Sure Laughter

I recently came across two verses in my Bible reading that I can't get out of my head, mostly because of one word. One of the verses is well-known and well-loved; the other is embedded between other well-known verses but is in itself unknown. Here they are:

Proverbs 31:25
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

Psalm 37:13
But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He sees that his day is coming.

The word is laughs.

There are many types of laughter. There is the polite laughter when your boss says something he thinks is very funny and you are compelled to join in. There is hilarious laughter after your friend places an order at a restaurant by saying, and only saying, 'Burger me.' There is giggling laughter when your daughter figures out you're ticklish on your feet and gets her little fingers working. There is derisive laughter when something utterly absurd takes place and there's really nothing else you can do.

But the laughter here is something altogether different. It is unique among types of laughter, and I would say it is specific to those who are in Christ.This is sure laughter. As in, I can laugh because I am sure of where my real hope lives. It has nothing to do with knowing what is to come and everything to do with knowing Who's in control of it all. It is the laughter of absolute confidence, of faith, of God.

The Proverbial woman laughs because, by God's grace, she has ordered her home well. She has prepared and planned. She has worked and saved. She has loved and honored God and her husband and her kids - in  that order. And so she gazes into the future, stares down the uncertainty, looks it right in the face, and laughs at it.

The encouragement from the psalm is simply that no one gets over on God. People may be around that mock and slander. Perhaps they persecute and attack. They gossip. They backstab. They undercut. They curse. They abuse. But without repentance, they simply cannot sidestep His justice. It is at this, the notion that one can pull a fast one on Him, that God laughs. *I also believe He weeps over these same people. God is infinitely more complex than we are.*

I love the thought of laughing at situations that are potentially worrisome or fearful. Being able to laugh at those moments accomplishes two things:
1) It disarms Satan of any power he might try to exert in using the situation to evoke fear, anxiety, or the perpetuation of lies.
2) It displays full trust and delight in knowing God has it handled, and He will handle it perfectly.

Jesus is King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords. He is the true Master, the Great Shepherd, Almighty God, Alpha and Omega, Firstborn from the Dead, the Bright and Morning Star, Rescuer, Savior, Healer, Deliverer, and, amazingly, Friend.

When we really believe in who God is, we are able to look into any circumstance and walk away laughing.

Psalm 27

What do you think of when you think of courage? Maybe I'm a bit old-school, but I always think of a lion - as in the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz who needs a heart. Or Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia. I'd be willing to wager that Hudson thinks of soldiers and knights in armor marching off to fight the bad guys.

I found a picture of courage that I didn't expect in Psalm 27. Verse 14 states, 'Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!' Huh? Be strong, take courage, and....wait? How does that work?

Let's back up and look at what the author, David, is talking about. In the first six verses of the psalm, David praises God for His power to deliver him from his enemies. He boldly asserts the confidence he has in God to be his salvation (v.1), stronghold (v.2), shelter (v.5), and concealment (v.5). David is so confident in God that he speaks of having a worship service right there in the middle of the enemies surrounding him (see also Ps. 23:5,6)!

Then something interesting happens. For the next six verses David prays that God would deliver him from his enemies - who are, incidentally, all around him. It is here that we get to see why God referred to David as being 'after My own heart'. You see, David declared his confidence in God before he even saw God do anything in his situation. He stated what he believed to be true of God, and rested in the fact that God is faithful and true to His own character. God cannot lie nor does He change. Therefore, if He says He's a deliverer, then He has been, is, and will always be a deliverer. David is simply pointing this out to anyone who will listen so that they can rightly ascribe credit when David prays and sees God's deliverance. This is faith!

Next, David closes his prayer and makes another assertion - 'I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (v.13, emphasis added)!' In other words, 'God, I don't think now is my time to die. I think you have more for me here, and I will celebrate You when You deliver me from my enemies here on the earth.'

Finally, we arrive at the strange exhortation in v.14. Given the circumstances that David is facing - surrounded by enemies who are 'breathing out violence' - he does not call on his soldiers to take up arms. He does not devise a clever strategy to politically outflank his opponents. He just....waits.

To me, this does not seem like courage. Faith, sure. But courage? Strength? I'm all about 'doing stuff' for the glory of God. I like getting my hands dirty and seeing a finished product. I don't want to be feel like I am on the sidelines. All of that sounds good, but God wants His people to awaken to the fact that it's really all Him all the time. More often than I recognize, God just wants me to wait, get my hands out of the way, and let Him work.

One afternoon, Audrey brought me a necklace from her jewelry case. Did I say necklace? I meant heaped-up ball of metal. As it turns out, there were two necklaces. Knotted. Bad. She asked me to fix them for her, and then proceeded to stick her little fingers into the mess to 'help' every five seconds as I attempted to straighten out the knot. After a few minutes of this, I said, 'Audrey, Daddy will take care of this for you. Go play, and I'll bring them to you when I'm done.' It took me nearly an hour, but I was able to clear the knot. It could not have happened if she didn't get her hands off and wait.

It's my tendency to stick my hands into the mess. I believe I can 'help' God, if He'd only just let me get in there too. David is teaching us all, and me especially, that it will take great strength and courage to trust God and say, 'I know you're taking care of this. I'm backing off,' and be at peace.

The Greatness of Our God

Yesterday I wrote about Christen and the impact her life had on so many. And many of you responded to that post validating what was written there. Truly, her life was one that was well-lived. Today, I want to take the opportunity to sum up the many lessons I have learned by the grace of God in this past year.

I have written much about the goodness of God. And I will continue to write on that theme because I truly believe that if people, Christians or non-Christians, could grasp the depth of that truth, then whole families, towns, cities, states, and nations would be transformed.

But today, I write about His greatness.

I made a statement at Christen's funeral that has become a refrain for many, and one I, myself, continue to speak: God is going to receive greater glory from Christen's passing than by raising her up from her sick bed. When I made that statement, I knew it to be true. But I must confess to you all now that I made it purely on faith. At the time, I didn't really see it. Yes, there was an outpouring of love and many immediate testimonies. Still, I was waiting and watching and anticipating what God was going to do. Honestly, I was straining for it, wanting to see it with great desperation. 'Oh God, show Yourself in this!!!' was my constant prayer.

His loving and gentle hand came in, quieted my unrest, stilled my soul, and instructed me to focus on being with Him in my grief. To stop thinking so much about what He was going to do. By His grace, I was calmed and learned what it meant to remain in His love. To be quiet. Still. Silent. And let Him work on me. In me. Through me.

Dear reader, God rewards faith! As I focused on Him, He, being a good Dad, pulled back the curtain of His sovereignty just an inch and let me get a glimpse of how He was working. I saw a sliver of the big picture of His plan. I have had the amazing and humbling privilege of seeing and hearing all that God has worked in people's lives. I said "God will receive greater glory", and He has responded to that desperate, faith-filled statement by saying, 'See? Do you see what I'm doing? This isn't even a fraction of all I have in this. Do not fear or be discouraged. I am working it all out for good - yours and theirs. Remain in Me, and you will renew your strength.'

