What is Worship? (Part 3 of 3)

If we are to worship God “in spirit and in truth” then we must have some understanding as to what this means and how to apply it. When Jesus calls true worshippers to worship “in spirit” His intent is to call people worship in a way different than that which is from the flesh. Worship according to the flesh seeks that which appeals to the flesh. For example, when a person is more concerned with melodies rather than the content of the lyrics of a song sung to God; or is more concerned about the length of a sermon as opposed to the message being preached; or when a person’s participation with God’s people is governed more by his own desires rather than following the expressly revealed command of god – then worship becomes a work of the flesh and is not “in spirit.” Remember that our flesh will always recoil form the things of the Spirit. Scripture tells us that the flesh and the Spirit are constantly at war (Romans 8:6-8). Therefore we must seek to worship “in spirit” which I take to mean by the Spirit of God. For again, “the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God” (Romans 8:7). Be careful what you set your mind upon as you worship God, be it privately or corporately.

To worship God “in truth” means, “according to truth.” Our worship must find its meaning and basis in the Word of God. And while seemingly obvious, we must not be tempted to allow ourselves to be come focused on just a small handful of topics that appeal to us. The apostle Paul declared in Acts 20:27 that he had “not shunned to declare…the whole counsel of God.” Our worship, be it in song, in prayer, in proclamation or testimony, must strive to declare all of God’s Word. Perhaps the greatest example of today’s worship being less than how God defines it is found in the area of music. So much of the music being written for the church today is centered on man’s feelings and man’s work toward God. I could give examples but space does not permit. I would simply ask you to carefully listen to today’s “Christian” music and ask yourself; “Is this telling me more about the God of the Bible, or more about man and his feelings?” Isn’t it amazing that great hymns of the past would find only ridicule and no air time in today’s Christian culture – titles that include “In Thy Wrath and Hot Displeasure”, “Judge Me, God of My Salvation”, and “Fools in Their Hearts.”

In the final analysis, it was Abraham who gave us the best definition of worship. In Genesis 22:5 he said to those traveling with him and his son,

“Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”

Abraham went to worship God on the mountain, yet what did this worship include? It included the sacrificing of his son Isaac to the LORD. So we see that worship includes sacrifice. Why is worship a sacrifice? It is a sacrifice because we must war with our flesh which does not want to acknowledge God even as our spirits long to. We must labor to know God through the diligent and systematic study of His Word. None of this is easy and it takes time, effort and great devotion. Yet, this is what God desires – worshippers who worship “in spirit and in truth.” Is this your desire? Know that it will take work. As Hebrews 13:15-16 reminds us;

“Through [Jesus] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

May we be a people who are ready to sacrifice ourselves, our time, our resources, our very lives, in order to worship God aright – “in spirit and in truth.”

Soli Deo Gloria!

What is Worship? (Part 2)

In John 4:24 are recorded the fundamentals of worship, “those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Why did Jesus say these words?

Jesus was speaking here to a Samaritan woman. He was concerned about the true nature of worship. In His discussion with the Samaritan woman, we learn that although the Samaritans worshipped the same God as the Jews, their worship was inadequate and imperfect and therefore unacceptable to God. In John 4:22 Jesus says, “You worship what you do not know…” The Samaritans rejected all of the Old Testament books except for the first five books of Moses. Now, as wonderful as the first five books of Moses are, they were never intended to give a full and complete understanding of how one is to worship God. The Samaritans had only a limited knowledge of God, of His power, of His Spirit and of His truth.

So, Jesus comes to this Samaritan and tells her that God desires only those who worship Him in “spirit and in truth.” In other words, there was nothing spiritual about the Samaritans worship, nor was such worship in accordance with the truth. The Samaritan worship was a work of the flesh, centered upon the abilities and merits of men rather than upon the workings and wonders of God on behalf of men. Does any of this bear relevance for today? I say, “Yes!” Today we see much of the same problems in our churches as experienced by the Samaritans of Jesus’ day. Certainly the desire in most “evangelical” churches today is to worship the same God that you and I seek to worship on any given Sunday. Yet, as based upon what se see being passed off as worship, it is clear that many are not worshipping God “in spirit and in truth.” Much of worship in the Church today is far more man-focused than God-centered. It is more man-generated than Spirit-led. It is based more on a “touchy/feely” attitude than it is on truth. And, to the great detriment of the Church, much of the Church has rejected most of the writings of the Old and New Testaments, at least when it comes to their worship, focusing only on a few topics like the love of God, the forgiveness of God, and, some even include such non-Scriptural ideas like the value and ability of man. Just like the Samaritans, we have a whole host of church-goers who “worship what they do not know” as they seek to worship God out of spiritual ignorance, Biblical illiteracy, and woeful incompetence when it comes to knowing the things of God. As John Calvin noted,

“We are not to essay anything in religion rashly or unthinkingly. For unless there is knowledge present, it is not God that we worship but a spectre or ghost. Hence, all the so-called good intentions are struck by this thunderbolt, which tells us that men can do nothing but err when they are guided by their own opinion without the Word or command of God.”

I might add to this a quote by Gardiner Spring (1829) who said, "It is a common and just maxim that men easily believe that to be right which they wish to be right."

Lord, protect us from our vanity, our own self-tendency toward thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12:3) and of being wise in our own opinion (Romans 12:16). May You alone be exalted in all we say and do to the glory of Your name. Amen.

Final thoughts tomorrow.

What is Worship? (Part 1)

Our Lord Jesus Christ said,

"…those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)"

We live in a day and age when so much of what “Christians” believe is being redefined. Sadly, the redefining of terms is not primarily coming from outside the church, but rather from inside. It seems to matter little to people how terms were originally used and what they originally meant. The end result is a church that has a meaningless jumble of thoughts and ideas all encapsulated in a single word or phrase.

For example, the term “evangelical” is so mis-defined today that just about anybody who has anything to do with any church might call themselves “evangelical.” It is a sad commentary on the state of affairs in the church when there are supposedly such persons as “evangelical Catholics.” Additionally, there are talks and debates as to whether or not Mormons can be evangelicals. Such thoughts prove the point that people don’t know what "evangelical" means, or at very least what it meant to be an evangelical. It is interesting to note that the term evangelical originally referred to a person whose very theology stood opposed to the Roman Catholic Church. Additionally, the term evangelical spoke of any person who strictly held to five fundamentally tenets called solas (Latin for “alone”). The five solas stood in complete contrast to the Roman Catholic Church. They are –

Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone as opposed to Scripture plus church tradition/teaching)

Solus Christus (Christ alone as opposed to Christ plus the church, the Pope, a priest, a bishop, Mary or any other person)

Sola Gratia (Grace alone as opposed to any merits on man’s part)

Soli Fide (Faith alone as opposed to being made right before God by any one’s works)

Soli Deo Gloria (God’s Glory alone as opposed to anyone or anything taking credit for any aspect of salvation).

These solas are Biblical concepts that no Roman Catholic theology recognizes and yet there are supposedly “evangelical Catholics.” Why is this? Because the term “evangelical” has been redefined to mean something it never meant.

