Treasure... what does it make you think of?
maybe pirates with maps and shovels on a quest for wealth... or maybe the image of a sunken chest with a lock... maybe gold....silver.....jewels..
We use the word quite often, but we hardly ever think about what the word actually implies.
Dictionary.com defines it quite simply: wealth, rich materials, valuable things
and the verb (to treasure) : to regard or treat as precious.
Nothing out of the ordinary right? Lets look at the word in its biblical context....one verse that sums up Christian living...one parable that is the answer to how we reach our ultimate joy and bring Glory to God at the same time. Mathew 13: 44
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Over the next week or so, I want to discuss the importance of treasuring Christ. This is what the Christian is called to do. Dictionary.com can't begin to describe his worth.
Ryan
Showing posts with label Ryan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan. Show all posts
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Supremacy of Christ in the Midst of Sorrow
Wednesday night at 5:30, Steven Curtis Chapman’s 5 year old daughter died tragically in an accident on their driveway. It took no time for the tragic news to spread; Christians all over the world have been grieving with and praying for the family of one of their favorite musicians. Maria Sue Chapman was adopted from China along with two other of his six children.
Many of you may not know this, but Steven’s family is probably the reason that I have two adopted sisters of my own. The Chapman’s love of adoption and vision for other Christians in adoption is used by God everyday. Maria was loved as much as any daughter could be, and having an adopted 5 year old sister, I couldn’t begin to imagine that magnitude of pain felt by Steven, Mary Beth, and the other children. It is a truly horrible tragedy and everyone should keep their family in their prayers.
Even in the midst of such overwhelming sorrow, something must be stood up for, something that I know the Chapmans and their wonderful church in Nashville hold to. The undeniable truth, even through the pain of such an event, is that God is completely sovereign. God is entirely in control and is not the least bit surprised or confused by this.
It seems hard to grasp, and it is. To think that a good God could have his hand in such a catastrophic thing seems impossible to justify. How could a loving God who is in control let such a terrible thing happen? It would seem that either God’s omnipotence or goodness were in question.
Here is the answer, and I stand by it till death. God is completely, entirely in control. Hard as it is to grasp, this is God’s purpose for the Chapman family, and for His glory. It is ultimately good, in ways that we will never understand. Romans 8:28 tells us that God works all things for good, and he is. I know that the Chapmans believe this, and I pray that even in the midst of unbearable pain, we would give God the glory and honor that he is due! The Chapmans, in the midst of the greatest pain any of them have ever felt, have a chance to REALLY MAKE GOD LOOK GLORIOUS!
It is completely understandable to struggle with this. Even Jonathan Edwards said that the supreme sovereignty of God seemed at once to be a “Horrible Doctrine”, but once he saw both in God’s word and in his own experiences that God’s sovereignty gives us a God who is in control of the situation, and working it towards a greater good, rather than a God who is at the mercy of fate, it changed both his ministry and his life.
Do you see the comfort associated with God’s sovereignty? Rather than letting Theodicy lead you to a God who is not in control, and doesn’t even know what will happen, let God’s Sovereignty answer the problem of evil! Are we to be more satisfied if we keep God good in our minds by letting him be distant and uninvolved in our problems, or constantly with us and the author of our lives and faith who will work all things for his Glory and our joy?
Nothing could be more comforting than a God who is in control, and conversely, I couldn’t imagine anything more terrifying than a God who is at the mercy of men and fate.
Samuel Rodigast spoke of both the difficulty in accepting, and comfort of knowing these truths in his hymn “Whate’er My God Ordains is Right”
"Whate’er my God ordains is right:
Though now this cup, in drinking,
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it, all unshrinking.
My God is true; each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart
And pain and sorrow shall depart."
Though it seems bitter at the time, knowing that God is sovereign and has his hand in the situation, we need to realize that our finite minds can only see the moment and that God sees the whole picture and is working everything out for his glory and our joy.
It is a horrible thing to see all this. To listen to “Cinderella” is close to impossible, but in the midst of this unspeakable pain, the Chapmans know, and I know, that God is just as in control now as he ever was. Our Sovereign Father was in the same place Wednesday night, that he was when he watched his own son hang on the cross. He was there, involved, completely in control. What could be more comforting?
All Glory in heaven and on earth be to our God
He is enough
He is good
He will take care of us
-Ryan
Many of you may not know this, but Steven’s family is probably the reason that I have two adopted sisters of my own. The Chapman’s love of adoption and vision for other Christians in adoption is used by God everyday. Maria was loved as much as any daughter could be, and having an adopted 5 year old sister, I couldn’t begin to imagine that magnitude of pain felt by Steven, Mary Beth, and the other children. It is a truly horrible tragedy and everyone should keep their family in their prayers.
Even in the midst of such overwhelming sorrow, something must be stood up for, something that I know the Chapmans and their wonderful church in Nashville hold to. The undeniable truth, even through the pain of such an event, is that God is completely sovereign. God is entirely in control and is not the least bit surprised or confused by this.
It seems hard to grasp, and it is. To think that a good God could have his hand in such a catastrophic thing seems impossible to justify. How could a loving God who is in control let such a terrible thing happen? It would seem that either God’s omnipotence or goodness were in question.
Here is the answer, and I stand by it till death. God is completely, entirely in control. Hard as it is to grasp, this is God’s purpose for the Chapman family, and for His glory. It is ultimately good, in ways that we will never understand. Romans 8:28 tells us that God works all things for good, and he is. I know that the Chapmans believe this, and I pray that even in the midst of unbearable pain, we would give God the glory and honor that he is due! The Chapmans, in the midst of the greatest pain any of them have ever felt, have a chance to REALLY MAKE GOD LOOK GLORIOUS!
It is completely understandable to struggle with this. Even Jonathan Edwards said that the supreme sovereignty of God seemed at once to be a “Horrible Doctrine”, but once he saw both in God’s word and in his own experiences that God’s sovereignty gives us a God who is in control of the situation, and working it towards a greater good, rather than a God who is at the mercy of fate, it changed both his ministry and his life.
Do you see the comfort associated with God’s sovereignty? Rather than letting Theodicy lead you to a God who is not in control, and doesn’t even know what will happen, let God’s Sovereignty answer the problem of evil! Are we to be more satisfied if we keep God good in our minds by letting him be distant and uninvolved in our problems, or constantly with us and the author of our lives and faith who will work all things for his Glory and our joy?
Nothing could be more comforting than a God who is in control, and conversely, I couldn’t imagine anything more terrifying than a God who is at the mercy of men and fate.
Samuel Rodigast spoke of both the difficulty in accepting, and comfort of knowing these truths in his hymn “Whate’er My God Ordains is Right”
"Whate’er my God ordains is right:
Though now this cup, in drinking,
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it, all unshrinking.
My God is true; each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart
And pain and sorrow shall depart."
Though it seems bitter at the time, knowing that God is sovereign and has his hand in the situation, we need to realize that our finite minds can only see the moment and that God sees the whole picture and is working everything out for his glory and our joy.
It is a horrible thing to see all this. To listen to “Cinderella” is close to impossible, but in the midst of this unspeakable pain, the Chapmans know, and I know, that God is just as in control now as he ever was. Our Sovereign Father was in the same place Wednesday night, that he was when he watched his own son hang on the cross. He was there, involved, completely in control. What could be more comforting?
All Glory in heaven and on earth be to our God
He is enough
He is good
He will take care of us
-Ryan
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Truth and the Supremacy of Christ
Early this semester I watched a few videos put out by Focus on the Family called “The Truth Project.” It was a very biblical, logical, and interesting approach to discover the truth of the Gospel and who God is. The very first week, the speaker made a very good point that I would bet most of you don’t know, so before you read on, see if you can dig through the scripture in your brain and find the answer.
Why did Christ come into the world?
There is only one time that Jesus said “This is why I have come into the world…” When was it? What was his answer? It seems like a pretty important question right? Well lets look at the scripture.
Jesus is before Pilate who asks him “So are you King?” to which Jesus gives a remarkable response (well of course he does, he’s Jesus!) “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.” (John 18:37)
Wow! I bet that isn’t what some of you expected. Do you see that truth as it relates to Christ is obviously fundamental to the Christian faith? There’s no going around it, Christ came into the world to testify to the truth.
The point I am trying to make is that a biblical definition of truth, and what it meant to Jesus is paramount in understanding and even believing in the Supremacy of Christ.
Postmodernism
Here’s the dictionary definition:
Any of a number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of established modernism.
Postmodernism is a blatant rejection of the logical principles of truth and an embrace of a relativistic philosophy centered around the acceptance of uncertainty. It is the current secular humanistic view of life, and says that truth is relative and is different from person to person.
Now if you are anything like me that last sentence just confuses you to death! I mean at least pick a different word; truth could be defined as what exists outside of our minds and what doesn’t change from person to person. Naturally, truth and relativism are near antonyms. I mean, this doesn’t seem like rocket science to me (not that there is anything wrong with rocket science Eric ). Aristotle figured it out! He was not a child of God, but he through what I think is quite simple logic came to a very basic and elementary conclusion.