A few examples:

• My family members who have awoken from a spiritual slumber only to find God has given them a voice to influence generations of young people through their instruction both in the classroom and the ministry.
• The husband and wife who have twins but would have had triplets if not for losing one. They read the words of grief from this blog and wept together in their own grief. Months later, I had a beautiful conversation with the husband over the phone while on my way home from work, and we were mutually encouraged in how God was so good, so faithful, and so present in our lives.
• The books gathered and sent, along with Christen's photo and a short note about her, to Africa to help educate children there who had no access to something as simple as a book.
• The blog post about Christen's mothering, written by a friend for the purpose of advancing awareness of child sex trafficking in India.
• The dozens of Facebook direct messages I received that began with, "I've never met you or Christen, but..." which then went on to describe personal revivals, inspired faith, hope for tomorrow, and restoration from brokenness.
• The pastor that caught wind of this story, read up on this blog and Christen's, having never met either of us, spoke to his people about faith and joy and praise in the midst of suffering and grief, and saw his people unite in worship to an awesome God.
• The worldwide Church that united in prayer for Christen, me, and the kids. Every populated continent was represented in prayer. The unity of Christ's global Bride was evident in a way I've never seen.
• The married couple that looked at each other with fresh eyes, refusing to take any moment they have together for granted.
• The parents who hugged their kids just a little more and a little longer, who learned to grow in grace for their little ones.
• The woman who started reading Christen's blog and realized she was missing something: peace. And she learned that she could only find it in Christ, so she's been following Him ever since.

God did not have to reveal these examples (and the many more not listed). He didn't have to prompt them to message, email, text, call, or talk to me. He could have simply executed His will, great as it is. But He did. Because He's good and loving and gracious and merciful. It was His way of saying, 'Don't lose heart. I am working. I AM.' His grace for me at those times was beyond anything I could have expected. This was one of my lessons: God's grace is more abounding to His people than we often recognize. Be still in Him, and He will show us great things He's working in the world.

I learned that, when I was at the end of myself, He would show up to give me fresh strength. It was just enough for that day, but it was what I needed. Early on, I felt very much like 1/2 a person having to carry 2 people's loads. It was overwhelming. God showed up in the form of His people, surrounding me with love - love in helping with tangible needs as well as spiritual. He showed up in His Word or a song or the energy of my kids. He loved me with the truth as well. He did not allow me to pity myself or what I was facing. His constant, loving encouragement to me was, 'You have no option; you have to do this. So get up. Don't worry, you're not alone. I'm here.'

I learned what Christen meant when she asked, 'What about a supernatural grieving process?' As in, what can God really do with my grief if I am fully surrendered to His purposes? What He does is bring a peace that is unfathomable, a love that is incurable, a faith that is insurmountable, and a joy that is indescribable.

And that is the real miracle: He truly gives joy in the midst of sadness. It seems like such a contradiction. But take a moment and really think about it. God responds to the cry, the wail, of His people, and His response inherently involves His presence. What else but joy can be felt when His people are in His presence? At my lowest moments He was closest. He didn't have to say anything; I knew He was there with me, and that was enough.

I experienced this lesson in an overwhelming way just two days ago. It was January 8, the day before the one-year mark of Christen's passing. For most of you reading this, the day she passed, January 9, is 'the day', the truly difficult day when much is remembered and grieved afresh. For me, 'the day' was really the day before, January 8. You see, that was the day I had the early morning conversation with the doctor - the 'there's nothing more we can do' conversation. The day of tremendous battling. Prayer. Believing. Fighting with myself. Remaining composed so I could process what was happening and make appropriate decisions when asked. Weeping with those close. Exhorting and encouraging others. Reminding myself that this was all actually happening.

One year later, God chose to simply bear down on me all day, pouring more and more joy into my heart. I was ready to burst. "It's too much, Lord!" I cried. I didn't ask for it. In fact, I didn't realize the real significance of the day until it was over. He showed up with force from the moment my eyes opened. I read the Word, and it was satisfying. I had lunch with a friend, and it was edifying. I listened to some new music, and I praised Him for just being Him. He knew what that day meant, and He showed up, showed off, and confirmed that there is no stopping His unending, unyielding love for His child!

Beloved, this is as true for you as it has been for me. Take Him at His Word:

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.'

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."  ~Romans 8:26-39

How to Study the Bible: Is the Bible Historically Reliable?

With so much to cover and so many topics I'd like to talk about, I put Theology Thursday to a vote. The outcome of the vote determined what would be covered in the coming months. The first subject to be tackled is How to Study the Bible.


Last week, we learned how the Bible came together. This week, we're going to dig in to the question of the Bible's reliability. Is the Bible, as we know it, a historically accurate and reliable document?

The argument here is whether or not the actual words contained in the Bibles we have are 1) what the original authors wrote and 2) were written in an accurate way so as to transmit the historical truths they claim to tell. Basically, is the Bible true or a simple mythology?

The stance that opponents to the validity of the Bible take is one of questioning how the text was recorded over time. Many would hold that the accounts of the life of Jesus were not written down prior to the second century, well over 100 years after He had lived. They go on to claim that, in accordance with the oral tradition of the time, the accounts of Jesus grew in mythology over that time span and were eventually written down in such a way as to make Jesus more a legend than an actual historical figure. Think Babe Ruth and the famed 'called shot'. Did it happen? Or was that just a tall tale weaved in the media?

In order to counter their arguments, we must take a look at how historical documents are proved and accepted as accurate in general and then apply the same tests to the New Testament (I focus on the New Testament because, just like last week, the Old Testament is generally left alone in these debates. However, the same process could easily be applied to the Old Testament, and I am sure it would check out.). Based on everything I have read on this topic, there are three tests to guide us in our understanding of the validity, reliability, and historicity of the Bible: the bibliographic test, the internal evidence test, and the external evidence test.

Bibliographic Test
As defined by Josh McDowell, this test "is an examination of the textual transmission by which documents reach us. In other words, not having the original documents, how reliable are the copies we have in regard to the number of manuscripts (MSS) and the time interval between the original and extant copy?"

For those who don't know this, we do not have in existence today an original copy (called an autograph) of any book or letter included in the New Testament. Therefore, we have to know that what was copied down was done so faithfully and within an acceptable period of time to be considered reliable.

To do this, let's do a comparison between the New Testament and a few other documents. These other documents are plainly accepted as accurate and acceptable historical documents, worthy to be taught in high schools and colleges alike as true to what the original author wrote and intended. We will consider when the original is said to have been written, when the first copy we now have in possession was written, how many such MSS exist today, and what level of accuracy the copies share (these statistics are pulled from several sources, listed at the end of this post).

Author              Date Written      Earliest Copy          Time Span        # of MSS       Accuracy
Homer              ca. 900 BC          ca. 400 BC            ~500 years        643                95%
Caesar              ca. 50-58 BC       ca. AD 900            ~950 years         10                Too few MSS
Tacitus              ca. AD 100          ca. AD 1100          ~1,000 years      20                Too few MSS
Plato                 ca. 427-347 BC   ca. AD 900            ~1,200+ years    7                  Too few MSS
Aristotle            ca. 384-322 BC   ca. AD 1100          ~1,400 years       5                  Too few MSS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Testament ca. AD 60-90      ca. AD 130           ~100 years         20,000+        99.5%

What this means is that, based on the number of copies we have of the pieces of the New Testament, the time between when it was first written and from when we have a copy, and the accuracy of the copies to each other, we can certainly say that the text we have is the text that was originally written (and for those disconcerted with the 99.5% accuracy, the discrepancies are over grammar, spellings, style, and/or accidental omissions/duplicates - nothing in question has any weight to bear on doctrine or teaching).

Internal Evidence Test
The bibliographic test tells us that the text we have today is faithful to what was originally written. We must now turn to the words themselves and test whether or not those words are credible. This is the internal test.

There are several considerations to make when testing the internal credibility of a document. At the outset, it must be understood that a document is 'innocent until proven guilty' - in other words, a document claiming to present facts must be assumed to do exactly that unless it blatantly records falsehoods or is inconsistent in its own claims. In this, we have seen over and over again how archaeology and historical criticism support what was written in the New Testament.

