The most important thing.

If you are here now and don't know what all this 'Gospel stuff' is (or don't believe it), this is the most important thing you'd find on this blog:

If you are a Christ-follower, then this is the most important thing you'd find on this blog:

Yes, they say the same thing. The Gospel is everything, for believer and unbeliever alike.

The Apostle John wrote in his account of Christ's life: "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31)

Believe, find your life in Christ, and truly live in His name. That's all.

Favorite Posts [1] : Under Attack

Not too long into my blogging career, I had one of those comment threads spring up that make your head hurt... A young atheist stumbled on one of my posts and began attacking the use of the Bible as anything approaching an authoritative book. Predictably, the conversation moved into a back and forth where he would cite a presumably 'wicked' bible passage and challenge me to explain how in the world I could believe the Bible when it contained such ridiculous/evil things.

Comment threads are not the place for hashing this out, so I asked him to email me his top handful of attack verses and promised a series of posts attempting to explain how they are sensible on their own (in context) and fit into the overarching narrative of the Bible.

Some might be surprised that the series of posts I've chosen to list as my #1 favorite is neither the one for which I hold the most affection nor anything close to the top hit-receiver. I believe, however, that this series of posts is unlike any I've come across elsewhere in the Reformosphere and just might be uniquely helpful to some skeptic or new believer in the future. That reason alone is sufficient to make this Under Attack series the most significant thing I believe I've written.

Under Attack - A prologue [1]
Under Attack - Deuteronomy 22:13-21 [2a]
Under Attack - Deuteronomy 22:22-30 [2b]
Under Attack - Judges 19:22-30 [3]
Under Attack - 2 Samuel 6:1-15 [4]
Under Attack - From Robots!! (An interlude) [5]
Under Scrutiny - 1 Corinthians 10:13 [6]

I hope, by God's grace, someone somewhere finds it edifying to their faith.

Favorite Posts [2] : Discontinuing Cessationism

For most of my life, I didn't have any pressing reason to answer the "miraculous gifts" problem so it remained unanswered. I merrily worshipped in churches on both sides of the divide, never quite thinking that either had it right.

That was until summer of 2006... That summer, there was what I think could be best described as a charismatic 'outbreak' among some Christian students on campus - some of whom I knew. Between needing to respond to that event and contemplating church planting, I dove in to the Word to settle the issue. This (long) series of posts was the result.

Discontinuing cessationism [1]: The Danger
Discontinuing cessationism [2]: The Argument
Discontinuing cessationism [3]: The Scriptures (Prologue)
Discontinuing cessationism [4]: The Scriptures (1)
Discontinuing cessationism [5]: The Scriptures (2)
Discontinuing cessationism [6]: The Scriptures (3)
Discontinuing cessationism [7]: The Scriptures (4)
Discontinuing cessationism [8]: The End

Even as I glance back through these posts, I remember affectionately the time spent studying the Word and thinking through the thoughts of other Godly men. I'd nuance my conclusion ever-so-slightly if I wrote this series today: I'd identify myself as a "Reformed Continuationist". I think that's a more academically correct term, and it avoids the baggage caused by so many errors within the broader 'charismatic' community.

I've had further argument... er, interactions with several people, including three pastors (two from the PCA, one Master's dude) that I bumped into on the Logos newsgroups. I remain unmoved from my position, though I continue to seek/welcome more discussion and challenges.

This was also a well-linked series of posts, thanks especially to Adrian Warnock who linked and emailed some encouragements and challenges along the way. Once you get linked by Adrian, a fair number of other NewFrontiers folk comes along for the ride. I'm grateful for the many friendships - in that strange internet sense of the word - that were made.

*I'd be wrong to not also note that Dan Wallace edited a fabulous ebook from the Cessationist side called "Who's Afraid of the Holy Spirit". I'd recommend you read this regardless of where you land. GREAT STUFF.

Favorite Posts [7] : (re)Marriage - Matthew 5:31-32

Most of my recent posts are depressing to me as I look back over them. Either they are complete silliness or rambling drivel. I just haven't had the same time to devote to posting that I used to...

