Shortly after the Reformation began, in the first few years after Martin Luther posted the Ninety-Five Theses on the church door at Wittenberg, he issued some short booklets on a variety of subjects. One of the most provocative was titled The Babylonian Captivity of the Church. In this book Luther was looking back to that period of Old Testament history when Jerusalem was destroyed by the invading armies of Babylon and the elite of the people were carried off into captivity. Luther in the sixteenth century took the image of the historic Babylonian captivity and reapplied it to his era and talked about the new Babylonian captivity of the Church. He was speaking of Rome as the modern Babylon that held the Gospel hostage with its rejection of the biblical understanding of justification. You can understand how fierce the controversy was, how polemical this title would be in that period by saying that the Church had not simply erred or strayed, but had fallen — that it’s actually now Babylonian; it is now in pagan captivity.
I’ve often wondered if Luther were alive today and came to our culture and looked, not at the liberal church community, but at evangelical churches, what would he have to say? Of course I can’t answer that question with any kind of definitive authority, but my guess is this: If Martin Luther lived today and picked up his pen to write, the book he would write in our time would be entitled The Pelagian Captivity of the Evangelical Church. Luther saw the doctrine of justification as fueled by a deeper theological problem. He writes about this extensively in The Bondage of the Will. When we look at the Reformation and we see the solas of the Reformation — sola Scriptura, sola fide, solus Christus, soli Deo gloria, sola gratia — Luther was convinced that the real issue of the Reformation was the issue of grace; and that underlying the doctrine of solo fide, justification by faith alone, was the prior commitment to sola gratia, the concept of justification by grace alone.
In the Fleming Revell edition of The Bondage of the Will, the translators, J. I. Packer and O. R. Johnston, included a somewhat provocative historical and theological introduction to the book itself. This is from the end of that introduction:
These things need to be pondered by Protestants today. With what right may we call ourselves children of the Reformation? Much modern Protestantism would be neither owned nor even recognised by the pioneer Reformers. The Bondage of the Will fairly sets before us what they believed about the salvation of lost mankind. In the light of it, we are forced to ask whether Protestant Christendom has not tragically sold its birthright between Luther’s day and our own. Has not Protestantism today become more Erasmian than Lutheran? Do we not too often try to minimise and gloss over doctrinal differences for the sake of inter-party peace? Are we innocent of the doctrinal indifferentism with which Luther charged Erasmus? Do we still believe that doctrine matters?1
Historically, it’s a simple matter of fact that Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and all the leading Protestant theologians of the first epoch of the Reformation stood on precisely the same ground here. On other points they had their differences. In asserting the helplessness of man in sin and the sovereignty of God in grace, they were entirely at one. To all of them these doctrines were the very lifeblood of the Christian faith. A modern editor of Luther’s works says this:
Whoever puts this book down without having realized that Evangelical theology stands or falls with the doctrine of the bondage of the will has read it in vain. The doctrine of free justification by faith alone, which became the storm center of so much controversy during the Reformation period, is often regarded as the heart of the Reformers’ theology, but this is not accurate. The truth is that their thinking was really centered upon the contention of Paul, echoed by Augustine and others, that the sinner’s entire salvation is by free and sovereign grace only, and that the doctrine of justification by faith was important to them because it safeguarded the principle of sovereign grace. The sovereignty of grace found expression in their thinking at a more profound level still in the doctrine of monergistic regeneration.2
That is to say, that the faith that receives Christ for justification is itself the free gift of a sovereign God. The principle of sola fide is not rightly understood until it is seen as anchored in the broader principle of sola gratia. What is the source of faith? Is it the God-given means whereby the God-given justification is received, or is it a condition of justification which is left to man to fulfill? Do you hear the difference? Let me put it in simple terms. I heard an evangelist recently say, “If God takes a thousand steps to reach out to you for your redemption, still in the final analysis, you must take the decisive step to be saved.” Consider the statement that has been made by America’s most beloved and leading evangelical of the twentieth century, Billy Graham, who says with great passion, “God does ninety-nine percent of it but you still must do that last one percent.”
What Is Pelagianism?
Now, let’s return briefly to my title, “The Pelagian Captivity of the Church.” What are we talking about? Pelagius was a monk who lived in Britain in the fifth century. He was a contemporary of the greatest theologian of the first millennium of Church history if not of all time, Aurelius Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in North Africa. We have heard of St. Augustine, of his great works in theology, of his City of God, of his Confessions, and so on, which remain Christian classics.
Augustine, in addition to being a titanic theologian and a prodigious intellect, was also a man of deep spirituality and prayer. In one of his famous prayers, Augustine made a seemingly harmless and innocuous statement in the prayer to God in which he says: “O God, command what you wouldst, and grant what thou dost command.” Now, would that give you apoplexy — to hear a prayer like that? Well it certainly set Pelagius, this British monk, into orbit. When he heard that, he protested vociferously, even appealing to Rome to have this ghastly prayer censured from the pen of Augustine. Here’s why. He said, “Are you saying, Augustine, that God has the inherent right to command anything that he so desires from his creatures? Nobody is going to dispute that. God inherently, as the creator of heaven and earth, has the right to impose obligations on his creatures and say, ‘Thou shalt do this, and thou shalt not do that.’ ‘Command whatever thou would’ — it’s a perfectly legitimate prayer.”
It’s the second part of the prayer that Pelagius abhorred when Augustine said, “and grant what thou dost command.” He said, “What are you talking about? If God is just, if God is righteous and God is holy, and God commands of the creature to do something, certainly that creature must have the power within himself, the moral ability within himself, to perform it or God would never require it in the first place.” Now that makes sense, doesn’t it? What Pelagius was saying is that moral responsibility always and everywhere implies moral capability or, simply, moral ability. So why would we have to pray, “God grant me, give me the gift of being able to do what you command me to do”? Pelagius saw in this statement a shadow being cast over the integrity of God himself, who would hold people responsible for doing something they cannot do.
So in the ensuing debate, Augustine made it clear that in creation, God commanded nothing from Adam or Eve that they were incapable of performing. But once transgression entered and mankind became fallen, God’s law was not repealed nor did God adjust his holy requirements downward to accommodate the weakened, fallen condition of his creation. God did punish his creation by visiting upon them the judgment of original sin, so that everyone after Adam and Eve who was born into this world was born already dead in sin. Original sin is not the first sin. It’s the result of the first sin; it refers to our inherent corruption, by which we are born in sin, and in sin did our mothers conceive us. We are not born in a neutral state of innocence, but we are born in a sinful, fallen condition. Virtually every church in the historic World Council of Churches at some point in their history and in their creedal development articulates some doctrine of original sin. So clear is that to the biblical revelation that it would take a repudiation of the biblical view of mankind to deny original sin altogether.
This is precisely what was at issue in the battle between Augustine and Pelagius in the fifth century. Pelagius said there is no such thing as original sin. Adam’s sin affected Adam and only Adam. There is no transmission or transfer of guilt or fallenness or corruption to the progeny of Adam and Eve. Everyone is born in the same state of innocence in which Adam was created. And, he said, for a person to live a life of obedience to God, a life of moral perfection, is possible without any help from Jesus or without any help from the grace of God. Pelagius said that grace — and here’s the key distinction — facilitates righteousness. What does “facilitate” mean?
It helps, it makes it more facile, it makes it easier, but you don’t have to have it. You can be perfect without it. Pelagius further stated that it is not only theoretically possible for some folks to live a perfect life without any assistance from divine grace, but there are in fact people who do it. Augustine said, “No, no, no, no . . . we are infected by sin by nature, to the very depths and core of our being — so much so that no human being has the moral power to incline himself to cooperate with the grace of God. The human will, as a result of original sin, still has the power to choose, but it is in bondage to its evil desires and inclinations. The condition of fallen humanity is one that Augustine would describe as the inability to not sin. In simple English, what Augustine was saying is that in the Fall, man loses his moral ability to do the things of God and he is held captive by his own evil inclinations.
In the fifth century the Church condemned Pelagius as a heretic. Pelagianism was condemned at the Council of Orange, and it was condemned again at the Council of Florence, the Council of Carthage, and also, ironically, at the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century in the first three anathemas of the Canons of the Sixth Session. So, consistently throughout Church history, the Church has roundly and soundly condemned Pelagianism — because Pelagianism denies the fallenness of our nature; it denies the doctrine of original sin.
Now what is called semi-Pelagianism, as the prefix “semi” suggests, was a somewhat middle ground between full-orbed Augustinianism and full-orbed Pelagianism. Semi-Pelagianism said this: yes, there was a fall; yes, there is such a thing as original sin; yes, the constituent nature of humanity has been changed by this state of corruption and all parts of our humanity have been significantly weakened by the fall, so much so that without the assistance of divine grace nobody can possibly be redeemed, so that grace is not only helpful but it’s absolutely necessary for salvation. While we are so fallen that we can’t be saved without grace, we are not so fallen that we don’t have the ability to accept or reject the grace when it’s offered to us. The will is weakened but is not enslaved. There remains in the core of our being an island of righteousness that remains untouched by the fall. It’s out of that little island of righteousness, that little parcel of goodness that is still intact in the soul or in the will that is the determinative difference between heaven and hell. It’s that little island that must be exercised when God does his thousand steps of reaching out to us, but in the final analysis it’s that one step that we take that determines whether we go to heaven or hell — whether we exercise that little righteousness that is in the core of our being or whether we don’t. That little island Augustine wouldn’t even recognize as an atoll in the South Pacific. He said it’s a mythical island, that the will is enslaved, and that man is dead in his sin and trespasses.
Ironically, the Church condemned semi-Pelagianism as vehemently as it had condemned original Pelagianism. Yet by the time you get to the sixteenth century and you read the Catholic understanding of what happens in salvation the Church basically repudiated what Augustine taught and Aquinas taught as well. The Church concluded that there still remains this freedom that is intact in the human will and that man must cooperate with — and assent to — the prevenient grace that is offered to them by God. If we exercise that will, if we exercise a cooperation with whatever powers we have left, we will be saved. And so in the sixteenth century the Church reembraced semi-Pelagianism.
At the time of the Reformation, all the reformers agreed on one point: the moral inability of fallen human beings to incline themselves to the things of God; that all people, in order to be saved, are totally dependent, not ninety-nine percent, but one hundred percent dependent upon the monergistic work of regeneration in order to come to faith, and that faith itself is a gift of God. It’s not that we are offered salvation and that we will be born again if we choose to believe. But we can’t even believe until God in his grace and in his mercy first changes the disposition of our souls through his sovereign work of regeneration. In other words, what the reformers all agreed with was, unless a man is born again, he can’t even see the kingdom of God, let alone enter it. Like Jesus says in the sixth chapter of John, “No man can come to me unless it is given to him of the Father” — that the necessary condition for anybody’s faith and anybody’s salvation is regeneration.
Evangelicals and Faith
Modern Evangelicalism almost uniformly and universally teaches that in order for a person to be born again, he must first exercise faith. You have to choose to be born again. Isn’t that what you hear? In a George Barna poll, more than seventy percent of “professing evangelical Christians” in America expressed the belief that man is basically good. And more than eighty percent articulated the view that God helps those who help themselves. These positions — or let me say it negatively — neither of these positions is semi-Pelagian. They’re both Pelagian. To say that we’re basically good is the Pelagian view. I would be willing to assume that in at least thirty percent of the people who are reading this issue, and probably more, if we really examine their thinking in depth, we would find hearts that are beating Pelagianism. We’re overwhelmed with it. We’re surrounded by it. We’re immersed in it. We hear it every day. We hear it every day in the secular culture. And not only do we hear it every day in the secular culture, we hear it every day on Christian television and on Christian radio.
In the nineteenth century, there was a preacher who became very popular in America, who wrote a book on theology, coming out of his own training in law, in which he made no bones about his Pelagianism. He rejected not only Augustinianism, but he also rejected semi-Pelagianism and stood clearly on the subject of unvarnished Pelagianism, saying in no uncertain terms, without any ambiguity, that there was no Fall and that there is no such thing as original sin. This man went on to attack viciously the doctrine of the substitutionary atonement of Christ, and in addition to that, to repudiate as clearly and as loudly as he could the doctrine of justification by faith alone by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ. This man’s basic thesis was, we don’t need the imputation of the righteousness of Christ because we have the capacity in and of ourselves to become righteous. His name: Charles Finney, one of America’s most revered evangelists. Now, if Luther was correct in saying that sola fide is the article upon which the Church stands or falls, if what the reformers were saying is that justification by faith alone is an essential truth of Christianity, who also argued that the substitutionary atonement is an essential truth of Christianity; if they’re correct in their assessment that those doctrines are essential truths of Christianity, the only conclusion we can come to is that Charles Finney was not a Christian. I read his writings and I say, “I don’t see how any Christian person could write this.” And yet, he is in the Hall of Fame of Evangelical Christianity in America. He is the patron saint of twentieth-century Evangelicalism. And he is not semi-Pelagian; he is unvarnished in his Pelagianism.
The Island of Righteousness
One thing is clear: that you can be purely Pelagian and be completely welcome in the evangelical movement today. It’s not simply that the camel sticks his nose into the tent; he doesn’t just come in the tent — he kicks the owner of the tent out. Modern Evangelicalism today looks with suspicion at Reformed theology, which has become sort of the third-class citizen of Evangelicalism. Now you say, “Wait a minute, R. C. Let’s not tar everybody with the extreme brush of Pelagianism, because, after all, Billy Graham and the rest of these people are saying there was a Fall; you’ve got to have grace; there is such a thing as original sin; and semi-Pelagians do not agree with Pelagius’ facile and sanguine view of unfallen human nature.” And that’s true. No question about it. But it’s that little island of righteousness where man still has the ability, in and of himself, to turn, to change, to incline, to dispose, to embrace the offer of grace that reveals why historically semi-Pelagianism is not called semi-Augustinianism, but semi-Pelagianism.
I heard an evangelist use two analogies to describe what happens in our redemption. He said sin has such a strong hold on us, a stranglehold, that it’s like a person who can’t swim, who falls overboard in a raging sea, and he’s going under for the third time and only the tops of his fingers are still above the water; and unless someone intervenes to rescue him, he has no hope of survival, his death is certain. And unless God throws him a life preserver, he can’t possibly be rescued. And not only must God throw him a life preserver in the general vicinity of where he is, but that life preserver has to hit him right where his fingers are still extended out of the water, and hit him so that he can grasp hold of it. It has to be perfectly pitched. But still that man will drown unless he takes his fingers and curls them around the life preserver and God will rescue him. But unless that tiny little human action is done, he will surely perish.