Next, we must look at who wrote the New Testament. The authors consistently claim to either be direct eyewitnesses or to have recorded what an eyewitness has testified to be true. This is seen in Luke 1:1-3, 2 Peter 1:16, 1 John 1:3, and John 19:35. Therefore, the people who wrote the books and letters in the New Testament were not simply recording hearsay; they were recording the facts as they, or someone close the them, saw them.

Still, it would only be fair to allow for criticism from contemporaries. After all, if one eyewitness reports one account and another reports something to the contrary, we are faced with a he-said-she-said scenario, and the truth becomes very difficult to prove. The fact is that there were people alive who also witnessed the events of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection, and some of those people were not sympathetic to the apostles' cause - they were, in fact, opposed to it. Thus, if what was being written and propagated was in any way inaccurate, those opposed could simply have risen up and written a refutation to the apostles' claims. The apostles even opened themselves to this kind of criticism, as seen in Acts 2:22 and Acts 26: 24-48. None such came.

Last, the relationship of Old Testament prophecy to the life of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels indicates a God-ordained consistency simply unparalleled in any other major religious text. Without going into all the details, there were literally hundreds of prophecies fulfilled by Jesus Christ, including those found in Isaiah 7:14 (cf. Matthew 1:18-23), Micah 5:2 (cf. Luke 2:1-7), Hosea 11:1 (cf. Matthew 2:13-15), Malachi 3:1 (cf. Luke 2:25-27), Psalm 22:16 and 22:18 (cf. Luke 23:33 and John 19:23-24, respectively), and Isaiah 53:10-12 (cf. Acts 2:25-32).

External Evidence Test
Again, Josh McDowell defines this test by stating that "[the] issue here is whether other historical material confirms or denies the internal testimony of the documents themselves."

Within the Christian world, Papias (Bishop of Hierapolis, friend of the Apostle John, as preserved by Eusebius) and Iranaeus (Bishop of Lyons, disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of the Apostle John) together testify to the authorship of the Gospels. They state that John wrote his gospel, as did Matthew, and that Mark wrote his based off of the testimony of Peter and Luke his based off of the teachings of Paul (and other eyewitnesses - cp. Luke 1:1-3).

Outside of the Christian world, we have already mentioned how archaeology and historical criticism have verified the facts of the Bible as they are laid out. People, places, leaders, and events, as they are described in the New Testament, have been verified over time by the historical record and the physical evidence (as it is uncovered).

Further, ancient, secular historians wrote of Jesus and verified not only His life but also some of His deeds. Here are a few quotes (pulled straight out of the Mark Driscoll resource listed below):

Flavius Josephus, from Jewish Antiquities:
Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure...And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day


Pliny the Younger, from The Letters of Pliny the Younger (this one addressed to the emperor Trajan):
They (Christians) also declared that the sum total of their guilt or error amounted to no more than this: they had met regularly before dawn on a fixed day to chant verses alternately amongst themselves in honour of Christ as if to a god...


These as well as many other Jewish and Roman historians document and give credence to the truths as presented by the authors of the New Testament.

Here's the big idea:
The Bible we have, and specifically the New Testament, is a historically valid and reliable document, and the text therein constitutes a true testimony to the events surrounding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ.


Sources:

Easy read: Mark Driscoll, On the New Testament; Josh McDowell, More Than a Carpenter
Medium read: Josh McDowell, The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict; Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ; Dan Story, Defending Your Faith

Next week: Why Study the Bible?

How to Study the Bible: What is the Bible?

With so much to cover and so many topics I'd like to talk about, I put Theology Thursday to a vote. The outcome of the vote determined what would be covered in the coming months. The first subject to be tackled is How to Study the Bible.


In order to ensure people get the most out of these posts, I'm going to try to keep these first few posts in the series relatively short. Truly, a LOT of ink has been justifiably spent defending the canonization of the Bible, specifically the New Testament (the focus of this week's post), as well as the validity of the historical text itself (next week's post). However, since these are more along the lines of foundational, I will simply boil down the positions as simply and clearly as possible so that we can move to the more practical and applicable posts, those focusing on why we should (and should want to) study the Bible and a few tips on how to actually go about studying it. Therefore, while there are a number of facts, statistics, citations, and book after book to be read and considered for this week's post, I'm going to focus on just a few sources (listed at the end of the post) and give the general thrust of the argument.

This week's question is What is the Bible? Specifically, how did we get the book we currently have? How did 'they' pick the books and letters that were included? First, I'll briefly give consideration to the Old Testament. Second, and the larger section, I will focus on the New Testament as it is what is most commonly disputed.

In traditional Protestantism, the Old Testament stops with Malachi, the last of the prophets. After this point, God did not send a prophet for 400 years until the coming of John the Baptist, who proclaimed the coming of Jesus. During these years of silence, called the Intertestamental Period, other books were written. These became known as the apocrypha. Initially, these books were effectively considered helpful additional books, but they were never accepted as holy Scripture until the Catholic Council of Trent in 1546. From that point, the Catholic (and some Orthodox) Bible added books to the Old Testament that were never so adopted by either Jews or Christians up to that point. Thus, we see the difference in the Catholic Bible (which includes the Apocrypha) and the Protestant Bible (which does not).

The other books of the Old Testament are referred in the New Testament as 'The Law, Prophets, and Psalms' or 'The Law and the Prophets' or simply 'The Law'. To quote Mark Driscoll, "Jesus also spoke of the Old Testament as existing from Abel (from Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament) to Zechariah (a contemporary of Malachi, the final book of the Old Testament)." The evidence for this is found in Luke 24:44, Matthew 23:35, and Luke 11:51. Even today, the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament are virtually the same, excepting the order of the books.

Frankly, there is little dispute over the Old Testament. The New Testament? Well, that's a different story. Let's deal with that now.

First, I want to define a word that I learned while researching for this post. The word is canon. No, not the weapon used to fire off the port bow (spelled cannon, for those keeping track at home). I always thought the word was synonymous with 'Bible', that it was just another way of saying 'the whole collection of books in the Bible'. While it has come to mean that in our time, the original meaning of canon refers to the 'rule' or 'measuring rod' by which the books of the Bible were selected. It is the norm against which books of the Bible were set to determine inclusion or exclusion.

Many people argue that the Bible was put together by a bunch of people hunkered down in a room hundreds of years after Jesus lived and after the texts had been written. They suggest that the writings were allowed to grow to legendary and mythic levels prior to being included in the Bible (we'll deal with this argument next week), and then only the books that verified what they wanted people to know about Jesus were included. After all, they had their institutions, reputations, and power to protect - so the argument goes.

However, contrary to this notion is what actually happened (insert sarcastic tone). As Driscoll writes, there were three primary characteristics in the inclusion of books into the New Testament:

1) They were written based on eye-witness account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
2) They were in accord with what is revealed as true about God in the rest of Scripture.
3) They were received by God's people and demonstrated God's power in changing lives.

Additionally, the apostles themselves validated the writings of the New Testament and placed them alongside the Old Testament in a peer-to-peer relationship. This is seen in the following passages:

2 Peter 3:15-16 - Paul's letters placed alongside Scripture, presumably the Old Testament
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as the do the other Scriptures.


1 Timothy 5:18 - Paul quoting Deuteronomy and Luke back-to-back as Scripture
For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain (from Deut. 25:4)," and, "The laborer deserves his wages (from Luke 10:7)."


From the foundation of the New Testament church, this placing of New Testament books alongside the Old Testament Scriptures continued in what B.B Warfield refers to as a "line of such quotations...never broken in Christian literature."

