Congregant Luke

SIN (chapter 24 in Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology)

2010-01-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

Much of Wayne Grudem's treatment of this topic of sin in chapter twenty-four is legal in nature. In his prayer at the end of Grudem's 2nd and 3rd audio lecture on sin, he confesses that the gravity or consequences was not impressed upon the class as it should those particular days as they should've been. Some space in the text is given to the evilness or perversion or illogicalness of sin. But because Systematic Theology itself is not like a devotional, one cannot expect spiritual exhortation from it. So it may be more understandable to expect legal depictions of sin rather than reasons for sin's emotional weight upon a man. The definition Grudem gives to sin is "Any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature." He says any definition that does not include God as the central reason for why sin is so evil does not fully explain sin--right on the money.

On page 495, the author appeals to the doctrine of Imputation to explain Paul's claim in Romans 5 that through or because of Adam's sin, all men were declared guilty. And Grudem is further right to say that if we do away with Adam's imputed sinful nature and say that it cannot be, we must be consistent and say that Christ's imputed righteousness and work on the cross is not ours either. Romans 5 argues both as acts of imputation.

One critique I would like to put forth though, (and I do this hesitantly because Pride is personally my greatest thorn) the cross is not central in this chapter. I don't think Wayne Grudem blows it, because I think he put a lot of time and thought and prayer into this chapter. And it would be sinful to think that somehow he rebelled against God by not putting a large enough emphasis on the weight of sin. Along comes a man like NT Wright and says things like, Martin Luther read his own guilt of sin into the New Testament Text and thats why we have an overblown need for the doctrine of justification. Alarms should be going off. We must be justified because sin is real and God does not take it lightly. The cross is proof of that.

It is in the cross that we are given the greatest legal measurement of sin. It is in the cross that we come face to face with who we are and we meet the Savior of what we have become. We can appraise the price of our sin by what the son of God had to do to propitiate the wrath of God the father. This was no little act. The whole biblical narrative climaxes on this one act. And our sins which we have done, the sin of Adam which we inherit, the sins which we will commit, are dealt with here at the cross. Without an impression of how great our sin is--without a fear of the wrath of a just God, we will be swayed by the words of a man like NT Wright.

Though Grudem does not appeal to the cross in his introduction, he does give a great commentary on the Fall in Garden of Eden, as well as a delicate analysis of the origin of evil. Both are helpful in our formulation of the nature and reason for the imputation of Adam's sin. Later in the chapter, the author discusses babies who die before being born, degrees of sin, Christians who sin and "unconverted Evangelicals", and God's righteousness shown in His punishment of sin.

Let the Nations Be Glad

2009-11-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

John Piper spoke on cultivating missions-minded people in our local bodies. He explained Paul's refusal to build on another's foundation. Paul had a restless approach to ministry--always looking for places where he was not welcome. Then Piper said something very interesting. "If someone is inviting you, it's not a mission field." Wow.

Advance 09

Let the Nations be Glad, Part 1

John Piper

We, the Image of God

2009-11-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

Grudem, Wayne, "Chapter 21: The Creation of Man." Systematic Theology: An Introduction to

Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000. 439-53.

I had the pleasure reading this chapter during an overnight shift at my valet stand. Reading aspects of the imago Dei (image of God) is so much more interesting when it is interrupted by old men and their prostitutes needing their cars brought around. I was very close to just giving a gospel presentation to one lady once she was away from your older counterpart. I wasn't sure whether she was a prostitute or just a gold digger. It was a sad sight. His car was nice and she was pretty, but you can't help but see the meaninglessness of it all.

Brent Ward's post tonight at Parakaleo was right on track with being conformed into Christ-likeness. Grudem, perhaps isn't so violent with his application of this doctrine of image bearing. Grudem begins by explaining what "in the image of" means. He points to Genesis 5 when Seth was born to Adam and Eve "in his [Adam's] own likeness." Seth was not a carbon copy of Adam, but he, like many sons today, was like his father in great many ways--perhaps in looks and character. We know that Genesis 4-6 chronicles the lines of Seth, Cain and their eventual intermarriage. So we may speculate that Seth indeed was like Adam in his "godliness"--in his "Christ-likeness." So when Genesis says that Adam was made in the image and likeness of God a few chapters earlier, it says that we are not God, but we are like him in a few ways.

Now these ways in which we are like God are not perfect to the nth degree like they are in God. Try to think of how God is Righteous or how He figuratively embodies Justice. Men may be appointed as judges of other men, but their rulings are imperfect when compared to divine justice. God sees all. We were created with eyes to see the physical world God created, but we do not see to the extent, depth, or clarity that God sees. For more words on this, read Grudem's 12th and 13th chapter on God's Communicable Attributes.

Christ is different than us. Colossians 1:15 says, "He is the image of the invisible God..." 2:2 says, "...attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself..." To understand Christ or to conform to the image of Christ is see God's mystery. And one of my favorites, 2:9 says, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form..." Jesus says, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." Unlike us, Christ is more than just like God in a few ways. He actually is God.

Remember the Israelites and their neighbors and their fascination with images of local deities. There's got to be more there. Perhaps a realization and try at regaining that which man lost at the fall. I don't know.

So we, like Seth, are in the image of Adam, who in turn was made in the image of God. We are made in the image of God. Genesis 9:6 says "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man." This is where God after the flood gives man the command to carry out the death penalty. But here also we witness God's appraisal of all mankind. All of mankind is some way, unknown to us, made in the image of God. This confuses me. But the ethics of Christianity hinge on this. God still places worth on the life of an unredeemed man, so we must in turn. We must protect and fight for the life of God's enemies. We must deal justice on behalf of a wronged unredeemed man. I'm still not sure why, but God said so in Genesis 9:6 and that settles it for me.

