in new and fresh ways. Our beliefs and convictions have not changed, but our view of how things can get done in the church is shifting. I was raised in and have pastored program churches driven by committees with a rigid leadership structure. I thank God for these methods that have served Baptists well.
Yet, after three decades of doing church this way, i.e. of church growth books, seminars and methods, churches in America are in a period of decline as the old ways show their ineffectiveness for the present and future needs of the mission of the church. Too many churches spend too much time and resources propping up the organization itself. Rather than the organization serving the mission of the church, the organization serves the organization, internalizing the people and financial resources of the church and contributing to a self-absorbed, centralized institution rather than a vibrant mission-sending body of believers.
What remains the same is God’s Word, the gospel of Jesus Christ, time-honored biblical principles of discipleship and evangelism, the effectiveness of building personal relationships with unbelievers and the leadership of the Holy Spirit in birthing a vision for new ways of reaching the lost with an ancient gospel. What does and must change are the methods of the church, i.e. structures, systems, processes, procedures.
Fourth, we are re-wiring ourselves for more cooperation without convictional compromise. The need for cooperation within Baptist life is at an all-time high. Cooperation is needed generationally, methodologically and ecclesiastically. Too often, however, cooperation has led to convictional compromise. The re-wiring process is teaching us to give the benefit of the doubt, to not assume things until verified and to ask honest questions instead of making pre-mature judgments. It is also teaching us to speak truth both to institutional lethargy and theological liberalism.
Finally, we are discovering that God is the God of the past, the present and the future, especially the future. The re-wiring work God is forcing us to look forward standing on the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and not past, current or even future structures or methods. This reiterates the truth that the things of God do not change, but methods, modes and means vary with time and circumstance.
The new schematic God is building into our spiritual circuitry systems appears to be moving us toward more spiritual creativity, streamlined systems of spiritual formation and a deep desire to know and glorify God by preaching the Word of God and impacting the culture of a new generation.
Dr. Kevin Shrum
Since October of ‘05 God has been rewiring me and my family for the next phase of ministry and life. The first twenty-seven years of ministry has been quick and awesome. We have journeyed through school together, served several churches with joy together and have been able to do and see things that we never dreamed we would be able to do and see. But we have determined that we do not want to keep with the status quo, drifting through the second-half of our ministry life. We want to make an impact with the rest of our lives.
The stirring God began in us is preparing us for the next phase of life and ministry. It’s as if God broke open our hearts, reached in and pulled out our spiritual circuitry boards and began rewiring us for a new day. It has been an unnerving, exhilarating and rewarding process, and it’s not yet complete. A personal story is in order to illustrate what we’re learning in this process.
One Sunday morning I awakened with a deep sense of needing to ‘get to God’ in worship with other believers. It had been a rough couple of weeks and I needed a touch from God. We made our way to church as a family. I attended a couple of early morning meetings, taught a Sunday School class, fielded many individual questions and attended to the needs of many in the church, preached a sermon, spoke to many with questions after worship and finally made our way to the car to go home.
Nothing was wrong with any of the aforementioned activities. In fact, all of them were good things, even necessary things – at least according to the structure of the church. But I was weary and tired when I looked at my wife and said, ‘Honey, today I needed to get to God and the church got in the way. And I’m the preacher!’ I wondered how many weary, but committed laymen feel the same way every Sunday as they drag themselves through a difficult week at work only to spend their weeknights and weekends propping up a church system that too often keeps them from the very thing they really long for – God. We needed to be re-wired; and the church needs to be re-wired, as well.
Here’s what we’re learning through God’s re-wiring process. First, we have been reminded that the only constant in life, other than the things of God, is change itself. This is not an original insight. But it’s true. If you expect things to stay the same you will be disappointed. If you get locked into a particular phase of life thinking that things will ‘always be this way’ you will be severely inhibited in your spiritual growth. A renewed sense of commitment is growing in us to see God in the new phases of life, to embrace change and to see where God will take us next.
Second, we have replaced the word retire with the word transition. There is no doubt that one day we will be much older (we’re in our mid 40’s) and need to respond to the changes in our life in appropriate ways. God willing, we have another 35-40 years of service in us. However, retirement is often a dead end for many when it comes to spiritual effectiveness. As a pastor, I have seen too many people retire from work, retire from church work, retire from spiritual growth and eventually retire from life altogether. Rather than transition to new phases of God’s work, too many Christians retire into ineffectiveness and spiritual atrophy.
Third, we are learning that God is planting a desire in us to see the work of the church in new and fresh ways. Our beliefs and convictions have not changed, but our view of how things can get done in the church is shifting. I was raised in and have pastored program churches driven by committees with a rigid leadership structure. I thank God for these methods that have served Baptists well.
Yet, after three decades of doing church this way, i.e. of church growth books, seminars and methods, churches in America are in a period of decline as the old ways show their ineffectiveness for the present and future needs of the mission of the church. Too many churches spend too much time and resources propping up the organization itself. Rather than the organization serving the mission of the church, the organization serves the organization, internalizing the people and financial resources of the church and contributing to a self-absorbed, centralized institution rather than a vibrant mission-sending body of believers.
What remains the same is God’s Word, the gospel of Jesus Christ, time-honored biblical principles of discipleship and evangelism, the effectiveness of building personal relationships with unbelievers and the leadership of the Holy Spirit in birthing a vision for new ways of reaching the lost with an ancient gospel. What does and must change are the methods of the church, i.e. structures, systems, processes, procedures.
Fourth, we are re-wiring ourselves for more cooperation without convictional compromise. The need for cooperation within Baptist life is at an all-time high. Cooperation is needed generationally, methodologically and ecclesiastically. Too often, however, cooperation has led to convictional compromise. The re-wiring process is teaching us to give the benefit of the doubt, to not assume things until verified and to ask honest questions instead of making pre-mature judgments. It is also teaching us to speak truth both to institutional lethargy and theological liberalism.
Finally, we are discovering that God is the God of the past, the present and the future, especially the future. The re-wiring work God is forcing us to look forward standing on the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and not past, current or even future structures or methods. This reiterates the truth that the things of God do not change, but methods, modes and means vary with time and circumstance.
The new schematic God is building into our spiritual circuitry systems appears to be moving us toward more spiritual creativity, streamlined systems of spiritual formation and a deep desire to know and glorify God by preaching the Word of God and impacting the culture of a new generation.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Recovering the Prophetic Voice of the Church
Recovering the Prophetic Voice of the Church
Kevin Shrum
A recent new Fox 5 – The Washington Times – Rasmussen Reports poll (11.19.07) reports that less than 25% of those surveyed agreed that it was inappropriate for politicians to campaign at their religious services. In fact, 62% said it’s not right. What are religious leaders, particularly Christian leaders, to make of this new poll? Is this the end of the political influence of the church? Or, is this simply the recovery of the clear lines of the separation between church and state?
Religious leaders and politicians have always had an uneasy and tenuous relationship. Politicians have courted the religious vote in places of worship because the vast constituent network of members affords them access to a large number of people at a very low cost. In other words, politicians have ‘used’ places of worship as a means to corner the market on a particular segment of voters. And let’s give the benefit of the doubt at this point – let’s say that most politicians are well-meaning in their motives toward the religious community.
Religious leaders have courted political leaders, as well. The thinking is – if I, as a religious leader, can gain access to the halls of power I can influence the great moral issues of the day reflected in the legislation politicians vote on. Again, let’s give religious leaders their due by saying that their motives are as well-meaning as, say, the motives of the politicians.
So far, good enough, right? Wrong! In recent years the lines of church and state have become so blurred that the church has become just another political constituency for the politician to tap for votes and religious leaders have become supportive lackeys for politicians who are hypocritical and not as well-meaning as previously thought.
The consequences have been devastating to the religious landscape and the political process. Religious leaders are consistently duped by their ‘political friends’ and political leaders have become hypocritical in what they say in order to gain votes from the religious community.
Does this new poll portend the end of the religious/political dialogue, co-influential relationship? Should politicians continue to speak in worship services? And should the religious leaders of the day give up on influencing the nation through the political process?
The answer to these questions is that politicians will be what they are and religious leaders will always have an awkward relationship with political leaders. However, this recent poll may actually be good news for the religious community. Let me explain.
I believe in the separation of the church and state doctrine as Jefferson intended it, but not as some interpret it. It was a wise, but non-Constitutional statement made to the members of the Danbury Baptist Association (Jan. 1, 1802) assuring them that the government was not interested in interfering in their religious processes or in establishing a state church. The phrase “separation of church and state” was never intended to squelch the church from influencing government; it was a protective legal device for the churches from government intrusion.
Recent polling data and the coolness of the religious community in this election cycle, especially evangelicals, toward politicians may be as telling about the role of the church as it is the state. I believe that for far too long the church has lost its prophetic voice by aligning itself with a particular party rather than by addressing the issues of the day, i.e. evangelical conservatives with the Republican party and mainline liberals with the Democratic party.
Maybe the new polling numbers are suggesting that the church needs to regain its independence and prophetic influence. Maybe mainline liberals need to acknowledge that there is something more to the pro-life movement than it being a plank in the Republican party platform. And maybe evangelicals need to acknowledge that there is something to the issues of poverty, fair income/wages and access to healthcare. You pick the issues. But don’t miss my point. The church must be able to address these issues from a point of view that is independent of a particular political party.
What would happen if the churches railed against political corruption no matter the party? What would happen if from the pulpits of America religious leaders preached the Word of God, calling a decadent, materialistic nation back to its senses so that government would not be viewed as the answer to every problem, yet for politicians to recover the concept of citizen-leaders as they work together to solve problems that cannot be solved alone?
Personally, I am a pro-life, pro-family, pro-citizen, pro-Constitutional (constructionist), pro-landowner type of citizen. But I am at the point of saying that I refuse to hitch my wagon to any one political person or party. As a religious leader I cannot afford the liberty to speak against sin and evil wherever I see it; nor can I be silent in commending righteousness and goodness no matter what party produces it!
In the new polling numbers I hear the faint echo of Jeremiah, Isaiah and Jesus who scoffed at the hypocrisy of the political,/religious leaders of their day as they ignored the poor and needy, while at the same time calling them to a life of holy leadership that honors God! I can hear them call for God’s people to pray for their leaders, talk with their leaders, but also confront their leaders when unrighteousness is the order of the day. I can only hope!