Here is another, extended quote from Warfield:

What needs emphasis at present about these facts is that they obviously are not evidences of a gradually-heightening estimate of the New Testament books, originally received on a lower level and just beginning to be tentatively accounted Scripture; they are conclusive evidences rather of the estimation of the New Testament books from the very beginning as Scripture, and of their attachment as Scripture to the other Scriptures already in hand. The early Christians did not, then, first form a rival “canon” of “new books” which came only gradually to be accounted as of equal divinity and authority with the “old books”; they received new book after new book from the apostolical circle, as equally “Scripture” with the old books, and added them one by one to the collection of old books as additional Scriptures, until at length the new books thus added were numerous enough to be looked upon as another section of the Scriptures.


The big idea is this:
The New Testament was not 'put together' by people hundreds of years after it had been written. It had been put together and was generally accepted in the Church throughout the Christian world, and this collection was subsequently verified at the various councils years later.

Catch that - that's a big difference. The councils did not make up the list of what was in and what was out. They verified that which had already been put together, and evaluated the other books that had subsequently been (falsely) put forth as legitimate books, like the Gospel of Thomas and First Clement, based on the canon (remember: the norm or rule) which already existed in the collection already accepted by the people of God. The apostles placed their authority behind the teachings of the books and letters themselves while they lived, the early church fathers accepted them, and the Church at large embraced them as Truth.

Sources:

Easy read: Mark Driscoll, On the Old Testament and On the New Testament
Medium read: R.C. Sproul, Scripture Alone
Difficult read: B.B Warfield, Revelation and Inspiration

Next week: Is the Bible Historically Reliable?

How to Study the Bible: The Foundation

With so much to cover and so many topics I'd like to talk about, I put Theology Thursday to a vote. The outcome of the vote determined what would be covered in the coming months. The first subject to be tackled is How to Study the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.


When the votes were tallied and this came out on top, I was pretty pleased. Some of the topics are, perhaps, more 'controversial'. Others are more 'current'. This one, however, is the most foundational. Therefore, I am glad to be going at it first. As was pointed out by one of the voters, all the other discussions stem from this root, the root that the Bible is true and instructs us in how to live and view the world and the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We should know why we should trust the Bible. We should know how it came to be. We should understand how to read it. We should understand how to read! I intend to cover each of these ideas in the coming weeks.

Before getting into the specifics of this topic, though, I want to let you all know that I have a bias: I believe the Bible is true. Every word of it. I believe the Bible is applicable. Every word of it. As I write more and more, I hope that conviction is put on display for your edification and my own accountability to the text.

I arrive at this conviction based out of the text above. The Bible was breathed out by God. By itself, that should be enough for us to want to read it and read it well. However, because the Holy Spirit is an excellent instructor, He tells us (through Paul, in this instance) why this is true. The Bible is profitable (literally useful or beneficial) for our lives in all areas. Is there something we need to learn? The Bible teaches. Is there sin in our lives? The Bible rebukes. Are we thinking incorrectly about something? The Bible corrects. Are we infants needing to grow in spiritual maturity? The Bible trains. To what end? That we would be competent and prepared for anything God would have us to do.

Here's the thing: God wrote a book. As such, we need to be reading it. Not just commentaries about it. Not second-hand opinions of it. We should open the actual book and read the actual words on the page. Those words are profitable for us. All of them.

Thus, we should get comfortable with reading them. Further, we should be comfortable reading, period. Little words in the Bible, because they were inspired by God the Holy Spirit, are a big deal. Words like therefore, so that, but, and, and so on are critical to our understanding of Scripture. This will mean getting comfortable with grammar....but I digress.

In the coming weeks, I will approach the subject of studying the Bible from a few angles, beginning with developing an apologetic of confidence toward the actual Bible itself. Here's how I intend to proceed:

1) What is the Bible?
     In this I will discuss how the Bible came about, including its canonization. I'll even give away the ending: the Bible is trustworthy as it is today. It wasn't put together 'over hundreds of years'. It was accepted long before that.
2) Is the Bible a valid historical document?
    This is important because if there has been corruption of the text over time, what we hold in our hands isn't really worth reading as 'true'. If, however, we can believe that what we have was what was written, then we can begin discoursing on the implications of what it says.
3) Why study the Bible?
    By recognizing the text as accurate to what was written, then we can consider its implications and why it would be important to be familiar with it. This conversation will involve the importance of practicing discipline with our time in the Word.
4) How do we study the Bible?
    This will be the most practical of all of the posts. I will discuss a few ideas to help get you started in studying the Bible. In the end, there is no 'perfect' or 'right' way of studying the Bible. However, having something on which to build will be helpful. This will also include a consideration for the different genres in which different books of the Bible are written and how that colors how we read.

Throughout this series, I will do my best to include helpful resources to consult as you approach this all-important study of the Bible itself. My list will not be comprehensive, but I trust it will be a good start. Also, it is my sincere hope and prayer that these posts will spark discussion, not merely a monologue on my part. If there is something unclear, please ask questions. If I am way off on something, call me out. Don't just take my word for it - do some research alongside me. Let's use this time to sharpen one another!

The Gift of Suffering: The Message

I had the opportunity to speak to the young adult ministry at my church recently, and from the moment I was asked to speak, I felt very strongly to speak on suffering. This is the talk I gave that night. It's a bit long (an hour), and I haven't mastered the art of editing in YouTube just yet, but I wanted to present it for your consideration nonetheless. In the end, my hope is that you will see suffering the way God intends and the Bible describes: as a gift.

And the Winner Is....

The votes have all been cast for what I'll be covering over the next several weeks (maybe months?) of Theology Thursdays. Here is how it all panned out, in order of most votes/what will be covered first:

1) How to study the Bible (including a conversation on the validity of the Bible)
2) How to be in the world but not of it
3) How am I saved? (including a conversation on Free will/Arminianism & Predestination/Calvinism)
4) What is 'church'?
5) Is God good?
6) Is hell real?
7) Romans 10: 9-10 (that's for you, Frank!)


I appreciated not only the votes but also that you all provided some explanations as to why you want the topic you voted for to be covered. I will incorporate those questions/additional thoughts into what I write.

Based on the weight and depth of these topics, most of them will likely be split into multiple posts - I can promise that will be the case for the first 3 topics at least. I don't want to write a book in one post, but I want to be thorough in my explanation of each. So, anticipate 2-3 posts on How to study the Bible, probably 2 posts on being in the world but not of it, and potentially 3-4 posts on How am I saved?

I am excited to see what comes of each of these topics as I do my homework on them. Thank you all for voicing your opinions and desires and pushing me to sharpen myself as I present these great subjects. I look forward not only to writing them up but also interacting with you over them. Let us not make this simply academic - let's take a look at how to apply the truths we learn daily.

Now, I have to get reading...

Putting It to a Vote

I am at a place where I have so much I'd like to write about for Theology Thursdays that I can't distill it down and focus on one thing. So, since I am an American (read: Amurrikn), I'm going to put it to a vote. Please either place your vote as a comment to this blog or on Facebook. One vote per person, since I will be the one counting them all.

I am going to put up a few topics to be covered in the coming weeks here on Theology Thursdays, but you may also propose your own topic if what you'd really like me write about isn't listed. The top vote-getter will be covered first, and then I will continue in descending order from there. Depending on the breadth/depth of the topic, some will be one-and-done posts while others will require a series. To the list!

- How to study the Bible (including a conversation on the validity of the Bible)
- How am I saved? (including a conversation on Free will/Arminianism & Predestination/Calvinism)
- How to be in the world but not of it
- What is 'church'?
- Is God good?
- Is hell real?

The voting will be open until midnight on Saturday (technically Sunday), and I will reveal the results first thing on Monday. Take a moment to cast your vote here or on Facebook, and share this with friends so they may also participate.

Happy voting!

