On Criticism

Ever been in a situation with someone who will not entertain any form of constructive criticism?  Perhaps they are defensive and closed to what you want to say?  Is this a right posture?  Or is there a place for criticism? David Powlison has some interesting thoughts on this topic:

Christ uses critics to guard our souls from self-destructive tendencies. We gain ears to listen to others when we gain ears to listen to Him….Critics, like governing authorities, are servants of God to you for good (Rom. 13:4). He who sees into hearts uses critics to help us see things in ourselves: outright failings of faith and practice, distorted emphases, blind spots, areas of neglect, attitudes and actions contradictory to stated commitments, and, yes, strengths and significant contributions. God uses critics to help us. Even if I think that a criticism is mistaken, I shouldn’t leap too quickly to the defense. Is there something I am doing or saying (or not doing and not saying) that makes that particular misinterpretation plausible? Do I leave implicit or understated something that needs to be made explicit? Does my attitude or tone or way of treating people send a mixed message? Am I not answering some important question that this person is asking? Am I not addressing some important problem that this person cares about? In my experience, the answer to these questions is usually Yes.

Let’s commit to starting candid, constructive conversations, and let’s keep them going. I need your questions and criticisms, and you need mine. This has something to do with all that talk in the Bible about ‘one another,’ and ‘different gifts distributed by the Spirit,’ and ‘growing up,’ and the ‘body of Christ,’ and ‘every nation, tribe, tongue, and people,’ and ‘the sons of Issachar understood the times,’ and ‘speaking the truth in love we grow up into Him.’ The Lord’s sovereign eye is on every impulse of every heart.

Powlison has written a wonderful article on this topic called The Cross and Criticism, which you can download HERE. I highly recommend it.

– David Powlison, from the article “Does the Shoe Fit?”

On the Gospel

R.C. Sproul answers the question, “what is the Gospel?”

The Gospel is called the ‘good news’ because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness – or lack of it – or the righteousness of another. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.

To read R.C.’s whole answer, including a common misperception of the Gospel, click HERE.  R.C. didn’t mention it, but what role does the Resurrection play in the Gospel?

On Identity

I have a confession to make… I let my identity get wrapped up in my earthly titles instead of my heavenly title.  I saw this anew when I resigned from being Pastor of Adult Ministries at Christ Community Church on December 21, 2010. I felt (and still feel to some degree) disoriented.  Who am I?  What is my life about?  What should I do now?  I realize how little I have allowed the truth of God’s Word to serve as a foundation for who I am, but rather have depended too heavily on earthly things.  So, I go back now to God’s Word and I am reminded of my heavenly title – son!

The Apostle John is one of my favorite writers in the Bible, I think because he seems to have a tender heart.  As I have been processing through the changes in my life, I have drawn back to his first letter and the following reminders of my true identity…

“…indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3 ESV).

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1 ESV).

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2 ESV).

And then throw in a dose of the Apostle Paul…

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 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” (Romans 8:15-17 ESV).

“…he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…” (Ephesians 1:5 ESV).

How about you? Any identity strugglers out there like me? Maybe I am the only one.

On Faith

The other day I was sitting in a faculty meeting, trying not to doze off during some committee reports. As I looked around, I mused over how much each of my colleagues understands about his or her discipline. It occurred to me that if there was a single mind that possessed all of the knowledge in that room, its intelligence would be surpassed in human history. I also considered how easy it would be to trust such a person if he or she were to counsel me on some matter. From there I extrapolated: What if that person had all of the combined knowledge of everyone in Indiana? In the United States? Of the entire world population? Even if God had merely the sum of all human understanding, he should be easy to trust. Yet his wisdom and knowledge infinitely exceed the best human comprehension. Still we struggle to trust him. How twisted is that?

Faith is essentially the practice of trust. And our routine failure to properly trust an infinitely wise God reveals something of our own perversity. We all desire to control our circumstances, and faith is a surrendering of that control. So we naturally tend to rebel against faith. But God graciously counteracts this tendency by nurturing us. Like a good parent, he consistently demonstrates his love. And we, like kids, must trust him on this basis.

Source: James Spiegel, Gum, Geckos, and God.  Cited from Tim Challies post Our Own Perversity, Informing the Reformed blog, 1/2/11.

On Contentment

I gave a talk one morning not long ago on the idea of contentment (cf. Heb 13:5-6).  The dictionary definition of contentment is to be satisfied, desiring no more than what one has.  It is the opposite of coveting, or the lust of the eyes.

How many people have contentment in this world?  It seems few have this rare and precious jewel.  Divorce, sexual obsessions, drug problems, materialism, crime, the self-help movement – all these seem to testify to the fact that we lack contentment.