Now on conforming to Christ-likeness... or as others have put it: regaining our image bearing status. The Resurrection, more than other doctrines, gets me excited and lifts my spirits. It is the point when we will be perfected. The image will be regained. We will be without sin. The Unhealthy will be healthy. Our senses which are like God's will be better. We will see and hear what God is doing and saying as we presently miss so often. We will experience the beauty of God's creation in a way we do not now. But we will then.

In the present, we conform that which God allows us to conform. We stop sinning. We repent and begin the journey towards that day when God will finish His work on us. It is okay to be excited for that day. The Bible wouldn't wet your appetite with, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.' And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'" [Revelation 21:3-5a]

Tim Keller interviewed

2009-11-02T22:03:00.000-08:00

White Horse Inn interviewed Tim Keller two days ago. Tim Keller is pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan, NY. He discusses his book, "The Reason For God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" which is back on the NY Times best seller lists since it went to paperback 6 weeks ago. Some find Keller too pragmatic in his evangelism. I do find him helpful in understanding law/grace. And Tim Keller holds a special place in my heart because growing up, my youth pastor shared the same first and last names. Its kind of creepy. This program is 35 minutes in length.

Satan and Demons

2009-11-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

Since being exposed to terrible theology in a class called "Healing and Deliverance," my taste for intersecting with the spiritual world has been greatly diminished. The class took deliverance to the nth degree. It was Palagian. It was over-realized eschatology. It was all about knowing extensively the evil spirits of rebellion, bitterness, sexual perversion etc., before applying the right deliverance technique. It was dualism. It was heresy. And now I'm left grasping for truth through the whole muddled mess.

Perhaps I was more confident in my position on deliverance until I read chapter 20 in Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. Like he does in so many previous chapters, Grudem takes a middle of the road approach to items like deliverance. He says rightly in pt D.2. "Not all evil and sin is from Satan and demons, but some is." Grudem explains that he wants to guard against an over-spiritualization of everything--the example I gave above. At the same time he doesn't discount demonic influence.

Grudem's linguistic analysis is very interesting in this chapter. He states in D.3.,"The Greek New Testament can speak of people who 'have a demon'..., or it can speak of people who are suffering from demonic influence..., but it never uses language that suggests that a demon actually 'possesses' someone." Furthermore, Grudem suggests being very careful when speaking of these things with other Christians because many Christians have bought into an unorthodox possibility of being both a Christian and "demonized/possessed". This belief has been pushed in large part due to an emphasis on demonic experiences over biblical truth.

The point of my confusion rests in how "even the demons are subject to us in [Jesus'] name" as in Luke 10:17, works out in our daily walk. Are we to speak to the demons like Jesus and His disciples? Or do we simply ask the Lord to rebuke the enemy on our behalf? Are we not to speak to demons? Does it even matter? Grudem presents the former as truth, and even states a few personal experiences in his systematic audio lecture. I thought I had settled this one.

Apparently not.

2009-10-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

This is Shane David preaching to the men of the Gordon Lindsay Tower at a Christ For the Nations men's sectional. Shane is a member of our church in south Dallas. He graduates in May of next year. Listen to this word.

What can Angels teach us about Election?

2009-10-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

I found Wayne Grudem's treatment on angels in chapter 19 of his Systematic Theology spot on. He lays out his teaching into "what are angels", "when were angels created", "the place of angels in God's purpose", and "our relationship to angels." The most helpful to me was "The Place of Angels in God's purpose"--letter C.

Grudem writes at the top of page 403, "We see, therefore, that God created two groups of intelligent, moral creatures. Among the angels, many sinned, but God decided to redeem none of them. This was perfectly just for God to do, and no angel can ever complain that he has been treated unfairly by God." A "moral agent" or "moral creature," is any being that can choose between right and wrong. Both man and angels can choose to do good or evil.

The difference is only some angels sinned. The Bible says that all men have sinned. Angels apparently, are not a procreating being so the rebellion of one was not linked to a future lineage, as it is in the case of man. Seeing God's election in this light is helpful because it shows us that God's election of man is stronger than his election of angels. The election of angels is not equivalent to salvation, while the election of men is. A man's election is not visible like an elect angel's is. George Whitfield once said that if all the elect in London had a giant E on their stomach, he would go around London lifting up shirts and only preaching to the ones with Es. From this cognitive exercise, I conclude that it would not be far from the truth to say that angels must have something like giant Es on their stomachs. Forgive my musings.

Wayne Grudem is also commendable when he reminds us that Angels, being moral agents, and some rebellious, may promote false doctrine. Those angels who are against God and his people are apparently sometimes mistaken as loyal angels. In war, this is a tactic of confusion. An enemy that is able to infiltrate it's opponent can do a great deal of harm. Paul tells Timothy that fallen angels have doctrines that lead many away from sound teaching.

Grudem further teaches that we shouldn't worship, pray to, or seek out angels. When you read this section, a certain Todd Bentley youtube video ought to come to mind. 'nough said.

Grudem's Hymn for the chapter was "Angels From the Realms of Glory." It's a beautiful Christmas hymn. Like most Christmas hymns, I wish we'd sing them all year long. After all, the incarnation is still an important doctrine in February, July, and October.

Angels, from the realms of glory,

wing your flight o'er all the earth

Ye who sang creation's story,

now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Come and worship, come and worship,

worship Christ the newborn King.

