Remembering and Being Inspired by His Suffering

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” - 2 Timothy 2:8-9 (NIV)

These are the words that Paul told Timothy. He wanted to remind Timothy of the necessity of keeping Jesus Christ at the center of his mind. Paul reminded him that this Jesus has been, “raised from the dead” – and thus proven to be fully God, while at the same time a human “descended from David” – and thus fully man. So Timothy, as Paul might say, it is the suffering “God-man” that must be at the center of all things, and we must have such a view of him before us that it would cause us to be willing to suffer as well for the sake of His gospel.

What does such a view entail? It means seeing God for who He is, in all of His majesty and glory, discovering him anew from different angles as we read the Scriptures and experiencing him daily in our prayers and worship. And it means taking special notice of His suffering. The focal point of all of history is found in the One who took on flesh. And He suffered, and we should be living out our faith so boldly that we suffer along with him, thus identifying ourselves as His followers.

But I have a hard time believing that we can actually have that sort of view of him or even have a willingness and desire to suffer when our eyes are fogged up with temporal things and worldly distractions that never satisfy. I am guilty of this. Even the noble business of doing “ministry” may clog up one’s spiritual arteries and jerk your mind off of Jesus if you're not careful. Which is why Paul said to Timothy – remember Jesus Christ! And specifically - remember his suffering. Take hope from that, and consider it over and again in your mind.

We should have such a love and holy boldness for Christ (and such a clear identification with Him) that it naturally ought to bring a measure of persecution and suffering to us who live in world that is hostile towards Jesus. Let us evaluate our lives to see if we are suffering in any way because of our allegiance to and outspokenness for Christ.

I would go as far to say that in the same way the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) are necessary marks of a Christian life (as is faith, hope, and love – 1 Thess. 1:2-3), so is the idea that “suffering in some measure for the name of Christ” must also be a mark of an obedient Christian (2 Tim. 3:12). That’s bold to say – and may generate some comments. But where are we experiencing that hostility? I hate to say it, but if we are not suffering (in this sense), perhaps it is because we look like everybody else and are much too in love with and conformed to the pattern of this world (1 John 2:15-17; Romans 12:2).

Remember Jesus, beloved. Remember his suffering. For until we fully grasp how He suffered for us, we will never be inspired and inclined to live the kind of obedient life that God expects for those who are to be suffering as “aliens and strangers” to this world.

Beware of playing "matchmaker"

Recently at my church we have been discussing the topic of marriage and singleness. Few areas are more near and dear to people’s hearts than their “love interests.” Being single in today’s world is not easy. For some it may be a “spiritual gift” ( 1 Cor. 7:7), for others it may be a matter of not yet finding the right mate, and for some it may be a matter of making school or a career a priority for this season of life. Singleness may be by choice, or not by choice. Everybody is different.

The pressure that singles often feel from our social culture, whether by family or friends, can often times be overwhelming. Some have felt opinions of others who may wonder if there is something “wrong with them. They can’t seem to find love.” The expectations that are placed are often unfair. “Maybe someday they will grow up and settle down,” some may say. Even parents and grandparents have hopes for grandchildren and great grandchildren. It’s not bad to want those things, but when those expectations and judgments hover over someone’s head who is single, it can be devastating.

Yet being single is not anything to be “ashamed” about. In fact, in God’s sight it is honorable, right, and good (1 Cor. 7:1). The freedom one has to serve the Lord (1 Cor. 7:32), the unbridled devotion to give of themselves to Kingdom priorities, being spared from some of the unique challenges and encumbrances that married life can bring (1 Cor. 7:28), are just but a few of the advantages of remaining single if God so wills it.

