One of Rick Warren’s premises for his book and the basis of his 40 Days campaigns (which have incrementally led churches into his global P.E.A.C.E. Plan that will be discussed later) is his assertion that:
“The Bible is clear that God considers 40 days a spiritually significant time period. Whenever God wanted to prepare someone for his purposes, he took 40 days.” (PDL; p. 9)
Forty-day time periods are only mentioned in the 66 books of the Holy Scriptures a mere 22 times:
• 4 of these are in reference to the 40 days it rained on the earth during the flood.
• 1 of these is in reference to the 40 days set by the Egyptians for embalming, which they did to Jacob.
• 7 of these are in reference to the two 40-day periods Moses spent with God on Mount Sinai.
• 2 of these are in reference to the 40 days the spies spent in the Promised Land.
• 1 of these is in reference to the 40 days Goliath challenged the Israelites.
• 1 of these is in reference to the 40 days Elijah took traveling to Horeb without eating, after an angel fed him.
• 1 of these is in reference to the 40 days Ezekiel had to lay on his right side bearing the iniquity of the house of Judah, each day representing a year.
• 1 of these is in reference to the 40 days the people of Nineveh were given to repent.
• 3 of these are in reference to the 40 days that Jesus was in the wilderness, tempted by the devil.
• 1 of these is in reference to the 40 days that Jesus was seen by His apostles after His resurrection.
All in all, there are only a handful of instances in Scripture where a 40-day period could possibly be construed as “spiritually significant.” Scripture does not in any way justify Rick Warren’s fallacious claims that “the Bible is clear that God considers 40 days a spiritually significant time period,” and that “whenever God wanted to prepare someone for his purposes, he took 40 days.” If this latter claim was true, then God has only prepared a handful of people, and everyone else in Scripture (and throughout history) was never prepared by God for His purposes!
Twisting Scripture to put spiritual significance on a 40-day time period is akin to occultic numerology. The Holy Scriptures are clear that transforming and life-changing power is found through the knowledge, belief, and obedience of the Lord God Himself and His Word. There are no ‘magical’ formulas or rituals that bypass this. Yet regarding his book Rick Warren confidently declares:
“The next 40 days will transform your life.” (PDL; p. 10)
Eight examples are given from the Bible in an effort to justify his premises regarding 40-day periods (these examples are listed on p. 10 of PDL). Not one of his examples, which he has removed from their scriptural context, supports his unscriptural premises. However, some of these examples when examined in their scriptural context actually warn against following what the majority is doing.
● “Noah’s life was transformed by 40 days of rain.” The 40 days of rain were actually God’s purpose itself. The 40 days brought the flood of God’s judgment on the disobedient world and destroyed it. Thankfully, Noah did not follow the majority, or we would not exist. As a result of following God rather than the crowd, he had found God’s grace (see Genesis 6:8). So God prepared Noah ahead of time in the years preceding the 40 days so that his life would be saved.
In addition, Scripture says nothing about these 40 days bringing about transformation in Noah’s life, so why claim that the days it actually rained are more significant to Noah than the 150 days the waters prevailed upon the earth or the 370 days he was on the Ark?
● “Moses was transformed by 40 days on Mount Sinai.” God’s purpose was to deliver the Israelites from the oppressive Egyptians and then bring them into the Promised Land. Moses had already been obediently following God as a result of his transforming walk with God in the land of Midian. Rick Warren himself even wrote, “The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a long process to develop character, especially in leaders. He took eighty years to prepare Moses, including forty in the wilderness” (PDL; p. 222; emphasis added)!
God specifically prepared Moses for His purpose not in the 40 days but in front of the burning bush. By the time Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai, God had already used Moses to fulfill the first part of His purpose. In addition, Scripture does not record that any transformation occurred in Moses’ life on Mount Sinai to prepare him for God’s purposes.
Food for thought: In neither of the two sets of 40 days on Mount Sinai nor in front of the burning bush did God reveal Himself to Moses in the context of community. He was alone when face to face with God. For Rick Warren to say that transformation occurred when Moses was on Mount Sinai alone is to contradict his own communitarian principles in The Purpose Driven Life!
Rick Warren’s numerous internal inconsistencies and contradictions clearly reveal that his book is not firmly founded on the unchanging and consistent truth of the Holy Scriptures but, rather, is “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).
Incidentally, when Moses was with God on Mount Sinai, Aaron had assisted the “community” in adopting the ways of the world in its worship. The result of their having “turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them” (Exodus 32:8) was God’s severe judgment. About 3,000 men were killed, God blotted the names of those who had sinned out of His book, and then He plagued the people (see Exodus 32:28, 33, and 35).
● “The spies were transformed by 40 days in the Promised Land.” The tragic truth is that the spies (excluding Joshua and Caleb who remained faithful to God in walking by faith and not by sight) were sinfully transformed by their 40 days of walking by sight and not by faith. The spies were frightened by what they saw during the 40 days they spied out the land God promised them. As a result, they frightened the Israelites and turned them against God’s purposes (see Numbers 13:31-14:12).
God’s judgment was the consequence of this 40-day transformation. God killed the spies with a plague because they tried to thwart God’s purpose after their 40 days. God’s preparation of all the spies was His word, yet only two spies believed and followed God. In addition, because the Israelites heeded the majority rather than the two who tried to get them to heed God’s word, they were forbidden to enter the Promised Land for 40 years so that this generation could die off first (see Numbers 14:26-38). Yet nowhere does Rick Warren say the spies were transformed in anything other than a good way by their 40 days.
That these spies were transformed into plague-infested corpses should be heeded as a warning for those who think only good transformations can come out of 40-day regimes. In the name of purpose, churches are heeding the majority and are now walking by sight rather than by the faith and obedience of God’s Word. What they see in the world (e.g., its successful pragmatic ways and aversions to “traditional” Christianity) determines how they “do church.” By the way, anyone who thinks plagues are only for the Old Testament time period should carefully read Revelation 18:4.
● “David was transformed by Goliath’s 40-day challenge.” God’s Word does not clarify how many days David actually sees Goliath. However, the first time that David sees Goliath he begins to speak up about killing him, so it is more likely that David saw only a few days, if not just one day, of Goliath’s challenge (see 1 Samuel 17).
Contrary to supporting Rick Warren’s premises, this passage is another example of 40 days being a result of sin: The Israelites (the majority) did not trust God and cowered before Goliath for an entire 40 days before David finally came and killed him in faith!
David had already been transformed by his walk with God (see 1 Samuel 13:14, 16:7, 13). When faced with Goliath, David said he knew God would deliver him into his hands because God had already enabled him to kill a lion and a bear (see 1 Samuel 17:32-37). God had prepared David ahead of time to fulfill His purpose of slaying Goliath and putting an end to the Israelites’ 40 days.
● “Elijah was transformed when God gave him 40 days of strength from a single meal.” This took place when Israel’s leaders had led the people astray into the worship of false gods. Elijah had just killed the false prophets, and Jezebel threatened to kill him. After God’s angel had given him two meals, Elijah traveled 40 days to Horeb, the mount of God. It was there at Horeb that he communed with God and told Him that God’s children had forsaken His covenant, thrown down His altars, and killed His prophets. Although Elijah believed he was the only one left who was still following God, God let him know that He had reserved a remnant of 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to the false god the majority were following. (See 1 Kings 18-19.)
This 40-day period was near the end of Elijah’s faithful service to God and were traveling days in between serving God and communing with God. Scripture does not say anything about these 40 days being a preparation of God’s purposes or causing transformation in the life of Elijah. This is yet another example of adding to Scripture what God did not put in, which twists Scripture to fit man’s purposes.
● “The entire city of Nineveh was transformed when God gave the people 40 days to change.” When Jonah finally obeyed God and told Nineveh that it would be overthrown in 40 days if they did not repent, Scripture does not say that Nineveh waited the entire 40 days to repent. It merely records that after Jonah “began to enter into the city a day’s journey” the people believed God and repented (see Jonah 3).
Yes, God chose to give them 40 days to repent, but the 40 days given to them were not the moving force behind Nineveh’s “transformation.” It was their belief and acceptance of the Word of God regarding their sin and God’s impending judgment that caused them to repent. This should be thoroughly heeded today, as the signs of God’s impending judgment rapidly increase in our own generation. Incidentally, the city’s repentance put an end to the 40-day countdown to God’s judgment.
● “Jesus was empowered by 40 days in the wilderness.” Scripture has been abominably twisted in this choice for a supporting example of his premise. God’s Word states that in the wilderness Jesus was “being forty days tempted of the devil” (Luke 4:2; see also Mark 1:13). Nowhere throughout all of Scripture does God even hint that being tempted by the devil empowers anyone! Besides, if these 40 days “empowered” Jesus physically, then the angels would not have needed to minister to Jesus immediately afterwards (see Matthew 4:11 and Mark 1:13). Furthermore, if these 40 days “empowered” Jesus spiritually, then Jesus would not have been fully God manifest in the flesh.
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16)
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:8-9)
To even hint that the devil and his temptations were a source of power for the Lord Jesus Christ is appalling, to say the very least! Contrarily, Jesus was already prepared when His 40 days of temptation came.
● “The disciples were transformed by 40 days with Jesus after his resurrection.” Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, after the 40 days He was with the disciples, Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem until they were “endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49; see also Acts 1:3-9). On the day of Pentecost the disciples were transformed by the filling of the Holy Spirit, which was the preparation for God’s purpose of using them to preach the Gospel of Christ to the world. It is important to note that Pentecost is a Jewish festival meaning “fiftieth” because it was celebrated on the 50th day. This example as well fails to support Rick Warren’s claims.
Again, God’s Word is clear that transforming and life-changing power is found through the knowledge, belief, and obedience of the Lord God Himself and His Word, rightly divided. Yet, grievously, Rick Warren has taken portions of the Word of God and twisted them, giving them new meanings apart from their Scriptural context. He does this throughout his purpose-driven “manifesto” and Paradigm in the attempt to justify his faulty premises and fulfill his purposes. Nevertheless, the masses have fallen in step behind him, his purposes, and his 40 Days campaigns. They have accepted Rick Warren’s claims that his “spiritual journey” is all about God and His purposes.
God’s Purposes are Man-centered?