The other analogy is this: A man is desperately ill, sick unto death, lying in his hospital bed with a disease that is fatal. There is no way he can be cured unless somebody from outside comes up with a cure, a medicine that will take care of this fatal disease. And God has the cure and walks into the room with the medicine. But the man is so weak he can’t even help himself to the medicine; God has to pour it on the spoon. The man is so sick he’s almost comatose. He can’t even open his mouth, and God has to lean over and open up his mouth for him. God has to bring the spoon to the man’s lips, but the man still has to swallow it.
Now, if we’re going to use analogies, let’s be accurate. The man isn’t going under for the third time; he is stone cold dead at the bottom of the ocean. That’s where you once were when you were dead in sin and trespasses and walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. And while you were dead hath God quickened you together with Christ. God dove to the bottom of the sea and took that drowned corpse and breathed into it the breath of his life and raised you from the dead. And it’s not that you were dying in a hospital bed of a certain illness, but rather, when you were born you were born D.O.A. That’s what the Bible says: that we are morally stillborn.
Do we have a will? Yes, of course we have a will. Calvin said, if you mean by a free will a faculty of choosing by which you have the power within yourself to choose what you desire, then we all have free will. If you mean by free will the ability for fallen human beings to incline themselves and exercise that will to choose the things of God without the prior monergistic work of regeneration then, said Calvin, free will is far too grandiose a term to apply to a human being.
The semi-Pelagian doctrine of free will prevalent in the evangelical world today is a pagan view that denies the captivity of the human heart to sin. It underestimates the stranglehold that sin has upon us.
None of us wants to see things as bad as they really are. The biblical doctrine of human corruption is grim. We don’t hear the Apostle Paul say, “You know, it’s sad that we have such a thing as sin in the world; nobody’s perfect. But be of good cheer. We’re basically good.” Do you see that even a cursory reading of Scripture denies this?
Now back to Luther. What is the source and status of faith? Is it the God-given means whereby the God-given justification is received? Or is it a condition of justification which is left to us to fulfill? Is your faith a work? Is it the one work that God leaves for you to do? I had a discussion with some folks in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently. I was speaking on sola gratia, and one fellow was upset.
He said, “Are you trying to tell me that in the final analysis it’s God who either does or doesn’t sovereignly regenerate a heart?”
And I said, “Yes;” and he was very upset about that. I said, “Let me ask you this: are you a Christian?”
He said, “Yes.”
I said, “Do you have friends who aren’t Christians?”
He said, “Well, of course.”
I said, “Why are you a Christian and your friends aren’t? Is it because you’re more righteous than they are?” He wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t going to say, “Of course it’s because I’m more righteous. I did the right thing and my friend didn’t.” He knew where I was going with that question.
And he said, “Oh, no, no, no.”
I said, “Tell me why. Is it because you are smarter than your friend?”
And he said, “No.”
But he would not agree that the final, decisive issue was the grace of God. He wouldn’t come to that. And after we discussed this for fifteen minutes, he said, “OK! I’ll say it. I’m a Christian because I did the right thing, I made the right response, and my friend didn’t.”
What was this person trusting in for his salvation? Not in his works in general, but in the one work that he performed. And he was a Protestant, an evangelical. But his view of salvation was no different from the Roman view.
God’s Sovereignty in Salvation
This is the issue: Is it a part of God’s gift of salvation, or is it in our own contribution to salvation? Is our salvation wholly of God or does it ultimately depend on something that we do for ourselves? Those who say the latter, that it ultimately depends on something we do for ourselves, thereby deny humanity’s utter helplessness in sin and affirm that a form of semi-Pelagianism is true after all. It is no wonder then that later Reformed theology condemned Arminianism as being, in principle, both a return to Rome because, in effect, it turned faith into a meritorious work, and a betrayal of the Reformation because it denied the sovereignty of God in saving sinners, which was the deepest religious and theological principle of the reformers’ thought. Arminianism was indeed, in Reformed eyes, a renunciation of New Testament Christianity in favor of New Testament Judaism. For to rely on oneself for faith is no different in principle than to rely on oneself for works, and the one is as un-Christian and anti-Christian as the other. In the light of what Luther says to Erasmus there is no doubt that he would have endorsed this judgment.
And yet this view is the overwhelming majority report today in professing evangelical circles. And as long as semi-Pelagianism, which is simply a thinly veiled version of real Pelagianism at its core — as long as it prevails in the Church, I don’t know what’s going to happen. But I know, however, what will not happen: there will not be a new Reformation. Until we humble ourselves and understand that no man is an island and that no man has an island of righteousness, that we are utterly dependent upon the unmixed grace of God for our salvation, we will not begin to rest upon grace and rejoice in the greatness of God’s sovereignty, and we will not be rid of the pagan influence of humanism that exalts and puts man at the center of religion. Until that happens there will not be a new Reformation, because at the heart of Reformation teaching is the central place of the worship and gratitude given to God and God alone. Soli Deo gloria, to God alone be the glory.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
You Will Be Forever Missed
As the minister of preaching and teaching here at Truth Matters I would like to say how grateful I am for the life of Dr James Kennedy I am both sad for his passing but over joyed for where he is now, as he is forever with our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
Dr Kennedy will forever be missed but I pray his zeal for the Truth of the Gospel moves forward stronger then ever.
Rev Charles J Paul
Dr Kennedy will forever be missed but I pray his zeal for the Truth of the Gospel moves forward stronger then ever.
Rev Charles J Paul
On the Homegoing of D. James Kennedy By John MacArthur
On behalf of Patricia and our family, together with all the families of Grace Community Church and our extended ministries, let me take an opportunity to express our profound sadness at the news that D. James Kennedy died this morning. Our mourning is mingled with gladness and gratitude for the continuing influence of Dr. Kennedy’s life and teaching, for the privilege of having known him and learned from him, and for the assurance that he is in the presence of Christ even now, worshiping his Savior and enjoying the glories of heaven. The church of Christ worldwide will feel the loss of his leadership. So we stand in quiet sorrow alongside Dr. Kennedy’s family and the people of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, and we pray for God’s comforting grace.
We remember Dr. Kennedy with deep gratitude for his clear voice, for his courage in the defense of truth, and for his relentless energy. But we remember him most fondly for his work in the ministry of evangelism. Dr. Kennedy was remarkably effective in training people how to present the gospel clearly and persuasively. He was therefore uniquely blessed as the human instrument though which countless souls have heard the gospel and multitudes of Christians have been trained to share it with others. The rippling effects of that ministry will surely extend beyond anything Dr. Kennedy himself could ever have imagined. Christ taught us that all heaven rejoices whenever one soul repents. Jim Kennedy’s earthly work must have contributed immeasurably to heaven’s joy, and I have every confidence that as he entered into that joy this morning, he heard the Master’s words: “Well Done.”
We remember Dr. Kennedy with deep gratitude for his clear voice, for his courage in the defense of truth, and for his relentless energy. But we remember him most fondly for his work in the ministry of evangelism. Dr. Kennedy was remarkably effective in training people how to present the gospel clearly and persuasively. He was therefore uniquely blessed as the human instrument though which countless souls have heard the gospel and multitudes of Christians have been trained to share it with others. The rippling effects of that ministry will surely extend beyond anything Dr. Kennedy himself could ever have imagined. Christ taught us that all heaven rejoices whenever one soul repents. Jim Kennedy’s earthly work must have contributed immeasurably to heaven’s joy, and I have every confidence that as he entered into that joy this morning, he heard the Master’s words: “Well Done.”
"Excellence in All Things and All Things to God's Glory" -- The Legacy of Dr. D. James Kennedy By Al Mohler
The death of Dr. D. James Kennedy is yet another reminder of what the hymn writer Isaac Watts saw when he wrote that "time, like an ever rolling stream, bears all its sons away." Dr. Kennedy died this morning at his home in Ft. Lauderdale. He had been out of the public eye since suffering a significant cardiac arrest last December 28.
James Kennedy founded the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in 1959, the year I was born. Within just a few short years the church became one of the nation's largest Presbyterian congregations. Along the way he established a host of affiliated ministries. He taught thousands of Christians how to share their faith, one on one, through Evangelism Explosion. He reached millions through his television ministry, "The Coral Ridge Hour." He educated generations of children and youth through Westminster Academy and trained ministers through Knox Theological Seminary.
He was a visionary with few peers. The motto inscribed on a flanking wall of the church's massive sanctuary certainly made an impression on me as a young man: "Excellence in All Things and All Things to God's Glory."
Some friends and associates called him "Jim," but to the rest of the world he was Dr. D. James Kennedy -- followed by a list of academic degrees. A dance instructor before his conversion and call to ministry, Kennedy always had a sense of himself, his movements, and his voice. He could often be intimidating, and he always made an impression. My wife Mary, who worked as a teenager at a local hamburger restaurant, always knew that voice from the drive-through when he ordered his meal. He used the same voice at the hamburger joint that he used in the sanctuary -- and to the same effect. He commanded attention.
A theological conservative, he led Coral Ridge into the young Presbyterian Church in America in the 1970's and was highly involved in a host of evangelical causes. He defended biblical inerrancy and the doctrine of justification. He believed in the need for sinners to come to Christ, and called persons to come to Christ by faith.
Many Americans knew him primarily through his television ministry and his involvement in national political issues. He contended for national righteousness and was a defender of the unborn before many other evangelicals were even awakened to the crisis. He at least flirted with the language of Christian Reconstructionism, but he never left his first love which was for his own congregation.
My indebtedness to Dr. Kennedy is very personal. I was a young Southern Baptist who as a teenager had serious questions about the big issues of the Christian faith. Dr. Kennedy's ministry at Coral Ridge addressed those big questions. He was unafraid to take on the intellectual challenges of the faith. He was kind to a Baptist teenager, introducing me to Francis Schaeffer and dignifying my questions. He clearly enjoyed talking theology and he was the first person I had ever met who demonstrated this joy. He was kind. I was hooked. In no small way my own calling as a theologian can be traced to Dr. Kennedy's influence. I was inspired by his intellectual engagement and motivated by his vision of excellence for God's glory.
My indebtedness also extends to Mary, my wife, who attended Westminister Academy and graduated as valedictorian of her class in 1979. She is living proof to me of the reach of Dr. Kennedy's vision and ministry.
Dr. Kennedy watched events within the Southern Baptist Convention with interest and encouraged me as I became president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He knew what was at stake here, and he assured me of his prayers. Then, several years ago, he came to Southern Seminary, preached in chapel, and told students what he had learned about the local church and the challenge of evangelism. During the chapel service, he looked to me with tears in his eyes, and told me that he had never before heard the sound of so many men singing hymns together.
He has joined the great host now, and that chorus exceeds any on earth. I am thankful to God for the life, ministry, and personal influence of Dr. D. James Kennedy.
___________________
A memorial site is found here.
James Kennedy founded the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in 1959, the year I was born. Within just a few short years the church became one of the nation's largest Presbyterian congregations. Along the way he established a host of affiliated ministries. He taught thousands of Christians how to share their faith, one on one, through Evangelism Explosion. He reached millions through his television ministry, "The Coral Ridge Hour." He educated generations of children and youth through Westminster Academy and trained ministers through Knox Theological Seminary.
He was a visionary with few peers. The motto inscribed on a flanking wall of the church's massive sanctuary certainly made an impression on me as a young man: "Excellence in All Things and All Things to God's Glory."
Some friends and associates called him "Jim," but to the rest of the world he was Dr. D. James Kennedy -- followed by a list of academic degrees. A dance instructor before his conversion and call to ministry, Kennedy always had a sense of himself, his movements, and his voice. He could often be intimidating, and he always made an impression. My wife Mary, who worked as a teenager at a local hamburger restaurant, always knew that voice from the drive-through when he ordered his meal. He used the same voice at the hamburger joint that he used in the sanctuary -- and to the same effect. He commanded attention.
A theological conservative, he led Coral Ridge into the young Presbyterian Church in America in the 1970's and was highly involved in a host of evangelical causes. He defended biblical inerrancy and the doctrine of justification. He believed in the need for sinners to come to Christ, and called persons to come to Christ by faith.
Many Americans knew him primarily through his television ministry and his involvement in national political issues. He contended for national righteousness and was a defender of the unborn before many other evangelicals were even awakened to the crisis. He at least flirted with the language of Christian Reconstructionism, but he never left his first love which was for his own congregation.
My indebtedness to Dr. Kennedy is very personal. I was a young Southern Baptist who as a teenager had serious questions about the big issues of the Christian faith. Dr. Kennedy's ministry at Coral Ridge addressed those big questions. He was unafraid to take on the intellectual challenges of the faith. He was kind to a Baptist teenager, introducing me to Francis Schaeffer and dignifying my questions. He clearly enjoyed talking theology and he was the first person I had ever met who demonstrated this joy. He was kind. I was hooked. In no small way my own calling as a theologian can be traced to Dr. Kennedy's influence. I was inspired by his intellectual engagement and motivated by his vision of excellence for God's glory.
My indebtedness also extends to Mary, my wife, who attended Westminister Academy and graduated as valedictorian of her class in 1979. She is living proof to me of the reach of Dr. Kennedy's vision and ministry.
Dr. Kennedy watched events within the Southern Baptist Convention with interest and encouraged me as I became president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He knew what was at stake here, and he assured me of his prayers. Then, several years ago, he came to Southern Seminary, preached in chapel, and told students what he had learned about the local church and the challenge of evangelism. During the chapel service, he looked to me with tears in his eyes, and told me that he had never before heard the sound of so many men singing hymns together.
He has joined the great host now, and that chorus exceeds any on earth. I am thankful to God for the life, ministry, and personal influence of Dr. D. James Kennedy.
___________________
A memorial site is found here.
Bludgeoning with Providence Misusing the will of God.
I dedicate this post to you, the person reading it. Before you were even born, God planned this very moment, the moment you would type the address of this site into your browser or the moment you would click a link from another site to arrive right here, right now. It is no accident that you are here today and you can be certain that God has orchestrated all of this so you could learn what I want to tell you today. So get ready.
