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)

Stewardship of Souls - Consider Your Own

I really enjoyed Kevin’s sermon on Sunday on the Stewardship of Souls. It was both convicting and encouraging. Afterwards, Molly (my wife) and I were talking for a while on the application and impact of such thoughts. If you were in attendance, you will remember a couple of points he made that I have been pondering on a bit lately: we don’t really care about lost souls the way we should, and a person must understand their sin before they can understand God’s love.

I simply want to emphasize the importance of these two points. First, we must really understand our sin before we understand God’s love. Everyone knows John 3:16, “God loved the world in this way; He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” Consider also Romans 5:8, “God showed His love toward is, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” And look at 1 John 3:16a and 1 John 4:9, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us”; “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.” Our love has nothing to do with God liking something so much in us that He just had to do something to help us. He loves us because He is love, despite the fact that we are the complete opposite. We have done nothing in our lives to merit His attention, yet he pours His grace on us by the second. Scripture says that He doesn't show His love by giving us a warm fuzzy feeling or by giving us better lives now, but He showed His love for us by dying on the cross in our place, rising from the dead, and offering us eternal life in His presence if we turn from our sin and trust in His sacrifice for righteousness.

The more you understand how desperately wicked your heart is, the more you will praise God for saving you despite your heart. My brother once told me he is uncomfortable at churches where people hold their hands up in the air while they sing with their eyes closed. He said he thinks it’s weird and doesn’t understand why they do it. I told him that many of those people are so full of joy because they have been redeemed so much. I said to him that these are people who know they deserve eternal punishment for their sin, but instead have been given eternal life, and they are exceedingly joyful. He didn’t think his sin was that bad (if we are honest we must all admit we don’t see our sin as God does), so he had no reason to see how wonderful God’s love is.

Many people today misunderstand the love of God (shown in much of contemporary Christian music), and believe that God sees some great potential in us and He wants to give us a hug to make us feel better. While the love of God does give us joy, it doesn’t solve all problems in this life (Jesus actually promised that it will cause division and bring persecution) and our immediate happiness isn't the reason Christ died for us. We must understand that when Scripture speaks of the love of God, it always refers to sending a Savior to people who don’t deserve it (who actually deserve the condemnation they stand under).

This I believe is the root of why we don’t care about lost souls enough to be more faithful in reaching them with the gospel. We don’t see our own sin as so evil and wicked that it angers God, that it deserves a just punishment of hell. We aren’t weeping over the sin in our own lives, so why would we care about the sin in other peoples lives. We should see how sin has dismantled God’s creation and have great sorrow, causing us to reach out to sinners in pity. They (as we once were) are in bondage to sin and sit under the wrath of God. All they know how to do is sin and they are so blind to it they don’t want to know how to get out of it. This should move our hearts (if not our eyes) to tears and our feet to action.

Listen to this testimony from a man named Paul Washer. Listen to him weep as he agnoizes over his sin and praises God for saving him from it.

He weeps over his sin because he knows how much God saved him from it. He gives God all the glory for pulling him from the wreck that was called his life. Is your testimony like this? When you tell others about what Christ did to you, do you tell them about the wickedness that God saved you from? Do you tell them Christ transformed you and made you a new creature that desires holiness and righteousness? Is your testimony about the love of Christ changing your sinful heart or about some guy named Jesus who makes your life more fun?

When you look at your life, do you see it as littered with sin that offends an infinite, holy God. Maybe you prayed a prayer and admitted, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” but do you know that your lies deserve punishment. Your lustful thoughts are adultery and deserve hell. Thoughts of hate are seen by God as murder. When you say, “Well I don’t think God is that way. I think God is this way,” you are making an idol in your mind. Sure we may say that we understand that the Bible says we are sinners, but do we truly believe it? Do you hate sin? Is it an ugly stain on your soul that tears you apart inside knowing that it offends God?

Why aren’t we better at evangelism? Because we don’t hate our own sin enough and we don’t weep over others who are caught in sin. May God make us weep over our own sin and make us humble in our evangelism because we recognize how much we have been saved from the wickedness of our own hearts.

Standing in the Presence of God

Imagine you are out for a stroll through the park. The sun is shining, warming your skin to the perfect comfort. The leaves are rustling in the slight breeze. You notice the birds in the branches singing their songs and the squirrels chattering at you as you disrupt their hunt for acorns. The many colors of the leaves, grass, flowers, and birds blend together more perfectly than a rainbow. You can’t help but be thankful to God for providing such a beautiful place to enjoy His creation.