However, a recent series on marriage/divorce was a welcome exception to that trend. While I'm all for silliness and frivolity, there's no place for those things in discussing the Bible. And I enjoyed the chance to just write again about the things I was chewing through in my head.

This series of posts grew out of some questions that came up in our Sunday night Bible study. What a neat thing it is to be able to wrestle with God's Word with other believers...

(re)Marriage - Matthew 5:31-32 [1]
(re)Marriage - Matthew 5:31-32 [2]
(re)Marriage - Matthew 5:31-32 [3]

Favorite Posts [8] : (Pre)Destined for Debate

In the fall of '06, the Reformosphere was in a buzz about the on again, off again debate between the Caner brothers and James White/Tom Ascol re: Calvinism in Baptist streams. That same month, one of our pastors started a series on reformed theology in our adult class at church.

Eventually we wound up in the death-spiral discussion of the infamous doctrine of predestination. It's funny that the idea of God sovereignly extending grace to thankless sinners can cause so much bile and distress. Actually, it's not funny or surprising after all. Every one of us clings desperately to our own sovereignty far too often - in our thoughts (theologically), in our lives (functually), or both...

Anyway, I decided to write a series of posts recounting my own wrestling with this difficult doctrine. My hope was to give a couple people in our class the chance to chew on things through the week... I don't know if this helped or hurt, but I was blessed by meditating on the grace evident in the Gospel again.

(Pre)Destined for debate [1]
(Pre)Destined for debate [2]
(Pre)Destined for debate [3]
(Pre)Destined for debate [4]

Is it a sin to covet a new Bible?

You can view sample pages and the like here, but if these endorsements don't make you want a new ESV Study Bible I think you need therapy. :)

"The ESV Study Bible is the finest study tool I have seen in fifty years of Bible teaching." Jerry Bridges

"The ESV is a dream come true for me. The rightful heir to a great line of historic translations, it provides the continuity and modern accuracy I longed for. Now the scope and theological faithfulness of the ESV Study Bible study notes is breathtaking. Oh how precious is the written Word of God." - John Piper

"Wow! Concise, lucid, enlightening—the ESV Study Bible is an amazing resource. With its textual fidelity, doctrinal substance, and artistic beauty, the ESV Study Bible will be an immense help to all who hunger for God-breathed Scripture. I wholeheartedly recommend this exceptional resource." - Randy Alcorn

“Outstanding! The ESV Study Bible is a treasure—a beautiful volume, filled with a wealth of resources. It will be just as useful for the seminarian and long-time pastor as it will be accessible to the brand-new Christian.” - R. Albert Mohler Jr.

"I can’t imagine a greater gift to the body of Christ than the ESV Study Bible. It is a potent combination indeed: the reliability and readability of the ESV translation, supplemented by the best of modern and faithful scholarship, packaged in an accessible and attractive format. A Christian could make no wiser investment for himself, a pastor could recommend no better resource for his congregation." - C. J. Mahaney

“Like the ESV itself, this Study Bible sets a new standard in excellence. The craftsmanship invested in every page—from the insightful articles and informative notes to the crisp design and gorgeous illustrations—makes it an invaluable tool for students of God’s Word. As a pastor it’s my goal to get one into the hands of every member of my church.” - Joshua Harris

[HT: Justin Taylor]

On display, not on stage

In preparing this section of Matthew 6 for our Bible study, one phrase/analogy kept ringing in my ears.

We are intending to be on display for Christ, rather than on stage for him.

When you go to an art museum, there are various works on display. None of them are shouting at you for your attention, none of them are clamoring for the best spot for display, and they do not speak a word to promote their own glory. They are silent, but at the same time plainly testify to something outside of themselves. Some are contemplative, others are beautiful, quirky, amusing, or even gaudy. But they are unaware of themselves in a wonderful way - simply 'being' what their maker made them... Reflecting the artists skill and personality which brought them into being.

