My First Allegiance Still--But By God's Grace

Another start after a loooong break is probably as good a time as any to reflect on why I started this blog.
As I reviewed my blog post of May 7, 2007, I was reminded that I was challenged with not accepting the culturally-bound version of Christianity that I had so comfortably embraced.

Also, I was challenged to seek higher spiritual aspirations for myself and my family. God has been gracious to me in these years; even so, I have not reached the places that I sought.  I still need a better prayer life. I still need to exercise better manly leadership in my family. God has put me in the place of being a deacon, but I find that I am in greater need of faith in Christ to serve Christ Jesus than ever before.

So I ask myself again,  what am I really doing for Christ. What talents, what training, what skills can I use for God's glory? God willing, I still hope to make service to Christ as my "first allegiance,"  and I still hope to write for the people of God in God's kingdom.  May God grant me more grace to write for God's people and for the sake of the Kingdom .

Is Salvation by Faith or by Works?

Recently on the White Horse Inn, Mike Horton told the story of a priest who was asked this question.  His answer, “Neither. Salvation is by the Grace of God.”

This gives us the correct perspective upon the Christian message.  We are born in Sin under the condemnation of God.  There is no hope, no purpose, no meaning, until we center upon the message that Christ died for our Sin.  Francis Schaeffer said about the Christian message, “Its center is not Christ’s life, nor His miracles, but His death.”

We live in “a world,” as Schaeffer says, “that does not want to say ‘no’ to self—not just for a minor reason, but out of principle, because people are determined to be the enter of the universe.”

“When we step out of the very black perspective,” says Schaeffer, “and into the perspective of the kingdom of God, then these negatives [of sin, a fallen world, and our own fallen nature] which are laid upon us take on an entirely different aspect.”

“This is the subject of thousands of years of prophecy. The center of the Christian message is the redemptive death of Jesus Christ.”

The 11th Commandment

I recently read a story from Spurgeon in which a preacher dressed as a poor person seeking lodging at the home of a man who had a reputation for holiness and godliness in order to test this man’s integrity.  In the process of this masquerade, his wife, in her husbands absence, had devotions from the catechism with the family, servants and guests.  She asked the masquerader how many commandments there were, and he answered 11!  She lamented that a “man of his age” did not know the number of commandments.

The preacher found that all that was said of this man was true, and later during a worship service where this family was attending, he preached on the 11th Commandment from the text of John 13:30, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.”

The humbled woman remarked that from then on when they were asked how many commandments there were the answer would now be 11!

Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984), co-founder of L’Abri Fellowship, with his wife, sees this commandment to love as a summation of the commandments.  In the first chapter of his book, True Spirituality, Schaeffer lays out the fundamental principle that if we break the command to love, we break the first commandment to love God, and we show that we do not love our neighbor as our self.

He gives us two practical tests to help us measure our inward spirituality: one, do we covet?  Two, do we envy? If we seek contentment, says Schaeffer, then we will be putting covetousness and envy out of our practice.  “When we. . .understand that failure in these areas is really coveting, a lack of love, every one of us must be upon his knees as Paul was upon his knees when he saw the commandment not to covet; it destroys any superficial view of the Christian life.”

I hope that your appetite for this book is wetted to read more about the “positive inward reality” of the walk with Christ should be.

Creature vs. Creator: The Essential Difference Between Philosophy and Theology

Justin Taylor posted a comment entitled, “Getting the Creator-Creature Order Right” quoting from the author Ardel Caneday.

Justin begins by saying, “Many missteps in theology are on account of the implicit idea that God must be like us in some way.”

Our friends at ReformedForum discussed this creature-creator distinction as the essential difference between Philosophy and Theology in their podcast Philosophy for Theologians.  The program title is “The Relationship of Philosophy to Theology”

A Presbyterian Recommends of a (Gasp) Baptist Theologian

In Christ the Center’s podcast, “The Role of Seminary in Today’s World,”  (beginning about 38:40) President of Westminster Seminary, Peter Lillback, recommends Augustus Strong’s, Systematic Theology, to readers as a book the expounds classic Baptist theology and ranks among his recommendations of Calvin, Hodge and Warfield.     He also recommends Spurgeon, not so much for his exegisis sometimes, but “his homiletic skill is unparalleled.”