Many people have recognized the benefits of contentment.  Socrates said, “He is the richest who is content with the least.”  “He is well paid that is well satisfied” (Shakespeare).  The Apostle Paul even wrote that “…godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6).  So, how does one cultivate a life of contentment?  Here are some ideas:

-Trust in God’s providence.  He will provide for all your needs.

-Know that you can’t take any material thing with you after you leave this life.

-Realize what is truly essential for life (food, clothing, shelter) & be thankful to God for anything above and beyond.

-Understand that material things do not truly satisfy the deepest longings of the soul.

-Understand that contentment is a gift from God (Phil. 4:11-13)

But seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness and all these things will be added to you-Matt. 6:33

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For further reading on the subject of contentment, check out The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment at the Deus Tecum bookstore.

On Friendship

Does the Bible speak of friendship?  Jonathan and David’s friendship is obviously in the Bible.  The Greek word “philadelphia” (cf. Heb. 13:1) refers to brotherly love and is made up of two words, one for a kindness type of love (often associated with friendship love) and the other for brother.  So, we have a friendship love, characterized by kindness, between Christian brothers (and sisters of course).  So yes, the Bible does speak of a love we can associate with friendship.  C.S. Lewis said that friends stand “side by side, absorbed in some common interest” and that common interest for Christians is Jesus Christ.  He is the center of all true Christian friendship.

Is love, in its many forms, important?  Yes.  It is a mark of true discipleship (Jn. 13:35).  It is also an indication of true spiritual life (1 Jn. 3:14).

What is the motivation for such love?  The author of Hebrews gives at least one motivation in Heb. 12:29 – “…our God is a consuming fire.”  (cf. Deut. 4:24).  What does this mean?  It seems to mean that there are breakable, consumable, burnable things and unbreakable, inconsumable, unburnable things in this world.  God will consume the burnable things (e.g., material things, etc.), but will refine the unburnable things so that they are pure.  So, the author is exhorting his readers to focus on the unburnable things, namely things like brotherly love.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -Matt. 6:19-21

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For further reading on friendship, I recommend Friendship by Gilbert Meilaender.  This book, along with others mentioned in this blog, can be found at the Deus Tecum bookstore.

Mere Christianity?

I remember as a teenager first reading C. S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity.  I particularly liked the title and the concept of mere Christianity (i.e., those core beliefs that all Christians can and should agree on).  As a teenager, I was ignorant of the fact that many Christians fought not only over the peripheral issues in Christianity, but more surprisingly, even what seemed to be central issues (e.g., the person and work of Christ).  As I hit my twenties and headed for my thirties, I became disillusioned with the pursuit of the concept of mere Christianity or what some may call essential Christian doctrine.

But then, my in thirties, I took a class with my friend Kevin and he helped at least see a possibility for how to wrestle with what was primary, secondary, and tertiary.  Since first seeing this, I have worked on it over the years, trying to refine and clarify.  I’ve found it useful to frame discussions in classes I teach in church as it puts issues in perspective for people (or at least for me).  Here is what I have come up with so far with significant help from Kevin.  I hope it is helpful for others out there.

1. Primary (or essential) doctrines

1.1. Definition – a doctrine in which, if someone disagrees, they cannot be considered a Christian.

1.2. Examples:

1.2.1. The Trinity

1.2.2. The Person and Work of Christ

2. Secondary doctrines

2.1. Definition – a doctrine on which Christians can disagree and still be Christian, but in order to maintain harmony in the local church, they cannot disagree or major problems will result. Primary cause of denominationalism and church splits.

2.2. Examples:

2.2.1. Church government – you cannot try to practice Episcopalian government in a congregational church.

2.2.2. Charismatic gifts – you cannot practice sign gifts (e.g., tongues) at a cessationist church.

2.2.3. Sacraments – if you believe that the sacraments are unnecessary (Salvation Army), you cannot practice in a church that does uphold the practice of the sacraments.

2.2.4. Worship music – you cannot do hymns in church’s that only want to do modern, praise music.

2.2.5. Egalitarianism – you cannot put a woman pastor in a non-egalitarian (i.e., complementarian) church.

2.2.6. Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate – difficult for Arminians to feel at home in a Calvinist church and vice versa.

3. Tertiary doctrine

3.1. Definition – a doctrine which people can disagree on in the local body, but still live harmoniously within the local body in spite of the difference.

3.2. Examples – note: these can be elevated to primary & secondary issues by some

3.2.1. Style of worship

3.2.2. Amount of tithe

3.2.3. Clothes you wear to church

3.2.4. Role of angels in the Christian life

3.2.5. End time/millennial view

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C. S. Lewis made an attempt to define mere Christianity in his book of the same title, Mere Christianity.  You can purchase this book HERE through the Deus Tecum bookstore.  Just click on the button below to visit the store.

