Good Quote from Calvin

As I find myself more and more in the old Reformer's Institutes these days (I love October!), I feel my soul finding refreshment. Here is a quote I ran across today. It is actually Calvin quoting Bernard, but with comment:

"Thus the soul...is at the same time enslaved and free: enslaved becuase of necessity; free because of will. And what is at once stranger and more deplorable, it is guilty because it is free, and enslaved because it is guilty, and as a consequence enslaved because it is free" (II.3.5).

In other words, we sin by necessity, not by compulsion. Adam (representing all mankind) freely chose to sin and, by sinning, became so depraved that "man is surely subject to the necesisty of sinning" (II.3.5). We sin because we choose to sin, yet, at the same time, we always choose to sin (apart from knowing Christ) because that is the inclination of our hearts at any given moment. So, in this twisted way, we are enslaved to sin because we are free.

Why Do I Believe?

This was a question that a youth recently asked me via email. Below was my answer:

There are many places that you could begin when talking with an unbeliever or skeptic. For one, you could start with sin. Everybody will concede that a parent doesn't "teach" their child how to disobey...that comes naturally. We are bent toward doing wrong things. Scripture clearly testifies to this fact.

You could begin by the general lack of purpose in those individuals whom we would usually think "have it all together." Just yesterday, I read of a billionaire who committed suicide. Jesus gives purpose and meaning to life. Not only are we created in the image of God (which means that we were created for relationship - another easily seen fact), but we - apart from Christ - have an utterly empty and purposeless life.

Another place you could begin is through a common knowledge of right and wrong. How is it that most everyone in the world will testify to the fact that murder and rape is wrong. Even the most devout atheist will cringe at the thought of those things happening to a child. My question would be: On what basis can you say that is "wrong"? It is on the basis of a moral law built within us. And didn't God say that he would write his law on our hearts (Jer. 31:33)?

None of these things alone will "prove" Christianity or even fully answer the question of why you believe. You believe because God has given you the faith to believe. That's the answer. However, though we believe by faith, faith in God is a most reasonable proposition. For example, it takes more faith to believe that we came from a swirling pool of amoeba swimming than to believe that God created the universe with great precision (just think about the human body!). The probability that we arrived here by evolution over billions of years has been calculated by atheistic scientists to something like 1 trillion to 1. It's not good odds.

Anyway, what I would recommend to you is to take 1 hour and watch something on Youtube. It is a video of Tim Keller speaking to a bunch of atheists at Google Books. You can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxup3OS5ZhQ

The Last Call

“Make good choices!” her mother called out through the passenger-side window as she pulled away. Julie heard, but didn’t turn around. She just kept quietly walking through the hoards of other students filing into the school lobby. “Why does mom always say that so loudly, especially in front of my friends?” Julie thought to herself, still gliding toward the front doors as if she were on a moving walkway.

Despite the fact that Julie was in the 10th grade and had been going through the same school system her entire life, school was still an unfamiliar, scary, and pressure-filled place. Moreover, she constantly felt guilt because she wasn’t standing up for Christ as she knew she should. Julie sometimes felt ashamed of Jesus, like the Apostle Peter who denied Jesus when he suddenly became “unpopular.”

As I think about teenagers like Julie, I feel that many parents want to call out to their children “Make good choices!” as they leave to go off to college or begin a career. The interesting thing about making good choices or being a good person is that, if that is all we are – good people – then (on the surface) we are no different than unbelievers.

As this next class of seniors will be graduating and “heading off,” my mind immediately beings to ask: “What is the greatest pitfall for a graduating teenager?” After thinking hard about this, I am convinced that one of the most dangerous mindsets in America is this: “I deserve.”
From feeling like we deserve houses, cars, and healthcare to thinking we deserve attention, respect, and things to just “go our way,” this mindset is crippling us and one, I believe, is contrary to the Scriptures.

In 1 Peter 2, Peter explains that it is a gracious thing when we endure suffering for doing good. Why? Because, in this, we share in the sufferings of Christ. He was reviled yet did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten. When he was wrongfully whipped and nailed to the cross, he did not call the hosts of heaven to come and destroy his perpetrators.
Instead, the only Righteous One who ever lived, the only One who did not deserve such treatment, endured the cross and despised its shame.

What I want to say, not just to graduating seniors, but to all who profess Jesus Christ as Lord, is to consider Jesus as our example of humility. Though he deserved honor and power and riches and glory forever, he made himself nothing.

Think of your day – this day. Have you been angry at all at anybody? It might have been on the commute to work or overhearing somebody talk about you. The main reason so many of us get angry is that our “rites” have been violated. I am entitled to be treated well and if you mess with me, then I’ll…you get the idea.