Then He suddenly appears face to face with you. When you think of God’s character, what attributes come to mind? What would you do when confronted by Him? What would you say? How you answer the questions will give you some insight into how highly you think of God and of yourself. A proper understanding of God’s Holiness and your own sinfulness drives you closer to the Savior and deeper into your calling.

The word holy is very difficult to define. Literally, it means to be separate. In Bible study, we once talked about what it means to be consecrated and we discussed it as being set aside for specific use. When we are saved, God makes us holy, cleansing us and making us different from the world to be used for His glory. Holiness encompasses all that is God: His purity, righteousness, goodness, love, and sovereignty. The depths of God’s holiness are so great that I could never cover them in such a short piece like this. I only want to mention a couple interesting points about the holiness of God and discuss how a few people in scripture react to His holiness (for deeper study on holiness check out The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul, Holiness by J.C. Ryle, and The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges).

Exodus 33:12-23 gives us a glimpse into the relationship of God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness. God is talking to Moses on the mount explaining His commands for Moses to lead Israel and Moses asks God to let him see His face. God tells Him that it cannot be done, because nobody can see the face of God and live. God is so holy, and we are so sinful, that we would be consumed faster than a dry leaf on the surface of the sun. He tells Moses to hide in a crack in a rock while He passes by and will allow Moses to see His back but not look upon His face.

In Hebrew language, when you want to place emphasis on something you are saying, you say it repeatedly. Jesus often said to those he taught, “Truly, truly” or “Verily, verily.” He was telling His listeners that what he was saying is extremely important. A few times scripture expresses the importance of something to the third degree, emphasizing its supreme importance. In Revelation 8:13 the angel calls three “woes” upon the inhabitants of the earth. Jeremiah (7:4) addresses the hypocrisy of the people by saying “This is the temple of the LORD” three times. Only one of God’s attributes is raised to the third degree. You would think that listening to today’s Christian music or many popular Christian messages that it would say God is “love, love, love.” Isaiah shares his vision of God (chapter 6) and says the angels surrounding Him were saying, “holy, holy, holy.” God isn’t simply holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy.

Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah records his experience of seeing God sitting on His throne and then his response to such a revelation. He didn’t say, “Oh boy, I feel so comforted in the presence of God.” Or, “I feel such an overwhelming joy in your presence Lord.” Isaiah cried out, “Woe to me. I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips and live with people of unclean lips and I have seen God.” He was immediately aware of his utter sinfulness and knowing what God told Moses about seeing God and living knew that he should die. Isaiah called a curse upon himself and said he was “undone,” or “coming apart at the seams.”

Mark 4:35-41 (Luke 8:22-25)
Consider the story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. The disciples were afraid their boat was going to sink and they would die, but Jesus was sound asleep. They were extremely frightened and they woke Jesus up to help. Jesus didn’t respond to them at all but simply commanded the sea to be calm. Even though Jesus controlled the sea miraculously, the most surprising part of the story is the reaction of the disciples; “They were terrified…” Their lives were spared. Their boat sat still. The sun was shining. No wind. Birds chirping. And they were terrified! They knew at once they were in the presence of the holy God.

Luke 5:1-8
Finally, look at the story of Jesus taking Peter off shore and telling him to drop his net in the water. Peter complains, saying he has been fishing all day and night and hasn’t caught a thing, but despite not being able to understand, he obeys anyway (another great sermon in here). They ended up catching so many fish that when other boats came to help they all began to sink.

In a book I just read and reviewed, the author explains that knowing the fear of God prevents us from being casual about sin and that it actually encourages us to flee to Him for holiness. These men knew that the Person who was in their presence knew every intimate detail about them. There was no hiding, no running, and no making excuses for their sins. There was nothing they could do but be terrified and hope for mercy. This is a proper reaction to the presence of God. Part of us should fear God for we are unclean and He is righteous; another part runs to His holiness for we know we must be holy and only he can grant that to us.

The good news, however, is that God did not leave these men in their condition. An angel came to Isaiah with a hot coal and purified his lips. Ultimately, Christ died on the cross and was raised from the dead so that we could be made holy and righteous. Though we are sinful and unclean, He cleanses us from our unrighteousness, then calls us to obedience. There is a pattern in of these stories (as well as our stories), it starts with brokenness and ends in a mission. If you have been broken over your own sins, repented and trusted in Christ, you have been called to serve Him.