Kevin Shrum
A recent new Fox 5 – The Washington Times – Rasmussen Reports poll (11.19.07) reports that less than 25% of those surveyed agreed that it was inappropriate for politicians to campaign at their religious services. In fact, 62% said it’s not right. What are religious leaders, particularly Christian leaders, to make of this new poll? Is this the end of the political influence of the church? Or, is this simply the recovery of the clear lines of the separation between church and state?
Religious leaders and politicians have always had an uneasy and tenuous relationship. Politicians have courted the religious vote in places of worship because the vast constituent network of members affords them access to a large number of people at a very low cost. In other words, politicians have ‘used’ places of worship as a means to corner the market on a particular segment of voters. And let’s give the benefit of the doubt at this point – let’s say that most politicians are well-meaning in their motives toward the religious community.
Religious leaders have courted political leaders, as well. The thinking is – if I, as a religious leader, can gain access to the halls of power I can influence the great moral issues of the day reflected in the legislation politicians vote on. Again, let’s give religious leaders their due by saying that their motives are as well-meaning as, say, the motives of the politicians.
So far, good enough, right? Wrong! In recent years the lines of church and state have become so blurred that the church has become just another political constituency for the politician to tap for votes and religious leaders have become supportive lackeys for politicians who are hypocritical and not as well-meaning as previously thought.
The consequences have been devastating to the religious landscape and the political process. Religious leaders are consistently duped by their ‘political friends’ and political leaders have become hypocritical in what they say in order to gain votes from the religious community.
Does this new poll portend the end of the religious/political dialogue, co-influential relationship? Should politicians continue to speak in worship services? And should the religious leaders of the day give up on influencing the nation through the political process?
The answer to these questions is that politicians will be what they are and religious leaders will always have an awkward relationship with political leaders. However, this recent poll may actually be good news for the religious community. Let me explain.
I believe in the separation of the church and state doctrine as Jefferson intended it, but not as some interpret it. It was a wise, but non-Constitutional statement made to the members of the Danbury Baptist Association (Jan. 1, 1802) assuring them that the government was not interested in interfering in their religious processes or in establishing a state church. The phrase “separation of church and state” was never intended to squelch the church from influencing government; it was a protective legal device for the churches from government intrusion.
Recent polling data and the coolness of the religious community in this election cycle, especially evangelicals, toward politicians may be as telling about the role of the church as it is the state. I believe that for far too long the church has lost its prophetic voice by aligning itself with a particular party rather than by addressing the issues of the day, i.e. evangelical conservatives with the Republican party and mainline liberals with the Democratic party.
Maybe the new polling numbers are suggesting that the church needs to regain its independence and prophetic influence. Maybe mainline liberals need to acknowledge that there is something more to the pro-life movement than it being a plank in the Republican party platform. And maybe evangelicals need to acknowledge that there is something to the issues of poverty, fair income/wages and access to healthcare. You pick the issues. But don’t miss my point. The church must be able to address these issues from a point of view that is independent of a particular political party.
What would happen if the churches railed against political corruption no matter the party? What would happen if from the pulpits of America religious leaders preached the Word of God, calling a decadent, materialistic nation back to its senses so that government would not be viewed as the answer to every problem, yet for politicians to recover the concept of citizen-leaders as they work together to solve problems that cannot be solved alone?
Personally, I am a pro-life, pro-family, pro-citizen, pro-Constitutional (constructionist), pro-landowner type of citizen. But I am at the point of saying that I refuse to hitch my wagon to any one political person or party. As a religious leader I cannot afford the liberty to speak against sin and evil wherever I see it; nor can I be silent in commending righteousness and goodness no matter what party produces it!
In the new polling numbers I hear the faint echo of Jeremiah, Isaiah and Jesus who scoffed at the hypocrisy of the political,/religious leaders of their day as they ignored the poor and needy, while at the same time calling them to a life of holy leadership that honors God! I can hear them call for God’s people to pray for their leaders, talk with their leaders, but also confront their leaders when unrighteousness is the order of the day. I can only hope!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Of Living Lions and Golden Compasses
Of Living Lions and Golden Compasses
Kevin Shrum
The cinematic release of Philip Pullman’s, The Golden Compass, is due in American theaters December 5th. I will see the movie. The movie is based upon Pullman’s first book in his trilogy known as His Dark Materials. It tells the story of a young girl’s (Lyra) heroic search for her lost friend, assisted by mysterious characters and powerful creatures. In the end, the ‘god-like’ figure of the story is killed.
Pullman’s story is similar to C.S. Lewis’ allegorical tale of Christianity, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, except from a differing perspective, exposing the dark and sinister nature of humanity and the corruption of authoritative systems. Pullman’s tale appears to be anti-structural, anti-authority and has been, by some, viewed to be anti-god.
William A. Donohue, President of the Catholic League, has called for a boycott of the movie arguing that it denigrates Christianity and promotes atheism for kids. Pullman has not helped his cause by making some statements that would tend to fortify the belief that he is anti-church at best and anti-god at worst.
What are we to make of the hullabaloo surrounding this movie? Is The Golden Compass simply a good fairy tale that should be placed in the same category as other classic tales of adventure? Or, is it a sinister attempt to undermine the idea of God?
Let’s bring some sobriety to the issue. It’s a movie. I understand that we live in a day when some have difficulty separating reality from fantasy, but let’s remember that it’s entertainment. Yes, entertainment with a message, but entertainment nonetheless.
As entertainment, a movie ought to rank low on our list of world-shaping, idea-forming influences. This may sound naïve in a culture that is entertainment driven. Entertainment is non-reality, it is meant to be a form of escapism at best. For roughly two hours the viewer suspends his disbelief and lives in another world, fantasy or otherwise. But the movie ends, the lights come up and we return to the real.
I enjoyed Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but it’s not scripture. And I will probably enjoy Pullman’s The Golden Compass. And after having seen the movie the lights will come up, I’ll return to my car and drive back into reality. Why? Because it’s entertainment!
We Christians tend to get faddishly upset by the entertainment world. Remember the movie The Last Temptation of Christ? God survived it and the church is strong world-wide. Is the entertainment industry often crude and God-forsaken? Of course! But the greatest way to belittle the entertainment industry is to recognize it for what it is: monied promoters financing actors and actresses playing make-believe parts and reading lines in artificial settings with unrealistic expectations.
And that’s the reason I enjoy some movies. It’s a moment of artificiality and escape from what is real. But it soon ends and life goes on.
And what about the killing of God and the atheistic tendencies of the story and the movie? Well, that’s the real entertainment. People, governments, philosophers, artisans and even some theologians have been attempting to kill God and His church for centuries but to no avail. Why? Because after the viewer suspends her belief system for a moment of cinematic entertainment the lights come up and she must walk right back into the reality that God is not dead.
Kevin Shrum
The cinematic release of Philip Pullman’s, The Golden Compass, is due in American theaters December 5th. I will see the movie. The movie is based upon Pullman’s first book in his trilogy known as His Dark Materials. It tells the story of a young girl’s (Lyra) heroic search for her lost friend, assisted by mysterious characters and powerful creatures. In the end, the ‘god-like’ figure of the story is killed.
Pullman’s story is similar to C.S. Lewis’ allegorical tale of Christianity, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, except from a differing perspective, exposing the dark and sinister nature of humanity and the corruption of authoritative systems. Pullman’s tale appears to be anti-structural, anti-authority and has been, by some, viewed to be anti-god.
William A. Donohue, President of the Catholic League, has called for a boycott of the movie arguing that it denigrates Christianity and promotes atheism for kids. Pullman has not helped his cause by making some statements that would tend to fortify the belief that he is anti-church at best and anti-god at worst.
What are we to make of the hullabaloo surrounding this movie? Is The Golden Compass simply a good fairy tale that should be placed in the same category as other classic tales of adventure? Or, is it a sinister attempt to undermine the idea of God?
Let’s bring some sobriety to the issue. It’s a movie. I understand that we live in a day when some have difficulty separating reality from fantasy, but let’s remember that it’s entertainment. Yes, entertainment with a message, but entertainment nonetheless.
As entertainment, a movie ought to rank low on our list of world-shaping, idea-forming influences. This may sound naïve in a culture that is entertainment driven. Entertainment is non-reality, it is meant to be a form of escapism at best. For roughly two hours the viewer suspends his disbelief and lives in another world, fantasy or otherwise. But the movie ends, the lights come up and we return to the real.
I enjoyed Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but it’s not scripture. And I will probably enjoy Pullman’s The Golden Compass. And after having seen the movie the lights will come up, I’ll return to my car and drive back into reality. Why? Because it’s entertainment!
We Christians tend to get faddishly upset by the entertainment world. Remember the movie The Last Temptation of Christ? God survived it and the church is strong world-wide. Is the entertainment industry often crude and God-forsaken? Of course! But the greatest way to belittle the entertainment industry is to recognize it for what it is: monied promoters financing actors and actresses playing make-believe parts and reading lines in artificial settings with unrealistic expectations.
And that’s the reason I enjoy some movies. It’s a moment of artificiality and escape from what is real. But it soon ends and life goes on.
And what about the killing of God and the atheistic tendencies of the story and the movie? Well, that’s the real entertainment. People, governments, philosophers, artisans and even some theologians have been attempting to kill God and His church for centuries but to no avail. Why? Because after the viewer suspends her belief system for a moment of cinematic entertainment the lights come up and she must walk right back into the reality that God is not dead.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Homosexuality in Biblical Perspective
Homosexuality in Biblical Perspective
Kevin Shrum
In 1989 Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen published a book entitled, After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90's. Kirk and Madsen laid out a framework for normalizing behavior that had previously been viewed as deviant. First, desensitize the citizen to deviancy by making deviancy appear positive. Second, make people feel guilty about their perceived bigotries, often equating homosexual and race bigotry. Third, through the media, display as normal that which had previously been viewed as abnormal.
Last week’s Tennessean article (11.18.07) entitled ‘Does the Bible always tell us so?’ presents an alternative view of human sexuality that is incongruent with a biblical worldview and with common sense. It’s a play right out of the Kirk/Madsen playbook. It was the Tennessean’s endorsement of a pro-homosexual agenda. The article suggests that Christians have not only misinterpreted numerous scripture passages concerning sexual behavior, but have used these passages as “clobber passages” against persons with lifestyles that are out of the norm.