“He [God] has clearly revealed his five purposes for our lives through the Bible.” (PDL; p. 20)
“It’s not about you.” (PDL; p. 17; emphasis added)
Rick Warren’s personal list of God’s purposes for our lives consists only of the following five purposes, which he has clearly centered around “you”:
PURPOSE #1: You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure
PURPOSE #2: You Were Formed for God’s Family
PURPOSE #3: You Were Created to Become like Christ
PURPOSE #4: You Were Shaped for Serving God
PURPOSE #5: You Were Made for a Mission
Looking at each of these five purposes, a basic understanding of elementary grammar clearly shows that you, not God, are the subject. In sentence structure, the subject is what the sentence is about. Regardless of his repeated claims to the contrary, each of the five purposes are about you—not only here but also in his descriptions of them.
According to his “manifesto,” these five purposes can be summed up in worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. The God-centered scriptural definitions of these five things are indeed part of the many purposes God has for us. However, a great deal of man-centered theology and other unscriptural errors have been included in the purpose-driven definitions. You, not God, are the subject of this “spiritual journey.” God is merely the means to purpose, meaning, and significance in life.
God’s Word is clear that the nature of God is the basis for what He wants from us. Therefore, increasing our knowledge of God Himself also increases our knowledge of His purposes. Yet not much is said in The Purpose Driven Life about the nature of God. In a man-centered “spiritual journey,” helping people deepen their knowledge of God isn’t the primary issue.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
In The Name of Purpose:
"Today's Christianity may be having a lot of fun in its new way of thinking and behaving, but this isn't a game. Eternal souls are at stake, and the departure from the faith is real. Jesus Christ is being presented as a way of relativism rather than as the way and the truth, and the faith is being presented as an ever-changing method or experience that can be inserted into any faith." (In the Name of Purpose, p. 385)
Simply being a Christian does not automatically immunize us from deception. Scripture's numerous warnings are meant to be heeded. If Christians couldn't be deceived, then the Holy Spirit would be wrong about those who will "depart from the faith" (see 1 Timothy 4:1).
Sadly, this departure from the faith will be so great that the Lord Jesus Christ asks us to consider whether He will actually find faith on the earth when He returns (see Luke 18:8). Since Christians today are trading in the truth of the faith for interfaith unity and are falling for the false gospel of the (New Age) New Spirituality that says all religions are equally valid paths to God, it's no wonder the Lord Jesus Christ asked this.
The universal religion with its spiritual transformation is not coming; it is here. The Angel of light's kingdom is gathering together "all men of peace" from "every world religion" "as the embodiment of the emerging Kingdom of God on earth."* In this emerging interfaith kingdom there is:
"One Truth," yet many theologies;
"One God," yet many paths;
"One Church," yet many expressions; and
"One Divine Life," yet many 'little Christs.'
Despite its deceived claims that its message hasn't changed, today's Christianity is embracing the teachings of the counterfeit kingdom. As a result, it is being steadily transitioned away from Jesus Christ, the Rock of Offence, to the universal "Christ" who broadly accepts people within all religions/faiths. Its purposeful pursuit of unity with the world truly is uniting today's Christianity with the world.
"The religion of the future will be a general converging of religions in a universal Christ that will satisfy all ... In the end, it is hoped that the Christian will become a better Christian and each Hindu a better Hindu." —Jesuit theologian Father Jacques Dupuis, at the 2003 interfaith congress "The Future of God"*
"The Christ has no religious barriers in His consciousness. It matters not to Him of what faith a man may call himself." —Alice Bailey & Djwhal Khul*
"I happen to know people who are followers of Christ in other religions." —Rick Warren*
"He ['the Christ'] inaugurated the new era and ... the new world religion began to take form. The word 'religion' concerns relationship ..." —Alice Bailey & Djwhal Khul*
"I have known many people who believe in the Messiah of Jesus, regardless of what religion they are, because they believe in him. It's about a relationship, not a religion." —Rick Warren*
"The day is dawning when all religions win [sic] be regarded as emanating from one great spiritual source; all will be seen as unitedly providing the one root out of which the universal world religion will inevitably emerge. Then there will be neither Christian nor heathen, neither Jew nor Gentile, but simply one great body of believers, gathered out of all the current religions." —Alice Bailey & Djwhal Khul*
"I thought, you know where people are moving in they probably need new houses of worships, temples, and synagogues, and churches, and stuff like that." —Rick Warren*
"The church is bigger than any organization in the world. Then you add in Muslims, you add in Hindus, you add in all the different religions, and you use those houses of worship as distribution centers, not just for spiritual care but health care." —Rick Warren*
"I could take you today to a million villages ... they got a church. Or they got a synagogue. They got something. They got a house of worship. The church is the biggest organization in the world.... And I came up with a thing called the P.E.A.C.E. Plan. When Jesus sent the disciples out, he said, 'When you go into a village, you find the man of peace.' Now this person doesn't have to be a Christian.... You find the person of peace, and then you begin to do the P.E.A.C.E. Plan ... Now why am I telling this to you? Because we're going public with it this next year in 2006.... And I believe it will change the world." —Rick Warren*
Yes, change is the order of the day.
Truth becomes the sacrifice:
when absolutism is out, and relativism is in;
when obedience is out, and pragmatism is in;
when teaching is out, and dialogue is in;
when thus saith the Lord is out, and consensus of opinion is in;
when using Scripture to judge right and wrong is out, and unity with tolerance at all costs is in;
when the narrow way is out, and the broad way is in.
While Christians have slumbered, the new way of thinking and acting has been built up underneath the old, leaving the old to crumble virtually without notice.
It used to be that faithfulness to God
turned the world upside down.
Now faithfulness to the world
is turning Christianity upside down.
Simply being a Christian does not automatically immunize us from deception. Scripture's numerous warnings are meant to be heeded. If Christians couldn't be deceived, then the Holy Spirit would be wrong about those who will "depart from the faith" (see 1 Timothy 4:1).
Sadly, this departure from the faith will be so great that the Lord Jesus Christ asks us to consider whether He will actually find faith on the earth when He returns (see Luke 18:8). Since Christians today are trading in the truth of the faith for interfaith unity and are falling for the false gospel of the (New Age) New Spirituality that says all religions are equally valid paths to God, it's no wonder the Lord Jesus Christ asked this.
The universal religion with its spiritual transformation is not coming; it is here. The Angel of light's kingdom is gathering together "all men of peace" from "every world religion" "as the embodiment of the emerging Kingdom of God on earth."* In this emerging interfaith kingdom there is:
"One Truth," yet many theologies;
"One God," yet many paths;
"One Church," yet many expressions; and
"One Divine Life," yet many 'little Christs.'
Despite its deceived claims that its message hasn't changed, today's Christianity is embracing the teachings of the counterfeit kingdom. As a result, it is being steadily transitioned away from Jesus Christ, the Rock of Offence, to the universal "Christ" who broadly accepts people within all religions/faiths. Its purposeful pursuit of unity with the world truly is uniting today's Christianity with the world.
"The religion of the future will be a general converging of religions in a universal Christ that will satisfy all ... In the end, it is hoped that the Christian will become a better Christian and each Hindu a better Hindu." —Jesuit theologian Father Jacques Dupuis, at the 2003 interfaith congress "The Future of God"*
"The Christ has no religious barriers in His consciousness. It matters not to Him of what faith a man may call himself." —Alice Bailey & Djwhal Khul*
"I happen to know people who are followers of Christ in other religions." —Rick Warren*
"He ['the Christ'] inaugurated the new era and ... the new world religion began to take form. The word 'religion' concerns relationship ..." —Alice Bailey & Djwhal Khul*
"I have known many people who believe in the Messiah of Jesus, regardless of what religion they are, because they believe in him. It's about a relationship, not a religion." —Rick Warren*
"The day is dawning when all religions win [sic] be regarded as emanating from one great spiritual source; all will be seen as unitedly providing the one root out of which the universal world religion will inevitably emerge. Then there will be neither Christian nor heathen, neither Jew nor Gentile, but simply one great body of believers, gathered out of all the current religions." —Alice Bailey & Djwhal Khul*
"I thought, you know where people are moving in they probably need new houses of worships, temples, and synagogues, and churches, and stuff like that." —Rick Warren*
"The church is bigger than any organization in the world. Then you add in Muslims, you add in Hindus, you add in all the different religions, and you use those houses of worship as distribution centers, not just for spiritual care but health care." —Rick Warren*
"I could take you today to a million villages ... they got a church. Or they got a synagogue. They got something. They got a house of worship. The church is the biggest organization in the world.... And I came up with a thing called the P.E.A.C.E. Plan. When Jesus sent the disciples out, he said, 'When you go into a village, you find the man of peace.' Now this person doesn't have to be a Christian.... You find the person of peace, and then you begin to do the P.E.A.C.E. Plan ... Now why am I telling this to you? Because we're going public with it this next year in 2006.... And I believe it will change the world." —Rick Warren*
Yes, change is the order of the day.
Truth becomes the sacrifice:
when absolutism is out, and relativism is in;
when obedience is out, and pragmatism is in;
when teaching is out, and dialogue is in;
when thus saith the Lord is out, and consensus of opinion is in;
when using Scripture to judge right and wrong is out, and unity with tolerance at all costs is in;
when the narrow way is out, and the broad way is in.
While Christians have slumbered, the new way of thinking and acting has been built up underneath the old, leaving the old to crumble virtually without notice.
It used to be that faithfulness to God
turned the world upside down.
Now faithfulness to the world
is turning Christianity upside down.
Church as It Was Meant to Be By John MacArthur
In many respects, the contemporary church in America looks more like a large corporation than like anything described in the New Testament. Even church leaders sometimes bear a closer resemblance to CEOs and corporate executives than to humble, tender shepherds. Sadly, the good news — that a sinner can find forgiveness for sins before a holy God by placing his trust in and committing his whole life to Jesus Christ — is often eclipsed by “success”-oriented programs and an interest in the bottom line.
As a result, many churches have become nothing more than entertainment centers, employing tactics that effectively draw people into the church, but are incapable of truly ministering to them once they come.
God never intended the church to be like that. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.” Notice the Lord’s one condition to that great promise: “I will build My church” (emphasis added). Christ’s guarantee is valid only when He builds the church His way. When you follow His blueprint, you can be sure that He is doing the work through you and that nothing, not even the gates of hell, can stop Him.
So, what’s the blueprint? A logical place to start is at the beginning with the first church — the church at Jerusalem. It began on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled 120 believers who had gathered for a prayer meeting. The Lord added 3,000 souls later that same day (Acts 2:41). Those fledgling believers didn’t know anything about building a church. They had no precedent; they didn’t have a book on the church; they didn’t even have the New Testament. Yet it was built Jesus’ way, and as such it’s the model for the church today.