An actor, on the other hand, consciously puts on a different face in every play. The person who appears when the lights may be loud and blaring even though the actor may be quiet and meek. Actors toil at their craft, and no doubt take pride in it. Most walk on stage thirsting for the applause and adulation of the curtain call. They gleefully sign autographs or grant interviews to reporters and critics who want to know them and their gifting. Playwrights write plays for them - having a particular person in mind for a particular role.

They must perform and be noticed, because their next role depends on them being valued and known. Far too often, the craving for attention spills over into a life that can no longer distinguish between the private and the public - never being able to escape the stage. Sure, they point to the mastery of the playwright (to the degree their acting allows them to 'disappear' into the plot), but they are not unconscious of it.

So, it shouldn't be surprising that the word for 'hypocrite' in our passage is the same word for an actor. The hypocrites were out to display themselves and their faux righteousness, stepping on stage and calling all eyes to rest on them. Whatever attention went to God for their giving, prayers, and fasting was secondary to them - a fortunate side-effect of their curtain call and evidence of God's grace surpassing our sin.

We must live our lives before God, humbly willing to take no credit and receive no praises while here on Earth. This doesn't mean we don't talk about our giving or pray in public ever... However, we must have hearts that are content with the Savior alone seeing our lives and being pleased.

Calvin, commenting on these verses puts it so well:

[Jesus] tells them, that God does not need a strong light to perceive good actions: for those things, which appear to be buried in darkness, are open to his view. We have no reason, therefore, to suppose that what escapes the notice, and receives not the testimony of men, is lost... A most appropriate remedy is thus applied for curing the disease of ambition, when he reminds us to fix our eye on God: for this banishes from our minds, and will utterly destroy, all vain-glory. — In the second clause, which immediately follows, Christ reminds us that, in looking for the reward of good works, we must wait patiently till the last day, the day of resurrection. Thy Father, says he, shall reward thee openly.

To express it in a few words, whether a man prays alone, or in the presence of others, he ought to have the same feelings, as if he were shut up in his closet, and had no other witness but God.

Believers do not pray, with the view of informing God about things unknown to him, or of exciting him to do his duty, or of urging him as though he were reluctant. On the contrary, [believers] pray, in order that they may arouse themselves to seek him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on his promises, that they may relieve themselves from their anxieties by pouring them into his bosom; in a word, that they may declare that from Him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others, all good things. God himself, on the other hand, has purposed freely, and without being asked, to bestow blessings upon us; but he promises that he will grant them to our prayers. We must, therefore, maintain both of these truths, that He freely anticipates our wishes, and yet that we obtain by prayer what we ask.

May God display His beauty and perfections in us, and remove all our ambition for the spotlight and the encores of the crowd.

The Best Friday

He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. (Is 53:3-6)

"Here we have a beautiful contrast. In ourselves we are scattered; in Christ we are gathered together. By nature we go astray, and are driven headlong to destruction; in Christ we find the course by which we are conducted to the harbor of salvation. Our sins are a heavy load; but they are laid on Christ, by whom we are freed from the load. Thus, when we were ruined, and, being estranged from God, were hastening to hell, Christ took upon him the filthiness of our iniquities, in order to rescue us from everlasting destruction. This must refer exclusively to guilt and punishment; for he was free from sin. (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22) Let every one, therefore, diligently consider his own iniquities, that he may have a true relish of that grace, and may obtain the benefit of the death of Christ." John Calvin

"Wonderful medicine! Marvelous healing! Where shall we find the like? The Physician drinks the bitter draught, and so cures the patient; whoever heard of such a wonder as this? The Physician is put to death, and that great sacrifice heals the patient; whoever heard of such a thing as this before? The whole gospel in a nutshell lies in this verse: “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
...
There is no meaning at all in this chapter if it does not teach that Christ did take upon himself the sin of his people, and did suffer in their room and place and stead. Let who will object to this doctrine, it is the gospel, the very heart and marrow of it; and there is nothing that can make a heavy heart glad until it sees sin removed by the death of Christ: “He shall bear their iniquities.”" C.H. Spurgeon

Update: If you want to listen to a fantastic exposition of this passage in Isaiah, I don't think you can find better than C.J. Mahaney's address at last year's Resolved Conference. Tony has graciously posted it on the SGM Blog. Click here and check the audio.