Don’t get me wrong. Marriage is a gift of God. It is a unique way to portray the relationship that Christ has with his church (Eph. 5:22-33). It is a blessing in numerous ways. But marriage is not the end all. It is not to be elevated and idolized above all else. Our primary satisfaction should not come from an earthly relationship, but from a heavenly one. A relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we should be careful what we say and how we approach friends and family who for whatever reasons are single. It may not be God’s will for them to get married, or at least not just yet. And if they do desire to get married, but haven’t found the right person yet, we should still do everything we can to encourage them to be content with where they are right now until God chooses to bring the right person along. Because if they are not content when they’re single, it’s not likely that they will be content once they are married. Contentment is not merely achieved by a change of circumstances. No, it runs deeper than that. Contentment is a spiritual issue.

For example, Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks…will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.” (John 4:13-14) Our goal then should find our delight and satisfaction not in the temporal, but in the eternal. That’s contentment. So true contentment comes from knowing Christ, not from things of this world, no matter how good the love or the relationship may be at the human level.

Why do I say all of this? Well, I think it’s important to remember all this when it comes to our attempt at “matchmaking.” It may be all in good fun, and maybe on occasion it might actually work. But beware of once again putting unwarranted pressure on someone and feeding into an attitude of discontentment by always coming up with someone to solve their “problem” of being single. Like I said, singleness may be no problem at all, but God’s will. But we may make it harder for someone to find that contentment if we are always suggesting somebody new that they could go out with.

A word of advice. If you want to set someone up with someone else, ask permission first. Ask your friend whether he or she even wants you to offer to do that for them. Don’t assume they need your help, unless, of course they ask for it. Remember, our deepest desire for them is that they are happy and content, and they have to find that part in their relationship with Christ first. “The best way to find the right spouse is to be the right spouse.” And that’s what you want to aid them in the most, preparing them spiritually to be satisfied in Christ (and thus the "right spouse" for someone else) so that if they do enter into a relationship it is on solid footing right from the start. That’s the best thing you will ever do for them, whether they get married or not.

So have fun, but be careful, and mindful of what people really need more than anything. They need Jesus. As do we all.

A Bible Without "Error"

A STATEMENT ON THE INERRANCY OF THE BIBLE

Thanks to God’s providence and power, Scripture, in the original manuscripts, is for us a completely errorless text in all it affirms. Every word, every fact, every matter of faith and practice is without any error, in keeping with the character of God, who inspired (God-breathed) the text. In the process of writing Scripture, the Holy Spirit spoke infallibly through fallible men, all the while allowing the style and personality of the writer, and the cultural distinctives (including the various literary genres) to shape the final form of the original text.

We must certainly be willing to acknowledge the potential for errors to occur in the transmission process, and comparing what known manuscripts we currently have can substantiate many of these errors. This is likely to happen through hundreds of years of copying by scribes. With this understanding, the science of textual criticism is then employed, so as to arrive to as close a reading as we can to the original autographs. We can acknowledge mistakes in transmission, but it is more important to acknowledge the fact that God does not lie and does not communicate to us in such a way that what he says is contrary to fact. Using the context to aid us, we can safely conclude that we have the original manuscript with 99 percent accuracy and that none of this compromises important doctrine. Furthermore, it is not necessary to see discrepancies in numbers (which may be rounded) and a lack of concrete language as “errors” in the text. To be imprecise is not necessarily to be in err. Modern day tests of precision and accuracy need not usurp inerrancy. As John Frame rightly asks and answers,

But why does God allow vagueness in His inerrant Word? Because vagueness is often both necessary and desirable for communication, and God’s purpose in Scripture is to communicate, not to state the truth in the most precise form possible.[1]

With regard to numbers which may be rounded, for it to be concluded that what was written is factually in error, it would have to be shown that “the degree of precision implied by the speaker and expected by his original hearers” is completely or grossly contrary to historical fact.[2] Thus to claim that there were 1,000 men killed by Samson (Jud 15:15) when in fact it could be substantiated that there were only 3 or 4 killed would be to indeed find an error.[3] The issue we are getting at here is truthfulness, which must be measured in its rightful context. It is essential to affirm that chronicles in Scripture can and do provide accurate “informational” content, because it is impossible to disconnect the theological or moral meaning from its historical moorings. Much work has been done to show that many “problem texts” in Scripture can indeed be resolved and harmonized through deeper historical, linguistic, and literary study. I find it interesting that even as I write this, archaeologists have just uncovered the ancient wall in Jerusalem built by Nehemiah. I love it when this happens!

