The GOSPEL for OC

Thrice is one of the most underrated bands currently around.  If you have not yet enjoyed the listening pleasures of their 2009 release Beggars, I highly suggest you purchase it for your own. The four guys in the band are also Irvine, CA, natives.

One of the album’s songs I’m really loving at the moment is the song In Exile.

THRICE // ‘IN EXILE’

I am an exile, a sojourner
A citizen of some other place
All I’ve seen is just a glimmer in just a shadowy mirror
But I know one day we’ll see face to face

I am a nomad, a wanderer
I have nowhere to lay my head down
There’s no point in putting roots too deep when I’m moving on
Not settling for this unsettling town

My heart is filled with songs of forever
A city that endures, where all is made new
And no I don’t belong here
I’ll never call this place my home
I’m just passing through

I am a pilgrim, a voyager
I won’t rest until my lips touch the shore
Of the land that I’ve been longing for as long as I’ve lived
Where there’ll be no pain or tears anymore

—-end song—-

Such a rad song. As I listen to it, I consider the words of the apostle Paul in his letter to the saints of the church in Philippi:

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

(Philippians 3:12-21)

Oh, Lord, haste the day.

In his book The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, author and blogger Tim Challies urges readers to find value in spiritual discernment:

Mature Christians have learned to differentiate between what is pleasing to God and what is not, between what is consistent with Scripture and what is not. The Bible places great emphasis on spiritual maturity because, like children, immature believers are prone to sample anything. They are attracted to what looks good to their untrained eyes. Only as they grow in maturity are they able to differentiate between what pleases God and what does not. Because of this there can be no growth without discernment . . .

This is the bad news. Scripture portrays those who lack spiritual discernment in three ways: they are spiritually immature, they are backslidden, and they are dead. Those who lack discernment or do not care for it will fit into one of these three categories. These are the dangers of ignoring discernment.

But there is good news, too. The Bible declares that there are many benefits stored up for those who desire discernment, those who seek after it and practice it.

Lord, by your grace, help us to desire this.

Only One Life
A poem by Charles Thomas Studd  (Missionary to China, India & Africa)

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ’twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

I would like to address the issue of presenting what many refer to as a “watered-down” Gospel. First of all, I would like to change the terminology by calling it a “compromised” Gospel. I prefer this change of terms because to say “watered-down” gives the impression that the problem with this sort of Gospel is its simplicity. There is no problem with simplicity—in fact, the Gospel can be quite simple—but there is a problem when we leave essential truths out of our presentation of the Gospel. A huge problem.

I recently heard a pastor teaching on the Gospel, saying that what is important is that people trust in Jesus, and that the words don’t matter. This made me sad that people had presented the Gospel in such a way that it seemed like the words were more important than the truths they present. But the fact is this: there are certain words that stand for very important things–things we are willing to stand for and are unwilling to leave out of our understanding of the Gospel. It is enough to trust in Jesus; however, it is not enough to just say we do. What if we don’t know who he is or why we can trust in him? Then our “trust” is meaningless, and it is not in anything real. Jesus, however, is very real.

The truth is that there are many compromised, or incomplete, versions of the Gospel which a person can hear and still get saved. However, we should not be willing to leave any wiggle room when it comes to the salvation of souls. Our goal in the way we present the Gospel ought to be to present it in such a way that, if someone believes in his heart and mind that every word heard is true, and trusts in that truth, salvation is the only possibility. If we were to simply say “Trust in Jesus!” the hearer may have heard (from a person or from the Holy Spirit) enough about Jesus to truly trust in him for salvation. But it is also possible that he may not have.  Likewise, if we say, “Believe that you are a sinner!” without mentioning that the Cross saves people from their sin, the hearer may come to belief in the cross, but he also may not. There are some ideas that we must not leave out of our presentation of the Gospel, because if we do, we are simply leaving too much room for Satan and sin to misinterpret the message that we bring.

We cannot allow this.

So let’s look at what these essentials are:

• Sin (total depravity): If we present the Gospel to people without telling them that they are sinful, they may not repent of their sin. Furthermore, they may not see the truth of the fullness of what the Cross was for and what it saves them from (Psalm 51:5).
• The Cross (substitutionary atonement): On the Cross, Jesus bore the wrath of God, which rests justly on unrepentant sinners. If people hear that they are sinful without hearing that Jesus overcame their sin, they are not led into salvation; instead, they are led into fear.  We must preach in fullness. We must preach confidently that on the Cross, Jesus destroyed our sinful nature, paid for its offenses against the Lord, absorbed the wrath we rightfully deserved, and gave his righteousness to those who trust in it’s sufficiency (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• The New Birth (regeneration): When we came into this world, through our natural birth, we were born with sinful desires.  However, when we come to believe in the Gospel, not only are our offensive actions and desires forgiven, but we are given a new nature–through a new birth–with new desires and a new ability to do good works (which we did not have in our sinful nature) through spiritual gifts (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Now, does this mean that if you don’t use the phrase substitutionary atonement, then you are presenting a false, or compromised Gospel? No.  Now, I love those words, and I absolutely think they are beneficial, but I do not place my trust in those words; I trust in the truth that they represent.