So, what does all this have to do with worship? The Biblical concepts of worship have undergone the same assaults of redefinition as the term “evangelical.” The result of all this is a confusing mish-mash of ideas that rather than exalting God, actually robs God of the glory due His name. As the idea of worship has been corrupted, so has the majesty and splendor of God (humanly speaking for God does not diminish). The Lord Jesus Christ made if very clear however as to the fundamental characteristics which are to be present in the hearts and minds of those who would call themselves worshippers of God. In John 4:23-24 are recorded these fundamentals, “…those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” What does this mean? Why did Jesus say these words? I will continue tomorrow.

The Persistence of God (Part 3)

So, we have seen that God is the one who initiates and is solely responsible for salvation, showing the persist character of God. We have also seen the persistent cause of God in salvation in that it was His intention to bring redeemed sinners into fellowship with Himself. Finally, let us note the persistence of God in fulfilling His ultimate conclusion in salvation.

Not only did God do everything in order to bring you to salvation, but He does everything to bring you to the conclusion or end of salvation. For again, Paul wrote, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you, will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Here we see God’s purpose in saving us.

We must never forget that God has not saved us simply to save us. There is a purpose in His salvation, an end to which He is after. Philippians 1:6 tells us that not only did God begin this work but that He will persistently and continually perform this work until the day of Christ Jesus. What is the goal of God concerning our salvation? We are not being given a verse here to solicit the warm fuzzies. God is not simply telling us here that everything is going to be alright until we finally get to heaven because God will keep us secure. That may be true, but this verse is telling us that God has saved us for a specific purpose, an explicit end – “a good work” – the perfection or completion of “a good work.” God is absolutely and persistently intent on finishing that work and will keep on refining us until that work is accomplished – what persistence!

And, as we look even closer at the verse, we see then attributes of God that we don’t always stop to consider. God is determined. God is persistent. God is unrelenting. God is resolute in accomplishing this good work. Who can thwart this end? But just what exactly is this good work? We have alluded to the fact that our salvation is certainly the beginning and the ending of this good work, but to what end? What does God achieve as the result of our salvation?

Philippians 1:6 does not speak directly but we do find the answer in another passage – Romans 8:28-29 –

Romans 8:28-29
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

God’s good work – His purpose for every believer in Jesus Christ – is to become like Jesus Christ. What an awesome thought! God the Father is so delighted, so pleased with Jesus Christ His Son that He has called countless millions of sinful human being to Himself so that Jesus might reproduce Himself in the lives of His people. God wants our character to be like that of Jesus. Remember that the purpose of life of Jesus was to glorify God in all things –

John 17:4
I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

Are we aware and living in light of God’s goal for us to be like Jesus? This whole process of becoming like Jesus is what the Bible calls “sanctification.” Sanctification means to be set apart or holy for God’s use and glory. In other words, it is to be like Jesus in thought and character. How does this happen? Well, as we have seen, it begins with God doing His work in our lives, but it does involve us as well. And what is our part in “sanctification”? In terms of salvation itself – nothing – God makes us perfectly holy by His own doing. This is called positional sanctification. But in terms of our ongoing relationship with God, we are to strive for more and more holiness to be revealed in our lives. We are to pray for and labor after being like Jesus – not to contribute to salvation, but rather to reveal the reality of our salvation. To be more like Jesus we must first discover how much unlike Jesus we are, that is, we must see how sinful we really are. To ask people to consider how sinful they are goes against everything we hear today. Yet, to recognize and acknowledge sin is not only Biblical, it is absolutely necessary. I know all this sounds like a contradiction. How do we become like Jesus? We don’t do it by becoming aware of how perfect we are becoming. In fact, those who are actively involved in the process of sanctification are those who are more and more aware of their own sinfulness and recognize more and more their need to turn to Jesus for cleansing and forgiveness.

I like to think of this in terms of my schooling. When I first started Bible College, I had only a handful of questions and a lot of answers. I believed that College was simply going to reinforce the answers I already knew. Well, I went to school knowing so much and came out realizing that I knew far less than when I started. My college experience revealed to me just how ignorant I really was. It is not as though I didn’t learn anything. Just the opposite – I learned a great deal. And the more I learned, the more I realized how little I knew.

Such is the Christian’s life. When we first come to Christ, we tend to think of ourselves as not being too bad. We are proud of ourselves that we are at least better than others who don’t believe because we have believed in Jesus. But as we move along in our walk with the Lord, we begin to learn just how sinful we were and are and how great our need for the Lord really is. In other words, instead of priding ourselves on what we know about our salvation, we ought to be seeing the depth and vastness of our salvation as we have been lifted from the pit of sin and death and transferred to God’s kingdom.

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse used to say this – “There is no Christian listening to my voice who will think as well of himself five years from now as he does this morning.” Does this means we are to be depressed and without joy? On the contrary, it should cause us great joy to grow in our knowledge of our depravity in sin because through the greater understanding of sin comes a greater appreciation of the grace of God in our salvation. And this, to me, is a most joyful thing. To rejoice in the depth of my salvation. To know that god is sanctifying me, revealing to me my sinful nature so that I might be drawn to conformity to Christ’s sinless nature. This then is God’s good work – the end to which He is bringing the many sons of glory. This is a work that God is persistently and actively engaged to see accomplished.

The idea of God’s working salvation in us is a repeated them in the book of Philippians. Please consider –

Philippians 1:9-11
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.


Philippians 2:12-13
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Philippians 3:8-10
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

It is God who beings the work. It is God who completes the work. And our role, our responsibility in all this is but to joyfully believe and live our lives in light of that belief. We truly do have so great a salvation, from start to finish, accomplished by the persistence of God. Let us thank God for this work in our lives and let us, like Paul, be confident of this very thing – that God is bringing to completion or perfection that which He has started in everyone who has called upon the name of the Lord Jesus for salvation, the deliverance from sin to be transferred to the blessed and blissful Kingdom of His beloved Son.

The Persistence of God (Part 2)

Yesterday I began this little study of the Persistence of God by looking at how salvation reveals the character of God (see yesterday’s post). Today I would like to look at how salvation reveals the cause of God and just how persistent God is in fulfilling His cause.

How does anyone come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Do people seek Him or does He seek people? Before we (in ourselves) answer this, it is important to know what the Bible has to say about these things.

The Scriptures unequivocally teach that men do not seek God but rather they reject Him. Paul writes in Romans 3:10-11 –

10 as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD…

Any of the works we might even try to do for God are said to “fall short” of God’s standards of perfect and complete righteousness (Romans 3:23). Before we are drawn to Christ, we don’t even understand God’s standard of righteousness. It is not until God reveals His standards of righteousness to us, opens our eyes, gives us faith to believe, and draws us to Himself that man will receive salvation.

Before he came to Christ, C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicle of Narnia, the Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity to name a few as well as being a brilliant scholar, was a thoroughgoing agnostic. His accounting of conversion to Christ is insightful:

“In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The Prodigal Son, at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape?”