Mark and Ed (back with the baptists)

2009-10-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

I really like both of these Baptists. Sometimes you don't even realize Ed Stetzer (on the right) is a Baptist. He is. Stetzer is like the Reformed version of George Barna. Mark Dever (on the left) "sticks out like Joel Osteen at MacArthur's Shepherd's conference--but the other way around." Watch the second video on youtube also. When these guys start talking about the "regulative principle" they are referring to John Calvin's principle on worship. Calvin says our Bible regulates how we worship God. He then says, as I understand it, that as long as the Bible doesn't restrict a practice of worship, it is ok to incorporate it.

Dever paints "contextualization" very intelligently and I can agree with him completely. What is said about personalities in preaching is also interesting. Enjoy my friend(s).

Pedro The Lion

2009-10-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

Growing up, David Bazan's Pedro the Lion was my favorite band.

Near my graduation from high school it was becoming clear that Bazan was parting

company with Christianity. At the time I was not discerning and I mostly

lost touch with the my affections for Pedro the Lion. I figured the music

was just Christian enough to warrant the label: Christian Indie Rock.

Sadly no.

"I'm very content where I am right now," Bazan says.

In his song, Hard To Be, Bazan sings about the Biblical doctrine of Sin Nature

and his family's disapproval.

"No congratulations from my faithful family

some of whom are already fasting to intercede from me."

Pray for David's mother.

Busy Knowing Nothing

2009-10-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

The last two years have been transformative for me. God has brought to my attention many learned men who can teach a great deal about the power of Jesus's death. Men with broad vocabularies and too many degrees argue over the spiritual significance of the death of this Jewish man two thousand years ago, at the hands of Roman executioners.

The more study I did, the more I realized the importance of words. Throughout our history on planet earth, words have meant the life or death for so many. We examine criminals by the testimonies of two or three witnesses. We the people have rallied colonial farmers to oppose our sovereigns and formally declare war on them. Our clever words make lawful the destruction of millions of babies within their mothers' wombs. This is why I shake my head when the postmodern man says words and their meanings are too numerous to be helpful.

Among the our theologians once more, words have divided orthodoxy from heresy. Words have meant schism and excommunication for the church. Sadly, words have even brought war to the church.

My reaction to all this is not to stop using words. I don't even think we should soften our words so that nothing violent may come from them. Instead, we should be aware of the power--be sure of the exactness of our intent--be careful of the repercussions. My own mind is made up about the powerful significance of Jesus's death. I like words like "Substitution", "Sacrifice", "Justification", "Imputation", "Propitiation", "Wrath", "Depravity", "Justice", and their "Reformed" meaning. I do believe holding to orthodoxy is vital to our worship of God as a church. I am often confused when confronted by warring words. The contexts and various camps of understanding are sometimes camouflaged in "evangelical" jargon. I suppose you'd name me among the postmoderns at this point. In the past, I have thought that to understand the death of Jesus rightly, you must understand the war of words of the last two thousand years--a long and difficult exercise of the mind.

...But I have comforted today by the words of Paul.

"And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God."

I don't have to know the testimony of detractors. I just need to know what my God has done for me.

idle glorification

2009-09-22T01:38:00.000-07:00

Waiting for that great day when God will finally cure us of the constant idolatry deeply within us, is sometimes unbearable.

Dr. Brown, still the Debater

2009-09-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't heard anything from Michael Brown for a while. I lost touch with his ministry late last summer for various reasons. The last I heard, he was address the radical Gay agenda in his city of Charlotte, NC. It looks like not a lot has changed since then. I found this video from his website. It looks like he is still debating with the best of them. I do like the way Brown handles himself. This debate I think was this summer.

A Christian Response to Homosexuality from AskDrBrown on Vimeo.

Anti-Ecumenicalism Revival (don't worry. I define ecumenicalism)

2009-09-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

I know many Evangelical ["Evangel" means "Gospel"] leaders are drawing lines between good and bad doctrine, and I applaud their effort, but I would like to hear a good call for anti-ecumenicalism. Truthfully, until recently, I found myself on the other side of the ecumenical issue. ["Ecumenical" means promoting unity among the churches of the world.] That sounds like a good thing. What could be more beneficial for the mission of the church then a unified apostolic head? As young as I am, I should be a little idealistic. Unfortunately, what usually begins with good intentions of fellowship inevitably ends at a dumbing down of vital doctrines of the church... sometimes doctrines of God.

Remember the children of Israel. While entering Canaan, God commanded His people to keep their sons from taking local wives, so as not to become like the people God was taking Canaan land from. However, marriage was a key means of diplomacy. And attraction to seek peace with at least one neighbor was great, in light of 40 years of wandering into rebellion, bloody battles, and vipers. A marriage to the right family could ensure a bright future and strong alliances meant a growing kingdom. The Israelites did take wives from among God's enemies, and as God promised, their sons worshipped the gods of their pagan brides.

If Evangelicals want to keep from becoming like the world they wish to evangelize, it would profit them greatly to keep their sons from taking brides from among ungodly doctrines. Ecumenicalism does not actually bread what it promises. The bright future of a strong alliance is actually nothing more than an addition of idolatry. When you put aside the teachings of the Bible to embrace a new brother, you actually are leaving The God who wrote the teachings for the sake of that new brother.

I am excited for The Gospel Coalition's leadership within the Evangelicalism. They have rallied Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and charismatic nondenominationals around the Evangel. But I do believe that the next step is not just coming to an agreement on what the Gospel is and how it affects the Christian's life. The next step is Universal Church discipline. And it begins when Evangelical leaders review doctrines worth breaking fellowship over. Like Israelites of old, we mustn't tire of taking and defending the promise land given to us by the grace of God.

