This post will be exceedingly short as I am still recovering from the plague, and have a greater desire for sleep than contemplation. I went to see Amazing Grace: the Story of William Wilberforce on Saturday. In all honesty, I don't believe the film did this true story justice - but it was still wonderful. As a person who never gets emotional at films, I believe it is especially pertinent to say that I wept at the end of this one. It was extremely moving to see the fruits of Minister Wilberforce's labor, after great disappointment and many tears - particularly the scene, where his formal political rival stood to offer a congratulatory speech after winning his nearly fifty year battle against the slave trade. He mentioned that many men are considered "great" because of their valor in battle - but William Wilberforce would be considered "great" in his efforts to save lives. What a noble vocation. I pray that God would give me such a passion in ministry.
Sovereign God,
Thy cause, not my own, engages my heart,
and I appeal to Thee with greatest freedom
to set up Thy kingdom in every place where Satan reigns;
Glorify Thyself and I shall rejoice,
for to bring honour to Thy name is my sole desire.
I adore Thee that Thou art God,
and long that others should know it, feel it, and rejoice in it.
O that all men might love and praise Thee,
that Thou mightest have all glory
from the intelligent world!
Let sinners be brought to Thee for Thy dear name!
To the eye of reason everything respecting
the conversion of others is as dark as midnight,
but Thou canst accomplish great things;
the cause is Thine,
and it is to Thy glory that men should be saved.
Lord, use me as Thou wilt,
do with me what Thou wilt;
but, O, promote Thy cause,
let Thy kingdom come,
let Thy blessed interest be advanced in this world!
O do Thou bring in great numbers to Jesus!
Let me see that glorious day,
and give me to grasp for multitudes of souls;
let me be willing to die to that end;
and while I live let me labour for Thee
to the utmost of my strength,
spending time profitably in this work,
both in health and in weakness.
It is Thy cause and kingdom I long for, not my own.
O, answer Thou my request! Amen.
[Prayer taken from "The Valley of Vision" on God's Cause, pages 320 & 321]
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
No Other Gods
The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:29-30
These two sentences successfully summarize the heart of the Decalogue. As discussed in my last post, my chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever. Isn’t it wonderful, serving a God Who TELLS us exactly Who He is and what He wants? He is Yahweh, the God who delivered me out of slavery, and He wants me to love Him. How may I love God? By doing precisely what He has asked from me.
Rather than using this post to communicate some “brilliant new insight” on the Decalogue (as I would falsely pride myself in having done during my previous two), I would like to share something that God has recently illuminated in my personal life. Celibacy. Yes, this is one of those topics that likely will not be taken seriously by anyone reading. No one really wants to be celibate or to consider it as a possible lifestyle for themselves – and why would they – it certainly doesn’t seem too attractive? After all, celibacy is for Roman Priests and Nuns, and, as I’ve been told, for the weirdos, the ugly, and the unfortunate. Ouch.
At this point, my reader is perhaps wondering, “why is Todd talking about celibacy”, and several potential explanations may be popping into your head;
“Is Todd thinking about becoming Catholic now?” – No. I’m quite content being Presbyterian.
“Is Todd reacting to a bad break-up?” – No. I haven’t been in a serious relationship in over a year, so, there haven’t been any bad break-ups as of late.
“Is Todd frustrated at being single, and therefore saying something extreme in order to get attention?” – Well, it’s true that I’ve been frustrated at being single, but this is certainly not an attempt for attention.
“Is Todd just pulling my leg?” – Nope.
So, why, then am I speaking about celibacy? Because, as I further my study of the Decalogue, I continue to become convicted of sin in my life. In my last post, I acknowledged that, while I am free to follow my chief and highest end, I do not. Rather, I continue to sin. My sin prevents me from glorifying and enjoying God – in other words, I refuse to love God with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my mind and all of my strength. In repentance, I have come before the Lord with a new petition; “teach me to love you.” In response, the Lord has convicted me of breaking the first commandment; “you shall have no other gods before me.”
In sin, I immediately responded to God’s indictment; “but, Lord, I believe Your Word, I participate in Your true religion alone. I have even followed Your call into ministry. Consider all of the things I have given up in order to follow Your call (I will never have wealth or fine things, I will never climb the ladder of corporate success). Everything I have done in life, I have done for You – what has taken Your place? His answer surprised me. “Marriage and family have taken my place in your heart.” You see, I have always looked forward to the day when I would be a family man. “I love romance, I’m a man, and I’m not afraid to admit it. I love kids, and I can’t wait to have them.” This has always been my opinion, and furthermore, I’ve always been of the opinion that my dedication to marriage and family was a good thing. Apparently, I have always been of an incorrect opinion.
You see, there is nothing inherently wrong with marriage and family – in fact, these are very good things, and God loves them. What is wrong, is my overwhelming desire, and daresay I expectation, to have these things. I admit, there is no one else to blame for my idolatry, however it is fair to say that I didn’t arrive at my conclusions on my own. Friends, Family, Mentors, Professors, Pastors and the Church have all aided in my misunderstanding. Until quite recently, there has never been a time in my life when I did not fully anticipate marriage and family – but there has also never been a time where I did not feel that this was my duty.