The analogy of faith is also a binding conviction in my understanding of Scripture. This is a principle of interpretation that recognizes the inherent unity of the Bible (Genesis through Revelation). We then can clarify “problem texts” that are suspicious that would seem to advocate more than just a factual error. For example, a contextual study of James 2:24 would help us see that it does not contradict Ephesians 2:8-9 or Romans 3:28. The harmonization of these texts reveal to us that although we indeed are saved by grace through faith alone, a true saving faith is one that will embody fruit or works in keeping with repentance. Therefore, the Bible does not contradict itself resulting in some doctrinal and moral error. It is, as Wayne Grudem puts it, a “gracious condescension” for God to speak to us in human language through the Holy Scriptures. And as such, it is an "action" of God that is without error.[4] In what the Bible claims, whether this is a historical fact or a theological or moral assertion couched in such, it is wholly true.

[1] John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 1987), 221. The latter emphasis is mine.

[2] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 91. Grudem also notes that it was acceptable in the ancient world to loosely quote the content of an earlier speaker or writer without presenting an exact quotation (92). Surely this is what many of the Apostles did in the NT when quoting the OT. Yet using a loose quotation (an indirect quote) does not deny the truthfulness of what is being said or cause one to note a contradiction resulting in a false assertion.

[3] For a helpful essay which seeks to resolve some alleged errors in the text, see Gleason L. Archer, “Alleged Errors and Discrepancies in the Original Manuscripts of the Bible,” in Inerrancy, ed. Norman L. Geisler (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980), 57-82.

[4] The connection of seeing Holy Scripture as divine action embodied in human language is further reason why one can advocate inerrancy. God is performing an action when He speaks, and all His actions are perfect. These are known as "speech acts."

Repentance -- the Path to Freedom

Admitting that we are all sinners is not so difficult. I don’t believe that I have ever met anyone who said that they’ve never sinned, even though I hear that there are some out there who may actually believe this. Ironically, I think for someone to even say that they’ve never sinned is a sin in and of itself, for it denies what God has said in His Word (Romans 3:23).

What then, is repentance? Is it merely an admission that we are sinners? Certainly it has to be more than that, because most people would say that they are sinners, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve truly repented.

Unfortunately, the word repentance has fallen out of favor with many in today’s world because it forces one to recognize that there are absolutes of right and wrong out there and that there is someone whom we are ultimately accountable to (mainly, a holy God), and few are willing to admit or consider that sobering thought. Secondly, we’ve all seen those rather interesting people who stand at athletic events or on street corners whose view of evangelism is holding a picket sign that simply says, “repent or die.” Never mind that there is an element of truth to it – it doesn’t seem to be the most sensitive way to reach someone for Christ. (But hey, take a look at the prophets and apostles and you might change your view of that a little bit). Nonetheless, our culture has a measure of disdain for such approaches, and therefore the word repentance may not really mean much to some due to its association with such strategies.

But at the heart of the Christian gospel is repentance and faith. Paul basically summarized his mission to proclaim the gospel by saying that, “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21). Repentance, then, must mean more than simply an admission of sin – because all who admit sin are not necessarily saved. And it has to be more than simply a sorrow for getting caught, which Paul says is nothing more than a “worldly sorrow” (2 Cor. 7:10).

But there is such a thing as “godly sorrow” that brings forth genuine repentance. This true repentance is something that involves a deep conviction of the heart that recognizes the offensive nature of sin (to both man and God – thus “godly” sorrow). And this kind of sorrow will lead someone to renounce the sin and turn from it altogether, so that there is even a commitment made to forsake it in the future. That’s what repentance is. It is admission, sorrow, renouncing, and forsaking.