This was not a man “seeking” after salvation. Lewis had to learn that salvation was from God. Did you seek for salvation? No – the bible says you resisted and rejected Him. The Lord graciously beats down the hardened heart of the one He calls until that person can do nothing more than joyously yield to the call of God. And while there may be a time in which the one called entertained the idea that he did seek the Lord for salvation on his own, he needs to come to the Biblical awareness that this was only because God was there beforehand moving him to do so. As that old anonymous hymn so aptly puts it:

I sought the Lord and afterward I knew
He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me;
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
No I was found of Thee.

Salvation truly does belong to God. As 1 John 4:19 reminds us –

“We love because He first loved us.”

Our salvation begins with God. It is the “good work” He began and is therefore not of ourselves. Why does God bring salvation this way? Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us –

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

God will have no one in heaven claiming, even in the slightest of ways, that he was responsible for his own salvation. There will be no one who can say, “I must admit that God did most of the work concerning my salvation. I was far from Him and He did call me. But there were those few crises in my life in which my convictions were tried, my persistence challenged, but I hung on tight. So then, I am really here because of the greatness of my faith.” Let us know that God does not share His glory with any other (Isaiah 42:8).

Paul wrote, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you…” According to Paul, God began the work, not you. It was God who was persistent in seeking you, revealing to you your sin, and then filling you with faith – faith so that you would believe. The great cause of God was to bring you into fellowship with Himself – and He is persistent and will bring it about in all whom He has chosen to the glory and praise of His name.

The Persistence of God

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

This is one of my favorite verses and, as the title of this entry suggests, I see it as teaching nothing short of the glorious persistence of God. Over the next few days, I would like to journal some thoughts concerning this topic, particularly as it relates to our salvation. You see, the salvation of sinners truly reveals, as nothing else, the persistence of God. That a holy and righteous God would pursue those who are utterly unholy and unrighteous is nothing short of pure grace.

So let me begin today by showing how salvation reveals the character of God, a character that includes persistence.

When we start to contemplate the character of God we are actually studying His attributes. An attribute of God is simply a characteristic or description of God as based upon what is revealed in the Holy Scriptures. I am reminded of what is recorded in Job 11:17, namely that God is infinite:

“Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?”

NO! So then, how do we, as finite human beings, understand the infinite God? Well, while it is true that God is infinite and understanding Him in totality is beyond our grasp, it is also true that God is yet knowable; knowable in the sense that it is possible to describe Him by means of His attributes.

All kinds of descriptions and verses might come to mind as we consider the question, “What makes God, God?” What are the characteristics or attributes that show us the Divine essence of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Some of our descriptions would undoubtedly include that God is:

• Limitless – infinite (1 Kings 8:27; Acts 17:24)
• Eternal – from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:2)
• Self-existent (Exodus 3:14; John 5:26) [I love the way Steven Lawson said it – “He is I AM WHO I AM – never beginning, never ending, never becoming, never improving, never declining.”]
• All-powerful – Omnipotent (Revelation 1:8)
• Everywhere present – Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-11)
• All-knowing – Omniscient (Psalm 147:4-5; Isaiah 46:9-10)
• Unchanging in His Person – Immutable (Psalm 102:26-27; James 1:17)

Now our descriptions could go on and on. However, no list made would be complete without what is generally considered the attribute of attributes, that quality or characteristic of God that fully sets Him apart, and that is the Holiness of God – God in Holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). The only problem with having a list such as the one just mentioned is that we can easily forget the not so readily apparent attributes of God; qualities that are vitally important to our understanding of God and to His working in our lives that are sometimes overlooked.

In Philippians 1:6 there is just such an attribute. When Paul writes, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6)” we see one of the most essential doctrines of the Scriptures – namely – the perseverance of the saints. The perseverance of the saints is the biblical teaching that no one whom God has brought into a saving knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ will ever be lost or damned to hell – all so brought into this relationship with Jesus will be brought into glory. To put this teaching in a short phrase, “God finishes what He starts.” This is the persistence of God. And Paul begins this whole thought with the phrase, “For I am confident of this very thing…” The word “confident” is from a Greek word that literally means “to persuade to believe.” Paul firmly believes and is strongly persuaded what he communicates about God to his first readers. Paul had confidence in God’s work and this teaches us what Paul believed about God. He believed God to be a completer or finisher of that which He sets out to do. God is persistent and complete. This verse, Philippians 1:6, teaches us at least two things.

1. God never begins a work that He does not intend to finish.
Nothing that God has ever done, was ever half done. He didn’t create half an earth. He didn’t leave man without a helpmate. He didn’t take the Israelites only half-way across the Red Sea. And, God does not bring His people only half-way through salvation. As the author of Hebrews (12:2) recognized, Jesus is both the “author and finisher of our faith.” The Lord is the beginning and the ending, the Alpha and Omega, the instigator and the completer of salvation.

2. When God does a work, God does it all – it is His work.
If we are going to properly appreciate our salvation, we must never forget that “salvation belongs to our God” (Revelation 7:10) and is solely “from the LORD” (Jonah 2:9). Our salvation is dependent upon a gracious and sovereign God to intervene in, seek out, and draw sinners to Himself. If God does not do this, no one would ever be saved, because rather than seeking God, sinners always seeks to go their own way.

Before I examine Philippians 1:6 more closely, let me state the larger biblical framework in which this verse if found. There are a lot of people who take issue with the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. This is due to the fact that many like to think that it is through their own efforts that God accepts them and that even their final salvation is dependent upon their own perseverance or persistence rather than an all-out dependence upon the saving grace of God. Such a thought is not even remotely biblical. The Word of God is clear that our salvation – from start to finish – is firmly in the hands and control of our Almighty God. Consider carefully the following passages that clearly teach this same principle as Philippians 1:6.

John 10:27-29 – “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”

Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit…”

Let me close these thoughts pointing to just a few more of the many verses that express this teaching of the perseverance of the saints:

Psalm 138:8 – “The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”

Hebrews 10:14 – “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

If we are ever going to understand and fully appreciate the depth and riches of Philippians 1:6, we must first come to understand that our salvation, form start to finish, is the sole work of a great and gracious God working in our lives.

More tomorrow!

Evolution Propoganda

The latest in the evolutionary propaganda war - an attempt by the secularists to condition and program our culture in anti-God thinking, is nothing more than a weed that is able to quickly adapt to changing climatic conditions, such as “global-warming.” In an article I found on Yahoo entitled, Warming could spur “evolution”: study, Deborah Zabarenko wrote:

Fast-growing weeds have evolved over a few generations to adapt to climate change, which could signal the start of an "evolution explosion" in response to global warming, scientists reported on Monday. This means that the weeds will likely keep up with any attempts to develop crops that can adapt to global warming, said Arthur Weis, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Irvine.

Without getting too deep into all the matters at issue, I do find it fascinating that “scientists” are using the already programmed genetic information of a weed to promote evolution. In the study, weeds did not become anything else but weeds. The weeds were “adapting” to the warmer climate over a seven - year period, but they were still weeds – consistent with the Biblical account of how plants are to grow and survive.