The Church has provided so many wonderful resources, equipping the saints in the knowledge of what God desires for the family, but, what about celibacy? I have been in the protestant Church all of my life, first as a Baptist, then as a Presbyterian; during my twenty three years in the Church, I have never been taught about celibacy as a lifestyle. I am a product of the “True Love Waits” generation, which was taught the importance of sexual purity (temporary celibacy) before marriage. But I never heard anything about the permanent celibate lifestyle. In my recent conviction, I have searched Scripture and two passages in particular have stood out to me (within the context of Mark 12:29-30) with regard to the celibate life;
The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it." Matthew 19:10-12
I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion… I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry – it is no sin. But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. I Corinthians 7:7-9, 32-38
WHAT THIS DOES MEAN:
Allow me to clarify the universal principles I see guiding these passages: (1) celibacy is a good thing, (2) not everyone is capable of being celibate, (3) to the believer, celibacy is a gift from God, and not a curse, (4) marriage is a good thing, (5) to the believer, celibacy is a gift from God, (5) it is better to marry than to be miserable in love (6) it is better still to remain celibate, if at all possible, (7) the married believer is distracted by the noble cause of pleasing their marriage partner, (8) the celibate believer is free to please the Lord completely, (9) marriage is a good thing, celibacy is better. This is one of those passages in Scripture that receives a great deal of abuse. Some pastors will deny that Jesus and Paul are actually encouraging celibacy among the believers – these passages could not be clearer, and both are certainly advocating the celibate life. Some pastors will affirm that our Lord and His apostle actually are encouraging celibacy, and then they will overemphasize the qualification that celibacy is not for everyone – therefore negating Scripture’s recommendation of celibacy. Most pastors will simply avoid the texts altogether.
WHAT THIS DOES NOT MEAN:
First, on a personal level, I will say that this does not mean that I will never marry. I am open to God’s will in my life, and should He bring a woman into my life and kindle the flame of love, I will happily accept His gift. However, I will not continue to live my life expecting that God should gift me in one way, rather than another. I am celibate, and God has given me no reason to desire or expect anything else.
Second, on a more theological note, I contend that this does not negate the nature of God’s covenant. The covenant of Grace is given to the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3). Period. Third, this does not go against God’s first command to all of creation; “be fruitful and multiply.” God would not encourage us to break His own commands, and Jesus clearly encourages celibacy. Finally, this does not mean that we should be alone. In Genesis chapter two, we read that God looked down upon Adam, seeing that he was the only man and saying, “it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him.” If we read further, we know that out of his concern for Adam, God created Eve, Adam’s wife. It has often been deduced that just as Adam, without Eve, was alone, a man without a wife is alone. This is an incorrect deduction. The celibate believer should never be lonely, for they are a part of the Church.
Now, my argument has made a great circle! I mentioned earlier that the Church has played a major role in giving me a misunderstanding of marriage and family – the necessity thereof. In truth, I believe that many unmarried believers within the Church could resonate my experience. From the time I turned 16 or so, every Church I have attended has attempted to “hook me up.” My brothers and sisters in Christ have not only encouraged me to find a mate, but in many ways have discouraged me from satisfaction in a celibate life. Clearly, I do not believe that the body of Christ has intentionally and maliciously led me to make marriage and family into idols – my sin is my own. However, I do believe that the well-intended attitudes and actions within the Church have not reflected Christ’s ideals for his bride.
I mentioned earlier that I am a product of the “True Love Waits” generation. Clearly, I believe that the message of TLW is a good one, but I feel quite strongly that it is not a complete message. I am burdened that TLW has aided the Church in her misunderstanding of celibacy. I emphasize that there is nothing wrong with teaching teens that sexual purity is important. In fact, proclaiming the truth that God created sex for marriage and only to be experienced within the confines of marriage is a GOOD THING. But the message MUST NOT end there. Unintentionally, TLW has taught countless members of my generation that God wants them to have sex, and therefore requires them to marry. The beautiful message of the institution of Marriage (which is a gift from God for some) has been sullied. Individuals with nothing but good intent have perverted the covenant relationship, which was intended to symbolize the love that exists between Christ and His Church. Today, so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are full of ungodly lust; burning for marriage, burning for sex, because their youth leaders, their CHURCH, taught them to.
Our Savior and His apostle have encouraged us in the inerrant Word of God to strive for celibacy, in order that we might devote all of our attention to glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. We cannot, MUST NOT, ignore the Word of the Lord. I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again; it is of no value for the Church to preach the inerrancy of the Bible, unless She should take it up off the dusty shelf and allow God to reform her through it. Semper Reformanda.
These two sentences successfully summarize the heart of the Decalogue. As discussed in my last post, my chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever. Isn’t it wonderful, serving a God Who TELLS us exactly Who He is and what He wants? He is Yahweh, the God who delivered me out of slavery, and He wants me to love Him. How may I love God? By doing precisely what He has asked from me.