For Baptists Mohler says, “Start with Calvin.  Hodge, Warfield, Samuel Miller, James Montgomery Boice.

Theological Darwinism and the Survival of the Fittest: Confessional Protestantism

“A lot of Baptists have not been confessional in nature,” says Dr. Peter Lillback, President  of Westminster Theological Seminary—Philadelphia, “and a lot of the excitement we see going on at Southern [Seminary] is a rediscovery of confessional Baptist theology, and that theological underpinning brings a lot of unity.”

Dr. Lillback made these comments in the Christ the Center podcast at the ReformedForum website in the program entitled “The Role of the Seminary in Today’s World.” (beginning at about 11 min, 59 secs)

Even more insightful were the comments by Dr. Al Mohler.  Responding to Dr. Lillback’s assertion of theological unity, Dr. Mohler said, “It really does, but it’s sort of like theological Darwinism—survival of the fittest.  Confessional Protestantism is going to be all that remains because everything else is going to melt away with the disappearance of Cultural Christianity. The reality is that only those churches that hold themselves accountable to a confession of faith, and do so not out of obligation, but out of joy, are going to be left standing in terms of what we would recognize as the visible church.”

We’re Not Just Passing a Mid-term With God

One of my friends made this comment as we were discussing the chapter, “What God Understands: His presence in our suffering,” from C. J. Mahaney’s book, Living the Cross-Centered Life.
When we live in the reality of life in Christ, we will be engaged in a moment-by-moment reality of the sufficiency of Christ to strengthen us in our sufferings, temptations, sins, joys, and intellectual and spiritual explorations.
Our union with Christ radically changes our view and approach to living; we are not merely in a test with God, but we are smack in the middle of His purposeful working in our world.

Nobel scientist has new spin on 'original sin'

Nobel scientist has new spin on 'original sin'
What a relief!  Now we can rest in the “fact” that sin is due to evolution.  “Natural selection has resulted in traits such as group selfishness being coded in our genes, explains Christian de Duve, professor emeritus at New York City's Rockefeller University. “These were useful to our ancestors under the conditions in which they lived, but have become noxious to us today.”
Too bad he’s wrong.  Sin is a result of Adam’s rebellion against God, and all his offspring inherit this sin when their born.  Furthermore, Sin is a universal moral problem, not a merely, “group selfishness being coded in our genes.”
de Duve explains, “These [genomic codes] were useful to our ancestors under the conditions in which they lived, but have become noxious to us today.”
In fact, de Duve is an example of Sin working in the mind of man who “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”  de Duve is deceived by the deceitfulness of Sin.  The fruits of this is a denial of historicity of Genesis

SermonAudio.com - Giving to God

We’ve got to stop treating God as “a vending machine of blessing!” 

Sometimes a metaphor hits me between the eyes and rips open my selfish complacency, Jeremy Twombley’s  metaphor was a part of his sermon, “Giving to God,” preached from Numbers 7.

Please listen to this sermon at the link below.

SermonAudio.com - Giving to God

Habits of Sin Learned at the Morticians

John Street tells about the trips that pastoral students take to the morticians before the embalm the body.  After a person dies, the muscle memory will cause the body to do odd things.  The body will sit up.  The body will reach up and scratch the face.

Taking this illustration, Street reminds us that when we sin we are exercising our bodies unto unrighteousness, and using the illustration of the dead body, he reminds us that we build a habit of evil doing when we continue to sin unrepentingly.  As Christians, we should be exercising our bodies unto righteousness; this is a fruit of the Spirit working in us.

We are saved to be holy and like Christ!

Husbands: Learner, Lover, Leader!

Gentlemen, we need to know that we are not old dogs that can’t learn new tricks.  We are men!  As such we can also change.