Robust gospel church discipline calls individual congregates to repentance, and warns Christians everywhere of church leaders who have made a shipwreck of their faith. It is ironic, but I believe the goal of ecumenicalism would actually be possible with the success of church discipline. As the church draws doctrinal lines, the churches on the biblical side would be strengthened as we've seen within The Gospel Coalition.

Case+Point:

Immediately, I want to see Evangelicals apply robust gospel centered discipline to John Stott, N.T. Wright, and Mike Bickle. John Stott is still spoken of well, despite his submission to annihilationist ["Annihilation" means no eternity of torture, but instead simply ceasing to exist] view of Hell. N.T. Wright, apart from all his slippery NPP and Exile Homecoming=Justification rhetoric is doing nothing more than denying the Inspiration of scripture. We don't have to know all his teaching to see the error (as I've come to realize). Mike Bickle is among the tail end of the Latter Rain movement. But unlike many other blue hairs, Bickle is attracting many young people--the future of the Church. If understanding is not brought to bare on this "prophet's" "Word Faith" and "Mystic" practices, the church will have to deal with another millennium of monasticism.

Molotov Mitchell's two cents

2009-08-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

Helpful Biblical Metaphors (Grace Irresistible revisited)

2009-08-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

Many places in scripture reveal God's heavy-handed grace which He uses in pursuit of an individual for salvation. Each example is pure genius even when the writer or speaker doesn't explain the metaphor they've put forth. To the reader it should be obvious. A sinner cannot get away from God. And a sinner cannot find God apart from God revealing Himself.

Blindness

A blind person is impaired greatly. In John 9:35-38 even after Jesus heals the blind man's physical eyes, he still needs Jesus to reveal His identity. In the following verse Jesus says, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind." Isaiah's experience is similar. Isaiah preached to people who not only became blinder, but deaf as well--Isaiah 6:9,10. The point of these passages is spiritual site. A person must see spiritually before they are saved. And the opening of the spiritual eyes is not contingent on the blind man's will.

Sheepness

Psalm 23, every child's favorite psalm says, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake..." The Good Shepherd takes care of what is His. In John 10, He even protects intruders from harming His flock. The lives of sheep are dependent on their shepherd. From safety to nourishment--the shepherd is responsible. If Christ truly is a good shepherd, no sheep can sneak out of His sight.

Pregnancy

"Born Again" is the catch phrase of evangelicals to signify their Christianity. They derive the phrase from John 3:3-8. Here Jesus tells Nicodemus, he must be born of the spirit. Nicodemus balks at Jesus's choice of metaphor because it's obvious that no person can be born twice. But in wisdom, Jesus chose this metaphor because it speaks of the sovereign push of new birth. Now think about your own mother. Would she give you any credit for your birth. I think not. You were birthed into this world by no work of yourself. You did not select your parents or family. You did not choose the time or place of your birth. You did not even choose to be given life. In the same way, salvation is not an act of volition. It is a secondary cause.

Circumcision

The ritual of circumcision within Judaism was commanded by God to the Patriarch Abraham in Genesis 17:10. All male Jews were to be circumcised on the eighth day as a sign of God's covenant with them and their people. An eight day old child cannot circumcise himself. I laugh even as I type that. Even most men would not even think to signify covenant on themselves this way. A child must be circumcised by an outside agent acting on his behalf. In the modern era, moils or doctors preform the circumcision task. It is yet another example of secondary spiritual cause.

Baptism

The sacrament of baptism was instated before Christ ascended in the air. He says in Matthew 28:19, "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit..." Here the Apostles are commissioned to go plant the church among the nations. Baptism is a public statement of your being submerged into the life of Christ. Another act not contingent on you. The Apostles baptize because the Holy Spirit baptizes. The baptizee relaxes in the arms of the baptizer because the Christian relaxes in the arms of the Holy Spirit as He fills the believer.

Gifts

A dear friend of mine once told me his biggest problem with the doctrines of grace is the metaphor of a gift. Salvation is a gift from God. He quoted Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;" He said gifts don't have to be opened. If on Christmas you don't want to open your presents under the tree, you don't have to. [I've never met a child who didn't] He continued to say that repentance is a gift and faith is a gift. Gifts, if they are truly gifts, don't have to be opened, he said.

Perhaps my friend's metaphor functions in today's culture where presents are found in boxes wrapped-up pretty under synthetic trees. However, in first century Israel this is probably not the case. [I'm no anthropologist.] Plus read both Ephesians 2:8 and 9 again. "For by grace" =receiving something you don't deserve, "you have been saved" =outside causal relationship, "through faith; and that not of yourselves," =faith is not a work of man. It too is a gift. "it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." If faith were credited to you, you would get credit for putting your faith in God. That is not what this verse is talking about. And that is not why Paul uses the word Gift. This gift does not need to be opened. The Roman soldiers already opened Him, and nailed Him to a cross so the whole world could see God's present for you. And "The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." Romans 11:29

Slavery

"Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." 1st Peter 1:17b-19. Redemption is not terminology we use today except with religious implications. But when Peter wrote this to God's people, they immediately tied his words to the slave trade or property of some kind. Slaves do not choose their buyer. Sure a freeman may sell himself into slavery, but once a slave, he cannot do more than his contract stipulates. A slave cannot choose who buys him from his prior master. If God has bought you, it is not your decision. He is your new master. This purchase is not made without a powerful transformation of your heart. So where you may have despised your old master, you rejoice over your new master.

Deadness

Both Ephesians 2:1-5 and Colossians 2:13 agree and explain that we are like dead people while in our sin. But Christ made us alive. I have closing questions for you: can a dead man resurrect himself? If we are truly as bad as Romans 3 says we are, can we choose God? Do you believe the Bible when it says that no one seeks God?