Let’s begin with some humility. The author of the article partially quotes 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, failing to quote one of the most redemptive and loving passages in all of scripture, verse 11. After listing numerous sins the Apostle Paul writes, “And that is what some of you were.” In other words, the church of Corinth was not filled with ‘goody-two-shoes,’ but sinners who had been transformed by God’s grace.
While there may be a few idiots like Fred Phelps among us, most Christians oppose homosexuality with a degree of humility. The sins of others and their own sin grieves them to no end. Yet, just because a person is a sinner should not prohibit her from making a value judgment based upon her worldview.
We make value judgments every day. If we didn’t make decisions about right and wrong we would have total anarchy. Those with a pro-homosexual agenda have the right to express their worldview; just don’t be shocked when those who disagree do the same. So let’s dispel Myth #1 – that all Christians are arrogant, et al, Fred Phelps. Let’s address eight other myths used to bash Christians.
Myth #2 is that Jesus did not address the subject of homosexuality and therefore never condemned it. Are we sure? John 21:25 notes that we do not have all the words of Jesus recorded so He could have addressed this subject. Further, every time Jesus had the opportunity to address or redefine sexual orientation he failed to do so. When asked about marriage and divorce he went back to creation, affirming the maleness and femaleness of humanity (Gen. 1:27; Mt. 19:1-12).
When confronted with an adulteress in John 4 Jesus did not affirm her sexual sin, but changed her forever. Jesus did not confront sin with a ‘wink and a nod.’ Instead, he confronted sin and the sinner with truth and grace.
This leads to Myth #3 – the only prohibitions against homosexuality are in the Old Testament and therefore are not applicable. This is untrue. Leviticus 18:22 is rather plain – ‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; this is detestable.’ This is not a difficult to understand. In fact, it is common sense.
The New Testament is filled with references to all kinds of sexual sins, i.e. Roman 1:18-32; Ephesians 4:17-19. Some do not equate the words of the non-gospel New Testament letters with the words of Jesus, ruling out of order the aforementioned passages. But this is out of the norm of historic Christianity that has largely viewed all of scripture as the Word of God. There is no misunderstanding – from beginning to end the scriptures condemn sexual sins of all kinds.
And what about Myth # 4 that science has proven people are born gay or at least have the tendency? Some cite Dr. Simon Levay’s ’91 study that argued for homosexuality as natural based upon variations in the hypothalamus. This study has been discredited. Others anticipated the discovery of a ‘gay gene’ based upon the mapping of the genetic/DNA code sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Human Genome Project. No ‘smoking sexual orientation gun’ was found. There is no gay gene. Even so, a tendency does not make an orientation.
Further, Myth #5 states that as much as 10% of the population is gay, citing the now discredited 1948 Kinsey report. More accurate numbers suggest that 1-3% of the population is homosexual in orientation. To normalize abnormal behavior for this small portion of the population is unnecessary.
And what about Myth #6 – homosexual orientation cannot be altered or redeemed? Though difficult and time-sensitive, persons of homosexual orientation are changing. Someone might say, ‘this is the way God made me’ and ‘I enjoy being this way,’ Two responses are in order: 1) we have no record in scripture where God made a person outside of the normal heterosexual orientation nor 2) does scripture deny that sin is pleasant for a season (Heb. 11:25). It does affirm that the pleasure will end in depression and destruction.
Myth # 7 and Myth #8 are companions – anti-homosexual speech is hate speech and for the Christian to say that God loves the sinner but hates the sin is hypocritical. I agree! Christian hatred is an oxymoron. But to disagree does not equal hate. Further, Christians can be hypocritical, but this does not eliminate the fact that God hates and judges sin. Save for the grace of God, none of us are safe from God’s judgment.
Finally, Myth #9 argues that God loves all people and has made them ‘the way they are,’ so who are we to disagree with the ‘way a person is?’ God does love us. It is not loving for God to allow us to remain in our sin. What is loving is for God to die for sinners so that he may forgive and renew them, giving them the power to overcome their sinful proclivities, be they homosexuality, alcoholism, divorce, gluttony, lying, etc. This is what God did for sinners in Christ.
Someone asked me one time, ‘Pastor, what would you do if you had a homosexual family member?’ My answer is that I do. And when I see her I hug her, love her, pray for her, talk to her, laugh with her, listen to her and long to see her ‘come out’ of a lifestyle that appears to be miserable, abnormal and destructive.
Kevin Shrum
In 1989 Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen published a book entitled, After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90's. Kirk and Madsen laid out a framework for normalizing behavior that had previously been viewed as deviant. First, desensitize the citizen to deviancy by making deviancy appear positive. Second, make people feel guilty about their perceived bigotries, often equating homosexual and race bigotry. Third, through the media, display as normal that which had previously been viewed as abnormal.
Last week’s Tennessean article (11.18.07) entitled ‘Does the Bible always tell us so?’ presents an alternative view of human sexuality that is incongruent with a biblical worldview and with common sense. It’s a play right out of the Kirk/Madsen playbook. It was the Tennessean’s endorsement of a pro-homosexual agenda. The article suggests that Christians have not only misinterpreted numerous scripture passages concerning sexual behavior, but have used these passages as “clobber passages” against persons with lifestyles that are out of the norm.
Let’s begin with some humility. The author of the article partially quotes 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, failing to quote one of the most redemptive and loving passages in all of scripture, verse 11. After listing numerous sins the Apostle Paul writes, “And that is what some of you were.” In other words, the church of Corinth was not filled with ‘goody-two-shoes,’ but sinners who had been transformed by God’s grace.
While there may be a few idiots like Fred Phelps among us, most Christians oppose homosexuality with a degree of humility. The sins of others and their own sin grieves them to no end. Yet, just because a person is a sinner should not prohibit her from making a value judgment based upon her worldview.
We make value judgments every day. If we didn’t make decisions about right and wrong we would have total anarchy. Those with a pro-homosexual agenda have the right to express their worldview; just don’t be shocked when those who disagree do the same. So let’s dispel Myth #1 – that all Christians are arrogant, et al, Fred Phelps. Let’s address eight other myths used to bash Christians.
Myth #2 is that Jesus did not address the subject of homosexuality and therefore never condemned it. Are we sure? John 21:25 notes that we do not have all the words of Jesus recorded so He could have addressed this subject. Further, every time Jesus had the opportunity to address or redefine sexual orientation he failed to do so. When asked about marriage and divorce he went back to creation, affirming the maleness and femaleness of humanity (Gen. 1:27; Mt. 19:1-12).
When confronted with an adulteress in John 4 Jesus did not affirm her sexual sin, but changed her forever. Jesus did not confront sin with a ‘wink and a nod.’ Instead, he confronted sin and the sinner with truth and grace.
This leads to Myth #3 – the only prohibitions against homosexuality are in the Old Testament and therefore are not applicable. This is untrue. Leviticus 18:22 is rather plain – ‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; this is detestable.’ This is not a difficult to understand. In fact, it is common sense.
The New Testament is filled with references to all kinds of sexual sins, i.e. Roman 1:18-32; Ephesians 4:17-19. Some do not equate the words of the non-gospel New Testament letters with the words of Jesus, ruling out of order the aforementioned passages. But this is out of the norm of historic Christianity that has largely viewed all of scripture as the Word of God. There is no misunderstanding – from beginning to end the scriptures condemn sexual sins of all kinds.
And what about Myth # 4 that science has proven people are born gay or at least have the tendency? Some cite Dr. Simon Levay’s ’91 study that argued for homosexuality as natural based upon variations in the hypothalamus. This study has been discredited. Others anticipated the discovery of a ‘gay gene’ based upon the mapping of the genetic/DNA code sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Human Genome Project. No ‘smoking sexual orientation gun’ was found. There is no gay gene. Even so, a tendency does not make an orientation.
Further, Myth #5 states that as much as 10% of the population is gay, citing the now discredited 1948 Kinsey report. More accurate numbers suggest that 1-3% of the population is homosexual in orientation. To normalize abnormal behavior for this small portion of the population is unnecessary.
And what about Myth #6 – homosexual orientation cannot be altered or redeemed? Though difficult and time-sensitive, persons of homosexual orientation are changing. Someone might say, ‘this is the way God made me’ and ‘I enjoy being this way,’ Two responses are in order: 1) we have no record in scripture where God made a person outside of the normal heterosexual orientation nor 2) does scripture deny that sin is pleasant for a season (Heb. 11:25). It does affirm that the pleasure will end in depression and destruction.
Myth # 7 and Myth #8 are companions – anti-homosexual speech is hate speech and for the Christian to say that God loves the sinner but hates the sin is hypocritical. I agree! Christian hatred is an oxymoron. But to disagree does not equal hate. Further, Christians can be hypocritical, but this does not eliminate the fact that God hates and judges sin. Save for the grace of God, none of us are safe from God’s judgment.
Finally, Myth #9 argues that God loves all people and has made them ‘the way they are,’ so who are we to disagree with the ‘way a person is?’ God does love us. It is not loving for God to allow us to remain in our sin. What is loving is for God to die for sinners so that he may forgive and renew them, giving them the power to overcome their sinful proclivities, be they homosexuality, alcoholism, divorce, gluttony, lying, etc. This is what God did for sinners in Christ.
Someone asked me one time, ‘Pastor, what would you do if you had a homosexual family member?’ My answer is that I do. And when I see her I hug her, love her, pray for her, talk to her, laugh with her, listen to her and long to see her ‘come out’ of a lifestyle that appears to be miserable, abnormal and destructive.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The New Anti-theist Atheism
Addressing the New Anti-theist Atheism
Dr. Kevin Shrum
Romans 1:18ff.
A new breed of atheist is on the scene. Smart intellectually, angry emotionally and vitriolic in their speech, these media savvy non-god gurus have invaded the airwaves, internet and print mediums with their message of anti-theism. Their starting line-up reads like an NFL All-Pro Team: Daniel C. Bennett, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon; Sam Harris, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation; Christopher Hitchens, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything; Lewis Wolpert, Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast; Victor Stenger, The Comprehensible Cosmos; and, Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion.
It is more accurate to refer to this new wave of atheists as anti-theists. Why? Because unlike previous generations of atheists and atheistic dialogue with theists where the issues of atheism and theism were debated mostly in the academic arena with a degree of tolerance and respect, Hitchens and company are not only self-avowed atheists, they are vehement anti-god crusaders. They are not satisfied with being theological and philosophical contrarians; they are like fundamentalist evangelists for their cause, using any criticism, medium and means to bury religion in general, Christianity in particular.