The Gift of Suffering: It's a Gift

I had the opportunity to speak to the young adult ministry at my church recently, and from the moment I was asked to speak, I felt very strongly to speak on suffering. Based on the response of that night and subsequent weeks as well as general observation, I believe this topic requires a more thorough examination. In the end, my hope is that you will see suffering the way God intends and the Bible describes: as a gift.


The previous posts in this series have built on each other. First, we discovered that suffering is promised to the Christian. After that, we learned that suffering is a means of grace for the Christian. Last week, we saw that suffering is part of God's plan and is good for the Christian.

In the final post in this series, we combine all of these points with a revealing verse from the Bible to conclude the following: Suffering is a gift from God.

I will expand on this simple statement at the end of the post so that we can more fully understand just exactly how suffering is a gift. For now, let's turn to the Bible to see how this statement can be made at all.

Philippians 1:29
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.


The highlighted portions of the verse above indicate how we can understand suffering as a gift. To simplify the verse for the sake of our discussion, it says that it has been granted to us that we should suffer for the sake of Christ. To work this statement in reverse, we see that it is for Christ that we suffer. We can take comfort in this point. We don't suffer needlessly. There is a purpose to our suffering, and that is that we, by His grace, can suffer in such a way that will bring glory to Jesus (Col. 1:24). When we go through suffering but maintain our faith and trust in His good plan, when we refuse to give in to the doubt which we are tempted to feel, we show forth the immanent goodness and trustworthiness of God and display Him as our greatest treasure.

We likewise see, yet again, that suffering is the expected norm for the Christian life. Not only is our belief granted to us, but so is suffering. This has been discussed at length in other posts, but it bears repeating if for no other reason than because this is the hardest point to get - as a Christian, you will suffer.

Finally, we see that this suffering for Christ 'has been granted' to us. Another word for granted is given. And what gets given?

Gifts.


Allow that to sink in before reading on.


Why would God give us suffering as a gift? I don't know about you, but in my flesh I can think of a few other things I would much rather receive than suffering. Like....just about anything. And yet the Bible is unyielding in its view on suffering. It leaves us no room for displeasure in suffering. Why? Let's look back at the last couple of posts to understand this.

We can view suffering as a gift because we can see that it is part of God's plan, and God's plan is good and pleasing and perfect. God's overarching plan for all of creation is to bring Himself glory. Therefore, our suffering is meant to bring Him glory, and in so doing we will be fully satisfied in our lives because, when we suffer well for Christ and hold Him as most dear, He is most glorified.

We can view suffering as a gift because its goodness means that it stands as a form of grace in our lives. It is a way that God trains us as His children, and being His children means being adopted into His family and being co-heirs with Jesus.

We can view suffering as a gift because God promises it will happen in His Word, and His promises are meant for our ultimate benefit and blessing.

Allow me to now expand on the initial statement at the beginning of this post. This is the culminating conclusion of this series:

Suffering is a gift from God designed to enhance our delight in Him and advance the gospel to the world.


Armed with this truth, I want to leave you with a thought and a challenge. I warn you, the challenge will not be easy, yet I believe it is one that every Christian must face at some point in their walk with the Lord.

C.S. Lewis writes in A Grief Observed:
"You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you...Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief (p. 22)."


Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in The Cost of Discipleship:
"Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ...Costly grace is a treasure hidden in a field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods...It is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him...Above all it is costly because it cost God the life of His Son; 'ye were bought at a price,' and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us (p. 44-45)."


It is a simple thing to say that God is good and trustworthy when things are going well. It something altogether different to hold to the truth that God is good and trustworthy when no particular circumstance in your life would indicate that goodness.

My challenge is to ask yourself the following questions, honestly, before the Lord:

1)  Do you hold your life as so precious that you avoid suffering for the sake of personal comfort?

2)  Have you 'sold everything' and made Christ your treasure?

3)  Have you asked God to test you in these things?

The Gift of Suffering: It's Good

I had the opportunity to speak to the young adult ministry at my church recently, and from the moment I was asked to speak, I felt very strongly to speak on suffering. Based on the response of that night and subsequent weeks as well as general observation, I believe this topic requires a more thorough examination. In the end, my hope is that you will see suffering the way God intends and the Bible describes: as a gift.


In the previous two posts in this series I made the following points: suffering is promised to the Christian and suffering is a means of grace for the Christian. I finished off last week's post with the following commentary on 1 Peter 4:19, specifically regarding the word entrust:

We can place our trust in God when suffering comes our way because of His sovereignty, His control over all situations. In other words, we trust God not only because we know He is good but also because we know His plans are good.


This week, with the knowledge that suffering is promised and is a means of grace, we will uncover the truth that, in fact, suffering is part of God's plan and is good for the Christian.


Before we can get there, though, it must be understood that there are two forces, two opposing purposes, at work when it comes to suffering. Satan, that prowling lion, has a purpose for suffering; God also has His purposes for suffering. Ultimately, because of God's omnipotent and sovereign reign over all things, including Satan, everything works together for His purposes. However, on the way, Satan seeks to disrupt what he can whenever he can. He comes to 'steal, kill, and destroy', and he is the 'father of lies'. That's a potent and deadly combination, and it is one that we cannot overlook or put off as hyper-spiritual.

In 1 Thessalonians 3:3-5, Paul writes of Satan's purposes in suffering:

...that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reasons, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter has tempted you and our labor would be in vain (emphasis mine).


Note the key phrases highlighted in this passage: the 'afflictions' referred to were anticipated and taught about by Paul before they ever happened. Nonetheless, because of the ferocity of the suffering this group of churches faced, Paul was concerned that they would abandon their pursuit of Christ. Why? Because they were so surprised by the suffering? No, it would not appear that surprise was Paul's concern (like it was with Peter from the passage last week). Paul speaks specifically to Satan's attempt to tempt the believers.

This begs the question: Tempt them to do what? Admittedly, my answer will be speculative and likely incomplete in certain capacities. But I believe the temptation we face most when going through suffering is to doubt God. We doubt His plans. We doubt His control. We doubt His faithfulness. We doubt His trustworthiness. We doubt His goodness. With all of this doubt, unbelief begins to define us more than faith, and we lose all vision of the gospel and Jesus Christ.

Allow me to provide a bit of encouragement at this point for those who are right in the middle of this struggle: First, as we will see a little further down, God has His purposes for your suffering, too, and those purposes are far greater than what Satan can concoct. Second, though Satan will do what he can to destroy your faith, even he is bounded and limited by God in what he can do to you. This is plainly seen in Job 1:12: "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, all that [Job] has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.' So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord." This post is not the place to get into the discussion of why or how Satan is able to get into the presence of the Lord; this is merely to point out that God sets the boundaries around what Satan can and cannot do. In other words, even in Satan's plans for our suffering, God is ultimately in control.

As mentioned, what is most encouraging is that God has a purpose for our suffering as well. In order to understand this, we will have to go on a short trek through a few passages in the New Testament. We will start in Hebrews 12:3-7, 11:

Consider him [referring to Jesus] who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addressed you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives (Pr.3:11,12)." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?...For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (emphasis mine).


The first purpose God has for our suffering is that, as His children, He is training us in endurance. This is echoed in Romans 5:3, where we see that 'suffering produces endurance'. This training is part of our maturation as believers. If we are all honest with ourselves, the most valuable lessons, the lessons that really made us 'grow up', came through our hardest seasons. When life is going along smoothly, our tendency is not to press into God and pursue Him with desperation and reckless abandon. We usually only arrive there when we have nowhere else to go. This is part of God's discipline process for us. He wants to remind us that we must wholly lean on Him, and this means removing our false senses of security one by one. It is a painful process, but it is one that 'yields the fruit of righteousness' in us.

