A simple animation. A simple song. A simple speech.

I love this video because it reminds me of the simplicity of the gospel. The animation reminds me of a child-like joy and simplicity that is found in the gospel. The song, The Gospel Song, is beautiful. It is only four lines long, but they are strong and powerful. They capture the essence of God’s character, His radical love for us in His becoming incarnate, living the life we were supposed to live, and dying the death we were supposed to die, all so we might live and, ultimately, glorify Him!  In the video (1:20), John Piper summarizes the gospel  truth in a few words. Nothing elaborate, but so worshipful.

I pray that you are reminded that simplicity in our faith is not bad.  Sometimes, I think it is necessary and refreshing for our souls. The Gospel is such that a child can understand it in an instant and a scholar can search the depths of it for a lifetime. As we all grow in our passion for the Gospel, searching the depths of its truth, let’s never ignore the beautiful simplicity of it!

Holy God, in love, became
Perfect Man to bear my blame
On the cross He took my sin
By His death I live again

* “The Gospel Song” Lyrics by Drew Jones. Music by Bob Kauflin.

Book: Living Life in God’s Two Kingdoms: A Biblical Vision for Christianity and Culture (David VanDrunen)
Publisher: Crossway Publishing (2010)
Reviewed by: Josh Saenz

How does the Church maintain relevance in rapidly changing times? What does it look like to engage culture? What about social justice? Politics? Even education? As a “twenty-something Christian”, I have found myself in many late night dorm conversations, church staff meetings, even caffeine-induced debates at Starbucks over issues like these.

David VanDrunen emerges from the rabble of opinions and offers a Biblical-theological framework that may be one of the better arguments I have seen on Christianity and culture.

VanDrunen’s goal with this book is “to expound a two-kingdoms approach that is thoroughly grounded in the story of Scripture and biblical doctrine… [and to] …strive to present it in an accessible and useful form to the church in the early twenty-first century” (VanDrunen 14).

First, he explains the leading opposing views of a two-kingdoms theology—namely N.T. Wright, neo-Calvinism, and the emerging church.  More or less, they all believe to some degree that Christians both participate in and engage with culture in order to redeem it.  In doing so, they are ushering in the New Creation here and now.  This would include such areas as the arts, politics, social structure, and education, and that, when accomplished will be part of the eternal state of the world-to-come.  VanDrunen strongly disagrees with these views, arguing, “Redemption is not about regaining the original creation, but gaining the new creation by the work of Christ alone” (VanDrunen 36).

In Part 1, VanDrunen builds his case of a two-kingdoms approach by comparing the first Adam and the Last Adam (Jesus Christ). In Eden, God gave Adam a task to “work and keep” the Garden (Genesis 2:15).  If he would have accomplished the God-given task, VanDrunen argues, he would have enjoyed a reward: “enter a new creation and sit down enthroned in a royal rest” (VanDrunen 40).  But since the first Adam did not accomplish the task, he could not enter the new creation on his own.  Not only that, but all of the cultural activities of his offspring would be corrupted.  However, “[w]hat the first Adam should have done—bring the human race to everlasting life in the world-to-come by perfectly obeying his cultural commission—the second and last Adam has accomplished.  Christ has attained the original human destiny, and done so on behalf of those who trust in him” (VanDrunen 47).

Part 2 continues with the Biblical-theological approach by explaining the two different covenants God makes (1) with Noah, and (2) with Abraham.  By these two covenants we can see the two kingdoms by which God rules the world: the common kingdom and the redemptive kingdom. The Noahic covenant (Common Kingdom) is marked by the following distinctives: ordinary cultural activities, the entire human race, preservation of the natural and social order, established temporarily.  In contrast, the Abrahamic covenant (Redemptive Kingdom) is mark by the following: religious faith and worship, a particular people, bestows benefits of salvation upon the holy people, and is established for eternity (VanDrunen 82-82). The citizens of the redemptive kingdom live as sojourners (much like Abraham and those taken to Babylon in the exile) in the common kingdom, participating in cultural activities to the Glory of God, knowing full well that Christ has accomplished the cultural mandate set forth by God in the Garden of Eden.

The final part of the book, VanDrunen offers a helpful application of this wonderful biblical theology of the two-kingdoms to the Church, and more specifically how the citizens of the redemptive kingdom should participate in education, vocation, and politics.

This book was a surprise to me in many ways.  I was very pleased to discover that VanDrunen took a Biblical Theological approach, rather than proof-texting or holding theology over exegesis, which seems common for this discussion.  In addition, his high Christology and Gospel-centered focus came through in every chapter and was a great encouragement.

I learned a lot from VanDrunen, however, being unaware of a two-kingdoms theology prior to reading his book, I found myself taking more time to digest, think through, and even research further to understand the full picture of his arguments.  Armchair theologians and seminary students will eat this book up.  Others in the Church will likely benefit from his Christ-exalting approach to life as a sojourner in this world, but will probably take more time to read through this book.

VanDrunen was successful at accomplishing his goals for this work.  Living Life in God’s Two Kingdoms is definitely one of the more biblically faithful and Gospel-centered additions to the conversation of Christianity and culture in the last few years.  The application of this framework will surely guide Christians for years to come.

Over the last few days, we have looked at the past, present, and future work of Jesus Christ (I also wrote an introduction to the series).  I hope that at the close of this series, you will declare with me: everything about Jesus Christ is glorious and seek to adore Him more deeply this Christmas!

Consider, once again, the shepherds who were visited by the angels in Luke 2.  After hearing the good news, they set out to journey to this glorious babe to adore him:

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger” (Luke 2:15-16).

Where are you on your own journey this Christmas?

In the Field

Like the shepherds, you may be minding your own business and tending to the cares and concerns of this world. Jesus may not even be on your radar.  You may have stumbled across this post or website, not even believing or trusting in Jesus Christ.   May I encourage you to listen?  Listen to what the Bible says about the God-man whom this whole Christmas season is about. I pray that you would consider the glorious past, present, and future of Jesus Christ.

Journey to Adore Jesus

Some of you may be on your way to adore Jesus.  You have heard the good news of His glory and you believe it.  You are interested in seeing for yourself who He is.  Or maybe you discovered long ago how glorious Jesus Christ truly is but have ceased to adore and cherish Him as you used to.  You may be journeying to someone familiar but neglect Him in your heart’s affections.  I pray for you—that this Christmas would be a sweet journey to the presence of Jesus and you would again, or maybe for the first time, adore Jesus in all His glory!

Adoring Jesus

Others of you would consider yourself as currently adoring Christ.  You have known Him for quite some time and you treasure who He is.  Praise God! There is nothing like an intimate, loving relationship with the God of the Universe.  You have “tasted and seen that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).  Keep at it, dive deeper, and never stop. But don’t let let your adoration be the end of the journey.  Allow it to lead you to awaken others to adoring Him!

Spreading the News

If you picture yourself at the manger, adoring and treasuring Christ in all His glory, you have another task: awaken others to His glory!  The shepherds didn’t hang out with Mary and Joseph in a “holy huddle” forever. They set out to tell others about the good news of Jesus:

“And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” (Luke 2:17-18).

Tell others of what has been told to you about Jesus in God’s Word.  Tell others what you have experienced for yourself in your relationship with Him.  Tell others what a glorious treasure Christ is! I pray that you will not be ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16) this Christmas.

Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord

This post is the fourth in our series on adoring Christ this Christmas.  You can go back and read the first, second, and third posts.

Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord

Why adore him?

Everything about Jesus is glorious!

From the witness of Scripture emerges a profound picture of Christ’s glory in the future. He will return in glory, judge righteously, and be worshiped eternally for His glorious character and work!

1.  He Will Return in Glory For His Elect!

“And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (Mark 13:26-27).

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

2.  He Will Judge Righteously!

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15).

3.  He Will be Worshiped by All as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

“… at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).

“And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,“Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:3-4).

“On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16).

May you find hope this Christmas in knowing there is still more of Christ’s glory to behold in the future. We will witness His glorious return and no longer have to bear the pain and anguish of this broken world. We will see His righteousness and judgment perfectly exercised towards wickedness and evil. We will worship and adore Him forever!  I pray that God would help us set our hope on these things.

Hold fast hope!

(Next post in this series: A Journey Toward Christ)

This post is the third in our series on adoring Christ this Christmas.  You can read the first post and the second post.

Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord

Why adore him?

Everything about Jesus is glorious!

Let’s remember what Jesus Christ is doing presently—right now—and give Him all the glory!

1.  He Sits Enthroned at the Right Hand of God

“Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God…” (Romans 8:34)

“Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:33)

2.  He Sustains All Things

“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17)

3.  He Mediates Between God and Man, Making Intercession for Us

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25)

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1)

I pray that the Spirit of God would lead us to worship He who is in the honorable position at God’s right hand.  I hope that we can be struck with awe and wonder that He is holding all things together—from the vast expanse of the galaxies to the complex workings of microorganisms.  I pray also that we would approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing we have a High Priest working night and day on our behalf(Hebrews 4:16)!

Oh, how glorious Jesus is! Do you adore Him?

(Next post: The Glorious Future of Christ)

We continue with our series on adoring Christ this Christmas season.  You can read the first post here.

Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord

Why adore him?

Because everything about Jesus is glorious!

This Christmas, let us remember the person and work of Jesus Christ in the past:

1.  He’s the God of the Universe from Eternity Past

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2).

Jesus Christ eternally existed in a glorified state prior to the incarnation (Phil. 2:6; John 1:1; 17:5).  He spoke of his own authority (Matt. 5:18; 7:28-29), had an intimate relationship with God the Father (Luke 2:49), even probed the recognition of his divinity (Matt. 16:15) while receiving and accepting worship (Matt. 14:33; 28:9, 17; John 9:38; 20:28). 

2.  He Created All Things

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).

Jesus, the Son of God and second member of the Holy Trinity, created the world out of nothing (Genesis 1:1, 26-27; Isaiah 44:24; John 1:3).

3.  He Accomplished Salvation for Us on the Cross

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit…” (1 Peter 3:18).

Jesus makes perfect and eternal atoning sacrifice for our sins by his blameless life and substitutionary death (John 10:11, 17-18; Gal. 2:20; Rom. 8:32; John 3:16)

I pray that these truths about the glorious past of Jesus Christ will draw you to Him in reverent awe, worship, and thanksgiving this Christmas!

(Stay tuned…)

This year, my wife and I were ready for the carols.  Usually, I am begging my wife to bring out the Christmas music, but this year was different in the Saenz home.  Kaitlin was definitely more inclined to blast the carol music than I was.  The day after Thanksgiving, she promptly updated the family iPod, and the house was instantly filled with the sounds of holiday cheer.

Suddenly, I was eager to get into the Christmas spirit. Little did I know, the Lord was about to teach me so much about Himself through the beloved carols that started this year’s holiday excitement.  Over the last couple weeks, He has taken me through the deep wells of truth found in these oft-sung holiday hymns that have grown too familiar.  I would eventually end up leading my youth group students through a series I called “Beyond the Carols: The Theology of Christmas Songs”.

Some Christmas songs are rich with Christ-exalting, gospel-centered messages, while others, unfortunately, just…well…stink!  Of those that declare truth and are doctrinally sound, one has stood out to me as a challenge and encouragement to worship my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ more deeply this season.

Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels

This stanza is based on Luke’s account of angels appearing to shepherds near Bethlehem, proclaiming the coming of the promised Messiah of Israel.  Following the announcement, the shepherds decide to see for themselves what the angels have told them:

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. (Luke 2:15-16)

It is from these verses that the famous refrain in the hymn was gleaned:

Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord

What a call to worship!  What an excellent reminder for Christmas time, especially when so much can be lost in the hustle and bustle of the season’s traditions!  We ought to cry out as the shepherds did: “Yes, let’s see Jesus!”

Some are not as easily convinced. Why adore Jesus? Some may still question.  My answer is simple, and it sets the theme for the rest of this series of blog posts: Everything about Jesus is glorious! Everything about Jesus’ past, present, and future is glorious and gives us reason to adore Him! Let’s remember this as we approach Christmas Day—the day we celebrate our Savior’s birth.

(To be continued…)

In Old Testament times, during the time of Tabernacle and Temple worship, Yahweh appointed the Tribe of Levi to oversee the worship in the Temple. They were a tribe set apart for the purpose of worshiping God day and night, offering sacrifices, making music, and praying to the Lord. They were to represent God to the World around them, specifically as mediators of God’s blessings, so others can see who He is and join in worship.

Deuteronomy 10:8-9 captures the job description of the Levites:

At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today. That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as the LORD your God told them.

The priests represented God to the people by teaching his Word, giving instruction of worship, blessing them, and rebuking improper worship. Priests also represented the people, or Nation of Israel, to God. This was done through intercessory prayer and burning incense on behalf of the nation, leading worship, bearing the 12 tribes of Israel on their priestly garments, and sacrificing on behalf of the sins of individuals and the Nation as a whole.

1 Peter 2:9 explains the priestly identity for Christians under the New Covenant. The epistle declares that we are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

In short, we are blessed to be a blessing.

As mediators between God and people, we represent God to people by being conduits of love and grace; we are the body of Christ, so our actions should prove it. We are also charged to teach the Word, bring salvation to the ends of the earth, and bless. We also have the opportunity to represent people to God. We do this by making intercessory prayer, bearing people in God’s presence, and leading people to worship God.

So, how are you carrying out your role as a priest in the Kingdom?

Representing people to God: How often do you plead before the throne of Grace? Are you praying for the healing of the sick.? Are you praying for the unsaved? Are you praying for your pastors and elders?

Representing God to people: You are blessed to be a blessing. How are you blessing others with the truth of the Gospel? Do your words point others to Christ who do not know Him? Do they encourage believers towards holiness and godliness? Are you proclaiming Christ?  What about your actions? Are your actions demonstrating a life transformed by the Gospel? Are you representing God to others well through service and sacrifice?

Christians who are fighting on behalf of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the world will likely find themselves, at one point or another, in a leadership role. It’s been said that “leadership is influence.” We are all usually leading and being led at any given point in our lives. The question is: “Are you a good leader?” J. Oswald Sanders offers some helpful insight for the spiritual leader by posing some good questions in his famous book, Spiritual Leadership:

Natural leadership qualities are important.  Too often these skills lie dormant and undiscovered.  If we look carefully, we should be able to detect leadership potential.  And if we have it, we should train it and use it for Christ’s work.  Here are some ways to investigate your potential:

• Have you ever broken a bad habit? To lead others, you must master your appetites.
• Do you keep self-controlled when things go wrong? The leader who loses control under adversity forfeits respect and influence.  A leader must be calm in crisis and resilient in disappointment.
• Do you think independently? A leader must use the best ideas of others to make decisions.  A leader cannot wait for others to make up his or her mind.
• Can you handle criticism?  Can you profit from it? The humble can learn from petty criticism, even malicious criticism.
• Can you turn disappointment into creative opportunity?
• Do you readily gain the cooperation of others and win their respect and confidence?
• Can you exert discipline without making a power play? True leadership is an internal quality of the spirit and needs no show of external force.
• Are you a peacemaker? A leader must be able to reconcile with opponents and make peace where arguments have created hostility.
• Do people trust you with difficult and delicate situations?
• Can you induce people to do happily some legitimate thing that they would not normally wish to do?
• Can you accept opposition to your viewpoint or decision without taking offense? Leaders always face opposition.
• Can you make and keep friends? Your circle of loyal friends is an index of your leadership potential.
• Do you depend on the praise of others to keep you going? Can you hold steady in the face of disapproval and even temporary loss of confidence?
• Are you at ease in the presence of strangers? Do you get nervous in the presence of your superior?
• Are the people who report to you generally at ease? A leader should be sympathetic and friendly.
• Are you interested in people? All types? All races? No prejudice?
• Are you tactful? Can you anticipate how your words will affect a person?
• Is your will strong and steady? Leaders cannot vacillate or cannot drift with the wind.
• Can you forgive? Or do you nurse resentments and harbor ill-feelings toward those who have injured you?
• Are you reasonably optimistic? Pessimism and leadership do not mix.
• Do you feel a master passion such as that of Paul, who said, “This one thing I do!” Such a singleness of motive will focus your energies and powers on the desired objective.  Leaders need a strong focus.
• Do you welcome responsibilities?

(pp. 36-37)

You can download Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders in audiobook format FREE for the month of September, thanks to the generous folks at www.christianaudio.com