Does that make you uncomfortable? It sure would make me uncomfortable if I ran into that statement at another person’s web site. But you know what? The statement isn’t too different from ones I’ve read in a selection of Christian books. Consider the dedication from Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life: “This book is dedicated to you. Before you were born, God planned this moment in your life. It is no accident that you are holding this book. God longs for you to discover the life he created you to live—here on earth, and forever in eternity.” Don Piper’s latest book, Heaven is Real has a similar statement within it, suggesting that God has so orchestrated your life that you are holding the book at that very moment simply so you could learn from it.
I dislike this kind of statement, and they are becoming all too common. It took me some time, though, to figure out why they make me so uncomfortable. And then, a few days ago, it struck me. These authors are bludgeoning me with providence. They are peering into the unknowable providence of God and are interpreting it for me. And, needless to say, they are interpreting it in their favor.
It seems to me that this error arises from a fundamental misunderstanding of the will of God. These men would have you believe that they know and understand God’s will—that God has so ordered providence to show that it is His will that you read the book and learn what the author wishes to teach. Their logic is simple: God is in control; nothing happens without God’s prior knowledge; you are holding this book; God must have orchestrated life in just such a way that you could read the book; He did this because you need to learn what the book teaches (and obey it!). But in interpreting events this way, they are stepping beyond the bounds of what we can know as mere humans.
Let’s back up for just a moment and make sure we properly understand the will of God.
Theologians speak of God’s will in two ways, usually speaking of God’s secret will and His revealed will, or, if you prefer bigger terms, God’s decretive will and God’s preceptive. I generally prefer to speak of God’s will of decree and His will of command. R.C. Sproul says this of the importance of distinguishing between these two wills: “The practical question of how we know the will of God for our lives cannot be solved with any degree of accuracy unless we have some prior understanding of the will of God in general. Without the distinctions we have made, our pursuit of the will of God can plunge us into hopeless confusion and consternation. When we seek the will of God, we must first ask ourselves which will we are seeking to discover.”
God’s will of decree is, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, His “eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.” God’s secret will is hidden to us. God chooses not to reveal it to us and it does not figure into our decision making or our interpretation of providence because it is, by definition, secret. So when we speak of discerning God’s will, we do not speak of this, His secret will. This will, predestined before time began, is set in stone and will be accomplished. There is nothing we can do to change it or to alter it. God reveals it as He wills and we are unable to know it beyond His ways of revealing it.
God’s will of command is what He wills for us as revealed in Scripture. It is all those things we are expected to do to bring Him glory and honor. The Bible tells us a lot about this will; it is filled with God’s expectations of those who follow Him. Here are just three of the more general principles outlined for us:
Be Filled with the Holy Spirit - It is God’s will that we be filled with the Holy Spirit. “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:17-18).
Be Sanctified - It is God’s will that we be sanctified and continue to grow more and more into the image of Jesus Christ. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3a).
Be Thankful - We are to be thankful at all times and in all situations. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
It is this will that we must understand and obey. It is this will that we seek out in Scripture and this will we must be pleased to follow.
So we see that theologians speak rightly of God’s two wills. It is critical that we understand these properly. Far too often people can encourage us to do things that are premised on a supposed knowledge of God’s secret will—His will of decree. And to me, this is exactly what Rick Warren and Don Piper and other authors have done in declaring why we should read their books. They are interpreting providence in a way that is not theirs to do. They are peering into the hidden things and declaring their understanding of them. They are bludgeoning us with a false understanding of God’s providence.
Does that make you uncomfortable? It sure would make me uncomfortable if I ran into that statement at another person’s web site. But you know what? The statement isn’t too different from ones I’ve read in a selection of Christian books. Consider the dedication from Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life: “This book is dedicated to you. Before you were born, God planned this moment in your life. It is no accident that you are holding this book. God longs for you to discover the life he created you to live—here on earth, and forever in eternity.” Don Piper’s latest book, Heaven is Real has a similar statement within it, suggesting that God has so orchestrated your life that you are holding the book at that very moment simply so you could learn from it.
I dislike this kind of statement, and they are becoming all too common. It took me some time, though, to figure out why they make me so uncomfortable. And then, a few days ago, it struck me. These authors are bludgeoning me with providence. They are peering into the unknowable providence of God and are interpreting it for me. And, needless to say, they are interpreting it in their favor.
It seems to me that this error arises from a fundamental misunderstanding of the will of God. These men would have you believe that they know and understand God’s will—that God has so ordered providence to show that it is His will that you read the book and learn what the author wishes to teach. Their logic is simple: God is in control; nothing happens without God’s prior knowledge; you are holding this book; God must have orchestrated life in just such a way that you could read the book; He did this because you need to learn what the book teaches (and obey it!). But in interpreting events this way, they are stepping beyond the bounds of what we can know as mere humans.
Let’s back up for just a moment and make sure we properly understand the will of God.
Theologians speak of God’s will in two ways, usually speaking of God’s secret will and His revealed will, or, if you prefer bigger terms, God’s decretive will and God’s preceptive. I generally prefer to speak of God’s will of decree and His will of command. R.C. Sproul says this of the importance of distinguishing between these two wills: “The practical question of how we know the will of God for our lives cannot be solved with any degree of accuracy unless we have some prior understanding of the will of God in general. Without the distinctions we have made, our pursuit of the will of God can plunge us into hopeless confusion and consternation. When we seek the will of God, we must first ask ourselves which will we are seeking to discover.”
God’s will of decree is, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, His “eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.” God’s secret will is hidden to us. God chooses not to reveal it to us and it does not figure into our decision making or our interpretation of providence because it is, by definition, secret. So when we speak of discerning God’s will, we do not speak of this, His secret will. This will, predestined before time began, is set in stone and will be accomplished. There is nothing we can do to change it or to alter it. God reveals it as He wills and we are unable to know it beyond His ways of revealing it.
God’s will of command is what He wills for us as revealed in Scripture. It is all those things we are expected to do to bring Him glory and honor. The Bible tells us a lot about this will; it is filled with God’s expectations of those who follow Him. Here are just three of the more general principles outlined for us:
Be Filled with the Holy Spirit - It is God’s will that we be filled with the Holy Spirit. “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:17-18).
Be Sanctified - It is God’s will that we be sanctified and continue to grow more and more into the image of Jesus Christ. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3a).
Be Thankful - We are to be thankful at all times and in all situations. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
It is this will that we must understand and obey. It is this will that we seek out in Scripture and this will we must be pleased to follow.
So we see that theologians speak rightly of God’s two wills. It is critical that we understand these properly. Far too often people can encourage us to do things that are premised on a supposed knowledge of God’s secret will—His will of decree. And to me, this is exactly what Rick Warren and Don Piper and other authors have done in declaring why we should read their books. They are interpreting providence in a way that is not theirs to do. They are peering into the hidden things and declaring their understanding of them. They are bludgeoning us with a false understanding of God’s providence.
Blinded By Relevance
When church leaders peer through cool shades at God's Word, the true meaning often gets traded for an idol that they long to see. Welcome to the start of an ongoing series of posts on Old Truth, dedicated to demonstrating the perils of approaching scripture with an already decided idea of what you want it to say. In the weeks ahead, we'll examine how the only thing needed to make a scriptural square peg fit in a culturally relevant round hole is the hammer of haphazard bible interpretation. Here now is volume 1.
This new series won't be on any kind of set schedule, but from time to time I will post some examples of abused scripture verses that I've found on the blogs of relevant church leaders. I'll be using a sampling of a number of different pastors, though I don't intend to mention their names; the point here is simply to demonstrate how frequently an interpretive bias is brought to bear upon the scriptures, and hopefully to show you how to spot this kind of error on your own. And let's face it, as one of the Reformers used to say "human beings are idol factories", and so it is that all of us need to be on guard against bringing our own bias-baggage to our reading of the scriptures.
To kick off this series, I've selected an SBC megachurch pastor who is enamored with the Church Growth Movement. He's currently reading through the book of Isaiah during his personal devotion time. Along the way, he posts on his blog any thoughts he has on various verses that he found meaningful. The (text below in) CAPS is his own emphasis:
Isaiah 51:2 - He writes: "God is definitely into growth - just look at His track record!" Reality check: This verse is talking about the increase of those who would descend from Abraham. While it is true that all believers are likewise Abraham's descendants, this pastor wants this verse to set a precedence for "kingdom multiplication" through his modern entertainment-based church growth methods. There are numerous other Old Testament "Israel verses" that he could cite, some of which speak about bad things happening to Israel, such as captivity and scattering amongst the nations, but this pastor is not interested in using "name it and claim it" on those passages. I'm certain we won't ever see a future post of his saying "God is definitely into scattering us and putting us into captivity". This influential church leader is simply picking-and-choosing which verses he wants to apply, to that which he hopes will happen with his church. It's a case of one man's wishful thinking coupled with some Old Testament verses that seem to bolster his paradigm.
Isaiah 54:2-3 - He writes: "YES! I honestly believe this is getting ready to happen here at [our church]!" He then goes on to tie that in with the mention of his upcoming sports-themed sermon series. Reality check: Yet another promise based on Israel, mentioning the enlarging of tents, being stretched and spread out, the overtaking of desolate cities. The verse is also prophetic of the eventuality of Christ for the Gentiles. No doubt, this pastor is primarily interested in words like "Enlarge" which appear in the verse. The verse is then adapted to apply to some supposed promise of increasing size and influence of his own megachurch, in part - through some upcoming creative 'sports' sermons. This is all so similar to the subjective interpretation used in the New York Times bestseller "The Prayer of Jabez". Remember that book? I had an unsaved family member who prayed the Jabez prayer everyday, to enlarge his territory, which for him meant to "accumulate more money and get rich". The book encouraged him to claim that verse for himself. But really, you could plug anything you want into formulas like this. If you want more of it (whatever it is) then this scripture can be made to apply to you. It's really sad to see influential leaders of large churches gladly embrace a shallow Jabez error of "enlarge your territory".
Isaiah 61:4 - He writes: "I believe there is a group of pastors out there that this verse applies to! The church in America is NOT in good shape, the population is INCREASING in our country and the church is DECREASING! In a time where we should be experiencing EXPLOSIVE growth the church is in an EXPLOSIVE decline. BUT...there is a group of pastors out there who God has called to rebuild the ruins...to repair what is broken" then he goes on to assign a second meaning to this verse for 'volunteers' at his own church: "people who give their time to selflessly serve each and every week. If this is you - THEN YOU are a part of this verse...God is using you to build the church". Reality check: The immediate context of this passage is the devastation of the land of Israel while in captivity, and it's future hope of rebuilding. As you can see from the verses leading up to it though, this passage is prophetic of Christ. This pastor however, seems to be keying off of phrases like "repair the ruined cities", which he applies to "churches in America". The verse gets further stretched, when he applies it to "volunteers" who are helping to build his own church; those that help to park cars, greet visitors, and babysit kids in the church playland facility, etc. This is a tremendous 'reach' and an outright twisting of scripture.
Are you seeing a pattern here? The bible is being used like a Magic 8 Ball that says only what the church leader gives it permission to say:
I'm not even saying that this church leader is doing this on purpose. I think he's so convinced of his ideas, that these verses just seem to jump off the page at him. But if we are going to take this kind of fast-and-loose approach to scripture, there's a million things we could apply passages like that to.
Let's say for example, that your aunt is really run down from chemotherapy, and you long to see her restored back to good health. So one morning you are reading your bible and you run across the verse in question. You think "hey, I think that's God telling me that He plans to build her up, and restore her former self, from the devastation of her cancer". How many people have had those kinds of false hopes from reading the bible incorrectly, only to find out later that God was trying to teach them longsuffering instead, or He had some other purpose besides improving their immediate earthly existence.
The bible is not a Magic 8 Ball. There's actually a right way to study your bible that will keep you safely within the bounds of God's intended meaning. It's called hermeneutics, and as one description page tells us:
"The most important law of biblical hermeneutics is that the Bible should be interpreted literally. Literal Bible interpretation means you understand the Bible in its normal/plain meaning. The Bible says what it means and means what it says. Many make the mistake of trying to read between the lines and come up with meanings for Scriptures that are not truly in the text. Yes, of course, there are some spiritual truths behind the plain meanings of Scripture. That does not mean that every Scripture has a hidden spiritual truth, or that it should be our goal to find all such spiritual truths. Biblical hermeneutics keeps us faithful to the intended meaning of Scripture and away from allegorizing and symbolizing Bible verses and passages that should be understood literally."
That's good advice that would have helped to keep our megachurch pastor from seeing only what he wants to see on the pages of scripture. Hermeneutics would have helped him from seeing his idols in the biblical texts. Especially since this pastor admits to having never attended seminary, he would benefit from the CrossTV Workman videos that show Christians how to rightly interpret God's word.
Do you know of any other popular pastors who are twisting scripture to support their concept of 'relevance'?
This new series won't be on any kind of set schedule, but from time to time I will post some examples of abused scripture verses that I've found on the blogs of relevant church leaders. I'll be using a sampling of a number of different pastors, though I don't intend to mention their names; the point here is simply to demonstrate how frequently an interpretive bias is brought to bear upon the scriptures, and hopefully to show you how to spot this kind of error on your own. And let's face it, as one of the Reformers used to say "human beings are idol factories", and so it is that all of us need to be on guard against bringing our own bias-baggage to our reading of the scriptures.
To kick off this series, I've selected an SBC megachurch pastor who is enamored with the Church Growth Movement. He's currently reading through the book of Isaiah during his personal devotion time. Along the way, he posts on his blog any thoughts he has on various verses that he found meaningful. The (text below in) CAPS is his own emphasis:
Isaiah 51:2 - He writes: "God is definitely into growth - just look at His track record!" Reality check: This verse is talking about the increase of those who would descend from Abraham. While it is true that all believers are likewise Abraham's descendants, this pastor wants this verse to set a precedence for "kingdom multiplication" through his modern entertainment-based church growth methods. There are numerous other Old Testament "Israel verses" that he could cite, some of which speak about bad things happening to Israel, such as captivity and scattering amongst the nations, but this pastor is not interested in using "name it and claim it" on those passages. I'm certain we won't ever see a future post of his saying "God is definitely into scattering us and putting us into captivity". This influential church leader is simply picking-and-choosing which verses he wants to apply, to that which he hopes will happen with his church. It's a case of one man's wishful thinking coupled with some Old Testament verses that seem to bolster his paradigm.