When we think of the word 'discipline', we most often think of 'correction', such as "My child came home four hours late, so I had to discipline him." Or, "That person has gone wild - they obviously weren't disciplined enough at home." However, there is another type of discipline which is more like 'diligent practice'. One does not simply walk up to a piano and play Bach or Beethoven. Hitting a curveball doesn't come naturally, much less pitching one. An Olympic gymnast works on the same routine for years in order to get it right the one time it counts most. Each of these requires hours upon hours of diligent practice. Blisters, bumps, bruises, callouses, frustrations, failures, and eventually, some successes. If you were to continue to read beyond verse 11 in this passage, you will see an exhortation from the author to live in a holy manner. How is this possible except by the power of God working in us to grow in the discipline of our faith through the endurance obtained in times of suffering?

As we see this process rightly, we realize that He does this because He loves us. He knows that the best thing for us is to trust in Him alone because He alone is fully faithful and trustworthy at all times. It is His fatherly love toward us, His children, that compels Him to discipline us. This discipline is manifested as suffering in our lives, but this suffering ultimately produces the endurance necessary to finish the race. C.S Lewis humorously puts it this way in A Mind Awake: "If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad."

2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.


The second purpose God has for our suffering is to comfort us and for us to bring comfort to others who are likewise suffering. The Holy Spirit is called the 'Comforter', and that is one of His ministries. He brings comfort and peace to us in our most trying times. And we can receive that comfort when we understand that God looks on us with adoration as His children. He delights in our delighting in Him, and He receives glory when we find comfort in His presence.

We are then to serve as examples of comfort to one another. As I go through suffering, I desire that you would see the reality of that suffering as well as the reality of God's comforting presence through it all. Then, when you go through suffering, you will know that God brings comfort because you saw it happen with me. You will not be so tempted to doubt because you have seen the goodness of God displayed to me. Further, since I have personally experienced this goodness, I come alongside you and tell you of His goodness, strengthening your faith all the more to endure the trial you are facing. And on it goes. Suffering is beneficial for both the individual and the Church.

We now see that, while Satan has his purposes for our suffering, God has His as well. This helps us understand that suffering is part of God's plan, but are His plans good (as in, not only 'for the greater good' but also 'good for me too')? Let's look at two passages from Romans, one giving us a direct answer to the question and the other telling us why.

Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing, and perfect will.


For our purposes, the words 'will' and 'plans' are synonymous. Given this, there is not a lot of room for discussion on this point. God's will is good, pleasing, and perfect. That's an airtight argument if I've ever heard one. But, we are curious people, and taking something at face value is not something we are particularly comfortable with, generally speaking. In this case, while it is clear that God's plans are good, we may still be tempted to ask, 'How do we know they're good?' In His grace and mercy toward us, despite not having to explain Himself to anyone, God gives us the answer to this question. He's a loving Father, so He loves to instruct His children.

Romans 8:16-18
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (emphasis mine).


The highlighted section is of utmost importance, especially the word provided and the clause in order that. The assumption is that, as children of God (and subsequently co-heirs with Christ), we will suffer with Him. The converse assumption must also be made because of the word provided - if we are/have not suffered with Christ, we must wonder if we are God's children. If that thought is frightening, then this would be a great moment to stop reading and ask God to search your heart, to repent, and to lay yourself at His mercy, allowing His grace and Christ's blood to wash over you and cleanse you from your sin and make you alive by His Spirit. Be Christ's!

The great news comes after the phrase in order that. It is here we see the why behind the suffering. Our suffering reveals that we are God's children, and as such it means that we have had Christ's righteousness imputed to us. This means that, when we stand before Him on that day, He sees Christ's blood over us, and He will pass over our iniquities and usher us into eternal rest, joy, and glory. Thus, suffering in Christ, which produces endurance through the disciplined training we receive at the hand of our Father, ultimately ends with our being glorified with Jesus for eternity.

Conclusion: Suffering is part of God's plan and is good for the Christian.

Next week: The Gift of Suffering: It's a Gift

Christen on Holiness and Grace

From 'The Heart of the Matter'

Outer purification is of no use without the inner disposition to live rightly before God.


From 'The Great Disconnect'
Let my works demonstrate the grace extended to me, not qualify the grace freely given to me.

The above quotes are from Christen's blog. In preparation for going on Moody Radio, I spent some time rereading (again...) several of Christen's posts. I was once more amazed with her ability to communicate so much with so few words. I've joked about certain authors' sentences weighing 800 pounds (John Piper, A.W. Tozer). Christen falls into that category as well.

I was particularly struck by these two quotes because they communicate a unified message despite being written in two different posts. Consider the first. It is dealing with personal holiness. So often, when we think of personal holiness, we think of 'do's' and 'don'ts', lists of rules, a veritable compendium of thou-shalt-this-but-most-certainly-thou-shalt-not-that.

However, what is suggested in Christen's writing - and I would add the Bible on the whole - is something very different from our traditional ideas. Rather than a list, which is legalism at its finest, the key to personal holiness is our hearts' desire to glorify God. The 'inner disposition' stems from holding Christ as our ultimate treasure. When we hold Him so, we obey what is written in the Bible not because we have to but because we get to. We count it a privilege to take instruction from the Lord, and we endeavor to put into practice that which He says is best. Will we arrive at actual, practical holiness in this life? No (sorry to all the Finney lovers out there). But by God's grace through the power of His Holy Spirit, we will be made more and more like Him (called sanctification) until such a time as He returns or calls us home and we are made perfect in His presence (called glorification).

And here we run right into the second quote. Our works, the 'good works He has prepared in advance', are not what make us right before God. That was done for us when Jesus lived perfectly, died sacrificially, rose powerfully, and imputed His righteousness to us graciously. This grace was extended to us in His sovereignty by His mercy and love. We did not earn it through our works. We are not saved by works; rather, we are saved to works. Our works, therefore, shine forth that grace to His glory and for our joy.

...........................................................................................................................................................

I don't know if you've figured it out yet, but I wrote this post more for me than for anyone else. Usually, when I write, the first question I ask myself is, 'Will this be beneficial for those who read it?' Tonight, I simply wanted to write about the kind of thinker Christen was, how she was able to capture so much truth with so few words, how deeply saturated in her satisfaction in Christ she was that she could put one thought out there and it would make me think many thoughts after it. I've missed her a lot these last couple of weeks, and I am continually proud to have been her husband, to have been part of her life and part of what influenced her to think deeply and then write about her thoughts. I read these lines of hers, and I laugh - out loud - because of their profundity and insight into the great and gracious God we serve.

The Gift of Suffering: It's Grace

I had the opportunity to speak to the young adult ministry at my church recently, and from the moment I was asked to speak, I felt very strongly to speak on suffering. Based on the response of that night and subsequent weeks as well as general observation, I believe this topic requires a more thorough examination. In the end, my hope is that you will see suffering the way God intends and the Bible describes: as a gift.


Last week I made the assertion that suffering is promised to the Christian. It is imperative at this juncture to state that I  firmly believe in the innate and immutable goodness of God. My conviction that the Bible is true and accurate (or, for the theologians, that I believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the inerrant Bible) brings me to this conclusion. If I believed otherwise, and if this promise were the only truth associated with suffering, then it would be easy to make the argument that God, therefore, cannot be either good or loving. After all, if suffering is promised to His people, then why would anyone was to be His?

However, because He is good and loving - He is in reality all good and total love - we must come to a different conclusion about the promise of suffering. Therefore, to build off of the statement that suffering is a promise, we must next understand that suffering is a means of grace for the Christian. First, I will define what I mean by 'grace', and then we will open the Bible and see how suffering and the notion of God's grace come together.