“'to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true”
This almost needs a “duh” at the end. With the understanding that the lost will never be able to fully understand what we know is true, lets move on to the real, frankly disturbing issue at hand.
Post Modernism and the Church
Ouch. I hope it hurts you to read that as much as it made me cringe to type it. Nevertheless, it is true. The heresy of postmodernism has infiltrated church walls and is being accepted and taught by many of today’s rising figures in Christianity, including a man that is called by many “the next Billy Graham.” Yikes!
It seems contradictory from the start. How could a religion based completely on the fundamentals of what “is,” be accepted and followed by people who’s cultural worldview says “Truth is relative and can’t be known for sure?” Here’s how the Emergent (postmodern) church justifies this.
In Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis, he uses the metaphor of a trampoline. He says that the Christian life is like jumping on a trampoline, and the doctrines of the faith are like springs. Bells says that all we should focus on is jumping on the trampoline, that we spend too much time checking the springs. And what if one of these strings pops? Are we OK? Of course! The trampoline keeps propelling us upward towards God. This appealing example says that Doctrine is flexible, indefinite and not entirely important.
Now let me make something VERY clear before I explain the danger and heresy that is brought about by this picture. These springs are not “Calvinism” or “Armenianism” or “views on baptism” or “when to take communion” or ”dispensationalism.”
The book uses things such as the virgin birth, or divinity of Christ to define these springs. I’m not at all saying we should spend all day bickering over the picky things of complex doctrine that both sides of the issues have questions and concerns. That is not his analogy. On the contrary, the Emergent Church seems bent on marginalizing the essential unarguable doctrines of Christianity.
Postmodernism in the church says that like a brick wall, Christianity is solid and unmovable, but also like a brick wall, you can remove on theological brick and have the wall perfectly unmoved. This disturbs and puzzles me.
Take Barry Bonds for example. He set the all time homerun record right? 672 homeruns... I think it is safe to say that he is a fantastic baseball player, very possibly the best. He has meaning, reason, standard in the world of baseball and in the culture of America. But wait, I’m forgetting something huh... the steroids.
Barry Bonds cheated. Broke the law and the rules of baseball, and lied in court about it. I know he’s still a great baseball player, but to me, that record means nothing. I don’t care if he his 600 more, he cheated, he was fake.
Now in the exact same way, how could you EVER tell me that we can still trust and cherish the Bible as the Inspired, Inerrant, Infallible, and Authoritative Word, if it isn’t what it itself claims to be. Perfect. Again, I’m not talking little controversial issues that aren’t addressed completely in scripture; I am talking about the fundamental essential doctrines of our faith. If the Bible has lied, how can we accept it? If it has lied, we as Christians could be logically torn to bits; the bible would immediately contradict itself in so many places.
We must stand up against this uprising of heresy. Christ came to testify to the truth, and in response, we much be entirely apposed to this cowardly cave-in of Christian meaning and understanding.
How Postmodernism seeks to destroy the Supremacy of Christ
Here are 3 simple reasons why what these new theological thinkers bring to the table is completely contradictory to what we know about who God is and what he has given us and done for us.
1. It seeks to belittle and marginalize the authority and inerrancy of scripture.
To expound on what I discussed earlier, lets look at a section of Bell’s Velvet Elvis that I pulled from a pro-Emergent Church Blog.
“What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archeologists find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births?
What if that spring were seriously questioned? Could a person keep on jumping? Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live? Or does the whole thing fall apart?”
If you have a biblical truth-seeking understanding of scripture this should absolutely infuriate you. What a mockery of Truth! Essentially, what is being asked here is “what if the Bible was proven completely and irreversibly false? Then do we have a legitimate faith?” To which the answer is a resounding NO! Not only is this a complete butchering of the divinity of Christ (which sounds awful Gnostic to me) but it’s just downright disgusting. It reeks of disrespect for Gods holy word. Read the passage again keeping in mind the fact that God through the writers of the Gospels has told us about the complete divinity and humanity of Christ through the glory of the virgin birth. I hate it.
2. It seeks to destroy Biblical doctrine and discourage the studying of God’s word.
The Emergent Church, rather than encouraging believers to study to know who God is, encourages a hatred of theology and an embrace of the uncertain, making very clear its postmodern roots.
These leaders often promote what sounds good and happy about God above the glorious picture which the Bible paints. If God’s sovereignty means that he was in control over my friends death, let’s redefine sovereignty so we can like God more. If God’s just nature means people will go to hell, we do as Brian McLaren has and call hell “false advertising” from God, belittling his justice and making light of the rich stores of grace on the other end of the spectrum. Oh, and did you catch that? according to Emergent theology, not only is God not an author of absolute truth, but he has tricked us with falsehood.
The lack of focus on our sin, and the absence of emphasis on the Biblical nature of God fling us into a jungle of confusion and uncertainty. It’s really no wonder these leaders say that you can’t know truth; it’s impossible to match the false standards, based out of how they want God to be, to the truth of who the Glorious God of the Bible is.
Lastly and most tragically
3. It seeks to destroy the power and importance of the Gospel
This doesn’t take much explaining. I will let Brian McLaren do it for me.
“In this light, although I don't hope all Buddhists will become (cultural) Christians, I do hope all who feel so called will become Buddhist followers of Jesus; I believe they should be given that opportunity and invitation. I don't hope all Jews or Hindus will become members of the Christian religion. But I do hope all who feel so called will become Jewish or Hindu followers of Jesus...
"Ultimately, I hope that Jesus will save Buddhism, Islam, and every other religion, including the Christian religion, which often seems to need saving about as much as any other religion does. (In this context, I do wish all Christians would become followers of Jesus, but perhaps that is too much to ask. After all, I'm not doing such a hot job of it myself."
What a horrible distortion of the gospel. We all know John 14:6
‘Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ’
What is the truth? That Jesus is the only way to heaven, and that through repentance in faith we are saved through grace by the Glorious work of Jesus, who took our sins upon himself and paid our debt. This is the truth! We can stop guessing or saying that we can’t find it. There is no other name by which men are saved!
How can we not know truth? God gave us truth! He invented truth, and gave us the capacity to know it. We can rest assured in the promises of scripture and know that God is God, and he is a God of truth.
Praise God that he has created a way for us and revealed it to us!
Ryan
Why did Christ come into the world?
There is only one time that Jesus said “This is why I have come into the world…” When was it? What was his answer? It seems like a pretty important question right? Well lets look at the scripture.
Jesus is before Pilate who asks him “So are you King?” to which Jesus gives a remarkable response (well of course he does, he’s Jesus!) “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.” (John 18:37)
Wow! I bet that isn’t what some of you expected. Do you see that truth as it relates to Christ is obviously fundamental to the Christian faith? There’s no going around it, Christ came into the world to testify to the truth.
The point I am trying to make is that a biblical definition of truth, and what it meant to Jesus is paramount in understanding and even believing in the Supremacy of Christ.
Postmodernism
Here’s the dictionary definition:
Any of a number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of established modernism.
Postmodernism is a blatant rejection of the logical principles of truth and an embrace of a relativistic philosophy centered around the acceptance of uncertainty. It is the current secular humanistic view of life, and says that truth is relative and is different from person to person.
Now if you are anything like me that last sentence just confuses you to death! I mean at least pick a different word; truth could be defined as what exists outside of our minds and what doesn’t change from person to person. Naturally, truth and relativism are near antonyms. I mean, this doesn’t seem like rocket science to me (not that there is anything wrong with rocket science Eric ). Aristotle figured it out! He was not a child of God, but he through what I think is quite simple logic came to a very basic and elementary conclusion.
“'to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true”
This almost needs a “duh” at the end. With the understanding that the lost will never be able to fully understand what we know is true, lets move on to the real, frankly disturbing issue at hand.
Post Modernism and the Church
Ouch. I hope it hurts you to read that as much as it made me cringe to type it. Nevertheless, it is true. The heresy of postmodernism has infiltrated church walls and is being accepted and taught by many of today’s rising figures in Christianity, including a man that is called by many “the next Billy Graham.” Yikes!
It seems contradictory from the start. How could a religion based completely on the fundamentals of what “is,” be accepted and followed by people who’s cultural worldview says “Truth is relative and can’t be known for sure?” Here’s how the Emergent (postmodern) church justifies this.
In Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis, he uses the metaphor of a trampoline. He says that the Christian life is like jumping on a trampoline, and the doctrines of the faith are like springs. Bells says that all we should focus on is jumping on the trampoline, that we spend too much time checking the springs. And what if one of these strings pops? Are we OK? Of course! The trampoline keeps propelling us upward towards God. This appealing example says that Doctrine is flexible, indefinite and not entirely important.
Now let me make something VERY clear before I explain the danger and heresy that is brought about by this picture. These springs are not “Calvinism” or “Armenianism” or “views on baptism” or “when to take communion” or ”dispensationalism.”
The book uses things such as the virgin birth, or divinity of Christ to define these springs. I’m not at all saying we should spend all day bickering over the picky things of complex doctrine that both sides of the issues have questions and concerns. That is not his analogy. On the contrary, the Emergent Church seems bent on marginalizing the essential unarguable doctrines of Christianity.
