A Decapitated Jesus

Just when you thought that the marketing gimmicks and Bible-altering-pervasity hit a new low with the “Green Bible,” enter: The Personal Promise Bible.

They ask,

Have you ever inserted your name as you read the Bible to make it more personal? Now you can experience the reality of God’s love and promises in a way you never thought possible. In the Personal Promise Bible, you will read your first name personalized in over 5,000 places throughout the New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs, over 7,000 places throughout the complete Old and New Testaments.

The example they provide is the following:

By which He has granted to John His precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these John may become a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. (2 Pet. 1:4)

One will see immediate problems with such a project, such as:

1. Textual: The “us” and “you” pronouns in 2 Peter 1:4 are plural in the Greek, not singular.
2. Ecclesiological:  This radical emphasis on individuality weakens one’s understanding of the corporate reality of the church for the following reasons:
   1. As indicated in the textual problem, most letters address the church body, not the individual. Further, these letters were to be read within the context of corporate worship. Concerning the corporate and covenantal nature of Scripture, OT Scholar Bruce Waltke comments, “…these texts are for the people with whom God has bound himself in a continuous covenant relationship. As his covenant people in this generation, these texts are addressed to us, the Israel of God. In our spiritual response to the text, we participate in God’s covenant as written in the text” (Bruce Waltke, An Old Testament Theology, 86).
   2. This project “individualizes” the individual so much that it creates a radical ego-centric hermeneutic, making everything about “me.”
   3. An ego-centrical hermeneutic, therefore, creates a “just Jesus and me” mentality, longing for a decapitated Jesus without His body (the church).

HT: Challies

The Reformed Pastor – Quoteables (Part 1)

I’ve been working through Richard Baxter’s The Reformed Pastor, and it is excellent. This book is absolutely a must read for any one in pastoral or anyone pursuing pastoral ministry.

Many of today’s contemporary and popular books on pastoral ministry jump right into techniques and gimmicks that resemble that of a CEO than a minister of the word of God. Instead of beginning with techniques, advice, or strategies, consider how Baxter begins his work. The first chapter is titled, “The Oversight of ourselves,” and Baxter begins by urging ministers to examine themselves to make sure that they are truly converted! Consider how he begins his book:

See that the work of saving grace be thoroughly wrought in your own souls. Take heed to yourselves, lest you be void of that saving grace of God which you offer to others, and be strangers to the effectual working of that gospel which you preach; and lest, while you proclaim to the world the necessity of a Savior, your own hearts should neglect him, and you should miss of an interest in him and his saving benefits. Take heed to yourselves, lest you perish, while you call upon others to take heed of perishing; and lest you famish yourselves while you prepare food for them…Many have warned others that they come not to that place of torment, while yet they hastened to it themselves: many a preacher is now in hell, who hath a hundred times called upon his hearers to use the utmost care and diligence to escape it (53).

What a weighty reminder and call for self-examination that preachers are not indicting and condemning themselves!:

Doth it not make you tremble when you open the Bible, lest you should there read the sentence of your own condemnation? When you pen your sermons, little do you think that you are drawing up indictments against your own souls! O miserable life! that a man should study and preach against himself, and spend his days in a course of self-condemnation (54)!

O, how many pulpits today that are filled by unconverted preachers!

Camel Knees

It was said of James, the brother of Jesus, that he prayed so frequently and fervently that his knees became calloused like that of camels. O, how often the skin on our knees resemble that of new born infants than of camels!

The Trinity & Ministry

3 John 9-10
I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

I am working with the argument provided by Herman Bavinck, viz. that “…every error results from, or upon deeper reflection is traceable to, a departure in the doctrine of the Trinity” (Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 2, God and Creation, 2:288), to show that the Trinity is the axiom for every belief and practice in life. And any false belief, practice, and sin can ultimately be traced back in some way to a denial of the Biblical understanding of the Triune God.

In the opening post, we explored how complementarianism is not only Biblical but also whole-heartedly Trinitarian, because of the authority-submission structure that exists between the persons and their respective relationships within the Trinity. We saw that the egalitarian quest for equal ultimacy in roles and relationships is not only radically unbiblical with regards to men and women; it is blatantly anti-Trinitarian for ultimately denying the subordination of the Son to the Father within their relationship.

We now turn to see the Trinity worked out and applied within the context of ministry. As we look at the text from 3 John, we see that the church leader Diotrephes is a lover of first place, hoarding all the glory and fame for himself. He refuses to acknowledge others in authority. He refuses to welcome others. He is driven by the inward impulse for personal glory and recognition. Do we not see this same kind of attitude in our churches today? A senior pastor refuses to allow his assistant pastor start a Sunday evening service for fear that the congregation will like the assistant pastor’s preaching more than the senior pastor’s preaching on Sunday mornings. Adult Sunday school teachers feel threatened by one another, and therefore, competition begins to see who has more attendees in his class. Those older in ministry feel threatened by the young and upcoming ministers. Others observe another’s gifts and becomes envious and jealous, or become insecure about one’s job security. Honor is hoarded and consumed, and stolen from others.

