Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I want to wish all readers of my blog a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Lord willing, I'll be blogging again on Monday, January 8th. Two Christmas collects from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer: "Almighty God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen." "God, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thine only Son Jesus Christ; Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen." "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Two Sovereigns, Two Decrees

(A sermon preached Christmas Eve at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Huntsville, Alabama.) Luke 2:1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Two sovereigns appear in Luke 2. One is visible; one is invisible. One has limited power; the other unlimited. One is the most powerful man in the world, but his days are numbered. His reign will end in less than 20 years, and like all men, he will die. The other is the most powerful in the universe and his reign is eternal, his kingdom will never end. Luke begins with the earthly sovereign. His name was Caesar Augustus. Caesar was his title; he was dictator. There was no democratically elected president of Rome. Augustus was the personal name given to Octavian by the Roman Senate in 27 BC. Everyone in the Roman Empire knew that Octavian, Caesar Augustus, was the most powerful man in the world. He was one of a succession of Roman dictators – some competent, some incompetent; some benevolent, others malevolent. But all were tyrants. All governed an Empire marred by corruption and abuse of power. Caesar issues a decree. “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered” (Luke 2:1). In other words, he commands a census. The head count will be used for one purpose – raising money. Censuses are the run-of-the-mill work of governments; I doubt Caesar gave much thought to it. Maintaining armies, waging war, preserving the peace, and building great cities requires money, and lots of it. A census is indispensable to getting the revenue stream flowing. Caesar may have given little thought to his decree, but the other sovereign of Luke 2 does. For you see, Caesar’s decree is God’s decree. God's sovereignty knows no limits; "he foreordains whatsoever comes to pass." Caesar may issue a decree with little forethought, but God's decree is not conceived on the spur of the moment. It emerges from his eternal counsel determined before the foundation of the world. Caesar does not know God, but God knows him. Caesar thinks he rules by his own skill and cunning, but in truth he rules only by God’s design. Caesar rules to make a name for himself, but when is the last time you joined an assembly to praise Caesar? No, God -- not Caesar -- will get the glory. Not the name of Caesar, but the name of God will be praised. Caesar seeks to advance his own interests, but it is God’s interests that triumph. The decree of an ungodly emperor is one part of God’s plan to save the world. Four things about Caesar’s decree: First, Caesar’s decree fulfills biblical prophecy. No, the decree itself is not prophesied in scripture, but the result of that decree will bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem. That’s significant, for centuries earlier Micah wrote: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
 who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
 from you shall come forth for me
 one who is to be ruler in Israel,
 whose origin is from of old,
 from ancient days.
. . . And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
 in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
 And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.
 And he shall be their peace.” (Micah 5:2-5) So, the census is the means God uses to bring pregnant Mary to Bethlehem, to the place where her son is born, to the place prophesied long ago by Micah. Let’s look more closely at what Luke says about the census. “This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.” (Luke 2:2-3) For most folks, the census was a simple thing. You registered where you owned property, and that meant traveling no further than the nearest city. Simple enough . . . unless you owned property in one city and lived elsewhere, which seems to be Joseph’s case. So, Joseph and Mary head to Bethlehem – the very place Micah foretold. “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary.” (Luke 2:4-5) Caesar’s decree becomes the means of fulfilling biblical prophecy. And it never entered Caesar’s mind that someone greater than he was orchestrating his imperial decree for the salvation of sinful men and women. And throughout history other rulers have unwittingly advanced the kingdom of God, the very kingdom they sought to destroy. At the beginning of the 20th century few Christians lived in Uzbekistan in central Asia. For centuries the Uzbeks violently resisted Western missionary efforts. How did the gospel come to this predominately Muslim former Soviet Republic? Through a most unlikely agent – the monstrous Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Here’s what happened. In the 1930s thousands of Koreans fled when the Japanese invaded what is now North Korea. Many of these were Christians who settled around the Pacific port city of Vladivostok in the Soviet Union. The always suspicious Stalin deemed the Koreans a security risk and deported them to Uzbekistan. The Uzbeks who so fiercely resisted Westerners welcomed these refugees from the East. The Koreans became a vital part of the cultural life of Uzbekistan. Not only did many Koreans come to faith, they started leading their Muslim friends to Christ. A thriving and growing church now exists in Uzbekistan. (John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad, 98-99) Don’t think for a moment that Joseph Stalin willingly participated in God’s church planting work in Uzbekistan. His decree was wicked, but his sovereignty was limited. God’s sovereignty is unlimited and his purpose good, and his eternal decree is for the gospel to come to central Asia. What Stalin intended for evil, God meant for good, and for the saving of many people. Caesar’s decree fulfills biblical prophecy. Next, Caesar’s decree is messy business. God’s people suffer. We read: “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.” (Luke 2:4-5) As the wheels of the Roman bureaucracy grind, no attention is given to the pain it causes common folk like