But Jesus says to love your enemies and pray for them. When someone strikes one cheek, he says to turn the other. When somebody steals, give him your cloak as well. When somebody takes your silverware, give him the candlesticks too.

If we reviled in return how is that any different from anybody else in this world? It’s not. The life that Jesus offers is not an easy one. It’s not a life many would pay to have. But it is a life that identifies with the Savior of sinners, and in that, we find great peace.

My last call out the window, as it were, would not be to “Make good choices,” but to “Make Christ your greatest Treasure – above any rights, privileges, entitlement, or earthly fame. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Christ and Culture: Where's the Connection?

In picking up D. A. Caron's new book, Christ and Culture Revisited (Eerdmans, 2008), I have been challenged to differintiate between a biblical-gospel worldview and Southern Christianity.

I have also been challenged to re-think how I am to respond to culture while realizing that I am a part of that culture.

I remember listening to a lecture long ago when this certain professor stated, "Culture is simply beliefs expressed." I think he's right.

Question: If a "culture" is a set of beliefs expressed, then is it wrong to seek to change a culture to the extent that the culture is outwardly practicing an inward set of pagan beliefs? To the rise of many critics, I must say "yes." Would this, then (for example), validate some of what the Puritans and Pilgrims did in the midst of Native American Indians? Again, to the rise of many critics, I think so. Some cultures in Africa, for example, actually believe that to win "friends" from neighboring tribes in order to kill and eat them is a noble and good thing.

So what is our response to OUR culture?

Christ came to seek and save the lost. He came to transform the hearts and minds of sinners who hate him into sinners who love him. Should we separate ourselves from the "world" and pre-judge its (obvious) fate? Or do we seek to offer Christ to it, the only Mediator who took our judgement upon himself?

If Christ came to transform hearts and minds of sinners like you and me, to die for sinners like you and me, and to live a perfect life for sinners like you and me, then shouldn't we offer the same Christ to our culture?

Yes, for those of you who are saved...we are in the world but not of it anymore, but we can't forget that we are still in the world. Don't disengage.

How Does Old-Testament Law Relate to You?

When Jesus came, he did two things in relation to the OT law.

First, he extended the law by internalizing it and making it impossible to perform. For example, committing adultery is no longer just performing the act, but simply lusting in your heart. Committing murder is no longer actually killing somebody, but simply having anger in your heart. The law is internalized.

Jesus summed up the law by saying: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and your neighbor as yourself. Do I love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength? No! Even for a minute? No! Do I even love my neighbor as myself? No! Loving God and neighbor in this way is impossible.

But THAT is the point! You can't perfectly obey the law--which leads to the second thing Christ did:

Not only did Christ make fulfilling the law impossible (though it already was to begin with!), he fulfilled the law ON YOUR BEHALF! Christ not only died the death you should of died, but he also lived the life you should have lived. His perfect obedience to the law--loving God and neighbor--is imputed to you.

How do you receive his righteousness? By believing. That's it.

My point? When Christ came, he extended the law so that there is no way of 'checking off' parts that you obey. You can't check off anything. The law is impossible to obey. BUT, he obeyed the law perfectly for you.

Now, we obey because the love of Christ compels us to. We strive to love God and neighbor because he first loved us.

Jesus: The Subject of God's Word

I was listening to a Tim Keller lecture tonight on preaching and felt very convicted in the way I go about preparing lessons and sermons.

When I usually go to a passage of Scripture, I will scour the page to find me and to find my audience. I ask myself, 'Where am I in this passage? Where is my audience? How can I live a better life by what this passage is telling me?'

But what I so often fail to realize is that the Bible is about JESUS. I should be asking, 'Where is Jesus in this passage?' Jesus is the truer and better Adam, who passed the test on our behalf. Jesus is the truer and better Isaac, who was sacrificed for all of God's elect. Jesus is the truer and better Moses, who mediates a new covenant. Jesus is the truer and better David, who is victorious and transfers his victory to us.

The shadows and types in the OT point to the reality: Jesus Christ. HE is the gospel. HE is the good news. The Bible is not a handbook on how to be a better person. It is God's self-revelation and the ultimate act of that revelation was when the eternal Son became flesh. HE is the image of the invisible God.

So next time you pull out your Bible, ask yourself, 'Where is Jesus in this passage?'

Love My Enemies?

When Jesus said to 'Love your enemies' (Lk 6:27), did he really mean to love your enemies? Why is it that I want to skip over this passage?

I think this lies at the heart on how you view Christ and culture. Do you see Christ against culture or Christ transforming culture?

If you see Christ against culture, you may see the world on its speedy way to hell. You might want to form a commune of believers, sheltered from the world, and talk about how evil the world is. You might want to tape a Bible verse to an arrow and shoot the next 'sinner' you see on the street. You might also see your 'enemies' attacking the gospel and therefore you, as an onward Christian soldier, should take arms and beat them back (I'm partially kidding here).