Grace is often, and most simply, defined as 'God's unmerited favor' toward people and the world. It should be understood that everyone that has ever lived on the earth has been in some way under God's grace. For those who would deny the hope of Christ, the grace they receive extends no further than what is called 'common grace'. Jesus preached, in Matthew 5:45, that, "He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." In other words, sun and rain, food and shelter, clothing and possessions, even life and breath, are all forms of common grace.

Common grace is to be differentiated from 'saving grace', or the grace of God being extended through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit to regenerate hearts, awaken faith, and bring about repentance and salvation through belief in Jesus as both Lord and Savior, the only way to God. Saving grace extends into many forms, such as justifying grace, sanctifying grace, persevering grace, and glorifying grace. For just about the best and most clear explanation of this whole concept of grace, both common and saving, watch, listen to, or read the sermon Pastor Mark Driscoll preached on this subject by clicking here.

Harper's Bible Dictionary states that grace is "the English translation of a Greek word meaning concretely ‘that which brings delight, joy, happiness, or good fortune (p.357).’" God has many ways that He bestows grace on His people. We most easily associate grace with pleasant occurrences, such as receiving an unexpected check in the mail, finding a good parking spot at the grocery store, or getting an encouraging phone call from a friend. We also see it in the bigger moments of life, like avoiding a terrible accident, recovering from a life-threatening illness, and, most importantly, being convicted of sin and turning to Jesus for salvation. We have a harder time seeing grace in the midst of difficult situations. And yet, biblically speaking, suffering is a means of God's grace in our lives. Given the definition of grace given at the beginning of this paragraph, let's look at a passage from 1 Peter to help us put it all together.

1 Peter 4:12-13, 19:

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed...Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."


I would be remiss if I didn't note that verse 12 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, solely for the wording. While I fully believe in the Holy Spirit's divine inspiration of the Scriptures, it is obvious that the authors' personalities were allowed to come through - they weren't simply robots the Holy Spirit manipulated into writing. Peter was known for being a big mouth (Mt.16:22-23, 17:4-5), and while the Lord sanctified and empowered that mouth for His purposes, he still called it like he saw it (the sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2, for instance). Verse 12 reveals his personality in the phrase 'as though something strange were happening to you.'  Maybe it's just the way I hear it in my head, but it seems as though you can't read that without hearing a tone of, "Come on guys, we talked about this."

In this verse, not only is the promise of suffering reiterated, but how we should view that promise begins to come to light. Verse 13 begins with the word but, and that is very important. That little word tells us that what comes after it is in contrast, or opposed, to what came before it. Peter was writing to people who were obviously very troubled that they were being persecuted. Perhaps they didn't think they should be suffering. Perhaps their faith was wavering due to the frustration of facing trials day in and day out. Peter tells them here that this is to be expected. Further, he instructs them to undergo a 180 in their perspective; rather than being dismayed at facing suffering, they should instead rejoice in it. And here we see how grace and suffering meet.

Peter wasn't merely suggesting that his readers rejoice. For the grammarians, the phrase translated 'But rejoice' is a present active imperative. For everyone else, that means Peter is commanding an on-going rejoicing in the present suffering his readers were enduring. Thus, a translation of 'keep on rejoicing' could be rendered.

The question then is 'Why continually rejoice?' The answer is given immediately and in two parts. First, we rejoice because we are joining Christ in His sufferings which He endured for us. When we are counted worthy to follow Christ in anything, we ought to rejoice in it, even though it means following in suffering. And Peter was not speaking theoretically. He had endured much suffering and persecution and had walked away rejoicing for the very same reasons about which he wrote (Acts 5:40-41).

Second, when we share in His sufferings here, we know and have the fixed hope in the fact that we will conversely share in His joy when He returns in glory. Our hope in future grace is cause to rejoice now no matter the circumstances of the present. Therefore, suffering is a means of God's grace in the life of the Christian because we have the privilege of sharing both in Jesus's suffering and His joy.

Verse 19 sets up what we will discuss next week. The key word of the verse for us is entrust. It means that we can place our trust in God when suffering comes our way because of His sovereignty, His control over all situations. In other words, we trust God not only because we know He is good but also because we know His plans are good.

Next week: The Gift of Suffering: It's Good

What is the Church?

Here we go. I have officially bitten off more than I can chew in approaching this subject. There are far more qualified writers, pastors, and teachers, people who have spent their lives scouring the Scriptures for what constitutes 'the Church'. Here are a few definitions I have found in just a cursory glance around my library:

Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears, from Vintage Church:
"The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and Communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as missionaries to the world for God's glory and their joy."

John Piper, from "The Local Church: Minimum vs. Maximum":
"I would define the local church like this: a local church is a group of baptized believers who meet regularly to worship God through Jesus Christ, to be exhorted by the Word of God, and to celebrate the Lord's Supper under the guidance of duly appointed leaders."

Wayne Grudem, from Systematic Theology:
"The church is the community of all true believers for all time."


Charles Ryrie, from A Survey of Bible Doctrine:
"Taking together the features of local churches we see in the New Testament, we might propose the following definition: A local church is an assembly of professing believers in Christ who have been baptized and who are organized to do God’s will."


As is obvious, there are varying definitions of what constitutes the Church. Most definitions hold to some basic truths and either leave it broad for the sake of contextual application or attempt to get more specific in order to rein in certain extremes. Given all of this, I will simply throw my hat into the ring for the sake of discussion. Based on what I have seen and read, I think the most clear description of the church as it was when it was born is found in Acts 2:42-47:

"42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their home, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."


I have nine points to pull from this passage that, I am convinced, are to be part of the Christian church as we know her. Please bear in mind that this is not meant to be a detailed study on all the Church is or should be. It is not a specific methodology, either. Nor is it a commentary on the current state of the Western church versus the rest of the world. I believe the points are applicable in any setting at any time.

Further, I don't believe this passage is prescriptive, giving us precisely how all things should be done. Since the book of Acts was written by the resident doctor-historian Luke, it is descriptive in nature, showing us how the apostles were being led by God to lead this newly found Church in their particular context at their specific time in history.

With these caveats now expressed, here is what I understand to be the necessary and expected elements in any Christian church:

1) Teaching (v.42)
     The preached and taught Word is a requisite element to any organization wanting to be considered a Christian church.  It is central that God's Word be proclaimed for the sake of instruction, exhortation, conviction, and encouragement. I would add that preaching and teaching occurs in both large and small gatherings. Therefore, while the pulpit ministry is indispensable, there must be teaching and training to smaller groups for the sake of equipping 'the saints for the work of the ministry'.

2) Fellowship (v.42)
     Given where this is placed (next to teaching), 'fellowship' is not the same as 'hanging out'. It is the purposeful coming together of believers for the sake of mutual edification and sharpening. The conversation centers on how we are being molded and shaped by God as well as time in prayer with one another. Fellowship is the place for accountability, including correction and encouragement, in the context of deep relationships.

3) Meals (v.42, 46)
     The phrase 'breaking bread' is used twice in this passage, and therefore seems to indicate two purposes (after all, if each usage meant the same thing, it would be pretty redundant). In one sense (v.42), 'breaking bread' is a reference to Communion as it was during the Passover meal when Jesus first instituted the ordinance. The observance of Communion, remembering Christ's body broken and blood spilled for our sake and in our place, is a prescribed ordinance from the New Testament. It is to be observed regularly.
     In another sense (v.46) it is more likely to mean an actual meal, like when Jesus 'broke the bread' before feeding the 5,000. Sharing a meal involves hospitality. This hospitality extends to fellow believers and non-believers alike. Hospitality should mark the home of the Christian - openness, service, joy, conversation, friendship. This is one way to love our neighbors.