Mary. She must make the three-day trip in the final stages of her pregnancy. Stalin never thought for a moment about the agonizing disruption of life caused by the mass relocation of Koreans to Uzbekistan. God’s people endured hardship. Remember another Joseph, not Jesus’ father, but the loud mouth braggart Joseph in the book of Genesis. His wicked brothers sell him into slavery. Years of servitude and imprisonment follow. But what Joseph’s brothers meant for evil, God intended for good. By suffering, Joseph is shaped into a godly man. He becomes a force for righteousness. He emerges the second most powerful man in Pharaoh’s Egypt. He will forgive his brothers, and use his power to rescue them from famine. Among the brother’s he saves is Judah, one of whose descendants is Jesus Christ. The decision of Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery is messy. Their evil motives result in Joseph’s suffering – a mess no one would want. But God is sovereign. His plan is moving forward. Joseph’s suffering and vindication spare the Messianic line and move biblical history forward toward Bethlehem. Which leads me to my third point: Responding to Caesar’s decree requires faith. I suppose, like some of the foolish Zealots, Joseph could have headed to the mountains to fight the Romans. But he didn’t. He submits, does what is right, and he goes to Bethlehem to register and pay his taxes. Later in the chapter, the shepherds see the angelic hosts fill the skies proclaiming the glory of Jesus’ birth. What an encouragement that glimpse of glory would have been to Joseph! But Joseph does not see the angels, nor does Mary. They do what is right. They head to Bethlehem to register; they will pay their taxes. Joseph and Mary trust God. They live by faith. So must we. When we hurt, we must choose to obey. When things get messy, we must do what is right. Every step we take we must strive to live in the knowledge that God is in control; he is working his purposes out – for our good and his glory. One of my favorite historians is Douglas Southall Freeman. Among other things, he was Robert E. Lee’s biographer. Freeman had an interesting style. Some call it the “fog of war.” As you read Lee’s story, you never have any more information available to you than Lee did at the time he made critical decisions. When Lee’s army was on the verge of destruction beside Antietam Creek, Lee did not know that help was coming from men under the leadership of the fierce A.P. Hill. Lee doesn’t know that, and you don’t know it either as you read Freeman’s biography. You see how Lee made his decisions based on information available to him. You begin to understand how difficult it was for him to lead. Joseph and Mary cannot see what the outcome of their travels will be. They don’t journey with a heavenly choir encouraging their every step. The plug along; they do what is right; they live by faith. Each of us faces major decisions. Should I switch jobs? Should I move? Who should I marry? Where should I go to school? What medical treatment option should I select? Should I move my aging parents closer to me? We would like some angelic announcement from above that will tell us what decision is right. But it won’t happen. No, we make our decisions based on the information at hand. We have the demands of righteous character found in God’s word, we have the wisdom of friends, and we have the information available to us – and that is all. We must choose to do right and trust the God who promises to work all things for his glory and our good. Each of us confronts circumstances beyond our control. Will our children walk with the Lord? If they've strayed, will they come to their senses and abandon their self-destructive behaviors? Will our bosses recognize our work? Will our health hold out long enough for us to retire with adequate funds? We can fret, we can fume, or we can trust God and do what is right. Which brings me to my final point: Caesar’s decree reveals the priorities of God’s kingdom. Too often we crave wealth, comfort, and security. These are never God’s priorities for us. “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:6-7) The most glorious person who ever lived is born in the humblest place. He is sent there by God’s design. Born in Bethlehem, a tiny outpost on the frontier of mighty Rome. Wrapped with cloths to support his tiny arms and legs in the uncomfortable manger. Born without even the creature comforts that most poor parents can scrape together. Had God placed a premium on wealth, comfort, and security he would never have chosen Bethlehem. But his priorities are not those of the world. “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:27-31) The choice of Joseph and Mary as the parents of the Savior, the selection of Bethlehem as the city of his birth, and the humble circumstances of his first hours mean that no one can ever attribute salvation to anything other than the Lord’s grace and power. Salvation is of the Lord. Bethlehem overturns the world’s values. Greatness is not raw power, but power submitted to the word of God. Greatness is not beings served, but serving. Greatness is not obtaining glory by our own righteous acts, but by the righteous acts of another. We all want our lives to count. We want to know that our work has significance. That significance does not come from where we live, or how much we own, or how many degrees are by our name. It depends on who we are before the Lord. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, more than a billion people will hear the story of Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus. Many of them will gather in celebration of the Child’s birth. This family will never be forgotten. How many do you think will gather to remember Caesar Augustus? How many will gather to celebrate his achievements? Feared in his day above all other men, he is now only remembered as the pagan dictator whose census set in motion one component of God’s eternal decree to save men and women. This Christmas we place our trust for our salvation in the righteous life and substitutionary death of the one who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. We trust him and his heavenly Father whose decree works everything for his glory and our good. In the midst of pressing concerns, trust him. And when tempted to pride in titles, possessions or achievements, heed the word that admonishes “let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Thoughts on Church Music