Driscoll vs. Johnson

2009-07-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

In 2008, Mark Driscoll was invited to Desiring God Conference. The title of Driscoll's message was, "How Sharp the Edge? Christ, Controversy, and Cutting Words." This year Phil Johnson spoke at the Shepherd's conference. From the beginning he goes for Driscoll's jugular. By the end you'll realize he is rebutting this singular message by Driscoll from the 08 DG conference. Johnson's message was entitled "Sound Doctrine; Sound Words."

I think Johnson is a bit unfair to Mark Driscoll. Johnson is right that pastors need to be held to a higher level of maturity. Yet, though I am not always on the same theological page as Mark Driscoll, I find myself on his side in this fire fight. The fact of the matter is, Johnson lumps Driscoll in with a slue of idiotic fools, who make relevance their idol. I don't believe Driscoll is found among their number. Again we need to educate people about the far reaching definition of the Emerging Church.

In Johnson's video you hear him continually tell a story about Driscoll and follow it with more horrendous stories not connected to Driscoll at all. Driscoll has made mistakes, but before you can crucify him, listen as he repents.

Mommy, Mommy, look... Baptists

2009-07-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

B21 Panel From 2009 SBC Annual Meeting from Sojourn Community Church on Vimeo.

Favorite Formative Sermons

2009-03-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

Below is a list of my favorite sermons. My pastor's sermons are not found in this category of sermons. The reason--these men are not living their lives in front of me. My only experience with them is when they are in the pulpit. I am not a member of their congregation and therefore I am not the intended audience of these sermons. Also I don't currently have an online catalogue of my pastor's sermons to send you. I will list these sermons in chronological order from when I first heard the sermon.

"Ten Shekels and A Shirt" by Paris Reidhead

"Mars Hill Church and the Emerging Church" by Mark Driscoll (unavailable unless you have the Mars Hill iTunes podcast. The date of the sermon's release is Febuary 27, 2008.)

"The Echo and Insufficiency of Hell part 1" by John Piper

"Pastoral Character & Loving People" by CJ Mahaney

"10 Inditements of the Church" by Paul Washer

"Vision of a Church Planter" by Matt Chandler

"Christ Controversy and Cutting Words" by Mark Driscoll

"A Day with Dr. Don sessions 1,2,3,4, and 5" by D.A. Carson

"Fear and Trembling in the Experience Economy" by Jim Gilmore

"If My Words Abide in You" by John Piper

"I Will Not Be a Velvet-Mouthed Preacher!" by John Piper

Animals < Adam < the Great I AM

2009-02-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

~Genesis 2:19

It is here that our Bible first speaks of language. From the beginning Hebrew language is used to communicate the story of creation. Communication must have existed before man because the Trinity fulfills Their need for fellowship (communication) within Themself. But when God finally brings the creatures to Adam to name, it does not only show the subhuman nature of animals. The reader must also notice the task Adam has in naming the beasts and birds.

Perhaps this is too existential for earthly value, but my mind cannot help but ponder this--[God's being is expressed in the Bible with attributes of truth, light, holiness, justice, sovereignty, creation, righteousness, love, etc. Of his attributes, God is the zenith or best of example of each. Yet these vocabulary words like other theological jargon (propitiation, sanctification, reprobation) are meaningless on their own. They are powerless without assigned category. I do not believe that God as He sees Himself described through our lowly terminology. Our terminology may be accurate but does not do justice to our God. He is holier then our word holy. He is more true then our minds can comprehend. His love is deeper then our love. We know He created the world, but scientists will never know how. And of Himself, He simply says I AM.]

The Bible text is not limited by language in glorifying God. The Bible is the Word of God, different then any other work of man. However man's understanding is limited. Literacy is a grace of God. Without it, the Bible might as well be a picture book, filled with iconography for Greek/Russian Orthodox Christians.

The I AM name is a real mind shattering statement. When Adam is giving names to the animals, essentially God is letting him categorize His creation. With the evolution of man's language came more compartments to place nouns and verbs and adjectives. God's statement of absolute being (I AM) is scary because it isn't a name that Adam or any of his fallen descendants came up with. He is not a created creature. He is who no one else is. GOD.

2 internet databases I would like to visit

2009-02-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

The Good Guy Bad Guy List

This site would be a profiled listing of both ministers and theological academicians. The profile would list their different points of doctrine as well as up-to-date ministry status. The publishing body responsible for this site would be making opinionated, obviously not final judgments on these teachers. Next to each name a simple thumbs up or thumbs down would suffice. The profiled theologians would be given a forum to amend their reputations or misunderstandings or be defended by readers.

This fictitious site would be used as a quick reference while reading footnotes mentioning unknown figures. (this idea came after searching for quick bulleted information at Apprising Ministries. All Ken Silva's posts are in the form of articles.) This site could aid in the flow of information at Apprising Ministries.

The Expositional Archive

Many pastors are posting their sermons online these days on their churches website or simply with iTunes podcasts. In addition to this generous resource, I am coming across more pastors who engage with their congregations preaching expository messages rather than topical. As these pastors post their churches trek through particular books or passages, slowly the Bible becomes much more accessible.

With various pastors preaching and teaching out of various books in the Bible and posting their sermons online, it would be relatively easy to compile all these sermons onto one site. Listeners could find sermons on any passage of scripture they desired. Obviously there would be some overlapping with books like Romans, John, and other New Testament best sellers. But this would only add to the richness of the resource.

