From Leadership 's interview with Matt Chandler:
Sanctification here at The Village begins by answering two questions. What stirs your affections for Jesus Christ? And what robs you of those affections? Many of the things that stifle growth are morally neutral. They're not bad things. Facebook is not bad. Television and movies are not bad. I enjoy TV, but it doesn't take long for me to begin to find humorous on TV what the Lord finds heartbreaking.
The same goes for following sports. It's not wrong, but if I start watching sports, I begin to care too much. I get stupid. If 19-year-old boys are ruining your day because of what they do with a ball, that's a problem. These things rob my affections for Christ. I want to fill my life with things that stir my affections for him. . . .
We want our people to think beyond simply what's right and wrong. We want them to fill their lives with things that stir their affections for Jesus Christ and, as best as they can, to walk away from things that rob those affections—even when they're not immoral.
HT: Between Two Worlds
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
You have no right to go to hell
"The gospel does not say, 'There is a Savior, if you wish to be saved'; but, 'Sir, you have no right to go to hell -- you cannot go there without trampling on the Son of God.'" - John Duncan, quoted in Iain H. Murray, Spurgeon v. Hyper-Calvinism, page 97.
Ray Ortlund: Hell was made not for people but for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41).Jesus died with such all-sufficiency that heaven is open to all who repent and believe.To end up in hell, that foreign land, one must disregard the cross of Jesus, which no one has the right to do.
HT: Christ is deeper still
Ray Ortlund: Hell was made not for people but for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41).Jesus died with such all-sufficiency that heaven is open to all who repent and believe.To end up in hell, that foreign land, one must disregard the cross of Jesus, which no one has the right to do.
HT: Christ is deeper still
The purpose of creation, redemption & consummation
“The purpose of creation, redemption, and consummation are seen holistically as God’s purpose to glorify Christ by fulfilling the Adamic creation mandate, the universal Noahic promise, the patriarchal covenants, and the Israelite monarchy in Him, thus exalting Jesus as preeminent over the entire cosmos as the agent of creation, the true imago Dei, the Davidic subjugator of all rival powers, the firstborn of the eschatological resurrection from the dead, and the atonement through whom final cosmic peace is found at last (Col. 1:15-23).” - Russell D. Moore, The Kingdom of Christ (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2004), 108.
HT: Of First Importance
HT: Of First Importance
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Gospel in Romans: God-Man-Christ-Response
Greg Gilbert shares at Church Matters the God-Man-Christ-Response summary of the Gospel found in Paul's epistle to the Romans:
Have you ever wondered where from the Bible we get the little God-Man-Christ-Response summary of the Gospel? Sometimes that summary gets poo-pooed a bit as a simplistic, manufactured reduction of the Gospel that really doesn't do justice to what the Bible actually says. (Yes, I said "poo-pooed.")
But have you ever noticed that Paul, when he wants to give a simple, straightforward, step-by-step presentation of his Gospel, goes exactly through those four points, one after the other? He does it in the first four chapters of Romans. That's where we get it.
GOD
First, Paul tells his readers that it is God to whom they are accountable. He begins his presentation of the gospel by declaring that “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven” (Rom. 1:18). So with his very first words, Paul insists that humanity is not autonomous. We did not create ourselves, and we are neither self-reliant nor self-accountable. No, it is God who created the world and everything in it, including us. Because he created us, God has the right to demand that we worship him. Look what Paul says in verses 20-21:
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Humanity's sin was failing to honor and thank God. It is our obligation, as people created and owned by God, to give him the honor and glory that is due to him, to live and speak and act and think in a way that recognizes and acknowledges his authority over us. We are made by him, owned by him, dependent on him, and therefore accountable to him. That’s the first point Paul labors to make as he explains the gospel.
MAN
Second, Paul tells his readers that their problem is that they rebelled against God. They—along with everyone else—did not honor God and give thanks to him as they should have. Their foolish hearts were darkened and they “exchanged God’s glory for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”
For most of the next three chapters Paul presses this point, indicting all humanity as sinners against God. First he focuses on the Gentiles in chapter 1, and then he turns just as strongly toward the Jews in chapter 2. It’s as if Paul knows that the most self-righteous of the Jews would have been applauding his lashing of the Gentiles, so he pivots on a dime in 2:1 and points his accusing finger at them: “You, therefore, have no excuse!” Just like Gentiles, he says, Jews have broken God’s law and are under his judgment.