Rather than using this post to communicate some “brilliant new insight” on the Decalogue (as I would falsely pride myself in having done during my previous two), I would like to share something that God has recently illuminated in my personal life. Celibacy. Yes, this is one of those topics that likely will not be taken seriously by anyone reading. No one really wants to be celibate or to consider it as a possible lifestyle for themselves – and why would they – it certainly doesn’t seem too attractive? After all, celibacy is for Roman Priests and Nuns, and, as I’ve been told, for the weirdos, the ugly, and the unfortunate. Ouch.
At this point, my reader is perhaps wondering, “why is Todd talking about celibacy”, and several potential explanations may be popping into your head;
“Is Todd thinking about becoming Catholic now?” – No. I’m quite content being Presbyterian.
“Is Todd reacting to a bad break-up?” – No. I haven’t been in a serious relationship in over a year, so, there haven’t been any bad break-ups as of late.
“Is Todd frustrated at being single, and therefore saying something extreme in order to get attention?” – Well, it’s true that I’ve been frustrated at being single, but this is certainly not an attempt for attention.
“Is Todd just pulling my leg?” – Nope.
So, why, then am I speaking about celibacy? Because, as I further my study of the Decalogue, I continue to become convicted of sin in my life. In my last post, I acknowledged that, while I am free to follow my chief and highest end, I do not. Rather, I continue to sin. My sin prevents me from glorifying and enjoying God – in other words, I refuse to love God with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my mind and all of my strength. In repentance, I have come before the Lord with a new petition; “teach me to love you.” In response, the Lord has convicted me of breaking the first commandment; “you shall have no other gods before me.”
In sin, I immediately responded to God’s indictment; “but, Lord, I believe Your Word, I participate in Your true religion alone. I have even followed Your call into ministry. Consider all of the things I have given up in order to follow Your call (I will never have wealth or fine things, I will never climb the ladder of corporate success). Everything I have done in life, I have done for You – what has taken Your place? His answer surprised me. “Marriage and family have taken my place in your heart.” You see, I have always looked forward to the day when I would be a family man. “I love romance, I’m a man, and I’m not afraid to admit it. I love kids, and I can’t wait to have them.” This has always been my opinion, and furthermore, I’ve always been of the opinion that my dedication to marriage and family was a good thing. Apparently, I have always been of an incorrect opinion.
You see, there is nothing inherently wrong with marriage and family – in fact, these are very good things, and God loves them. What is wrong, is my overwhelming desire, and daresay I expectation, to have these things. I admit, there is no one else to blame for my idolatry, however it is fair to say that I didn’t arrive at my conclusions on my own. Friends, Family, Mentors, Professors, Pastors and the Church have all aided in my misunderstanding. Until quite recently, there has never been a time in my life when I did not fully anticipate marriage and family – but there has also never been a time where I did not feel that this was my duty.
The Church has provided so many wonderful resources, equipping the saints in the knowledge of what God desires for the family, but, what about celibacy? I have been in the protestant Church all of my life, first as a Baptist, then as a Presbyterian; during my twenty three years in the Church, I have never been taught about celibacy as a lifestyle. I am a product of the “True Love Waits” generation, which was taught the importance of sexual purity (temporary celibacy) before marriage. But I never heard anything about the permanent celibate lifestyle. In my recent conviction, I have searched Scripture and two passages in particular have stood out to me (within the context of Mark 12:29-30) with regard to the celibate life;
The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it." Matthew 19:10-12
I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion… I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry – it is no sin. But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. I Corinthians 7:7-9, 32-38
WHAT THIS DOES MEAN:
Allow me to clarify the universal principles I see guiding these passages: (1) celibacy is a good thing, (2) not everyone is capable of being celibate, (3) to the believer, celibacy is a gift from God, and not a curse, (4) marriage is a good thing, (5) to the believer, celibacy is a gift from God, (5) it is better to marry than to be miserable in love (6) it is better still to remain celibate, if at all possible, (7) the married believer is distracted by the noble cause of pleasing their marriage partner, (8) the celibate believer is free to please the Lord completely, (9) marriage is a good thing, celibacy is better. This is one of those passages in Scripture that receives a great deal of abuse. Some pastors will deny that Jesus and Paul are actually encouraging celibacy among the believers – these passages could not be clearer, and both are certainly advocating the celibate life. Some pastors will affirm that our Lord and His apostle actually are encouraging celibacy, and then they will overemphasize the qualification that celibacy is not for everyone – therefore negating Scripture’s recommendation of celibacy. Most pastors will simply avoid the texts altogether.
WHAT THIS DOES NOT MEAN:
First, on a personal level, I will say that this does not mean that I will never marry. I am open to God’s will in my life, and should He bring a woman into my life and kindle the flame of love, I will happily accept His gift. However, I will not continue to live my life expecting that God should gift me in one way, rather than another. I am celibate, and God has given me no reason to desire or expect anything else.