BUT...if you see Christ transforming culture, then perhaps this passage in Luke makes more sense. Other passages like 'turning the other cheek' also start making a lot more sense. The gospel's response to enemies is love. What? Yes, love. And I thought I was starting to become more sanctified. Ouch.

Is God Angry With You?

I'm venturing out a little in this post in offering a response to a question I heard today: 'Does God get angry with you when you sin?' I'm still working through it, but at least here is a start. This question is profound and one that is a very important pastoral question that needs some guidance.

To be sure, God does get angry with sin, with rebellion, and with idolatry. One can easily see this from various places throughout the Old Testament. But what about the New Testament? You don't see any place in the NT where God's anger is talked about except for one place in Revelation 14.

I think the key point to consider is what 'in Christ' means. For those who are 'in Christ,' there is no condemnation. Being 'in Christ' means that (1) you have been united to him by faith, (2) that your sin has been imputed to Christ and his righteousness to you, and (3) that you now stand 'not guilty' and freed by the gospel. If your life is 'hid with Christ' (Col. 3:3), then when God looks upon you, he sees you clothed in the righteousness of his Son.

My point is this: God cannot be 'angry' with you in your sin. Your sin--past, present, and future--has been imputed to Christ who has bore the punishment for them...and you are 'in him.' Moreover, everything we say or do is tainted by sin, which means that God would be angry at us ALL of the time if God got angry every time we sinned.

The fact is, God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He has poured out his wrath and anger and judgment on his own Son. We, who now by faith, are united to Christ are under no condemnation or wrath of God.

God's hatred of sin is completely justified for it is the natural expression of his own desire to glorify himself. He is the greatest treasure in the universe and it would be idolatry on his part to desire anything less that his own glory. So he has to hate sin. And though we have been forgiven of our sin and it's been imputed to Christ, we still bear the effects of a sin nature. And we will continue to bear those effects until we are ushered into heaven.

When we sin (which is all the time), God isn't surprised by sin because he's God--he is all knowing. But we have been unified to his righteous Son by faith. He ALWAYS sees us now in that light! We don't stop being in his righteousness for a few days, at which point we sin, and then he gets angry. We REMAIN clothed by the righteousness of his Son DESPITE our sin. That is the gospel of grace!

Many of you may be plagued by the thought day after day that God is always angry with you. But If you are 'in Christ,' God is not angry with you. You are his child who he loves unconditionally.

Living in a World of 'Small Print'

You can't take anything at face value anymore. It's true. Nothing is free, not even 'free time' at expensive Christian camps. Every add on TV, every billboard, every sales call, every annoying pop-up on the internet has a catch.

My point? People are being (subconsciously) trained to not believe anything. We are raising up a generation of skeptics like never before. What is worse is that the highlighted 'scandals' (thanks to the media) only further the lack of trust in those of authority. Moreover, the quest for the American Dream has left people empty and still dreaming. Is there anything that is real and that can satisfy?

How does this affect the ministry? It has created a unique challenge to the 21st-century minister. More and more, people want to see authenticity and a harmony between what you say and the way you live. Effective ministry must understand the need to stress authenticity--that Christ alone satisfies the longing heart and that the gospel CAN be trusted in a world of uncertainty and skepticism.

I once heard someone say on the radio that the loneliest moment in life is when you have just experienced that which you thought would deliver the ultimate and it has let you down. Deep down, we long for that which is real and authentic. We long for that which can satisfy our deepest longings for intimacy and community.

So might I give a word of admonition: Cherish Christ as your only sure hope when everything else seems to be sinking sand. Satan seeks to undermine the ministry of the gospel by the 'small print' in our culture and we must be aware of it.

Was it Possible for Christ to Sin?

It seems like a trick question. But someone recently asked me this outside of a Starbuck's. The relevant verse is Hebrews 4:15, which reads, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin."

It says that Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are." The logical question is that if Jesus could be tempted to sin, then was it possible for him to sin? If it isn't possible, then he wouldn't be like "we are" as the verse states.

So...was it possible for Jesus to sin? Yes and no. In fact, the question is absurd and shouldn't even be asked. It's just like asking if God could make a rock so heavy that he couldn't lift--an absurd question. Since Jesus was fully man, you could see that there was a possibility for him to sin. Yet, because he was fully God, sinning would be contrary to his nature.

The fact is Jesus DIDN'T sin. He was perfectly obedient to the Father and merited righteousness on our behalf. As one of my favorite pastor's has said, "Jesus paid a debt that he did not owe for me who had a debt that I could not pay." If this question is ever raised to you, you can say with assurance what Christ did do in being perfectly obedient to the Father. Though he was "just as we are," he did not sin.