By the middle of chapter three, Paul has indicted every single person in the world with rebellion against God. “We have made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin” (3:9). And his conclusion is that when we stand before God the Judge, every mouth will be silenced. No one will mount a defense. Not one excuse will be offered. The whole world—Jew, Gentile, every last one of us—will be held fully accountable to God (3:19).
CHRIST
Third, Paul says that God’s solution to humanity’s sin is the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “But now,” he writes, in spite of our sin, “now a righteousness from God, apart from Law, has been made known” (3:21). In other words, there is a way for human beings to be counted righteous before God instead of unrighteous, to be declared innocent instead of guilty, to be justified instead of condemned. And it has nothing do with acting better, or living a more righteous life. It comes “apart from the law.”
And how does it happen? Paul puts it plainly in Romans 3:24. Despite our rebellion against God, we can be “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Through Christ’s sacrificial death (“propitiation,” Paul says) and resurrection, sinners may be saved from the condemnation our sins deserve.
RESPONSE
Finally, Paul tells his readers how they themselves can be included in this salvation. That’s what he writes about through the end of chapter three and on through chapter four. The salvation God has provided “comes through faith in Jesus Christ.” It comes “to all who believe” (3:22). So how does this salvation become good news for me and not just for someone else? How do I come to be included in it? By believing in Jesus Christ. By trusting him and no other to save me. “To the man who does not work but trusts God to save the wicked,” Paul explains, “his faith is credited as righteousness,” (4:5).
____________
So there you go. God-Man-Christ-Response, as plain as day, right there in the first four chapters of Romans. Of course Paul goes on to talk about other things: the Christ-Adam parallel in 5, the grace-leads-to-sin/no-it-doesn’t-it-leads-to-freedom-and-holiness exchange in 6, the reason salvation cannot be by law in 7, the great explosion of gospel promise in 8, the excruciating question of Israel’s non-belief in 9-11, and the application of all this in 12-16. But it all starts with the Gospel in 1-4 -- God-Man-Christ-Response.
Have you ever wondered where from the Bible we get the little God-Man-Christ-Response summary of the Gospel? Sometimes that summary gets poo-pooed a bit as a simplistic, manufactured reduction of the Gospel that really doesn't do justice to what the Bible actually says. (Yes, I said "poo-pooed.")
But have you ever noticed that Paul, when he wants to give a simple, straightforward, step-by-step presentation of his Gospel, goes exactly through those four points, one after the other? He does it in the first four chapters of Romans. That's where we get it.
GOD
First, Paul tells his readers that it is God to whom they are accountable. He begins his presentation of the gospel by declaring that “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven” (Rom. 1:18). So with his very first words, Paul insists that humanity is not autonomous. We did not create ourselves, and we are neither self-reliant nor self-accountable. No, it is God who created the world and everything in it, including us. Because he created us, God has the right to demand that we worship him. Look what Paul says in verses 20-21:
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Humanity's sin was failing to honor and thank God. It is our obligation, as people created and owned by God, to give him the honor and glory that is due to him, to live and speak and act and think in a way that recognizes and acknowledges his authority over us. We are made by him, owned by him, dependent on him, and therefore accountable to him. That’s the first point Paul labors to make as he explains the gospel.
MAN
Second, Paul tells his readers that their problem is that they rebelled against God. They—along with everyone else—did not honor God and give thanks to him as they should have. Their foolish hearts were darkened and they “exchanged God’s glory for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”
For most of the next three chapters Paul presses this point, indicting all humanity as sinners against God. First he focuses on the Gentiles in chapter 1, and then he turns just as strongly toward the Jews in chapter 2. It’s as if Paul knows that the most self-righteous of the Jews would have been applauding his lashing of the Gentiles, so he pivots on a dime in 2:1 and points his accusing finger at them: “You, therefore, have no excuse!” Just like Gentiles, he says, Jews have broken God’s law and are under his judgment.