This is important to know because the “stings of the curse” are that the woman seeks to manipulate and control her husband while the husband seeks to have the woman despotically “under his thumb.”  James correlates this sin dynamic, “WhaTheret causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" (James 4:1, ESV).
Husbands are responsible to be Learners, Lovers and Leaders of their wives and being a godly man.

Learner
1 Peter 3:7, "[7 ] Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7 ESV)
This is an ongoing, concerted, effort.
I need to know my wife, study herjuniqueness of her gender.  I need to learn what is unique about my wife.  I need to learn and know her unique life struggles.
I need treat her as a weaker vessel; not as weak.  I need to give her respect, honor and cherish her as if she were a Ming vase instead of a Tupperware ^® container.  Romantic love is comes from giving your wife this attention.

Lover
Eph 5:25, "[25 ] Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, (Ephesians 5:25 ESV)
I am to love my wife "as Christ loved” (Eph 5:25, 1 Jn 4:19.)  I need to love her first; take the initiative and be a lover before being loved. I need to love her most , that is I need to give myself to her, love her more than myself.  Then, I need to love her unmistakably, so that she knows in word and deed that I lover her (1 Jn 3:18).
I am also to love my wife "as my own body."  If I would only love her as I (selfishly) love me, my marriage would  richer.
Loving my sweeheart like this will overcome bitterness (Col 3:19).

Leader
A godly leader will focus on the needs of others. I need to be goal oriented, setting godly goals.  I need to be an example of control in every area of life: what I read, what I eat, where I go on the internet.  I need to be a problem-solver; my wife's problems are all of my problems, but not all my problems are hers. I need to be a teacher, leading her in the Word, and we should be living out the Word.  Finally, I need to be a joy to live with; I want my family to love when I come home.

 Be a blessing to your wife, men!

My First Live Blog and How I'm Learning to Hate!

My wife and I are attending the God Country Baptist Church Marriage and Family Conference.  The spekaer if Dr. John Street from Master’s College, and he's teaching us to hate!

John launched the conference with his keynote lecture from Romans 12:9, “[9 ] Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” (Romans 12:9 ESV).

If our marriages are going to thrive, we need to abhor evil. We need to learn to hate our sin more.  There is too much compromising with sin; and, marriage is in great danger from many forces in our society.

John showed from Genesis 2 how God gave us marriage.  God rooted marriage in the creation of mankind into gender distinction.  The focus of marriage in light of creation is the relationship with one another.  Then as we grow in families each one of us has understand that our goal in life is to leave,  cleave and become on flesh.

Of course, to become one flesh is more than anything physical; to become one flesh mentally, psychologically, in how we treat our property, our possessions.  We must also understand that a husband and wife are in an unbreakable covenant (Heb, berith).

More to come.

Seduction Rather Than Persecution

This is the peculiar danger to the American church.  American Christians live in a free, comfortable, prosperous, and sensuous culture.

Our culture is full of self-indulgent pleasures and diversions of entertainment and gratification of our senses.

The Bible tells us, “[2 ] And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them [false prophets] the way of truth will be blasphemed.”(2 Peter 2:2 ESV)  He was speaking of the false prophets that would terrorize the church, but the church is admonished from indulging in their “sensuality.”

The Greek word is aselgeia, meaning “1) unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness,  wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence.”  Taking all the nuances of this word, one can see what havoc such character among the members of Christ can devour the church.

We Americans need to be on guard from the seduction of the world and guard ourselves against sensuality with a healthy dose of continence.  We need to avail ourselves of the Word and Spirit to change our lustful ways in ways of restraint and voluntary restriction from the many allures and amusements in this world, and in self-denial seek to serve one another and our neighbors.

Applied Christianity

Theirs is a movement that advocates for “missional living” as a means of applying the gospel in a way that emphasizes a way of life.

In some ways this is very admirable emphasis, except that missional living aims at being a means of evangelism.  Some years ago there was a similar movement called “lifestyle evangelism.”

The bottom line for me is that the danger of the movement is that it confuses life lived as a result of the the work of the Gospel in us, as opposed to the proclamation of the Gospel which is the mission of evangelism.