Back to the Blueprint: Bible Study, Fellowship, and Prayer
Acts 2:42 gives the blueprint they followed: “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Those are the vital elements that make up the actual function and life of the church — and all of that in just one verse!
Here’s an obvious starting point: A church built to the Master’s plan will begin with the right raw material — a saved congregation. Verse 41 identifies the church as being made up of “those who had received [Peter’s] word,” and “were continually devoting themselves.” The church at Jerusalem was filled with true Christians — those who continually adhered to apostolic teaching.
If the church is to be built Christ’s way, it will be redeemed and therefore empowered by the Holy Spirit. An unsaved membership, devoid of the Holy Spirit, has no capacity to overcome self will, personal agendas, and the love of sin. Only believers have divine power to put those things off and so manifest the Spirit of God.
While the early church didn’t have a New Testament, they had God’s Word in the form of the “apostles’ teaching.” The church at Jerusalem was committed to receiving that Word. Doctrine is the basis of the church — you can’t live out what you don’t know or understand. That’s why Paul instructed Timothy to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2-3). That time has come. If your church isn’t teaching the truth straight from the Bible, how will you recognize error when it comes? How will you grow? Don’t ever allow anyone to stand in the pulpit who isn’t committed to leading the congregation through a deep, penetrating study of God’s Word.
The central focus of the early church’s fellowship was the breaking of bread — the Lord’s Table. It was the most fitting symbol of their fellowship since it reminded them of the basis for their unity — salvation in Christ and adherence to apostolic doctrine. If you share those things as common ground with other believers, then the Lord’s table — communion — is the most appropriate symbol of your fellowship too.
We eat and drink in remembrance of Christ’s self-sacrificing love that took Him to the cross. In your fellowship, make it your habit to practice the same kind of love Christ demonstrated toward you. Practically speaking, you can always give your life to those God brings across your path. Do you habitually pray for fellow believers? Are you encouraging them, edifying them, meeting their physical needs? Do you love them enough to confront them when they are sinning? Those are the marks of true Christian fellowship. It is church as it was meant to be.
Acts 2:42 says the believers continually devoted themselves to prayer. Sadly, the same devotion to prayer is often neglected today. Churches can pack pews by offering entertainment, but when a prayer meeting is held, only a faithful few trickle in. The early Christians remembered the Lord’s promise: “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14). As they demonstrated dependence on the Lord, the results (Acts 2:43-47) were astounding.
Built to Scale: Wonder, Love, and Joy
What happens when true believers remain under biblical teaching, in a spiritual fellowship, and in devotion to prayer? Acts 2:43 says, “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe.” “Awe,” the Greek word for fear, speaks of a sense of reverence. It is reserved for special times when people are struck with wonder because of something divine or powerful that defies human explanation.
Your church ought to be able to instill awe in your community. That first church certainly did. Verse 43 says everyone was in awe of them because “many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.” Though the miracles and wonders of the apostolic times are no longer necessary now that God’s Word is complete, God’s power remains on display. What could be more miraculous than giving life to people who are dead in sin? He heals people of their hurts, puts broken homes back together, and brings people out of the bondage of sin to Christ. In short, He transforms lives. When the church follows God’s design, He will do marvelous and powerful things in individual lives before a watching world.
The early church was full of love — they “had all things in common” (v. 44). There was ownership in the early church – believers didn’t live in a commune — but no one owned anything to the exclusion of someone who had a need. The Greek verbs in verse 46 translated “began selling” and “were sharing” show that they were continually selling and sharing their resources as needed. That kind of sacrificial love is the result of the Lord’s work in obedient believers who follow His blueprint.
The Lord blesses those who labor according to His plan. First, He fills the obedient church with gladness (v. 46) and praise (v. 47). How can you not be happy when you see God at work in your midst? How can you keep from rejoicing when you watch God use your church to make an eternal impact in the world? Second, He adds to their number. Acts 2:47 concludes by saying that “the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
I want to see the church grow, and I know you share that desire. My prayer is that we will let God build the church His way as we await our Lord’s return. If you want to make the most of your church, just follow the blueprint, and encourage your church leaders to do the same.
Charismatics and the Sovereignty of Satan By John MacArthur
The following is taken from a message John delivered several years ago at The Master’s College. It was transcribed by Tony Capoccia at The Bible Bulletin Board. Though certainly not true of all charismatics (lest we be accused of over-generalizing), the problem John points out here is a very real one in some charismatic circles.
I received an interesting letter the other day. It came from some people who came to Grace [Community] Church from a Charismatic church – a very large, prominent Charismatic church.
That’s quite a jump — to leave there and come to Grace Church. The only thing they knew in their church about me was that I didn’t have the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s all they knew — that I didn’t believe [in the continuation of the gifts], so I didn’t have the power of the Holy Spirit.
They didn’t know much else [about our church], but as circumstances indicated they came to Grace, on a visit, and they never left. . . . There are a number of people who were in this group that came, and one of the ladies wrote a really interesting letter to me. It is an amazingly well-written letter. . . [And] in the letter, this is what was laid out. When you think of the [broader] Charismatic movement, you think of speaking in tongues, or healings, or Benny Hinn knocking people down, and things like that. But there are some underlying things in the Charismatic worldview that are really very, very terrifying. And she pointed out this in the letter. She said:
You know we lived all our life in this movement and one thing dominates that movement, and it is that Satan is sovereign. If you get sick, it was the devil. If your child gets sick, it was the devil. The devil made your child sick. And even if your child dies Satan somehow got the victory. If your spouse, your husband or your wife gets cancer, that’s the devil that did that. If you had an accident, the devil did that. If you lost your job, the devil did that. If things didn’t go the way you wanted them to go in your company or your family and you wound up with a loss of job or a divorce — the devil did all of that. The devil has to be bound and so you have got to learn these formulas, because you have got to bind the devil or he is really going to control everything in your life.
The devil dominates everything, and he is assisted by this massive force of demons who also have to be dealt with, and you have got to do everything you can to try to overcome these spiritual powers, and they are invisible and they are fast and they are powerful, and they are really impossible for you to deal with on any permanent basis, so it is an ongoing, incessant struggle with the devil.
And the lady in the letter just basically said, “We lived our whole lives thinking that everything that went wrong in the entire universe was basically because of the devil. The devil is really sovereign in everything and even God, along with us, is really struggling like crazy to overcome the devil.”
She said:
I lived with heart palpitations, panic attacks, anxiety, frightening dreams — waking up in the middle of the night terrified that the devil might be doing something to my child while he’s lying in his bed. Just living in this constant terror of what Satan was doing; that when the wrong guy gets elected — Satan put him there. That when the society goes a certain direction it is all under the control of Satan. Satan is really the sovereign of everything and it is really difficult to get control of him — even God is up there wringing His hands trying to get control of this deal.
I lived with that fear and that terror because I took my church seriously.” And she said, “I came to Grace [Community Church] and one thing just totally shocked me. You said that:
The fact is, God is in control of everything! . . . When you get sick, or when somebody gets cancer, or when something goes wrong in the world, or when you lose your job, that is not outside the tolerances of God, that is not outside the purposes of God, in fact, God works all things together for good.
This was absolutely earth shaking. This was a total change for us, and the difference we found was so powerful that it totally changed the way we think about life.
That is the issue. We do not believe Satan is in charge of history; we believe God is in charge. That changes everything. That takes all the panic out. I can honestly say that I have never had a panic attack. I have never awakened in the night worrying what the devil might be doing, because God has not only conquered Satan, but God has put Satan under our feet it says, and, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” [1 John 4:4]. So we know God controls history. And this might surprise you, the devil is God’s servant. If you want to read a great book, read, Erwin Lutzer’s book on Satan, in which he points that out so capably.
2007: A Time for Truth Brenda Jung
Few pursuits in life are more important than the pursuit of truth. What one believes to be true, especially about God, humanity, and the relation between them, will govern one's entire life-thoughts, affections, attitudes, actions, desires, and decisions. Most importantly, one cannot worship God rightly without right knowledge about who God is. Truth serves as "true north," orienting us in the right direction for our living, our being, and our worship. Truth is worth pursuing, worth wrestling with, and once found, worth fighting for.
Christians who live in the twenty-first century are privileged to stand behind a long line of those who have gone before us and given their entire lives and souls to the pursuit and defense of truth. Some of those to whom we are indebted are the reformers. Martin Luther, in particular, blazed the trail on which we walk today. His nailing of the Ninety-Five Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, marked the beginning of the Reformation. Luther's theses were a list of refutations of the power and efficacy of indulgences, which were being sold by Roman church authorities for the building of St. Peter's Basilica:
[The laity] ask, e.g.: Why does not the pope liberate everyone from purgatory for the sake of love (a most holy thing) and because of the supreme necessity of their souls? This would be morally the best of all reasons. Meanwhile he redeems innumerable souls for money, a most perishable thing, with which to build St. Peter's church, a very minor purpose. (Thesis 82)
Luther led the Protestant Reformation with bold intent to recover the identity of Christ's church, including its spiritual integrity, its authority (Scripture), and most of all, its message-the doctrine of justification. It was Luther's discovery of justification by faith alone in his study of the Book of Romans that caused him to rethink his entire life and system of doctrine. He wrote,
My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him. Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement "the just shall live by faith." Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning ... This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven. (emphasis added)
The Reformation was not an overreaction to a squabble over whose understanding of salvation was better-the Roman Catholic Church's or Martin Luther's. The Reformation was a serious debate over whose understanding of salvation was right. In other words, the Reformation's primary concern was truth-truth about how salvation is accomplished and attained. In order to determine this, both Rome and the reformers were required to dig into the pages of Scripture and meticulously examine its teaching in lexical and grammatical detail. It testifies to the lengths they went in order to determine truth and falsehood. The sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation can be called "a time for truth," when the reformers and the laity sought the truth formally, intentionally, and publicly.