Postmodernism in the church says that like a brick wall, Christianity is solid and unmovable, but also like a brick wall, you can remove on theological brick and have the wall perfectly unmoved. This disturbs and puzzles me.
Take Barry Bonds for example. He set the all time homerun record right? 672 homeruns... I think it is safe to say that he is a fantastic baseball player, very possibly the best. He has meaning, reason, standard in the world of baseball and in the culture of America. But wait, I’m forgetting something huh... the steroids.
Barry Bonds cheated. Broke the law and the rules of baseball, and lied in court about it. I know he’s still a great baseball player, but to me, that record means nothing. I don’t care if he his 600 more, he cheated, he was fake.
Now in the exact same way, how could you EVER tell me that we can still trust and cherish the Bible as the Inspired, Inerrant, Infallible, and Authoritative Word, if it isn’t what it itself claims to be. Perfect. Again, I’m not talking little controversial issues that aren’t addressed completely in scripture; I am talking about the fundamental essential doctrines of our faith. If the Bible has lied, how can we accept it? If it has lied, we as Christians could be logically torn to bits; the bible would immediately contradict itself in so many places.
We must stand up against this uprising of heresy. Christ came to testify to the truth, and in response, we much be entirely apposed to this cowardly cave-in of Christian meaning and understanding.
How Postmodernism seeks to destroy the Supremacy of Christ
Here are 3 simple reasons why what these new theological thinkers bring to the table is completely contradictory to what we know about who God is and what he has given us and done for us.
1. It seeks to belittle and marginalize the authority and inerrancy of scripture.
To expound on what I discussed earlier, lets look at a section of Bell’s Velvet Elvis that I pulled from a pro-Emergent Church Blog.
“What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archeologists find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births?
What if that spring were seriously questioned? Could a person keep on jumping? Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live? Or does the whole thing fall apart?”
If you have a biblical truth-seeking understanding of scripture this should absolutely infuriate you. What a mockery of Truth! Essentially, what is being asked here is “what if the Bible was proven completely and irreversibly false? Then do we have a legitimate faith?” To which the answer is a resounding NO! Not only is this a complete butchering of the divinity of Christ (which sounds awful Gnostic to me) but it’s just downright disgusting. It reeks of disrespect for Gods holy word. Read the passage again keeping in mind the fact that God through the writers of the Gospels has told us about the complete divinity and humanity of Christ through the glory of the virgin birth. I hate it.
2. It seeks to destroy Biblical doctrine and discourage the studying of God’s word.
The Emergent Church, rather than encouraging believers to study to know who God is, encourages a hatred of theology and an embrace of the uncertain, making very clear its postmodern roots.
These leaders often promote what sounds good and happy about God above the glorious picture which the Bible paints. If God’s sovereignty means that he was in control over my friends death, let’s redefine sovereignty so we can like God more. If God’s just nature means people will go to hell, we do as Brian McLaren has and call hell “false advertising” from God, belittling his justice and making light of the rich stores of grace on the other end of the spectrum. Oh, and did you catch that? according to Emergent theology, not only is God not an author of absolute truth, but he has tricked us with falsehood.
The lack of focus on our sin, and the absence of emphasis on the Biblical nature of God fling us into a jungle of confusion and uncertainty. It’s really no wonder these leaders say that you can’t know truth; it’s impossible to match the false standards, based out of how they want God to be, to the truth of who the Glorious God of the Bible is.
Lastly and most tragically
3. It seeks to destroy the power and importance of the Gospel
This doesn’t take much explaining. I will let Brian McLaren do it for me.
“In this light, although I don't hope all Buddhists will become (cultural) Christians, I do hope all who feel so called will become Buddhist followers of Jesus; I believe they should be given that opportunity and invitation. I don't hope all Jews or Hindus will become members of the Christian religion. But I do hope all who feel so called will become Jewish or Hindu followers of Jesus...
"Ultimately, I hope that Jesus will save Buddhism, Islam, and every other religion, including the Christian religion, which often seems to need saving about as much as any other religion does. (In this context, I do wish all Christians would become followers of Jesus, but perhaps that is too much to ask. After all, I'm not doing such a hot job of it myself."
What a horrible distortion of the gospel. We all know John 14:6
‘Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ’
What is the truth? That Jesus is the only way to heaven, and that through repentance in faith we are saved through grace by the Glorious work of Jesus, who took our sins upon himself and paid our debt. This is the truth! We can stop guessing or saying that we can’t find it. There is no other name by which men are saved!
How can we not know truth? God gave us truth! He invented truth, and gave us the capacity to know it. We can rest assured in the promises of scripture and know that God is God, and he is a God of truth.
Praise God that he has created a way for us and revealed it to us!
Ryan
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
How are we Studying God's Word?
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16
How many times have we zoned out in the middle of a sermon, then jolted back to reality with the ever popular phrase, "Ok! Now for a few points of application." Why does James seem to the be the most often and easily studied book in the New Testament?
Lets face it. We like application! We want to hear simply and straight forward a list of things to do. Its simple; it doesn't take alot of brain power. I think we often study the word in the same way. Have you ever (like me at times) been reading a passage that you are familiar with, skimming through Paul's theological jungles until we get to the "point of application", the part that we know and understand? Lets take a look at what we're doing here.
First of all, I'm not trying to say that there is anything wrong with straight forward lists. Several books of the bible are full of them! The difficulty in the book of James is not found in comprehending what he is trying to say, but struggling through the immanent impossibility to live up to what is Required by God in his word. Similarly, there is nothing wrong with a pastor finishing his message with some clear straight forward biblical commands and ideas. It brings all the ideas together in a coherent understandable manner.
There is no problem an any of this; I love the book of James. I read through it often praying that God will cram some of it simple yet difficult commands into my thick skull. We are studying it at PURSUIT and God is showing me many things through Ryan's teaching.
But hears the question we need to ask ourselves. Is Romans 5-8 (explaining the details of Justification and the nature of our Salvation) any less applicable? Are the first 2 chapters of Ephesians explaining our calling and adoption to be less studied and emphasised? If all scripture is God breathed, his inspired word, then every word of scripture must be completely applicable. Should the only part of scripture that has a direct effect on our lives be the section that start with "do" or "don't"? Of course not!
Take Romans 5-8, study it, learn it, memorize it, pray over it, and let the awesome knowledge of God's Amazing Grace change you! Don't be afraid of theology; keep in mind that it is useless to have good theology unless it possesses you, but study who God is and let it change your life! While it is important to know what a holy God requires of us, we must also know his love and grace; it should change our lives just as much, if not more!
Bad things can happen when you get caught up in the legalism of simply abiding by written commands without the true intent in mind. Jesus shows us this in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5) what these commands really imply. I have never murdered. I have never taken another persons life. What does Jesus say? He says if I have ever hated, then I am a murder; well, that makes me a murderer. And wouldn't you know, just a few verses later, I become an adulterer. Do you see that these commands are all heart issues? We need not study the bible like a checklist of points of application. Study God's word to learn who God is and let it change your heart!
Ryan pointed out tonight at PURSUIT that we as Christians need to the the appliers. We don't need a pastor or teacher to explain to us how to integrate the truth of scripture into our hearts. We have the holy spirit! The preacher's job is to study the word of God and preach Truth! Its important, completely necessary, and in fact fundamental to growth as Christians. But with this in mind, it is OUR JOB to apply it to our lives. Every inspired word of God should be lived out.
Next time you read a passage, don't think "what is the main thing I can get out of this passage." as much as you think "how can I display the truth of these inspired words to the glory of God in the way that I live my life."
To God alone be all glory. He deserves it. We are here for it.
Ryan
How many times have we zoned out in the middle of a sermon, then jolted back to reality with the ever popular phrase, "Ok! Now for a few points of application." Why does James seem to the be the most often and easily studied book in the New Testament?
Lets face it. We like application! We want to hear simply and straight forward a list of things to do. Its simple; it doesn't take alot of brain power. I think we often study the word in the same way. Have you ever (like me at times) been reading a passage that you are familiar with, skimming through Paul's theological jungles until we get to the "point of application", the part that we know and understand? Lets take a look at what we're doing here.
First of all, I'm not trying to say that there is anything wrong with straight forward lists. Several books of the bible are full of them! The difficulty in the book of James is not found in comprehending what he is trying to say, but struggling through the immanent impossibility to live up to what is Required by God in his word. Similarly, there is nothing wrong with a pastor finishing his message with some clear straight forward biblical commands and ideas. It brings all the ideas together in a coherent understandable manner.
There is no problem an any of this; I love the book of James. I read through it often praying that God will cram some of it simple yet difficult commands into my thick skull. We are studying it at PURSUIT and God is showing me many things through Ryan's teaching.
But hears the question we need to ask ourselves. Is Romans 5-8 (explaining the details of Justification and the nature of our Salvation) any less applicable? Are the first 2 chapters of Ephesians explaining our calling and adoption to be less studied and emphasised? If all scripture is God breathed, his inspired word, then every word of scripture must be completely applicable. Should the only part of scripture that has a direct effect on our lives be the section that start with "do" or "don't"? Of course not!