I’m reminded too of the old liberal call to apply Christianity.  J. Gresham Machen said: 

At this point Christian teaching is in full accord with the modern liberal Church; the evangelical Christian is not true to his profession if he leaves his Christianity behind him on Monday morning. On the contrary, the whole of life, including business and all of social relations, must be made obedient to the law of love. The Christian man certainly should display no lack of interest in"applied Christianity."

Only--and here emerges the enormous difference of opinion--the Christian man believes that there can be no applied Christianity unless there be "a Christianity to apply." [7] That is where the Christian man differs from the modern liberal. The liberal believes that applied Christianity is all there is of Christianity, Christianity being merely a way of life; the Christian man believes that applied Christianity is the result of an initial act of God. (J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism, Chapter 5, "Salvation")

Christianity and Pluralism

In my last post, I discussed the difference between Christian and Islamic views of politics.  These differences are very serious.  Furthermore, as you add the exclusivity claims of both religions and the view of secularists that view both religions as unable to come to any truth-claims, politicians wonder how we won't come to blows in some "clash of civilizations."

Michael Horton at The White Horse Inn ("The Mission Statement", begin about  8:50) disagrees with the conclusion that there will be a class of civilizations.  Horton says, "It's only a clash of civilization, Christian and Muslim, if Christianity is equivalent to Modernity.  [The clash] is Islam versus Modernity, not versus Christianity because Islam is simultaneously a missionary-political faith.  When Christianity has been, over centuries of its history, like that it has been unfaithful to the New Testament.  When Islam does it, it is being faithful to the Qur'an.

Ken Jones makes a good point when he says that Christians need to do a better job a living as neighbors of different faiths, and different cultures. "We are either trying to Americanize them along with their religion and we've been intolerant," says Jones, "or at that other extreme we've been absorbent so that religious differences have been minimized, but that idea of pluralism is not something we've done a good job at."

People fear Christian involvement in politics in the public arena because there is [wrongly] a sense that the advance of Christianity equals the elimination of political toleration for all groups.  However Horton points out that Christians have to preach what the Bible teaches us:

"[26 ] For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, [27 ] but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-27 ESV)"

However as Horton points out that Christians are not executing that judgment, we are proclaiming forgiveness and grace so that people who are under that wrath--like ourselves--will not be under it on "that day."

Christians need to articulate that we believe in political and religious pluralism, and can't defend coercion of others by political force, but reserve the right of free speech to preach what we believe. Christianity equals peace and non-coercion by force.


 

Muslim vs. Christian View of Politics

As I was listening to a podcast of The White Horse Inn called “The Mission Statement,” part of the discussion touched on the difference between Reformed Christianity and Islam regarding their view of politics.

The difference was summarized along these lines:  the Islamic view of politics if most faithful to its creed when religion and civil law coincide. In the article, “Islamic Politics—Introduction”, we learn, “One of the most controversial aspects of Islamic politics is the concept of jihad, or “holy war.””

Khurshi Ahmad explains, “A Muslim is one whose outlook on life is permeated with this consciousness [of the pillars of Islam]. . .  Jihad has been described in the Qur’an and the Sunnah as the natural corollary of these pillars of faith. Commitment to God involves commitment to sacrifice one’s time, energy and wealth to promote the right cause. It may be necessary at times to give one’s life in order to preserve Truth.” (Khurshid Ahmad, Islam: Its Meaning and Message, 3rd ed.  Leicester, UK: The Islamic Foundation, 1999, pg. 39.)

In contrast, Christians are consistent with their creed when religion and politics are separate. To a Christian there are two kingdoms in this world, the kingdom of God and the kingdom(s) of men.

Dan Bryant writing in the September/October Issue of Modern Reformation magazine explains, “While God instituted the authority of the civil magistrate, he did not institute it to be a means of redemption. Its task is temporal justice; limiting the effects of wickedness. The kingdom of God will never be advanced by the state or through politics. God alone accomplishes redemption, graciously drawing rebellious men and women to himself, bringing them into his holy body, the church, the bride of Christ, which has the risen, reigning Christ even now as its head.” (Dan Bryant, Modern Reformation Magazine, “Christianity & Politics:  How Shall the Twain Meet?”)