Thinking Inside the Box
Jesus declared in John 8:32 that "the truth will set you free," but what is the nature of this truth? For Luther, the truth not only freed him, it bound him. Before the imperial assembly at Worms (known as the Diet of Worms) in 1521, Luther refused to recant his view of salvation, declaring, "Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason ... my conscience is captive to the Word of God." Scripture served as the "box" within which Luther could think and live with a clear conscience before God. Christians are to "think God's thoughts after him," and Scripture is the revelation of God's thoughts, will, and ways. Today, truth is still bound by the Word of God. But today it is uncomfortable and constricting to think of truth as binding. We have forgotten that truth often offends us before it frees us. Today we want to be freed by the truth without necessarily having to be bound by it. But part of truth's nature is its binding character. The writer to the Hebrews warns of the punishment that will result from ignoring the truth that we have heard-the message of salvation.
We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Heb. 2:1-4)
Once confronted by truth, one is bound to it. There are consequences for ignoring, dismissing, and rejecting the facts. The choice to ignore, dismiss, or reject the facts does not change them. The facts are the reality, and we are bound to reality simply by living within it. The truth frees us when we swallow hard and submit to it.
Today's version of truth not only allows but invites us to think outside of the box rather than within it. Some believers who want to remain within the box of orthodoxy would rather push the lines and enlarge the box than exclude anybody from it. But objective truth, by nature, must exclude and reject opinions which are incompatible with the facts. For Luther, truth disallowed the inclusion of some Catholic practices, particularly those of buying and selling indulgences; truth required rejection of unbiblical preaching and praxis, even if it came at a high personal cost. Following the Diet of Worms, Luther was pronounced a heretic, outlawed by the emperor. The modern quest for truth is qualitatively different from that of Luther's quest. Unlike Luther, we are willing only to be freed by the truth, but not to be bound by it.
What exactly is the box that defines orthodoxy today? What are the truths that both free and bind Christians? Where are the lines that protect orthodoxy against heresy?
Defining the Lines
The solas of the Reformation are the objective truths that define the Christian faith, not in comprehensive terms, but nevertheless, in critical terms. They are the espresso in a latte, if you will, and a latte without espresso is just a cup of milk. In other words, the solas are the indispensable doctrines of Christianity. They were the answer to the ultimate question asked during the Reformation: How are sinners justified? More specifically, is salvation a monergistic or synergistic work? That is, does God alone accomplish salvation? Or is salvation a cooperative effort between God and human beings? The answer to this question is not only what separates Protestantism from Roman Catholicism; it is also what separates Christianity from all other world religions. Salvation, or justification, is a monergistic work of God. That salvation is a work of God alone was explained by the reformers in what became five Latin phrases: Sinners are justified by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), in Christ alone (solo Christo), for God's glory alone (soli Deo gloria), as revealed by the authority of Scripture alone (sola Scriptura).
In an over-simplistic sense, one word (sola) divided the two parties (Rome and the reformers). While Rome affirmed salvation by grace, by faith, and by the work of Christ, it did not affirm salvation by grace alone (sola) through faith alone (sola) because of Christ alone (sola), which the reformers contended is taught in Scripture. According to Reformed theologian and church historian R. Scott Clark,
Confessional Protestants do not disagree with Rome over whether justification is by grace. Rome has always taught justification by grace. We disagree over the definition of grace. Protestants define grace as the unconditional favor of God and Rome defines grace as the infusion of sanctity or even the divine nature. Of course Rome also confesses justification by faith, and once again we disagree over the definition. Protestants say faith, in the act of justification, is nothing more than a trust or resting in Christ's finished work. Because it looks to Christ's finished work alone as the ground of justification, faith (receiving and resting) is the sole instrument of justification. Rome, however, defines faith as faithfulness or sanctification, i.e., cooperation with grace, and says that justification is sanctification whereas we confess that justification produces sanctification or fruit. Rome confesses we are justified because and to the degree we are sanctified and we confess that we are justified by Christ's righteousness imputed received through faith alone and that justification necessarily produces sanctity.
This helps us to understand why the Reformation was just that: a reformation, a refining of Christian doctrines rather than an entirely new construction of them (of course, what was refined during the Reformation does redefine salvation entirely). It was in the details where the big differences between Rome and the reformers lay. All that is good about the Good News is tucked into this word: alone (sola).
The solas are the doctrines that will prove practical for addressing many of the challenges to truth that face the church today (for some of these specific challenges, see Eric Landry's article in this issue). Thus, every generation will profit from instruction in the Reformation solas.
Sola Scriptura
Sola Scriptura declares the Protestant doctrine of Scripture: Scripture alone is the sole and absolute authority over what is true and necessary concerning salvation. Over against the modern tendency to reduce Scripture to a moral handbook, a guide for living, a history textbook, an ancient book of extraordinary stories, or even a "love letter" from God, Scripture is the inspired revelation of reality. It is the highest authority and standard by which we have to judge all traditions and truth claims. This view of Scripture, however, is waning. No doubt, believers and nonbelievers alike are willing to grant that the Bible is a source of truth, but fewer and fewer people are willing to grant that the Bible is the source of truth. Recovering the truth about the nature of Scripture-its infallibility,inerrancy, perspicuity, and sufficiency will strengthen believers' faith in Scripture and motivate their submission to it for all things concerning life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). Contrary to the advice being offered by psychologists and well-meaning counselors who argue that the truth about oneself can be altered and improved by confronting childhood experiences and by understanding "your story," returning to Scripture is the first step toward reinterpreting our lives according to reality.
In order to trust Scripture alone for "teaching, for reproofing, for correcting, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16, esv), believers must familiarize themselves with the content of Scripture, particularly the Old Testament. Rather than memorizing Bible stories and verses in isolation from their context, believers must learn the grand story in Scripture and learn to interpret the parts in light of the whole. Only when we learn to recognize Christ as the center of Scripture and the "star" of the redemptive story can we afford not to view reality through our own coming into the world but through Christ's.
The gospel that saves us from God's wrath and all forms of self-justification is found in the Bible. Without knowledge of the true gospel as recorded in the pages of Scripture, we can only compose our own (false) gospels, which offer a false salvation.
Solo Christo
Solo Christo declares that Jesus Christ alone is given the credit for justifying sinners by living a meritorious life and dying a satisfactory death in their place. Solo Christo is in need of reiteration today for many reasons. Here are two:
First, the acts of confessing, repenting, forgiving, praying, and loving are often seen today, as in the medieval church, as contributing to our salvation. Christ's atoning work is thereby treated as a necessary but not entirely sufficient ground for our acquittal. For example, one Presbyterian pastor has exhorted his congregation to find freedom in forgiveness by confessing their sins-as though forgiveness is attained rather than acknowledged and received by the act of confession. Confession, as well as repentance, forgiveness, prayer, love, and all other benefits of Christianity are only effective because they are performed in Christ and on the basis of his atonement. It is worth restating that faith does not save; Jesus saves. J. I. Packer has observed:
One of the unhealthiest features of Protestant theology today is its preoccupation with faith: faith, that is, viewed man-centeredly as a state of existential commitment. Inevitably, this preoccupation diverts thought away from faith's object, even when this is clearly conceived-as too often in modern theology it is not. Though the reformers said much about faith, even to the point of calling their message of justification "the doctrine of faith," their interest was not of the modern kind. It was not subject-centered but object-centered, not psychological but theological, not anthropocentric but Christocentric.
Faith is only as efficient as its object, and for Christians, the object of our faith is the person and work of Jesus Christ - not our faith in him.
Second, as long as believers seek for righteousness from any source other than the Righteous One, solo Christo will be a relevant doctrine. Where can the perfect righteousness that God requires be found? Who can provide it? According to the Reformation position, righteousness is found in Christ and we are made righteous by what Christ has done for us (external imputation). However, according to the Roman Catholic position (shared today by most Protestants), justifying righteousness is found in Christ and in us. That is, we are declared righteous by what Christ has done in us (internal infusion). The Westminster Confession of Faith states the Protestant position explicitly:
Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth; not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone; not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience, to them as their righteousness; but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by faith; which faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God. (Chapter 11, Section 1)
Righteousness is found outside of ourselves in Christ and can only belong to us by God's gracious act of imputing, or crediting, it to us. Solo Christo frees us to accept the Apostle Paul's words to the Romans: "There is no one righteous ... no one who seeks God ... no one who does good" (Rom. 3:10-12) and to receive a righteousness from without that we could never produce from within.
Sola Gratia
Sola gratia declares that the basis for justification is God's grace alone. God's gracious nature is the efficient cause of spiritual life emerging from spiritually dead souls of sinners. Kim Riddlebarger has put it succinctly: "Our salvation from the wrath of God is because of something good in God, not because of anything good in us."
Sola gratia is a practical doctrine worth our attention so long as people (Christians included) hesitate to accept the sin and guilt of Adam as theirs-not hypothetically, but actually. So long as Christians hesitate to admit that they are totally depraved and therefore unable to desire God or choose him, sola gratia will defend the truth that sinners are always at the mercy of God, and God is never at the mercy of sinners.
That regeneration and every part of salvation is God's choice alone and not man's frees the believer's conscience from wondering whether he has done enough good for God to choose him. Sola gratia is what reminds us that humans are not able to earn or deserve salvation; salvation is "not from yourselves," guarding against any boasting of our works (Eph. 2:8, 9). The doctrine of sola gratia properly assigns all credit in the work of salvation to God. Not because of obligation or duty, but only because of his gracious character, God chose to send Jesus to do for us what we could never do for ourselves.
Sola Fide
Sola fidedeclares that the means of justification is by faith alone, inviting sinners to rest in the meritorious work of Someone Else-namely, Jesus Christ. "Faith alone" is in contrast to the Roman teaching of faith as only part of, rather than the whole of, what is necessary for justification:
If any say that the sinner is justified through faith alone, in the sense that nothing else is necessary that cooperates to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not necessary for the sinner to prepare himself, by means of his own will, let him be anathema. (Council of Trent, Session 6.7, Canon 9)
Reformation Christianity does not regard faith as a meritorious work of sinners but as an instrument by which they trust in the meritorious work of Christ and receive it as their own. J. I. Packer explains, "Faith is our act, but not our work; it is an instrument of reception without being a means of merit; it is the work in us of the Holy Spirit, who both evokes it and through it ingrafts us into Christ." Regeneration is a monergistic work of the Holy Spirit, not a synergistic (cooperative) work between the Holy Spirit and the sinner.
In sola fide, the very gospel is at stake, which is why it is said that the entire Reformation turned on this phrase. Luther went so far as to say that justification is the chief article of the church. R. Scott Clark has put it in stark terms: "What did Jesus mean when he hung on the cross and said, 'It is finished'? Did he mean 'It is finished'? Or, 'I've done my part, now you do yours'?" The battle cry of the reformers was "It is finished."