1. A church’s hymnody reflects its depth of biblical knowledge and doctrinal commitments. “Through our songs we learn our theology and how to interpret and express our experience. The richness and complexity of the Reformed understanding of God and Christian experience require a great, weighty, substantial hymnody/Psalmody.” (Terry Johnson, 13) 2. In discussing church music, a critical question is: Who writes the songs of the church? Until recently, the teachers of the church wrote the hymns of the church. Contemporary Christian songs, however, are almost entirely written by persons with no formal biblical or theological training. Frequently, these writers are associated with churches that are either unaware or hostile to Reformed theology. Do we want those who have a superficial understanding of Christian doctrine to write our songs and music? 3. The place given to the music of popular culture needs to be carefully considered. To begin with, pop music segments the worship service by age. What is meant by contemporary worship music is not self-evident. For example, the Gaither praise choruses, which were popular in the 1970s, would not be considered contemporary by 20-something worshipers of 2005, nor would they be sung at a congregation that targets the 20-something. If the church replaces its hymns every generation, children are excluded from shared traditions. They are encouraged to shape their Christians lives through self-expression divorced from the wisdom of previous generations. (See Myers) 4. Pop music is not morally neutral. “Popular culture is not neutral regarding the sensibilities it encourages. Because of the centrality of commercial concerns, popular culture maintains a preferential option for the upbeat, the informal, the new and interesting, not because these are the sorts of virtues that make a better person (let alone a better Christian), but because these are the attributes that make for the best consumers.” (Myers) Pop music focuses on the new and discourages serious thought and reflection. It ordinarily expresses individual desires and not the concerns of community. The church must ask whether pop music can adequately convey what is permanent, weighty, and eternal. 5. The music of pop culture is transient. “ . . . we cannot help but notice how quickly a praise chorus or CCM song comes and goes. If church music has as one of its main objectives to inculcate the truth of God Word, this creates problems. After all, even now a generation is being raised in our churches that has no knowledge of even the best-known psalms and hymns – nor even a particular body of praise and worship music, since these songs often evaporate as quickly as they appear. Going, therefore, is another important means of passing down the Christian inheritance to our children at a time when they are trying to find a place to belong and a community that is deeper and wider than the present moment of individual inspiration. We no longer share a common body of church praise across the generations and around the world.” (Horton, ABW, 183) 6. “[T]he church can insist on its identity as an intergenerational community. It can do this structurally, by refusing to segment congregations by age, and temperamentally, by recovering a Biblical respect for maturity and rejecting popular culture’s infantilism, thereby offering to children a goal of growing up. Popular culture exalts perpetual adolescence. Instead of adopting the ways of popular culture, the Church should show the world a more excellent way. Instead of retooling Sunday to render it in synch with Monday through Saturday, the Church, in its proclamation and in its making of disciples, should offer a counter-cultural model of living obedience, seeking to transform what believers and unbelievers experience during the week by what happens to them and around them on Sunday.” (Myers) 7. The biblical warrant for contemporary “scripture songs” is not clear. In the Bible, Psalms – the hymns of Old Covenant worship – were not simply recitations in song of the Law of Moses. They were, in fact, fresh compositions that involved reflection on God’s character and work. Therefore, our hymns should be more than isolated scripture verses. For example, no single verse of scripture can supply the sustained theological refection on the Trinity that is found in the hymn “Come, Thou Almighty King.” Moreover, although scripture songs can be helpful as aids to scripture memorization, their overall usefulness in promoting a comprehensive knowledge of God’s word and Christian doctrine is limited. Also, singing a verse like Psalm 118:24 out of context easily supplies the verse with a meaning it does not have in scripture. "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" is not the celebration of each and every day as God's gift, but the astounding day in which the stone rejected (on Good Friday) becomes the cornerstone of God's redemptive work (Easter and Ascension). The significance of the single verse is missed if sung in isolation from the rest of the Psalm. 8. I believe that hymns should ordinarily model the style of the Psalms. Hymns should provide the worshiper with a way of reflecting on God’s character, his works of creation and redemption, the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, and devotion to God in the midst of struggle, fear, and doubt. 9. I do not believe the church should sing only Psalms. (a) The church is to admonish and teach one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:18-20. These compositions include more than just the psalms of David. These compositions appear to be the result of the wisdom of the Spirit-filled church. (b) Biblical Psalms were often composed in response to God’s mighty works of redemption. Is the church never to sing hymns, composed after the cross, that reflect upon God’s finished work in Christ? Is the church never to sing the name “Jesus”? (c) Although we cannot be certain, Philippians 2:6-11 may have been an early Christian hymn quoted by the Apostle Paul. _________________ Sources: Horton, Michael. A Better Way. Johnson, Terry. Leading in Worship. Myers, Ken. “Is Popular Culture Either?” Retrieved from the World Wide Web at http://www.mtio.com/articles/aissar42.htm

