To whom do you answer? To what are you a slave? What fruit is being produced in your life? We are constantly being told to do better, be better, and do more. There is a temptation to move from the things that God has done in Christ to the things we are to do because of Christ and assume it’s now our turn. Yet, in the same way that we needed another to fulfill the law and die in our place, on our behalf, so Christ remains the source on which we rely as the Holy Spirit initially and progressively conforms us to God. There are gospel imperatives to do and not do certain things. Nevertheless, we cannot forget that we are not able apart from the Spirit of Christ to do what God commands.
“This first thing to remember, of course, is that we must never separate the benefits (regeneration, justification, sanctification) from the Benefactor (Jesus Christ). The Christians who are most focused on their own spirituality may give the impression of being the most spiritual ... but from the New Testament's point of view, those who have almost forgotten about their own spirituality because their focus is so exclusively on their union with Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished are those who are growing and exhibiting fruitfulness. Historically speaking, whenever the piety of a particular group is focused on OUR spirituality that piety will eventually exhaust itself on its own resources. Only where our piety forgets about ourself and focuses on Jesus Christ will our piety be nourished by the ongoing resources the Spirit brings to us from the source of all true piety, our Lord Jesus Christ.” Sinclair Ferguson
Whatever God requires it is Christ who meets the requirement. Whatever duty is owed it is Christ who dutifully obeys. Whatever price that needs to be paid it is Christ who has paid it. And we are “in Christ” by the work of the Holy Spirit who effectually calls us, gives us saving faith, leads us to godly repentance, justifies us by Christ’s imputed righteousness, and sanctifies us for good works, until heaven is our home and sin is no more.
“Prone to wander Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love: here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.” Robert Robinson
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Covenant Way: Provision, Protection and Instruction
In the mythical town of Lake Wobegon, “the women are strong, the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” These are not the proper designations for the Christian family. In the world of Christian discipleship the men are faithful, women are godly, and the children are “the heritage of the Lord.” Consequently, the Christian man cannot be the self-centered narcissist of Lake Wobegon or of popular culture and be the man of God. The faithful man of God understands his duty to provide for the needs of his family, protect them from harm, and instruct in righteousness those under his care.
The Christian man feeds his family before himself; the Christian man places himself in harm’s way to shield those he loves; the Christian man teaches the Word of God. Too often men feel that if they are willing to provide and protect they are doing reasonably well. After all two out of three isn’t bad. But this begs the question, “If the man fails to instruct in righteousness is he fully providing for and protecting his family?”
To paraphrase R. C. Sproul, the thing that is going to cause our people to perish is not the strength of popular culture, or public education, or the decline of the American civilization, but what will cause the collapse of our families and churches is ignorance of the Word of God!
The greater duty for the Christian man is to provide for more than “the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life” (Jn. 6:27). The Christian husband and father protects against “this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” by taking up the whole armor of God – truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Eph. 6). The Christian man must do more than put food on the table and warn his children not to play in the street.
Men of God take heed – “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” Isa. 66:2
The Christian man feeds his family before himself; the Christian man places himself in harm’s way to shield those he loves; the Christian man teaches the Word of God. Too often men feel that if they are willing to provide and protect they are doing reasonably well. After all two out of three isn’t bad. But this begs the question, “If the man fails to instruct in righteousness is he fully providing for and protecting his family?”
To paraphrase R. C. Sproul, the thing that is going to cause our people to perish is not the strength of popular culture, or public education, or the decline of the American civilization, but what will cause the collapse of our families and churches is ignorance of the Word of God!
The greater duty for the Christian man is to provide for more than “the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life” (Jn. 6:27). The Christian husband and father protects against “this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” by taking up the whole armor of God – truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Eph. 6). The Christian man must do more than put food on the table and warn his children not to play in the street.
Men of God take heed – “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” Isa. 66:2
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The Covenant Way: Learning Christian Grammar
“Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?” I’m not speaking of the television show; I’m speaking of a well taught and catechized covenant child of God of that age. I suggest that if adults on a television program struggle with a 5th Grade response to “What was the 49th state admitted to the Union?” it is doubtful they would know the answer to “What is God?”
Christian and non-Christian alike bemoan the “dumbing down” of America. Sadly the Church did not escape the “dumbing down.” This intellectual decline reduced the Christian faith from a biblical, historic, objective, cognitive religion into a cultural, contemporary, subjective, feel good experience – Christian faith went from “I believe” to “I feel.”