Soli Deo Gloria
Soli Deo gloria declares that God's glory alone is the purpose of salvation. As stated in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever (Question and Answer 1). However, ever since Cain built a city named after his son instead of his God (Gen. 4:17ff), and proud human beings constructed the Tower of Babel to "make a name for [them]selves" (Gen. 11:4), God's glory has been threatened by the pursuit of our own glory. Even Christians seek to establish empires, build kingdoms, and leave legacies in their remembrance. But for those in Christ, these are vain and futile pursuits, for "those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (2 Cor. 5:15). That God always has, always does, and always will receive his due glory rebukes those who abuse God's gifts by using them for their own selfish ends.
One little word, sola, allows both God and man to take their proper positions in redemptive reality: God as gracious, righteous, sovereign, self-sustaining Creator, and humanity as the ethically marred image of God, desperately dependent recipient of grace.
Conclusion
Today, Christianity, like truth, is being redefined in primarily subjective terms, such as it's being "personal," "helpful," and "practical." What needs to be recovered is not only an objective view of Christianity-that is, Christianity as true, not just personally beneficial-but also confidence in the objectivity of Christianity. Though many believers will readily affirm that Christianity is a factually true, historic faith, their confidence often lies not in the objective doctrines of the Christian faith; it lies in their subjective experience of the Christian life. In other words, objective truth today is only as valuable as one's subjective experience of it. Until the objective doctrines of Christianity are plainly presented to the modern church, believers cannot place their confidence in the facts.
Once believers learn the true gospel as articulated by the solas, they will be able to more easily sniff out false gospels, in the same way that they judge that a carton of milk is spoiled by knowledge of what good, fresh milk is supposed to smell like. The solas provide the measuring stick by which orthodoxy can be measured. Thus, it behooves every twenty-first-century Christian to invest time and energy in learning the doctrines formulated in the sixteenth century. In 2007, Modern Reformation will focus its attention on the Reformation solas in order that our current generation may reap all the benefits of the gospel that are offered in them.
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1 In this article, Luther's quote can be found in Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther's Latin Writings (1545), in Luther's Works: American Edition (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House and Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1955- ), vol. 34, p. 337. See also AE 54:193-4, 308-9. The quotes from J.I. Packer were taken from his article, "Sola Fide: The Reformed Doctrine of Justification," and the quote from Kim Riddlebarger was taken from his article, "Grace Alone: An Evangelical Problem?" Both articles can be found online at monergism.com.
Unconditional Election An Interview with J.I. Packer
MR: Dr. Packer, what exactly do people mean by unconditional election?
Packer: It is a phrase which folk use to express this thought: that because we sinners are helpless, God has to take all the steps that are necessary in order to bring us to faith and fellowship with himself and finally to eternal life. Unconditional election is the name for the choice God makes to do that in any particular case, and it has to be unconditional because if God waited for man to merit it, he would wait forever.
MR: Dr. Packer, why do we need an election?
Packer: Because we will never be saved unless God chooses to save us. Election leads to the saving action of God in his lordship, and if we were left to ourselves we would never respond to God on our own at all. This is what people don't seem to appreciate, that all of us by nature are anti-God in our deepest instincts (see Romans chapter 3). We don't always realize this because many of us think we are seeking God, and frankly, people want a God they can manage and manipulate and have as a safety net. Those are facts about human life, and very familiar facts. But when it is a matter of responding to the real God and responding in a way that he calls for --that is by humbling ourselves before him, learning to trust his word absolutely, turning from sin, taking our hands off of the reins of our own life and letting him be in control --we wake up to the fact that we don't like this at all and we shy back from it. That is our nature. So you see, God has to take action otherwise we shall never come to him at all because that is the state in which fallen humans find themselves.
MR: Doesn't this detract from our responsibility to respond to the gospel? If I'm one of the elect, God will save me, and if I'm not I cannot be saved anyway so why worry about it?
Packer: No, that isn't the way to look at it because God has made us folk who act of their own will and he keeps us that way. And so he takes account of us for the things that we have done because they really were our own actions. The fact that we haven't got it in us to respond to God in a positive way doesn't mean that we don't choose not to respond to God. We do choose not to respond to God, and it's for that choice that we're responsible before him. The truth about us is that we are like drowning folk who can't swim and left to ourselves would just go under and eventually not come up again. God takes action, as it were, to dive in, swim to us, grab hold of us and save us. Election, as we said a moment ago, is his decision to do that, and in his lordship and power he does it, and so our salvation is entirely due to him. But all the time we are responsible for being the people that we are, drowning in our own moral mess.
MR: Isn't foreknowledge the basis of election? Didn't God choose us because he looked down into the future and foresaw that we would believe in him?
Packer: He foreknew us all right, but he foreknew us as we are by nature, that is, he foreknew us as folk who wouldn't respond to him unless he first changed our heart, so he chose us to have our hearts changed. But it's all his initiative, all his sovereignty first to last. The Bible describes this human condition in many ways. It tells us that we are spiritually blind, spiritually deaf, our hearts are hard--that is to say we are unresponsive to God, and we are spiritually dead. The Bible says all those things. You couldn't express the thought of unresponsiveness more strongly.
MR: Wouldn't it be unfair for God to elect one person to heaven, but then not elect my next-door neighbor?
Packer: Well the thing to remember here is, first of all, that why God does what he does is often times a mystery to us. He doesn't tell us why he chooses one and not another. To ask the question therefore is foolish; it doesn't get us anywhere. But we should remember, secondly, that in fact as God sees us we all actually deserve to be condemned because we're all actually choosing every day to live in defiance of his laws and his way, and to follow our own way instead; that's rebellion, and that's sin. Well now, it's out of a body of humanity, every one of whose members deserves to be rejected, that God has in fact saved some. The Bible makes it plain that he doesn't choose to save all, but he is under no obligation to choose to save all. In fact, he's under no obligation to choose to save any, because we all deserve from his hands condemnation and punishment.
MR: Would you agree with Spurgeon when he said, "What's hard for me to believe isn't that he didn't choose to save everybody, but that he chose to save me"?
Packer: Well, that I believe is the way to look at it. The marvel in this business is that anybody is saved, and certainly that I am saved. Of course, we all know the inside story of our own lives better than anybody else. We, after all, are the people who have lived those lives. We know how bad we are. I can't understand any Christian who isn't constantly amazed that God saved him or her in spite of all that badness, twistedness, depravity and sinfulness inside. That certainly is how I feel about myself.
MR: How essential is this doctrine to our understanding of salvation in general?
Packer: Well, if we aren't clear that God's election and God's lordly grace is responsible for our salvation--that is, if we aren't clear that it is God who saved us and not we who saved ourselves with His help, then we won't trust him as we should and we will rely on ourselves to keep ourselves going, whereas the Christian who knows God's grace relies on God to keep him going. Furthermore, we won't be praising God on a day-to-day basis for all that we ought to be praising him for. He saved us and we ought to be thanking him for our conversion and for the fact that each day he keeps us in grace just as much as we thank him for sending his son to die for our sins. But it will only be 50 percent of the praise we ought to offer if we don't appreciate that it was he who saved us by bringing us to faith.
MR: So this is something really practical for the Christian and not something that should be left in the seminary classroom for theological debate?
Packer: Oh, indeed no. I am not saying that we ought, when we preach and teach in local churches, to be drilling people in the basics of historical theology with all of its technical terms. But when it comes to the nitty gritty of practical Christianity, we certainly ought to be teaching people that all grace is God's free gift, and that none of it is earned. We also ought to teach that all Christian life is the fruit of God's grace, none of which is our contribution. God has taken us in hand, God has chosen to save us, and we ought to be very thankful. This doctrine of election is a matter for worship rather than for debate and argument and it is only human pride, incidentally, that keeps people debating and arguing about it because deep down within us we want to be able to say, "Well, I saved myself at one point anyway. I did contribute something." The Christian can't say that, however. God has humbled him beyond that point, but that humility is part of his happiness actually. When the Christian knows that he can trust a faithful God he is suddenly liberated from the need to keep everything going by his own effort and he is free and joyful in the Lord and the paradox is that he then worships more wholeheartedly and runs faster in obedience. This doctrine which sounds as if it ought to impede human effort does in actual fact lead folk to run that much more vigorously in the path of obedience because they know how much they owe to God.
MR: Dr. Packer, if this doctrine is true, is there any reason to believe that the gospel invitation is genuine?
Packer: Yes there is. The most obvious and basic reason is that Christ died to guarantee the truth of the gospel invitation, and the promise of salvation attached to it, wherever that gospel invitation goes. In other words, everybody who hears the word of invitation from God, "Who so ever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely..." or, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life...", can be sure that because Christ died, that word is true for him. So the decision he makes in response to or disregard for that word really is the decisive decision for his destiny. There is nothing phony about the gospel offer. It is true for everyone who hears it. And the death of Christ guaranteed that that was so. The gospel is to go to all the world, and that means that all the world is to be invited to receive eternal life.
MR:But how can you reconcile "God so loved the world..." with the idea that God elects to save some but not others? Packer: We have to understand that "world" in the Scriptures is a word which is sometimes used not statistically for the world in all its numbers, such as x billions of people, but for the world in its moral quality, that is, the world in all its badness. When it says that Christ is the Savior of the world, part of the thought at any rate is that Christ saves men out of every race and kindred and tribe and tongue in all their badness and rebellion against God.
MR: Doesn't a doctrine like this help us to get beyond the shallow evangelism of the contemporary church?
Packer: Yes, there is certainly more to Christianity than the Jesus trip.
WHAT DID SPURGEON HAVE TO SAY?????
If you are interested in the recent movement against Calvinism, you'll want to hear Spurgeon's thoughts in the matter to get the other side of the issue. Spurgeon was one of the greatest Baptist Calvinists of Christian history, and you'd be hard pressed to find a better defense of the doctrines of grace than his! Here are some areas to get you started:
Election - "Whatever may be said about the doctrine of election, it is written in the Word of God as with an iron pen, and there is no getting rid of it; there it stands."
Disbelief of Election - "I believe the man who is not willing to submit to the electing love and sovereign grace of God, has great reason to question whether he is a Christian at all, for the spirit that kicks against that is the spirit of the devil, and the spirit of the unhumbled, unrenewed heart."