Isaiah 54:2-3 - He writes: "YES! I honestly believe this is getting ready to happen here at [our church]!" He then goes on to tie that in with the mention of his upcoming sports-themed sermon series. Reality check: Yet another promise based on Israel, mentioning the enlarging of tents, being stretched and spread out, the overtaking of desolate cities. The verse is also prophetic of the eventuality of Christ for the Gentiles. No doubt, this pastor is primarily interested in words like "Enlarge" which appear in the verse. The verse is then adapted to apply to some supposed promise of increasing size and influence of his own megachurch, in part - through some upcoming creative 'sports' sermons. This is all so similar to the subjective interpretation used in the New York Times bestseller "The Prayer of Jabez". Remember that book? I had an unsaved family member who prayed the Jabez prayer everyday, to enlarge his territory, which for him meant to "accumulate more money and get rich". The book encouraged him to claim that verse for himself. But really, you could plug anything you want into formulas like this. If you want more of it (whatever it is) then this scripture can be made to apply to you. It's really sad to see influential leaders of large churches gladly embrace a shallow Jabez error of "enlarge your territory".
Isaiah 61:4 - He writes: "I believe there is a group of pastors out there that this verse applies to! The church in America is NOT in good shape, the population is INCREASING in our country and the church is DECREASING! In a time where we should be experiencing EXPLOSIVE growth the church is in an EXPLOSIVE decline. BUT...there is a group of pastors out there who God has called to rebuild the ruins...to repair what is broken" then he goes on to assign a second meaning to this verse for 'volunteers' at his own church: "people who give their time to selflessly serve each and every week. If this is you - THEN YOU are a part of this verse...God is using you to build the church". Reality check: The immediate context of this passage is the devastation of the land of Israel while in captivity, and it's future hope of rebuilding. As you can see from the verses leading up to it though, this passage is prophetic of Christ. This pastor however, seems to be keying off of phrases like "repair the ruined cities", which he applies to "churches in America". The verse gets further stretched, when he applies it to "volunteers" who are helping to build his own church; those that help to park cars, greet visitors, and babysit kids in the church playland facility, etc. This is a tremendous 'reach' and an outright twisting of scripture.
Are you seeing a pattern here? The bible is being used like a Magic 8 Ball that says only what the church leader gives it permission to say:
I'm not even saying that this church leader is doing this on purpose. I think he's so convinced of his ideas, that these verses just seem to jump off the page at him. But if we are going to take this kind of fast-and-loose approach to scripture, there's a million things we could apply passages like that to.
Let's say for example, that your aunt is really run down from chemotherapy, and you long to see her restored back to good health. So one morning you are reading your bible and you run across the verse in question. You think "hey, I think that's God telling me that He plans to build her up, and restore her former self, from the devastation of her cancer". How many people have had those kinds of false hopes from reading the bible incorrectly, only to find out later that God was trying to teach them longsuffering instead, or He had some other purpose besides improving their immediate earthly existence.
The bible is not a Magic 8 Ball. There's actually a right way to study your bible that will keep you safely within the bounds of God's intended meaning. It's called hermeneutics, and as one description page tells us:
"The most important law of biblical hermeneutics is that the Bible should be interpreted literally. Literal Bible interpretation means you understand the Bible in its normal/plain meaning. The Bible says what it means and means what it says. Many make the mistake of trying to read between the lines and come up with meanings for Scriptures that are not truly in the text. Yes, of course, there are some spiritual truths behind the plain meanings of Scripture. That does not mean that every Scripture has a hidden spiritual truth, or that it should be our goal to find all such spiritual truths. Biblical hermeneutics keeps us faithful to the intended meaning of Scripture and away from allegorizing and symbolizing Bible verses and passages that should be understood literally."
That's good advice that would have helped to keep our megachurch pastor from seeing only what he wants to see on the pages of scripture. Hermeneutics would have helped him from seeing his idols in the biblical texts. Especially since this pastor admits to having never attended seminary, he would benefit from the CrossTV Workman videos that show Christians how to rightly interpret God's word.
Do you know of any other popular pastors who are twisting scripture to support their concept of 'relevance'?
Friday, September 07, 2007
Investing in Eternity By John MacArthur
J. H. Jowett once said, “The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all our money.”
He was right. Earthly riches or the lack of them has nothing to do with real wealth. The only treasure that matters is the treasure you lay up in heaven.
Jesus taught, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19-21). That is a mandate, not a recommendation. Invest in eternity!
What an appropriate message for a culture like ours. People in our society are wealthier than any civilization in the history of man. Sadly, they rapidly squander their blessings on things that cannot last. If our treasure reveals the condition of our hearts (v. 21), this generation is in serious spiritual trouble. Our buying habits show little concern for anything of eternal value.
Americans are spending a significant portion of their incomes on luxury items and recreation—and they are spending it fast. Why wait until you can afford something, if you can charge it and have it instantly? Outstanding consumer debt in this country has skyrocketed, leaving many in financial shambles. They pursue the “good life,” the so-called “American dream.”
But there is no “good life” you can buy no matter how much money you have. The “American dream” is nothing but an illusion and chasing the dream can become destructive. Statistics indicate the more money you have the more likely you are to commit suicide; life expectancy decreases as income increases. Money adds to stress, and that in turn takes years off your life. One study shows that wealth also intensifies moral decline and family disintegration. Marital infidelity and divorce rates rise with income levels. Obviously, money cannot buy happiness.
The apostle Paul was on target when he wrote, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang” (1 Tim. 6:9-10).
While obsession with money incites crime, destroys families, and wrecks lives, the ultimate price for loving temporal things is eternal damnation. Jesus hinted at this when He asked, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).
Perhaps the saddest observation of all is that the spending habits of people in the church differ little from those of the world. The lifestyles of most professing Christians are not substantially different from anyone else’s. Too many in the church have adopted the world’s indulgent attitude toward money. Almost every form of materialistic extravagance and excess has found its way into the fellowship of believers. It is as if the church has forgotten Jesus’ mandate to invest in eternity.
When money-lovers creep into the pulpit to steal from the treasury, it’s an obvious scandal. But isn’t the money-lover in the pew — the person who refuses to give at all — just as disgraceful?
One study of several denominations revealed a gradual decline in giving over seventeen years, though average income increased sharply in that time period. Material riches are proving to be a spiritual liability. Christians now have more money at their disposal than at any time in human history, but they proportionately invest far less in the kingdom. The same study further revealed that almost half of all charitable giving in the United States comes from households with annual incomes under $30,000. James 2:5 comes to mind: “Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”
Hosea 13:6 sums up this tragic disparity: “Being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore, they forgot Me.” When we become prosperous, we become proud. Then we forget God. Frankly, for most peple persecution is easier to endure than prosperity. In other words, there is a clear connection between your attitude toward money and your spiritual health. Where you invest your treasure reveals where you have set your trust and affections. That is why the Lord had so much to say about money.
Do you want to take your spiritual temperature? Look at your checkbook. Where are you investing your treasure? That’s where your heart really is.
God does not give you riches to hoard, but to use for His glory. True enjoyment of wealth comes not from possessing it, but from investing it as God intended—in things that count for eternity.
Jesus taught, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19-21). That is a mandate, not a recommendation. Invest in eternity!
What an appropriate message for a culture like ours. People in our society are wealthier than any civilization in the history of man. Sadly, they rapidly squander their blessings on things that cannot last. If our treasure reveals the condition of our hearts (v. 21), this generation is in serious spiritual trouble. Our buying habits show little concern for anything of eternal value.
Americans are spending a significant portion of their incomes on luxury items and recreation—and they are spending it fast. Why wait until you can afford something, if you can charge it and have it instantly? Outstanding consumer debt in this country has skyrocketed, leaving many in financial shambles. They pursue the “good life,” the so-called “American dream.”
But there is no “good life” you can buy no matter how much money you have. The “American dream” is nothing but an illusion and chasing the dream can become destructive. Statistics indicate the more money you have the more likely you are to commit suicide; life expectancy decreases as income increases. Money adds to stress, and that in turn takes years off your life. One study shows that wealth also intensifies moral decline and family disintegration. Marital infidelity and divorce rates rise with income levels. Obviously, money cannot buy happiness.
The apostle Paul was on target when he wrote, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang” (1 Tim. 6:9-10).
While obsession with money incites crime, destroys families, and wrecks lives, the ultimate price for loving temporal things is eternal damnation. Jesus hinted at this when He asked, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).
Perhaps the saddest observation of all is that the spending habits of people in the church differ little from those of the world. The lifestyles of most professing Christians are not substantially different from anyone else’s. Too many in the church have adopted the world’s indulgent attitude toward money. Almost every form of materialistic extravagance and excess has found its way into the fellowship of believers. It is as if the church has forgotten Jesus’ mandate to invest in eternity.
When money-lovers creep into the pulpit to steal from the treasury, it’s an obvious scandal. But isn’t the money-lover in the pew — the person who refuses to give at all — just as disgraceful?
One study of several denominations revealed a gradual decline in giving over seventeen years, though average income increased sharply in that time period. Material riches are proving to be a spiritual liability. Christians now have more money at their disposal than at any time in human history, but they proportionately invest far less in the kingdom. The same study further revealed that almost half of all charitable giving in the United States comes from households with annual incomes under $30,000. James 2:5 comes to mind: “Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”
Hosea 13:6 sums up this tragic disparity: “Being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore, they forgot Me.” When we become prosperous, we become proud. Then we forget God. Frankly, for most peple persecution is easier to endure than prosperity. In other words, there is a clear connection between your attitude toward money and your spiritual health. Where you invest your treasure reveals where you have set your trust and affections. That is why the Lord had so much to say about money.
Do you want to take your spiritual temperature? Look at your checkbook. Where are you investing your treasure? That’s where your heart really is.
God does not give you riches to hoard, but to use for His glory. True enjoyment of wealth comes not from possessing it, but from investing it as God intended—in things that count for eternity.
Knowing The Will of God...... Dr Sproul
I've been wrestling with a career decision. What thinking processes should Christians use in decision making?
Unfortunately, in today’s Christian environment the whole idea of thinking has become suspect. It’s as if using our natural abilities of intellect—particularly in areas of career— somehow represents a lack of faith. The concept is that we’re supposed to entrust our career and our vocation to God, and God will do the thinking for us; God will show us through some kind of miraculous sign what he wants us to do. I think the most significant thing we’re called to do when we’re seeking the will of God in our lives, whether it’s for our vocation or for our choice of a mate or where we’re to live, is to think. Now, how are we to think? In what way are we to think? The Bible tells us that we ought to make a sober analysis of our gifts and talents. We recognize in doing so that it is God who gives us the gifts. It is God who gives us the talent, and it is God whom we are trying to serve and whom we want to please. That’s why we want to discern what his will is for our vocation. How do we make a sober analysis of our gifts and talents? We have to think, and we have to think deeply and accurately. We can get some help in this process. We are encouraged by Scripture to seek the counsel of others because usually our gifts are recognized by the body of Christ. People in our church, in our family, and in our circle of friends have a tendency to call attention to the gifts we display. I also believe strongly in making use of those people who are highly skilled in helping us discern what our gifts and talents are. There are a lot of Christian vocational-counseling organizations available. Sometimes we get forced into patterns of jobs or careers where we have the skills, we have the talents, but we really don’t have the desire or the motivation to apply ourselves 100 percent. I grant that it’s possible God could call us to a task we hate to perform, but God is a much better manager than that. For his jobs in this world, I think God likes to hire the people who not only have the gifts he gave them and the talent he gave them but who are motivated in those directions. Somehow, I think one of the great lies of Satan is to tell us that we are supposed to be unhappy with our labor. God has called you to be fulfilled in your labor, so it’s perfectly legitimate to ask yourself, What can I do that fulfills me?
Unfortunately, in today’s Christian environment the whole idea of thinking has become suspect. It’s as if using our natural abilities of intellect—particularly in areas of career— somehow represents a lack of faith. The concept is that we’re supposed to entrust our career and our vocation to God, and God will do the thinking for us; God will show us through some kind of miraculous sign what he wants us to do. I think the most significant thing we’re called to do when we’re seeking the will of God in our lives, whether it’s for our vocation or for our choice of a mate or where we’re to live, is to think. Now, how are we to think? In what way are we to think? The Bible tells us that we ought to make a sober analysis of our gifts and talents. We recognize in doing so that it is God who gives us the gifts. It is God who gives us the talent, and it is God whom we are trying to serve and whom we want to please. That’s why we want to discern what his will is for our vocation. How do we make a sober analysis of our gifts and talents? We have to think, and we have to think deeply and accurately. We can get some help in this process. We are encouraged by Scripture to seek the counsel of others because usually our gifts are recognized by the body of Christ. People in our church, in our family, and in our circle of friends have a tendency to call attention to the gifts we display. I also believe strongly in making use of those people who are highly skilled in helping us discern what our gifts and talents are. There are a lot of Christian vocational-counseling organizations available. Sometimes we get forced into patterns of jobs or careers where we have the skills, we have the talents, but we really don’t have the desire or the motivation to apply ourselves 100 percent. I grant that it’s possible God could call us to a task we hate to perform, but God is a much better manager than that. For his jobs in this world, I think God likes to hire the people who not only have the gifts he gave them and the talent he gave them but who are motivated in those directions. Somehow, I think one of the great lies of Satan is to tell us that we are supposed to be unhappy with our labor. God has called you to be fulfilled in your labor, so it’s perfectly legitimate to ask yourself, What can I do that fulfills me?
Does the “Infomercial Gospel” Produce True Converts to Christianity?
Seeker-sensitive churches have been popping up like weeds across our land. These churches claim that they exist FOR the unchurched NOT for believers. Their pastors claim that they are obsessed with evangelism. Yet, their evangelistic messages all too often skirt the thorny unpopular issues of sin and repentance and instead attempt to woo the un-churched into the Christian faith by presenting a ‘positive’ gospel that is designed to entice people to make a decision for Christ very much the same way infomercials convince people to pick up the phone and agree to make the 3 easy payments of $29.95. Examples of this ‘Infomercial Gospel’ abound, “Receive Christ as Your Personal Savior and you’ll...
know your life’s purposelead a simpler life stylehave a saner less stressful schedulehave a more fulfilling sex lifehave more rewarding careerhave financial freedoma dream familya healthier body
These messages are exactly the same types of messages that insomniacs are bombarded with when they flip through television channels in the middle of the night. The promises are identical.