Genesis 1:11-12
11 Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.

Three times in the text above we read the phrase, “after their kind.” There is a keen difference between adaptation within the genetic possibilities of a species versus “evolution” – that is one species turning into another species. Thus, while there is wide genetic variation in cats ranging from the mighty lion down to the domesticated house cat, all are yet cats. And so, if a weed is able to adapt to changing climatic conditions, it is only because God has programmed or ordained it so. If a species, plant or animal, is unable to adapt, it dies because God did not program or ordain it so.

So, what is at stake in this article is simply the concerted attempt of “scientist” (those who are supposed to be pursuing true knowledge) to further condition the population with false notions of how things survive or die apart from God. Thus, these reveal themselves to be those spoken of in Psalm 10:4 -

The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him [God]. All his thoughts are, "There is no God."

Let us be true to the Word of God and faithfully proclaim the veracity of His revelation concerning creation, man, sin and salvation.

Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

On the Lighter Side

It's been one of those days. Not that it has been a bad day. No, it has been one of those days when there has been plenty of business, yet, at the end of it all, I didn't seem to really accomplish much. There was a highlight - and that was when I was invited to lunch with a couple of the men from the church. It is a good thing that I went. I am one of those kinds of people that does not like loose ends. This morning my big goal for the day (outside the regular pastoral routine) was to change the name servers on the church's website. Now changing the name servers on a website might either sound easy to some or difficult to others. The concept is not difficult. However, the original companies that I signed the church up with all had different login ID's and passwords. And while I was faithful to write all this down and put it in a file, for some reason, I could not find the file. Therefore, I spent much time simply looking for the file - to no avail. So then, I had to rely on my memory (no wise cracks).

Believe it or not, I remembered all the needed ID's and passwords - save for one - the most needed and important one - the one that would allow me to change the name servers (of course). So then, I had to call some tech support, wait on the phone for about 15 minutes, and then explain what I needed. The tech was helpful, but had to place a request for another department to send me the needed ID and password; something she said should come within an hour or two. This is what I was anxiously waiting for when the invitation for lunch came. If I had not gone, I would have simply stared at the computer waiting for the email, contemplating the old axiom, "A watched pot does not boil."

So, off to lunch and a blessed time of fellowship with the men. When I came back to the office, assuming, of course, that the email would be there, I was disappointed - no email. I worked through the afternoon trying not to think about it, devoting myself to more important endeavors, but I kept waiting for the familiar email "ding" on the computer. I received several email, but none were from the tech.

Now I am home, trying to enjoy some time with the family. Hopefully I can put the anticipated email out of my head until tomorrow. I wonder what tomorrow will bring? Maybe I had better go and mediate on Matthew 6:34 -

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

The Hope of the Gospel

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only message of hope for humanity. It is a message that causes the greatest of joy for the one who has received it, along with the greatest of motivation to pursue holiness and the glory of God. William Romaine (1714-1795) said it best – consider and meditate on these truths:

It is true that I have sin in me, but it is pardoned. God has forgiven me all trespasses. I stand before Him in my Redeemer, Who undertook for me, and I am perfect in Him. The Father chose me in His Son: He looks upon the face of His beloved, and sees me in Him. In Christ He is well pleased, so He is with me! As He loves Christ - He loves me!

This is the glorious privilege which by faith I now enjoy. I deny sight and sense, and I believe the Word of God! I adhere strictly to the Word of God concerning me, believing myself to be dead indeed unto sin in Christ, and in Him absolutely freed from guilt and condemnation. The Father is at peace with me, and He loves me in His Son, with the same love with which He loves Christ - His Father and my Father.

With this persuasion I go to war with my corruptions. They are fighting against everything that is dear and precious to my soul. But having the promised grace of the almighty Savior for my help, I desire to set upon them in His name. I am at war with sin but at peace in Christ!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Let Your Light Shine - To the Glory of God!

As we have been in the Gospel of Matthew in our Bible Reading, I was struck again by a few familiar passages:

Matthew 5:16
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:48
Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The Christian life is to be lived with a view to the glory of God. It is far too easy to “do” the right thing [good works – 5:16] for the purpose of being remembered, recognized and rewarded. Yes, we are to labor and we should excel to the very standard of God [perfection – 5:48]. And while we will fall short of this on this side of glory, it is yet to be our goal – always with a view to pointing people to God; always with a view of diminishing self and exalting Christ.

So, when you wash those dishes, wash them in such a way that people may see your good work and glorify God. When you work extra hard on that project at work, do it in such a way that people may see your good work, but know that God is to receive the praise. And when you labor for your brothers and sisters in Christ, do not seek praise and recognition, rather, go out of your way to ensure that God is recognized and praised.

How are your “good works”? Do they point people to look to you or to look to God? Is your desire to have God receive all the glory in all you do?

1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.


Soli Deo Gloria (To God’s Glory Alone),

Pastor Ed

A Gospel Prayer for 2007

It has become a recent practice in our church to take an old Puritan prayer and adapt it as a congregational prayer. As I was preparing this week’s sermon on the topic of “the Gospel” – I came across a wonderful prayer that I have now adapted for the congregation but could not wait to make it known.

As we contemplate the opportunities we will have to be ministers of the Gospel in 2007, may this be a guiding prayer.

- - - - - - -

Blessed Lord Jesus,

No human mind could conceive of invent the gospel. Acting in eternal grace, You are both its Messenger and its Message, lived out on earth through infinite compassion, apply Your life to insult, injury, death, that I might be redeemed, ransomed, freed.

Blessed be You, O Father, for contriving this way;

Eternal thanks to You, O Lamb of God, for opening this way,

Praise everlasting to You, O Holy Spirit, for applying this way to our hearts.

Glorious Trinity, impress the gospel on our souls, until its virtue diffuses every faculty; let it be heard, acknowledged, professed, felt.

Teach us to secure this mighty blessing; help us to give up every darling lust, to submit heart and life to its command, to have it in our wills, controlling our affections, molding our understanding; to adhere strictly to the rules of true religion, not departing form them in any instance, nor for any advantage in order to escape evil, inconvenience or danger. Take us to the cross to seek glory from its infamy; strip us of every pleasing pretence of righteousness by our own doings.

O gracious Redeemer,

We have neglected You too long, often crucified You, crucified You afresh by our impenitence, put You to open shame.

We thank You for the patience that has borne with us so long, and for the grace that now makes us willing to be Yours. O unite us to Yourself with inseparable bonds, that nothing may ever draw us back from You, our Lord, our Savior.

Amen.

- - - - - - -

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Let the Bible Reading Begin!

Psalm 119:174
I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.

Our congregation is participating in a corporate Bible reading plan that began January 1. I have not heard much feedback as of yet from the congregation, but I know our family has already been so blessed as we read the assigned text with not only a view to grow personally, but also with a view to communicate with others in the church who have been reading the same texts.

Our approach is that our Bible reading has been broken down into “sections” (of various lengths. It is being done this way so that in the event that someone falls behind, rather then giving up on Bible reading, he might simply rejoin at the start of a new section.