Take Romans 5-8, study it, learn it, memorize it, pray over it, and let the awesome knowledge of God's Amazing Grace change you! Don't be afraid of theology; keep in mind that it is useless to have good theology unless it possesses you, but study who God is and let it change your life! While it is important to know what a holy God requires of us, we must also know his love and grace; it should change our lives just as much, if not more!
Bad things can happen when you get caught up in the legalism of simply abiding by written commands without the true intent in mind. Jesus shows us this in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5) what these commands really imply. I have never murdered. I have never taken another persons life. What does Jesus say? He says if I have ever hated, then I am a murder; well, that makes me a murderer. And wouldn't you know, just a few verses later, I become an adulterer. Do you see that these commands are all heart issues? We need not study the bible like a checklist of points of application. Study God's word to learn who God is and let it change your heart!
Ryan pointed out tonight at PURSUIT that we as Christians need to the the appliers. We don't need a pastor or teacher to explain to us how to integrate the truth of scripture into our hearts. We have the holy spirit! The preacher's job is to study the word of God and preach Truth! Its important, completely necessary, and in fact fundamental to growth as Christians. But with this in mind, it is OUR JOB to apply it to our lives. Every inspired word of God should be lived out.
Next time you read a passage, don't think "what is the main thing I can get out of this passage." as much as you think "how can I display the truth of these inspired words to the glory of God in the way that I live my life."
To God alone be all glory. He deserves it. We are here for it.
Ryan
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Sanctify is a transitive verb
For someone who acts so excited about God's post-salvation grace in our lives, and our inability to change ourselves, I can be pretty bad about living like Ryan can be perfectly good and capable on his own. What I want to talk to you (but mostly myself) about, is that even a Christians, we must constantly trust in God's faithfulness to grow us in him, rather than using God as our salvation ticket and living like we have put and end to our flesh. The Power to overcome sin and temptation is in Christ. Nowhere else.
I have always hated English Class, but I actually do remember transitive vs. non-transitive verbs. (English people, don't freak out even though I will probably butcher this explanation) A transitive verb takes an object. For example: in the sentence "Chris Krycho sang", the verb sing is non-transitive because there's no object. He isn't singing anything....just singing. In the sentence "Chris Krycho sang a song so loudly that they heard him in West Virginia." the verb sing is transitive, because he is singing a SONG. There is an object....
Lets think about sanctification.
Christians use this word all the time. In short, it is the process of becoming holy, sandwiched by justification and glorification. What is often overlooked, is the source of the sanctification. We all do it....you know..act like we have it all together; we act like we are good enough people to overcome our sin issues by reading a helpful book, making ourselves a promise, or just simply trying harder. I find again and again that It doesn't take much for God to bring us "down on my knees back to the place I should've started from" to quote some old Audio A.
When we break this down to its roots, it is really nothing more than a pride issue. How can we have a proper view of grace and act like we have done something to merit our standing with God? It doesn't take an in-depth study of Paul's letters to see how he treated sin. I have talked about in previous posts, how understanding our sin magnifies God's grace; we should not approach God with anything but a humble contrite heart. Boy did David get it right after the biggest screw-up of his life.
Psalm 51
"1 Have mercy on me,O God,according to your steadfast love;according to your abundant mercyblot out my transgressions.2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,and my sin is ever before me.4 Against you, you only, have I sinnedand done what is evil in your sight,so that you may be justified in your wordsand blameless in your judgment.5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mother conceive me.6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8 Let me hear joy and gladness;let the bones that you have broken rejoice.9 Hide your face from my sins,and blot out all my iniquities.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,and renew a right spirit within me.11 Cast me not away from your presence,and take not your Holy Spirit from me.12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,and sinners will return to you.14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,O God of my salvation,and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.15 O Lord, open my lips,and my mouth will declare your praise.16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;build up the walls of Jerusalem;19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;then bulls will be offered on your altar."
This is how we must live! We must do everything in total light of our depravity, and in out inability to change ourselves. Did David say "God, sorry I messed up, I will try harder, write a promise down in a book, and hope I don't do it again."? Of course not!! He was so broken and crushed by his sin before a holy God that he could do nothing but fall down on his face and wallow in the depths of Grace found only in the same holy God who's perfect law he had violated.
God Sanctifies us. It is transitive. We are the ones being sanctified, by the same God that saved us in the first place. Christians, stop living with an attitude that says "Well yes Christ saved me in the first place, but look what I can do now!" or "Look what I have done since them!" It is all in Christ! God changes us, and will finish that work which he began in us. We need to give the glory where it due.
Paul had it figured out. He captures the essence of Biblical humility in 1 Timothy when he calls himself the chief of sinners.
This is a major problem! So many books, many that I have read, are full of self help tips and ways that we can change our life and grow closer to God, while completely ignoring the fact that it is God who draws us to him. When we are able to conquer sin and temptation, is when we fall on our face before our loving father and cry"Abba! I can't do this. I NEED you to change my heart. Wash it white as snow."
God is faithful, and James promises us that those who ask in faith for wisdom will receive it. Perfect, good wisdom comes only from God, our salvation (though we are new creations) doesn't change that.
We need Christ everyday. We need grace everyday.
Abba Father, You are holy and perfect. I am nothing and you are everything. Father I am completely overwhelmed by my inability to conquer sin. change my heart! Renew me and let my contrite heart rejoice in the rich stores of grace and mercy found only in your arms. You alone are God, and we need you everyday.
Ryan
I have always hated English Class, but I actually do remember transitive vs. non-transitive verbs. (English people, don't freak out even though I will probably butcher this explanation) A transitive verb takes an object. For example: in the sentence "Chris Krycho sang", the verb sing is non-transitive because there's no object. He isn't singing anything....just singing. In the sentence "Chris Krycho sang a song so loudly that they heard him in West Virginia." the verb sing is transitive, because he is singing a SONG. There is an object....
Lets think about sanctification.
Christians use this word all the time. In short, it is the process of becoming holy, sandwiched by justification and glorification. What is often overlooked, is the source of the sanctification. We all do it....you know..act like we have it all together; we act like we are good enough people to overcome our sin issues by reading a helpful book, making ourselves a promise, or just simply trying harder. I find again and again that It doesn't take much for God to bring us "down on my knees back to the place I should've started from" to quote some old Audio A.
When we break this down to its roots, it is really nothing more than a pride issue. How can we have a proper view of grace and act like we have done something to merit our standing with God? It doesn't take an in-depth study of Paul's letters to see how he treated sin. I have talked about in previous posts, how understanding our sin magnifies God's grace; we should not approach God with anything but a humble contrite heart. Boy did David get it right after the biggest screw-up of his life.
Psalm 51
"1 Have mercy on me,O God,according to your steadfast love;according to your abundant mercyblot out my transgressions.2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,and my sin is ever before me.4 Against you, you only, have I sinnedand done what is evil in your sight,so that you may be justified in your wordsand blameless in your judgment.5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mother conceive me.6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8 Let me hear joy and gladness;let the bones that you have broken rejoice.9 Hide your face from my sins,and blot out all my iniquities.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,and renew a right spirit within me.11 Cast me not away from your presence,and take not your Holy Spirit from me.12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,and sinners will return to you.14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,O God of my salvation,and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.15 O Lord, open my lips,and my mouth will declare your praise.16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;build up the walls of Jerusalem;19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;then bulls will be offered on your altar."
This is how we must live! We must do everything in total light of our depravity, and in out inability to change ourselves. Did David say "God, sorry I messed up, I will try harder, write a promise down in a book, and hope I don't do it again."? Of course not!! He was so broken and crushed by his sin before a holy God that he could do nothing but fall down on his face and wallow in the depths of Grace found only in the same holy God who's perfect law he had violated.
God Sanctifies us. It is transitive. We are the ones being sanctified, by the same God that saved us in the first place. Christians, stop living with an attitude that says "Well yes Christ saved me in the first place, but look what I can do now!" or "Look what I have done since them!" It is all in Christ! God changes us, and will finish that work which he began in us. We need to give the glory where it due.
Paul had it figured out. He captures the essence of Biblical humility in 1 Timothy when he calls himself the chief of sinners.
This is a major problem! So many books, many that I have read, are full of self help tips and ways that we can change our life and grow closer to God, while completely ignoring the fact that it is God who draws us to him. When we are able to conquer sin and temptation, is when we fall on our face before our loving father and cry"Abba! I can't do this. I NEED you to change my heart. Wash it white as snow."
God is faithful, and James promises us that those who ask in faith for wisdom will receive it. Perfect, good wisdom comes only from God, our salvation (though we are new creations) doesn't change that.
We need Christ everyday. We need grace everyday.
Abba Father, You are holy and perfect. I am nothing and you are everything. Father I am completely overwhelmed by my inability to conquer sin. change my heart! Renew me and let my contrite heart rejoice in the rich stores of grace and mercy found only in your arms. You alone are God, and we need you everyday.