Second, on a more theological note, I contend that this does not negate the nature of God’s covenant. The covenant of Grace is given to the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3). Period. Third, this does not go against God’s first command to all of creation; “be fruitful and multiply.” God would not encourage us to break His own commands, and Jesus clearly encourages celibacy. Finally, this does not mean that we should be alone. In Genesis chapter two, we read that God looked down upon Adam, seeing that he was the only man and saying, “it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him.” If we read further, we know that out of his concern for Adam, God created Eve, Adam’s wife. It has often been deduced that just as Adam, without Eve, was alone, a man without a wife is alone. This is an incorrect deduction. The celibate believer should never be lonely, for they are a part of the Church.
Now, my argument has made a great circle! I mentioned earlier that the Church has played a major role in giving me a misunderstanding of marriage and family – the necessity thereof. In truth, I believe that many unmarried believers within the Church could resonate my experience. From the time I turned 16 or so, every Church I have attended has attempted to “hook me up.” My brothers and sisters in Christ have not only encouraged me to find a mate, but in many ways have discouraged me from satisfaction in a celibate life. Clearly, I do not believe that the body of Christ has intentionally and maliciously led me to make marriage and family into idols – my sin is my own. However, I do believe that the well-intended attitudes and actions within the Church have not reflected Christ’s ideals for his bride.
I mentioned earlier that I am a product of the “True Love Waits” generation. Clearly, I believe that the message of TLW is a good one, but I feel quite strongly that it is not a complete message. I am burdened that TLW has aided the Church in her misunderstanding of celibacy. I emphasize that there is nothing wrong with teaching teens that sexual purity is important. In fact, proclaiming the truth that God created sex for marriage and only to be experienced within the confines of marriage is a GOOD THING. But the message MUST NOT end there. Unintentionally, TLW has taught countless members of my generation that God wants them to have sex, and therefore requires them to marry. The beautiful message of the institution of Marriage (which is a gift from God for some) has been sullied. Individuals with nothing but good intent have perverted the covenant relationship, which was intended to symbolize the love that exists between Christ and His Church. Today, so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are full of ungodly lust; burning for marriage, burning for sex, because their youth leaders, their CHURCH, taught them to.
Our Savior and His apostle have encouraged us in the inerrant Word of God to strive for celibacy, in order that we might devote all of our attention to glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. We cannot, MUST NOT, ignore the Word of the Lord. I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again; it is of no value for the Church to preach the inerrancy of the Bible, unless She should take it up off the dusty shelf and allow God to reform her through it. Semper Reformanda.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
On Conviction and Godly Grief
As I continue my study of the Decalogue (of which I posted a week or so ago) I am continuing to be challenged. Each time that I delve deep into God’s Word, I am further convinced that I am a law-breaker;
[Exodus 20] “I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery:
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not take the name of Yahweh, your God, in vain…
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…
Honor your father and mother…
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
You shall not covet…”
[Mark 12:29-30] “The greatest commandment is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no greater commandment than these.”
My heart sinks. The Westminster Standards – so faithful to Scripture (which alone has the authority to bind the consciences of men), so beautifully composed – teach me well that my chief and highest end is to GLORIFY GOD and fully to enjoy Him forever. Divinely-inspired Scripture reveals to me that by my very nature, I fail to accomplish this purpose for which I was created; “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” [Romans 3:23]. Why do I fail to bring glory to God? I sin. From conception, I was an object of God’s most holy wrath, and from my birth, every action of rebellion against the Glory, which I owed to God – which I was created to bring forth – further condemned me.
AMAZING grace. It is the only thing that can be said for the work of Christ – accomplished and applied at the cross. As the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us, “when Christ appeared as a high priest… he entered once for all into the holy place… by the means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption,” [9:10-12] and, “by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” [10:10]. Christ has borne and defeated that sin which prevents me from glorifying God and fully enjoying Him forever. “Through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God” [Galatians 2:19].
And yet, I sin. In Christ I am redeemed – ALL of my sins were imputed to Him on the Cross, when God looks to me He only sees Jesus’ righteousness – AND YET, I SIN. Paradox of paradoxes. I have been fully saved, however I am in the process of being saved, and one day, I look forward to salvation. Is this not an indication of the quality of the God, whom I serve? I see myself, all my wickedness, the wreck that I am, and I grieve – but God sees Christ. I see salvation alive and at work in my soul today just as much as yesterday – but God sees salvation accomplished and applied at the cross. God does not simply promise a finished product – He sees it. This brings a whole new meaning to “standing on the promises of God,” does it not?
As I discussed in an earlier post, I am convinced that, "the imperative rests on the indicative, and this order is not indicative" – in other words, “our actions do not determine our relationship with God; our relationship with God determines our actions.” This mite of truth does comfort me – it assures me that I am hidden with Christ – however, it does not relieve me from my grief. No, my actions do not affect my relationship to God – but my relationship to God always affects my actions. Christ has defeated my sin and I am free to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever. AND YET, I SIN! In view of the mercies of God – where I should rejoice at every opportunity to bring honor to His name – I SIN. Free to enjoy the only One that is capable of bringing me joy, I run and lavish myself under the vestment of broken shackles – I SIN. Now, when I am confronted with the perversity of my actions, I grieve.