Continuing to Re-cease Continuationist Cessations

About a year and a half ago, I wrote a series of posts stating my position on the continuationist/cessationist debate. In the end, I landed (firmly) in the camp of the 'Reformed charismatics' though I've since come to strongly prefer the identifier of 'Reformed continuationist'. Same meaning, half the baggage!

Anyway, Nathan Busenitz started a string of posts interacting with the same material over on Pulpit Blog starting in January of '07. We interacted briefly in the comments over there, and I was looking forward to him continuing to offer his thoughts. Nathan is, as we say in New England, wicked smart (pronouced 'smahht') and I've learned much through his posts.

He's picked up the topic again, and so I thought I would point everyone to it. For the record, Nathan's arguments haven't moved me from my position. But if we aren't humble listening to the opinions of people we respect and evaluating our theology in light of their comments, it probably points past firm biblical convictions towards the idol of pride. So, let's read along and discuss... Shall we?

Spurgeon said it...

Last Sunday, I finished a four-week series in our ABF on the Bible (shortened thanks to illness from five). The goal I had in mind was to help build an increased affection for God's Word in the saints and help people build something of an apologetic framework for defending Scripture to people outside the church.

Today, I came across this quote from Spurgeon that would've been a great bookend to the series... Wrapping up a sermon, the Prince of Preachers said this:

Well, now, time fails us, and I can say but little. I have only just cursorily touched on the text. I now hand it to you. May the Lord help you “sons of Jacob” to take home this portion of meat; digest it well, and feed upon it. May the Holy Ghost sweetly apply the glorious things that are written! And may you have “a feast of fat things, of wines on the lees well refined!”

Remember God is the same, whatever is removed. Your friends may be disaffected, your ministers may be taken away, every thing may change; but God does not. Your brethren may chance and cast out your name as vile: but God will love you still. Let your station in life change, and your property be gone; let your whole life be shaken, and you become weak and sickly; let everything flee away-there is one place where change cannot put his finger; there is one name on which mutability can never be written; there is one heart which never can alter; that heart is God’s - that name Love.

What a blessing it is that God, who is there and who is always the same, has given us His Word to be an anchor in the storm and a feast for our souls.

Under Attack - Redux

I have need of some old, previously unindexed posts... So, I'm pulling them together here. If you've been a reader here for a while, just move along... Nothing new to see.

For others, here ya go:
Under Attack - Prologue
Under Attack - Deuteronomy 22:13-21
Under Attack - Deuteronomy 22:22-30
Under Attack - Judges 19:22-30
Under Attack - 2 Samuel 6:1-15

Gospel

A Non-WWWednesday post????

These days, it must be something pretty cool to warrant a non-WWWednesday post from me... Yeah, sorry about that. Nonetheless, there are two things you should know about. And I am the man appointed to tell you, it seems.

1) Sovereign Grace Ministries has made me extremely happy by making audio downloads of all their 'lesson material' (conference sessions, workshops, etc) totally free.

This is so cool even the Desiring God guys are throwing out propers. Anyway, go here, download a ton of stuff, and be edified.

2) Ben Stein, dressed as Angus Young, talking about the closing of the American mind?* WHOOO HOO! Come on, February! Click the image for the trailer.

*By the way, if you haven't read Bloom's landmark The Closing of the American Mind, repent and borrow it from your library. I can assure you it will not be checked out. This book completely changed my worldview in 1993 when I read it.

Why bad things happen...

Pray for the people in Minnesota who've been impacted by the collapse of the I35 bridge.

Then, John Piper takes reminds us why things like this happen.

New iPodder fodder

Yesterday began on a tragic note... I awoke to find that my iPod synch had failed overnight. Worse, my iPod was frozen with an odd error on the screen and refused all efforts to be reset! I feared that my close buddied, iDluxe, was destined for the trash heap...