Art Direction

2009-02-10T21:13:00.000-08:00

Art is to the aristocrat as knowledge is to the blind philosopher. You cannot understand the creativity of man until you glimpse the master artist's work. Every brilliant brush stroke of the Dutch masters--the cold smooth Grecian sculptures--the flying buttresses of the glorious cathedrals--All but juvenile scribbles when compared to the mastery of God. For the mystery of creation lies in the mind of only God. And the man who tries to extract just a slivers of glorious creativity for himself, deserves damnation for this great sin.

If "art" is to benefit the church it must be approached with great caution. I have heard from men more loyal to their work then their God, that the church needs to embrace artists more readily and encourage their work. Even art which pulls from worldly philosophies (modernism, existentialism, or mysticism) seems fair game to these "outcast" christians. These works of art, in charismatic circles, give reason for prophetic guessing games. "Well to me, the painting shows God's creation story. I can see the moon and stars over there and that looks like a giraffe. And those splotches of blue could be the feet of God walking in the garden." If God would grace us with a prophetic painting, don't you think He would grace us also with an interpretation.

Rogue artists must submit to church authority like everyone else. If art is to have the blessing of God it must not fly in the face of Christian apostolic council. The artistic attribute of rebellious creativity is sinful. They want to push the envelope. Shock and Awe. We must ask ourselves, are these artists even saved? A regenerated soul ought not behave this way.

I am in favor of careful discernment before every social rule is flirted with by those who ask to be assumed as Christian artists. It takes patience and humility to wait for art direction from a spiritual authority sometimes. But if an artist shows himself faithful and submitted, He can only expect to watch as God glorifies Himself through the artist's pieces.

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite

2009-02-03T08:47:00.000-08:00

I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever;

To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.

For I have said, "Lovingkindness will be built up forever."

"I have made a covenant with My chosen;

I have sworn to David My servant,

I will Establish your seed forever

And build up your throne to all generations."

The heavens with praise Your wonders, O Lord;

Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?

Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord,

A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,

And awesome above all those who are around Him?

O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?

Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

You rule the swelling of the sea;

When its waves rise, You still them.

You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain;

You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

Psalm 89:1-10

Must We Tare the Vail Again?

2008-12-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

I am an alum of a Christian college famous for creating what the evangelical world calls "anointed worship". IHOP in Kansas City has what they call "presence worship". Presence worship is chiefly concerned with invoking a spiritual move of God in a room or physical place. It is The Drive in most worship services today to have an experience with God like in the Holy of Holies in the days of the great Jerusalem temple. When God is worshipped correctly and His Spirit resides in a building where presence worship is happening, a sort of climax is reached and the worshippers experience a piece of Heaven. So the point is to have Heaven now before we die and are glorified in Heaven with God.

Perhaps the proponents of these worship philosophies forget the transcendence of their God. Does the Spirit of God manifest in a local place? Absolutely. We see this specifically in Acts 2. But when He is not felt, is He still just as present? Absolutely. How else do the elements of our world continue in relationship with one another. It is God's hand that sustains all His creation. God is not just Creator like the deists believed, but He is Sustainer as well. Not even Hell is without the presence of God. In Hell God will forever be the Judge and Punisher of sin. He is Creator and Sustainer.

For those who want to imagine God like a temple with a inner room of holiness... please don't. You must have forgotten that at the death of Christ the vail in the temple was torn. And at his resurrection He became the High Priest of a new covenant as the book of Hebrews says. Peter writes that Christians are a holy priesthood. Do you understand what that means? The presence of God is no longer something that we have to come into or as in other religions, strive for. As Christians, we are in the presence of God whether it manifest or not. In fact, most of the recorded manifestations of God have been in times of judgement. What that means is that we Christians should live lives according to the teachings of Christ so that God doesn't have to manifest and show himself. If He does its probably because we were too busy with third heaven trances that we forgot to stay faithful to our wife.

A Biblical Philosophy of worship is concerned singularly with Truth in the Bible. Our lives are supposed to be lived as worship to God, not just the songs we sing, though songs do have their place. I am worried that some worship song writers don't have enough faith in God. There are songs we sing in church that are weak theologically and sometimes sadly to say doctrinally wrong. It is scary.

When our favorite psalmist was a boy, he sang songs to the Lord amongst his sheep. They probably were simple songs, but they were real worship songs nonetheless. Today we don't feel the need to write long verses about God. We can sing our anthems a lot quicker, but for some reason we sing a lot less, and mean even lesser. King David didn't always write long psalms, but he did communicate a lot of meaning. Each verse became biblical truth.

Rules for worship song writers

1. Worship songs must be about the identity of God. His Attributes. Who He is. What He has

done. We must give the singers of these songs a clear theologically true identity of God.

2. If one can take out the words "God" or "Father" or "Jesus" or "Christ" or "Spirit" and insert a

woman's name and turn it into a love song, then it is not a worship song.

3. The Goals of worship must be:

a. to thank God for being and for doing.

b. to fill the listener with theological truth and understanding.

4. If a writer wishes to be autobiographical in their worship song, he/she should communicate

reverently and theologically.

5. God inhabits the praises of his people. This true. If you fail to fill your song with Biblical

Truth, it is not praising to God, and it can no longer be true that God is in your song.

6. In an age where our Bible is under fire, it is increasingly important to use the exact phrases

and wording of the Bible. The Bible is Truth.

Grace Resistible

2008-11-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

Last week, In a favorite class of mine, something to the effect of, "You can refuse the grace of God" was said. The I in TULIP screamed out from with in me and I raised my hand.
"Luke."
"Are you saying God's grace is resistible?"
"Yes. Absolutely. That's what we're talking about." My face must have betrayed me because my professor asked for my thoughts on the matter. Though this is more than I said in class, it is a more complete argument in favor of Irresistible Grace. What I actually said was confined to point 2.