Godly grief turns a sinner to repentance; it is good and necessary. Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. What earnestness this godly grief might produce; such eagerness to be redeemed, such indignation, such fear, such longing, such zeal! This grief is not concerning our status in Christ – which is already sure – it is concerning our failure to be what God created us to be, our failure to glorify and enjoy God.
Eternal Father, there is one thing that deserves my greatest care, that calls forth my ardent desires; that is, that I might answer the great end for which I am made – to glorify and enjoy Thee, Who hast given me being. And yet I sin. I bring my soul to Thee, that Thou should break it, wound it, bend it, mold it. Unmask to me sin’s deformity, that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it. Grant that I might ever seek Thy face, and like Thy prophet Isaiah, return in brokenness and godly grief – for Thy holiness doth illuminate those remnant traces of sin, which prohibit me from enjoying Thy glory. I have seen the purity and beauty of Thy perfect law, the happiness of those in whose heart it reigns, the calm dignity of the walk to which it calls, yet I daily violate and contemn its precepts. All these sins I mourn, lament and for them cry pardon. Work in me more profound and abiding repentance; give me the fullness of a godly grief that trembles and fears, yet ever trusts and loves, which is ever powerful, and ever confident. Teach me anew how I might glorify and fully enjoy Thee forever. Amen.
[Exodus 20] “I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery:
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not take the name of Yahweh, your God, in vain…
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…
Honor your father and mother…
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
You shall not covet…”
[Mark 12:29-30] “The greatest commandment is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no greater commandment than these.”
My heart sinks. The Westminster Standards – so faithful to Scripture (which alone has the authority to bind the consciences of men), so beautifully composed – teach me well that my chief and highest end is to GLORIFY GOD and fully to enjoy Him forever. Divinely-inspired Scripture reveals to me that by my very nature, I fail to accomplish this purpose for which I was created; “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” [Romans 3:23]. Why do I fail to bring glory to God? I sin. From conception, I was an object of God’s most holy wrath, and from my birth, every action of rebellion against the Glory, which I owed to God – which I was created to bring forth – further condemned me.
AMAZING grace. It is the only thing that can be said for the work of Christ – accomplished and applied at the cross. As the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us, “when Christ appeared as a high priest… he entered once for all into the holy place… by the means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption,” [9:10-12] and, “by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” [10:10]. Christ has borne and defeated that sin which prevents me from glorifying God and fully enjoying Him forever. “Through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God” [Galatians 2:19].
And yet, I sin. In Christ I am redeemed – ALL of my sins were imputed to Him on the Cross, when God looks to me He only sees Jesus’ righteousness – AND YET, I SIN. Paradox of paradoxes. I have been fully saved, however I am in the process of being saved, and one day, I look forward to salvation. Is this not an indication of the quality of the God, whom I serve? I see myself, all my wickedness, the wreck that I am, and I grieve – but God sees Christ. I see salvation alive and at work in my soul today just as much as yesterday – but God sees salvation accomplished and applied at the cross. God does not simply promise a finished product – He sees it. This brings a whole new meaning to “standing on the promises of God,” does it not?
As I discussed in an earlier post, I am convinced that, "the imperative rests on the indicative, and this order is not indicative" – in other words, “our actions do not determine our relationship with God; our relationship with God determines our actions.” This mite of truth does comfort me – it assures me that I am hidden with Christ – however, it does not relieve me from my grief. No, my actions do not affect my relationship to God – but my relationship to God always affects my actions. Christ has defeated my sin and I am free to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever. AND YET, I SIN! In view of the mercies of God – where I should rejoice at every opportunity to bring honor to His name – I SIN. Free to enjoy the only One that is capable of bringing me joy, I run and lavish myself under the vestment of broken shackles – I SIN. Now, when I am confronted with the perversity of my actions, I grieve.
Godly grief turns a sinner to repentance; it is good and necessary. Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. What earnestness this godly grief might produce; such eagerness to be redeemed, such indignation, such fear, such longing, such zeal! This grief is not concerning our status in Christ – which is already sure – it is concerning our failure to be what God created us to be, our failure to glorify and enjoy God.
Eternal Father, there is one thing that deserves my greatest care, that calls forth my ardent desires; that is, that I might answer the great end for which I am made – to glorify and enjoy Thee, Who hast given me being. And yet I sin. I bring my soul to Thee, that Thou should break it, wound it, bend it, mold it. Unmask to me sin’s deformity, that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it. Grant that I might ever seek Thy face, and like Thy prophet Isaiah, return in brokenness and godly grief – for Thy holiness doth illuminate those remnant traces of sin, which prohibit me from enjoying Thy glory. I have seen the purity and beauty of Thy perfect law, the happiness of those in whose heart it reigns, the calm dignity of the walk to which it calls, yet I daily violate and contemn its precepts. All these sins I mourn, lament and for them cry pardon. Work in me more profound and abiding repentance; give me the fullness of a godly grief that trembles and fears, yet ever trusts and loves, which is ever powerful, and ever confident. Teach me anew how I might glorify and fully enjoy Thee forever. Amen.