Blog Spotlight: Pulpit Magazine

One of the many blog’s I try to follow is Pulpit Magazine, a publication from the ministry of John MacArthur and Grace Community Church.  The reason I like this resource is because of its many excellent articles on theology and life.

For example, on the topic of prayer the magazine recently ran a four-part series on If God is Sovereign, Why Pray? (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) In my conversations with people, this is one of the most common questions that come up (and it is a good, practical question too).

Another recent example comes from Tom Patton, an associate pastor at Grace Community Church, and his article The Emptiness of the American Dream…

Sadly, the unbeliever attempts the whole of his life to quench the unquenchable with something other than God. So he pursues fame, money, power, wealth, fitness, work, wisdom, education, love, or any other created thing that can perhaps quiet the desperate cry of his empty soul. But none of the things he finds—whether politics or popularity or creativity or anything else this world offers—can ever answer the call of his heart. He can pursue happiness, but he will never find it. As soon as he acquires one desire it turns into dust; as does the next, and the next after that, until life finally ends in disappointment.

This is the cotton candy fate of the American Dream that befalls all who embrace the cult of celebrity. From a distance it looks so appealing—a big and beautiful ball of glistening spun sugar. But those who finally get it, and taste it, find that it isn’t very filling. Sure, it is sweet for a moment. But it doesn’t bring lasting happiness. After a quick melt in the mouth it is gone forever . . . then what?…

What a great quote to share with a non-Christian or a Christian enamored by the world.

If you are looking for a blog that gives good theological content and attempts to intersect it with your daily life, this is a good one to explore and keep up with.

Today is Ash Wednesday

Occasionally this time of year, I’ll see students at the university where I work with an ash cross on their foreheads.  Why do they do this?  Bad hygiene?

Today is Ash Wednesday and it has been traditionally set aside by many churches as a day of repentance and fasting.  It occurs 40 days before Easter (not counting Sundays) and marks the beginning of a 40-day period called Lent, a season of fasting and prayer before Easter.  A pastor marks a person’s forehead with ash in the sign of a cross, ash being the biblical sign of sorrow and repentance (e.g., David, Daniel, Job, etc.).   Traditionally, the pastor will recite Genesis 3:19 as he makes the ashen cross (“for you are dust, and to dust you shall return”) as a way for a person to reflect on their frail humanity and his or her need for Christ.

Protestant groups that follow this tradition include some Presbyterians, Lutherans, Wesleyans, and even some churches within the Free church movement.  Other protestant groups protest the practice, believing it should be an inward, not outward, practice.  They often cite Matt. 6:16-18 in their argument:

And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Should you observe Ash Wednesday?  It really is a matter of individual consceince.  There is nothing wrong with reflecting on one’s sinfulness or fasting, but the practice should not point merely inward, but should ultimately point to Christ.  The writer of Hebrews reminds of this when he encourages us to look “to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).  As with any practice or tradition, Christ should be the center.

Remember the Gospel of Judas?

Remember the furor over the Gospel of Judas a couple of years ago?  You probably have not heard much about it lately?  Why?  Dr. Gene Edward Veith gives an update re: the saga.

Do you remember the furor over the recent discovery of an ancient manuscript entitled The Gospel of Judas? The media reported that the document presented Judas as a good guy who turned Jesus over only because Jesus told him to. The reports implied that the church had gotten it wrong over all these centuries, that Judas was no sinister betrayer but a leading disciple to whom Jesus imparted special knowledge. The media coverage indicated that we would now have to re-evaluate our knowledge of Jesus. The translation became a best-seller and National Geographic, which was behind the publication of the text, made a TV documentary on the subject.

But have you heard the rest of the story? The media that hyped The Gospel of Judas has not been as vigilant in reporting how scholars have been shooting down all of these claims, to the point of accusing the National Geographic of “scholarly malpractice.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, though, has shown how genuine scholarship got hijacked by media sensationalism, pop-culture superficiality, and commercial temptations.

The media left out the little detail that the manuscript had Judas not turning in Jesus at His request to atone for the sins of the world; rather, Judas was bent on sacrificing Jesus to a demon named Saklas. So much for this being an alternative Christian tradition.

But the biggest problem was that the manuscript was dishonestly translated. What the National Geographic translated as “spirit” (with Judas being described as the “13th spirit”) should be rendered as “demon” (with Judas being the “13th demon”). The best-seller said that Judas has been “set apart for the holy generation.” It should read “set apart from the holy generation.” Perhaps the most flagrant mistranslation was leaving out a negative, saying that Judas “would ascend to the holy generation.” The manuscript actually says that Judas “would not ascend to the holy generation.”

The National Geographic translators rendered the text so that it read the opposite of what it actually said. Apparently, even the Gnostic heretics who wrote this document did not think much of Judas.