1. The Bible says "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" Philippians 1:6. The Author of Hebrews says so matter-of-fact, "...and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." Hebrews 12:1c,2a. Both these passages speak of two parts of our salvation--Initiation and Completion. Our God is credited explicitly with both components. Our God is the Alpha and Omega. As my friend Clint says, "God is obsessed with His own Glory." He will get all the credit and glory for our salvation. It is because of this that God cannot allow man to refuse His Grace. If that were possible Philippians 1:6 would have to read, "He who began a good work in you will wait for you to except His grace so He can perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." The Bible does not leave space for man to screw up the Perfect will of God.

2. If my salvation is dependent upon my acceptance of God's grace, it puts the power in my hands and suddenly I am my own savior. This is not only Humanism. It is works righteousness. And it is also Idolatry. If we put on Grace and Faith ourselves, we can thank Jesus for doing His little work on the Cross and say, "It's ok God, I got it from here."

3. "Yes, God is sovereign, but we still have Free Will!" you say. In this line of thought, man is nothing less than a little god. Proponents of the glorification of man's will point to Genesis where God told man to take dominion of the earth. "After all," they say, "man is made in the image of God." And presto! Man's will is no longer bound by the will of God.

Ultimately these word of faith folks have actually taken their faith away from God and put it in their own works of faith. It is a sick cycle that my friend Brent calls "Faith in faith." And if your trust is in your level of faith, you will inevitably be without God. You may call Him Lord, but He is not your Lord. You may call Him savior, but He has not saved you. You did. Remember. It was your "acceptance" of His Grace. Your lightweight Jesus thanks you for not resisting his weak grace. He probably looks at you without fire in his eyes because you like a God you can stare down. His word probably don't cut like a double edged sword because your words have creative power and you don't need His. And He probably doesn't sit on a throne in Heaven judging the nations that are his inheritance because you have claimed the kingdoms of the earth for your own glory.

If I sound bitingly sarcastic, I am. I hate this kind of false gospel. It brings God low so I can be High. It is a self exalting doctrine from the pit of hell and I squirm every time I hear it proclaimed from the pulpit.

"Prophetic" Arrogance

2008-11-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

If you haven't read Dutch's Response to the US Presidential Election read it first before hearing what I say. This is a response to a forward I received late last week.

I'm glad that I'm not included under "Dutch's stream" of Christians. Where does he get off that he can say that God's will didn't happen last week during elections. That is absurdly unbiblical and it is arrogant. How does Dutch "prophetically" proclaim that God did not appoint Obama when in Romans 13:1 it says "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." And don't let anyone say that this verse is out of context, because in context, Paul is writing this while Nero is the Cesar in Rome. How dare we as Christians live defiantly against the man that God established as OUR leader. 1st Timothy 2:2 says we are to pray for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Not a life of repaying the Democrats for the ridicule they paid the Republicans for the last 8 years.

I'm not saying the new president stands for everything we as Christians believe. But God has a purpose for everything. And as my Hess grandparents are so faithful to remind me, God is Sovereign and can take any evil and turn it into something that will Glorify him. Our Faith is in God, not in our government. We serve a God is much bigger than American politics. The Beautiful thing about God is that when the man who we would rather lead us isn't elected, we can lean that much more on His goodness regardless of what the circumstance makes us feel. We are not led by feelings we led by the Word of God.

I love God's Goodness. And unborn babies being aborted does not convince me otherwise. God is still Good. This is not a denial of the colossal waste of life and the grisliness of the abortion. But it is a refusal to let an evil world dictate how I interpret what the Bible speaks of God's attributes. I feel sorry for those who think they are always out of God's will as if there is alternate realities of time and space. As if what was true for one reality was not true for another. This a postmodern man's idea of God. It is a God who is weak like Baal and false like a golden calf. Come on, God is bigger than that.

False Teachers and their Golden Calves

2008-10-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Caveat:

Last week I began to put everything I believe about false teaching into a small little blog. That proved impossible. So today I've decided to refocus and put a call out to my church family and anyone who wants to talk about what I present and challenge. Let's ask questions and try to bring a uniformed and coherency to our thoughts concerning false teaching.

Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, "this is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord."

Exodus 32:3-5

I start with this old testament story because I think it is a great example for the basis for what a Christian should deem as false. The first time I came across this story was probably in a children's Sunday school setting. The moral of the story back then seemed to be "don't worship idols like TV or sports heroes." Now I'm a little upset that the main point of this story was not proclaimed and driven as deep into me. What I read in Exodus 32 is a very clear message that correct Theology is vitally important. Jesus says in John 4 that "the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth... God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Theology is that truth side of worship. The Israelites didn't believe they were giving credit to another God in Exodus 32. The problem was their mode of worship and their Theology. They believed falsely of their God. How did they come to these false beliefs of God? There must have been false teaching present. Some Egyptian idea of God had joined itself to the true knowledge of God passed down through Jacob's sons. We call this Synergism. The result is a golden calf. A perversion of the Truth. Moses then instructs the tribe of Levi to kill three thousand men responsible for this offense against God. Talk about Theological purification. I don't mean that to be funny.

Today our churches are filled with many different theological ideas. Men lean on other things than the Bible for their theological code. As a result many have set up theological golden calves. They have a view of God that is faulty and perhaps a half truth mixed with a lie. Our Lord has allowed many of these calves to stand unchallenged. I would like to remind the reader of the church in Ephesus whom Paul addresses directly and indirectly in the New Testament. Paul himself set in place the eldership in Ephesus. For nearly three years he discipled and labored to have the church founded in Biblical Truth and Faith in Christ. Finally Paul addresses his elders in Acts 20 before his departure. Paul prophetically tells them to their faces that from among them will come wolves.