Ryan
Monday, February 18, 2008
Steven P. Royse
Steven is an awesome guy! He's a great Godly man in pursuit of God's glory. I learn lost of things from him on a regular basis! He is very easy to talk to, and asks very good, smart, well thought out questions, and always has good logical scriptural answers for my questions. but...........
HE NEEDS TO POST!
*yes steven, this is just to make you feel guilty
( :
-Ryan
HE NEEDS TO POST!
*yes steven, this is just to make you feel guilty
( :
-Ryan
Friday, February 15, 2008
Humility
Those of you who have had the chance to read our blog over the past month have probably noticed my expositional journey through Ephesians 2. As every good sermon comes to a close with points of application, I am going to make an attempt to show you that one of Paul’s biggest themes in these epistles is in fact, Humility.
Even in the depths and wordiness of his explanations of Theology, Paul hammers this Idea in his words, and in his life; this selfless God-centered Theology that spill over in an abundance of humility. I will even argue that humility can only be understood within the context of this Theology/ Anthropology.
Let’s look at what is probably the most recognizable 2 verses in the Chapter.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
It is so crucial that we as Christians not just recognize, but truly understand the last phrase of this passage: “that no one may boast.”
Ok, here’s the logical and scriptural conclusion of the matter:
If we are radically corrupted (Rom 3: 9-20) and incapable of doing good on our own accord, (Rom 8: 7-8) then we must come to the realization that as non-Christians, we have nothing to boast in. No level of human goodness is sufficient grounds for any boasting or self glorification. Our good works are filthy rags (Isaiah 64: 6) before a holy God. We MUST understand this.
Secondly, we look at Ephesians 2 and see something else. Our salvation wasn’t us! It is by Grace! It’s not our doing! It is a gift! Not by works, so what? So no one may boast. Our salvation is a gift, from our loving adoptive Father. We owe a debt we cannot pay; we have a broken a holy Law put in place by the creator of the Universe and deserve immediate, complete and eternal destruction. Christ pays this debt on the cross for us; we do and have done nothing to deserve this free gift of salvation.
What grounds do we have for arrogance? We as Christians many times act like we have it all together. We act as if now that we have been saved, we can take upon ourselves the responsibility to daily pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and live the Christian life. This is utterly illogical and contrary to what the Bible teaches us about, ourselves, God, and his eternal Grace imparted to his children.
Until we are humble before God, confessing the reality of our depravity and the essential nature of our dependence on him, how can we expect lo live selfless lives? Look at Paul in 1 Timothy:
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life”
This is humility! It starts here, with our most important relationship. Until we understand the magnitude of God’s grace and the extent of our unworthiness, we know nothing of Humility.
God has been hammering my heart in these areas recently.
James 1 is clear that all good things come from God. All righteousness, that we posses as Christians, is from above. God sanctifies us, shaping us, molding us, hammering at our hearts of stones, making us more and more like his perfect son.
Here comes my soapbox:
We must understand that knowledge and understanding of Scripture is one of those things.
How can we think that our excitement, or understanding of the Bible and of Theology is on our own accord? This is one of the biggest issues for many of seminary bound, theologically excited, intellectually active Christians whom I have known over the years…and this is very much a place where I have struggled.
We should NEVER view any understanding of the Bible as coming from us. If we truly understand this Theology, this Anthropology, this truth about who God is and who man is, why do we so often gloat and boast in our own self glory with regards to studying the Bible? We act as if we own accord have the ability to make complete sense of God, all his attributes, and all his dealings with man.
How Foolish!
First of all, do we really want to be serving a God that we can completely figure out? Put him in a box; confine him to what the human mind is capable of comprehending? NO! We need to let God be God! Let certain facets of his magnificence be…just magnificent! I am NOT AT ALL trying to condemn studying Theology or pursuing to know our Holy God. But do it to Know God! And Tell Others! Not just to know stuff.
This self centered pursuit of knowledge that I have been guilty of before, ultimately rests in a lack of humility; a misunderstanding of who God is, and who we are. This is a failure to acknowledge our utter dependence on Christ and to daily take up our cross and follow him. More often than not, this ultimately culminates into one of the most horrible, relationship destroying, prideful, arrogant acts that infests the church today; a complete void of grace towards other believers.
I have seen many Christians, including myself, fall prey to this. One can have a great heart for the lost, a love for God’s word, yet cannot find a sliver of grace in their hearts for fellow brothers in Christ who believe differently than themselves on minor, controversial issues. I can’t help but think of the Parable in Matthew 18:
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. “
What a terrible, illogical and selfish way to belittle the grace of God. I pray that while pursuing the absolute and immovable richness of Truth in the Gospel, we would abound in Grace and Humility towards one another, in Christ Jesus. How could we see and understand the magnitude of God’s grace towards us, yet be unwilling to show grace on issues that we ourselves are not 100% sure of. Be willing to die for the essential immovable truths of the Gospel, study and read on the finer points of Theology, and rather than letting that drive you into graceless arrogance and self-centered pursuit of knowledge, let it cause you to fall in love with God, and his Grace. And let that understanding of Grace overflow in Humility and grace towards other.
May we all be in humble pursuit of God, and may his Love overflow through us into the world.
Amen
-Ryan
Even in the depths and wordiness of his explanations of Theology, Paul hammers this Idea in his words, and in his life; this selfless God-centered Theology that spill over in an abundance of humility. I will even argue that humility can only be understood within the context of this Theology/ Anthropology.
Let’s look at what is probably the most recognizable 2 verses in the Chapter.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
It is so crucial that we as Christians not just recognize, but truly understand the last phrase of this passage: “that no one may boast.”
Ok, here’s the logical and scriptural conclusion of the matter:
If we are radically corrupted (Rom 3: 9-20) and incapable of doing good on our own accord, (Rom 8: 7-8) then we must come to the realization that as non-Christians, we have nothing to boast in. No level of human goodness is sufficient grounds for any boasting or self glorification. Our good works are filthy rags (Isaiah 64: 6) before a holy God. We MUST understand this.
Secondly, we look at Ephesians 2 and see something else. Our salvation wasn’t us! It is by Grace! It’s not our doing! It is a gift! Not by works, so what? So no one may boast. Our salvation is a gift, from our loving adoptive Father. We owe a debt we cannot pay; we have a broken a holy Law put in place by the creator of the Universe and deserve immediate, complete and eternal destruction. Christ pays this debt on the cross for us; we do and have done nothing to deserve this free gift of salvation.
What grounds do we have for arrogance? We as Christians many times act like we have it all together. We act as if now that we have been saved, we can take upon ourselves the responsibility to daily pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and live the Christian life. This is utterly illogical and contrary to what the Bible teaches us about, ourselves, God, and his eternal Grace imparted to his children.
Until we are humble before God, confessing the reality of our depravity and the essential nature of our dependence on him, how can we expect lo live selfless lives? Look at Paul in 1 Timothy:
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life”
This is humility! It starts here, with our most important relationship. Until we understand the magnitude of God’s grace and the extent of our unworthiness, we know nothing of Humility.
God has been hammering my heart in these areas recently.
James 1 is clear that all good things come from God. All righteousness, that we posses as Christians, is from above. God sanctifies us, shaping us, molding us, hammering at our hearts of stones, making us more and more like his perfect son.
Here comes my soapbox:
We must understand that knowledge and understanding of Scripture is one of those things.
How can we think that our excitement, or understanding of the Bible and of Theology is on our own accord? This is one of the biggest issues for many of seminary bound, theologically excited, intellectually active Christians whom I have known over the years…and this is very much a place where I have struggled.
We should NEVER view any understanding of the Bible as coming from us. If we truly understand this Theology, this Anthropology, this truth about who God is and who man is, why do we so often gloat and boast in our own self glory with regards to studying the Bible? We act as if we own accord have the ability to make complete sense of God, all his attributes, and all his dealings with man.
How Foolish!
First of all, do we really want to be serving a God that we can completely figure out? Put him in a box; confine him to what the human mind is capable of comprehending? NO! We need to let God be God! Let certain facets of his magnificence be…just magnificent! I am NOT AT ALL trying to condemn studying Theology or pursuing to know our Holy God. But do it to Know God! And Tell Others! Not just to know stuff.
This self centered pursuit of knowledge that I have been guilty of before, ultimately rests in a lack of humility; a misunderstanding of who God is, and who we are. This is a failure to acknowledge our utter dependence on Christ and to daily take up our cross and follow him. More often than not, this ultimately culminates into one of the most horrible, relationship destroying, prideful, arrogant acts that infests the church today; a complete void of grace towards other believers.
I have seen many Christians, including myself, fall prey to this. One can have a great heart for the lost, a love for God’s word, yet cannot find a sliver of grace in their hearts for fellow brothers in Christ who believe differently than themselves on minor, controversial issues. I can’t help but think of the Parable in Matthew 18:
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. “
What a terrible, illogical and selfish way to belittle the grace of God. I pray that while pursuing the absolute and immovable richness of Truth in the Gospel, we would abound in Grace and Humility towards one another, in Christ Jesus. How could we see and understand the magnitude of God’s grace towards us, yet be unwilling to show grace on issues that we ourselves are not 100% sure of. Be willing to die for the essential immovable truths of the Gospel, study and read on the finer points of Theology, and rather than letting that drive you into graceless arrogance and self-centered pursuit of knowledge, let it cause you to fall in love with God, and his Grace. And let that understanding of Grace overflow in Humility and grace towards other.
