Our Sin is Not 'OK'

God does not, cannot, accept sin, but He forgives sinners. When we begin to confuse God's forgiveness of us with the acceptance of our sins, we begin to lose the power and wonder of the Gospel. Christ died on the cross for our forgivenss, not because our sin 'ok,' but because it is so bad that nothing short of His perfectly righteousness sacrifce could make us right with God.

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.... For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:1-4, 10-14 ESV)

It is Jesus righteousness that removes the stain of sin, making us free to live for Him. Jesus was accused of sin by the religious establishment of His, because walked in righteousness, true righteousness. He was not scared of being around sinners, because He was totally free of sin. Remember what Jesus said to the woman caught in adultry, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11). He never accepted sin as being 'ok,' but he loved the sinner. We need to wrestle with this tension. We have been freed from sin and its bondage, but we are constantly tempted to willingly give into the pull of sin and idolatry. God is not 'ok' with sin, but he loves us, He forgives us, and when we sin need to run to Him and throw ourselves into his arms of forgiveness. But we must never confuse this with abundance of grace as being the same as acceptance of sin. To put it mildly, God hates sin, it is open rebellion against Him. But he loves us, and by His grace, He calls us to faith in His Son, so that by Him we are made righteous before Him.

Hear the words of the Apostle; "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph 2: 8-10).

A Fire of Grace

Faith in Christ is a fire of grace, lit and tended by the Holy Spirit. It cannot be maintained or quenched through mere words of reason or points of argument! "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:8-10 ESV)."

This is not to say we should not be ready to give an answer for our passion; "in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:13-15 ESV).

Paul Struggled Too

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this we I toil, struggling with all the energy that he powerfully works within me.” – Col. 1:28-29

It is comforting to know that the Apostle Paul struggled too. Even with all the “energy that he [Jesus] works within” us, there will come days that we struggle with taking that next step, making that tough decision, or just dealing with the circumstances that life throws our way. Even Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles struggled at different points during his life and ministry.

But God said to him, just as he is says to us, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (I Cor. 12:9-10).

May I (we) never lose sight of God’s grace and may I always look to the cross of Christ for my salvation, my strength, and my hope to continue onward.

We Are... Saving Christianity?

"At [a particular institution] we have made our peace with evolution and it has been liberating and even faith-affirming. We encourage conversations to further that agenda and make no excuses for that. We are not destroying Christianity. We are saving it."

I am always thrown for a loop when I hear that Christianity is in need of saving. I am pretty sure the Bible teaches that it is we who are in need of saving. Does God the Father, the creator of the entire universe, really need our help to save Christianity (Gen 1:1)? Is Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith, up in heaven right now wringing His hands just hoping that some of us will stand up and save Christianity for Him (John 1:1-3)? Or is the Holy Spirit, Who in the beginning hovered over the face of the primordial waters, waiting with baited breath for someone to take the initiative and put Christianity back on the right track (Gen 1:2)? I believe it is safe to say that the answer to all three of these questions is a resounding no!

We cannot "save Christianity" because Christianity is not about us; it is about Jesus (Eph 2:20). We- Christians- are sinners, who have been saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus- faith in: Who He is, what He has done, and why He had to do it. We can bring no merit or accomplishment of our own to the table, we have no bargaining chip to offer, no ace in the hole to play; we are wholly dependent on God for our initial salvation and the preservation of our relationship to Himself.  God is all in all (Eph 2: 8-10).

I do not believe the author, of the above statement, meant to say that he, and others like him, him "are saving Christianity" in the way that I just addressed. I am sure he meant that, in his opinion, they are keeping Christianity relevant, engaged with the world, and scientifically honest. In any case, I do not have any real interest in debating the subject of evolution. My concern (at least in this instance), is not with the author's position on evolution, but with the anthropocentric view of Christianity that his language reveals. Statements, like the one above, completely miss the heart of Christianity- a loving and righteous God, Who created the world and is redeeming it to Himself for His own glory. Our faith is not rooted in humanity, it is not sustained by humanity, and does not depend on human understanding. God testifies to Himself and all creation declares Who He is (Rom 1:19-20).