Total Inability - "No man ever made himself to live. No preacher, however earnest, can make one hearer to live. No parent, however prayerful, no teacher, however tearful, can make a child live unto God. “You hath HE quickened,” is true of all who are quickened."
Limited Atonement - "I may be called Antinomian or Calvinist for preaching a limited atonement; but I had rather believe a limited atonement that is efficacious for all men for whom it was intended, than a universal atonement that is not efficacious for anybody, except the will of man be joined with it."
Irresistable Grace - "I take it that the highest proof of Christ’s power is not that he offers salvation, not that he bids you take it if you will, but that when you reject it, when you hate it, when you despise it, he has a power whereby he can change your mind, make you think differently from your former thoughts, and turn you from the error of your ways."
Perseverance of the Saints - "Final perseverance is the necessary evidence of genuine conversion."
Despite what many in our churches tell us today, orthodox Christianity- orthodox Baptists were Calvinists! The modern day missions movements, the greatest preachers and evangelists, the translators of the King James Bible were Calvinists! It saddens our hearts when we see Christian schools, churches, and ministries departing from their heritage and from sound Biblical truth. May we all become more diligent students of the word- and of the great doctrines of the Bible. If you would like to contact us regarding these issues.
Election - "Whatever may be said about the doctrine of election, it is written in the Word of God as with an iron pen, and there is no getting rid of it; there it stands."
Disbelief of Election - "I believe the man who is not willing to submit to the electing love and sovereign grace of God, has great reason to question whether he is a Christian at all, for the spirit that kicks against that is the spirit of the devil, and the spirit of the unhumbled, unrenewed heart."
Total Inability - "No man ever made himself to live. No preacher, however earnest, can make one hearer to live. No parent, however prayerful, no teacher, however tearful, can make a child live unto God. “You hath HE quickened,” is true of all who are quickened."
Limited Atonement - "I may be called Antinomian or Calvinist for preaching a limited atonement; but I had rather believe a limited atonement that is efficacious for all men for whom it was intended, than a universal atonement that is not efficacious for anybody, except the will of man be joined with it."
Irresistable Grace - "I take it that the highest proof of Christ’s power is not that he offers salvation, not that he bids you take it if you will, but that when you reject it, when you hate it, when you despise it, he has a power whereby he can change your mind, make you think differently from your former thoughts, and turn you from the error of your ways."
Perseverance of the Saints - "Final perseverance is the necessary evidence of genuine conversion."
Despite what many in our churches tell us today, orthodox Christianity- orthodox Baptists were Calvinists! The modern day missions movements, the greatest preachers and evangelists, the translators of the King James Bible were Calvinists! It saddens our hearts when we see Christian schools, churches, and ministries departing from their heritage and from sound Biblical truth. May we all become more diligent students of the word- and of the great doctrines of the Bible. If you would like to contact us regarding these issues.
How Much Do You Love Christ? (Take The Test)
One early church leader expressed his love for Christ in this way: "If my father were weeping on his knees before me, my mother hanging on my neck behind me, my brethren, sisters, and kinsfolk - howling on every side to retain me in a sinful course, I would fling my mother to the ground, run over my father, despise all of my kindred and tread them under my feet, that I might run unto Christ". What follows could be considered a "questionnaire", useful for testing your own love for Christ. It comes to us from the Puritan pen of Thomas Vincent, from his book The True Christian's Love to The Unseen Christ:
First, allow me to speak a word of reproof to those who have no sincere love to Christ. To you I would say: What?! Are you creatures made by Christ and made for Christ, and yet have no love to Him? Are you rational creatures? Do you have souls capable of knowing Him and loving Him, and yet have no love to Him? Are you Christians and not love Christ? Are you baptized in Christ's name and yet have you no love to Christ's person? Do some of you profess to be Christians and yet do not love Christ? Do you make a show of devotion, and yet without any true affection to the object of your worship?
And those of you who are admitted unbelievers, though you have not seen Christ - yet have you not heard of Him, and have you not heard enough already - to engage and draw forth your love unto Christ? What do you think, is there such a person as Jesus Christ, or is there not? Have you no bibles, and if you have, have you not read therein the history concerning Jesus Christ? And what do you think of that history, is it true or is it false? Do you think the Gospel is a cunningly devised fable? Are not the scriptures, which contain the Gospel, the very word of the true God who cannot lie? Is there not a divine aspect to the scriptures that sufficiently prove their divine origin to any who search into them, and who do not willfully shut their eyes against the light which shines in them? And if it is so, that there is such a person as Jesus Christ, as there is nothing more true, how is it that you have no love unto him?
Do not the scriptures reveal and set forth Christ as the most excellent and love-worthy person alive? And yet you still do not love Him. Can you love persons and things that are but imperfectly lovely, and not love Jesus Christ who is altogether lovely? And consider this as well, all you who do not sincerely and truly love Christ are still under a divine curse. Not only under the curse of the law, for your breach of the law, but also under the curse of the Gospel. For even the Gospel proclaims: "If anyone does not love the Lord, a curse be on him" (1 Corinthians 16:22).
And when the Lord comes, will He take off the curse from you? No. He will come in flaming fire to take vengeance upon you, having threatened in the scriptures that bear his truth - to punish all without love to Him with an everlasting destruction. And what then is likely to become of you? Sodom and Gomorrah, those wicked cities will then be punished dreadfully with a worse fire than that which was rained down from heaven and consumed their persons and habitations together, I mean - with the fire of Hell, which will be kindled and kept alive unto eternity by the breath of the almighty. But you, who do not love the Lord Jesus Christ, not withstanding all discoveries of Him, invitations to Him, and offers of kindness by Him - you will be punished more dreadfully than even the wicked Sodomites of Sodom and Gomorrah. It will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for them than for you. The torments of Hell will be intolerable by any, but they will be most intolerable by Gospel-sinners. The fire of Hell will burn upon you most fiercely, and the scourge of conscience will lash you the most furiously.
Consider this all you who have no love to Christ, otherwise - when He comes to judgment he will tear you to pieces; there will be none to deliver you. If you do not have the sweet fire of love to Christ kindled hearts here, you will be thrown into the dreadful fire of Hell, which will burn you everlastingly. Scripture says: "Kiss the Son lest He be angry, and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare-up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him" (Psalm 2:12).
Second, allow me to speak a word of reproof to those of you who have some love, but it is very little love, to Jesus Christ. You that love Christ, is not your love very small? Not only in comparison with his love to you, but also in comparison to the love which other Christians have attained unto. For example:
How strong was the love of the Apostles unto Christ when they left all and followed Him? Especially after the resurrection of Christ and his ascension into heaven, when the Holy Spirit was sent down and sat in the likeness of fiery tongues upon them. Oh what a fire of love unto Christ was there then enkindled within them. Hence that bold profession which they made of Christ, before the chief priests and elders in Acts chapter 4:
"Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied 'judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For when can not help speaking about what we have seen and heard".
And another example is when they rejoiced, counting themselves worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ, and to be beaten for their owning and preaching of Him in Acts chapter 5:
"They called the Apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The Apostles left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worth of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day in the temple courts, and from house to house they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ".
But where is such love now to be found?
I might speak also of the love of some ancient fathers, Ignatius, Polycarp, Jerome, and others. Take one instance of Jerome, who once expressed his love unto Christ in these words:
"If my father were weeping on his knees before me, my mother hanging on my neck behind me, my brethren, sisters, and kinsfolk - howling on every side to retain me in a sinful course,
I would fling my mother to the ground, run over my father, despise all of my kindred and tread them under my feet,
that I might run unto Christ".
Accounts of martyrs:
Thomas Haukes
Polycarp
John Hooper
And how little is your love, in comparison to the love of those famous heroes. I mean those imminent martyrs who have despised the flames and endured the rack, in torture deaths of fire, for the love which they bore unto Jesus Christ. The fire of their love burning stronger within them, than the fire around them, in which their bodies were consumed.
Is not your love also small, in
comparison with the love of our
late Reformers, which fired them with such courage and resolution as to withstand a whole world of anti-Christian fury and opposition?
And is your love comparable to even that of many imminent pastors and private Christians, of the age immediately going before ours, who are now asleep in their graves?
How few are there that have come up in their place.
It is observed, and it is greatly to be lamented that there is of late - a great decay in the power of godliness among those who are sincere. And is not this decay most evident in the great decay of love, even in true Christians unto Jesus Christ? Are you not dwarfs in comparison to others from past generations, or even in your own generation? Are you not babes in Christ and weaklings in your love to Christ?
Is it not evident that you have but little love to Christ, when he is but little in your thoughts and meditations? Does not your lack of thoughts of Christ prove your lack of love? The 'thoughts' are the handmade of love. Where love is strong and ardent, there - many thoughts will be attending upon it. But will not your hearts tell you that your thoughts of Christ are very few. You can think often of your food, but how little do your thoughts feed upon Christ who is the bread of life. You can often think of your clothing and what to wear, but how little do you think of the robes of Christ's righteousness? You can think often of your earthly friends, but how little do you think of Jesus Christ - your friend in Heaven? Objects of sense are often not only in your eyes, but also in your thoughts. But how little is Christ entertained in your thoughts, who is the object of faith?
Moreover, does it not argue of little love to Christ that you speak so little of Him, and for Him, in your conversations? If you had much love to Christ, would not this love breath forth more in your conversations? You can readily speak of yourselves, and you often speak directly or more subtly about yourselves, which reveals your great self-love. But how little to you commend your Lord and Master and extol his excellencies with your lips? Is this not evidence that you have but little love for him in your hearts? You can readily discourse of news and public occurrences (which is lawful and needful as long as due limits are observed), but when you leave Christ quite out of your conversation, it shows that you have not an abundance of love to Him, because "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks". Such as have much love to pleasures; we are often speaking of that subject. Such as love their friends; much will often be speaking of and commending them, when you are not in their company. Which is why, when you speak such little of Christ, it is a sign that you love Him but little.
And likewise, does not the small amount of zeal which you have for Christ's honor in the world, argue that you have but little love to Him? Where is your activity for Christ to promote his interest among those relations and friends that you have made acquaintance with? Do you labor all you can to bring others into the way of God and into acquaintance with Christ? If you truly loved Christ, you would be like the disciple Phillip who sought out his brother Nathaniel, found him and said: "we have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and about whom the prophets also wrote, Jesus of Nazareth - the son of Joseph".