Monday, February 12, 2007
An Anniversary
Opportunities spring up from time to time, when we feel the need to stop and spend a moment in retrospection. Caught up in an overwhelming sense of nostalgia; we may feel the urge to reconnect with a long lost friend, or to jump in the car to return to a place from our past - needing the tangible and comforting shroud of something familiar. And when it is time, once again, to leave these things in the past, we are struck with a sense of loss.
I have been reading through the "account of Jacob," as recorded in Genesis 37-50. This simple account, which I learned as a child in Sunday school, has never spoken so clearly and so profoundly to me. As I look over this "account of Jacob," (which is more an account of Joseph) I am amazed at the clearness (however unusual) of God's immanent and sovereign direction over the events surrounding the tribe of Israel. I am astonished at the ways in which God used the difficult personalities, sinful natures and unlikely situations to bring about his own glory in Jacob's family. I am amazed that God would choose the line of the wicked Judah (and not of righteous Joseph) to bear the promised Messiah and "Second Adam." I understand the message God is sending, that, "salvation is based upon divine choice, and not upon the righteousness of men," but I confess that I would have chosen individuals of noble character and not half-breed-prostitutes to produce the King of kings. Clearly this shows that my ways are not God's ways.
Setting aside questions of "why" God does what He does, again I note the clarity of the message in this passage, which communicates that God is the author of history, and not an innocent bystander - and this is the type of message that should impact the way one lives their life. It is one thing to dogmatically affirm the doctrines of grace and the Sovereignty of God; it is quite another thing to live daily, remembering our place, as covenant children of the Sovereign God.
In an effort to see where God has led me in my recent past, caught in a moment of nostalgia, I found myself looking back into my journal. Much to my surprise, I found an entry submitted a year ago this week which marks a significant work of God in my life - I thought I'd share. Again, I see that receiving the message and realizing (and applying) the implications of the message are two separate steps in the journey...
- Journal Entry, February 11, 2006 -
I feel as though a great burden has been lifted off of my shoulders. It has been a long time since I have felt at peace with my personal theology, and it seems that the more time I invested in my Christian education, the greater my discomfort became. The faith of my childhood has metamorphosed into concern, cynicism and criticism, and I have often wondered if this road would lead me to unbelief. I traveled a long way down this winding corridor, yet, I could not commit the ultimate submission and embrace the tantalizing call of "open-theism". It was at this point that I came to a crisis in my walk with Christ, because, up to that moment, my attitudes, actions and beliefs laid a solid foundation for such a theology. In the way that I prayed, studied and ministered, God was not Sovereign.
I don't know when the sun rose, but I know that today it shines. Yesterday afternoon, I realized that I had undertaken a complete paradigm shift, and I became broken. As I was on I-64 heading to my night job from a long day at Seminary, I began to weep. At some point over the past year, I have come to embrace the theology of the reformation, yet my life did not testify to a man under the sovereignty of Yahweh Tsevaot. I realized that I have been living a life that is not submitted to God, but to my own flesh and depravity. And yet, once again, my Sovereign Lord has led me to a place of sanctifying progress.
I now think of all of the years, which have been wasted. Isn't it ironic that, as I sought to free myself from a "controlling-God" my burden only became greater. Yet now, as I submit myself to the IRRESISTIBLE GRACE of our Lord, I find myself under an easy yoke, my burden lifted.
Oh, Great and Mighty King,
I thank you that you have led me in your light. God, You are the Sovereign of the universe, and yet YOU have become my atonement. And this great work is entirely of Your doing, for in the days that I was under Your wrath I could not choose Your righteousness. It was You who chose me, and broke the chains of the fall. I submit myself to Your hand, seeking only Your face. I pray that your Holy Spirit would guide me to comprehend, along with all the saints, how wide, and long, and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that I might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Amen.
I have been reading through the "account of Jacob," as recorded in Genesis 37-50. This simple account, which I learned as a child in Sunday school, has never spoken so clearly and so profoundly to me. As I look over this "account of Jacob," (which is more an account of Joseph) I am amazed at the clearness (however unusual) of God's immanent and sovereign direction over the events surrounding the tribe of Israel. I am astonished at the ways in which God used the difficult personalities, sinful natures and unlikely situations to bring about his own glory in Jacob's family. I am amazed that God would choose the line of the wicked Judah (and not of righteous Joseph) to bear the promised Messiah and "Second Adam." I understand the message God is sending, that, "salvation is based upon divine choice, and not upon the righteousness of men," but I confess that I would have chosen individuals of noble character and not half-breed-prostitutes to produce the King of kings. Clearly this shows that my ways are not God's ways.