By the middle of chapter three, Paul has indicted every single person in the world with rebellion against God. “We have made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin” (3:9). And his conclusion is that when we stand before God the Judge, every mouth will be silenced. No one will mount a defense. Not one excuse will be offered. The whole world—Jew, Gentile, every last one of us—will be held fully accountable to God (3:19).
CHRIST
Third, Paul says that God’s solution to humanity’s sin is the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “But now,” he writes, in spite of our sin, “now a righteousness from God, apart from Law, has been made known” (3:21). In other words, there is a way for human beings to be counted righteous before God instead of unrighteous, to be declared innocent instead of guilty, to be justified instead of condemned. And it has nothing do with acting better, or living a more righteous life. It comes “apart from the law.”
And how does it happen? Paul puts it plainly in Romans 3:24. Despite our rebellion against God, we can be “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Through Christ’s sacrificial death (“propitiation,” Paul says) and resurrection, sinners may be saved from the condemnation our sins deserve.
RESPONSE
Finally, Paul tells his readers how they themselves can be included in this salvation. That’s what he writes about through the end of chapter three and on through chapter four. The salvation God has provided “comes through faith in Jesus Christ.” It comes “to all who believe” (3:22). So how does this salvation become good news for me and not just for someone else? How do I come to be included in it? By believing in Jesus Christ. By trusting him and no other to save me. “To the man who does not work but trusts God to save the wicked,” Paul explains, “his faith is credited as righteousness,” (4:5).
____________
So there you go. God-Man-Christ-Response, as plain as day, right there in the first four chapters of Romans. Of course Paul goes on to talk about other things: the Christ-Adam parallel in 5, the grace-leads-to-sin/no-it-doesn’t-it-leads-to-freedom-and-holiness exchange in 6, the reason salvation cannot be by law in 7, the great explosion of gospel promise in 8, the excruciating question of Israel’s non-belief in 9-11, and the application of all this in 12-16. But it all starts with the Gospel in 1-4 -- God-Man-Christ-Response.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Gospel humility
“Humility agrees and is glad that everything we have is a free gift of God, and that this severs the root of boasting in our distinctives. Whatever talents, whatever intelligence, what ever skills, whatever gifts, whatever looks, whatever pedigree, whatever possessions, whatever wit, whatever influence you have, put away all pride because it is a gift, and put away all despair because it is a gift from God.” - John Piper, Greatness, Humility, Servanthood
HT: Of First Importance
HT: Of First Importance
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Lloyd-Jones: focusing on what really matters
Justin Taylor shares a an MLJ quote he learned about from David Sunday:
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, commenting on Phil 1:10 ("that you may approve what is excellent," or "that you may have a sense of what is vital"):
The difficulty in life is to know on what we ought to concentrate. The whole art of life, I sometimes think, is the art of knowing what to leave out, what to ignore, what to put on one side. How prone we are to dissipate our energies and to waste our time by forgetting what is vital and giving ourselves to second and third rate issues. Now, says Paul, here you are in the Christian life, you are concerned about difficulties, about oppositions and about the contradictions of life. What you need is just this: the power to concentrate on that which is vital, to leave out everything else, and to keep steadily to the one thing that matters.
The Life of Joy: Philippians, vol. 1, pp. 54-55.
HT: Between Two Worlds
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, commenting on Phil 1:10 ("that you may approve what is excellent," or "that you may have a sense of what is vital"):
The difficulty in life is to know on what we ought to concentrate. The whole art of life, I sometimes think, is the art of knowing what to leave out, what to ignore, what to put on one side. How prone we are to dissipate our energies and to waste our time by forgetting what is vital and giving ourselves to second and third rate issues. Now, says Paul, here you are in the Christian life, you are concerned about difficulties, about oppositions and about the contradictions of life. What you need is just this: the power to concentrate on that which is vital, to leave out everything else, and to keep steadily to the one thing that matters.
The Life of Joy: Philippians, vol. 1, pp. 54-55.
HT: Between Two Worlds
Monday, August 31, 2009
Gospel commandings are gracious enablings
John Berridge wrote:
Run, John., and work, the law commands,
Yet finds me neither feet nor hands;
But, sweeter news the gospel brings,
It bids me fly, and lends me wings.
(Source: The Salt-Cellars, Vol. 1, page 234, by C.H. Spurgeon)
Run, John., and work, the law commands,
Yet finds me neither feet nor hands;
But, sweeter news the gospel brings,
It bids me fly, and lends me wings.