Thoughts on Worship (2)

6. Worship is for the church, not for the world. We do not order worship for the sake of unbelievers. The primary purpose of worship is to serve God, not attract newcomers. 7. “We must learn Christianity even as we learn a foreign language.” (William Willimon in Hart and Muether, 59). 8. The elements of worship are fixed and unchanging. These include the call to worship, confession of sin and absolution, prayer, the reading of scriptures, the preaching and hearing of the word of God, the singing of psalms and hymns, and the administration of the sacraments. 9. “Worship . . . will of necessity be simple, spiritual, and substantial: simple because the New Testament does not prescribe a complex ritual of service as is found in the Old Testament; spiritual because when Jesus removed the special status of Jerusalem as the place where God was to be worshiped (John 4:7-24), he signaled the abolition of all the material forms that constituted the typological Old Testament system including not only the city, but all that gave the city significance – the temple, the altars, the priests, the sacrificial animals, the incense; substantial because the God of the Bible is a great God and cannot be worshiped appropriately with forms that are light, flippant, or superficial; he must always be worshiped with ‘reverence and awe’ (Hebrews 12:28).” (Terry Johnson.) 10. Substantial changes in worship always reflect changes in theology. Sources: Clowney, Edmund P. The Church. Davies, Horton. The Worship of the English Puritans. Hart, D.G. and Muether, John. With Reverence and Awe. Horton, Michael. A Better Way. Johnson, Terry. Leading in Worship. Old, Hughes Oliphant. Worship That Is Reformed According to Scripture. Reymond, Robert. A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith. Thompson, Bard. Liturgies of the Western Church.

Thoughts on Reformed Worship (1)

1. Worship is supremely important. The service of worship is not a peripheral task of the church, but its primary duty. “[T]he Reformed worship tradition should remind every generation of Christians that the worship of God is the most important of all the Christian’s tasks. That is the primary reason why the Christian should go to church: to worship God. In today’s church climate this is a radical idea. Nevertheless, Christians should go to church, not to evangelize, not to provide comfortable ‘consumer-friendly’ setting for the unchurched, not even primarily for the benefit which fellowship with other Christians provides, and definitely not just for lectures and devotionals, but in order to worship God.” (Reymond, 872) 2. “The church is called to serve God in three ways: to serve him directly in worship; to serve the saints in nurture; and to serve the world in witness.” (Edmund Clowney, 117) We use the term service of worship because “service is the work and duty of a servant to and for a superior, and good service is that which pleases the superior.” The term worship experience “redirects the goal of worship, from God-centeredness to man’s pleasure.” (Hart and Muether, 17) 3. Worship is the response of men and women to God’s revealed glory. (Edmund Clowney, 118) Therefore, worship is dialogical. God speaks and we respond. 4. Worship is to be regulated by the word of God. This rule is known as the regulative principle of worship. What is not commanded in scripture is forbidden. (E.g., Dt. 12:30-32). “But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture.” (WCF, XX1.1) God detests false worship. 5. There are two ways of offering false worship. (a) When one worships a false God, the first commandment is violated. (b) When one worships the true God in a false way, the second commandment is violated. (Hart and Muether, 78). Sources: Clowney, Edmund P. The Church. Davies, Horton. The Worship of the English Puritans. Hart, D.G. and Muether, John. With Reverence and Awe. Horton, Michael. A Better Way. Johnson, Terry. Leading in Worship. Old, Hughes Oliphant. Worship That Is Reformed According to Scripture. Thompson, Bard. Liturgies of the Western Church.