May we all be in humble pursuit of God, and may his Love overflow through us into the world.
Amen
-Ryan
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Unity in Christ
”14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
-Ephesians 2:14-22
I was planning on take two or three more posts to wrap up Ephesians 2, but the idea of these last several verses is so coherent, and has one central point, that I am going to finish with this post.
Let’s look at verse 14.
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one…”
“He” is obviously Christ, and notice the language here. Paul could have very easily said “He has brought us peace.” But he doesn’t. Paul claims that Christ is our peace. Now what does this mean? As we read the previous verses, we see that Christ is in fact the bridge that has united both Jew and Gentile in him. He “has made us both one” by breaking down the “dividing wall of hostility, (verse 15) by abolishing the law of man in place of two, so making peace.” How? By “[reconciling] us both to God in one body through the cross.”
The power of the cross should amaze us as Christians. Though we were obviously not around in this time period, it is important (as I wrote last week) that we see the gap that was bridged by Christ. Salvation was no longer reserved to Israel, but Gentile could be included in God’s elect. God didn’t change, nor did his nature, or his plan. God didn’t change is mind; his sovereign plan from the beginning has been to redeem all nations through the finished work of Christ, in his death, and resurrection.
Paul expounds on the principles starting in verse 17-19
“17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”
This is one access to the Father. Christ.
It is because of Christ that we are no longer strangers and aliens. It is because of Christ that we are fellow citizens with the saints. It is because of Christ that we are members of the Household of God! Do you see the gravity of this statement? We have gone from being utterly void of holiness and completely enthralled in our self-seeking nature, to being Adopted (Romans 8:15) in to the household of our new Heavenly Father. And what is the cornerstone of this foundation? Let’s finish the chapter
“20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
Everything was done through the Cross! Christ is the cornerstone of the “holy temple in the Lord.”
We have Unity in Christ! We are one in the Spirit of God! We have just addressed what this means; now here is what it doesn’t mean.
So many teachers in this day sugar coat and water down the gospel. Church leaders dumb down and take the hard parts out of their teachings and their gospel presentation to make it easier to receive. Tell me where in the scriptures that it says the gospel is easy!?!? Brothers, we can’t let this creep into the church. Unity in Christ does not by any means justify the watering down of TRUTH. We as Christians have to believe that truth is Fundamental, absolute, and contained in scripture as a whole. R.C. Sproul says of the whole argument “You can’t slaughter TRUTH in the streets for the sake of peace. You just can’t do it.” Lets look at the Beginning of 2 Timothy 4
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry”
In the NASB is says tickling instead of itching, but either way, Christians should be utterly apposed to “ear tickling” and live in joyous pursuit of proclaiming Truth!
Be excited about unity in Christ! But let that be centered around the immovable truth of the Gospel!
May God bless the reading and teaching of His inspired, infallible, inerrant, and. authoritative Word. Amen
-Ryan
-Ephesians 2:14-22
I was planning on take two or three more posts to wrap up Ephesians 2, but the idea of these last several verses is so coherent, and has one central point, that I am going to finish with this post.
Let’s look at verse 14.
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one…”
“He” is obviously Christ, and notice the language here. Paul could have very easily said “He has brought us peace.” But he doesn’t. Paul claims that Christ is our peace. Now what does this mean? As we read the previous verses, we see that Christ is in fact the bridge that has united both Jew and Gentile in him. He “has made us both one” by breaking down the “dividing wall of hostility, (verse 15) by abolishing the law of man in place of two, so making peace.” How? By “[reconciling] us both to God in one body through the cross.”
The power of the cross should amaze us as Christians. Though we were obviously not around in this time period, it is important (as I wrote last week) that we see the gap that was bridged by Christ. Salvation was no longer reserved to Israel, but Gentile could be included in God’s elect. God didn’t change, nor did his nature, or his plan. God didn’t change is mind; his sovereign plan from the beginning has been to redeem all nations through the finished work of Christ, in his death, and resurrection.
Paul expounds on the principles starting in verse 17-19
“17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”
This is one access to the Father. Christ.
It is because of Christ that we are no longer strangers and aliens. It is because of Christ that we are fellow citizens with the saints. It is because of Christ that we are members of the Household of God! Do you see the gravity of this statement? We have gone from being utterly void of holiness and completely enthralled in our self-seeking nature, to being Adopted (Romans 8:15) in to the household of our new Heavenly Father. And what is the cornerstone of this foundation? Let’s finish the chapter
“20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
Everything was done through the Cross! Christ is the cornerstone of the “holy temple in the Lord.”
We have Unity in Christ! We are one in the Spirit of God! We have just addressed what this means; now here is what it doesn’t mean.
So many teachers in this day sugar coat and water down the gospel. Church leaders dumb down and take the hard parts out of their teachings and their gospel presentation to make it easier to receive. Tell me where in the scriptures that it says the gospel is easy!?!? Brothers, we can’t let this creep into the church. Unity in Christ does not by any means justify the watering down of TRUTH. We as Christians have to believe that truth is Fundamental, absolute, and contained in scripture as a whole. R.C. Sproul says of the whole argument “You can’t slaughter TRUTH in the streets for the sake of peace. You just can’t do it.” Lets look at the Beginning of 2 Timothy 4
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry”
In the NASB is says tickling instead of itching, but either way, Christians should be utterly apposed to “ear tickling” and live in joyous pursuit of proclaiming Truth!
Be excited about unity in Christ! But let that be centered around the immovable truth of the Gospel!
May God bless the reading and teaching of His inspired, infallible, inerrant, and. authoritative Word. Amen
-Ryan
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Salvation to Gentiles?!?!?!
How about a short little post before dinner eh?
"11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
-Ephesians 2:11-13
Alright, to use the words of my good friend Todd Blackhurst, "When you see a Therefore, we need to ask ourselves 'what's it there for' " haha
Remember what Paul has just told us; He has just made written one of the most clear, all-encompassing statements about salvation in the entire scriptures in Ephesians 2:8-10. Paul conveys to us our depravity, the richness of God's Grace, and closes the passage by giving all Glory of Salvation to God.
It's important when you read a passage, to consider bother the time period and to whom the author is writing. In this case, we must consider that the idea of Salvation to a Gentile is new. Could you imajine being in the church at Ephesus and reading the scriptures all about God's chosen people, "Israel" and thinking....woah, thats...not me! Paul is making the distinction here, about the new Covenant. The Covenant of Christ.
Look at Verse 13
-"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
Things are different! God hasn't changed, the means of salvation hasn't changed (by Grace, through Faith), but now, the Ephesians (who were at one time excluded from the saving Grace of God) may be drawn by God into Salvation. The Old Testiment reverence and importance of Circumsision has been chinged to one of the heart! Lets look at Romans 2:28-29
"28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God."
and at Colossians 2:11
"11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,"
Christ, through his blood has drawn the nations to himself! Isn't redemptive history cool?
Calvin sums up verse 13 better than I could:
"But now in Christ Jesus. We must either supply the verb, now that ye have been received in Christ Jesus, or connect the word now with the conclusion of the verse, now through the blood of Christ, — which will be a still clearer exposition. In either case, the meaning is, that the Ephesians, who were far off from God and from salvation, had been reconciled to God through Christ, and made nigh by his blood; for the blood of Christ has taken away the enmity which existed between them and God, and from being enemies hath made them sons."
God has done an amazing thing by sending his son for us! He starts the chapeter by describing God's amazing Grace in our salvation, then demonstrates the power of Christs blood his calling of Gentiles! Praise be to him for his grace to the nations!
-Ryan
"11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
-Ephesians 2:11-13
Alright, to use the words of my good friend Todd Blackhurst, "When you see a Therefore, we need to ask ourselves 'what's it there for' " haha
Remember what Paul has just told us; He has just made written one of the most clear, all-encompassing statements about salvation in the entire scriptures in Ephesians 2:8-10. Paul conveys to us our depravity, the richness of God's Grace, and closes the passage by giving all Glory of Salvation to God.
It's important when you read a passage, to consider bother the time period and to whom the author is writing. In this case, we must consider that the idea of Salvation to a Gentile is new. Could you imajine being in the church at Ephesus and reading the scriptures all about God's chosen people, "Israel" and thinking....woah, thats...not me! Paul is making the distinction here, about the new Covenant. The Covenant of Christ.
Look at Verse 13
-"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
Things are different! God hasn't changed, the means of salvation hasn't changed (by Grace, through Faith), but now, the Ephesians (who were at one time excluded from the saving Grace of God) may be drawn by God into Salvation. The Old Testiment reverence and importance of Circumsision has been chinged to one of the heart! Lets look at Romans 2:28-29
"28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God."
and at Colossians 2:11
"11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,"
Christ, through his blood has drawn the nations to himself! Isn't redemptive history cool?