(Source: The Salt-Cellars, Vol. 1, page 234, by C.H. Spurgeon)
Friday, August 28, 2009
A gospel-centered reader
Timmy Brister has a collection of gospel-centered resources at Provocations and Pantings. Below is his list. Let him know if you can think of more. Also, Michael Spencer at Internet Monk has a post titled "I’m a Little Confused About Being “Gospel-Centered” in which he asks nine questions with the aim to clarify what people mean by "gospel-centered."
1. Gospel Coalition Foundation Documents
2. The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration
3. Together for the Gospel Statement (PDF)
4. The Centrality of the Gospel by Tim Keller (PDF)
5. The Biblical Gospel by D.A. Carson (PDF)
6. Gospel-Driven Sanctification by Jerry Bridges (PDF)
7. The Transforming Power of the Gospel – Steve Childers (PDF)
8. The Gospel and the Poor by Tim Keller (PDF)
9. Fight Clubs: Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Jonathan Dodson (PDF)
10. The Gospel Centered Life by Bob Thune (study)
11. Gospel-Centered Ministry by Tim Keller (PDF)
12. How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself by David Fairchild (Sermon MSS)
13. The Gospel: Key to Change by Tim Keller (PDF)
14. God Strengthens Us by the Gospel by John Piper
15. Advancing the Gospel in the 21st Century Part 2 by Tim Keller
16. Gospel-Centered Preaching by Steve Childers (not online)
17. Gospel Christianity (1.0) (2.0) (3.0) by Tim Keller (studies)
18. The Gospel in Its Many Forms by Tim Keller
19. How Does the Gospel Save Believers? (Part 2) (Part 3) by John Piper
20. Gospel-Centered by Joe Thorn
21. Being the Church in Our Culture by Tim Keller (PDF)
22. Preach the Gospel to Yourself by Tim Challies
23. What Do I Mean by a Gospel-Driven Life? (Part 2 Part 3) by John Fonville
24. The Gospel-Driven Life by Harry Reeder III
1. Gospel Coalition Foundation Documents
2. The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration
3. Together for the Gospel Statement (PDF)
4. The Centrality of the Gospel by Tim Keller (PDF)
5. The Biblical Gospel by D.A. Carson (PDF)
6. Gospel-Driven Sanctification by Jerry Bridges (PDF)
7. The Transforming Power of the Gospel – Steve Childers (PDF)
8. The Gospel and the Poor by Tim Keller (PDF)
9. Fight Clubs: Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Jonathan Dodson (PDF)
10. The Gospel Centered Life by Bob Thune (study)
11. Gospel-Centered Ministry by Tim Keller (PDF)
12. How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself by David Fairchild (Sermon MSS)
13. The Gospel: Key to Change by Tim Keller (PDF)
14. God Strengthens Us by the Gospel by John Piper
15. Advancing the Gospel in the 21st Century Part 2 by Tim Keller
16. Gospel-Centered Preaching by Steve Childers (not online)
17. Gospel Christianity (1.0) (2.0) (3.0) by Tim Keller (studies)
18. The Gospel in Its Many Forms by Tim Keller
19. How Does the Gospel Save Believers? (Part 2) (Part 3) by John Piper
20. Gospel-Centered by Joe Thorn
21. Being the Church in Our Culture by Tim Keller (PDF)
22. Preach the Gospel to Yourself by Tim Challies
23. What Do I Mean by a Gospel-Driven Life? (Part 2 Part 3) by John Fonville
24. The Gospel-Driven Life by Harry Reeder III
Trinitarian heresy 101
Michael Patton gives basic principles of what the doctrine of the Trinity is (e.g., Christians believe in one God, i.e., one essence, who eternally exists in three separate persons, all of whom are equal.) and shoots down illustrations about what it is not at his post at Parchment and Pen titled “The Trinity is like 3-in-1 shampoo” ... and other stupid statements."
He made the “Trinitarianism Heresy Test Chart” below with the following notes:
He also provided the following chart -- called the “Shield of the Trinity” -- to help describe the Trinity, and said, "It is always best to remember that the Father is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and the Son is God, but they are not each other.