After listening to hundreds of these sermons I feel that if these pastors would just throw in a free set of Ginsu Knifes for everyone that makes a ‘decision’ for Jesus in the next 15 minutes their numbers would skyrocket even further.
But this leads us to ask a critical question, “If people are ‘making decisions’ for Jesus so that they can have a more fulfilling life, have better sex, less stress, and a more rewarding career but they have not been told that they are sinners who face God’s wrath and judgement unless they ‘repent and believe the gospel’ have they really been converted to the true faith?
When one takes the time to examine the scriptures regarding these pastors’ messages you will find that they are preaching a gospel that is different than the Biblical Gospel. But, in order to fully appreciate this fact one needs wrestle with the Biblical doctrine of the MEANS through Which God Effects conversion.
Jesus said in Luke 24:46 “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
In this passage Jesus is defining the Christian message to the world. It is a call for repentance from sins and the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins won by Jesus Christ on the cross. The call for repentance is brought about through the preaching of God’s Law. Law preaching will have the effect of terrorizing its listners who will then need to hear the comforting words of the forgiveness of sins.
In other words, the message that effects true conversion properly utilizes BOTH God’s Law and the Gospel.
Here is what Lutheran Theologian Francis Pieper wrote on this matter.
The means of conversion is the Gospel, which produces faith. This very Gospel, which is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks, has the wonderful power to create in man the faith which accepts its promises. Only by hearing or reading the Gospel is conversion brought about (Rom. 10:14–17; John 5:39; 17:20)...
Since, however, a man must first realize that he is subject to eternal damnation on account of his sins before he will accept the Gospel of grace, the preaching of the Law must always precede and accompany the preaching of the Gospel. “By the Law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20)..In short, men will be converted to God only when Law and Gospel are preached in the proper order and with the proper distinction.Since conversion is effected by the Gospel with the aid of the Law, the inner motions of the heart which go to make up conversion are (a) the terrors of conscience (terrores conscientiae), which arise from the knowledge of sin engendered by the Law (“He came trembling … and said: Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:29–30); and (b) the trust of the heart (fiducia cordis) in the gracious promise of forgiveness extended to man in the Gospel (“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” Acts 16:31). Where these two motions, contrition and faith, which are effected by the Holy Ghost, through the Law and the Gospel, are wanting, no conversion has taken place. Where they are found, we must say that the Holy Ghost has wrought a genuine conversion.
In other words, if a pastor's message does not properly utilize God’s law in order to bring about true sorrow for sins and terror of God’s judgment (penitent contrition) as well as the good news that all sins are forgiven because of Christ and by the free gift of faith in Christ Jesus then that pastor's message produced ZERO conversions regardless of how practical, relevant or appealing it may have been to an unbeliever.
The seductive error of so many seeker-sensitive churches in their evangelistic efforts is that they falsly believe that people can be converted to Christ without the preaching of the law which condemns sinners. They instead use sales and marketing tactics to entice the potential convert into making a decision that already appeals to their sinful and self-centered appetites for health, wellness and prosperity. But, these messages do not produce sorrow for sins, nor do they proclaim God’s just judgment and wrath because of sin. The 'Infomercial Gospel' only promises to make an easy American life even easier and more satisfying.
This ‘Infomercial Gospel’ is not the Biblical Gospel and is utterly impotent and incapable of producing true Christian converts.
The message that Jesus Himself said SHOULD be proclaimed to all nations including 21st Century America is ‘Repentance and the Forgiveness of Sins’.
It doesn’t matter how many people these pastors brag that they’ve led to Christ. If they are preaching the ‘Infomercial Gospel’ then Biblically we know that few if any are true converts to the Christian faith.
know your life’s purposelead a simpler life stylehave a saner less stressful schedulehave a more fulfilling sex lifehave more rewarding careerhave financial freedoma dream familya healthier body
These messages are exactly the same types of messages that insomniacs are bombarded with when they flip through television channels in the middle of the night. The promises are identical.
After listening to hundreds of these sermons I feel that if these pastors would just throw in a free set of Ginsu Knifes for everyone that makes a ‘decision’ for Jesus in the next 15 minutes their numbers would skyrocket even further.
But this leads us to ask a critical question, “If people are ‘making decisions’ for Jesus so that they can have a more fulfilling life, have better sex, less stress, and a more rewarding career but they have not been told that they are sinners who face God’s wrath and judgement unless they ‘repent and believe the gospel’ have they really been converted to the true faith?
When one takes the time to examine the scriptures regarding these pastors’ messages you will find that they are preaching a gospel that is different than the Biblical Gospel. But, in order to fully appreciate this fact one needs wrestle with the Biblical doctrine of the MEANS through Which God Effects conversion.
Jesus said in Luke 24:46 “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
In this passage Jesus is defining the Christian message to the world. It is a call for repentance from sins and the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins won by Jesus Christ on the cross. The call for repentance is brought about through the preaching of God’s Law. Law preaching will have the effect of terrorizing its listners who will then need to hear the comforting words of the forgiveness of sins.
In other words, the message that effects true conversion properly utilizes BOTH God’s Law and the Gospel.
Here is what Lutheran Theologian Francis Pieper wrote on this matter.
The means of conversion is the Gospel, which produces faith. This very Gospel, which is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks, has the wonderful power to create in man the faith which accepts its promises. Only by hearing or reading the Gospel is conversion brought about (Rom. 10:14–17; John 5:39; 17:20)...
Since, however, a man must first realize that he is subject to eternal damnation on account of his sins before he will accept the Gospel of grace, the preaching of the Law must always precede and accompany the preaching of the Gospel. “By the Law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20)..In short, men will be converted to God only when Law and Gospel are preached in the proper order and with the proper distinction.Since conversion is effected by the Gospel with the aid of the Law, the inner motions of the heart which go to make up conversion are (a) the terrors of conscience (terrores conscientiae), which arise from the knowledge of sin engendered by the Law (“He came trembling … and said: Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:29–30); and (b) the trust of the heart (fiducia cordis) in the gracious promise of forgiveness extended to man in the Gospel (“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” Acts 16:31). Where these two motions, contrition and faith, which are effected by the Holy Ghost, through the Law and the Gospel, are wanting, no conversion has taken place. Where they are found, we must say that the Holy Ghost has wrought a genuine conversion.
In other words, if a pastor's message does not properly utilize God’s law in order to bring about true sorrow for sins and terror of God’s judgment (penitent contrition) as well as the good news that all sins are forgiven because of Christ and by the free gift of faith in Christ Jesus then that pastor's message produced ZERO conversions regardless of how practical, relevant or appealing it may have been to an unbeliever.
The seductive error of so many seeker-sensitive churches in their evangelistic efforts is that they falsly believe that people can be converted to Christ without the preaching of the law which condemns sinners. They instead use sales and marketing tactics to entice the potential convert into making a decision that already appeals to their sinful and self-centered appetites for health, wellness and prosperity. But, these messages do not produce sorrow for sins, nor do they proclaim God’s just judgment and wrath because of sin. The 'Infomercial Gospel' only promises to make an easy American life even easier and more satisfying.
This ‘Infomercial Gospel’ is not the Biblical Gospel and is utterly impotent and incapable of producing true Christian converts.
The message that Jesus Himself said SHOULD be proclaimed to all nations including 21st Century America is ‘Repentance and the Forgiveness of Sins’.
It doesn’t matter how many people these pastors brag that they’ve led to Christ. If they are preaching the ‘Infomercial Gospel’ then Biblically we know that few if any are true converts to the Christian faith.
Dr. D. James Kennedy has passed away
Dr. D. James Kennedy, founder and senior pastor for 48 years of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (CRPC) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., passed away peacefully in his sleep at approximately 2:15 a.m. at his home with his wife and daughter by his bedside, following complications from a cardiac event last December. He was 76. Dates and times for a public viewing and funeral and private interment will be released when available.
“There are all kinds of wonderful things I could say about my dad,” said daughter Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy. “But one that stands out is his fine example. He ‘walked the walk’ and ‘practiced what he preached.’ His work for Christ is lasting – it will go on and on and make a difference for eternity.”
Dr. Kennedy, who is survived by Anne, his wife of 51 years, and his daughter Jennifer, preached his last sermon from the pulpit of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church on Christmas Eve Sunday 2006. He suffered a cardiac arrest four days later on Dec. 28, and has since been unable to return to the pulpit. The church announced his retirement on Aug. 26, beginning a process to choose his successor, and had planned a tribute worship service honoring the extensive ministry of Dr. Kennedy on Sept. 23.
“I would like to thank all of you for your prayers, cards, kindnesses and encouragement over the past nine months,” Mrs. Cassidy said during the retirement announcement. “Our family knows that we have come through this difficult time because of God’s grace and your faithful prayers, and it has brought joy to us to see God’s faithfulness in all of this.”
“There are all kinds of wonderful things I could say about my dad,” said daughter Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy. “But one that stands out is his fine example. He ‘walked the walk’ and ‘practiced what he preached.’ His work for Christ is lasting – it will go on and on and make a difference for eternity.”
Dr. Kennedy, who is survived by Anne, his wife of 51 years, and his daughter Jennifer, preached his last sermon from the pulpit of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church on Christmas Eve Sunday 2006. He suffered a cardiac arrest four days later on Dec. 28, and has since been unable to return to the pulpit. The church announced his retirement on Aug. 26, beginning a process to choose his successor, and had planned a tribute worship service honoring the extensive ministry of Dr. Kennedy on Sept. 23.
“I would like to thank all of you for your prayers, cards, kindnesses and encouragement over the past nine months,” Mrs. Cassidy said during the retirement announcement. “Our family knows that we have come through this difficult time because of God’s grace and your faithful prayers, and it has brought joy to us to see God’s faithfulness in all of this.”
False Doctrine Worse Than Division
Quoting Iain Murray . . .
Divisions and separations are most objectionable in religion. They weaken the cause of true Christianity.- But before we blame people for them, we must be careful that we lay the blame where it is deserved. False doctrine and heresy are even worse than schism. If people separate themselves from teaching which is positively false and unscriptural, they ought to be praised rather than reproved. In such cases separation is a virtue and not a sin.
The old saying must never be forgotten, "He is the schismatic who causes the schism"... Controversy in religion is a hateful thing... But there is one thing which is even worse than controversy, and that is false doctrine, allowed, and permitted without protest or molestation. ...
Divisions and separations are most objectionable in religion. They weaken the cause of true Christianity.- But before we blame people for them, we must be careful that we lay the blame where it is deserved. False doctrine and heresy are even worse than schism. If people separate themselves from teaching which is positively false and unscriptural, they ought to be praised rather than reproved. In such cases separation is a virtue and not a sin.
The old saying must never be forgotten, "He is the schismatic who causes the schism"... Controversy in religion is a hateful thing... But there is one thing which is even worse than controversy, and that is false doctrine, allowed, and permitted without protest or molestation. ...
How The Puritans Interpreted Scripture
Quoting JI Packer . . .
To the Puritans, no discipline was so exacting, and no labor so rewarding as the interpretation of the scriptures. The soundness of their method is unquestionable; we shall do well to follow in their footsteps. That will mean asking six questions of each passage or text that we seek to expound:
1. What do these words actually mean?
2. What light do other scriptures throw on this text? Where and how does it fit into the total biblical revelation?
3. What truths does it teach about God, and man in relation to God?
4. How are these truths related to the saving work of Christ, and what light does the gospel of Christ throw upon them?
5. What experiences do these truths delineate, or explain, or seek to create or cure? For what principal purpose do they stand in scripture?
6. How do they apply to myself or others in our actual situation? To what present human condition do they speak, and what are they telling us to believe and do?
From:
A Quest For Goldiness, Puritan's Vision of the Christian Life
To the Puritans, no discipline was so exacting, and no labor so rewarding as the interpretation of the scriptures. The soundness of their method is unquestionable; we shall do well to follow in their footsteps. That will mean asking six questions of each passage or text that we seek to expound:
1. What do these words actually mean?
2. What light do other scriptures throw on this text? Where and how does it fit into the total biblical revelation?
3. What truths does it teach about God, and man in relation to God?
4. How are these truths related to the saving work of Christ, and what light does the gospel of Christ throw upon them?
5. What experiences do these truths delineate, or explain, or seek to create or cure? For what principal purpose do they stand in scripture?
6. How do they apply to myself or others in our actual situation? To what present human condition do they speak, and what are they telling us to believe and do?
From:
A Quest For Goldiness, Puritan's Vision of the Christian Life
A Reformed Theology for Mercy Ministry By Dr Phil Ryken
My life is marked by a missed opportunity to be a servant of mercy. Around the time that I was graduating from college and getting ready to go to seminary, my home church in Wheaton, Illinois, nominated me to serve as a deacon in the church—an opportunity to engage in the high calling of mercy ministry. In the providence of God, that was not my calling. Instead, I am called to be a preacher and a teacher. But sometimes I still wish that I could have been a deacon. It is good to serve in mercy ministry—to be in the game and not just cheering from the sidelines.
Yet even cheerleaders can make a contribution. In this case, I hope to encourage servants of mercy by providing “A Reformed Theology for Mercy Ministry.” Other people have more to teach about their experience in mercy ministry, or about the practice of mercy ministry; but I can tell about its theology—about the place of mercy in the great doctrines of the Christian faith, and more specifically in the theology of the Reformation.
Yet even cheerleaders can make a contribution. In this case, I hope to encourage servants of mercy by providing “A Reformed Theology for Mercy Ministry.” Other people have more to teach about their experience in mercy ministry, or about the practice of mercy ministry; but I can tell about its theology—about the place of mercy in the great doctrines of the Christian faith, and more specifically in the theology of the Reformation.
Practical Calvinism
Some people do not see this connection. Some theologians do not see how vital mercy is to the credibility of the gospel. And some mercy ministers do not take the time to go very deep in their theology.
A few years ago a team of sociologists visited Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church. They were conducting a study of churches that were involved in mercy ministry. When they were finished, they gave us a chance to read over their report before they published it, in case we noticed any mistakes. The report was very well done, but there was one sentence I told them I could not agree with. Basically it said something like this: “Tenth is deeply committed to teaching and preaching biblical doctrine; however, it also has a heart for mercy ministry.” I told them, “Look, all you have to do is change one word in that sentence and I’ll be satisfied. Take the word ‘however’ and change it to ‘therefore’: ‘Tenth is deeply committed to teaching and preaching biblical doctrine; therefore, it also has a heart for mercy ministry’.” Happily, the researchers were willing to make the change.