What a Difference Gospel Doctrine Makes!

During the past week I have reviewed the doctrines of grace. These doctrines are not abstract speculation, but truths which should profoundly The doctrines of grace should influence our day-to­day lives. The doctrines of grace subdue our pride. The reason God elects one person to salvation and leaves another to perish in sin forever is not because the individual is in some way more attractive than the other. Remember, God’s election is unconditional. The implications of this truth for the life of the church are staggering. Christian, you were saved not because of your status in society, or your intellect, or your wealth or poverty, or your dependable character, or because of your potential usefulness to Christ’s kingdom. You are a Christian because of God’s free grace – pure and simple. Every manifestation of elitism within the body of Christ is a repudiation of the basic gospel truth that we are who we are by the work of God and not our own effort. The doctrines of grace lead to our heart-felt worship. Some ask, “Why didn’t God choose to save everyone?” Although the question represents a sincere desire to understand God’s plan, it approaches the issue from the wrong direction. Given the Bible’s teaching about human sin and God’s holiness, the right question is, “Why did God choose to save anyone?” Vibrant Christians are those people who, having studied the word of God, come to a sense of their unworthiness. They are overwhelmed that God would lovingly conquer their own hatred of him and save them in Christ Jesus. Where joyful worship is missing, a true knowledge of the depth of human sin and of the glory of God in salvation are missing too. The doctrines of grace personalize the gospel for us. When we understand the truths of God’s electing love and the death of Christ for the elect people of God, we understand that God did more than make salvation a possibility. Rather, we can say with confidence that Christ “loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). When Jesus went to the Cross, he went to reconcile specific persons to the heavenly Father. “He suffered for me, he bled for me, he died for me,” are the words of all Christians who know that Jesus took their personal sins to Calvary, and there died for them. Dr. Claire Davis presents clearly the personal nature of Christ’s work on the cross. ". . . his atoning work was personal too. He gave his life not for sin, but for sinners. He died for you. His atoning death was for his people. Presbyterians may call it limited or definite, but personal is what they mean. Jesus didn’t die to open the door. He didn’t die to give you some help. He didn’t die to stir you up to make something of yourself. He did a lot more than that. He saved you from your sins. He set you free from your foolish unbelief so that now you see him in his glory . . . Jesus didn’t die for you, and then leave you to take it from there. He didn’t lay down his life for you and then sit back to watch you slide off into confusion. Jesus has begun a good work in you, and he will carry it out faithfully to the end.” (D. Clair Davis, “Personal Salvation” in Presbyterian Journal, July 30, 1986,p.19). The doctrines of grace give us a strong sense of identity. We were chosen by God before the creation of the world. We were redeemed by the death of Christ, and the work of Christ was personally applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The biblical doctrine of salvation is an intensely personal story of the Triune God who has sought us and won us to himself. The doctrines of grace cultivate in us a life of absolute dependence upon God. At no point in the Christian life are we able to carry on by ourselves. From the new creation to final glory, we rely totally upon the power of God. When you are tempted to believe your pursuit of holiness is hopeless, turn your eyes away from your own weakness to the glorious, unfailing plan of God for you. You will persevere in faith because God will persevere in you. Depend upon him! The doctrines of grace lead to our fervent prayer in evangelism. Make no mistake: you should be very energetic in presenting the gospel to unbelievers. The doctrines of grace, rightly understood, never produce an attitude of evangelistic complacency. You must pray fervently that God will grant a new heart to those with whom you share the gospel. Without the demonstration of God’s power in granting the new birth to the lost, your evangelism will never see the fruit of new believers. One of the saddest facts about the modern American church is the large number of persons who have their names on a church roll without any evidence of holiness of life. Never has the church been so successful at recruiting new members; never have there been lower standards of moral conduct. Where there is no emphasis on the necessity of being born again, the church will overflow with unsaved members. The doctrines of grace will be a strength and encouragement to you. Know them. Believe them. Live confidently in your God, and glory in his magnificent grace. What a difference gospel doctrine makes! SUGGESTED READING: Sinclair Ferguson, The Christian Life. Michael Scott Horton, Putting Amazing Back into Grace. John Owen, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. John Murray, Redemption -- Accomplished and Applied. J.I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. R.C. Sproul, Chosen By God.