And in the same way, does not the fact that you spend very little time in private bible reading and devotion - argue your small affection unto Christ? Will not your closets or other retiring places witness how little you are in secret prayer and conversation with Christ? Brief and straightened prayer in secret, argues a heart that is brief and straightened in love to Jesus Christ. Does not your backwardness to the exercise of this love to Christ show the weakness of your love?
How slow of heart are you to the love of Christ; how hard to be persuaded. You need not be persuaded to love your wives if they are kind and helpful. You need not be persuaded to love your children if they are pretty and show potential. You need not be persuaded to love your friends if they are friendly and faithful, and yet whatever attractions of love there are, the most strong of any are in Jesus Christ. Yet, you are backward to this love.
Need I say more to convince you that you have but little love to Christ? Will not your own conscience from these clear evidences sufficiently witness the thing? And now Christians, think what a sin, what a shame, what a folly it is, that you should have so little love to Jesus Christ. If it is so great a sin for such as are strangers unto Christ to have no love at all to Him, so that it brings them under the most dreadful curse, surely it cannot be a small sin that you who are His true disciples should have but little love unto Him. Is it not very displeasing unto the father that you should have but little love to his son? If he does not hate you because of your relation unto Christ, yet is He not angry with you for the lukewarmness of your affection unto Christ, which sin is aggravated by the nearness of your relation? Is it not dishonorable to Christ that you should have so little love to Him?
Do you not say by your feelings and actions, in effect - that there is little worth loving in Christ, when you have no great love unto Him? Are you not hereby ungrateful unto Christ, beyond what could be paralleled by any ingratitude unto the most deserving earthly friend? Is it not your shame that you should have so little love to Christ, especially when He so much deserves your love? Besides the infinite excellencies and perfections that are in His person, does not His infinite kindness unto you call for not only the truth, but also the strength of your love? Think what He has done for you. Think what He has suffered for you. Think what He has purchased for you. Think what he has promised to you. Think what He has laid out for you. Think what He has laid up for you. And yet to have but little love to Christ, and to make such poor returns.
Moreover, is it not to your own folly to have but little love to Christ? Do not you here rob yourselves, debarring yourselves of such a peace as passes all understanding, of such sweetness and comfort, both in the strength of your love, and in the sense of His love, as is inconceivable? Is not injury and hurt unto yourselves the consequence of your little love unto Christ? Must you not draw on heavily in the ways of God, as Pharaoh when his chariot wheels were taken off, when you try to serve Christ without love to Christ? Love to Christ is like wheels in your motion; like oil to the wheels which makes you ready unto any good work which he calls you unto. But when you have but little love unto Christ, you will automatically be more slow in your motions, more sluggish in Christ's service. You will not, and you cannot take those pains in the work of the Lord and be as zealous as you might, and should be, for your Master's glory.
To conclude, if you have but little love to Christ, you will be apt to faint in the day of adversity, to shrink when you are called to take up his Cross and suffer for His sake. Lesser sufferings will discompose you, greater sufferings will frighten and amaze you, and you will be in danger of turning into fearful apostates in times of great trials. There is need of great love to Jesus Christ, as well as great faith to carry you through sufferings with courage, that you may persevere unto the end.
Jesus is a Refreshing Orange Soda?
We're surprised that this T-Shirt is marketing Jesus as an Orange Soda Drink. We don't even like Orange Soda Drinks. We thought for sure that Jesus is more like a 7-up. He's crisp and clean with no caffeine. Oh well. What do we know about marketing the savior?
This is why we need a modern day Reformation to show the TRUTH of God's Word to a world that has been fooled into what you see above.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Q&A WITH DR. RC. SPROUL
What do we need to know about a church before we attend, and what do we need to know before we become a member?
Before we attend a church, we should know that it is a legitimate church. Now, obviously, if the sign on the front of the church reads “Church of Satan,” we know it isn’t a legitimate body of Christian believers. But what about churches that are not legitimate for less obvious reasons? Some religious bodies claim to be Christian that, in my judgment and in the judgment of many Christians, are not Christian churches or are apostate bodies. Even attending their services may be a sin. We can’t expect a church to be perfect. But does it hold to the essentials of the faith? Does it practice a basic, sound belief in the deity of Christ and aspects of Christ that we find outlined in the New Testament?
Now, we may be worshiping every day with people who profess to be Christians but aren’t; this we can’t avoid because God hasn’t given us the ability to look at another person’s heart and say exactly where he or she is spiritually. But we can inquire into the basic beliefs of a church body, and we want to unite ourselves in worship only with a group of people who are attempting to do what is proper in the sight of God.
Obviously that bare minimum applies before you attend the church. Before you join a church I would think you’d look more closely. You would ask questions such as, Is this a church where the gospel is being preached, where there is fidelity to the Scriptures? Is this a fellowship to which I am prepared to commit myself, my time, my money, my devotion, where I’m going to be instructed in spiritual growth, along with my family? I think those are the kinds of questions you need to look at very carefully before you make the commitment to join. In our country we often join churches in the same spirit that we join any other organization, forgetting that when we join the church, we take a sacred vow before God to do certain things—to be present in worship, to make diligent use of the means of grace, to be an active participant in that church. Before you take a vow to do something like that, you need to know what it is you’re joining and then, having made that vow, be prepared to keep it.
Before we attend a church, we should know that it is a legitimate church. Now, obviously, if the sign on the front of the church reads “Church of Satan,” we know it isn’t a legitimate body of Christian believers. But what about churches that are not legitimate for less obvious reasons? Some religious bodies claim to be Christian that, in my judgment and in the judgment of many Christians, are not Christian churches or are apostate bodies. Even attending their services may be a sin. We can’t expect a church to be perfect. But does it hold to the essentials of the faith? Does it practice a basic, sound belief in the deity of Christ and aspects of Christ that we find outlined in the New Testament?
Now, we may be worshiping every day with people who profess to be Christians but aren’t; this we can’t avoid because God hasn’t given us the ability to look at another person’s heart and say exactly where he or she is spiritually. But we can inquire into the basic beliefs of a church body, and we want to unite ourselves in worship only with a group of people who are attempting to do what is proper in the sight of God.
Obviously that bare minimum applies before you attend the church. Before you join a church I would think you’d look more closely. You would ask questions such as, Is this a church where the gospel is being preached, where there is fidelity to the Scriptures? Is this a fellowship to which I am prepared to commit myself, my time, my money, my devotion, where I’m going to be instructed in spiritual growth, along with my family? I think those are the kinds of questions you need to look at very carefully before you make the commitment to join. In our country we often join churches in the same spirit that we join any other organization, forgetting that when we join the church, we take a sacred vow before God to do certain things—to be present in worship, to make diligent use of the means of grace, to be an active participant in that church. Before you take a vow to do something like that, you need to know what it is you’re joining and then, having made that vow, be prepared to keep it.
The Athanasian Creed by R.C. Sproul
Quicumque vult – this phrase is the title attributed to what is popularly known as the Athanasian Creed. It was often called the Athanasian Creed because for centuries people attributed its authorship to Athanasius, the great champion of Trinitarian orthodoxy during the crisis of the heresy of Arianism that erupted in the fourth century. That theological crisis focused on the nature of Christ and culminated in the Nicene Creed in 325. Though Athanasius did not write the Nicene Creed, he was its chief champion against the heretics who followed after Arius, who argued that Christ was an exalted creature but that He was less than God.
Athanasius died in 373 AD, and the epithet that appeared on his tombstone is now famous, as it captures the essence of his life and ministry. It read simply, “Athanasius contra mundum,” that is, “Athanasius against the world.” This great Christian leader suffered several exiles during the embittered Arian controversy because of the steadfast profession of faith he maintained in Trinitarian orthodoxy.
Though the name “Athanasius” was given to the creed over the centuries, modern scholars are convinced that the Athanasian Creed was written after the death of Athanasius. Certainly, Athanasius’ theological influence is embedded in the creed, but in all likelihood he was not its author.
The content of the Athanasian Creed stresses the affirmation of the Trinity in which all members of the Godhead are considered uncreated and co-eternal and of the same substance. In the affirmation of the Trinity the dual nature of Christ is given central importance. As the Athanasian Creed in one sense reaffirms the doctrines of the Trinity set forth in the fourth century at Nicea, in like manner the strong affirmations of the fifth-century council at Chalcedon in 451 are also recapitulated therein. As the church fought with the Arian heresy in the fourth century, the fifth century brought forth the heresies of monophysitism, which reduced the person of Christ to one nature, mono physis, a single theanthropic (God-man) nature that was neither purely divine or purely human. At the same time the church battled with the monophysite heresy, she also fought against the opposite view of Nestorianism, which sought not so much to blur and mix the two natures but to separate them, coming to the conclusion that Jesus had two natures and was therefore two persons, one human and one divine. Both the Monophysite heresy and the Nestorian heresy were clearly condemned at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, where the church, reaffirming its Trinitarian orthodoxy, stated their belief that Christ, or the second person of the Trinity was vere homo and vere Deus, truly human and truly God. It further declared that the two natures in their perfect unity coexisted in such a manner as to be without mixture, confusion, separation, or division, wherein each nature retained its own attributes.
The Athanasian Creed reaffirms the distinctions found at Chalcedon, where in the Athanasian statement Christ is called, “perfect God and perfect man.” All three members of the Trinity are deemed to be uncreated and therefore co-eternal. Also following earlier affirmations, the Holy Spirit is declared to have proceeded both from the Father “and the Son.”
Finally, the Athanasian standards examined the incarnation of Jesus and affirmed that in the mystery of the incarnation the divine nature did not mutate or change into a human nature, but rather the immutable divine nature took upon itself a human nature. That is, in the incarnation there was an assumption by the divine nature of a human nature and not the mutation of the divine nature into a human nature.
The Athanasian Creed is considered one of the four authoritative creeds of the Roman Catholic Church, and again, it states in terse terms what is necessary to believe in order to be saved. Though the Athanasian Creed does not get as much publicity in Protestant churches, the orthodox doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation are affirmed by virtually every historic Protestant church.
John Piper-Putting My Daughter to Bed Two Hours after the Bridge Collapsed
By Pastor John Piper
August 1, 2007
At about 6 PM tonight the bridge of Interstate Highway 35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. I am writing this about three hours after the bridge fell. The bridge is located within sight of Bethlehem Baptist Church. Most of us who minister at the church cross this bridge several times a week. At this point I don't know if any staff was on the bridge. Desiring God offices are about a mile from the bridge.