Some people do not see this connection. Some theologians do not see how vital mercy is to the credibility of the gospel. And some mercy ministers do not take the time to go very deep in their theology.
A few years ago a team of sociologists visited Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church. They were conducting a study of churches that were involved in mercy ministry. When they were finished, they gave us a chance to read over their report before they published it, in case we noticed any mistakes. The report was very well done, but there was one sentence I told them I could not agree with. Basically it said something like this: “Tenth is deeply committed to teaching and preaching biblical doctrine; however, it also has a heart for mercy ministry.” I told them, “Look, all you have to do is change one word in that sentence and I’ll be satisfied. Take the word ‘however’ and change it to ‘therefore’: ‘Tenth is deeply committed to teaching and preaching biblical doctrine; therefore, it also has a heart for mercy ministry’.” Happily, the researchers were willing to make the change.
Far from being hindered by theology, the ministry of mercy is furthered by theology, properly understood. Consider the story of Calvin’s Geneva. Prior to the Reformation, the city was infamous for its immorality. Among its common vices were drunkenness, disorderly conduct, gambling, and prostitution. On occasion Genevans had been known to run naked through the streets singing vulgar songs. Unfair business practices were common.
When the Reformation came to Geneva, the city’s Council of Two Hundred passed civic ordinances that were designed to promote the Protestant religion and restrain public indecency. Yet the Council quickly discovered that laws alone made little difference; what was needed was a change of heart. There would be no social transformation without biblical proclamation.
So the Council decided to do something that no city council would even think of doing today: they hired a theologian, John Calvin. The way Calvin reformed Geneva was simply by preaching the Bible, teaching the great doctrines of the Christian faith. Calvin preached verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and book by book. He preached five, six, seven times a week. And he preached what people eventually called Calvinism: the sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners.
The result was not just that people came to Christ and grew in grace, but that the whole urban environment was transformed by the practical application of gospel mercy. Taverns were closed, reducing alcoholism. Sewers were cleaned, eliminating illness. The refugees that were streaming to Geneva from all over Europe were offered Christian hospitality. Deacons were organized to care for the poor. A job program was developed in the clothing industry. Schools were opened, not just for boys, but also for girls. One visitor said that under the teaching of sound doctrine, with its faithful application in practical mercy, the city of Geneva had become “the wonderful miracle of the whole world.”1
God and Man
I long to see that wonderful miracle repeated in every community in every city where there is a gospel-preaching church. But this will only happen through the practical application of biblical truth, with a firm grasp of what the Bible says as a whole about mercy. So what exactly does our theology say about mercy ministry?
Usually, when people talk about the theology of mercy ministry, they spend a good deal of time talking about the incarnation. I won’t do that here, but I certainly could. Effective mercy ministry is always incarnational: it meets people where they are. And when we meet people where they are, we are simply imitating the life of the Son of God Incarnate, who came down from heaven’s throne to Bethlehem’s manger, took on the flesh of our humanity, and had mercy on our lost and fallen race.
But I want to start farther back, with the doctrine of God. Consider all the divine attributes that compel us to show mercy. There is mercy itself, for God is “rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4). Then there are all the attributes that are closely related to mercy: compassion, kindness, and love. Or what about divine attributes like patience and longsuffering? These are characteristic of the mercy God shows to us, and thus they ought to be characteristic of the mercy we show to others. And don’t forget justice, because showing mercy to the needy often demands defending the righteousness of their cause. Such justice flows from the character of God, because our God is just.
These virtues are all demanded whenever we show mercy, and they all find their source in the character of God. Remember as well that all of these attributes are characteristic of all Three Persons of the Trinity. The Father is the God of all comfort; the Son is the God of perfect love; the Spirit is the God of sweet compassion. Mercy ministry is not just an imitation of the incarnation; it is also a reflection of the being and the nature of the Triune God. As Ulrich Bach once said: “Tell me how you talk about God and I will tell you what your [mercy ministry] is like, or what handicapped people can expect from you, or whether you expect anything from them.”2
Then there is the doctrine of creation, that the one true God made the entire universe out of nothing. This is the part of our theology that teaches us the goodness of creation and shows us the way things are supposed to be. It is also the doctrine that declares to us the dignity of the people God made in his image—the dignity that gives them a claim on our mercy. “So God created man in his own image,” the Scripture says. “In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). And not just male and female: old and young, he created them; born and unborn; able and disabled; rich and poor; uptown and downtown; from the right side of the tracks and from the wrong side of the tracks; my color and your color. Each of us is made in the image of a merciful God.
Without this doctrine in our theology, we would always be dividing people into two groups: the people who deserve our mercy and the people who don’t. John Freeman is the Executive Director of Harvest USA—a ministry of mercy to people who are sexually broken. In one of his newsletters Freeman recounts the time he met an old homeless man outside a little grocery store. “Can you spare a quarter, mister?”
Freeman turned him down and went inside, but the man was still there when he came back out. “Can you spare a quarter?” When Freeman hesitated, the man said, “Son, come a little closer.” So he got a little closer, close enough to smell the stench of sweat and dirt and alcohol. Suddenly, the man reached out and placed his hand on Freeman’s shoulder and said, “Son, I haven’t always been out here on the streets, you know. I was somebody once.”
Our reformed theology tells us that this is not true. There is no such thing as somebody who was somebody but isn’t somebody any more. Everybody is somebody—somebody made in the image of a merciful God. When I see this image in myself, I know that I am called to be like God in showing mercy. And when I recognize the image of God in others, I will know that I am supposed to give them the same mercy that I have received.
Maybe this is why Calvin said that neglecting the poor is a kind of sacrilege.3 Calvin believed that caring for the poor was as sacred as the worship of God, that pietas and caritas were inseparable—the duties of worship and love.4 He believed this in part because he knew that the people we serve are people made in the image of God, and that in serving them, therefore, we give honor to our God.
Sin and the Savior
What makes mercy ministry so necessary in this fallen world is not the doctrine of creation, of course, but the doctrine of sin. How could we even begin to understand the mercy needs of all the broken people around us unless we had a healthy grasp of humanity’s total depravity? And how could we begin to address our own unwillingness to show mercy unless we knew that we were part of the problem?
April 2007 was a time of terrible tragedy—the massacre of more than 30 students and faculty at Virginia Tech University. As usual, people were searching for answers. But the place to begin is where local pastor Jim Pace began in an interview on CNN: “As Christians we believe that there is evil in the world.”
This evil comes from our own sinful hearts and it explains everything that is wrong with this world. No doctrine has more explanatory power than the biblical doctrine of sin. It explains why people end up homeless or in prison. It explains why inner-city kids can graduate from high school without ever learning how to read or write. It explains why there are hundreds of homicides in Philadelphia each year. It explains why one of the kids on my son’s T-ball team could hit the ball and run the bases while his older brother could only sit in a wheelchair and struggle to hold a baseball. It is all because of sin.
Sometimes people suffer because of their own sins, but sometimes they suffer because they are sinned against. In a wonderful poem called “Man Sleeping” Jane Kenyon remembers a snowy day in our nation’s capital. She asks, “Why do I think of the man asleep on the grassy bank outside the Sackler Museum in Washington.” Then Kenyon describes the man she saw, lying “on everything he owned, belly-down, his head twisted awkwardly to the right, mouth open in abandon.” To her he looked “like a child who has fallen asleep still dressed on the top of the covers, or like Abel, broken, at his brother’s feet.”5 As I read the poem, I realize that I too am the Cain who has looked without really caring, or taking responsibility for my own and flesh and blood.
Then sometimes people need mercy simply because they are suffering the natural and inevitable hardships of life in a fallen world—the hurricanes and tsunamis of a fallen planet, or the diseases and disabilities of a mortal body. But even these trials and tribulations are the ultimate result of sin’s corruption and the entrance of death into the world. It is our theology of depravity that explains why mercy is needed.
The doctrine of salvation, though, explains why mercy is even possible. For God is at work in the world to bring redemption, specifically through the person and work of Jesus Christ: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:3).
Everything about the ministry of Jesus Christ teaches us to show mercy. We have already commented on the doctrine of his incarnation. Jesus took on the flesh and blood of our humanity, becoming one of us to save us. Now, in the same way that the Father sent him to us, Jesus sends us to the world (see John 20:21). Our ministry of servant mercy incarnates his grace.
In this ministry we follow the pattern that Jesus set for us in his own ministry. Jesus showed mercy with his words. Whatever he said—whether it was a word of warning to the proud, or a word of comfort to the suffering, or a word of instruction to the ignorant, whatever it was—Jesus was offering mercy to whoever listened. At the same time, he showed mercy with his actions. Every miracle he performed—every time he gave sight to the blind, or mobility to the lame, or hearing to the deaf, or even life to the dead—Jesus was offering mercy to the people whose lives he touched. Our doctrine of the life of Christ therefore teaches us to show the mercy of God in word and deed.
Our doctrine of the death of Christ teaches us the same thing. A reformed theology for mercy ministry is a theology of the cross. For in the cross we find the mercy of our own forgiveness—atoning mercy that only comes by perfect sacrifice to the very death. And now the merciful cross of Jesus sets the agenda for our own ministry. Just as he laid down his life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for others (see 1 John 3:16). God had mercy on us in Christ, and now through us he wants to show mercy to others.
The gospel is not just the cross, however; it is also the empty tomb. A gospel of the crucifixion without the resurrection is not just half a gospel; it is no gospel at all. So our reformed theology for mercy ministry goes beyond the death of Christ to his life beyond the grave.
This is what gives us hope in the hard struggle. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now at work in us to make us more merciful. It is also at work in others, including all of the desperate, almost hopeless cases we meet. In the week of this writing I heard about a woman whose husband had just left her for another man, whose son (she had just discovered) was in the grip of internet pornography, and whose brother-in-law had just committed adultery. Such brokenness and sin! We all have our own stories to tell of people who seem desperate beyond any help. How will they receive mercy? Only by the power of the life of the empty tomb, which is as much a mercy to us as the bleeding cross.
Remember as well that the risen Christ is also the ascended Christ who now sits at the right hand of God, praying for us to receive mercy. We should never stop at the cross when we think about Christ-centered ministry; we should always go up from the empty tomb to the throne of heaven, where our merciful Savior reigns in glory. In ascending to heaven, Jesus has sent down the Spirit, who is poured out on us with all the gifts that we need to give people mercy in word and deed.
To say all this in another way, God intends for the whole saving work of Christ to find expression in our own servant ministry. This is the real point of what Paul says in Philippians 2, where he traces the story of the Son of God from the courts of heaven down to the servant sufferings of the cross and then back up to the exaltation of his glorious throne. Paul tells us all of this mainly to call us to mercy ministry. Be mercy-minded, he says: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4).
This is a call for serious self-examination. Am I living by this principle? Is my life driven by showing mercy to others, or is it dominated by my own pleasures and ambitions? We need to see again the mercy that we have been given. We need to keep going back to the pattern of ministry that Jesus set for us in his servant life, his sacrificial death, and his saving resurrection. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matt. 5:7), but we could also reverse that statement: Blessed are those have been shown mercy, for they will be merciful.
One of the best ways to test our grasp of God’s mercy is to see how we treat other sinners. How do I respond when I encounter a homeless person, or a transvestite, or a drug addict, or whatever person at work or at home or in the church is the most difficult in my life? Often it is tempting to get angry and to wonder why they can’t get their act together. But that is hardly the response of someone who knows that the bondage of sin can only be broken through the mercy of the cross.
Salvation from Beginning to End
So far we have considered the doctrines of God, creation, man, sin, the incarnation, the atonement, the resurrection, and the ascension.
What then shall we say about all the doctrines of the benefits of salvation? It is not just the person and work of Jesus Christ that call us to show mercy, but each and every one of the blessings that come from his person and work.
Start with the distinctively Reformed doctrine of election. What does it tell us about showing mercy? It tells us that no one is ever saved by his own merit, but only by the sovereign mercy of God, who will have mercy on whom he has mercy (Rom. 9:15). This humbles our pride and teaches us to love people who seem to be undeserving, just like us.
It is strange to say, however, that some Christians are Calvinists when they deal with their own sins, but Arminians when it comes to others. They have learned that the only solution for their own depravity is divine grace, but somehow they still expect other people to save themselves. Certainly God holds people responsible for their sins. But he also reaches out to us in mercy. If we really understand the doctrine of election, we will not be judgmental or proud, but we will become agents of God’s mercy.
Then there is the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Or we might say: justification by mercy alone. We are not accepted by God through works of our own righteousness, but by his mercy we are covered with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is the hope we offer to all the messed up, tired out, broken-down people we meet in ministry: there is hope for people who don’t measure up. There is hope for people like them and people like us in Jesus.
Move on to adoption—the doctrine that tells us we are the children of God. If we are sons and daughters of God through faith in Jesus Christ, then we are called to live up to our family likeness. And if there is one thing we know about the head of our household, it is that he is the “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows” (Ps. 68:5). Knowing this, there is a longing in our hearts for all the lost children to come home to our Father’s house. In mercy we go to them, and with words and deeds of love we hand them their adoption papers.
We could continue with the doctrine of sanctification (which shows how mercy changes lives from the inside out), and the doctrine of perseverance (which teaches us that mercy never gives up), and the doctrine of glorification (which shows us how glorious people become when God finishes the mercy that he starts). Then we could consider the great doctrines of the church. We do not try to do all the mercy ministry on our own. Rather, we offer mercy as a community, using whatever gifts God has given to us as part of a larger, cooperative effort. We believe in the communion of saints, which unites in mercy to everyone else who is united to Christ.
Finally, the call of mercy comes to us in our theology of the final judgment. What will Jesus say to us on the last of all days, when every person who has ever lived is poised between heaven and hell? To everyone who loves justice and does mercy he will say,
Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. . . . Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me (Matt. 25:34-36, 40).
Something to Remember
This brings us, at last, to what is really the thesis of this essay: it is not simply this part or that part of our theology that compels us to show mercy; it is everything in the whole Reformed system of doctrine. To reiterate: it is not just part of our theology that calls us to mercy ministry; it is everything in our entire theology. We must never forget that every doctrine that is taught in every part of Scripture from creation to the final judgment compels us to show the mercy of God to lost sinners, in the gospel of His Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When the Reformation came to Geneva, the city’s Council of Two Hundred passed civic ordinances that were designed to promote the Protestant religion and restrain public indecency. Yet the Council quickly discovered that laws alone made little difference; what was needed was a change of heart. There would be no social transformation without biblical proclamation.