4) Prayer (v.42)
     The early church prayed. The Holy Spirit came during a prayer meeting (Acts 2:1), to paraphrase Pastor Jim Cymbala. The apostles devoted themselves to the study of the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4). The people gathered to pray when Peter was in prison (12:1-5). We also are to pray, and not just individually. Prayer must be part of both the personal and the corporate nature of the church. Thus, it is for the individual, family, small group, and large group. Prayer will saturate the healthy church.

5) Power (v.43)
     Some would use this verse to say that the ongoing, miraculous gifting of the Holy Spirit stopped with the final stroke of the pen in the book of Revelation, using the phrase 'through the apostles' as evidence. While this is a conversation for a post all on its own, one need only look to Paul's writings to the Corinthian and Galatian churches to see that the Holy Spirit was working powerfully outside of the apostles direct contact (1 Corinthians 12-14 and Galatians 3:5, respectively).
     Contrary to this view, I would suggest that a Christian church sees the power of the Holy Spirit at work in it. Primarily, this takes place in the salvation of people, as this is the greatest miracle that can be accomplished. Additionally, He empowers His people to 'will and to work according to His good pleasure'. Finally, the Spirit's power will also be at work in the miraculous gifting of His people at specific moments according to His sovereign will and for the sake of His glory. Examples of this include but are not limited to healing, prophesy, and visions.

6) Community (vv.44-45)
     In the early church, all things were shared. This included property, possessions, food, money, clothes, and the like. Some would say that's how it should be now. I will not here advocate communal living. However, knowing the needs of those close to you - the people you serve with in a ministry, the people in your small group, the people in your neighborhood - and working together to make sure everyone is taken care of is well within reason. And while prayer support is vital, and true fellowship essential, sometimes meeting tangible needs is every bit as important. This requires both a transparency on the part of those in need as well as a willingness to provide from those around the needy. It all boils down to love and trust for the relationships built through our first relationship in Christ.
     As Christians, we are supposed to be 'known by our love for one another'. The world doesn't necessarily see us pray for each other. The world doesn't see the late-night telephone calls and the lunch meetings for counsel. The world does see when the people of God surround someone with love and support through the meeting of physical, material needs. And they are amazed by it.

7) Large and Small (v.46a)
     They met at the synagogue and in homes. Some in the house church movement would say that the New Testament church exclusively met in homes, and therefore so should we. This is an oversimplification to what was taking place at the time the book of Acts was written. There was a necessity to meeting in homes at that time. Further, this text indicates that they did, in fact, meet in larger settings like the synagogue. Therefore, gathering together includes both large group settings, like a Sunday service and/or the occasional special event, and small group settings, like home-based Bible studies or Sunday school. I like the way the people at Mars Hill Church in Seattle refer to this: Air War (big gatherings) and Ground War (small groups).

8) Worship (v.46b-47a)
     Honoring God through our worship is a critical component to any church. Here we see that worship is both from gratitude for what God has provided as well as praise to Him for who He is. It is expressed joy, gladness, and gratitude toward God, the overflow of our hearts welling up with love. Our delight in God, indeed our worship of Him, is expressed from out of our mouths and our lives as the fulfillment of our pleasure in God being God. To quote C.S. Lewis (from Reflections on the Psalms):
     "But the most obvious fact about praise - whether of God or anything - strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise...The world rings with praise - lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game...I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation."

9) Gospel (v.47b)
     The gospel is not simply a message. It is not merely 'good news', though it certainly is that. The gospel inspires mission, the purpose of the Church here on earth, the advancement of God's kingdom (Jesus builds His church, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it). The Christian church embodies the gospel in such a way, through its impact on the local and global community and the individuals within that community, that there is fruit-bearing evangelism taking place, leading to salvation and the ordinance of baptism - the public declaration of the inward reality of salvation and surrender - being observed. It is telling of and living for Jesus in such a way that the harvest is reaped.

This topic certainly warrants far more discussion (which I welcome especially on Facebook), and I will be posting more as time goes on. For now, I hope that this helps to clarify what can be an ambiguous question regarding the nature of the Church. She is beautiful and being made more so until that day when Christ returns for His bride. Amen, come Lord Jesus!

What Should I Do with My Life?

How many times have you asked yourself this question?


For me, I feel like it is an annual affair, bordering on an on-going pursuit. While there have certainly been moments and seasons of increased clarity, I have yet to arrive at 'the answer'. And, I'm speculating here, perhaps that is simply part of sanctification - God's continual growth process for His children.


I ran across this quote while glancing through Christen's blog recently:


"I felt so distinctly that He asked two questions of me.  1) Do you believe that I am good? 2) Do you trust me?  You see, as Tozer put it, what comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.  Theology isn't something to be left to the majors.  It is for you and for me.  You already believe something about who God is, and it's affecting the way you live your life.  More plainly stated, what you do with your life reflects what you believe about God.  I knew that I could trust Him and that He was good, but did I really believe it.  If I believed it, then my life would show it (bold type added)."

See if you can follow me on this. The question 'What should I do with my life?' must be directly linked to what you believe about God and how He has made you and 'ordered (your) steps'. A better set of questions to ask, at first, is 'How has God built me? How can I best steward those gifts?'

The key to this, though, is to be honest with yourself and to allow God to refine you through the questions. He may answer you in a way that you don't necessarily like. Perhaps what He's planned for you to do isn't appealing to you at the moment. Perhaps you're not the five-talent servant from Jesus's parable; you only have one. Perhaps you are the five-talent person, and you feel pulled in so many directions you don't know what to do - they all look good and possible, but the best is elusive.

Another quote from Christen:

"If you're never stepping out into a place that requires God to show up or do something that is beyond your natural abilities, then you're missing out on an opportunity to see God move on your behalf which strengthens and builds your faith. I would go so far as to say that faith doesn't grow in the comfort of the American Dream. It dies."

Faith is the result of the Holy Spirit awakening your heart, bringing it to life, and then renewing your mind to understand real Truth. It comes by 'hearing, and hearing the Word of God.' Spirit and Truth. Thus, the next challenge, after assessing how God has built you and determining what your stewardships are, is to then ask God to test you in your trust of Him. In this, He will stretch your faith beyond the limits you now know. It is there that the fullness of His will is enacted in your life - because it is wholly Him and none of you. When you operate within the limits of what you know of yourself, you are not operating out of faith. When you, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, step outside of your created limits, you step into His operative strength in the midst of your relative weakness. Do you have a part to play in all of this? Absolutely. You are not a robot, simply 'doing the will of God'. I am not here speaking of mere determinism. I am speaking of the unreserved offering of oneself as a 'living sacrifice' to God, an empty, broken vessel that desires only to be mended and filled by Jesus and His Spirit.

And here we arrive again at the central battle of the Christian life, at least as I see it: Do you believe God is good?  Everything I have written up to this point hinges on the answer to that question. Moreover, how you answer that question will determine the trajectory of your entire life, and that is not an overstatement. The only way to answer the question properly is to get to know Him - His attributes, how He reveals Himself in the Bible, how He's worked in your life and the lives of people you know. You read about Him, you talk to Him, you think on Him, you remember Him. You don't settle for simple sayings, self-help, or steps. You dig deep only to realize there's an infinite depth still to go. You mine the Word for solid truth on which to stand. You read more from outside sources. You listen to preachers, teachers, professors, pastors, friends. You think deeply, feel intensely, and act accordingly.

Once you arrive at the conclusion that God is good, no matter the particular circumstances of your life, everything changes. When you further conclude that His goodness also makes Him trustworthy, you more easily yield to what He shows you along the way. And, when you accept that His plans are 'good, pleasing, and perfect' you are able to relax because you know that He has the best in mind for you, even if you don't yet understand how it could be called best.