Christianity, like its name, is founded on Christ Heb 12:2). It was not initiated by man and has no need of man's "saving." Quite the opposite; we have every need of God's saving work and without Him we can do nothing (Jhn 15:5). Tim Keller, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC, gave great three minute teaching on the question of what the Bible- and by extension Christianity- is all about. Check it out here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/08/26/the-bible-is-not-basically-about-you/

Paradoxes and Contradictions

Just yesterday, I posted the following on my Facebook profile; "When wrestling with difficult passages in the Bible, it is important to keep in view the difference between contradiction and paradox. A contradiction is 'a statement or proposition that contradicts or denies another or itself and is logically incongruous." However, a paradox is "a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth'" (both definitions taken from www.dictionary.com).


So, imagine my surprise today, when I just happened to read the following: "Religious belief is complex and full of mystery, paradox, and contradiction. Those without faith often seem unable to even understand it, much less enter into meaningful conversation with believers. And often they express this with caricature and ridicule. But our conversation, as shaky and precarious as it may be, should always be anchored to whatever bits of truth we can find and agree on."

This quote is taken from an article in the Huffington Post by Karl Giberson, Ph. D., the VP of the Biologos Foundation. He is an Evangelical Christian leader who is seeking to reconcile the truth of Scripture with, what he believes, is very strong evidence to for evolution. I may not agree with him academically, but I respect his desire to see truth win out in the end. But I have to ask; why he feels he has to include 'contradiction' side by side with 'mystery and paradox?' In so doing he has halted the conversation with anyone who holds to the inerrancy of Scripture.

Two people who believe the Bible contains paradoxes, albeit see them differently, can at least have a constructive conversation. However, someone who maintains that God's Word espouses contradictions stands in opposition to what God says about Himself. Is this statement too harsh? I do not believe so; Numbers 23: 19 says, "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"

Make no mistakes, God is not a liar, He does not promote falsehood or contradiction, and His Word to us is faithful and true. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (II Timothy 3: 16-17). Does this mean we will never disagree with one another about what the Bible is saying? Definitely not; there will always be room for disagreement. In fact, disagreement and constructive discussion can help us to grow in wisdom, understanding, and maturity. But, once we begin to tread the slope of inherent Biblical contradiction, we are on dangerous ground. Even the Apostle Peter, in the closing remarks of his second letter, wrote of how Scripture (Paul's writings in particular) can "be hard to understand." But far from giving it up to contradiction, Peter calls us to wrestle with Scripture, so as not to get " carried away" into lawlessness and instability, but to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3: 15-17).

So, as I said in my Facebook post, when studying Scripture, keep in view the difference between contradiction and paradox (we can easily add mystery here too). Contradiction is, at best, logically incongruous and, at worst, running the gambit of calling God a liar. So instead, let’s look at the Bible and discuss the more difficult passages in light of paradox or mystery, knowing that God is so much bigger that we (a grain of sand contemplating the desert doesn't even begin to describe it). No one has put it better than the Apostle Paul, "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?' 'Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11: 33-36).

On Doctrine

Great post by Justin Taylor!

Levels of Doctrine

Saint Patrick's Legacy

Today is March 17th, 2010. Every year on this day we celebrate St. Patrick's Day. This celebration usually consists of drinking copius amounts of green beer and sometimes passing out in the parking lot outside the local pub. So this year, before imbibing too much lime colored ale, let's take five minutes to consider the heart of St. Patrick, on this the day which bears his name. Would he have enjoyed a pint of ale from the local brewery? Probably. But that was not what got him up in the morning and it certainly was not the legacy he would have hoped to leave behind.

Born a wealthy in Roman Britain, Patrick became a rebel in his youth, a slave in his young adult years, a Christian in his desperation, and a pastor and a missionary for the last two thirds of his life. He was a man of the cross, who lived his life, poured himself out, for love of Jesus and the witness of the Gospel. He went to the hardest place he could imagine, Ireland, the land in which he was previously enslaved and there preached the good news of Jesus Christ. He gloried in the message of the Cross and saw tribe after tribe of the "barbarian" Celts come to know Jesus.

The great irony in our celebration of St. Patrick's day is that we have gotten it backawards. We remember the name of Patrick, all the while acting like the pre-Patrick Celts of Ireland. Patrick did not spend last 40 years of his life on the Emerald Isle for the beer, he did for Jesus and His namesake. He lived so Jesus would be glorified and the people (of Ireland) would see His glory. In his own words, "I am a servant of Christ to a foreign nation for the unspeakable glory of life everlasting which is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

Saint Patrick's Breastplate

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.