Setting aside questions of "why" God does what He does, again I note the clarity of the message in this passage, which communicates that God is the author of history, and not an innocent bystander - and this is the type of message that should impact the way one lives their life. It is one thing to dogmatically affirm the doctrines of grace and the Sovereignty of God; it is quite another thing to live daily, remembering our place, as covenant children of the Sovereign God.
In an effort to see where God has led me in my recent past, caught in a moment of nostalgia, I found myself looking back into my journal. Much to my surprise, I found an entry submitted a year ago this week which marks a significant work of God in my life - I thought I'd share. Again, I see that receiving the message and realizing (and applying) the implications of the message are two separate steps in the journey...
- Journal Entry, February 11, 2006 -
I feel as though a great burden has been lifted off of my shoulders. It has been a long time since I have felt at peace with my personal theology, and it seems that the more time I invested in my Christian education, the greater my discomfort became. The faith of my childhood has metamorphosed into concern, cynicism and criticism, and I have often wondered if this road would lead me to unbelief. I traveled a long way down this winding corridor, yet, I could not commit the ultimate submission and embrace the tantalizing call of "open-theism". It was at this point that I came to a crisis in my walk with Christ, because, up to that moment, my attitudes, actions and beliefs laid a solid foundation for such a theology. In the way that I prayed, studied and ministered, God was not Sovereign.
I don't know when the sun rose, but I know that today it shines. Yesterday afternoon, I realized that I had undertaken a complete paradigm shift, and I became broken. As I was on I-64 heading to my night job from a long day at Seminary, I began to weep. At some point over the past year, I have come to embrace the theology of the reformation, yet my life did not testify to a man under the sovereignty of Yahweh Tsevaot. I realized that I have been living a life that is not submitted to God, but to my own flesh and depravity. And yet, once again, my Sovereign Lord has led me to a place of sanctifying progress.
I now think of all of the years, which have been wasted. Isn't it ironic that, as I sought to free myself from a "controlling-God" my burden only became greater. Yet now, as I submit myself to the IRRESISTIBLE GRACE of our Lord, I find myself under an easy yoke, my burden lifted.
Oh, Great and Mighty King,
I thank you that you have led me in your light. God, You are the Sovereign of the universe, and yet YOU have become my atonement. And this great work is entirely of Your doing, for in the days that I was under Your wrath I could not choose Your righteousness. It was You who chose me, and broke the chains of the fall. I submit myself to Your hand, seeking only Your face. I pray that your Holy Spirit would guide me to comprehend, along with all the saints, how wide, and long, and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that I might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Faith and Action, OR the Indicative vs. the Imperative
"For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." - James 2:26 (ESV)
I have always struggled with James. How can it be that, as Paul tells us repeatedly, we are save by grace alone by faith alone - all the while, "faith apart from works is dead?" I never believed this to be a contradiction, but I could never quite reconcile the two either.
For those of you who were not aware, I am teaching the Youth (9th - 12th Grade, sortof) Sunday school class at Church. Right now, I am teaching a semester on "World View" in three phases; (1) Terms/Ideas Defined (particularly dealing with various epistemological views (2) Generic "Christian" Orthodoxy (based upon the ecumenical creeds - particularly the Apostle's and Niceno-Constantinopolitan), (3) Specific (Conservative-American-Southern-Presbyterian) Christian Orthodoxy (based upon the Westminster Standards - particularly the Shorter Catechism). There are several points within the Shorter Catechism, but the one, which has intrigued me the most, is that of the Mosaic Covenant (specifically in the Decalogue - which takes up 1/3 of the Catechism).
Obviously, working from a Covenantal framework (theologically), I do not believe that the Mosaic Covenant was the standard for salvation in the O.T. Rather, I believe that the Mosaic Covenant served to remind God's elect of their complete dependence upon the Covenant of Grace (established in Gen. 3:14-15; further clarified in Gen. 15:4-6, 17:1-14, II Sam. 7:10-16; and fulfilled in Jesus Christ as described in Hebrews 10:10-17). This perspective has completely changed the way I see and approach the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) - at some point in time (I don't know when the sun rose, but I know that it shines today) I converted from being an Antinomian (one who denies that God's law in Scripture should directly control the Christian's life) heretic to being flat out unclear about the role of the law in the Christian's life.
Paul tells us (in Galatians 2) that while we are not justified (made right with God) by observance of the law, Christ does not promote sin (the breaking of God's law). Further, in I John 3:6, we are told, "no one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him."
So... I'm saved by Grace alone, which is through Faith alone, but I cannot be a law-breaker?
This past weekend at the Ohio Valley Presbytery Men's retreat, Dr. Bryan Chapell (president of Covenant Seminary) offered this insight, which I found to be brilliant:
"The imperative rests on the indicative, and this order is not indicative."
In other words, we might envision God looking at us (as children who have misbehaved), as He opens His mouth to say; "Child, I am your Savior, and I love you - NOTHING could ever change that - you cannot do ___________." Our actions do not determine our relationship with God, however our actions must be determined by our relationship to God.