Calvin sums up verse 13 better than I could:
"But now in Christ Jesus. We must either supply the verb, now that ye have been received in Christ Jesus, or connect the word now with the conclusion of the verse, now through the blood of Christ, — which will be a still clearer exposition. In either case, the meaning is, that the Ephesians, who were far off from God and from salvation, had been reconciled to God through Christ, and made nigh by his blood; for the blood of Christ has taken away the enmity which existed between them and God, and from being enemies hath made them sons."
God has done an amazing thing by sending his son for us! He starts the chapeter by describing God's amazing Grace in our salvation, then demonstrates the power of Christs blood his calling of Gentiles! Praise be to him for his grace to the nations!
-Ryan
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Heart of the Reformation
The Protestant Reformation is one of the most interesting periods in history and most important times in Theology. Reformers such as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli and many others discovered scripture in a way that they had never understood before. Luther, for one, could not understand how the legalistic, works based theology of salvation taught by the Catholic Church could be in line with the Scriptural Doctrines of Grace. This passion for truth and pursuit of God, sparked one of the most chaotic and important periods in History.
In my study of Ephesians, I have come to a pair of verses that many of us that grew up in church have had memorized since age 8 or 9. Though we may know it well and be able to quote it from heart, lets take a few minutes, break it apart and see why these doctrines of Grace were so important to the Reformers.
"8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Ephesians 2:8-10
Sola Scriptura
This is the Fundamental truth that is the backbone of our entire faith. If God's word his not inspired, inerrant, and completely authoritative, our Christian life has lost its purpose and we cannot be sure of anything. Scripture is the essence of Truth. It defines Truth and the Reformers understood and lived for this. Without this undeniable truth, we cannot look at anything in the Bible as anything but a good story and the lives of these great men were utterly wasted.
Now lets get into the text!
Sola Gratia
"For it is by grace you have been saved..."
I posted the other day on the first 7 verses of Ephesians 2 and they all clearly point to fact that God's Grace alone can bridge the depths of our depravity. The Roman Catholic Church in the day of Luther was completely void of grace. Salvation was not a gift but an earned merit. People like Martin Luther could not stand to see the most precious gift known to man ignored and forgotten. Look again at the beginning of Ephesians 2
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ"
Ephesians 2:1-5
How could you take grace out of the equation? It doesn't make sense anymore! God who owes us nothing, gives us everything, paying a debt of sin that we, in our radical corruption, heap upon ourselves! A Gospel not centered entirely around the Grace of God is Heresy.
Sola Fide
"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith"
Faith is the method by which man receives salvation. God by grace pays a Christian's debt of sin on the cross, and in return, they place saving faith in Christ Jesus, not as the helper of their Salvation, but as the complete and total propitiation of their sins.
Luther Described faith in this way: "Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times. "
Daring Confidence! not a feeling, or hope, or guess. Faith in Christ means throwing yourself on God's Grace in complete realization of your own inadequacy. Only Faith! Faith in God's Grace.
Sola Christus
"...it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Its not us! We have no grounds for boasting! It astounds and confuses me how so many large church pastors find themselves on national news denying "Sola Christus." When confronted with the question, " Is Christ in fact the only way to reach heaven? What about Jews? and Muslims? What about Mormons? They believe in Jesus don't they? They just added to it right?" These so-called leaders of the church fold under the burden of self security and weasel out of the question with responses such as "oh...well that's not for me to say." or "Only God can judge the heart!" Speak the Truth! How terrible is this?!?!?!
Brian McLaren, a rising leader in the Emergent Church, completely denies the truth of John 14:6, proclaiming gloriously that the person of Jesus Christ is not the only way to salvation. He writes in his book "a Generous Orthodoxy":
"In this light, although I don’t hope all Buddhists will become (cultural) Christians, I do hope all who feel called will become Buddhist followers of Jesus; I believe they should be given that opportunity and invitation. I don’t hope all Jews or Hindus will become members of the Christian religion. But I do hope all who feel called will become Jewish or Hindu followers of Jesus. Ultimately, I hope Jesus will save Buddhism, Islam, and every other religion, including the Christian religion, which often seems to need saving about as much as any other religion does"
What a desecration of the truth! Any parents of teens that may end up reading this, I URGE you as strongly as I know how! Don't let your kids read these Emergent Church Authors. "Sola Christus" Is the Gospel! These Authors not only attack and desecrate the power of scripture, but they aim to disgrace the Glory of God. They belittle the importance of doctrine by neutralizing important truths of the gospel. There are so many great Authors that are ALL ABOUT GOD'S GRACE AND GLORY that are just as easy entertaining for teens to read. If a middle or high-schooler comes to you asking about "Blue like Jazz" or "Velvet Elvis" redirect them to a book by Brennen Manning called "The Ragamuffin Gospel" That book, I read as a freshmen in high-school and understood, is swimming with "Sola Christus" by magnifying his grace in light of our depravity. No man can boast, except in Christ. And Only in Christ.
Christ is the Gospel! This is a statement I would give my life for.
Soli Deo Gloria
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Isn't it beautiful that our salvation ultimately points back to him? God has planned this whole salvation thing out, and it works to His Glory! I only see it fit to end this discussion of our salvation by attributing all Glory to Him! I posted this earlier but feel compelled to share the point of our salvation much more with the Doxology from Jude.
"24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen"
Not to us, but to the NAME OF GOD be all Glory!
-Ryan
In my study of Ephesians, I have come to a pair of verses that many of us that grew up in church have had memorized since age 8 or 9. Though we may know it well and be able to quote it from heart, lets take a few minutes, break it apart and see why these doctrines of Grace were so important to the Reformers.
"8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Ephesians 2:8-10
Sola Scriptura
This is the Fundamental truth that is the backbone of our entire faith. If God's word his not inspired, inerrant, and completely authoritative, our Christian life has lost its purpose and we cannot be sure of anything. Scripture is the essence of Truth. It defines Truth and the Reformers understood and lived for this. Without this undeniable truth, we cannot look at anything in the Bible as anything but a good story and the lives of these great men were utterly wasted.
Now lets get into the text!
Sola Gratia
"For it is by grace you have been saved..."
I posted the other day on the first 7 verses of Ephesians 2 and they all clearly point to fact that God's Grace alone can bridge the depths of our depravity. The Roman Catholic Church in the day of Luther was completely void of grace. Salvation was not a gift but an earned merit. People like Martin Luther could not stand to see the most precious gift known to man ignored and forgotten. Look again at the beginning of Ephesians 2
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ"
Ephesians 2:1-5
How could you take grace out of the equation? It doesn't make sense anymore! God who owes us nothing, gives us everything, paying a debt of sin that we, in our radical corruption, heap upon ourselves! A Gospel not centered entirely around the Grace of God is Heresy.
Sola Fide
"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith"
Faith is the method by which man receives salvation. God by grace pays a Christian's debt of sin on the cross, and in return, they place saving faith in Christ Jesus, not as the helper of their Salvation, but as the complete and total propitiation of their sins.
Luther Described faith in this way: "Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times. "
Daring Confidence! not a feeling, or hope, or guess. Faith in Christ means throwing yourself on God's Grace in complete realization of your own inadequacy. Only Faith! Faith in God's Grace.
Sola Christus
"...it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Its not us! We have no grounds for boasting! It astounds and confuses me how so many large church pastors find themselves on national news denying "Sola Christus." When confronted with the question, " Is Christ in fact the only way to reach heaven? What about Jews? and Muslims? What about Mormons? They believe in Jesus don't they? They just added to it right?" These so-called leaders of the church fold under the burden of self security and weasel out of the question with responses such as "oh...well that's not for me to say." or "Only God can judge the heart!" Speak the Truth! How terrible is this?!?!?!
Brian McLaren, a rising leader in the Emergent Church, completely denies the truth of John 14:6, proclaiming gloriously that the person of Jesus Christ is not the only way to salvation. He writes in his book "a Generous Orthodoxy":
"In this light, although I don’t hope all Buddhists will become (cultural) Christians, I do hope all who feel called will become Buddhist followers of Jesus; I believe they should be given that opportunity and invitation. I don’t hope all Jews or Hindus will become members of the Christian religion. But I do hope all who feel called will become Jewish or Hindu followers of Jesus. Ultimately, I hope Jesus will save Buddhism, Islam, and every other religion, including the Christian religion, which often seems to need saving about as much as any other religion does"
What a desecration of the truth! Any parents of teens that may end up reading this, I URGE you as strongly as I know how! Don't let your kids read these Emergent Church Authors. "Sola Christus" Is the Gospel! These Authors not only attack and desecrate the power of scripture, but they aim to disgrace the Glory of God. They belittle the importance of doctrine by neutralizing important truths of the gospel. There are so many great Authors that are ALL ABOUT GOD'S GRACE AND GLORY that are just as easy entertaining for teens to read. If a middle or high-schooler comes to you asking about "Blue like Jazz" or "Velvet Elvis" redirect them to a book by Brennen Manning called "The Ragamuffin Gospel" That book, I read as a freshmen in high-school and understood, is swimming with "Sola Christus" by magnifying his grace in light of our depravity. No man can boast, except in Christ. And Only in Christ.