I have also encouraged the congregation to read aloud or even listen to the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says,

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

There is something to be said for actually hearing the Word. Even the apostle Paul reminded Timothy,

1 Timothy 4:13
Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.

The implication here is that many were listening to the Word being read. So, whatever your reading plan is, try to include some Bible listening as well. If you are interested in the Bible reading plan of Hope Community Bible Church, then click on the links I have provided. The first link is to the page that has all the sections, including the master reading plan. The second link is our current section. The final link is to the master reading plan. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

Hope CBC Sermons and Studies Resource Page

Section One - Bible Reading - "Life of Christ" (Matthew, Mark, John)

Master Bible Reading Plan for 2007

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Preach, Pray or Plumb?

Sorry about the late post today. Everything started as a normal, pastoral day. I awoke at 5:15 am, spent some moments in prayer and prepared for an early morning breakfast with one of my Elders. After the blessing of breakfast and fellowship, I came home to have Bible study with the family – but then came the IM (instant message). It seemed that my mother’s plumbing had backed up, causing quite a flood. She wanted to know who to call to get things taken care of, but then my frugalness kicked in (why spend some much money on something that I could do simply and cheaply).

I made some arrangements, called to reserve a snake for the plumb job and headed over to my mom’s to take care of this situation. How hard could it be? Well, in order to simply snake out a backed-up line, one must find the cleanout. So, in the 32-degree weather, I proceeded to take my tour around the house. I looked everywhere – in the obvious places, behind the bushes and shrubs and under the trees. I could not find it.

So then I thought I might simply apply some logic – it must be somewhere near the kitchen or some other obvious spot, only buried a little bit (oh, that it were so simple). I began to dig about 8 to 12 inches down all along both sides of the house – NOTHING! Then I called my father-in-law, who made some logical suggestions and so I dug some more – NOTHING! Before I knew it, it was after 12 noon, I was dirty and exhausted. I had a call into a plumber we knew who eventually called me back about 1:30 who gave me some more suggestions about where to dig and that once I found it, he would come (or snake from the roof).

So, I began to dig again, near the spot I had before and went 24 inches down and about 8 feet long – NOTHING! Now I was totally exhausted! Praise the LORD for physical labor. But now I could think of nothing but having the plumber come on out and help. I called the plumber back only to have him tell me that he would be tied up, unable to come and leaving for a four day trip in the morning. Now what to do! It’s 3:45 pm, I had miles and miles of dug up ground and my mother has no plumbing. I decided to call up one of the “speedy” rooter companies, who thought they could get there before five, which they did. The young man looked at all the piles of dirt and said that it would help if I had the right equipment. I pulled out this long T-probe (about 4 foot long), went right to the area where I had been told to dig, started probing and within 10 minutes, found the line. That silly line was literally 3 inches from where I had dug previously. He found the cleanout, cleared the line and was gone within a half hour. It was now 5 pm, I was exhausted and had to cancel an Elder Board meeting. Right now I am lying in my bed, with the heating pad on my back and thanking the Lord for the opportunity to preach, pray or plumb!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

God's Sovereignty and Man's Responsibility

According to the Word of God, our God is absolutely sovereign. This is to say that God does as He pleases, how He pleases, when He pleases. As even the pagan King Nebuchadnezzar came to realize:

Daniel 4:35
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?”

Put most simply, the sovereignty of God may be defined from Scripture as follows:

Psalm 103:19
The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.
(NKJV).

And in the absolute sovereignty of God, God has determined that man has responsibility to God – to both hear and to heed God’s voice. As the prophet Micah stated:

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

Clearly there is a hearing and a heeding – a listening and an obeying. Man is not some automaton without a will, without feeling and without emotion. God sovereignly calls and man is to simply obey. Sin has affected man’s ability to hear and to obey God, but the pattern is yet the same – God instructs and man is to follow.

1 Thessalonians 4:3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification [the instruction and command of God]; that is, that you abstain [man’s responsibility] from sexual immorality;

This pattern of God’s call and man’s complicity is interesting revealed in the life of John the Baptist. In Matthew 3, Jesus comes to John to be baptized. John rightfully recognizes the issue, namely that John himself needs to be baptized by Jesus. John is the sinner – Jesus the saint. John was concerned with the appearance of things and the text says that he sought to prevent the event. Interestingly enough the text says that John “tried” to prevent what the sovereign Lord had purposed. So, Jesus exhorts John, giving him the call and purpose of God saying,

Matthew 3:15
Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

Here is the call of God on John. Here is the will of God expressed to John. The great sovereign of heaven and earth has spoken. And what is John’s response to this? Consider the last phrase of Matthew 3:15 -

Then he [John] permitted Him [Jesus].

Those are intriguing words, are they not? John permitted Jesus? The sinner consents to the Savior? We see man’s responsibility to respond to the call of God. Jesus says, “permit” and John obeys. God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility.

The verb “permitted” literally means “to allow something to go forth.” Man’s responsibility to the call and purpose of God in his life is “to allow it to go forth” to come to pass. God does not thrust personal and practical sanctification [the process of becoming holy or godly] upon man. Man, through belief in Christ and obedience to God’s commands, must permit – that is, he must yield himself over to such a purpose. Truly, it is the Lord alone who sanctifies and makes us righteous, but we must involve ourselves in the process. The apostle Paul makes this connection between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in Philippians 2:12-13 -

12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling [man’s responsibility]; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure [God’s sovereignty].

O that our desire would be to permit the sovereign purpose and plan of God to be our duty and delight – that we would allow the benefits of following after God to so rule our lives. It is the stubborn, selfish sinfulness of man, his own unwillingness to live according to God’s ways in order to pursue his own, that forfeits this delighting in God, that refuses to yield to God to the detriment of his own soul.

O Lord, grant that we might “permit” Your sovereign goodness to come to pass in our lives. Remove our selfishness, our stubbornness, and our pride that leaves us wallowing in the muck and the mire of depravity rather than seeking Your perfect and pure presence through simple obedience to Your Word. Command us, O God, that we may joyfully comply.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

I Believe In Global Warming!

Happy New Year!

I start the year with just this one little thought:

I Believe in Global Warming

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10)."

Looking forward to a blessed year!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Working to get on track

Ok, I am well aware that I have been very next to negligent in my postings over the past couple of months. It is amazing how easy it is to get out of the habit of regular postings. It is my intention to be back on full track by the start of the new year. Obviously with the Holidays and such I may still be hit and miss but I will make every effort to record my thoughts on a more regular basis. Be patient with me - please.

A Little Virus!

Galatians 5:9
A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.

It has been an exciting past couple of days. Exciting like a train wreck! We evidently had some kind of pesky virus find its way into the church on Sunday and now that little leaven (virus) has been making its way through the congregation. At last count, some 35 people have been affected by the bug. Hopefully in the next 24-48 hours we will be okay. Nothing like a stomach flu to start the week!

All this serves as an interesting illustration of how something so seemingly small can have such an impact. Sin has a way of creeping its way far beyond what we imagine. All the more reason to rid ourselves of sin (as best we can).