Let me get back to 5th graders. If Christian parents are increasingly unable to articulate their faith imagine how this adversely effects the communication of biblical faith to children. Children learn to pray “Now I lay me down to sleep . . .” which is only one word away in meaning from “Twinkle twinkle little star . . ..” Children are told that Jesus wants them to be “good little boys and girls.” The “gospel” for children is singing “Jesus loves me this I know . . ..”
The Church has not helped the problem. Children often spend their early and teen years in segregated Sunday School hearing the same stories of Noah and the Ark, David and Goliath, and Zacchaeus up in the tree, over and over and over again. Then we move them to Children’s Church to hear moral stories from the Bible and that Jesus loves them after which they color, play and eat snacks. It is uncommon today for children to sit in worship under the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments during their formative years.
The Christian faith “once for all delivered to the saints” is not being passed to the next generation. We have lost the language, the grammar if you will, of the Christian faith. God’s people do not know the words of God – creation, sin, covenant, law, atonement, grace, justification, sanctification and gospel, to name a few. To reengage God’s people with God’s Word is at the heart of another Reformation. To do so is to go against the culture and return to the “ancient paths.”
Every family of God (men, women and children) each Sunday must join with the forever Family of God in corporate worship immersing themselves in the language of their faith; reading, preaching, singing, praying and seeing the Word, with everyone hearing and speaking the covenant language of God. Every covenant believer and family must then learn the definitions of what they hear and speak in God’s house on the Lord’s Day. There is no better way to define what one believes than through “catechesis” - learning the faith through questions and answers in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Before you think the WSC is too hard for you, remember it was written as biblical grammar for children.
Consider the following story related by the American theologian B. B. Warfield –
We have the following bit of personal experience from a general officer of the United States army. He was in a great western city at a time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were over-run daily by a dangerous crowd.
One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of mien, whose very demeanor inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same.
On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface: ‘What is the chief end of man?’ (the first question in the Shorter Catechism). On receiving the countersign, ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever’ (the Catechism’s answer) –‘Ah!’ said he, ‘I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!’ ‘Why, that was just what I was thinking of you,’ was the rejoinder.
Christian and non-Christian alike bemoan the “dumbing down” of America. Sadly the Church did not escape the “dumbing down.” This intellectual decline reduced the Christian faith from a biblical, historic, objective, cognitive religion into a cultural, contemporary, subjective, feel good experience – Christian faith went from “I believe” to “I feel.”
Let me get back to 5th graders. If Christian parents are increasingly unable to articulate their faith imagine how this adversely effects the communication of biblical faith to children. Children learn to pray “Now I lay me down to sleep . . .” which is only one word away in meaning from “Twinkle twinkle little star . . ..” Children are told that Jesus wants them to be “good little boys and girls.” The “gospel” for children is singing “Jesus loves me this I know . . ..”
The Church has not helped the problem. Children often spend their early and teen years in segregated Sunday School hearing the same stories of Noah and the Ark, David and Goliath, and Zacchaeus up in the tree, over and over and over again. Then we move them to Children’s Church to hear moral stories from the Bible and that Jesus loves them after which they color, play and eat snacks. It is uncommon today for children to sit in worship under the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments during their formative years.
The Christian faith “once for all delivered to the saints” is not being passed to the next generation. We have lost the language, the grammar if you will, of the Christian faith. God’s people do not know the words of God – creation, sin, covenant, law, atonement, grace, justification, sanctification and gospel, to name a few. To reengage God’s people with God’s Word is at the heart of another Reformation. To do so is to go against the culture and return to the “ancient paths.”
Every family of God (men, women and children) each Sunday must join with the forever Family of God in corporate worship immersing themselves in the language of their faith; reading, preaching, singing, praying and seeing the Word, with everyone hearing and speaking the covenant language of God. Every covenant believer and family must then learn the definitions of what they hear and speak in God’s house on the Lord’s Day. There is no better way to define what one believes than through “catechesis” - learning the faith through questions and answers in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Before you think the WSC is too hard for you, remember it was written as biblical grammar for children.
Consider the following story related by the American theologian B. B. Warfield –
We have the following bit of personal experience from a general officer of the United States army. He was in a great western city at a time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were over-run daily by a dangerous crowd.
One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of mien, whose very demeanor inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same.
On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface: ‘What is the chief end of man?’ (the first question in the Shorter Catechism). On receiving the countersign, ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever’ (the Catechism’s answer) –‘Ah!’ said he, ‘I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!’ ‘Why, that was just what I was thinking of you,’ was the rejoinder.
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