Christ is the Gospel! This is a statement I would give my life for.
Soli Deo Gloria
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Isn't it beautiful that our salvation ultimately points back to him? God has planned this whole salvation thing out, and it works to His Glory! I only see it fit to end this discussion of our salvation by attributing all Glory to Him! I posted this earlier but feel compelled to share the point of our salvation much more with the Doxology from Jude.
"24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen"
Not to us, but to the NAME OF GOD be all Glory!
-Ryan
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Immeasurable riches of his Grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:1-7
Of all the "But God"s in the bible this one might be my favorite! I love this passage because it gives us a stark comparison of pre vs. post justification. We see a few things in verses 1-3. First of all, we see that we, apart from Christ, were were totally immersed and overwhelmed by the world. We chased after ever fleeting worldly passion, and it was our nature to. According to Romans 8:7-8, we were incapable of pleasing God. Paul is trying to show us the immense depths of our awful depravity.
The Part of these first few verses that should be the most humbling to us, is verse 3. What right do we as Christians have to boast in our salvation, if apart from Christ, we are no different from the world? This is one of Paul's main themes in the book of Ephesians. Our nature is incapable of Righteousness! Apart from Christ, we have no righteousness!
Here's where the "But God" comes in!
John Calvin writes in his commentary of Ephesians
"there is no other life than that which is breathed into us by Christ: so that we begin to live only when we are ingrafted into him, and enjoy the same life with himself. This enables us to see what the apostle formerly meant by death, for that death and this resurrection are brought into contrast. To be made partakers of the life of the Son of God, — to be quickened by one Spirit, is an inestimable privilege."
Haha, I need to start using words like "inestimable", but that is what it is! God's grace is impossible to calculate! God's grace reaches from his perfect holiness to our radically corrupt nature to save us! Don't you see why Paul calls God rich in mercy? This is one of Ephesians most powerful passages, because Paul uses our depravity to give light to the magnificence of God's grace.
How Humbling! We deserve nothing. We rejected God every moment from birth until his grace broke our stubborn hearts and we were adopted as sons into the "immeasurable riches of his grace."
To God be the Glory. He saves wreched sinners.
- Ryan
Ephesians 2:1-7
Of all the "But God"s in the bible this one might be my favorite! I love this passage because it gives us a stark comparison of pre vs. post justification. We see a few things in verses 1-3. First of all, we see that we, apart from Christ, were were totally immersed and overwhelmed by the world. We chased after ever fleeting worldly passion, and it was our nature to. According to Romans 8:7-8, we were incapable of pleasing God. Paul is trying to show us the immense depths of our awful depravity.
The Part of these first few verses that should be the most humbling to us, is verse 3. What right do we as Christians have to boast in our salvation, if apart from Christ, we are no different from the world? This is one of Paul's main themes in the book of Ephesians. Our nature is incapable of Righteousness! Apart from Christ, we have no righteousness!
Here's where the "But God" comes in!
John Calvin writes in his commentary of Ephesians
"there is no other life than that which is breathed into us by Christ: so that we begin to live only when we are ingrafted into him, and enjoy the same life with himself. This enables us to see what the apostle formerly meant by death, for that death and this resurrection are brought into contrast. To be made partakers of the life of the Son of God, — to be quickened by one Spirit, is an inestimable privilege."
Haha, I need to start using words like "inestimable", but that is what it is! God's grace is impossible to calculate! God's grace reaches from his perfect holiness to our radically corrupt nature to save us! Don't you see why Paul calls God rich in mercy? This is one of Ephesians most powerful passages, because Paul uses our depravity to give light to the magnificence of God's grace.
How Humbling! We deserve nothing. We rejected God every moment from birth until his grace broke our stubborn hearts and we were adopted as sons into the "immeasurable riches of his grace."
To God be the Glory. He saves wreched sinners.
- Ryan
Friday, January 25, 2008
How Much Grace?
Starting in my next posts, I will be addressing what I am studying in my quiet times, and what God is showing through other books I am reading, but before that, I thought that it would be good for you to know what I consider to be the most magnificent and eye-opening thing God has shown me over the past few years. I am going to ask a question, not as an accusation, but just an objective question that we all know the answer to with regards to our lives.
How seriously broken and devastated are we by our sin?
How often are we as Christians just utterly destroyed by our knowledge of our flesh? Every day? Every once and a while when we make a big mistake? During the lessons at Paradigm or Pursuit?
Lets look at the Scriptures in Isaiah chapter 6.
"1In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.
2Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."
4And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
5Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.
7He touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven."
Isaiah got it. The very first thing that he noticed in the presence of the lord was his own inadequacy! Couldn't you here him say, "WHOA this is Amazing! I can't believe I am getting to see this!" but instead, he looks within himself and is ruined. another translation says undone. Isaiah was completely and utterly broken by his own sin.
So why is it so important to realize our own sin, because it magnifies God's Grace! We can't truly understand the love and grace of our father until we truly understand the depths of our depravity! When you read the Scriptures, you see so many people that get it. Take Paul for example; pretty good guy huh? Spent his life on missionary journeys, obsessed with the teaching of God's Grace through his son, and consumed with passion for glorifying God. Look at what he writes in 1 Timothy
"15It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
16Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
Did you catch it? Paul calls himself the chief of sinners! the worst! It is no question that Paul's ministry was driven by his passion for pursuing God's Glory and understanding the infinite grace that is brought about by realizing God's infinite holiness, against our radical corruption.
We need to be broken. The parts of scripture that tear me apart, I came upon while I was beginning to see the importance of all this. Whenever God compares us to an unfaithful bride, Hosea, Ezekiel 16, Judges 2, I am so undone, ruined, broken. It shows me the magnificence of God's grace; that In my flagrant infidelity, God would still choose to seek out and save me. When I wilfully choose sin, which is nothing less than what Isreal is doing when God rebukes them in Judges 2: "you whored after other God's, bowing yourselves down to them." Praise God that his Mercy is greater far than my radically corrupted unfaithful nature.
We have to humble ourselves before God, We have no righteousness of our own to stand on, scripture is clear that our good works are but filthy rags before a Holy God. Throw yourself completely on him, indulge yourself in his grace. It is enough. Be broken! like peter when the cock crows, and like the tax collector in the temple begging God for mercy. He gives it, and it is enough. God's grace is enough.
-Ryan
How seriously broken and devastated are we by our sin?
How often are we as Christians just utterly destroyed by our knowledge of our flesh? Every day? Every once and a while when we make a big mistake? During the lessons at Paradigm or Pursuit?
Lets look at the Scriptures in Isaiah chapter 6.
"1In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.
2Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."
4And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
5Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.
7He touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven."
Isaiah got it. The very first thing that he noticed in the presence of the lord was his own inadequacy! Couldn't you here him say, "WHOA this is Amazing! I can't believe I am getting to see this!" but instead, he looks within himself and is ruined. another translation says undone. Isaiah was completely and utterly broken by his own sin.
So why is it so important to realize our own sin, because it magnifies God's Grace! We can't truly understand the love and grace of our father until we truly understand the depths of our depravity! When you read the Scriptures, you see so many people that get it. Take Paul for example; pretty good guy huh? Spent his life on missionary journeys, obsessed with the teaching of God's Grace through his son, and consumed with passion for glorifying God. Look at what he writes in 1 Timothy
"15It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
16Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
Did you catch it? Paul calls himself the chief of sinners! the worst! It is no question that Paul's ministry was driven by his passion for pursuing God's Glory and understanding the infinite grace that is brought about by realizing God's infinite holiness, against our radical corruption.
We need to be broken. The parts of scripture that tear me apart, I came upon while I was beginning to see the importance of all this. Whenever God compares us to an unfaithful bride, Hosea, Ezekiel 16, Judges 2, I am so undone, ruined, broken. It shows me the magnificence of God's grace; that In my flagrant infidelity, God would still choose to seek out and save me. When I wilfully choose sin, which is nothing less than what Isreal is doing when God rebukes them in Judges 2: "you whored after other God's, bowing yourselves down to them." Praise God that his Mercy is greater far than my radically corrupted unfaithful nature.
We have to humble ourselves before God, We have no righteousness of our own to stand on, scripture is clear that our good works are but filthy rags before a Holy God. Throw yourself completely on him, indulge yourself in his grace. It is enough. Be broken! like peter when the cock crows, and like the tax collector in the temple begging God for mercy. He gives it, and it is enough. God's grace is enough.
-Ryan
Monday, January 21, 2008
Soli Deo Gloria
Soli Deo Gloria! To God alone be Glory! We are not here to make ourselves feel smart or give some false sense of glory to ourselves, but to post and share with eachother (and others) what God is revealing to us through his word. Everyone is welcome to write comments on our posts, and ask questions. Remember that all glory goes to God. We are not the true authors of anthing that we are writing on here. God is the author of his Glory, his grace to us, and Praise be to Him for designing us to seek out his Glory.
To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude 25
To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude 25
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