A Warning to Entrepreneurial Pastors and Leaders

This Christianity Today editorial reminds of the "shadow side" of entrepreneurial pastors and leaders. The benefits that strong leaders bring to churches are undeniable and affirmed, but with the stern caution that "[t]his entrepreneurial spirit, however, has also has been the cause of organizational chaos, a characteristic of our [evangelical] movement. Even worse, it has repeatedly provided the occasion for abusive staff relations, sexual or fiscal immorality, and pride-fueled cults of personality." The article continues: "Entrepreneurial pastors and leaders bring special gifts to the work of the church. But just as we identify the gifts of emerging leaders, we also need to engage in the spiritual exercise of identifying leaders' weaknesses. Every area of giftedness has a "shadow side"; every charism brings its own temptations. Young leaders need not only to have their gifts identified, but also to be mentored by those who understand the unique temptations that accompany those gifts. "Is our leader telegenic? That can help him communicate the gospel, but it can also turn him toward worshiping his TV image. Is he a skilled administrator? That can help him guide an organization efficiently, but it can also tempt him to run roughshod over people who get in his way. Is he a natural motivator? That can help him enlist volunteers in the ministry, but it can also tempt him to manipulate people. The larger point is this: While leaders are responsible for their behavior, the discernment process is one that can and must take place corporately—for no Christian leader is capable of judging his gifts and motives alone." I am grateful that our time-tested and biblically sound Presbyterian form of government provides a framework for accountability among our church's leaders. But no form of government is beneficial unless rigorously employed. Mutual watchfulness over our leaders' doctrine and lives must be a fundamental priority of Westminster's elders. (HT: Sean Lucas)

Perseverance of the Saints

Today we conclude our review of the doctrines of grace with a summary of what the Bible teaches about perseverance. All “those [God] predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). This verse has often been called the “golden chain”. All whom God chooses as his own he will finally and completely save and bring to glory. The biblical doctrine that believers are kept in faith by the power of God is called the perseverance of the saints. “Saints” is another word for the elect. Saints are men and women "set apart" by God. God’s great work of salvation is not done on the fly. Before the creation of the world he set apart an elect people to be holy and blameless before him (Ephesians 1:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:13). God’s saving work continued as he sent his Son into the world to die for the elect, and continues to this day as his Spirit works to bring all the elect to saving faith. Never One to stop, God will persevere until each one for whom Christ died enters the new heaven and new earth. Because God perseveres believers persevere also (Philippians 2:13). No one falls by the wayside; each of the elect reaches the intended destination. God never fails. During the last week I have briefly reviewed the doctrines of grace. Some find the acronym. T-U-L-I-P helpful for remembering these biblical doctrines: T - Total Depravity U - Unconditional Election L - Limited Atonement I - Irresistible Grace P - Perseverance of the Saints Tomorrow I'll conclude this series by considering what I believe to be the pastoral benefits of these doctrines.

Irresistible Grace

During the past week we have looked at three doctrines of grace: total depravity, unconditional election, and limited atonement. We move next to the doctrine of irresistible grace. God’s intention in the death of Christ was to save his elect. That mission is perfectly accomplished. To be saved the elect must undergo a radical change of heart. The old sinful nature must be destroyed and a new nature, which seeks after God, is given in its place. Only God can bring about such a mighty change. God promises his people that he will give to them a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26). The Bible presents this change of heart in various ways. Believers are born again (John 3:8); are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17); are raised from spiritual death to life (Ephesians 2:4-7). New birth, new creation, spiritual resurrection – these are the words representing the new heart. They magnify not our own human decisions, but the awesome power of the God who has chosen to transform sinners so that they will come to Jesus Christ as he is offered in the gospel. God never fails in this work of spiritual transformation. All of the elect receive a new heart that seeks Jesus. With new hearts they will freely embrace Jesus in faith and repentance. Undoubtedly, the elect of God are sinners who from birth resist him, but the grace of God ultimately triumphs. Therefore, Reformed Christians speak of God’s irresistible grace. God’s grace accomplishes what God intends. All whom God elects to salvation will come to Christ. The Bible is not a few disconnected stories about religious life in ancient times, but the unfolding of God’s eternal plan to claim for himself a people perfect in holiness and love. All barriers separating holy God from his people are torn down and overcome by the triumphant power of his grace.