Let's think of this in another way - how about our covenant children? While shopping at Walmart, little Johnny gets angry and hits his sister - for a moment everything stops, everyone looks at the child, then looks at the father (we all know that in this instant, all of the bystanders are watching the Father, and making judgments upon him, based on his son's action). The Father, then, pulls Johnny aside and says, "Johnny, I am your Father, and I love you - NOTHING could ever change that - you cannot hit your sister." Johnny's actions are not the basis of his relationship with his father - hitting his sister could never change the basis of his relationship with his father - yet, from this moment on, hitting (or not hitting) his sister means something. First, by hitting (or not hitting) his sister, he shows what he thinks of his father. Second, by not hitting his sister, he displays his father's character. Third, by displaying his father's character, he shows that he is his father's son.
So what does all of this mean? I return to my original question; "since we have been delivered from our misery by grace alone through Christ, without any merit of our own, why must we yet do good works (particularly in observing the Decalogue)?" I believe that the Heidelberg Catechism answers this question beautifully:
"Because Christ, having redeemed us by His blood, also renews us by His Holy Spirit to be His image, so that with our whole life we may show ourselves thankful to God for His benefits, and He may be praised by us. Further, that we ourselves may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and that by our godly walk of life we may win our neighbours for Christ."
I have always struggled with James. How can it be that, as Paul tells us repeatedly, we are save by grace alone by faith alone - all the while, "faith apart from works is dead?" I never believed this to be a contradiction, but I could never quite reconcile the two either.
For those of you who were not aware, I am teaching the Youth (9th - 12th Grade, sortof) Sunday school class at Church. Right now, I am teaching a semester on "World View" in three phases; (1) Terms/Ideas Defined (particularly dealing with various epistemological views (2) Generic "Christian" Orthodoxy (based upon the ecumenical creeds - particularly the Apostle's and Niceno-Constantinopolitan), (3) Specific (Conservative-American-Southern-Presbyterian) Christian Orthodoxy (based upon the Westminster Standards - particularly the Shorter Catechism). There are several points within the Shorter Catechism, but the one, which has intrigued me the most, is that of the Mosaic Covenant (specifically in the Decalogue - which takes up 1/3 of the Catechism).
Obviously, working from a Covenantal framework (theologically), I do not believe that the Mosaic Covenant was the standard for salvation in the O.T. Rather, I believe that the Mosaic Covenant served to remind God's elect of their complete dependence upon the Covenant of Grace (established in Gen. 3:14-15; further clarified in Gen. 15:4-6, 17:1-14, II Sam. 7:10-16; and fulfilled in Jesus Christ as described in Hebrews 10:10-17). This perspective has completely changed the way I see and approach the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) - at some point in time (I don't know when the sun rose, but I know that it shines today) I converted from being an Antinomian (one who denies that God's law in Scripture should directly control the Christian's life) heretic to being flat out unclear about the role of the law in the Christian's life.
Paul tells us (in Galatians 2) that while we are not justified (made right with God) by observance of the law, Christ does not promote sin (the breaking of God's law). Further, in I John 3:6, we are told, "no one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him."
So... I'm saved by Grace alone, which is through Faith alone, but I cannot be a law-breaker?
This past weekend at the Ohio Valley Presbytery Men's retreat, Dr. Bryan Chapell (president of Covenant Seminary) offered this insight, which I found to be brilliant:
"The imperative rests on the indicative, and this order is not indicative."
In other words, we might envision God looking at us (as children who have misbehaved), as He opens His mouth to say; "Child, I am your Savior, and I love you - NOTHING could ever change that - you cannot do ___________." Our actions do not determine our relationship with God, however our actions must be determined by our relationship to God.
Let's think of this in another way - how about our covenant children? While shopping at Walmart, little Johnny gets angry and hits his sister - for a moment everything stops, everyone looks at the child, then looks at the father (we all know that in this instant, all of the bystanders are watching the Father, and making judgments upon him, based on his son's action). The Father, then, pulls Johnny aside and says, "Johnny, I am your Father, and I love you - NOTHING could ever change that - you cannot hit your sister." Johnny's actions are not the basis of his relationship with his father - hitting his sister could never change the basis of his relationship with his father - yet, from this moment on, hitting (or not hitting) his sister means something. First, by hitting (or not hitting) his sister, he shows what he thinks of his father. Second, by not hitting his sister, he displays his father's character. Third, by displaying his father's character, he shows that he is his father's son.
So what does all of this mean? I return to my original question; "since we have been delivered from our misery by grace alone through Christ, without any merit of our own, why must we yet do good works (particularly in observing the Decalogue)?" I believe that the Heidelberg Catechism answers this question beautifully:
"Because Christ, having redeemed us by His blood, also renews us by His Holy Spirit to be His image, so that with our whole life we may show ourselves thankful to God for His benefits, and He may be praised by us. Further, that we ourselves may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and that by our godly walk of life we may win our neighbours for Christ."
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