So the Council decided to do something that no city council would even think of doing today: they hired a theologian, John Calvin. The way Calvin reformed Geneva was simply by preaching the Bible, teaching the great doctrines of the Christian faith. Calvin preached verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and book by book. He preached five, six, seven times a week. And he preached what people eventually called Calvinism: the sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners.
The result was not just that people came to Christ and grew in grace, but that the whole urban environment was transformed by the practical application of gospel mercy. Taverns were closed, reducing alcoholism. Sewers were cleaned, eliminating illness. The refugees that were streaming to Geneva from all over Europe were offered Christian hospitality. Deacons were organized to care for the poor. A job program was developed in the clothing industry. Schools were opened, not just for boys, but also for girls. One visitor said that under the teaching of sound doctrine, with its faithful application in practical mercy, the city of Geneva had become “the wonderful miracle of the whole world.”1
God and Man
I long to see that wonderful miracle repeated in every community in every city where there is a gospel-preaching church. But this will only happen through the practical application of biblical truth, with a firm grasp of what the Bible says as a whole about mercy. So what exactly does our theology say about mercy ministry?
Usually, when people talk about the theology of mercy ministry, they spend a good deal of time talking about the incarnation. I won’t do that here, but I certainly could. Effective mercy ministry is always incarnational: it meets people where they are. And when we meet people where they are, we are simply imitating the life of the Son of God Incarnate, who came down from heaven’s throne to Bethlehem’s manger, took on the flesh of our humanity, and had mercy on our lost and fallen race.
But I want to start farther back, with the doctrine of God. Consider all the divine attributes that compel us to show mercy. There is mercy itself, for God is “rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4). Then there are all the attributes that are closely related to mercy: compassion, kindness, and love. Or what about divine attributes like patience and longsuffering? These are characteristic of the mercy God shows to us, and thus they ought to be characteristic of the mercy we show to others. And don’t forget justice, because showing mercy to the needy often demands defending the righteousness of their cause. Such justice flows from the character of God, because our God is just.
These virtues are all demanded whenever we show mercy, and they all find their source in the character of God. Remember as well that all of these attributes are characteristic of all Three Persons of the Trinity. The Father is the God of all comfort; the Son is the God of perfect love; the Spirit is the God of sweet compassion. Mercy ministry is not just an imitation of the incarnation; it is also a reflection of the being and the nature of the Triune God. As Ulrich Bach once said: “Tell me how you talk about God and I will tell you what your [mercy ministry] is like, or what handicapped people can expect from you, or whether you expect anything from them.”2
Then there is the doctrine of creation, that the one true God made the entire universe out of nothing. This is the part of our theology that teaches us the goodness of creation and shows us the way things are supposed to be. It is also the doctrine that declares to us the dignity of the people God made in his image—the dignity that gives them a claim on our mercy. “So God created man in his own image,” the Scripture says. “In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). And not just male and female: old and young, he created them; born and unborn; able and disabled; rich and poor; uptown and downtown; from the right side of the tracks and from the wrong side of the tracks; my color and your color. Each of us is made in the image of a merciful God.
Without this doctrine in our theology, we would always be dividing people into two groups: the people who deserve our mercy and the people who don’t. John Freeman is the Executive Director of Harvest USA—a ministry of mercy to people who are sexually broken. In one of his newsletters Freeman recounts the time he met an old homeless man outside a little grocery store. “Can you spare a quarter, mister?”
Freeman turned him down and went inside, but the man was still there when he came back out. “Can you spare a quarter?” When Freeman hesitated, the man said, “Son, come a little closer.” So he got a little closer, close enough to smell the stench of sweat and dirt and alcohol. Suddenly, the man reached out and placed his hand on Freeman’s shoulder and said, “Son, I haven’t always been out here on the streets, you know. I was somebody once.”
Our reformed theology tells us that this is not true. There is no such thing as somebody who was somebody but isn’t somebody any more. Everybody is somebody—somebody made in the image of a merciful God. When I see this image in myself, I know that I am called to be like God in showing mercy. And when I recognize the image of God in others, I will know that I am supposed to give them the same mercy that I have received.
Maybe this is why Calvin said that neglecting the poor is a kind of sacrilege.3 Calvin believed that caring for the poor was as sacred as the worship of God, that pietas and caritas were inseparable—the duties of worship and love.4 He believed this in part because he knew that the people we serve are people made in the image of God, and that in serving them, therefore, we give honor to our God.
Sin and the Savior
What makes mercy ministry so necessary in this fallen world is not the doctrine of creation, of course, but the doctrine of sin. How could we even begin to understand the mercy needs of all the broken people around us unless we had a healthy grasp of humanity’s total depravity? And how could we begin to address our own unwillingness to show mercy unless we knew that we were part of the problem?
April 2007 was a time of terrible tragedy—the massacre of more than 30 students and faculty at Virginia Tech University. As usual, people were searching for answers. But the place to begin is where local pastor Jim Pace began in an interview on CNN: “As Christians we believe that there is evil in the world.”
This evil comes from our own sinful hearts and it explains everything that is wrong with this world. No doctrine has more explanatory power than the biblical doctrine of sin. It explains why people end up homeless or in prison. It explains why inner-city kids can graduate from high school without ever learning how to read or write. It explains why there are hundreds of homicides in Philadelphia each year. It explains why one of the kids on my son’s T-ball team could hit the ball and run the bases while his older brother could only sit in a wheelchair and struggle to hold a baseball. It is all because of sin.
Sometimes people suffer because of their own sins, but sometimes they suffer because they are sinned against. In a wonderful poem called “Man Sleeping” Jane Kenyon remembers a snowy day in our nation’s capital. She asks, “Why do I think of the man asleep on the grassy bank outside the Sackler Museum in Washington.” Then Kenyon describes the man she saw, lying “on everything he owned, belly-down, his head twisted awkwardly to the right, mouth open in abandon.” To her he looked “like a child who has fallen asleep still dressed on the top of the covers, or like Abel, broken, at his brother’s feet.”5 As I read the poem, I realize that I too am the Cain who has looked without really caring, or taking responsibility for my own and flesh and blood.
Then sometimes people need mercy simply because they are suffering the natural and inevitable hardships of life in a fallen world—the hurricanes and tsunamis of a fallen planet, or the diseases and disabilities of a mortal body. But even these trials and tribulations are the ultimate result of sin’s corruption and the entrance of death into the world. It is our theology of depravity that explains why mercy is needed.
The doctrine of salvation, though, explains why mercy is even possible. For God is at work in the world to bring redemption, specifically through the person and work of Jesus Christ: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:3).
Everything about the ministry of Jesus Christ teaches us to show mercy. We have already commented on the doctrine of his incarnation. Jesus took on the flesh and blood of our humanity, becoming one of us to save us. Now, in the same way that the Father sent him to us, Jesus sends us to the world (see John 20:21). Our ministry of servant mercy incarnates his grace.
In this ministry we follow the pattern that Jesus set for us in his own ministry. Jesus showed mercy with his words. Whatever he said—whether it was a word of warning to the proud, or a word of comfort to the suffering, or a word of instruction to the ignorant, whatever it was—Jesus was offering mercy to whoever listened. At the same time, he showed mercy with his actions. Every miracle he performed—every time he gave sight to the blind, or mobility to the lame, or hearing to the deaf, or even life to the dead—Jesus was offering mercy to the people whose lives he touched. Our doctrine of the life of Christ therefore teaches us to show the mercy of God in word and deed.
Our doctrine of the death of Christ teaches us the same thing. A reformed theology for mercy ministry is a theology of the cross. For in the cross we find the mercy of our own forgiveness—atoning mercy that only comes by perfect sacrifice to the very death. And now the merciful cross of Jesus sets the agenda for our own ministry. Just as he laid down his life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for others (see 1 John 3:16). God had mercy on us in Christ, and now through us he wants to show mercy to others.
The gospel is not just the cross, however; it is also the empty tomb. A gospel of the crucifixion without the resurrection is not just half a gospel; it is no gospel at all. So our reformed theology for mercy ministry goes beyond the death of Christ to his life beyond the grave.
This is what gives us hope in the hard struggle. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now at work in us to make us more merciful. It is also at work in others, including all of the desperate, almost hopeless cases we meet. In the week of this writing I heard about a woman whose husband had just left her for another man, whose son (she had just discovered) was in the grip of internet pornography, and whose brother-in-law had just committed adultery. Such brokenness and sin! We all have our own stories to tell of people who seem desperate beyond any help. How will they receive mercy? Only by the power of the life of the empty tomb, which is as much a mercy to us as the bleeding cross.
Remember as well that the risen Christ is also the ascended Christ who now sits at the right hand of God, praying for us to receive mercy. We should never stop at the cross when we think about Christ-centered ministry; we should always go up from the empty tomb to the throne of heaven, where our merciful Savior reigns in glory. In ascending to heaven, Jesus has sent down the Spirit, who is poured out on us with all the gifts that we need to give people mercy in word and deed.
To say all this in another way, God intends for the whole saving work of Christ to find expression in our own servant ministry. This is the real point of what Paul says in Philippians 2, where he traces the story of the Son of God from the courts of heaven down to the servant sufferings of the cross and then back up to the exaltation of his glorious throne. Paul tells us all of this mainly to call us to mercy ministry. Be mercy-minded, he says: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4).
This is a call for serious self-examination. Am I living by this principle? Is my life driven by showing mercy to others, or is it dominated by my own pleasures and ambitions? We need to see again the mercy that we have been given. We need to keep going back to the pattern of ministry that Jesus set for us in his servant life, his sacrificial death, and his saving resurrection. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matt. 5:7), but we could also reverse that statement: Blessed are those have been shown mercy, for they will be merciful.
One of the best ways to test our grasp of God’s mercy is to see how we treat other sinners. How do I respond when I encounter a homeless person, or a transvestite, or a drug addict, or whatever person at work or at home or in the church is the most difficult in my life? Often it is tempting to get angry and to wonder why they can’t get their act together. But that is hardly the response of someone who knows that the bondage of sin can only be broken through the mercy of the cross.
Salvation from Beginning to End
So far we have considered the doctrines of God, creation, man, sin, the incarnation, the atonement, the resurrection, and the ascension.
What then shall we say about all the doctrines of the benefits of salvation? It is not just the person and work of Jesus Christ that call us to show mercy, but each and every one of the blessings that come from his person and work.
Start with the distinctively Reformed doctrine of election. What does it tell us about showing mercy? It tells us that no one is ever saved by his own merit, but only by the sovereign mercy of God, who will have mercy on whom he has mercy (Rom. 9:15). This humbles our pride and teaches us to love people who seem to be undeserving, just like us.
It is strange to say, however, that some Christians are Calvinists when they deal with their own sins, but Arminians when it comes to others. They have learned that the only solution for their own depravity is divine grace, but somehow they still expect other people to save themselves. Certainly God holds people responsible for their sins. But he also reaches out to us in mercy. If we really understand the doctrine of election, we will not be judgmental or proud, but we will become agents of God’s mercy.
Then there is the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Or we might say: justification by mercy alone. We are not accepted by God through works of our own righteousness, but by his mercy we are covered with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is the hope we offer to all the messed up, tired out, broken-down people we meet in ministry: there is hope for people who don’t measure up. There is hope for people like them and people like us in Jesus.
Move on to adoption—the doctrine that tells us we are the children of God. If we are sons and daughters of God through faith in Jesus Christ, then we are called to live up to our family likeness. And if there is one thing we know about the head of our household, it is that he is the “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows” (Ps. 68:5). Knowing this, there is a longing in our hearts for all the lost children to come home to our Father’s house. In mercy we go to them, and with words and deeds of love we hand them their adoption papers.
We could continue with the doctrine of sanctification (which shows how mercy changes lives from the inside out), and the doctrine of perseverance (which teaches us that mercy never gives up), and the doctrine of glorification (which shows us how glorious people become when God finishes the mercy that he starts). Then we could consider the great doctrines of the church. We do not try to do all the mercy ministry on our own. Rather, we offer mercy as a community, using whatever gifts God has given to us as part of a larger, cooperative effort. We believe in the communion of saints, which unites in mercy to everyone else who is united to Christ.
Finally, the call of mercy comes to us in our theology of the final judgment. What will Jesus say to us on the last of all days, when every person who has ever lived is poised between heaven and hell? To everyone who loves justice and does mercy he will say,
Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. . . . Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me (Matt. 25:34-36, 40).
Something to Remember
This brings us, at last, to what is really the thesis of this essay: it is not simply this part or that part of our theology that compels us to show mercy; it is everything in the whole Reformed system of doctrine. To reiterate: it is not just part of our theology that calls us to mercy ministry; it is everything in our entire theology. We must never forget that every doctrine that is taught in every part of Scripture from creation to the final judgment compels us to show the mercy of God to lost sinners, in the gospel of His Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
D. James Kennedy, on his Own Death By Dr Phil Ryken
“Now, I know that someday I am going to come to what some people will say is the end of this life. They will probably put me in a box and roll me right down here in front of the church, and some people will gather around, and a few people will cry. But I have told them not to do that because I don’t want them to cry. I want them to begin the service with the Doxology and end with the Hallelujah chorus, because I am not going to be there, and I am not going to be dead. I will be more alive than I have ever been in my life, and I will be looking down upon you poor people who are still in the land of dying and have not yet joined me in the land of the living. And I will be alive forevermore, in greater health and vitality and joy than ever, ever, I or anyone has known before.”