Now, here is another question that I already have an answer for: Does this mean if we preach a complete Gospel, then every hearer will be saved? No. Saving souls is the work of God, not us. However, it is our job to tell the fullness of the truth, out of love for others, and the rest we trust to the work of the Spirit. Preaching a complete Gospel is not about control; it is about faithfulness.

Let us be motivated by our love for God, and for one another, to preach the Gospel, simply–but in the fullness of its truth–and never forgetting the necessity or victory of the Cross of Jesus.

As always, in typical “Click On These” fashion, we invite you to click on these:

This one is for the dudes. To the old-timer husbands: it’s never too late. To the yet-to-be husbands: it’s never too early. Whether you are newlywed, oldlywed, soon-to-be wed or Lord-willing-I-will-eventually wed, author/pastor JD Greear offers biblical and practical advice on being a legit husband.

I (Chris) love reading Jonathan Edwards. Love. The Essential Edwards Collection is a new release by Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney, meant to stir hearts by introducing some of the most prolific works of Edwards. It enters the book scene with high praises from men who know what they’re talking about… check out the blurbs on Justin Taylor’s blog.

CJ Mahaney explains why he was compelled to invited Matt Chandler to take his session at this year’s Together for the Gospel conference. For those in ministry, I found this to be both a great example of pastoral humility and a sobering reminder of ministry in the trenches.

Brent Diggs puts together a simple, yet compelling video, that begs an answer to the question: What does being “Christian” mean?

Modesty and Orange County… is there a tension there? Geoff Ashley of The Village Church (in the suburban Flower Mound, TX) offers an insightful article on the virtue of modesty.

Author and blogger Tim Challies writes, “I drove home to me something that the Bible teaches but something I had never really seen before—that true believers want and eventually need to move from milk to meat. Though they may not have a category to describe what is missing from their lives they will feel a restlessness.” He testifies of what God changed in him once this desire began to grow in himself.

The following video was directed by Tristan Carnahan at Desiring God.

The narration is read from C.S. Lewis’ The Weight of Glory:

If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. (The Weight of Glory, 26)

If you are viewing through an RSS reader, you will have to click on the post title to view the video.

Reflecting on Isaiah 44, Cam Huxford from Mars Hill Church (Seattle, WA) created this short video to tell of his idolatry.

Isaiah 44:21-22:

Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.

(via The Resurgence)

photo by John Carmichael. (cc)

The topic of Creation has been an evangelical hot topic in recent years.

Usually, when the subject comes up, we automatically think about the Creation vs. Evolution debate, or we consider whether there was a literal six-day creation vs. a “day age” theory. There is an abundance of literature on these subjects and for good reason. The questions and discussion about things like the origin of man are very important and Christians should enter into that dialogue. However, the Biblical Theological theme of Creation goes beyond these common quarrels about chronology and duration, so please understand that my aim is not to resolve any of these disputes on the subject. Remember our goal throughout the Central Themes in Biblical Theology series: to see what the Bible says, with a particular focus on how it says it and what it is emphasizing.

As a further disclaimer, this is not my attempt to articulate the entire Biblical Theological theme of Creation. Instead, I want to introduce you to it and, perhaps, spark your interest to study it more.

In the beginning, God…

Have you ever heard someone say something along the lines of: “That’s the kind of God I could believe in,” or “I couldn’t believe in a God like that?” This assumption that we could actually choose what kind of God we want to believe in is blown out of the water in the first verse of the Bible, “In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1). The question for you and I is not what kind of God we can believe in, it is what kind of God is already there. His existence is assumed, and consequently what he is like follows.

The first thing that God actually does—the first thing that is predicated of God—is speak (Genesis 1:3). This is an expression of power. It introduces something that runs right through the entire Bible, God is a talking God—a God who speaks. Think about that. The fact that God speaks means that he is a God who reveals. Not only does the fact that he spoke light into existence express power, but this transcendence makes himself known to finite humans.

God Creates

Notice, in this opening passage, that God is the starting point. He made everything, and he himself is unmade. In this truth, there is an absolute difference between the Creator and the created. It shows God’s self-sufficiency. He needs nothing (Acts 17:24-25). We do need something, based on the simple nature of our origination. We need God in order to exist, thus we are utterly dependent and insufficient in, and of, ourselves. This truth of God’s independence and our dependence is the foundation stone of grace! There is nothing we have (or are) that could sway God to act on our favor. So, even our very life and breath is evidence of God’s grace, of his showing us unearned favor. God is also personally involved with his creation. He does so by exercising his perfect love and his just wrath.