Or, perhaps more likely, destined to be disassembled by Gannon and I in a fit of mournfully-geeky glee.

Thankfully, the iPod's battery finally discharged and it appears to be fine. I've spoken soft, loving words of encouragement to it and I think it's planning to stick around for a little longer. In celebration of this happy day, I thought I'd pass along some info on the two new podcasts that have found their way into my listening rotation.

Crossway Community Church, Kenosha, WI
My first contact with Crossway was sitting in a workshop given by Mike Bullmore at LC07 this past April. After hearing Mike teach, I thought I'd like to eavesdrop in on him again. I've been jacked into Crossway's podcast ever since... The preaching is powerful, rigorously Biblical, and intensely practical (in the good way, not the saccharine way).

For those not in the know, Mike had previously taught preaching for 15 years at TEDS. I think that resume makes Mike a valuable listen for those of us in the young/aspiring set. The truth is that we all need to know 'the rules' and when to break them!

Crossway is in the midst of a 'book a week' style series through the minor prophets... You should tune in, and be blessed. Here's a podcast link!

Epiphany Fellowship, Philadelphia, PA
Everyone who knows me will know that I have a fascination with urban/hip-hop culture. This amuses everyone since I'm probably the most rural-minded, cracker-white person you can imagine...

Anyway, I was checking out some tunes at Lampmode and peeked (peeped) at the list of churches where Lampmode artists fellowship. I wound up clicking the link for Epiphany Fellowship in North Philly. I spent a lot of time in/around Philly while I was in school, mostly playing at clubs or cutting teeth at a jam session. So, I know where this church is and some of the challenges they must be facing.

Everyone on the internet likes to 'blah blah' about the issue of contextualization. Well, here is an example of a church that is actually doing contextualization right. If you're a Vermont yankee, some of the language you hear in one of Epiphany's sermons might not make a ton of sense... However, you'll hear the same gospel being preached that is being proclaimed (I hope!) at your church. The language and illustrations are centered on life in the city, but the substance is eternal... This is what missional church planting should be.

Again, here is solidly biblical, gospel preaching (Eric and Duce, the two main preachers, have DTS creds) with an urban swagger. If you want to get in touch with a culture that's likely next door to you but seems miles away, this might be a great place to start building bridges.

Epiphany is in the midst of a series on John's Gospel... Again, tune in and get your weight up. For podcast: Check out this page, and click the appropriate link for your podcasting pleasure.

Always buy... Right away.

If I have one regret from attending Sovereign Grace's Leadership Conference in April, it is this:

While walking around the first day, I noted to Tim and MLF that the bookstore had copies of Pierced for Our Trangressions (PFOT). This new book out of the UK was already being hailed as a fabulous defense of Christ's substitutionary atonement and being blasted by the other side. When I first read about it, the book was only available in the UK. However, Crossway had announced that they would be publishing the book in the states.

At LC, I kinda assumed that the book was now available on our side of the pond so I decided to wait to order it. Of course, CJ announces the next night that the copies in the bookstore were shipped in from 'across the pond' and the US edition wouldn't be out 'til fall. Needless to say, the bookstore was sold out before I could get there.

Lesson: If it's a book you want and you see it, always buy it right away. Grrrr.

Anyway, the PFOT is starting to generate some major buzz on the internet. Adrian Warnock has posted an interview with the authors which seems to have stirred up a bit of a storm in the comments. Adrian responds with deadly accuracy to the rumblings in a subsequent post.

On our side of the Atlantic, Sam Storms has posted a two-part review that goes into much more depth on the author's argument. Both parts (Part 1 and Part 2) are great reading for anyone wondering what the controversy is all about.

CJ, in promoting the book at LC, referred to PFOT as "our generations Cross of Christ". With that extreme compliment, the rest of us should be itching for November to get here. Buy early, buy often... They make great gifts.

5/10/07: Where I am right now...