Christian Manhood

Al Mohler comments on Christian manhood and a less than Christian ministry to men.

"Irritable Clergy Syndrome"

The Times (UK) presents a disturbing picture of parish life in the Church of England. The article dutifully reports the findings of one psychologist and religion researcher that "increasing numbers of ministers are going down with a new illness, irritable clergy syndrome." I wonder if the recommended antidote is therapy, a sabbatical, or faith and repentance.

Dachshund Theatre

Dachshunds in the lead roles of Titus Adronicus? Take a look at this. (HT: Lynne)

Limited Atonement

In two previous posts, I briefly considered the doctrines of total depravity and unconditional election. Today I continue my survey of the doctrines of grace with the doctrine of limited atonement. Christians who are not a part of the Reformed tradition believe that Jesus died for every person. By his death, Christ suffered for the forgiveness and redemption of all. Yet, only those who believe are actually forgiven and saved. In a very real sense, this view means that much of Christ’s suffering was in vain. Whole hosts of people for whom Christ died are never saved. Reformed Christians dispute this understanding of Christ’s death. We do not believe it accurately describes Christ’s work on the cross. Scripture teaches that from before the creation of the world God chose an elect people for salvation (Ephesians 1:4). For these people (and these alone), God sent his Son to purchase salvation (John 10:11). Jesus prays that the benefits of his death might be applied to these people; he does not pray in this way for the world out of which they were taken (John 17:9). Not one drop of Jesus’ blood is spilled in vain, for all that the Father has given him will come to him (John 6:38,39). Reformed Christians speak of a particular atonement. It was for the particular sins of particular people that Christ died. The purpose of Christ’s death was not to make salvation a possibility for all persons, but to make salvation a certainty for his people, the elect of God. Sometimes Presbyterians speak of a “limited” or “definite” atonement. What they mean is precisely what I have described here. Christ died to atone for the sins of a definite group of people. From this viewpoint, the scope of Christ’s work is limited to the elect. God’s intention in the death of Christ was to save his elect. That mission was perfectly accomplished.

Jeane Kirkpatrick

The Wall Street Journal remembers former U.N. ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick and her commitment to freedom.

Unconditional Election

Yesterday, I began a brief overview of the doctrines of grace. I started with the doctrine of total depravity. Today I review the doctrine of unconditional election. The effects of sin are devastating. Sin leaves men spiritually dead. The only way for sinners to be saved is by God choosing to bring them to spiritual life. A resurrection is needed. Once the biblical view of human sinfulness is embraced, it becomes immediately clear why we are without hope apart from the electing grace of God. In his electing grace, God chose to save some. He undertakes to do for sinners what they cannot do for themselves. He raises the spiritually dead. He gives new life. He saves the lost. He brings them to heaven. Predestination and election are the words used in relationship to God’s choice of men and women for salvation. Those sinners who are predestined to eternal life are called “the elect”. Because all men are by nature spiritually dead and unable to choose what is spiritually right, God’s decree of election cannot be dependent upon any foreseen act of obedience on the sinner’s part (for example, future faith or repentance). The election of sinners to salvation is based solely upon God’s good pleasure (Ephesians 1:9, 2 Timothy 1:9, Romans 9:10-18). Therefore, Reformed Christians teach the doctrine of unconditional election. Sean Lucas summarizes well: ". . . God the King chose a people for himself to be saved (Ex. 19:5-6; 1 Peter 2:9-10). This choice was made of God's own freedom. It was not conditioned on anything that God saw in you or me - our qualifications to be saved, our future faith or obedience or ministry. God's choice was contingent on nothing save God's own good pleasure to as King (Eph. 1:3-10)." [On Being Presbyterian, p. 37-38].