Personally involved in his wrath… how does that work? Think about it: this idea of a righteous wrath. It implies that God be personally involved in his creation. He is wrathful against sin because all sin is ultimately committed against him, the Creator. He responds because he cares to. The best example of this personal involvement in scripture is the cross of Christ. We see the wrath of God—meant for us who believe, in every right way possible—being absorbed and satisfied by God’s own Son (Romans 3:23-25). It doesn’t get any more personal than that. Moreover, the cross wonderfully demonstrates God’s personal involvement in blessing his creation, since it is the single, greatest act of love that has ever occurred.

Creator God means a God that is involved.

God’s Purpose for, and Relationship with, Man

This Biblical doctrine of Creation is what establishes our accountability to God. The truth is that God created man with intention. We rebel against this intention—against his intention—when we sin. Because of this, we are put in a place of infinite dept to an eternal God. While sitting in a class lecture, I once heard Don Carson declare with passion, “No, I can’t back off entirely… the truth of the matter is that God made you, you owe him, and you will have to give an account to him.” The Creator is repeatedly described as seeing all that he makes as good. He is making moral decisions of good versus bad, inevitably saying that evil did not come out of the world the way that he intrinsically made it!

With the creation of Man we are introduced to the concept of the image of God. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Does it have to do with speech, beauty, relationships, or the ability to know? Looking at how the phrase is used in scripture, it never gives a concise definition of the term. But, if we put the pieces together as the story progresses we could articulate it by saying, “God is the creator, we are created. We are from the dust and to the dust we will return. There are still these and other distinctions, but apart from these distinctions, human beings are created to image God.” And what happens to this image of God during the Fall in chapter three? Is it lost completely? At the risk oversimplifying, the answer is no. Man still carries the ability and responsibility to exercise authority; however, the abuse of this authority by humans is a result of sin, not of the authority itself. It is not demolished, but tainted by sin.

And even still, by his grace, us humans continue to have relationships with God.

When I look at the book of Job and the Psalms and consider the peculiar place of God’s favor that human beings have over all creation, I stand in awe and wonder (Job. 7:17, 15:14; Psalm 8:4, 144:3). We must learn, as Job does in chapters 38-41, that the healthiest way to respond to creation is to put our hands over our mouths and acknowledge how much we don’t know.

A New Creation

As we trace the thread of creation through Scripture, the Creation theme grows even grander, and we meet the idea of a New Creation in the New Testament. Paul says that when salvation occurs, we become a “new creation.” We are created anew. We are given the ultimate promise is of a new heaven and a new earth. Romans 8: this fallen and cursed order is in “travail” waiting for the restoration of all things. As a part of the glorification of the saints he creates this new world order.

In sum, as we contemplate the role of creation in the great divine narrative, there should be a sense of awe in all of us at the grace that God has shown us through it. Consider how we literally have no place in determining what God should and shouldn’t be like according to our preferences. Consider how this God has revealed himself to us through words. And, we are infinitely accountable to this God in every way, as we are his creatures. We belong to him. The only way that his intention can be fulfilled in us is through our becoming a New Creation by faith in Jesus Christ.

Praise God, our Creator, for such a sweet, sweet gift.

I’ve been thinking about this compelling quote from The Modern Post this morning. Commenting on the problem of syncretism within Christian culture, David F. Wells writes:

“It is one of the defining marks of Our Time that God is now weightless. I do not mean by this that he is ethereal but rather that he has become unimportant. He rests upon the world so inconsequentially as not to be noticeable. He has lost his saliency for human life. Those who assure the pollsters of their belief in God’s existence may nonetheless consider him less interesting than television, his commands less authoritative than their appetites for affluence and influence, his judgment no more awe-inspiring than the evening news, and his truth less compelling than the advertisers’ sweet fog of flattery and lies. That is weightlessness.”

–David F. Wells, God in the Wasteland (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), 88.

Nick Bogardus concludes: “Not only are those who don’t know Jesus lost, it’s clear that a growing number within the church are lost as well.”

Some food for thought today.

From the Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers.

Heavenly Father,

If I should suffer need, and go unclothed, and be in poverty,
make my heart prize thy love,
know it, be constrained by it,
though I be denied all blessings.
It is thy mercy to afflict and try me with wants,
for by these trials I see my sins, and desire severance from them.
Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations,
if I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil,
and be delivered from it with gratitude to thee,
acknowledging this as the highest testimony of thy love.

When thy Son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin
he became more dear to me than sin had formerly been;
his kindly rule replaced sin’s tyranny.
Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued
I must not only labour to overcome it,
but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it,
and he must become to me more than vile lust had been;
that his sweetness, power, life may be there.
Thus I must seek a grace from him contrary to sin,
but must not claim it apart from himself.

When I am afraid of evils to come,
comfort me by showing me that in myself
I am a dying, condemned wretch,
but in Christ I am reconciled and live;
that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest,
but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace;
that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good,
but in Christ I have ability to do all things.
Though now I have his graces in part,
I shall shortly have them perfectly in that state
where thou wilt show thyself fully reconciled,
and alone sufficient, efficient,
loving me completely, with sin abolished.
O Lord, hasten that day.