Cosmic Abuse?

I am currently reading John Piper’s book The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World. In his chapter on Joy and the Supremacy of Christ, he quotes a postmodern church leader as saying the way we interpret the cross is “cosmic child abuse.”

The fact is that the cross isn’t a form of cosmic child abuse – a vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offence he has not even committed. Understandably, both people inside and outside of the Church have found this twisted version of events morally dubious and a huge barrier to faith. Deeper than that, however, is that such a concept stands in total contradiction to the statement: ‘God is love.’ If the cross is a personal act of violence penetrated by God towards humankind but borne by his Son, then it makes a mockery of Jesus’ own teaching to love your enemies and to refuse to repay evil with evil.
(Steve Chalke and Alan Mann, The Lost Message of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 182-83).

Piper does a nice job defending the essential doctrine of the penal substitutionary atonement of Christ, but another thing came to mind as I was reading the scriptures he presented. If we are going to view everything in the Bible through the lens of the one sentence “God is love” we must be sure we interpret that one sentence exactly as it was meant.

It seems to me that this leader has a misunderstanding of what love is. He seems to also ignore the fact that God is holy; He is angry at sin, righteous, and just. Grace and mercy do not mean anything if we don’t understand the wrath of God. God’s love does not mean He overlooks our sins, it means He showed us favor despite them because of what Christ did on the cross.

Here I just wanted to post the verses that Piper responded to this quote with and the verses that came to mind. Quite contradictory to the quote from this leader is the fact that when the Bible refers to the love of God, it ties it directly to the cross.

We esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all…. It was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief. (Isaiah 53:4-6,10)

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’ (Galatians 3:13)

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. (Romans 8:3)

I found it interesting that this author claims that penal substitionary atonement is actually a barrier to faith. Our Bible study last night revealed another verse very applicable to this very statement.

Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ (1 Peter 2:7,8)

Here are the verses tying the love of God to the cross.

For God so loved the world (i.e. He loved the world in this way) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. (John 15:13)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me. (Galatians 2:20)

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:2)

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9,10)

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood… (Revelation 1:5)

I give these verses as a study, not simply to point out a false teacher, but to encourage believers to dig deeper into the word. The death on the cross and the resurrection are foundational to our faith. Without them we are still in our sins and are to be pitied above all men (1 Corinthians 15:12-18)

Blessed

As I sat in my living room this morning, eating my cheesy eggs, I was struck by how blessed I am. Even in the midst of a move, with so many things in boxes, I was still surrounded by "things." God has been good! As my thoughts moved further, I realized my dog was peacefully at rest in his crate, bothering me not at all! What a blessing! My cat was playfully batting around a paper clip, providing much entertainment. How blessed! My wife was quietly asleep, nurturing our little one even then. Delightfully blessed!

God is good, and it's amazing how well a sunny day on a crisp morning has reminded me of that. With all of life's trials, and the swirling confusion about me, the sweet serenity that sunlight and frost lend to my day far outweigh the heavy thoughts on my mind. My outlook brightens, hope sets in, and optimism prevails, as I am reminded, yet again, God is on His throne. He jealously guards His children, as they evidence His glory, and, even in the midst of trial, things are made new and aright. As gold is refined, so are we. As the slumber of winter awakens to spring, so must we. "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed" (John 12:24). God is doing a great work, but growth takes pain. Believe me, I remember; I'm not that far removed from adolescence. So, I'm encouraged, because God is God, and He is good!

How Dare We Fear

Under Islamic law, 9th century Spanish Christians were executed for sharing the Gospel. One such person was Eulogius of Cordova, whose grandfather would cover young Eulogius' ears during the Muslim recitation of prayer, instead reciting a psalm. Learned, Eulogius penned both Exhortation to Martyrdom and The Memorial of the Saints to encourage those condemned to die. Finding himself later in the same predicament, he nonetheless took the opportunity to expound the truths of his faith when on trial. He had been found guilty of protecting a young convert from persecution for her newfound faith. Exhorted to simply "say one word" and "afterwards resume [his] own religion," he instead said it was fitting that he "teach and present the faith of Christ as the way to the celestial kingdom."

Quickly beheaded for fear of hearing anymore, Eulogius had nonetheless made an eternal impact on his world. Even at the news of his execution, Leocritia, the young lady who he had protected, was unswerving in her commitment to Christ. Four days later, she was beheaded. Four days later, she was in the presence of Christ Himself.

A Reality Check

News from Egypt

"I'm in real danger, but I trust God because He is alive. My comfort is that it is only a short time I'm spending here on earth, but there will be a long time that I'll spend with Him. - "Lana," a former Muslim Egyptian

Beaten and abandoned by her family, "Lana" was penniless and with nowhere to live, as her family now considered an infidel, because of her newfound faith. Detained for three days, having her head shaved and leg broken, "Lana" was finally returned back to her family, who responded by abandoning her again.