If repentance is genuine, it will always bear fruit, almost immediately. Thus even John the Baptist, when confronting the Pharisees and Sadducees with respect to their utter hypocrisy, wouldn’t allow them to simply claim that they were repentant, but commanded them to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matt. 3:8) They were masters at giving lip service to God, even claiming to be repentant. But unless it produced a life of godliness and obedience, it was all just a show.

For the heart that does truly repent from sin, there is freedom and release. In fact, Peter stated it this way: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19). There is nothing more refreshing that a clean conscience – it breathes life into weary bones, bones that have been weighed down by the destructive power of sin. It restores fellowship with God.

The Holy Spirit not only brings conviction for sin, but the enabling power to forsake and overcome it so that it will no longer hold us in its awful grip. Today, if you hear God’s voice, do not harden your heart, but follow through with what he calls us all to embrace, a heart filled with genuine repentance and faith in Jesus, Who died to set us free. Be free, my friend, be free and refreshed. And forgiveness will be yours. Repentance will then be your friend, and your entryway to the “life that is truly life.”

Why Did God Do It?

My teacher and friend, Dr. Wayne Grudem, provides an excellent overview of some of the reasons for the coming of Christ, and I felt it was worth sharing for your own puporses of worship this holiday season. May we continually marvel of the miracle that God, who is Spirit, became a man and dwelt among us.

God Became a Man: Why was it Necessary?[1]

A. For Representative Obedience.
“Jesus was our representative and obeyed for us where Adam had failed and disobeyed. (see Romans 5:18-19)… Jesus had to be a man in order to be our representative and obey in our place.”

B. To Be a Substitute Sacrifice.
“If Jesus had not been a man, he could not have died in our place and paid the penalty that was due to us…it is important here to realize that unless Christ was fully man, he could not have died to pay the penalty of man’s sins. He could not have been a substitute sacrifice for us (on the cross).”

C. To Be the One Mediator Between God and Men.
“Because we were alienated from God by sin, we needed someone to come between God and ourselves and bring us back to Him. We needed a mediator who could represent us to God and who could represent God to us (1 Tim. 2:5). In order to fulfill this role of mediator, Jesus had to be fully man as well as fully God.”

D. To Fulfill God’s Original Purpose for Man to Rule Over Creation.
“God put mankind on earth to subdue it and to rule over it as God’s representatives. But man did not fulfill that purpose, for he instead fell into sin…Then when Jesus came as a man, he was able to obey God and thereby have the right to rule over creation as a man, thus fulfilling God’s original purpose in putting man on the earth. Jesus had to be a man in order to fulfill God’s original purpose that man rule over his creation.”

E. To Be Our Example and Pattern in Life.
“Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). The goal of the Christian life is to glorify God by becoming more and more like Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:18), who was our example (1 Peter 2:21), in whose steps we must follow.”

F. To Be the Pattern for Our Redeemed Bodies
“When Jesus rose from the dead he rose in a new body that was ‘imperishable…raised in glory…raised in power…raised a spiritual body’ (1 Cor. 15:42-44). This is the pattern for what our bodies will be like when we are raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:49). We now have a physical body like Adam’s but we will have one like Christ’s.”

G. To Sympathize As High Priest.
“If Jesus had not been a man, he would not have been able to know by experience what we go through in our temptations and struggles in this life. But because He lived as a man, he is able to sympathize more fully with us in our experiences” (Heb. 2:18; cf. 4:15-16).

[1] The following points were taken from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p.540-542. This is not an exhaustive list.

The Great Exchange and The Moment a Believer Dies

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. "Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Luke 23: 39-43, NIV


The irony here is hard to miss. Here we have the Righteous One, the One who made the blind to see, who made the lame to walk, who cleansed the leper, and raised the dead – the One who preached the good news to the poor, who ate with sinners, who loved the unlovable – who was willing to touch the untouchable – here we have this Jesus being sentenced to death.