There are no firm facts at this point about the total number of injuries and fatalities. When we crossed the bridge Tuesday on our way out of town, there was extensive repair work happening on the surface of the bridge with single lane traffic. One speculates about the unusual stresses on the bridge with jackhammers and other surface replacement equipment. This was the fortieth anniversary of the bridge.
Tonight for our family devotions our appointed reading was Luke 13:1-9. It was not my choice. This is surely no coincidence. O that all of the Twin Cities, in shock at this major calamity, would hear what Jesus has to say about it from Luke 13:1-5. People came to Jesus with heart-wrenching news about the slaughter of worshippers by Pilate. Here is what he said.
"There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.'"
Jesus implies that those who brought him this news thought he would say that those who died, deserved to die, and that those who didn't die did not deserve to die. That is not what he said. He said, everyone deserves to die. And if you and I don't repent, we too will perish. This is a stunning response. It only makes sense from a view of reality that is radically oriented on God.
All of us have sinned against God, not just against man. This is an outrage ten thousand times worse than the collapse of the 35W bridge. That any human is breathing at this minute on this planet is sheer mercy from God. God makes the sun rise and the rain fall on those who do not treasure him above all else. He causes the heart to beat and the lungs to work for millions of people who deserve his wrath. This a view of reality that desperately needs to be taught in our churches, so that we are prepared for the calamities of the world.
The meaning of the collapse of this bridge is that John Piper is a sinner and should repent or forfeit his life for ever. That means I should turn from the silly preoccupations of my life and focus my mind's attention and my heart's affection on God and embrace Jesus Christ as my only hope for the forgiveness of my sins and for the hope of eternal life. That is God's message in the collapse of this bridge. That is his most merciful message: there is still time to turn from sin and unbelief and destruction for those of us who live. If we could see the eternal calamity from which he is offering escape we would hear this as the most precious message in the world.
We prayed during our family devotions. Talitha (11 years old) and Noel and I prayed earnestly for the families affected by the calamity and for the others in our city. Talitha prayed "Please don't let anyone blame God for this but give thanks that they were saved." When I sat on her bed and tucked her in and blessed her and sang over her a few minutes ago, I said, "You know, Talitha, that was a good prayer, because when people 'blame' God for something, they are angry with him, and they are saying that he has done something wrong. That's what "blame" means: accuse somebody of wrongdoing. But you and I know that God did not do anything wrong. God always does what is wise. And you and I know that God could have held up that bridge with one hand." Talitha said, "With his pinky." "Yes," I said, "with his pinky. Which means that God had a purpose for not holding up that bridge, knowing all that would happen, and he is infinitely wise in all that he wills."
Talitha said, "Maybe he let it fall because he wanted all the people of Minneapolis to fear him." "Yes, Talitha," I said, "I am sure that is one of the reasons God let the bridge fall." I sang to her the song I always sing,
"Come rest your head and nestle gently
And do not fear the dark of night.
Almighty God keeps watch intently,
And guards your life with all his might.
Doubt not his love, nor power to keep,
He never fails, nor does he sleep."
I said, "You know, Talitha, that is true whether you die in a bridge collapse, or in a car accident, or from cancer, or terrorism, or old age. God always keeps you, even when you die. So you don't need to be afraid, do you." "No," she shook her head. I leaned down and kissed her. "Good night. I love you."
Tonight across the Twin Cities families are wondering if they will ever kiss a loved one good night again. Some will not. I am praying that they will find Jesus Christ to be their Rock and Refuge in these agonizing hours of uncertainty and even loss.
The word "bridge" does not occur in the Bible. There may be two reasons. One is that God doesn't build bridges, he divides seas. The other is that usually his people must pass through the deadly currents of suffering and death, not simply ride over them. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you" (Isaiah 43:2). They may drown you. But I will be with you in life and death.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-38)
Killed all day long. But not separated from Christ. We go through the river. Not over it. He went before us, crucified. He came out on the other side. He knows the way through. With him we will make it. That is the message we have for the precious sinners in the Twin Cities. He died for your sins. He rose again. He saves all who trust him. We die, but because of him, we do not die.
"Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.'" (John 11:25)
Talitha is sleeping now. But one day she will die. I teach her this. I will not always be there to bless her. But Jesus is alive and is the same yesterday today and forever. He will be with her because she trusts him. And she will make it through the river.
Weeping with those who weep, and those who should,
Pastor John
Psalm 71:20 "You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again."
Michael Horton on Pelagianism
from Modern Reformation
Cicero observed of his own civilization that people thank the gods for their material prosperity, but never for their virtue, for this is their own doing. Princeton theologian B. B. Warfield considered Pelagianism “the rehabilitation of that heathen view of the world,” and concluded with characteristic clarity, “There are fundamentally only two doctrines of salvation: that salvation is from God, and that salvation is from ourselves. The former is the doctrine of common Christianity; the latter is the doctrine of universal heathenism.”
“We possess neither the ability, free will, power, nor the righteousness to repair ourselves and escape the wrath of God. It must all be God’s work, Christ’s work, or there is no salvation.”
Paying Homage To The Great god Entertainment
Quoting John MacArthur . . .
There seems almost no limit to what modern church leaders will do to entice people who aren't interested in worship and preaching. Too many have bought the notion that the church must win people by offering an alternative form of entertainment. Just how far will the church go in competing with Hollywood?
A large church in the southwestern United States has installed a half-million dollar special-effects system that can produce smoke, fire, sparks, and laser lights in the auditorium. The church sent staff members to study live special effects at Bally's Casino in Las Vegas. The pastor ended one service by ascending to "heaven" via invisible wires that drew him up out of sight while the choir and orchestra added a musical accompaniment to the smoke, fire, and light show.
It was just a typical Sunday show for that pastor:
"He packs his church with such special effects as ... cranking up a chain saw and toppling a tree to make a point ... the biggest Fourth of July fireworks display in town and a Christmas service with a rented elephant, kangaroo and zebra. The Christmas show features 100 clowns with gifts for the congregation's children."
Shenanigans like that would have been the stuff of Spurgeon's worst nightmares. And even Tozer could not have foreseen the extreme to which evangelicals would go in paying homage to the great god Entertainment.
From: Ashamed of The Gospel
Man's Religion versus God's Religion
Quoting Horatius Bonar . . .
Man's religion makes man its center. It is constructed so as to revolve around himself. He is its Alpha and Omega - its first and its last. It makes him live for himself, think of himself, magnify himself. It teaches him to lessen the distance between himself and God, for the purpose of enabling him to remove that distance by his own endeavors; so that God is not the infinitely glorious Being, nor man the helpless and unworthy thing which Revelation declares him to be. Man's religion is like the old astronomy, with the vast earth in the center, and the puny sun revolving round it!
Man's religion trifles with sin. Having lessened the greatness of Jehovah's character, and obscured His glory, it is not wonderful that he treats sin lightly. If God be not the infinitely holy and exalted One, then, opposition to Him, and contempt of His law are not very serious evils. They may be acknowledged as not wholly right; but they will not be felt as unutterably wrong. God is not seen to be so deeply, so awfully wronged; nay, it is difficult to make men believe that they can really wrong God at all. The evil of sin, as a wrong done to man's self or to his fellows will be allowed; but its evil, as a wrong done to God, is never thought of. As that which may offend man, or break in upon his rights, sin will be dealt with as a real grievance; but as that which offends God or assails His rights, it is treated as a thing of nought. And as man trifles with sin, so he conceives that God will trifle with it, and overlook it. That which is such a small thing in his own eyes, he reasons, cannot be a great thing in God's. Hence the common idea of Divine mercy is simply that of indifference to sin. ...
While man's religion trifles with sin, God's religion bases itself on the utterly odious and intolerable nature of sin. THE SOUL THAT SINNETH IT SHALL DIE, lies at the very foundation of God's religion, and of all His dealings with the creature, specially of His transactions with the sinner. ...
Man's religion has in it no struggles, no dangers, and but few difficulties. The path it prescribes is easy, not hard for flesh and blood. It leaves out the pangs of the new birth - the struggle with unbelief, with the flesh, with Satan. These have no place in it at all. It acknowledges no enemies, no hardships, no conflicts. It broadens the narrow way, smoothing its ruggedness, and plucking up the thorns and briers that beset it. God's religion assumes all these things as not only certain, but necessary.
From: Man: His Religion and His World
Man's religion makes man its center. It is constructed so as to revolve around himself. He is its Alpha and Omega - its first and its last. It makes him live for himself, think of himself, magnify himself. It teaches him to lessen the distance between himself and God, for the purpose of enabling him to remove that distance by his own endeavors; so that God is not the infinitely glorious Being, nor man the helpless and unworthy thing which Revelation declares him to be. Man's religion is like the old astronomy, with the vast earth in the center, and the puny sun revolving round it!
Man's religion trifles with sin. Having lessened the greatness of Jehovah's character, and obscured His glory, it is not wonderful that he treats sin lightly. If God be not the infinitely holy and exalted One, then, opposition to Him, and contempt of His law are not very serious evils. They may be acknowledged as not wholly right; but they will not be felt as unutterably wrong. God is not seen to be so deeply, so awfully wronged; nay, it is difficult to make men believe that they can really wrong God at all. The evil of sin, as a wrong done to man's self or to his fellows will be allowed; but its evil, as a wrong done to God, is never thought of. As that which may offend man, or break in upon his rights, sin will be dealt with as a real grievance; but as that which offends God or assails His rights, it is treated as a thing of nought. And as man trifles with sin, so he conceives that God will trifle with it, and overlook it. That which is such a small thing in his own eyes, he reasons, cannot be a great thing in God's. Hence the common idea of Divine mercy is simply that of indifference to sin. ...
While man's religion trifles with sin, God's religion bases itself on the utterly odious and intolerable nature of sin. THE SOUL THAT SINNETH IT SHALL DIE, lies at the very foundation of God's religion, and of all His dealings with the creature, specially of His transactions with the sinner. ...
Man's religion has in it no struggles, no dangers, and but few difficulties. The path it prescribes is easy, not hard for flesh and blood. It leaves out the pangs of the new birth - the struggle with unbelief, with the flesh, with Satan. These have no place in it at all. It acknowledges no enemies, no hardships, no conflicts. It broadens the narrow way, smoothing its ruggedness, and plucking up the thorns and briers that beset it. God's religion assumes all these things as not only certain, but necessary.
From: Man: His Religion and His World
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