He made the “Trinitarianism Heresy Test Chart” below with the following notes:
- If equality is denied, on the opposite side it points to subordinationalism.
- If diversity is denied, the result is modalism.
- If unity is denied, the result is tritheism (or polytheism —many gods).
He also provided the following chart -- called the “Shield of the Trinity” -- to help describe the Trinity, and said, "It is always best to remember that the Father is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and the Son is God, but they are not each other.
Read the entire post.
Making Bible reading simple
Stephen Altrogge:
Have you ever gotten lost while reading your Bible? You’re wandering through Judges, and as you’re reading about bloody sacrifices, bloodier battles, and a long-haired strong man killing hundred of Philistines with a jaw bone, you suddenly realize, I have no idea what this means for me today. What do ram sacrifices, the sun going backwards, and a long line of oddly named judges, have to do with budgets, disciplining your children, and spending eight hours in a cubicle? I’ve been there, and frankly, it can be pretty discouraging.
Let me give you two simple questions to ask when you’re reading Scripture and feeling lost. These questions came directly from a sermon by a man named Mike Bullmore. The questions are:
What Does This Passage Tell Me About God?
At times we forget the obvious: the Bible is all about God. Every passage points to God, revealing something about his character, his desires, or his actions. The OT sacrifices tell me that God is holy and that he takes sin seriously. The Psalms tell me that God is sovereign, and yet he’s also an intensely personal. In every book of the Bible, the glory of God bursts through and the story of salvation is unfolded. So when you feel lost, step back a moment and ask, Where is God in this picture? What work is he doing in this scene? How does this passage point to God’s saving work in Christ? Where’s the glory, and where’s the story?
What Does This Passage Tell Me About Myself?
For each revelation of God there is an appropriate response from us. His majesty calls us to humbly worship him, His goodness compels us to thank him. His commands require obedience, which in turn leads us to ask him for the grace to obey. The Bible isn’t simply information to be digested, it requires a heartfelt response. So as you read, ask yourself, How should I respond to what I just read? Is there a command I must obey, a sin I must repent of, or a blessing for which I should be grateful?
I find these questions to be tremendously helpful, and they have a simplifying effect on my devotional life. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t dive deep into Scripture, or read commentaries, or do word studies. Those are all wonderful tools. But ultimately Scripture is the story of God revealing himself to and redeeming sinners. When we keep that in mind, things get much simpler.
Have you ever gotten lost while reading your Bible? You’re wandering through Judges, and as you’re reading about bloody sacrifices, bloodier battles, and a long-haired strong man killing hundred of Philistines with a jaw bone, you suddenly realize, I have no idea what this means for me today. What do ram sacrifices, the sun going backwards, and a long line of oddly named judges, have to do with budgets, disciplining your children, and spending eight hours in a cubicle? I’ve been there, and frankly, it can be pretty discouraging.
Let me give you two simple questions to ask when you’re reading Scripture and feeling lost. These questions came directly from a sermon by a man named Mike Bullmore. The questions are:
What Does This Passage Tell Me About God?
At times we forget the obvious: the Bible is all about God. Every passage points to God, revealing something about his character, his desires, or his actions. The OT sacrifices tell me that God is holy and that he takes sin seriously. The Psalms tell me that God is sovereign, and yet he’s also an intensely personal. In every book of the Bible, the glory of God bursts through and the story of salvation is unfolded. So when you feel lost, step back a moment and ask, Where is God in this picture? What work is he doing in this scene? How does this passage point to God’s saving work in Christ? Where’s the glory, and where’s the story?
What Does This Passage Tell Me About Myself?
For each revelation of God there is an appropriate response from us. His majesty calls us to humbly worship him, His goodness compels us to thank him. His commands require obedience, which in turn leads us to ask him for the grace to obey. The Bible isn’t simply information to be digested, it requires a heartfelt response. So as you read, ask yourself, How should I respond to what I just read? Is there a command I must obey, a sin I must repent of, or a blessing for which I should be grateful?
I find these questions to be tremendously helpful, and they have a simplifying effect on my devotional life. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t dive deep into Scripture, or read commentaries, or do word studies. Those are all wonderful tools. But ultimately Scripture is the story of God revealing himself to and redeeming sinners. When we keep that in mind, things get much simpler.
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