These few examples are all symptoms of a radically unbiblical understanding of the Trinity. For, we see the exact opposite between the persons in the Godhead. There is no hoarding of honor and glory between the persons. Rather, there is an eternal and perpetual deflection of glory back and forth between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let me see if I can illustrate this concept. If you have ever worked out at a gym or tried on a suit or dress in dressing room in a department store, you may have come across a phenomenon when you stand with a mirror in front of you and a mirror behind you. If you look at the mirror in front of you, you will see the mirror behind you. And if you look at this reflection of the mirror behind you, you will notice that the mirror in the reflection reflects back and allows you to see the mirror in front you. And so the two mirrors reflect one another back and forth, and it looks like you are looking down an infinite corridor of mirrors reflecting one another. This is how it is within the Trinity. The Father points us to the Son and says, “Look at my Son! My beloved Son! He is Lord!” And yet the Son points us back to the Father, exclaiming, “Give glory to my Father! My beloved Father who is Lord over all things!” Jesus sends us the Spirit. The Spirit who is our Comforter and the Author of the Scriptures, opens our eyes and minds, pointing us to Jesus, saying, “Look at Jesus! Isn’t He glorious?! Worship Him!”

We see this reality in the following Scriptures:

Philippians 2:5-11
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In this passage, Christ humbles Himself, deflecting glory from Himself. The Father then raises and exalts Christ, glorifying Him. Yet at the conclusion of this passage, we see that Jesus, who is confessed as Lord, deflects and directs glory back to the Father.

We see this same reciprocal glorification in John’s Gospel:

John 8:50, 54
Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge…Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me…

John 11:4
But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

John 12:23, 28
And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified…Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

John 16:14-15
He [the Holy Spirit] will glorify me [Jesus], for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

John 17:1, 4-5
Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Imagine what ministry would look like today if our understanding of honor was deeply entrenched in how the Trinity honors and glorifies one another!

The Trinity & Egalitarianism

Now in the confession of the Trinity we hear the heartbeat of the Christian religion: every error results from, or upon deeper reflection is traceable to, a departure in the doctrine of the Trinity (Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 2, God and Creation, 2:288).

What a remarkable and fascinating statement penned by Herman Bavinck! Though it may be an overstatement in some ways, I think he is right. Any doctrinal or ecclesiastical issue can ultimately be traced back to an unbiblical and unorthodox understanding of the persons, roles, and relationships between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

One example of theological and practical error seen today in the home and the church is the practice of egalitarianism in church roles and marriages. Many vehemently oppose the idea that women are subordinate to men concerning roles in the church and in marriage. The argument is that if women are subordinate in roles, if women are to be submissive to their husbands and church leadership, then men are superior to women as human persons. Yet, they argue that because the Bible says that men are not superior humans to women, then all roles should be equal! And so we see women usurping roles within the church that have been ordained by God to be fulfilled by men alone (e.g.- elder), and we see women refusing to be submissive within their marriage to their husbands.

Yet, this isn’t a cultural reaction and issue as much as it is a blatant rejection of the Biblical and orthodox understanding of the Trinity! Egalitarianism is a perfect example of Bavinck’s summation mentioned above. The fruit of egalitarianism can be traced back to the root of rejecting the orthodox understanding of the Triune God. For, we see time and time again from the Scriptures that though the Father, Son, and Spirit are all the same in substance and equal in power and glory (WSC, 6), the Son is subordinate to the Father in their roles and relationships.

We see this reality, for example, in the following verses:

1 Corinthians 15:25-28:

For he [Christ] must reign until he [God] has put all his enemies under his [Christ] feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God [the Father] has put all things in subjection under his [Christ's] feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he [God] is excepted who put all things in subjection under him [Christ]. When all things are subjected to him [Christ], then the Son himself will also be subjected to him [God] who put all things in subjection under him [Christ], that God may be all in all.

John 5:19, 26-27, 30

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise…For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man…“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 17:4

I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.

Therefore, Egalitarianism should not be seen as a secondary issue, because it strikes at the locus of the Christian confession by holding to a radically unbiblical understanding of the Trinity!

The Semi-Pelagian Narrower Catechism

If you thought the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) and the Larger (WLC) and Shorter Catechisms (WSC) are excellent summaries of Christian doctrine and practice, you’ve seen nothing yet.

Enter: The Semi-Pelagian Narrower Catechism (SPNC). This is absolutely hilarious. Here’s a little snippet:

9. Q: What is the assurance of thy salvation?
A: The assurance of thy salvation is, that I know the date on which I prayed the Sinner’s Prayer, and have duly written this date on an official Decision card.

Read the rest here.