Duty and Honor by R.C. Sproul
Today, the word honor has all but disappeared from the English language. I speak about honor because the dictionary lists the term honor as the chief synonym for the word integrity. My concern in this article is to ask: “What is the meaning of integrity?” If we use the pedestrian definitions given to us by lexicographers, such as we find in Webster’s dictionary, we read several entries. In the first instance, integrity is defined as “uncompromising adherence to moral and ethical principles.” Second, integrity means “soundness of character.” Third, integrity means “honesty.” Fourth, integrity refers to being “whole or entire.” Fifth and finally, integrity means to be “unimpaired in one’s character.” Now, these definitions describe persons who are almost as rare as the use of the term honor. In the first instance, integrity would describe someone whom we might call “a person of principle.” The person who is a person of principle is one, as the dictionary defines, who is uncompromising. The person is not uncompromising in every negotiation or discussion of important issues, but is uncompromising with respect to moral and ethical principles. This is a person who puts principle ahead of personal gain. We also see that integrity refers to soundness of character and of honesty. When we look to the New Testament, for example, in the epistle of James, James gives a list of virtues that are to be manifested in the Christian life. In the fifth chapter of that letter at verse 12, he writes, “But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes, and your ‘no,’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” Here James elevates the trustworthiness of a person’s word, the simple statement of yes or no, as a virtue that is “above all.” What James is getting at is that integrity requires a kind of honesty that indicates that when we say we will do something, our word is our bond. We should not require sacred oaths and vows in order to be trusted. People of integrity can be trusted on the basis of what they say. We look back to the Old Testament to the experience of the prophet Isaiah in his vision recorded in chapter 6 of that book. We remember that Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up as well as the seraphim singing the Trisagion: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” In response to this epiphany, Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me,” announcing a curse upon himself. He said the reason for his curse was because “I am undone” or “ruined.” What Isaiah experienced in that moment was human disintegration. Prior to that vision, Isaiah was perhaps viewed as the most righteous man in the nation. He stood secure and confident in his own integrity. Everything was being held together by his virtue. He considered himself a whole, integrated person, but as soon as he saw the ultimate model and standard for integrity and virtue in the character of God, he experienced disintegration. He fell apart at the seams, realizing that his sense of integrity was at best a pretense. Calvin indicated that this is the common lot of human beings, who as long as they keep their gaze fixed on the horizontal or terrestrial level of experience, are able to congratulate themselves and consider themselves with all flattery of being slightly less than demigods. But once they raise their gaze to heaven and consider even for a moment what kind of being God is, they stand shaking and quaking, becoming completely disavowed of any further illusion of their integrity. The Christian is to reflect the character of God. The Christian is to be uncompromising with respect to ethical principles. The Christian is called to be a person of honor whose word can be trusted.
D. James Kennedy Goes Home
Dr. D. James Kennedy died peacefully in his sleep this morning at 3:30 AM (ET), Wednesday; September 5, 2007.We at the Alliance thank God for Dr. Kennedy's faithful ministry, and pray the Lord's peace and comfort for his family, as well as consolation for the congregation of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church.I think Rick Philips may be in Fort Lauderdale now on business with Knox Seminary. Rick has been a close friend to Dr. Kennedy and to Coral Ridge Church for some time now. He may have more to report and say in the days to come.As I understand it, the funeral service is scheduled for Thursday, September 13th in Fort Lauderdale.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
The Cambridge Declaration........ As the Senior minister and Teacher of Truth Matters I stand by this document
Evangelical churches today are increasingly dominated by the spirit of this age rather than by the Spirit of Christ. As evangelicals, we call ourselves to repent of this sin and to recover the historic Christian faith.
In the course of history words change. In our day this has happened to the word "evangelical." In the past it served as a bond of unity between Christians from a wide diversity of church traditions. Historic evangelicalism was confessional. It embraced the essential truths of Christianity as those were defined by the great ecumenical councils of the church. In addition, evangelicals also shared a common heritage in the "solas" of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation.
Today the light of the Reformation has been significantly dimmed. The consequence is that the word "evangelical" has become so inclusive as to have lost its meaning. We face the peril of losing the unity it has taken centuries to achieve. Because of this crisis and because of our love of Christ, his gospel and his church, we endeavor to assert anew our commitment to the central truths of the Reformation and of historic evangelicalism. These truths we affirm not because of their role in our traditions, but because we believe that they are central to the Bible.
Sola Scriptura: The Erosion of Authority
Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church's life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too often, by the culture. Therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God. Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction.
Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church's understanding, nurture and discipline.
Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliches, promises and priorities of mass culture. It is only in the light of God's truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God's provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preacher's opinions or the ideas of the age. We must settle for nothing less than what God has given.
The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture. The Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture. Apart from Scripture we would never have known of God's grace in Christ. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth.
Thesis One: Sola ScripturaWe reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation,which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian's conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.
Solus Christus: The Erosion of Christ-Centered Faith
As evangelical faith becomes secularized, its interests have been blurred with those of the culture. The result is a loss of absolute values, permissive individualism, and a substitution of wholeness for holiness, recovery for repentance, intuition for truth, feeling for belief, chance for providence, and immediate gratification for enduring hope. Christ and his cross have moved from the center of our vision.
Thesis Two: Solus ChristusWe reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father.We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ's substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.
Sola Gratia: The Erosion of The Gospel
Unwarranted confidence in human ability is a product of fallen human nature. This false confidence now fills the evangelical world; from the self-esteem gospel, to the health and wealth gospel, from those who have transformed the gospel into a product to be sold and sinners into consumers who want to buy, to others who treat Christian faith as being true simply because it works. This silences the doctrine of justification regardless of the official commitments of our churches.
God's grace in Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of cooperating with regenerating grace.
Thesis Three: Sola GratiaWe reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.
Sola Fide: The Erosion of The Chief Article
Justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. This is the article by which the church stands or falls. Today this article is often ignored, distorted or sometimes even denied by leaders, scholars and pastors who claim to be evangelical. Although fallen human nature has always recoiled from recognizing its need for Christ's imputed righteousness, modernity greatly fuels the fires of this discontent with the biblical Gospel. We have allowed this discontent to dictate the nature of our ministry and what it is we are preaching.
Many in the church growth movement believe that sociological understanding of those in the pew is as important to the success of the gospel as is the biblical truth which is proclaimed. As a result, theological convictions are frequently divorced from the work of the ministry. The marketing orientation in many churches takes this even further, erasing the distinction between the biblical Word and the world, robbing Christ's cross of its offense, and reducing Christian faith to the principles and methods which bring success to secular corporations.
While the theology of the cross may be believed, these movements are actually emptying it of its meaning. There is no gospel except that of Christ's substitution in our place whereby God imputed to him our sin and imputed to us his righteousness. Because he bore our judgment, we now walk in his grace as those who are forever pardoned, accepted and adopted as God's children. There is no basis for our acceptance before God except in Christ's saving work, not in our patriotism, churchly devotion or moral decency. The gospel declares what God has done for us in Christ. It is not about what we can do to reach him.
Thesis Four: Sola FideWe reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ's righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God's perfect justice.We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ's righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.
Soli Deo Gloria: The Erosion of God-Centered Worship
Wherever in the church biblical authority has been lost, Christ has been displaced, the gospel has been distorted, or faith has been perverted, it has always been for one reason: our interests have displaced God's and we are doing his work in our way. The loss of God's centrality in the life of today's church is common and lamentable. It is this loss that allows us to transform worship into entertainment, gospel preaching into marketing, believing into technique, being good into feeling good about ourselves, and faithfulness into being successful. As a result, God, Christ and the Bible have come to mean too little to us and rest too inconsequentially upon us.
God does not exist to satisfy human ambitions, cravings, the appetite for consumption, or our own private spiritual interests. We must focus on God in our worship, rather than the satisfaction of our personal needs. God is sovereign in worship; we are not. Our concern must be for God's kingdom, not our own empires, popularity or success.
Thesis Five: Soli Deo GloriaWe reaffirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God's glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone.We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self-fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.
A Call To Repentance & Reformation
The faithfulness of the evangelical church in the past contrasts sharply with its unfaithfulness in the present. Earlier in this century, evangelical churches sustained a remarkable missionary endeavor, and built many religious institutions to serve the cause of biblical truth and Christ's kingdom. That was a time when Christian behavior and expectations were markedly different from those in the culture. Today they often are not. The evangelical world today is losing its biblical fidelity, moral compass and missionary zeal.
We repent of our worldliness. We have been influenced by the "gospels" of our secular culture, which are no gospels. We have weakened the church by our own lack of serious repentance, our blindness to the sins in ourselves which we see so clearly in others, and our inexcusable failure to adequately tell others about God's saving work in Jesus Christ.
We also earnestly call back erring professing evangelicals who have deviated from God's Word in the matters discussed in this Declaration. This includes those who declare that there is hope of eternal life apart from explicit faith in Jesus Christ, who claim that those who reject Christ in this life will be annihilated rather than endure the just judgment of God through eternal suffering, or who claim that evangelicals and Roman Catholics are one in Jesus Christ even where the biblical doctrine of justification is not believed.
The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals asks all Christians to give consideration to implementing this Declaration in the church's worship, ministry, policies, life and evangelism.
For Christ's sake. Amen.
Rev. Charles J Paul
Senior Minister of Preaching and Teaching
Truth Matters Inc.
In the course of history words change. In our day this has happened to the word "evangelical." In the past it served as a bond of unity between Christians from a wide diversity of church traditions. Historic evangelicalism was confessional. It embraced the essential truths of Christianity as those were defined by the great ecumenical councils of the church. In addition, evangelicals also shared a common heritage in the "solas" of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation.
Today the light of the Reformation has been significantly dimmed. The consequence is that the word "evangelical" has become so inclusive as to have lost its meaning. We face the peril of losing the unity it has taken centuries to achieve. Because of this crisis and because of our love of Christ, his gospel and his church, we endeavor to assert anew our commitment to the central truths of the Reformation and of historic evangelicalism. These truths we affirm not because of their role in our traditions, but because we believe that they are central to the Bible.
Sola Scriptura: The Erosion of Authority
Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church's life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too often, by the culture. Therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God. Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction.
Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church's understanding, nurture and discipline.
Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliches, promises and priorities of mass culture. It is only in the light of God's truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God's provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preacher's opinions or the ideas of the age. We must settle for nothing less than what God has given.
The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture. The Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture. Apart from Scripture we would never have known of God's grace in Christ. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth.
Thesis One: Sola ScripturaWe reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation,which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian's conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.
Solus Christus: The Erosion of Christ-Centered Faith
As evangelical faith becomes secularized, its interests have been blurred with those of the culture. The result is a loss of absolute values, permissive individualism, and a substitution of wholeness for holiness, recovery for repentance, intuition for truth, feeling for belief, chance for providence, and immediate gratification for enduring hope. Christ and his cross have moved from the center of our vision.
Thesis Two: Solus ChristusWe reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father.We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ's substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.
Sola Gratia: The Erosion of The Gospel
Unwarranted confidence in human ability is a product of fallen human nature. This false confidence now fills the evangelical world; from the self-esteem gospel, to the health and wealth gospel, from those who have transformed the gospel into a product to be sold and sinners into consumers who want to buy, to others who treat Christian faith as being true simply because it works. This silences the doctrine of justification regardless of the official commitments of our churches.
God's grace in Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of cooperating with regenerating grace.
Thesis Three: Sola GratiaWe reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.
Sola Fide: The Erosion of The Chief Article
Justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. This is the article by which the church stands or falls. Today this article is often ignored, distorted or sometimes even denied by leaders, scholars and pastors who claim to be evangelical. Although fallen human nature has always recoiled from recognizing its need for Christ's imputed righteousness, modernity greatly fuels the fires of this discontent with the biblical Gospel. We have allowed this discontent to dictate the nature of our ministry and what it is we are preaching.
Many in the church growth movement believe that sociological understanding of those in the pew is as important to the success of the gospel as is the biblical truth which is proclaimed. As a result, theological convictions are frequently divorced from the work of the ministry. The marketing orientation in many churches takes this even further, erasing the distinction between the biblical Word and the world, robbing Christ's cross of its offense, and reducing Christian faith to the principles and methods which bring success to secular corporations.
While the theology of the cross may be believed, these movements are actually emptying it of its meaning. There is no gospel except that of Christ's substitution in our place whereby God imputed to him our sin and imputed to us his righteousness. Because he bore our judgment, we now walk in his grace as those who are forever pardoned, accepted and adopted as God's children. There is no basis for our acceptance before God except in Christ's saving work, not in our patriotism, churchly devotion or moral decency. The gospel declares what God has done for us in Christ. It is not about what we can do to reach him.
Thesis Four: Sola FideWe reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ's righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God's perfect justice.We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ's righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.
Soli Deo Gloria: The Erosion of God-Centered Worship
Wherever in the church biblical authority has been lost, Christ has been displaced, the gospel has been distorted, or faith has been perverted, it has always been for one reason: our interests have displaced God's and we are doing his work in our way. The loss of God's centrality in the life of today's church is common and lamentable. It is this loss that allows us to transform worship into entertainment, gospel preaching into marketing, believing into technique, being good into feeling good about ourselves, and faithfulness into being successful. As a result, God, Christ and the Bible have come to mean too little to us and rest too inconsequentially upon us.
God does not exist to satisfy human ambitions, cravings, the appetite for consumption, or our own private spiritual interests. We must focus on God in our worship, rather than the satisfaction of our personal needs. God is sovereign in worship; we are not. Our concern must be for God's kingdom, not our own empires, popularity or success.
Thesis Five: Soli Deo GloriaWe reaffirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God's glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone.We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self-fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.
A Call To Repentance & Reformation
The faithfulness of the evangelical church in the past contrasts sharply with its unfaithfulness in the present. Earlier in this century, evangelical churches sustained a remarkable missionary endeavor, and built many religious institutions to serve the cause of biblical truth and Christ's kingdom. That was a time when Christian behavior and expectations were markedly different from those in the culture. Today they often are not. The evangelical world today is losing its biblical fidelity, moral compass and missionary zeal.
We repent of our worldliness. We have been influenced by the "gospels" of our secular culture, which are no gospels. We have weakened the church by our own lack of serious repentance, our blindness to the sins in ourselves which we see so clearly in others, and our inexcusable failure to adequately tell others about God's saving work in Jesus Christ.
We also earnestly call back erring professing evangelicals who have deviated from God's Word in the matters discussed in this Declaration. This includes those who declare that there is hope of eternal life apart from explicit faith in Jesus Christ, who claim that those who reject Christ in this life will be annihilated rather than endure the just judgment of God through eternal suffering, or who claim that evangelicals and Roman Catholics are one in Jesus Christ even where the biblical doctrine of justification is not believed.
The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals asks all Christians to give consideration to implementing this Declaration in the church's worship, ministry, policies, life and evangelism.
For Christ's sake. Amen.
Rev. Charles J Paul
Senior Minister of Preaching and Teaching
Truth Matters Inc.
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