And this perfect man, this man so filled with love, who was gentle and humble in heart, is now bloody, bruised, and beaten, and nailed to a tree. And if that doesn’t make sense to you, then consider the fact that hoards of wicked, godless people were pummeling him with words of anger, and hatred, hurling every bit of sarcasm at him that they can muster. Matthew in his gospel tells us that at first both of the criminals who were being crucified beside him were reviling him and joining in on the taunting of the crowd, “He saved others, why not himself? What about this temple you said you would destroy and rebuild in three days? (If they only knew what was happening in front of them when they said that!) “If you really are the king of Israel, come down from there!” You see, the One who possessed words of life is now facing words of death.

Luke tells us that one of the criminals looked at him and spouted, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself, and us!” It is seemingly at that very moment that the Spirit of God does an amazing thing in the heart of the criminal dying on Jesus’ other side. For in a moment of self-reflection he realizes that his own sentence is just. He knows he deserves to pay for the guilt of his sin and he confesses his guilt with his own mouth – but this man, “what has he done?”

So in that one snapshot of history, we see the perfect example of the greatest exchange the world has ever known. A criminal confesses his sin, and confesses the truth about Jesus – that the man dying next to him was without sin, and that He was the King, the Messiah. And in this powerful moment, Jesus, who had an immeasurable amount of sin being placed upon his own shoulders, was willing to shoulder the guilt and sins of one more.

So for that criminal, in that moment, his sin and his guilt was transferred to our Lord who was hanging just a few feet away, and the perfect righteousness of the Son of God was credited to him in exchange. What a great deal that was for that criminal – at one moment he was spiritually bankrupt, and in the next moment his cup runneth over as God’s grace and perfect righteousness is given to him. And in an intimate moment he looks to His Savior and calls out, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Now his statement is an expression of the Jewish hope that one will be delivered on the last day, that at the end of time he will experience life again. But Jesus makes an even better promise. For this criminal will not have to wait ‘til the end of time to experience fellowship and life with God.’ No, the Savior turns to him in the midst of his own suffering and assures him by saying, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

For all who truly believe, this is our hope...may your heart be filled with thanksgiving, and great expectation.

Performance Based Spirituality that Leads to Emotional Chaos

It is so easy to fall prey to this, but “checklist” or “performance based” spirituality is perhaps the most dangerous killer to one’s genuine walk with God. What happens is that there is this subtle shift that takes place in our lives where we begin to think that blessings that come into our lives are a result of our own actions rather than that which is simply from God himself. Then we get puffed up thinking, “hey, I’m doing pretty good here,” and pride sets in. Not only that, but we begin to judge success by worldly standards (and things like suffering seems to feel like punishment when it may have nothing to do with it).

Have you ever fallen into this trap? Like Peter, you’ve stopped to look around and evaluate things and have taken your eyes off of Christ and before you know it your spiritual walk starts sinking (Matt. 14:30). You know you’ve done this when your prayer life starts to dwindle – your time in the Word gets crowded out by your schedule – and you start complaining more. Another symptom of this is the unending emotional roller coaster that comes daily simply from changes in circumstances.

If our daily attitudes are so very affected by circumstances, then you can bet we are spiritual wimps. We are called to live by faith, not by sight. Faith is not a religious activity; it’s not even a devotional practice. Faith is a certainty that you are united to Jesus Christ, that this world is not your home, that you are His servant, that you have died to yourself, that He owns you, and that He bought you at a price so that you would stop living for yourself but for the One you will worship for all eternity. Faith is sharing in the incarnation with Him. Faith is the belief that all this is true.

Gaze at Him. Worship Him. Plead and pray to Him. Call out to Him. Seek Him. Trust Him. Be satisfied with Him. Love Him. Fall on your knees before Him. He is glorious. He is mighty. He is sovereign. He is good and kind. He is safe. He is real.

When you approach your life and faith this way, all the rest of the checklist and performance based stuff takes care of itself, because the Holy Spirit brings it forth naturally and you don’t even realize it. Bottom line: Get your eyes off of yourself, and put it on Him, and then you’ll never have time to stop and say, “hey, I’m doing pretty good at this,” because you were never looking at yourself in the first place.