Understanding these different views, I now understand that to separate the state and religion is to gut Islam of a central tenet that defines their religion.  Any one that asserts that Islam can be integrated into Western political society is only deceiving themselves.  Either Islam will relent (not likely), or the West will have to someday use force against Islamic forces in order not to be swallowed up by Islamic Theocratic law.

As for Christians, we are called to preach the Gospel, and there is no other option.  If Islam should gain a foothold in the United States true Christians will continue to do so--even at the pain of death or persecution becase we are taught, ". . .do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28 ESV)

Husband Leadership: Some practical guidance

To follow up on my previous post on whether husbands really want a submissive wife, I’d like to givesome practical direction from scripture on how we might begin to gird our loins like men.

Don't Abdicate Your Responsibilities: As her worship leader: [3 ] But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV). [23 ] For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. [24 ] Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:23-24 ESV). As a sanctifying agent: [25 ] Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, [26 ] that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27 ] so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.  (Ephesians 5:25-33 ESV) As caretaker for her wellbeing:  [28 ] In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. [29 ] For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, [30 ] because we are members of his body. [31 ] “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” [32 ] This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. [33 ] However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:28-33 ESV) As her lover and friend: [19 ] Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. (Colossians 3:19 ESV); “. . . the husband of one wife. . .” (1 Timothy 3:12, Titus 1:6); [7 ] Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7 ESV); [15 ] Drink water from your own cistern,/flowing water from your own well./[16 ] Should your springs be scattered abroad,/streams of water in the streets?/[17 ] Let them be for yourself alone,/and not for strangers with you./[18 ] Let your fountain be blessed,/and rejoice in the wife of your youth,/[19 ] a lovely deer, a graceful doe./Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;/be intoxicated always in her love./[20 ] Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman/and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?/[21 ] For a man's ways are before the eyes of the LORD,/ and he ponders all his paths./[22 ] The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,/and he is held fast in the cords of his sin./[23 ] He dies for lack of discipline,/and because of his great folly he is led astray. (Proverbs 5:15-18; Proverbs 5:19-23 ESV) Some articles by other brothers: Dr. John Dod, Richard Baxter, John Piper, Sam Storms.

The Leaven of the Gospel—The Saturation Commission

From Gospel Centric:
“Christianity must pervade not merely all nations, but also all of human thought. The Christian, therefore, cannot be indifferent to any branch of earnest human endeavor. It must all be brought into some relation to the gospel. It must be studied either in order to be demonstrated as false, or else in order to be made useful in advancing the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom must be advanced not merely extensively, but also intensively. The Church must seek to conquer not merely every man for Christ, but also the whole of man. We are accustomed to encourage ourselves in our discouragements by the thought of the time when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. No less inspiring is the other aspect of that same great consummation. That will also be a time when doubts have disappeared, when every contradiction has been removed, when all of science converges to one great conviction, when all of art is devoted to one great end, when all of human thinking is permeated by the refining, ennobling influence of Jesus, when every thought has been brought into subjection to the obedience of Christ.”—J. Gresham Machen, Originally published in The Princeton Theological Review, Vol. 11, 1913. Read the whole article: Christianity and Culture by J. Gresham Machen

Pride

Pride.  The great enemy of Spiritual growth. This self-diagnostic list is really, really helpful.  It would be worth reading and re-reading this year as we pursue Christ.

The Gospel of Steve Jobs

Tim Challies passed on this post from Andy Crouch at Making Culture. 

“As remarkable as Steve Jobs is in countless ways—as a designer, an innovator, a (ruthless and demanding) leader—his most singular quality has been his ability to articulate a perfectly secular form of hope. Nothing exemplifies that ability more than Apple’s early logo, which slapped a rainbow on the very archetype of human fallenness and failure—the bitten fruit—and made it a sign of promise and progress.”

Jobs articulates the gospel of our age: follow your heart.

But mankind needs to know that "[9 ] The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV).  Furthermore, this self-delusion prevents people from seeing escaping the wrath of God:  "[18 ] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." (Romans 1:18 ESV)