Now the trick is deciding what He wants you to do.

Finding Relevance

I have been hearing a lot lately of the church needing to be more “relevant” in sharing the gospel with the world. I think I understand that the sentiment is coming from the idea that people are just sitting around in their churches enjoying their pot lucks and not trying to share the gospel with other people they normally wouldn’t come across. I would partially agree with this thought, but it seems like it is becoming more of a mantra than a legitimate concern. Trust me, although I love to digest the meat of God’s Word, and hear verse-by-verse sermons, and enjoy reading books on doctrine and church history, I have a passion for obeying the Great Commission. I am a leader in my church’s evangelism efforts and have spent time on the streets “meeting people where they are at” to try and share the gospel. However, I have a couple of concerns about this push to be “relevant.”

My first issue is that the gospel is already relevant to every culture. There is no need to make any adjustments for the listener beyond speaking in the same language as they do; and as far as I can tell, the majority in the United States already knows English.

This video clip from a John Piper sermon explains better the point I am trying to make. We were all born sinners who offend God with everything we do, but God came to earth as a human to redeem us from our fallen condition by dying on the cross and rising from the grave. How is that not already relevant? Everyone in every culture is a sinner. Everyone in every culture can be saved.

Another thing that caught my attention with the push for relevancy is the language calling us to “change lives” or “have an impact on the culture.” We aren’t called simply to do these things, but to faithfully preach the Word of God and be living proof of transformation by God’s Holy Spirit, which as a result by God’s blessing will change lives and cultures. Noah preached for a hundred years and didn’t have any positive impact on the culture. Not one person responded positively to his preaching; but he was faithful. Many of the Old Testament prophets lost more followers because of their faithful preaching than they gained. Stephen wasn’t fortunate enough to see lives changed by his preaching when he was stoned to death from his refusal to preach the hard truth to a stiff-necked people. It doesn’t matter how “relevant” you are, there will always be hard-hearted people who hate you because of the message you carry.

My last concern is that in an effort to be relevant, we accommodate the culture more than expecting them to have their minds transformed. The church, instead of being a place of worship for people from every culture, becomes an evangelism tool focused on a sub-culture. We have “relevant music” that the target audience will be comfortable with. We preach “relevant sermons” that sound like self-help guides on how to love Jesus but still be cool. Our first goal of sermons should be to understand what is says, to whom it was written, why it was written, who wrote it, and how it compares to other scriptures. Our last step should be how it applies to my life, but the trend to be relevant seems to put the life application first in the steps of biblical interpretation. If we want to see lives changed, we need to preach God’s coming kingdom an alternative to the culture, not something to be added to an existing lifestyle.

How do we reach the culture with the message of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ? Go to work, meet some people, and tell them about Jesus as you evidence your faith by being a kind, dedicated employee. Go to the gym, meet some people, and tell them about Jesus as you evidence your faith by controlling your pride in taking part in a delightful competition. Go to the mall, meet some people, and tell them about Jesus as you evidence your faith by displaying your commitment to modesty and purity in the things you purchase. Go to the homeless shelter, meet some people, and tell them about Jesus as you evidence your faith by sacrificing your time and money to help a person in need. Go to your family gatherings, and tell them about Jesus as you evidence your faith by your love for them, joy in all situations, peace in your difficulties, patience through trials, gentleness with the truth, goodness in your deeds, faith in His promises, meekness in sharing, and self-control. We make too much of culture differences. There have always been separate sub-cultures, and the beauty of God’s Word is that it applies to all nations. So let’s get out there and share it with them.

I don’t mean to come across as overly critical or hateful in any manner. This is not an attack on anyone, but more of a plea for right understanding and right motives, and a request for guidance in my efforts. I have a passion for both a deep understanding of God’s Word and a desire to share Christ’s transformation of my life with everyone I have met and will meet; and I fall short on both of them way too often. As a newer believer (~4 years) I know I have a lot of growing to do and am willing to accept correction from wherever it may come, and I simply want to make sure my efforts and those of my own church are grounded in Scripture and solely for God’s glory. Please share with me any misunderstandings I may have presented or ideas we can use to be more effective at preaching the Word to a lost world and teaching new believers how to grow in Christ. Soli Deo Gloria!

Where is God in Catastrophe?

This is the question we discussed in our Young Adult Tuesday night Bible Study. I will post the notes when I get them in a computer format. For now, check out these links:

This is John Piper's response to the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Splendid! Consider how much your sin offends God and you will praise Him for His mercy.

Listen to the first hour of this radio show. Todd (the host) visits the U of M and asks students where God was during the collapse. He also discusses God's sovereignty over calamitous events with Mark Dever.

[Update] Sorry these are late, here are a few notes from our study together.
Have you pondered how much your sin angers God, yet because of His Son, you are given life anyway?

Romans 8:28 God works all things together...
He uses "tragedy" to bring about his purposes. He teaches us about the seriousness of sin, the fragility of life, His control over His creation, our helplessness in the world.

Four words in the Luke passage to consider:
Ye - Jesus isn't talking to one person but all people
repent - turn away from your sin, admitting that underneath you are corrupt, laying your sin on Christ, trusting your life to Him, hoping in His promises for the future.
likewise - death will sneak up on you and you will be surprised
perish - the context can't mean that we will simply die, or that we will die from a tower falling on us. Christ seems to be suggesting final judgment (reference John 3:16)

Because God is holy and righteous, it is good for Him to punish our sin. We see catastrophes as tragic, God sees it as right. It is only because of His mercy and grace that we get to take another breath. The amazing thing about these events is not that sinners died, but that the rest of us sinners, by God's mercy, are allowed to live.

After recognizing this great truth of the seriousness of sin and God's great mercy, it should drive us to our knees for God's salvation to come to more sinners.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!...

‘Twas grace that caused my heart to fear,
and grace my fears reliev’d…

Amazing Grace, written in the 1770’s by an Englishman named John Newton, is one of the most recognized hymns in our society. It is played in movies, at memorials and funerals, and often shows up in a worship service. Most people know the tune and can sing a few words, but how many actually consider the depth of one of the greatest Christian songs of all time?

John Newton converted to Christianity after living the life of a slave trader. Upon realizing that his life was led in rebellion to God, and God offered him salvation despite his wickedness, Newton became a Christian and wrote the beautiful lyrics to this hymn, expressing his hatred of his old self and gratitude to his Savior. Because of the songs patent themes of redemption and freedom, it has even become a song of hope for non-Christians throughout the world.

The thing that amazes me most about the hymn is how many people today wouldn’t even describe themselves with the words they so blindly sing. What is this grace and what is so amazing about it? Does it make any sense to use this song in the way it has been applied so often?

In today’s Christianity, there is a popular trend to overemphasize and misunderstand the love of God. Listen to much of contemporary music produced by Christians and you will be flooded with stories of being in love with God, and God holding you close in His arms. The message seems to be that God will fill your greatest desires, whisper sweet things to you when your down, and is anxiously awaiting your arrival in Heaven. But Jesus in not a lovesick boyfriend waiting for you to accept Him so He can hug you. God is infinitely grander than the emotional butterflies we get from being smitten by the thought of another person. Do a quick study of the words “God loved” in the New Testament and you will find a very different picture of what God’s love for us entails (John 3:16, John 15:12,13, Romans 5:8, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:3-5, Ephesians 5:2, 1 John 4:10). Every mention of God’s love for humans is in reference to the cross. This is the first step in understanding how Amazing the Grace is.

Look at the second line of the hymn Amazing Grace; “That saved a wretch like me.” How many people who have sung these words would actually consider themselves to be wretched? Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Would you agree with God’s assessment of your heart? Consider the fact that he knows every thought, and secret desire you have ever had. He sees every deed that you have done when you thought nobody was watching. God views lust as adultery, hatred as murder, and careless use of His holy name as a damnable offense. Before you are converted, everything you do (even those that appear to be good) is offensive to God (Isaiah 64:6), because it isn’t done for His glory. This is the way John Newton finally saw his own heart, and until you see this in your heart and come to the end of yourself looking for mercy, you won’t understand your need for God’s grace.

According to Scripture, God does not love us because we are lovable (because we’re not). God does not love us because we look sad and need a warm-fuzzy to brighten our day. 1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.” His character is so full of love that He pours out goodness on us even though we deserve His wrath so that He can be praised for eternity for being so kind to us. And the way He showed us He loves us is by the cross. Sending Jesus to live a perfect life, and die on the cross to pay the punishment for our sins and admitting wicked, wretched people like us into Heaven based on His perfection is the demonstration of His love. This is how John Newton understood God’s love and explains why His Grace is so Amazing.