Well, allow me to apologize [again] for the slow, creeping blog-death around here. I'm sorry I haven't been able to post more regularly. You can feel free to blame my lack of blogging on any of the following:

• Work sucks. The pace at the office continues to increase... I'm incredibly fortunate that the stress of our looming project deadline doesn't really impact me except while I'm at the office. However, the time at work leaves me pretty drained so I'm not up for much once I get home.
  
• I'm way behind in my reading for this term's "classes" and am scrambling to get caught up. I'm still waiting for a way to upload biblical Greek directly into my brain, but it ain't happening.
• Gannon is playing t-ball for the first time, so I've been attending practices and trying to get him to stop throwing like a girl... I kid, I kid. Er, mostly.
• For the last week or so, I've been madly prepping for a church meeting this coming weekend. There was some serious reading required, and I have a pea-brain. So, I'd appreciate prayers on that front.
• On top of that, I got tapped to teach this Sunday in our ABF. So, what bandwidth I thought I saved has been sucked up again.

Lest this post be all gripe and no substance, let me point you to a couple things...
First off, check out the Dartmouth Apologia, a Christian journal being published by some Dartmouth students. VBCers might recognize a familiar name on a contribution or two.

On a biblical note, I came across this in prepping for this weekend's ABF lesson. First, check out a couple verses in Psalm 17:

"Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O Lord,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness."
(Ps 17:13b-15, ESV)

Interesting that the Psalmist recognizes that the prosperity of the wicked is real and, shockingly to some, comes from God. But now read Spurgeon's great unpacking of the bolded verse above:

“[The wicked enemies] are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.” But David envies them not. “Go,” says he, “rich man, in all thy riches - go, proud man, in all thy pride - go, thou happy man, with thine abundance of children; I envy thee not; as for me, my lot is different: I can look on you without desiring to have your possessions.

I can well keep that commandment, ’Thou shalt not covet,’ for in your possessions there is nothing worth my love; I set no value upon your earthly treasures; I envy you not your heaps of glittering dust; for my Redeemer is mine.” The man is above envy, because he thinks that the joy would be no joy to him-that the portion would not suit his disposition. Therefore, he turns his eye heavenward, and says, “As for me I shall behold thy face in righteousness.” Oh! beloved, it is a happy thing to be free from envy.

... A happy thing, indeed!

Simple Parables...

"Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given... This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand..." (Matthew 13:10-11,13, ESV)

That's a quote that amazes me every time I read it... Christ spoke in parables that absolutely did distill profound things down to the level of our comprehension. The people hearing these illustrations should've been able to have an "A ha!" moment wherein they got what Jesus was talking about and believed. But, in reality, the reactions were usually different:

• Some folks got the story, and it ticked them off. When Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son, you can bet that there were those in the crowd who felt the barb hit them. But their reaction, by and large, was not to repent but rather to get mad. In them we see enmity with the message of Christ, true wickedness. They heard, and they hated it.
  
• Some people never got it... Even after the illustration was given, some people in the crowd were left scratching their heads. Isn't that interesting! Especially when, in many cases (like Matthew 13) Jesus told parables with very similar meanings in rapid succession. Why did that repetition not break through?
• Then there's the group that got it. They heard the words Christ spoke and it found soft soil in their hearts. Something in them was changed, they were effected, and believed.

Why did some people hear and rejoice while others didn't? Was it superior intellect that created the breakthrough? Or maybe it was the lack of an overly-analytical mind that makes the difference. Perhaps more people 'got it' when Jesus was really on his game? You know, everyone cranks out a lemon sometime...

Of course, none of those explanations really satisfy. So what else could possibly be at work to explain why simply illustrated truth garnered such varied reactions?

"We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Co 4:2b-6, ESV)

No blind person can command themselves to see. No person can, by sheer will, instantaneously expand their brain to grasp glories that were previously way out of reach. In the same way, even a parable - a clear illustration of a spiritual point - is insufficient to make sinful minds awaken to spiritual things.