News from Morocco

Through the Internet, "Majdy" came to know the Lord, through the Christian witness of a Syrian girl who pointed out to him that, of all the 100 names for God in Islam, none refers to Him as "Love." Struck by that, "Majdy" accepted Christ, no longer attending mosque or reciting Koranic prayers. Hiding for fear of his life from his father, "Majdy" prays for his family, convinced they will see the light of the Gospel.

News from Algeria

Strumming his guitar and singing Christian hymns, "Hazim" shares the Gospel with any who ask him to stop singing as they travel on the train. On a seven-hour ride, "Hazim" explains that "Muslims have nowhere to escape. They have to listen to me." Already responsible for the planting of six churches, "Hazim" is "fearless and will go anywhere."

Lord, may we be. May we Rescue the Perishing.

The Truth About Prayer

Prayer malfunctions in the hands of Christians when we seek selfish desires instead of fruit-bearing in the mission of advancing the Gospel. John 15:7 tells us that if the words of Jesus abide in us, we will pray with power and effectiveness, both for our good and God’s glory. Four truths about prayer come from meditating on this Scripture in its wider context.

Fruit Bearing
God designed prayer to give His disciples the joy of bearing fruit while God Himself gets the glory. Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:7-8).In verse 16. Jesus says to His disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give to you.”
The logical connection between the two parts of this verse is important. Jesus says, in effect, “I have given you a fruit-bearing mission in order that your prayers might be answered! ”You would expect His words to be just the reverse: God will give you what you ask in order that you might have a fruit-bearing mission. But Jesus says it the other way around: I give you a fruit-bearing mission in order that the Father might answer your prayers. The point: Prayer malfunctions when it is not used in fruit-bearing. Therefore, since I want you to pray and to get answers to your prayers, I chose you and I appointed you to go and bear fruit. If you are not devoted to fruit-bearing, you have no warrant for expecting answers to prayer.

Kingdom Desires
Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” And what could be more natural than the desire to eat? There are dozens of instances in the Bible of people praying for desires—for protection from enemies, escape from danger, success in vocation, fertility in marriage, recovery from sickness. It’s not that those desires are wrong, but they should always be subordinate to spiritual desires; Kingdom desires; fruit-bearing desires; Gospel-spreading, God-centered desires; Christ-exalting, God-glorifying desires. And when our natural desires are felt as a means to these greater desires, then they become the proper subject of prayer. Just before Jesus said to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” He said, “Make it your heart’s desire that God would hallow His name and that the Kingdom would come and that the will of God would be done on earth.” When your heart is caught up with these great desires, then having something to eat is not merely a natural desire, but a means to some great God-centered end. And then it is the proper subject of prayer.

Used for His Ends
If prayer is not for gratifying natural desires but for bearing fruit for God, the major challenge of prayer is to become the kind of people who are not dominated by natural desires, the kind of people who do not use God for their own ends but are utterly devoted to being used for His ends.
This is why Jesus says, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.” The words of Jesus abiding in us make us those kind of people.
Here are a few examples that show this in John’s writings:
In 1 John 1:10 he says, “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” If the words of Jesus were abiding in us, we would have known ourselves better—that we have sinned. The words of Jesus abiding in us is the key to a true and humble assessment of ourselves that keeps us in line with God’s purposes.
In 1 John 2:14 John says, “I write to you, young men, because … the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” So the words of Jesus abiding in us triumph over Satan and free us from the deceptions that would put us at odds with God and make natural desires dominate our lives.
In John 14:24 Jesus says, “Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.” So if we keep the words of Jesus—if they abide in us—they will define for us the path of love, precisely the path where prayer was designed to bear fruit.
The abiding Word of Jesus puts us in tune with the fruit-bearing purposes of God to glorify Himself.

Saturated by His Words
So the fourth and final truth about prayer is that the more we are saturated by the words of Jesus, the more our prayers will be answered.
The challenge of prayer in the year ahead is the challenge to become the kind of people who do not live at the level of mere natural desire, but who live to bear fruit for God—to hallow His Name, seek His Kingdom and do His will.
The key to becoming that kind of person is letting the words of Jesus—the Word of God (John 3:34, 14:10, 17:8) —abide in us. Being filled and saturated by the words of Scripture brings us so close to the mind of God that we pray in tune with His purposes and receive whatever we ask.

John Piper is pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minn.
All Scripture quotations are taken by permission from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Adapted from the sermon “Ask Whatever You Wish.” ©John Piper
from the January 2008 issue of “Decision” magazine