The great Puritan scholar John Owen spent much time considering and probing this matter of eliminating sin. In the 17th century, he wrote a little 86-page book called "Mortification of Sin in Believers." The word "mortify" means "kill" in 17th century English - not "embarrass" or "shame" as it is often understood today. Owen made a remarkable little statement in this issue of mortifying the flesh -

"Be killing sin or it will be killing you."

The apostle Paul said it this way in Romans 8:12-13:

12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

So then, let us wary of sin in our lives and be killing it. In the meantime, I will go to the church and spray the Lysol in order to kill the virus.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Distortions of the Biblical View of Predestination - Part 2

Continued from yesterday's post - here is the Biblical view of predestination as presented by R.C. Sproul -

- - - - - - -

In sharp contrast to the caricature of double predestination seen in the positive-positive schema, is the classic position of Reformed theology on predestination. In this view, predestination is double, in that it involves both election and reprobation but is not symmetrical with respect to the mode of divine activity. A strict parallelism of operation is denied. Rather, we view predestination in terms of a positive-negative relationship.

In the Reformed view, God from all eternity decrees some to election, and positively intervenes in their lives to work regeneration and faith by a monergistic work of grace. To the non-elect, God withholds this monergistic work of grace, passing them by and leaving them to themselves. He does not monergistically work sin or unbelief into their lives. Even in the case of the "hardening" of the sinners' already recalcitrant hearts, God, as Luther stated, does not "work evil in us by creating fresh evil in us." That is not to say that "hardening of the sinners' hearts" is a work of evil. It is God's free choice. For if there were not lost people in the world, Christians would have no need to spread the Gospel, though Jesus commanded Christians to in Matthew 28:19. However Luther did not understand this and wrote:

When men hear us say that God works both good and evil in us, and that we are subject to God's working by mere passive necessity, they seem to imagine a man who is in himself good, and not evil, having an evil work wrought in him by God; for they do not sufficiently bear in mind how incessantly active God is in all His creatures, allowing none of them to keep holiday. He who would understand these matters, however, should think thus: God works evil in us (that is, by means of us) not through God's own fault, but by reason of our own defect. We being evil by nature, and God being good, when He impels us to act by His own acting upon us according to the nature of His omnipotence, good though He is in Himself, He cannot but do evil by our evil instrumentality; although, according to His wisdom, He makes good use of this evil for His own glory and for our salvation. (Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will (Westwood: Fleming H. Revell, 1957), p. 206)

Thus, the mode of operation in the lives of the elect is not parallel with that operation in the lives of the reprobate. God works regeneration monergistically but never sin. Sin falls within the category of providential concurrence.

- - - - - - -

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Distortions of the Biblical View of Predestination - Part 1

I was reading through the caricatures of predestination and came across this statement by R.C. Sproul. It is interesting to see how those outside the "calvinistic" circle see this biblical doctrine. Much thanks to Sproul for clearly articulating this distortion of predestination. May is stimulate some thought.

- - - -

The use of the qualifying term "double" has been somewhat confusing in discussions concerning predestination. The term apparently means one thing within the circle of Reformed theology, and quite another outside that circle, and at a popular level of theological discourse. It has been used as a synonym for a symmetrical view of predestination, which sees election and reprobation being worked out in a parallel mode of divine operation, which usage involves a serious distortion of the Reformed view of double predestination.

The distortion of double predestination looks like this: There is a symmetry that exists between election and reprobation. God WORKS in the same way and same manner with respect to the elect and to the reprobate. That is to say, from all eternity, God decreed some to election and by divine initiative, works faith in their hearts, and brings them actively to salvation. By the same token, from all eternity, God decrees some to sin and damnation (destinare ad peccatum) and actively intervenes to work sin in their lives, bringing them to damnation by divine initiative. In the case of the elect, regeneration is the monergistic work of God. In the case of the reprobate, sin and degeneration are the monergistic work of God. Stated another way, we can establish a parallelism of foreordination and predestination by means of a positive symmetry. We can call this a positive-positive view of predestination. This is, God positively and actively intervenes in the lives of the elect to bring them to salvation. In the same way God positively and actively intervenes in the life of the reprobate to bring him to sin.

This distortion of positive-positive predestination clearly makes God the author of sin, who punishes a person for doing what God monergistically and irresistibly coerces man to do. Such a view is indeed a monstrous assault on the integrity of God. This is not the Reformed view of predestination, but a gross and inexcusable caricature of the doctrine. Such a view may be identified with what is often loosely described as hyper-Calvinism, and involves a radical form of supralapsarianism. Such a view of predestination has been virtually universally and monolithically rejected by Reformed thinkers.

- - - - - - -

Tomorrow I will post Sproul's statement concerning the "Reformed" view of Predestination.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

An Evangelical Crisis

The evangelical church of today is in a crisis – in reality, an identity crisis. The church does not know what it is, what it is to stand for or even what it believes. I recently spoke with someone concerning a “ministry” outside the church. As this person shared with me the mission of this non-church ministry, distinctively Christian terms like “outreach”, “fellowship”, “faith-based”, “evangelistic”, and “gospel” were used. But when asked for a definition of what these terms meant and how they were biblically carried out, the answers were greatly lacking and most disturbing. For example, when I asked about the presentation of the gospel, the answer was that the gospel is simply telling individuals that God loves them and wants them to change their lives. The implication of this is that it might well be within a person’s own ability to turn his or her life around and live in the love of God - that all God wants from a person is somekind our outward personal reform. Additionally, (and most disturbing), I was told that both Catholics and Evangelicals communicate the same gospel. The last time I checked, Catholicism was not teaching salvation was through grace alone, by Christ alone, through faith alone. The problem – the evangelical church and its individual members do not know what the Church is, what faith is or even what the gospel is.

To the very disregard for the Word of God, the evangelical church has so watered down the gospel – the Biblical presentation of man’s need for salvation from sin by the work of Christ - to be nothing more than some magical therapy to help those with poor self-images and emotional hang-ups to begin to finally feel good about themselves. And this approach seems to be working. For the theory goes, that since everyone has some kind of hang-up, then everyone needs Christ, at least to some degree or another. Therefore the gospel of restoring poor self-images is appealing to the masses. But rather than the gospel being seen as redeeming us for God, the gospel is viewed as that which we might use to redeem us for ourselves. God is seen as having provided through His Son Jesus Christ a way for us pursue and sustain our own ambitions and lifestyles.

To this end then, the church has become more and more man-centered rather than God-centered. While we in our circles may initially cringe at the term man-centered, remember that there are some “good” things which a church can do being man-centered. The church is to be concerned about one another and for fellow man. The problem is that the church has come to see this as her primary motivation for ministry and therefore pursue activities and ministries that neglect God-centeredness. The emphasis of so much of the evangelical church’s ministries is focused on things like personal comfort, enjoyment, fun, and excitement. More concern is place upon the physical and emotional well being of a person than upon one's own spiritual life. True holiness and godliness is squeezed into the equation almost a "necessary evil." The problem again is that while many of the activities and ministries of a church may be “good” – being man-centered and man-driven, they will invariably succumb to the ugliness of man’s depravity, squeezing God and His Word out little by little and more and more. A man-centered gospel, promising comfort, enjoyment and personal well-being makes it acceptable to be a Christian. A gospel that forces a person to see themselves as depraved sinners in need of the mercy of God even to look to God, that forces a person to make tough choices between satisfying the flesh or serving the living God is far less appealing.