Defining American Victory in Iraq

Shelby Steele discusses why it is difficult to define victory in the Iraq war, and offers a controversial definition.

NYC Board of Health Proposal Withdrawn

Al Mohler reports: "Just a month ago, the New York City Board of Health announced plans to let persons change the sex on their birth certificate -- even without a sex-change operation. The proposal was seen as a major advance for those seeking to separate gender from biological sex. The proposal was also -- and rightly -- seen as radical and unworkable. Now, reality has caught up with the proposal and it has been withdrawn." Read more.

Total Depravity

The five points of Calvinism (or doctrines of grace) are very useful in both preaching and pastoral ministry, and in developing theologies of evangelism and worship. Over the next week I will review them briefly. First, total depravity. Paul sums up the natural spiritual condition of every person when he writes, “You were dead in your transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Death here does not describe the absence of physical life but of spiritual life. Jesus said, “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Knowing God and his Son Jesus is eternal life. Spiritual death is knowing neither the Father nor the Son. Spiritual death differs from physical death in that the spiritually dead are quite responsive. Spiritually dead men and women are in rebellion against their Creator God, and are, in varying degrees, hostile to the gospel of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. In describing the spiritual condition of fallen humanity, Reformed Christians often use the term total depravity. To declare that we are totally depraved does not mean that we are as sinful as we can be. Rather, it indicates that every aspect of our humanity is fallen. Our hearts, minds, and wills are corrupted by sin. And the devastating effects of the depravity do not merely scratch the surface of human life, but cut to its very core. The result is that lost persons are unable to choose what is spiritually good. As far as society is concerned, they may live morally responsible lives, but a love for the God of the Bible and a desire to live a holy life before him are absent. Only an mighty act of God's life-giving power can bring the spiritually dead to life. Only God can create in selfish man a heart that hungers and thirsts for righteousness. "Salvation belongs to the Lord!" (Jonah 2:9)

"Clear, Expressive English"

Joseph Epstein makes a pitch for The Vocabula Review, a journal which "battles nonstandard, careless English and embraces clear, expressive English."

Banned at Brown

Derek Thomas reports the suspension of Reformed University Fellowship from meeting on the campus of Brown University.

Herman Bavinck

Ron Gleason writes the first part of a biographical sketch of Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck for Reformation21, and reviews the first three volumes of Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics, recently translated in English. Richard Gaffin of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia comments: “Arguably the most important systematic theology ever produced in the Reformed tradition. I have found it to be the most valuable . . . The appearance of this volume will be an incomparable boon for generations of students, pastors, teachers, and others, serving to deepen understanding and enrich reflection in both historical and systematic theology.” Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics is one of my most rewarding reads in recent years. Let me share one paragraph: "[S]in is so enormous ‘that God, rather than . . . leave it unpunished, punished it in his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, with the bitter and shameful death on the cross.’ If righteousness could have been obtained in any other way, Christ would have died to no purpose (Gal. 2:21; 3:31; Heb. 2:10). In sum, Christ’s incarnation and satisfaction occurred to the end that God would again be recognized and honored as God by his creatures. Sin was the rejection of God and all his perfections, a turning toward and adoration of creatures. But in Christ, God again revealed himself, restored his sovereignty, vindicated all his perfections, glorified his name, and maintained his deity. God was primarily concerned, also in the work of redemption, to establish himself, his own glory.” (Vol. 3, p. 373)

The Blood of the Covenant

Question: “In the English Standard Version, Hebrews 10:29 reads, ‘How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?’ My question is, in this verse, who is it that is ‘sanctified’ by the ‘blood of the covenant?’ Is it the apostate or is it Christ?” My Answer: Grammatically, “by which he was sanctified” can refer either to the apostate or to Christ. If the reference is to Christ, it is Christ who is sanctified, set apart as our great high priest by the sacrificial shedding of his own blood. The apostate has spurned Christ and, specifically, his entire priestly office. If the reference is to the apostate, then the apostate has acted hypocritically. He professed that it is by Christ’s blood that forgiveness is effected, and membership in the covenant community secured. The benefits the apostate claimed as a member of God’s visible covenant people are forfeited for he partook of them impenitently and in unbelief. I am inclined toward the second interpretation. The apostate gathered with the sanctified, but in unbelief. He renounced the very blood of the covenant by which he once obtained access to this privileged position. Only fearful judgment awaits him.