What makes the difference between you, if you are a believer, and the unbeliever who has head all the same sermons and read all the same books? Not your work, merit, intellect, humility, or anything else that starts with "your". What makes the difference is Him. God whispered into the darkness of your heart and caused a light to shine.

If you see - really see - the praise Christ for the grace that was shown to you. If you don't see, keep looking. Consider Christ. Wrestle in your soul with who He claimed to be. Honestly reflect on the story of the Bible. God may yet be pleased to shine the light of the knowledge of the glory of Christ into your soul.

Yeah! Something's insane, for sure!

Sorry to delay the Whitefield post, I'll try to get it up later. In the meantime read just these two Scripture passages:

"He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." (Is 53:3-7, ESV)

"And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus." (Ac 8:27-35, ESV)

Ok... So, Philip seems to think Isaiah 53 is casting Jesus as the suffering servant, right? And he's not alone in this opinion. All the Gospel accounts - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - apply the description of the suffering servant to Christ.

Now: This suffering servant/Jesus Christ "was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Right? CRYSTAL clear.

How in the world do you get from that clarity, to this garbage??

"In other words, Jesus took the rap and we got forgiven as long as we said we believed in him," says Mr John. "This is repulsive as well as nonsensical. It makes God sound like a psychopath. If a human behaved like this we'd say that they were a monster."

Mr John argues that too many Christians go through their lives failing to realise that God is about "love and truth", not "wrath and punishment". He offers an alternative interpretation, suggesting that Christ was crucified so he could "share in the worst of grief and suffering that life can throw at us". (telegraph.co.uk article here)

Unreal. Al Mohler responds to this insanity here.

I get that there are things people in Christianity people might want to run from... I understand that telling someone that abortion or homosexuality or looking at 'harmless' pornography is wrong might be uncomfortble. I get it. But how in the world do you read the Bible and not get the idea of the substitutionary atonement? I'm not a PhD theologian, but even I can see the atonement is the point of the whole book.

If you choose not to believe it, that's one thing. But to say that it's not biblical is just absurd.

From the beginning...

It's Easter week - the time when Christians around the world reflect on the horror, majesty, and wonder of Christ's work on the cross for us. Truthfully, we [ought to] reflect on this every day of every week. The cross is central to the very notion of Christianity. But, Easter is a fitting, special season of reflection for those who know Christ.

I recently bought Logos Bible Software (which will be the subject of a future post) and set up a new 'reading plan' in there. Ironically or providentially, yesterday the following passages were on my list.

The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.” (Ge 3:14-15, ESV)

This passage is referred to by some cool theologian-types as a 'protoevangelion', the first articulation of the Gospel message in Scripture. Here, within the first four pages of your Bible, is the notion that one would come and suffer injury in order to crush the power of the Enemy. Isn't that amazing? It's even more shocking when one considers that God was not shocked at this development. He wasn't improvising a response to some unforseen set of circumstances... "Oops! No how in the world am I going to fix this?"

Instead, the triune God was trumpeting the beginning of a redemptive work fashioned, for His own glory, before the universe was called into being.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Eph 1:3-10, ESV)

The unfolding, and our understanding, of the plan of God takes place in time. We are finite beings who live our whole lives as bound by this strange, linear construct we call time. Days and minutes pass, we grow old, life waxes and wanes. When we look at Christ's atoning death, we see it as an event, a point in time, somewhere around 2000 years ago. And that's true... But God had purposed that moment of history in the unsearchable, eternal counsel of His will. Before Adam drew his first breath, the cross was planted on the horizon and the glorious end of human history was written.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Pe 1:10-12, ESV)

All through history, people who loved the Lord were watching, waiting, and crying out for salvation. The prophets all pointed to and heralded its coming over and over... But now we know. Now, by God's grace, we can see the glories of Christ in the Gospel - glories that astonish even the angels in the throne room of God.

On Easter, we join our voices with the choirs of Heaven as we extol the mystery, beauty, power, and wonder of the cross... The glory of the Son of God who ransomed sinners is not just for now. It was established before time, and will continue into eternity.

He is Risen!