"All sin at bottom is a sin against God. 'Against thee, thee only have I sinned' is the cry of a true penitent. How terrible is the sin against God! Who can recall the wasted moments and years? Gone they are, never to return; gone the little allotted span of life; gone the little day in which a man must work. Who can measure the irrevocable guilt of a wasted life? Yet even for such guilt God has provided a fountain of cleansing in the precious blood of Christ. God has clothed us with Christ's Righteousness as with a garment; in Christ we stand spotless before the judgment throne" (Machan, Christianity and Liberalism, 130–31).
This quote by J. Gresham Machen gives a great summary of repentance and faith. Billy Marsh's sermon yesterday at Redeemer Church, he mentioned that there is really only one work to be done once we hear the word of the Lord proclaimed: repent and believe. As I reflect on the numerous ways I've sinned against the God of heaven, I am brought low. He has given me life and all I need to sustain it, a wonderful wife and family, encouraging relationships, and most importantly He has accomplished my salvation in Christ through faith and sealed me with His Spirit. Yet I live in my own strength and wisdom. I am reminded that the good news of the Gospel, however, is that God is gracious and merciful to those who come to Him by the blood of Jesus Christ their Lord. There is now no condemnation, Paul tells us, for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8).
I pray that this day is marked by an intense awareness of God's grace in Christ. May He stir in us an attitude of faith and repentance and may He grant that every day is lived in this manner.
Grace & Peace,
J
Monday, June 27, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Who's on Top?
Within believers, a struggle often occurs between our own preconceived ideas and the truth of God's Word. A classic game of who's on top. Ulrich Zwingli, a sixteenth century reformer, summarizes this struggle well,
May God grant us His grace to be submitted to and changed by His Word and not to reverse this relationship.
J
"Alas! Here we come upon the canker at the heart of all human systems. And it is this: we want to find support in Scripture for our own view, and so we take that view to Scripture, and if we find a text which, however artificially, we can relate to it, we do so, and in that way we wrest Scripture in order to make it say what we want it to say" (Zwingli, "On the Clarity and Certainty of the Word of God").
May God grant us His grace to be submitted to and changed by His Word and not to reverse this relationship.
J
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
False Gospel
For those of you not familiar with the uproar surrounding the new release of Rob Bell's book Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every One Whose Ever Lived, a good analysis is provided by Al Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, here.
Recently Rob Bell was taken to task on MSNBC. Worth a look if you have a couple of minutes.
Rob Bell on MSNBC
I sent this to a few folks today and received an insightful response from my friend Matt Millsap worth repeating here:
Bell's false doctrine demands a public and vigorous refutation. He is actively subverting the truth of the Gospel and doing so in a very public way. Such responses are readily found and I recommend that you familiarize yourself with them (see Mohler's Blog). At the same time, we also need to recognize the opportunity that this controversy and debate provide for sharing the true Gospel.
Here are some Scriptures that speak to the central claim of Bell's book:
Jesus is the only way of salvation: "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 ESV).
Unfortunately Bell wants to say that those in other religions who are calling on the name of different gods and divine teachers are actually crying out for Jesus. But the Scriptures teach us differently: "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:11-12 ESV).
Bell's doctrine undermines any motivation for evangelism and missions by saying that all people will go to heaven regardless of their decision for or against Christ in this life. This is addressed in the following: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!' But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?' So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:9-17 ESV).
Other short summaries of the Gospel in the New Testament to keep in mind include Romans 3 (entire chapter); 1 Corinthians 15:1–8; Titus 2:11–3:7)
The temptation will be to gloat when Bell is made to look silly or to squirm in the incoherence of his position. While we should be thankful that the falsehood of his theology is being exposed, let’s pray for the following: (a) that he will repent, (b) that his congregation and those exposed to his ministry will not be led into error, and (c) that the Gospel will not be maligned as a result of this situation. May we watch our own lives and doctrine closely and be mindful of the sin that lies creeping at the door of our own hearts.
Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
J
Recently Rob Bell was taken to task on MSNBC. Worth a look if you have a couple of minutes.
Rob Bell on MSNBC
I sent this to a few folks today and received an insightful response from my friend Matt Millsap worth repeating here:
"What I find particularly striking about the whole controversy surrounding Bell's book is that even (presumable) unbelievers such as Martin Bashir quickly realize the inherent contradiction present in Bell's assertions while he apparently does not. Even casual observers who don't have any vested interest in the Christian message whatsoever can see that Bell is trying to have it both ways with his Christianity. But what is especially sad is the level of influence Bell has on younger believers (with Nooma videos, etc.) who tend to hang on his every word. He is leading them down the path of a contemporarily repackaged liberalism; they don't realize it, and neither do they care to do so."
Bell's false doctrine demands a public and vigorous refutation. He is actively subverting the truth of the Gospel and doing so in a very public way. Such responses are readily found and I recommend that you familiarize yourself with them (see Mohler's Blog). At the same time, we also need to recognize the opportunity that this controversy and debate provide for sharing the true Gospel.
Here are some Scriptures that speak to the central claim of Bell's book:
Jesus is the only way of salvation: "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 ESV).
Unfortunately Bell wants to say that those in other religions who are calling on the name of different gods and divine teachers are actually crying out for Jesus. But the Scriptures teach us differently: "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:11-12 ESV).
Bell's doctrine undermines any motivation for evangelism and missions by saying that all people will go to heaven regardless of their decision for or against Christ in this life. This is addressed in the following: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!' But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?' So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:9-17 ESV).
Other short summaries of the Gospel in the New Testament to keep in mind include Romans 3 (entire chapter); 1 Corinthians 15:1–8; Titus 2:11–3:7)
The temptation will be to gloat when Bell is made to look silly or to squirm in the incoherence of his position. While we should be thankful that the falsehood of his theology is being exposed, let’s pray for the following: (a) that he will repent, (b) that his congregation and those exposed to his ministry will not be led into error, and (c) that the Gospel will not be maligned as a result of this situation. May we watch our own lives and doctrine closely and be mindful of the sin that lies creeping at the door of our own hearts.
Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
J
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