Imagine the pastor of your church is handing over the church to you and a handful of other elders and says, "By the way some of you guys will turn out to be false teachers. Basically some of you men are enemies of God who like Satan want a measure of glory for themselves. You'll make up your own teachings and proclaim them so that people will leave sound Christian beliefs and follow you because you are more eloquent and your message makes men feel good about themselves and their own works." Ouch.

When facing Acts 20, my mind is blown. Paul elevates the gospel above the elder. He has made these men elders so that means that they meet the qualifications of church leaders in 1st Timothy and Titus. Yet he knows that some of them are not truly saved. He cannot be sure who, but the Spirit has told him that some of the men standing before him are like wolves in sheep's clothing. This must have been heartbreaking for the Apostle Paul. Since God did not deemed it necessary to sovereignly weed out the false teachers before they began teaching falsely, we can only guess that He must have meant this to be a Deuteronomy 13 situation. God values the testing of our faith. God wants the real followers of Christ to know who the false converts are.

Yesterday I was talking to my brother Jack on the phone. We were talking about Persecution the church in America. I think it is obvious that a lot of our problems in our American churches will be solved when persecution comes. Our golden calves (false ideas about God) and our modes of worshiping God (how we glorify God through our lives) will be melted away. At that point the true worshippers of God will be evident. Those who's unseparated [theology and life] is a daily blessing to the church and a glory to God.

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron...

1st Timothy 4:1,2

"Fascinating and Frightening"

2008-10-17T23:15:00.001-07:00

Scroll down and watch video first.

...God has a Sovereign sense of humor. The anchor doesn't even realize her story gets away from her. Voddie blind-sides the anchorwoman with his antifeminist comments. CNN must not come across conservative Christians as sharp and as committed to Biblical Truth as Voddie Baucham very often. Thank you Ted Turner for helping to get out the Truth. That was refreshing.

Points of contention (in case you aren't familiar with the opposing view points)

1. Scripture is superior to our own cultures. Preconceived ideas about God and his Word often lead us away from Truth. This is what it means to approach God humbly. It is to say to Him who saved your soul, "I do not know the truth. I need your Word to form and cleanse my mind."

2. Authors' exclusive intent. Don't play "Fast and Loose with the Text"--meaning don't just cut a scripture out of its context to paste it to fit your argument. Allow the context of a text to dictate how you view the social climate of our Day. It seems that everyone always wants the Bible to back up their argument, but when they actually come to the Word of God honestly, they can see plainly that God is in opposition to most of the things they espouse and tell other that God too approves. This is devastating.

3. A Woman's role. Wow I'm not even going to touch that one. I much to immature and unlearned and single to have anything worthwhile to say. My apologies.

Love Wins

2008-10-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have a friend with a bumper sticker. It says Love Wins. This statement was made and canonized by a brilliant communicator named Rob Bell.

Rob Bell is the Pastor of Mars Hill in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He and his associates have been attacked, sometimes mercilessly, for their doctrinal statements, their fellowship with non-christian faiths, and refusal to condemn open sin within the four walls of their church. This banner that flies above Mars Hill (Love Wins) is used as a way to deflect incoming criticism. It really is a work of genius. To stick your head high in a war of words and choose to "Love" instead of returning fire, creates a congregation of persecuted and unified people.

Locally, Mars Hill's greatest enemy is the megachurch Resurrection Life. The Resurrection Life consensus seems to be: Mars Hill's stole Res Life members. These former Res Lifers have abandoned their faith to follow after a man and his strange teachings. When these feelings were voiced, sadly real rifts grew between families and within families.

On the great world wide web, Christian watchdog sites like apprising ministries have their readers constantly up to date on the latest heresy uttered from Rob Bell's mouth. It seems that every public venue that Mr. Bell speaks at must have a listening ear feeding the bloggers everywhere juicy tidbits. Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill in Seattle, Washington, gave probably one of the best overall critiques of the Emergent Movement in America at the 2007 Convergent Conference.

And to all these words spoken against Rob Bell and his work, a simple white on black bumper sticker responds. Love Wins. Is that true? At the risk of being one more voice yelling crucify, let me ask two questions that need to be asked about this Love Wins statement. 1) What is their definition of Love? 2) Will their definition of love truly win over the yelling of nay sayers?

1. The Rob Bell version of Love is a silent love. It would rather not confront and ask the hard questions that only a true loving friend would ask. Iron sharpens iron. Is there no friction involved in sharpening? Real love would rather sacrifice the peace of the friendship so that a greater good can be accomplished; freedom from bondage to sin.

2. The Apostle Paul made a stop in Athens on one of his missionary trips. The book of Acts says he was brought before the Stoic philosophers that sat upon Mars Hill and heard and discussed new teachings and ideas. When Paul was given the floor, he brought a message void of the Cross. Void of Christ. It was a Rabbinic teaching much like the philosophizing of Rob Bell. As a result, no church is established in Athens. (The Irony is almost unreal). Paul's failure at Mars Hill so depresses him that by the time he comes to Corinth, he has "decided to know nothing except Christ, and him Crucified." This "love" that Rob Bell champions will not win over the nay sayers. Because it is not just silent, impotent. It is not love at all. The nay sayers, whether Christian or not, see only words and ideas. They like those at Athens are unimpressed and unchanged.

...I sent a text the other day. It read, "At Mars Hill Paul failed, but Love Wins."