We had better make sure we know the biblcal content of the gospel and seek to present it in the fulness that God had inteneded. May our desire be the same as the Apostle Paul -

Acts 20:27
For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. (NKJV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

A High Calling!

Ephesians 4:1-3
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I have been meditating on these verses for the past couple of days, being impressed with the high call of the believer not only toward God but also toward one another. Consider each of the calls here. Why are these given? These are given because the human heart constantly needs reminding to pursue such things. The human heart is so prone to either forsake or at least pervert the spiritual walk, humility, gentleness, patience and truly showing tolerance for one another.

The list will continue on toward the end of the chapter exhorting and challenging our perceptions as well as our actions toward one another. May we endeavor to practice these calls of the Lord in our lives for His glory.

Ephesians 4:31-32
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

SDG,

Pastor Ed

Freedom in Christ

Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

As I have continued to read some materials by Martin Luther, I was impressed as I read this excerpt from his work The Freedom of a Christian reminding me that I am not saved by good works but rather that good works are the fruit, the result of having been made righteous by the work of God. It is God who calls me to righteousness [command] and it is God who works in me to fulfill the call [promise]. As it is written in Philippians 2:13 -

…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Consider what Luther wrote –

A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all…The entire Scripture of God is divided into two parts: commandments and promises. The promises of God give what the commandments of God demand and fulfill what the law prescribes so that all things may be God’s alone, both the commandments and the fulfilling of the commandments. He alone commands, He alone fulfills…Surely we are named after Christ, not because He is absent from us, but because He dwells in us – that is, because we believe in Him and are Christ’s one to another and do to our neighbors as Christ does to us. But in our day we are taught by the doctrines of men to seek nothing but merits, rewards and the things that are ours. Of Christ we have made only a taskmaster far harsher than Moses.

We are free in Christ to give our lives to Christ so that He would live His life in us to the glory of the Father.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

The call of Christ demands our all – it takes our lives and yet it is the most delightful and restful work that can be engaged.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

May we all find our rest, our delight, our freedom, and our devoted service in Christ.

SDG,

Pastor Ed

Believers as Priests

I have always had a hard time with the term "Reverend" in reference to a pastor or minister. The term was rarely used in the circles I became a pastor in out in Southern California. I can remember how a friend of mine and I would raze each other when we received that occasional mail addressed to "Reverend Brian" or "Reverend Ed." It is my belief that there is only One to be revered and woe to the man who might leave it open to suggestion that he might be such a person. Only God is to be revered.

Martin Luther was greatly concerned in his day about inappropriate distinctions between the so-called "clergy" class (made up of popes, bishops, priest, monks) regarding them as "the church" and as the religious - and the secular class made up of all who were not clergy. The Bible knows no such distinctions in the church.

1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light...

According to Scripture, all believers are "religious" and have a common status in Christ. Luther held to the priesthood of all believers. For he wrote:

"To call popes, bishops, priests, monks and nuns the religious class, but princes, lords, artisans and farm workers the secular class is but a specious device invented by certain time-servers. But no one ought to be frightened by it, and for good reason. For all Christians whatsoever really and truly belong to the religious class and there is not difrerence among them except insofar as they do different work...For baptism, gospel and faith alone make men religious and create a Christian people...The fact is that our baptism consecrates us all without exception adn makes us all preists (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 5:9-10)."

[From Luther's "Appeal ot the German Ruling Class"]

So, there is but one class of believers, all priests unto God and the Lord God alone is to be revered (feared), not some pastor or minister. As Solomon noted in Proverbs 1:7 -

"The fear [reverence] of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Soli Deo Gloria!

Why?

Why was I made to hear Your voice
And enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice
And rather starve than come?
It was the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly forced me in.
Else I had still refused to taste,
And perished in my sin

--Isaac Watts

Basic Bible Study Principles

There are a few important principles that guide my understanding and application of the Word of God. I believe that these principles are the only safeguard to a consistently objective understanding of God’s Word. In other words, these principles, when properly applied, keep the interpreter of God’s Word from imposing a subjective meaning to the text, or more simply, from reading something into the text that is not there.

Before you think that this is not important, consider it this way: have you ever said or written something to someone only to have them “read” into what you were saying to such an extent that they claim you meant something you never intended? For example, I could tell someone that I don’t believe that the church should monetarily support the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital because the philosophy and theology of the Shriners, which is Freemasonry, is anti-Christian. Now someone may misinterpret that - thinking I mean I don’t believe that the Shriners are doing a “good” and “humanitarian” thing. They may even go so far as to say that I must think that children should not be helped medically. But, do you see that this is not what I said? The church’s mission is not primarily humanitarian, although it certainly includes this, but rather the church’s mission is primarily evangelist. The ultimate goal of any ministry of the church and any of the ministries supported by the church is to evangelize and disciple by means of the Word of God. Any effort that does not share this priority is not to be supported by the church. Individual Christians may choose to support it, but it is not the mission of the church (Matthew 28:19-20). Does this mean we are not to help or that we do not care about the medical needs of children? Of course not, but it does mean that the church is to look to a more Christian approach to meeting such needs.

So I want to share theses principles that govern my understanding and application of the Word of God.

The first principle is this – a consistently applied literal, grammatical, historical interpretation of the Scriptures. A very simplistic definition of this is as follows: when the plain sense makes common sense, seek no other sense. If we apply this to Scripture, we are to take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning, unless the facts of the context or other Scriptures clearly indicate otherwise.

A second principle that governs my biblical interpretation is this – that God has a plan and a future for Israel in which they, not the Church, will literally fulfill the covenant promises He made to Israel in the Old Testament. The Abrahamic, Mosaic, Palestinian, Davidic, and New covenants all literally speak to and have eschatological reference to Israel. In other words, there is a distinction between Israel and the Church. The Church is not Israel and Israel is not the Church. The Church does participate (not fulfill) in the soteriological (salvation) side of the Abrahamic and New Covenants, but she does not replace or fulfill the literal promises made to Israel. The Abrahamic Covenant clearly speaks of Abraham and his descendents blessing all the nations of the earth, which we learn from the Scriptures refers to the coming of Jesus Christ as the Savior not only for people of Israel, but also for people of every tribe, tongue and nation. But the covenant was made with Abraham and his physical descendents, that is Israel.