Library Update: Systematic Theology

Scroll to the bottom of the Library page and you’ll see that I have added both classic and modern systematic theologies.

Expositors’ Conference 2009

Christ Fellowship Baptist Church has just posted the audio and video files from the 2009 Expositors’ Conference with Steve Lawson and Joel Beeke.

The Shopping Mall Church

“Okay, kids, here’s mom’s cell phone. Call us if you need anything, but let’s plan on meeting outside the front door in three hours. See you then!”

I am sure you have heard of this scenario before. The family goes to the shopping mall together, and when they get there, the parents and kids split up and do their own thing. Later, they meet up and go home.

Sadly, however, this scenario is a reality in most churches today in the U.S., even Reformed churches (which betrays everything “covenantal” in one’s theology). When the family attends church, it is more like an outing at the local shopping mall than it is worshipping the Triune God as a family. The family shows up at the church, and drops their kids off at the various age segregated destinations, picking them up hours later. Some churches have children and teens miss the entire corporate worship service, or if the children are a part of the corporate worship service, in many cases, they are dismissed before the sermon begins to attend a children’s service.

Why is this? Here are a few thoughts.

1. Children are seen as a nuisance and annoyance in the service. This is more in line with what our society says about children than what the Bible says.
2. Parents do not discipline their children, teaching them to sit still and listen during the service. Further, nursery and children’s church allow the parents to drop their kids off, avoiding discipline and instruction during the service.
3. It is argued that children cannot understand what is being said or preached. This argument limits what the Spirit can and cannot do in the hearts of the hearers. Further, it is the preacher’s responsibility to speak plainly, so even the most simple can understand. Further, it is the father’s responsibility ultimately to take the sermon content after the sermon and instruct his children.
4. Children are being brought up as “entertainment junkies.” If it it’s not fun and entertaining, it’s boring.

I’m sure my words cut across the grain of the standard today, but can anyone provide me a Scriptural example where children are not a part of the corporate service? Because in both the OT and the NT, I see children always present in worship and the reading and preaching of the Scriptures.

I fear that our churches today are more concerned about being pragmatic (let’s do what works) than being Biblical.

Thoughts? Objections?

Violent Devotion

Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

As I was reading the first two verses of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) in Hebrew yesterday morning, I was struck by the last word used in verse 5. The following is the Hebrew with my literal translation underneath:

וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ

“You shall love YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your very/exceedingly.”

What struck me about this word, מְאֹדֶֽךָ (me’od) is that it is almost always used as an adverb to qualify an adjective. For example, in Genesis 1:31, Moses writes, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very (me’od) good.” Yet, here we see this word being used as a noun: …with all your very/exceedingly.

BDB (Brown-Driver-Briggs’ A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the OT) offers some definitions for this idiomatic use: muchness, force, abundance, exceedingly, might. TWOT (Theological Workbook of the OT) likewise comments: “They [heart, soul, and 'might'] were chosen to reinforce the absolute singularity of personal devotion to God…me’od accents the superlative degree of total commitment to Yahweh. The NT struggles to express the depth of the word me’od at this spot. In the quotation in Mk 12:30 it is rendered “mind and strength,” in Lk 10:27 it is “strength and mind,” in Mt 22:37 simply “mind.”

Are we not reminded of this kind of violent devotion and pursuit of the Lord from the Gospels and Paul?

Matthew 11:12
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

Luke 13:24
Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

Luke 16:16
The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.

Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Do you think of your pursuit of God with these kinds of words: taking the kingdom by force, forcing your way in, striving to enter, pressing on, and straining forward? Is your Christian life characterized by these words?

You see, we must be violent in our devotion to Christ. We must be violent against sin and anything that seeks to steal and supplant our affections for Christ. We must be violent in confessing and repenting of our sin and constantly putting our faith in Christ. With all vigilance we must strive to enter by the narrow gate, because Jesus tells us in the passage above that some will try to enter and will not be able to. We must pursue total commitment to Yahweh by loving Him with all strength and might and we do this by following, obeying, and delighting in His law and commandments (cf. Psalm 119). With vigor and force, we must renounce all ungodliness in our lives, and violently pursue holiness, for the author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 12:14: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

This is beginning to get at what it means to love Yahweh “with all your exceedingly.”

You see, one can recite Deuteronomy 6:4 and have a very Biblical and orthodox belief concerning God (just like the demons, cf. James 2:19), but at the end of the day, if Deuteronomy 6:5 is not a reality, if holiness is seen as optional, if pursuing Christ with every fiber of your being is extra or additional, if renouncing wickedness and ungodliness is not a priority, then perhaps while everyone is forcing their way into the kingdom, you are simply sitting back and relaxing, thinking, “Oh, there will always be room for one more later. I’ll try later when it’s not so busy.” Yet, it will always be crowded and busy, and the time will come when there is no longer time to force your way in.

Then what will you do?