And if you don’t think they are being effective, think again. Due to the main-stream media’s love for all things that make religion look bad, these crusaders have been given countless hours of free time and space on radio, TV and in the print media, often lauded as courageous heroes for those who would think differently about human existence, science and God. Their books are best-sellers and are being widely read by people from all walks of life, of all different ages. This has caused the most basic questions concerning God’s existence to be raised both at the coffee shops and in the pew without benefit of counter-argument or balance. The minister unaware of this recent phenomenon will find himself speaking past his people and not to his people about the most basic of all truths: the existence of God.
The deficiency of this most recent wave of anti-god crusaders is that they raise no new issues, but loudly shout out the old, often discredited philosophical, theological atheistic concepts, as if they are unaware that many of their objections have not been addressed by the likes of J.P. Moreland, Paul Davies, Alister McGrath, etc. If, however, the minister and the average church member is unaware and unprepared for the aggressive nature of the new anti-god crusaders it could give the appearance that the ‘god-is-dead’ era of Ayers and Altizer is alive and well.
Three Friends
How does the communicator of biblical truth address this new wave of anti-theism? Let me introduce you to what I have come to call three old friends. I use the term friends because when I first read Dawkins’, The God Delusion, a cold, icy chill filled my soul as if I had been abandoned by that which was familiar and true. And though a philosophy major in college, I had to dig deep to think through these old issues in new and fresh ways.
Alister McGrath’s Laser-like Logic
The first friend is Alister McGrath’s and his little book, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine (IVP, 2007). McGrath has advanced degrees in both science (molecular biology) and theology and is a highly respected Oxford professor and scholar. Most importantly, McGrath was a one-time atheist who has embraced Christianity. This little book was so refreshing and clear in its argument that it helped me cut through the vitriol of Dawkins, Hitchens and company to the arguments themselves, arguments that I at once recognized as having been greatly discredited by sound philosophical inquiry, lucid reason and biblical exegesis. McGrath has reminded me that the volume of what is being communicated is not equal to the truth being communicated. That is, the louder one speaks does not make what is being said more true. In fact, McGrath expresses disappointment in Dawkins’ book because it doesn’t raise any new anti-god arguments, but simply recounts the old anti-god arguments in a new package of language and mediums, with the volume turned all the way up.
Antony Flew’s Mae Culpa
The second friend is Antony Flew’s (with Roy Abraham Varghese) new book, ‘There is NO A God: How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind,’ (Harper Collins, 2007). Though Flew has yet to embrace Christianity as a whole, he has become a convinced theist. Flew is the same man who presented his landmark paper, ‘Theology and Falsification,’ in 1950 at the Oxford University Socratic Club, chaired by C.S. Lewis himself. How Flew experienced this conversion was helpful to me.
Flew acknowledges the three questions that relentlessly penetrated his anti-god stance that he couldn’t ignore. In Flew’s own words, “I believe that life and reproduction originate in a divine Source. Why do I believe this, given I expounded and defended atheism for more than a half century? The short answer is this: this is the world picture, as I see it, that has emerged from modern science. Science spotlights three dimensions of nature that point to God. The first is the fact that nature obeys laws. The second is the dimension of life, of intelligently organized and purpose-driven beings, which arose from matter. The third is the very existence of nature.”[1]
The first question is the question of order verses chaos, the laws of nature. What Flew couldn’t deny was that nature operates by laws that both the theist and atheist depend on in order to conduct scientific experiments and, then, to speak intelligently about these processes. These laws were not assigned to nature, but came out of nature itself, as if they were intentionally built-in to the processes of nature. The questions like, ‘Who wrote these laws?’ and ‘Who encoded them into the natural processes?’ have always been a mystery to the atheistic scientist? Flew could no longer deny that the laws of nature were not by-products of natural selection but the result of the intentional act of a ‘Law-giver.’
The second question that confronted Flew was the teleological question. That is, why is there purpose to creation, in particular the emergence of ordered, well-structured, intentional, purposeful life? What Flew acknowledges is that his weak, anti-god arguments for explaining the derivation and direction of life simply couldn’t hold up under the weight of the evidence that pointed to a ‘Life-giver.’ Recent developments in DNA research became the ‘tipping point’ for Flew. So, add to Flews’ conclusion of ‘Law-giver’ the truth of ‘Life-giver’ or ‘Life-producer.’
The third, most devastating question to Flews’ atheistic posture was the very existence of nature itself, or the ontological question, the question of being. In brief, why is there something instead of nothing? Why is there anything at all? Again, the atheistic arguments for the existence of either an eternal universe or the Big Bang theory didn’t remove the many questions as to why things exist at all. Flew argued that even if the universe was eternal, how did this come to be? And, even if a person accepts the Big Bang theory, who or what created the conditions for this event? Flews’ conclusion is that God creates life. So, add to ‘Law-giver,’ Life-giver,’ the truth of ‘World/Universe-Creator.’
Biblical Exegesis (Romans 1:18ff.)
The third friend is scripture itself. This is where the communicator of biblical truth must trust the efficiency and sufficiency of the text. While McGrath and Flew are helpful, it is God’s Word that will win the day. Biblical fidelity reminds us that time and truth and text and truth are good companions. We must be patient in standing by the arguments for God’s existence that scripture itself offers. This was Paul’s source of confidence in Athens enabling him to say (Acts 17:23), “For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” Either Paul is delusional or he knows something that is true.
If we take Flews’ three questions as a starting point, we find a response to these questions in the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. To the question of the laws of nature we can respond from Romans 1:19-20, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” The order we see in nature is reflective of the order we come to see in God. The laws of nature, then, are not the by-product of a natural order frantic to survive, but the intentional and deliberate laws that govern all natural processes.
Ravi Zacharis’ image of God as the ‘Grand Weaver,’ taken from his most recent book by the same title, is most helpful at this point. As the master tapestry-maker, God uses, so to speak, weaving techniques to weave together a creation with purpose and definition. The laws of the weaver are not a by-product of a pile of disassembled threads, but the deliberate weaving laws of a purposeful weaver. These laws allow the weaver to tie together disparate threads into a cohesive whole.
To Flews’ second question (teleological) – the question of organized, purpose-driven life – we can answer from Romans 1:20, as well, where the Apostle Paul notes that God’s existence has been known since creation. That is, the order we see in nature’s laws push us to acknowledge that not only does God exist but that life is not the accidental by-product of random selection, but the willful act of an all-powerful, purpose-giving, intelligent, organized God. Creation was created for a purpose. Psalm 19:1 states, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” The handiwork of God is indicative not only of order, but of purpose. If God is the Grand Weaver, we would say that He uses different weaving techniques (the laws of weaving) in order to make a tapestry that reflects a purposeful image (order and organization).
Finally, to Flews’ third question (ontological) – the question of why anything exists at all – we can answer with the similar words of Romans 1:20 ‘creation’ and 1:25 ‘Creator.’ Things exist because God wills or causes them to exist. Theologians use terms like ‘creatio ex nihilo,’ or ‘creation by divine fiat.’ The tapestry exists because the Grand Weaver, out of the overflow of His own power and glory (see Jonathan Edwards at this point in ‘The End for Which God Created the World’), creates for His own purposes and glory. Creation exists because God willed it to exist. He alone sustains it, governs it and rules it for His purposes. To suggest that creation produces an ill-logical concept of a god as a default position that explains creation is, as Paul would write in Romans 1:21, foolishness.
A Word to the Wise
The communicator of biblical truth cannot ignore the recent anti-theist phenomenon. These philosophical debates are no longer quarantined to academic environs, but have been popularized by media savvy anti-theists. Yet, the minister of God’s Word can trust the truth of scripture, aided by redeemed reason. The communicator of biblical truth must remember that time and truth and time and text go well together. The steady, relentless, well-reasoned, scripturally-based presentation of the truth of God’s Word will never return void, even in the face of such emboldened anti-theist atheism.
[1] Flew, Antony, There is A God: How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind, (Harper Collins: New York, 2007), pp. 88-89.
Dr. Kevin Shrum
Romans 1:18ff.
A new breed of atheist is on the scene. Smart intellectually, angry emotionally and vitriolic in their speech, these media savvy non-god gurus have invaded the airwaves, internet and print mediums with their message of anti-theism. Their starting line-up reads like an NFL All-Pro Team: Daniel C. Bennett, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon; Sam Harris, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation; Christopher Hitchens, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything; Lewis Wolpert, Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast; Victor Stenger, The Comprehensible Cosmos; and, Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion.
It is more accurate to refer to this new wave of atheists as anti-theists. Why? Because unlike previous generations of atheists and atheistic dialogue with theists where the issues of atheism and theism were debated mostly in the academic arena with a degree of tolerance and respect, Hitchens and company are not only self-avowed atheists, they are vehement anti-god crusaders. They are not satisfied with being theological and philosophical contrarians; they are like fundamentalist evangelists for their cause, using any criticism, medium and means to bury religion in general, Christianity in particular.
And if you don’t think they are being effective, think again. Due to the main-stream media’s love for all things that make religion look bad, these crusaders have been given countless hours of free time and space on radio, TV and in the print media, often lauded as courageous heroes for those who would think differently about human existence, science and God. Their books are best-sellers and are being widely read by people from all walks of life, of all different ages. This has caused the most basic questions concerning God’s existence to be raised both at the coffee shops and in the pew without benefit of counter-argument or balance. The minister unaware of this recent phenomenon will find himself speaking past his people and not to his people about the most basic of all truths: the existence of God.
The deficiency of this most recent wave of anti-god crusaders is that they raise no new issues, but loudly shout out the old, often discredited philosophical, theological atheistic concepts, as if they are unaware that many of their objections have not been addressed by the likes of J.P. Moreland, Paul Davies, Alister McGrath, etc. If, however, the minister and the average church member is unaware and unprepared for the aggressive nature of the new anti-god crusaders it could give the appearance that the ‘god-is-dead’ era of Ayers and Altizer is alive and well.
Three Friends
How does the communicator of biblical truth address this new wave of anti-theism? Let me introduce you to what I have come to call three old friends. I use the term friends because when I first read Dawkins’, The God Delusion, a cold, icy chill filled my soul as if I had been abandoned by that which was familiar and true. And though a philosophy major in college, I had to dig deep to think through these old issues in new and fresh ways.
Alister McGrath’s Laser-like Logic
The first friend is Alister McGrath’s and his little book, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine (IVP, 2007). McGrath has advanced degrees in both science (molecular biology) and theology and is a highly respected Oxford professor and scholar. Most importantly, McGrath was a one-time atheist who has embraced Christianity. This little book was so refreshing and clear in its argument that it helped me cut through the vitriol of Dawkins, Hitchens and company to the arguments themselves, arguments that I at once recognized as having been greatly discredited by sound philosophical inquiry, lucid reason and biblical exegesis. McGrath has reminded me that the volume of what is being communicated is not equal to the truth being communicated. That is, the louder one speaks does not make what is being said more true. In fact, McGrath expresses disappointment in Dawkins’ book because it doesn’t raise any new anti-god arguments, but simply recounts the old anti-god arguments in a new package of language and mediums, with the volume turned all the way up.
Antony Flew’s Mae Culpa
The second friend is Antony Flew’s (with Roy Abraham Varghese) new book, ‘There is NO A God: How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind,’ (Harper Collins, 2007). Though Flew has yet to embrace Christianity as a whole, he has become a convinced theist. Flew is the same man who presented his landmark paper, ‘Theology and Falsification,’ in 1950 at the Oxford University Socratic Club, chaired by C.S. Lewis himself. How Flew experienced this conversion was helpful to me.
Flew acknowledges the three questions that relentlessly penetrated his anti-god stance that he couldn’t ignore. In Flew’s own words, “I believe that life and reproduction originate in a divine Source. Why do I believe this, given I expounded and defended atheism for more than a half century? The short answer is this: this is the world picture, as I see it, that has emerged from modern science. Science spotlights three dimensions of nature that point to God. The first is the fact that nature obeys laws. The second is the dimension of life, of intelligently organized and purpose-driven beings, which arose from matter. The third is the very existence of nature.”[1]
The first question is the question of order verses chaos, the laws of nature. What Flew couldn’t deny was that nature operates by laws that both the theist and atheist depend on in order to conduct scientific experiments and, then, to speak intelligently about these processes. These laws were not assigned to nature, but came out of nature itself, as if they were intentionally built-in to the processes of nature. The questions like, ‘Who wrote these laws?’ and ‘Who encoded them into the natural processes?’ have always been a mystery to the atheistic scientist? Flew could no longer deny that the laws of nature were not by-products of natural selection but the result of the intentional act of a ‘Law-giver.’
The second question that confronted Flew was the teleological question. That is, why is there purpose to creation, in particular the emergence of ordered, well-structured, intentional, purposeful life? What Flew acknowledges is that his weak, anti-god arguments for explaining the derivation and direction of life simply couldn’t hold up under the weight of the evidence that pointed to a ‘Life-giver.’ Recent developments in DNA research became the ‘tipping point’ for Flew. So, add to Flews’ conclusion of ‘Law-giver’ the truth of ‘Life-giver’ or ‘Life-producer.’
The third, most devastating question to Flews’ atheistic posture was the very existence of nature itself, or the ontological question, the question of being. In brief, why is there something instead of nothing? Why is there anything at all? Again, the atheistic arguments for the existence of either an eternal universe or the Big Bang theory didn’t remove the many questions as to why things exist at all. Flew argued that even if the universe was eternal, how did this come to be? And, even if a person accepts the Big Bang theory, who or what created the conditions for this event? Flews’ conclusion is that God creates life. So, add to ‘Law-giver,’ Life-giver,’ the truth of ‘World/Universe-Creator.’
Biblical Exegesis (Romans 1:18ff.)
The third friend is scripture itself. This is where the communicator of biblical truth must trust the efficiency and sufficiency of the text. While McGrath and Flew are helpful, it is God’s Word that will win the day. Biblical fidelity reminds us that time and truth and text and truth are good companions. We must be patient in standing by the arguments for God’s existence that scripture itself offers. This was Paul’s source of confidence in Athens enabling him to say (Acts 17:23), “For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” Either Paul is delusional or he knows something that is true.
If we take Flews’ three questions as a starting point, we find a response to these questions in the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. To the question of the laws of nature we can respond from Romans 1:19-20, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” The order we see in nature is reflective of the order we come to see in God. The laws of nature, then, are not the by-product of a natural order frantic to survive, but the intentional and deliberate laws that govern all natural processes.
Ravi Zacharis’ image of God as the ‘Grand Weaver,’ taken from his most recent book by the same title, is most helpful at this point. As the master tapestry-maker, God uses, so to speak, weaving techniques to weave together a creation with purpose and definition. The laws of the weaver are not a by-product of a pile of disassembled threads, but the deliberate weaving laws of a purposeful weaver. These laws allow the weaver to tie together disparate threads into a cohesive whole.
To Flews’ second question (teleological) – the question of organized, purpose-driven life – we can answer from Romans 1:20, as well, where the Apostle Paul notes that God’s existence has been known since creation. That is, the order we see in nature’s laws push us to acknowledge that not only does God exist but that life is not the accidental by-product of random selection, but the willful act of an all-powerful, purpose-giving, intelligent, organized God. Creation was created for a purpose. Psalm 19:1 states, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” The handiwork of God is indicative not only of order, but of purpose. If God is the Grand Weaver, we would say that He uses different weaving techniques (the laws of weaving) in order to make a tapestry that reflects a purposeful image (order and organization).
Finally, to Flews’ third question (ontological) – the question of why anything exists at all – we can answer with the similar words of Romans 1:20 ‘creation’ and 1:25 ‘Creator.’ Things exist because God wills or causes them to exist. Theologians use terms like ‘creatio ex nihilo,’ or ‘creation by divine fiat.’ The tapestry exists because the Grand Weaver, out of the overflow of His own power and glory (see Jonathan Edwards at this point in ‘The End for Which God Created the World’), creates for His own purposes and glory. Creation exists because God willed it to exist. He alone sustains it, governs it and rules it for His purposes. To suggest that creation produces an ill-logical concept of a god as a default position that explains creation is, as Paul would write in Romans 1:21, foolishness.
A Word to the Wise
The communicator of biblical truth cannot ignore the recent anti-theist phenomenon. These philosophical debates are no longer quarantined to academic environs, but have been popularized by media savvy anti-theists. Yet, the minister of God’s Word can trust the truth of scripture, aided by redeemed reason. The communicator of biblical truth must remember that time and truth and time and text go well together. The steady, relentless, well-reasoned, scripturally-based presentation of the truth of God’s Word will never return void, even in the face of such emboldened anti-theist atheism.
[1] Flew, Antony, There is A God: How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind, (Harper Collins: New York, 2007), pp. 88-89.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Baptist Faith & Message and Good Fences
In a Christianity Today article entitled “Do Good Fences Make Good Baptists?” (8.7.’00) the editors at that time cautiously gave their tacit support of the SBC’s unqualified support of the Baptist Faith and Message and the changes that were made to it at that time. While noting a concern that such a clear statement of faith may inhibit honest dialogue among individuals who gather under the same umbrella of belief, the larger affirmations made in the BF&M were understood to close down the “flea market” or “smorgasbord” type of theological affirmations where beliefs are selected at random.
Seven years later, I do not know if CT would make this same kind of statement as it has drifted theologically in recent years. However, I continue to believe that the BF&M is a helpful tool in reminding Baptists of those cherished beliefs that are essential to sound Christian doctrine.
The genius of the BF&M is that it maintains a confessional nature, while giving clarity to its affirmations. In this day of theological drift and uncertainty, such a statement of faith is essential if the SBC and the TBC are to avoid the slow demise experienced by once stalwarts denominations of faith.
Theological drift is inevitable if not guarded against. Just as we are prone to stray from God (Isa. 53:6), we are also prone to drift in our thinking about God. Unless a concerted effort is made to remain faithful to the “faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3), then theological drift is inevitable.
Three objections arise to question such a focused statement of faith. First, does the clarification of the BF&M inadvertently cut off the academic and theological freedom to pursue truth? The problem with the unbridled pursuit of truth is that it is often done without boundaries and, as a result, ends up leading its pursuer to affirm all kinds of beliefs that are dissimilar to historic Christian faith. Borderless theological pursuit is a dangerous enterprise because it can end in senseless speculation and a loss of theological conviction.
Someone may object by asking, “If the BF&M says all there is to say then what is left to say and what is left to seek?” Plenty! The BF&M affirms the basic parameters of our beliefs as Southern Baptists, but leaves room to plumb the depths of those affirmations. It baffles me as to why the pursuit of truth must always be after “new truth.” Such an attitude strikes one as arrogant because it assumes that we know all there is to know about the truth that has already been revealed.
The second objection is that such a clear confession of faith may offend the non-Christian. While the declaration of Christian belief should not deliberately cut off the unbeliever, we must acknowledge that the Gospel and its antecedents are offensive to the unregenerate mind (1 Cor. 2:14).
In other words, the Christian community cannot allow the unbelieving world to dictate its confession of faith. We do not stick our spiritual finger in the air to catch the way the theological wind is blowing and then determine what we believe. Rather, we seek the Word as to what we believe, presenting such belief to an unbelieving world with grace, love and patience. This is why BF&M builds good fences that mark a clear distinction in what the confessing community believes.
A third objection to affirming the BF&M as a guide for theological identity and accountability can be heard in the cry “creedalism!” Though it should go without saying, let me state unequivocally that Scripture is our ultimate authority; Scripture trumps all human documents. Yet, Southern Baptists and Tennessee Baptists are well within historical parameters by producing a doctrinal summary of those most cherished beliefs that have identified who we are and what we believe. While we may disagree as to what the BF&M might include, the cry of “creedalism” is a false cry that flies in the face of historical precedent.
So, back to the main question, “Do Good Fences Make Good Baptists?” The fence we build by what we believe is not tall enough to keep us from seeing the lost; nor they us. Rather, it is tall enough so that we can lean against its guardrails while talking to our lost neighbor.
Seven years later, I do not know if CT would make this same kind of statement as it has drifted theologically in recent years. However, I continue to believe that the BF&M is a helpful tool in reminding Baptists of those cherished beliefs that are essential to sound Christian doctrine.
The genius of the BF&M is that it maintains a confessional nature, while giving clarity to its affirmations. In this day of theological drift and uncertainty, such a statement of faith is essential if the SBC and the TBC are to avoid the slow demise experienced by once stalwarts denominations of faith.
Theological drift is inevitable if not guarded against. Just as we are prone to stray from God (Isa. 53:6), we are also prone to drift in our thinking about God. Unless a concerted effort is made to remain faithful to the “faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3), then theological drift is inevitable.
Three objections arise to question such a focused statement of faith. First, does the clarification of the BF&M inadvertently cut off the academic and theological freedom to pursue truth? The problem with the unbridled pursuit of truth is that it is often done without boundaries and, as a result, ends up leading its pursuer to affirm all kinds of beliefs that are dissimilar to historic Christian faith. Borderless theological pursuit is a dangerous enterprise because it can end in senseless speculation and a loss of theological conviction.
Someone may object by asking, “If the BF&M says all there is to say then what is left to say and what is left to seek?” Plenty! The BF&M affirms the basic parameters of our beliefs as Southern Baptists, but leaves room to plumb the depths of those affirmations. It baffles me as to why the pursuit of truth must always be after “new truth.” Such an attitude strikes one as arrogant because it assumes that we know all there is to know about the truth that has already been revealed.
The second objection is that such a clear confession of faith may offend the non-Christian. While the declaration of Christian belief should not deliberately cut off the unbeliever, we must acknowledge that the Gospel and its antecedents are offensive to the unregenerate mind (1 Cor. 2:14).
In other words, the Christian community cannot allow the unbelieving world to dictate its confession of faith. We do not stick our spiritual finger in the air to catch the way the theological wind is blowing and then determine what we believe. Rather, we seek the Word as to what we believe, presenting such belief to an unbelieving world with grace, love and patience. This is why BF&M builds good fences that mark a clear distinction in what the confessing community believes.
A third objection to affirming the BF&M as a guide for theological identity and accountability can be heard in the cry “creedalism!” Though it should go without saying, let me state unequivocally that Scripture is our ultimate authority; Scripture trumps all human documents. Yet, Southern Baptists and Tennessee Baptists are well within historical parameters by producing a doctrinal summary of those most cherished beliefs that have identified who we are and what we believe. While we may disagree as to what the BF&M might include, the cry of “creedalism” is a false cry that flies in the face of historical precedent.
So, back to the main question, “Do Good Fences Make Good Baptists?” The fence we build by what we believe is not tall enough to keep us from seeing the lost; nor they us. Rather, it is tall enough so that we can lean against its guardrails while talking to our lost neighbor.
Friday, August 31, 2007
The Atoning Work of Christ
The Blood of Christ and the Drama of Redemption ● Hebrews 9:11-28
Dr. Kevin Shrum
Introduction: Just a few weeks ago I began a series entitled ‘The Doctrine Everyone Must Know: The Doctrine of Salvation.’ That is, every person must know and understand how a person is made right with God, is reconciled to God, is ‘saved’ by God. It is too simple to just say ‘Jesus died for our sins.’ He did, but there is so much more. Why did He die? What did His death mean? And how are we saved through His death and subsequent resurrection? With heresy on the rise, we cannot afford to be ‘soteriologically [salvation] ignorant.’
I first preached on the total depravity of the sinner, the lost condition of the humanity (8.19.07). This initial message was followed by a message that further explained the nature and scope of our sinful rebellion from God and the death of our consciences before a Holy God (8.26.07/a.m. service). The next message hit the second point of salvation by addressing the issue of God’s eternal decree to save a people for Himself out of the masses of sinful humanity (8.26.07/p.m. service). We now come to third dimension of salvation – the atoning work of Christ. In essence, if we are sinners and God chooses to save a people for Himself, then how does He atone for their sins? How does God remedy our sin problem? How does the drama of divine redemption unfold?
Scene 1
The quick answer is that God atones for our sin through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, His Son. What does this mean? Let’s begin at the beginning. You will recall that soon after God had created the world and His beautiful creation, mankind ‘fell’ into sin through disobedience and rebellion (Gen. 3:1-7). Because of sin, man was separated from God and attempted to cover up his sinful deeds (Gen. 3:7). God brought judgment on His creation by pronouncing a 1) curse on the woman, 2) a curse on the man, 3) a curse on Satan and 4) even a curse on the natural order of things (Gen. 3:8-21). Because of the sin of Adam and Eve a separation between a Holy God and sinful man emerged (Gen. 3:22-24). First man/woman would no longer know the sweet, intimate fellowship they had had with God – and this is true even today for those who are outside of Christ.
We are given the first clue as to how God would cover our sin in Genesis 3:21 where God takes one of the animals He had created, kills it and makes garments to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve: “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Notice that God covered them. They had attempted to cover themselves. Genesis 3:7 notes, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Because of their sin the ‘cover up’ had begun and continues to this day. The fig leaves represent man-made religion, human wisdom and arrogance. The covering God provided for Adam and Eve with the skins of a sacrificed animal was a picture of both God’s 1) judgment and 2) grace. It is a judgment because by covering them with the skins of a sacrificed animal God was saying that their coverings were not good enough, they were inadequate (Gen. 3:7). Any attempt to cover sin with anything other than the covering provided by God will be judged as inadequate and as an extension of the consequences of sin.
But the covering provided by God for the sin of Adam and Eve is not only a picture of God’s judgment, it is also a picture of God’s grace. God covered their nakedness. This gracious act would be a sign and a symbol of things to come! God would not only judge sin, He would atone for sin through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Scene 2
We now fast-forward to Old Testament books of Exodus and Leviticus where the simple act of sacrifice and covering is institutionalized in the Levitical priesthood and Temple sacrificial system. Exodus 11-12 tells us of the first Passover where the only way to escape death was through the blood of a sacrificed animal splattered on the doorposts of all who believed. All those covered by the blood would be ‘passed over’ by death; all those without the covering of blood experienced death.
Then, in Exodus 24:1-8 the covenant of God with His people established in the Law was sealed with the sprinkling of blood on the people of God, the priests of God and on the Book of the Law. While there were many sacrifices offered throughout the year, once a year the High Priest would enter the Holy Holies, the Most Holy Place, on the Day of Atonement and offer a blood sacrifice for his own sins and the sins of the people (Lev. 16:1ff.). This system was instituted by God and was to be followed meticulously and yearly.
Scene 3
But the coverings provided by God in Genesis 3 and through the priestly, Temple system were temporary until the real and eternal sacrifice would come in the person of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:11-28 lays it out in clear and concise terms:
“When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.’ 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
This amazing passage lays out the nature and scope of our redemption that has come in the person if Jesus Christ. What began Scene 1 in the Garden of Eden as God covered the sin of His creatures and what was institutionalized Scene 2 as God established a yearly atonement through the sacrifice of a slaughtered lamb culminates in Scene 3 and the ultimate and final word from God on sacrifice and atonement. Let’s look at this passage through four words – priest, mediator, will and the real!
The Priest, vs. 11-14
When God decided to reveal the final episode of His redemptive plan He did so through His Son who would come as our High Priest. Christ came as our Priest “…of the good things that are already here…” meaning that the redemption offered in God’s previous provisions of grace would now be complete in Jesus Christ.
As the High Priest He did not enter into a man-made building or Temple, but He entered into the very presence of God with His own blood and not that of a goat, a bull or a lamb. The atonement offered in the Levitical system made God’s people ceremonially clean, but not eternally and internally clean. This is why the High Priest had to offer a yearly sacrifice to God in the Holy of Holies.
But now that Jesus Christ has come as our High Priest His blood cleanses us internally and eternally so that we are clean before God, so clean that we do not need a yearly sacrifice to atone for our sins – Jesus Christ has now offered Himself as the once-for-all atonement for sin.
The Mediator, vs. 15
As a result, Jesus Christ is our mediator: “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” In Jesus Christ we are set free from sin and receive the “…promised eternal inheritance…” God has ransomed His own and set His people free from the bondage of sin.
His Will, vs. 16-22
Through the death of Christ the will of God is set in motion. Just as an earthly will is not in effect so long as the person who made the will is alive (vs. 16-18), so, too, God’s will is put into effect by the blood of Jesus Christ. Just as Moses sanctified God’s people by splattering blood on the people and the scroll of the Law as they dedicated themselves to keep the Law (Ex. 24:6-8), Christ sanctifies us by His blood. This is why “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (vs. 22) God’s will to forgive us and give us all things is enacted by the death of Jesus Christ.
The Real, vs. 23-28
Christ’s death demonstrates what is real. The entire Levitical system was a copy of the real Holy of Holies and the sacrifice needed to redeem sinners. When Jesus came to end the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, He came as a man, died on a cross, shedding His blood as the sinless Lamb of God. Christ then “…entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” Jesus Christ is not only our High Priest, He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of sinners. This amazing two-fold function of Jesus Christ is the core of God’s plan of redemption. The Levitical system of sacrifice required that the High Priest offer a sacrifice for the people as well as Himself Leviticus 16). But now Christ serves as both our High Priest and the sacrificial Lamb whose blood was shed to cover the sins of His people.
Because His sacrifice was perfect, He did not “…enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the High Priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.” If Jesus had to be crucified afresh each year or each time we worship He would have had to “…suffer many times since the creation of the world.” Instead, “…He appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” This means that what many thought was real - the Temple system of worship and sacrifice - was simply a copy of the real thing that came in the person of Jesus Christ.
What is real is that “Just as man is destined to die once, and after this to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people…” All flesh will die. And all flesh will face the judgment of God. Because of sin we will not be able to stand in judgment without something miraculous taking place. This is why the parallel states that Jesus Christ appeared once to take away that which would cause us not to be able to stand in the judgment - sin.
What is real is that Jesus “…will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” Jesus came the first time to take away our sin, which is the down-payment of our salvation. When Jesus comes again He will bring the salvation we have in Him to a glorious culmination. All things will be complete and what is most real will be made clear. Jesus Christ will come not as a sacrificed Lamb, but as King of King and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:11-21; 20:11-15; 21:22).
Dr. Kevin Shrum
Introduction: Just a few weeks ago I began a series entitled ‘The Doctrine Everyone Must Know: The Doctrine of Salvation.’ That is, every person must know and understand how a person is made right with God, is reconciled to God, is ‘saved’ by God. It is too simple to just say ‘Jesus died for our sins.’ He did, but there is so much more. Why did He die? What did His death mean? And how are we saved through His death and subsequent resurrection? With heresy on the rise, we cannot afford to be ‘soteriologically [salvation] ignorant.’
I first preached on the total depravity of the sinner, the lost condition of the humanity (8.19.07). This initial message was followed by a message that further explained the nature and scope of our sinful rebellion from God and the death of our consciences before a Holy God (8.26.07/a.m. service). The next message hit the second point of salvation by addressing the issue of God’s eternal decree to save a people for Himself out of the masses of sinful humanity (8.26.07/p.m. service). We now come to third dimension of salvation – the atoning work of Christ. In essence, if we are sinners and God chooses to save a people for Himself, then how does He atone for their sins? How does God remedy our sin problem? How does the drama of divine redemption unfold?
Scene 1
The quick answer is that God atones for our sin through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, His Son. What does this mean? Let’s begin at the beginning. You will recall that soon after God had created the world and His beautiful creation, mankind ‘fell’ into sin through disobedience and rebellion (Gen. 3:1-7). Because of sin, man was separated from God and attempted to cover up his sinful deeds (Gen. 3:7). God brought judgment on His creation by pronouncing a 1) curse on the woman, 2) a curse on the man, 3) a curse on Satan and 4) even a curse on the natural order of things (Gen. 3:8-21). Because of the sin of Adam and Eve a separation between a Holy God and sinful man emerged (Gen. 3:22-24). First man/woman would no longer know the sweet, intimate fellowship they had had with God – and this is true even today for those who are outside of Christ.
We are given the first clue as to how God would cover our sin in Genesis 3:21 where God takes one of the animals He had created, kills it and makes garments to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve: “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Notice that God covered them. They had attempted to cover themselves. Genesis 3:7 notes, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Because of their sin the ‘cover up’ had begun and continues to this day. The fig leaves represent man-made religion, human wisdom and arrogance. The covering God provided for Adam and Eve with the skins of a sacrificed animal was a picture of both God’s 1) judgment and 2) grace. It is a judgment because by covering them with the skins of a sacrificed animal God was saying that their coverings were not good enough, they were inadequate (Gen. 3:7). Any attempt to cover sin with anything other than the covering provided by God will be judged as inadequate and as an extension of the consequences of sin.
But the covering provided by God for the sin of Adam and Eve is not only a picture of God’s judgment, it is also a picture of God’s grace. God covered their nakedness. This gracious act would be a sign and a symbol of things to come! God would not only judge sin, He would atone for sin through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Scene 2
We now fast-forward to Old Testament books of Exodus and Leviticus where the simple act of sacrifice and covering is institutionalized in the Levitical priesthood and Temple sacrificial system. Exodus 11-12 tells us of the first Passover where the only way to escape death was through the blood of a sacrificed animal splattered on the doorposts of all who believed. All those covered by the blood would be ‘passed over’ by death; all those without the covering of blood experienced death.
Then, in Exodus 24:1-8 the covenant of God with His people established in the Law was sealed with the sprinkling of blood on the people of God, the priests of God and on the Book of the Law. While there were many sacrifices offered throughout the year, once a year the High Priest would enter the Holy Holies, the Most Holy Place, on the Day of Atonement and offer a blood sacrifice for his own sins and the sins of the people (Lev. 16:1ff.). This system was instituted by God and was to be followed meticulously and yearly.
Scene 3
But the coverings provided by God in Genesis 3 and through the priestly, Temple system were temporary until the real and eternal sacrifice would come in the person of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:11-28 lays it out in clear and concise terms:
“When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.’ 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
This amazing passage lays out the nature and scope of our redemption that has come in the person if Jesus Christ. What began Scene 1 in the Garden of Eden as God covered the sin of His creatures and what was institutionalized Scene 2 as God established a yearly atonement through the sacrifice of a slaughtered lamb culminates in Scene 3 and the ultimate and final word from God on sacrifice and atonement. Let’s look at this passage through four words – priest, mediator, will and the real!
The Priest, vs. 11-14
When God decided to reveal the final episode of His redemptive plan He did so through His Son who would come as our High Priest. Christ came as our Priest “…of the good things that are already here…” meaning that the redemption offered in God’s previous provisions of grace would now be complete in Jesus Christ.
As the High Priest He did not enter into a man-made building or Temple, but He entered into the very presence of God with His own blood and not that of a goat, a bull or a lamb. The atonement offered in the Levitical system made God’s people ceremonially clean, but not eternally and internally clean. This is why the High Priest had to offer a yearly sacrifice to God in the Holy of Holies.
But now that Jesus Christ has come as our High Priest His blood cleanses us internally and eternally so that we are clean before God, so clean that we do not need a yearly sacrifice to atone for our sins – Jesus Christ has now offered Himself as the once-for-all atonement for sin.
The Mediator, vs. 15
As a result, Jesus Christ is our mediator: “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” In Jesus Christ we are set free from sin and receive the “…promised eternal inheritance…” God has ransomed His own and set His people free from the bondage of sin.
His Will, vs. 16-22
Through the death of Christ the will of God is set in motion. Just as an earthly will is not in effect so long as the person who made the will is alive (vs. 16-18), so, too, God’s will is put into effect by the blood of Jesus Christ. Just as Moses sanctified God’s people by splattering blood on the people and the scroll of the Law as they dedicated themselves to keep the Law (Ex. 24:6-8), Christ sanctifies us by His blood. This is why “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (vs. 22) God’s will to forgive us and give us all things is enacted by the death of Jesus Christ.
The Real, vs. 23-28
Christ’s death demonstrates what is real. The entire Levitical system was a copy of the real Holy of Holies and the sacrifice needed to redeem sinners. When Jesus came to end the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, He came as a man, died on a cross, shedding His blood as the sinless Lamb of God. Christ then “…entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” Jesus Christ is not only our High Priest, He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of sinners. This amazing two-fold function of Jesus Christ is the core of God’s plan of redemption. The Levitical system of sacrifice required that the High Priest offer a sacrifice for the people as well as Himself Leviticus 16). But now Christ serves as both our High Priest and the sacrificial Lamb whose blood was shed to cover the sins of His people.
Because His sacrifice was perfect, He did not “…enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the High Priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.” If Jesus had to be crucified afresh each year or each time we worship He would have had to “…suffer many times since the creation of the world.” Instead, “…He appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” This means that what many thought was real - the Temple system of worship and sacrifice - was simply a copy of the real thing that came in the person of Jesus Christ.
What is real is that “Just as man is destined to die once, and after this to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people…” All flesh will die. And all flesh will face the judgment of God. Because of sin we will not be able to stand in judgment without something miraculous taking place. This is why the parallel states that Jesus Christ appeared once to take away that which would cause us not to be able to stand in the judgment - sin.
What is real is that Jesus “…will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” Jesus came the first time to take away our sin, which is the down-payment of our salvation. When Jesus comes again He will bring the salvation we have in Him to a glorious culmination. All things will be complete and what is most real will be made clear. Jesus Christ will come not as a sacrificed Lamb, but as King of King and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:11-21; 20:11-15; 21:22).
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Predestination, Election and God's Sovereign Choice
God’s Electing Purposes
Dr. Kevin Shrum
A few weeks ago I began a series on ‘The Doctrine Everyone Must Know: Salvation.’ It was my purpose to remind us that the gospel is God-centered and not man centered. We began with one point that is two-sided – 1) we are helpless, hopeless, hell-bent, hell-bound, deserving-of-God’s-wrath sinners and 2) Jesus is a great Savior. It was humbling to hear the depth of our depravity made explicit in two graphic verses in Ephesians 2:1-2, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”
Scripture teaches that humans are not free moral agents in the way many people think we are free. In other words, we are not neutral with the freedom to choose either good or bad. Rather, we are enslaved to sin, dead in sin and under the wrath and judgment of God because of our sin. We are free to choose our own poison, like the prisoner is free to walk the prison yard. Is the prisoner free? Yes, he is free within the bondage of his will to choose his sin of choice, but he is not truly free in a neutral kind of way. This is why God saves us!
We Baptists are a ‘whosoever will’ kind of people. We believe that we are to preach the gospel to all people using as many different kinds of methods as possible, so long as they do not compromise the gospel message itself. But we are also a people who strongly believe in the sovereign, electing purposes of God. The very reason we believe in the doctrine of the security of the believer is that we believe that we didn’t save ourselves so we can’t lose what we didn’t have to earn (John 17:6; Jude 24-25). So, we preach the gospel and God saves.
Our history as Southern Baptists is rooted in a belief that God will not be surprised by who is saved because, as Ephesians 1:4 notes, “For He chose us in Him (Jesus Christ) before the creation (foundation) of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” Most of our founders, such as Dr. B.H. Carroll, who founded Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX and Dr. E.Y. Mullins, founder of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dr. James Pettigrew Boyce, were out of the tradition that placed a heavy emphasis on the sovereign, saving, electing purposes of God. In other words, our heritage as Baptists is rooted in the 'doctrines of grace.' While we call every sinner to repent and believe, Baptists have always affirmed that there is another prior factor involved in the mystery of the gospel – God is purposing, planning and willing, as well.
One of the oldest segments of the ‘Baptist Faith and Message’ concerns the mystery and power of the gospel. Entitled ‘God’s Purpose of Grace,’ the BF&M states:
[“Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility. All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Matthew 16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22,31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-79; 2:29-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14; 3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39; 10:12-15; 11:5-7,26-36; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11; Colossians 1:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10,19; Hebrews 11:39–12:2; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2..]
God Saves a People for Himself
What all of this means is that while we are preaching the gospel to all people, we can do so with confidence, knowing that God will save many because He has chosen for Himself a people to save out of the masses of sinful humanity. Remember, Scripture teaches that we are dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13) and cannot save ourselves. He has to save us because we cannot save ourselves. He saves a people for Himself not based upon our choosing of Him, but His choosing of sinners to be saved. In John 15:16 Jesus told His disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” Another example of God’s electing purposes was His choosing of Israel. Why did God choose Israel?
Why did God choose Israel? He chose them because He wanted to. He chose them out of all the nations. He did not choose all nations to serve Him. Deuteronomy 7:6-9 states, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.”
How and why does God elect a people for Himself?
· When the disciples acted surprised that Jesus had washed their feet, He reminded them that He knew exactly what He was doing and He also knew those who were His and those who were not His: John 13:18 states that Jesus looked at His disciples and said, “I know those I have chosen.”
· In Matthew 24:22 Jesus stated that the days of persecution surrounding the end of time would be cut short “for the sake of the elect.”
· In Luke 18:7 Jesus reminded His disciples of God’s purpose in election: “And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?"
· Jesus said in John 6:44 and 6:65 that we do not come to God on our own whim, we can only come as the Father draws the sinner – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
· In John 10:24-27 Jesus talked about the gift of a people God the Father gave to Him, “Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ 25 Jesus answered, 'I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” Notice that the text says that they did not believe because they were not His sheep; it does not say they were not His sheep because they did not believe.
· Romans 8:28-33 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.”
· Titus 1:1-3 – “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness 2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior…”
· 1 Peter 1:1-2 – “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance..”
Question: If we preach a ‘whosever will’ gospel to all, why do some will to come and others not will to come? Answer: because they do not believe. Question: But why do some believe and others not believe? Answer: Some do not will to come because of their unbelief because there is another factor involved – God’s eternal purposes. Example – Acts 13:44-48:
“On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: ‘We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.”
Notice very closely verse 48, “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” Shouldn’t it read, “…and all who believed were appointed for eternal life?” In other words, according to our senses we think it should say that God appoints us based upon our belief in Him; instead, it states that we believe because God has appointed us to believe! It reads that 1) all who were appointed for eternal life heard the gospel and 2) believed. The appointment preceded the belief. Amazing! God was at work.
Then what must we do in response to God’s eternal, electing purposes?
· Humility! We should first and foremost be humbled in knowing that God’s electing purposes will be served according to the counsel of His own will in ways that bring Him glory! Too often we look at salvation in a whimsical fashion. It should humble us that God is in charge!
· Evangelism/Missions! We are to preach the gospel to every creature, in every tongue, to every tribe so that the elect can hear the gospel, be awakened from the deadness of their sin and believe. God’s electing purposes does not obliterate evangelism and missions; instead, it fuels missions and evangelism because God has not only chosen a people for Himself, but He has ordained the means, the methods by which sinners are saved. Therefore, we must preach, pray, teach, witness, share, care, etc. (Mt. 28:16-20; Acts 1:7-8) In fact, most of the great missionary movements in the history of the church were started by men with a supreme confidence in God’s sovereign work in salvation and who affirmed the doctrines of grace.
· Repent/Believe! If we hear the gospel and God moves in our hearts, then we must respond to the gospel and not harden our hearts. Hebrews 3:7-11 urges us that if we hear the gospel and do not respond we will not be saved, “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried Me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared an oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
· Evaluation! We must also evaluate ourselves in making our calling and election, as 2 Peter 2:3-11 notes. We cannot presume upon the grace of God, but must respond to His call.
· Submission! Finally, we are to humble ourselves before the mystery of God’s purposes. There is no place for pride or arrogance when it comes to salvation. Romans 9:1ff. is one of the most heart-wrenching passages in all of the Bible. It speaks of God’s freedom to choose a people for Himself. And yet Paul says in Romans 9:3-4, “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” Yet, not all will be saved. Nevertheless, Paul begins Romans 10:1 by saying, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” So, Paul preached and we preach so that God can save those chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.
· And how does this work? Acts 16:11-15 describes the salvation of a woman named Lydia of Philippi, “One of those listening (to Paul preach the gospel) was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Paul preached, the Lord opened Lydia's heart and as a result Lydia was enabled to believe the gospel!
· We preach the gospel to all people and God does the convicting, the drawing, the saving, and the redeeming of sinners to the praise of His glory! When all is said and done Revelation 13:8 will be true, “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from (or before) the creation of the world.” God will not be disappointed, surprised or depressed by who is in heaven. We are great sinners and He is a great Savior! [see John 6:35-40; John 17:1-6, 9, 12]
Dr. Kevin Shrum
A few weeks ago I began a series on ‘The Doctrine Everyone Must Know: Salvation.’ It was my purpose to remind us that the gospel is God-centered and not man centered. We began with one point that is two-sided – 1) we are helpless, hopeless, hell-bent, hell-bound, deserving-of-God’s-wrath sinners and 2) Jesus is a great Savior. It was humbling to hear the depth of our depravity made explicit in two graphic verses in Ephesians 2:1-2, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”
Scripture teaches that humans are not free moral agents in the way many people think we are free. In other words, we are not neutral with the freedom to choose either good or bad. Rather, we are enslaved to sin, dead in sin and under the wrath and judgment of God because of our sin. We are free to choose our own poison, like the prisoner is free to walk the prison yard. Is the prisoner free? Yes, he is free within the bondage of his will to choose his sin of choice, but he is not truly free in a neutral kind of way. This is why God saves us!
We Baptists are a ‘whosoever will’ kind of people. We believe that we are to preach the gospel to all people using as many different kinds of methods as possible, so long as they do not compromise the gospel message itself. But we are also a people who strongly believe in the sovereign, electing purposes of God. The very reason we believe in the doctrine of the security of the believer is that we believe that we didn’t save ourselves so we can’t lose what we didn’t have to earn (John 17:6; Jude 24-25). So, we preach the gospel and God saves.
Our history as Southern Baptists is rooted in a belief that God will not be surprised by who is saved because, as Ephesians 1:4 notes, “For He chose us in Him (Jesus Christ) before the creation (foundation) of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” Most of our founders, such as Dr. B.H. Carroll, who founded Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX and Dr. E.Y. Mullins, founder of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dr. James Pettigrew Boyce, were out of the tradition that placed a heavy emphasis on the sovereign, saving, electing purposes of God. In other words, our heritage as Baptists is rooted in the 'doctrines of grace.' While we call every sinner to repent and believe, Baptists have always affirmed that there is another prior factor involved in the mystery of the gospel – God is purposing, planning and willing, as well.
One of the oldest segments of the ‘Baptist Faith and Message’ concerns the mystery and power of the gospel. Entitled ‘God’s Purpose of Grace,’ the BF&M states:
[“Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility. All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Matthew 16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22,31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-79; 2:29-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14; 3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39; 10:12-15; 11:5-7,26-36; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11; Colossians 1:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10,19; Hebrews 11:39–12:2; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2..]
God Saves a People for Himself
What all of this means is that while we are preaching the gospel to all people, we can do so with confidence, knowing that God will save many because He has chosen for Himself a people to save out of the masses of sinful humanity. Remember, Scripture teaches that we are dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13) and cannot save ourselves. He has to save us because we cannot save ourselves. He saves a people for Himself not based upon our choosing of Him, but His choosing of sinners to be saved. In John 15:16 Jesus told His disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” Another example of God’s electing purposes was His choosing of Israel. Why did God choose Israel?
Why did God choose Israel? He chose them because He wanted to. He chose them out of all the nations. He did not choose all nations to serve Him. Deuteronomy 7:6-9 states, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.”
How and why does God elect a people for Himself?
· When the disciples acted surprised that Jesus had washed their feet, He reminded them that He knew exactly what He was doing and He also knew those who were His and those who were not His: John 13:18 states that Jesus looked at His disciples and said, “I know those I have chosen.”
· In Matthew 24:22 Jesus stated that the days of persecution surrounding the end of time would be cut short “for the sake of the elect.”
· In Luke 18:7 Jesus reminded His disciples of God’s purpose in election: “And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?"
· Jesus said in John 6:44 and 6:65 that we do not come to God on our own whim, we can only come as the Father draws the sinner – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
· In John 10:24-27 Jesus talked about the gift of a people God the Father gave to Him, “Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ 25 Jesus answered, 'I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” Notice that the text says that they did not believe because they were not His sheep; it does not say they were not His sheep because they did not believe.
· Romans 8:28-33 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.”
· Titus 1:1-3 – “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness 2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior…”
· 1 Peter 1:1-2 – “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance..”
Question: If we preach a ‘whosever will’ gospel to all, why do some will to come and others not will to come? Answer: because they do not believe. Question: But why do some believe and others not believe? Answer: Some do not will to come because of their unbelief because there is another factor involved – God’s eternal purposes. Example – Acts 13:44-48:
“On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: ‘We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.”
Notice very closely verse 48, “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” Shouldn’t it read, “…and all who believed were appointed for eternal life?” In other words, according to our senses we think it should say that God appoints us based upon our belief in Him; instead, it states that we believe because God has appointed us to believe! It reads that 1) all who were appointed for eternal life heard the gospel and 2) believed. The appointment preceded the belief. Amazing! God was at work.
Then what must we do in response to God’s eternal, electing purposes?
· Humility! We should first and foremost be humbled in knowing that God’s electing purposes will be served according to the counsel of His own will in ways that bring Him glory! Too often we look at salvation in a whimsical fashion. It should humble us that God is in charge!
· Evangelism/Missions! We are to preach the gospel to every creature, in every tongue, to every tribe so that the elect can hear the gospel, be awakened from the deadness of their sin and believe. God’s electing purposes does not obliterate evangelism and missions; instead, it fuels missions and evangelism because God has not only chosen a people for Himself, but He has ordained the means, the methods by which sinners are saved. Therefore, we must preach, pray, teach, witness, share, care, etc. (Mt. 28:16-20; Acts 1:7-8) In fact, most of the great missionary movements in the history of the church were started by men with a supreme confidence in God’s sovereign work in salvation and who affirmed the doctrines of grace.
· Repent/Believe! If we hear the gospel and God moves in our hearts, then we must respond to the gospel and not harden our hearts. Hebrews 3:7-11 urges us that if we hear the gospel and do not respond we will not be saved, “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried Me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared an oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
· Evaluation! We must also evaluate ourselves in making our calling and election, as 2 Peter 2:3-11 notes. We cannot presume upon the grace of God, but must respond to His call.
· Submission! Finally, we are to humble ourselves before the mystery of God’s purposes. There is no place for pride or arrogance when it comes to salvation. Romans 9:1ff. is one of the most heart-wrenching passages in all of the Bible. It speaks of God’s freedom to choose a people for Himself. And yet Paul says in Romans 9:3-4, “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” Yet, not all will be saved. Nevertheless, Paul begins Romans 10:1 by saying, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” So, Paul preached and we preach so that God can save those chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.
· And how does this work? Acts 16:11-15 describes the salvation of a woman named Lydia of Philippi, “One of those listening (to Paul preach the gospel) was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Paul preached, the Lord opened Lydia's heart and as a result Lydia was enabled to believe the gospel!
· We preach the gospel to all people and God does the convicting, the drawing, the saving, and the redeeming of sinners to the praise of His glory! When all is said and done Revelation 13:8 will be true, “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from (or before) the creation of the world.” God will not be disappointed, surprised or depressed by who is in heaven. We are great sinners and He is a great Savior! [see John 6:35-40; John 17:1-6, 9, 12]
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