The third principle that governs my biblical interpretation is the overall theme or purpose of God as revealed in the Scripture – and that is His glory. While the redemption of sinful man and the exalted person of Jesus Christ are certainly major themes of the Bible, the overriding theme is the glory of God – that is how God glorifies Himself through all His actions and dealings with humanity. The apostle Paul best summarizes this idea in Ephesians 1 where we see both the redemption of sinful man along with the exalted position of Christ – but to what end? Consider –

Ephesians 1:4-6
4 In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:11-12
11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

To restate these principles that govern my understanding of Scripture:

1. The consistent application of a literal or plain interpretation (as opposed to allegorical interpretation) of the Bible.

2. An understanding (that flows from this literal interpretation) of a distinction between God’s eschatological (future) plans for Israel and the Church. Note: all are saved by faith in Jesus Christ – there is one soteriological (salvation) plan for the elect of all ages.

3. God’s ultimate purpose in Scripture is to glorify Himself, freely and fully expressing His attributes and character.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let us be truly thankful to so great a God who has granted us so great a salvation. Lord, may we never grow weary in uttering Your praise!

Psalm 95:1-7
1 O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the LORD is a great God And a great King above all gods, 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. 5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. 7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Things are Changing

I am back! At least I hope so. Things have been busy and changing. One such change may be found at our new and improving website for the church. There are still a few bugs to work out, but check out the new church website at www.hopecbc.org.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

What was "Reformed" in the Reformation?

In 1997 I was reintroduced to the doctrines of grace by means of reading a most profound book, "The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination" by Lorraine Boettner. While this book systematically reveals the logic (divine) of what are commonly referred to as the five points of Calvinism, I truly believe that the so-called "five points" (for they are simply accurate Biblical theology) are really just one point - the Sovereignty of God. Either God is Sovereign or He is not. Either God is reigning and ruling according to the counsel of His own will (Ephesians 1:11) or someone else (man) is in control.

As I came to grips with these truths, I came to embrace the cry of the Reformation as summed up in the five "Solas". Forgive me for not stating these in my own words but the following does a fine job so I will not reinvent the wheel but post these great reminders of so great a salvation and the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3):

What was "Reformed" in the Reformation?

by Daryl Wingerd

If one wants to know what the Protestant Reformation was all about without reading huge volumes of historical literature, it is perhaps most clarifying to look at the theological results. One should specifically note the rediscovery of five critical biblical doctrines that had been obscured from public view by the medieval version of what we now know as the Roman Catholic Church. And just so you know, Rome still either openly opposes or seriously distorts these doctrines. Using the Latin names given to each, they are:

Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone):

The Reformers were united in their belief that the Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for salvation and Christian living (cf. 2 Peter 1:1-4). They held the Word of God to be the only standard by which men's consciences may be bound. Rome, on the other hand, then and now, denies sola Scriptura by elevating Papal decrees and church tradition to what they say are equal (but are in reality greater) positions of authority than that of the Bible. Where the meaning of the Bible differs from the opinion of the Pope or official doctrine (as is very often the case) the Word of God plays a mute second fiddle.

Sola Gratia (by Grace alone):

The reformers understood that salvation is not a cooperative event carried out by God and man working in partnership. In salvation, sinners are rescued from God's wrath by His grace alone (cf. Titus 3:3-7). God's grace is His spontaneous and unmerited favor, granted to the spiritually dead and helpless sinner through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. God mercifully releases those whom He is saving from their own willful bondage to sin and thus enables them to repent and believe (cf. John 3:3; 6:44; Rom. 8:6-8; 9:16). Interestingly, this point of doctrine is disputed today, not only by Rome, but also by many evangelicals.

Sola Fide (through Faith alone):

"Justified" is the biblical term that describes a person as forgiven, not guilty, and perfectly righteous in God's sight. According to Scripture, justification is bestowed on the sinner by grace alone through faith alone, "not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph. 2:8-9; cf. Gal 2:16). According to official Roman Catholic dogma, however, using the word "alone" after the word "faith" will earn you a pronouncement of anathema (formal damnation). Rome actually forbids you to believe or repeat what the Bible plainly states! They insist that while justification begins with faith, it can only be completed through the sinner's personal effort. In Roman Catholic theology, one may not say, "Therefore, having been justified by faith," or "having now been justified by His blood" (the exact words of Paul in Romans 5:1 and 5:9, emphasis added). According to Rome, one may only believe that he is being justified—by faith plus works.

Solus Christus (because of Christ alone):

The reformers understood that the salvation of God's people was the work of Jesus Christ alone. His death was a sufficient and effective sacrifice for sin (cf. Heb. 9:12, 26, 28; 10:12, 14). He is the only mediator between God and men (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5). Only Christ's righteousness (not the sinner's personal righteousness) merits the believing sinner's justification (2 Cor. 5:21). Rome, on the other hand, commands the performance of seven essential works of merit (sacraments) for justification. Rome also insists that Mary (not Jesus) is the dispenser of grace. While Rome denies that Christ's righteousness may be imputed to the believing sinner, Mary is said to have vast amounts of excess rightousness which can be imputed to sinners. This form of blasphemy against the Son of God is bad enough, but it culminates in blasphemy against God the Father—the idolatry of Mary worship. Mary is praised as the "co-redemptress" and "co-mediatrix" with Christ. Rome even refers to her in some places as the savior of mankind, the one who commands God to save whom she will.

Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone):

It is obvious that in Roman Catholic theology Mary receives equal (if not greater) credit than God for the salvation of sinners. Rome openly glorifies her. Also, God is robbed of His glory by making the sinner the one who ultimately performs (via the sacraments) or suffers (via Purgatory) his own way into heaven. But the Bible insists, and the reformers recognized, that God saves sinners by Himself. Therefore He alone should receive all praise and glory. And the God of the Bible is a jealous God (cf. Ex. 20:5). He will not share His glory with another (cf. Isaiah 42:8; 48:11).

So what was reformed (or recovered) during the Protestant Reformation? In the final analysis, it was the gospel of God's grace. And the "church" that stole the gospel the first time will gladly do so again if Christians everywhere do not take seriously the command to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints" (Jude 3).

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Sorry

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have posted. Either I have too much to say or not enough. Anyway, here goes!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Bogged Down!

There is nothing like being away from home and office for a few days. A nice, relaxing time to recoop and recover from the routine stresses of life. Being in Colorado, breathing that fresh mountain air and breaking the normalcy of my life was invigorating - that is until I came home.

Now I am not complaining. I am glad to be home and today was the first day I was able to get to my office. But the stacks of papers, the emails, the phone calls to be made - so much for refreshing. All this is simply a long way of saying that my blog has had to take a back seat for a couple of days. But I thought that some of you might appreciate some pictures of the conference. I took about 400-500 pictures, many of which made it onto the XL web site (www.xlministries.org). So, while it may be cheating a bit, if you would like to see some of the pictures of the conference, please click on the link here:(http://www.xlministries.org/conf_pics.php). I suppose that this will at least save me some formating time and space on my blog. I hope to be back to some kind of routine soon!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

We're Home

We just made it back from our conference in Colorado. What a blessed time! We had the opportunity to learn, to fellowship, to lead music and I got to preach the Word! I will have more to communicate in the days ahead, but for now, let me just say, "It's good to be back home!"

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed