Palm Sunday preperation

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" - John 12.13

It's Palm Sunday tomorrow. The day our Savior was welcomed with the honor of a king by the same people who would in a week crucify him as a thief. What it must have been like for Christ to look over these people and see their fickle allegiance. As I thought about this, it became clear that all the glory that was bestowed upon Him on this day (and more) was indeed due Him. I began to consider that these people praised Him because they thought He would deliver them from their oppressors, establish a Kingdom, and make them a nation. They had no idea the expanse of His kingdom, the type of salvation and liberation He offered! We find ourselves as adopted children, grafted into the inheritance that was promised by from the coming of Christ. We have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and we benefit completely from his Kingship and his deliverance from our sins! We have received so much more than the Jews thought they would receive, and how reluctant we are to praise Him. How often do we sing praises to Him and glorify his name? This Palm Sunday, let us praise our King, our Deliverer, our Savior. Let our thanks not grow cold. God, keep us from mocking and hating your Son, keep us glorifying You in our joy!

Lewis On Joy

This C.S. Lewis quote I have seen mentioned by John Piper on a few occasions, and I think it is worth reading and careful pondering.

If there lurks in modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Come so far to fall so short.

This past weekend, something happened. Right before I drove to Claremont to go visit friends at Harvey Mudd, I stopped by Albertsons to get something. When I walked toward the store from the parking lot, a lady stopped me and asked if she could wash my windshield for some money. I paused and gave her some money and told here there was no need to wash the windshield. As I talked to her some more, her voice was very hoarse and she said that she was feeling ill and didn't know what type of medicine she should get. I told her to wait there and went in to buy her a few dayquil and nyquil (since I thought she could use some sleep, but might need both). So I gave it to her and said "God bless" as I walked away. I felt decent about what I had done, especially since I have been harping on helping the needy recently, but then as if running into a wall I felt guilty. Here I was with this woman and sure I helped her physical needs, but I had her engaged in conversation and I let a prime time to share the gospel slip through my fingers. I almost started to cry as I continued to drive. I had become in that moment exactly what I preach against, a person who ends God's love with doing good for people's physical needs and doesn't meet spiritual needs. This hit me as a load of bricks, and I became very depressed. I talked with a friend over the course of the weekend about the matter, and I began to realize my progression, a good progression. A few years back I wouldn't have even helped the lady. Slowly I started to give help to the poor in various ways, but neglected to even mention God. Then I started to tack on "God bless" because I felt convicted about the shame I had at being a public Christian and wanted to bring God to the forefront. This is the place I was at until recently. Do good deeds and make sure God is associated with them. But this isn't far enough. I've discussed in an earlier (myspace) blog about how it's a tragedy to meet someones physical needs and neglect their spiritual, because meeting spiritual needs is a more pressing concern, and physical needs should be a secondly (though important) concern. I began to realize how God has been progressing me, and how at each stage when I feel convicted to go further I feel guilty when I am aware of how I've failed. This is been an odd source of encouragement though after talking to my friend, because I see this as living proof of what Jonathon Edwards wrote in Religious Affections about how when we are more aware of God's grace we are more aware of our sin. The closer you get to God, who has no blemish or defect, the more you see your own sin. Stated negatively, you see how wretched and sinful you are and how far you are still from true holiness. Stated positively, you see how great God's grace is and you see how far you have come in your faith as you recollect on how your struggles have changed.

A break from the silence!

I was hoping to have posted over the weekend in my visit to Harvey Mudd, and I have no excuse other than sleep for the past couple days. However, as I read from R.C. Sproul's "The Character Of God" this past weekend, I came across a quote I quite liked.

There are many things in my life that I do not want to put under the gaze of Christ. Yet I know there is nothing hidden from Him. He knows me better than my wife knows me. And yet He loves me. This is the most amazing thing of all about God's grace. It would be one thing for Him to love us if we could fool Him into thinking that we were better than we actually are. But He knows better. He knows all there is to know about us, including those things that could destroy our reputation. He is minutely and acutely aware of every skeleton in our closet. And He loves us.

...

To be known by God is our highest privilege. The deepest folly of man is to flee from the eye of God. Hiding from God is as foolish as it is futile. There is no adequate hiding place. We can call for the mountains to fall upon us and the hills to cover us. But the eye of God can see through mountains and penetrate the cloak of the hills.

There is only one adequate cloak for our shame -- the righteousness of Christ. Our nakedness and shame are covered by a shield that no guilt can pierce. Our lives are hid from Him. He is our refuge. He who knows the fugitive's crimes gives the fugitive a hiding place.

Sacrifice

What is it in your life that you are being called to lay down at the foot of the cross and give up. Part of the Christian life is sacrifice and no matter how much we are called to give, our Savior gave more. Our Savior, the incomparable Jesus Christ, sacrificed more than the whole of all other men's sacrifices! That is an impressive feat, because we can probably think of people who have sacrificed a lot over the course of their lives. Add up all of those sacrifices and you can't even begin to compare it to the sacrifice Christ made on the cross. Christ didn't just give up His life. He took upon the sin of all His children upon his shoulder and set aside His eternal union with the Father and Spirit to have the wrath of God poured upon Him for our sakes! He did it willfully, and he was pleased to do it! Oh how foolish we are when we look at the trivial things we fight not to lose, and how much we grumble when we're called to sacrifice! If only we had our eyes focused on the eternal things, sacrifice would be trivial, because the joy of losing your earthly pleasures to gain eternal pleasures is unfathomable! But our eyes are focused on our circumstances and not our destiny, our hearts adore temporal things and not eternal things, our passions are for fleshly things and not heavenly things. These indictments are true of us all too often, but thank God for grace, and thank God for His sanctifying work; taking our worthless lives and giving them purpose and value in Jesus Christ. God give us eternal eyes and help us to view sacrifice through Your eyes and cause us to do it joyfully!

Various links for the day...

There's a lot of things I read today that are link worthy, so instead of a blog for each im lumping them into one. First is the article where John Piper describes how he heard the voice of God. I'll admit I was skeptical, but I did give him the benefit of the doubt (since his track record speaks totally God-centered). I was right to do so, because he once again blew my mind with his humility and God-centric thinking! You can read that article here, and on a similar thought Tim Challies had a review on "Prayer And The Voice Of God" that is interesting. One of the greatest things I have read in a few days online was the 3 selections from Justin Taylor's blog on letters of John Newton dealing with controversy. (part 1, part 2, part 3) They're a great source of edification and deep food for thought/self reflection.

Theology that makes a difference.

This is one of many posts to come (or perhaps a large post), but I was thinking today about how Calvinism makes any difference. I recall discussing this with a friend, and his specific question was "what does it matter if there's election or free will? Isn't the outcome the same?" My initial response was true, but not really heavy with purpose. My simple response was "because having correct doctrines and glorifying God for correct things gives Him glory, and He isn't glorified by false doctrine, no matter how 'harmless' they are." I started meditating on things i recollected from various piper books and articles and sermons, and then I realized that there's an amazing benefit to believing in the doctrines of grace! If you believe in election and the effectual call of God then when you evangelize you can have full assurance that no matter how hard their heart is, if God intends to plant a seed of faith to blossom, it will be done and despite the hardness of their heart, and their free will that is indeed hostile to God, if God intends them to be saved, they will be saved! You don't have to beg them, you don't have to sugar coat the gospel and entice them, you preach Christ crucified who died to save a worthless dead people from their sins and was killed on the cross in an act of propitiation to appease the wrath of God for all who believe, and this brutal, offensive, non-seeker friendly gospel becomes the sweetest thing to the most wicked and obstinate person in the world if it is indeed the will of God! For people who cling to the unbridled free will of man in choosing his salvation, you have no assurance that an obstinate person will hear the call of God, you have no assurance that a desperately wicked person will turn from his sinful pleasure at the high cost that is required (deny yourself...pick up your cross...and follow Christ!). For those who believe in ultimate self-determination you have to beg and plead and woo and compromise the blessed gospel possibly to win souls! Calvinists, with their offensive doctrine of election, don't have to because we rely on God's grace, which is stronger than ANY of human will! More as the thoughts continue to digest.

John Piper invited a rapper to perform at Bethlehem Baptist?!?

John Piper had a rapper perform at Bethlehem Baptist and it started quite a firestorm of responses about Christianity and it's compatibility with rap and other forms of hip hop. Curtis "Voice" Allen wrote an article, which is a very good read, in regards to the controversy he was a part of for performing at Piper's Church. The article shows he handled a wide variety of malicious attacks very humbly. If you don't have time to read the entire article, the following quote I found very powerful, and it was a quote that helped him deal with abusive criticism. The article was entitled "The Cross and Criticism," by Alfred Poirer and was found in a 1999 issue of the Journal of Biblical Counseling.

"In light of God's judgment and justification of the sinner in the cross of Christ, we can begin to discover how to deal with any and all criticism. By agreeing with God's criticism of me in Christ's cross, I can face any criticism man may lay against me. In other words, no one can criticize me more than the cross has. And the most devastating criticism turns out to be the finest mercy. If you thus know yourself as having been crucified with Christ, then you can respond to any criticism, even mistaken or hostile criticism, without bitterness, defensiveness, or blame-shifting."

In case you want to see the song he performed before the congregation, you can view it here. Personally, despite my general dislike of most rap, I am thrilled that Curtis is living in his neighborhood and his subculture unashamed of the gospel, and is speaking clear biblical truth through his music. He is a great example of being a light in the darkness. :) I hope you have time to listen to his song and read through the article he wrote.

Francis Schaeffer, a man of tears?

John Fischer wrote a very good article for Christianity Today about Francis Schaeffer being a compassionate, broken, man of tears. Here was one (of many possible) quote from the article that effected me. The whole article moves me to want to study and get to know Schaeffer's life and work more though. If you have a few minutes, I strongly suggest the article.

Jesus asked us to love our enemies. Part of loving is learning to understand. Too few Christians today seek to understand why their enemies think in ways that we find abhorrent. Too many of us are too busy bashing feminists, secular humanists, gay activists, and political liberals to consider why they believe what they do. It's difficult to sympathize with people we see as threats to our children and our neighborhoods. It's hard to weep over those whom we have declared enemies.

Perhaps a good beginning would be to more fully grasp the depravity of our own souls and the depth to which God's grace had to go to reach us. I doubt we can cry over the world if we've never cried over ourselves.

To be sure, Francis Schaeffer's influence has declined in recent years, as postmodernism has supplanted the modernity he dissected for so long. Schaeffer is not without his critics, even among Christians. But perhaps, in the end, his greatest influence on the church will not be his words as much as his tears. The same things that made Francis Schaeffer cry in his day should make us cry in ours.

Calvin on the Trinity

John Calvin from "Institutes of the Christian Religion" (Book 1, Ch. XIII, 18)

I am not sure if it is expedient to borrow analogies from human affairs to express the nature of this distinction. The ancient fathers sometimes do so, but they at the same time admit, that what they bring forth as analogous is very widely different. And hence it is I have great dread of anything like presumption here, lest some rash saying may furnish an occasion of calumny to the malicious, or of delusion to the unlearned. It were unbecoming however, to say nothing of a distinction which we observe that the Scriptures have pointed out. This distinction is, that to the Father is attributed the beginning of action, the fountain and source of all things; to the Son, wisdom, counsel, and arrangement in action, while the energy and efficacy of action is assigned to the Spirit. Moreover, though the eternity of the Father is also the eternity of the Son and Spirit, since God never could be without his own wisdom and energy; and though in eternity there can be no room for the first or last, still the distinction of order is not unmeaning or superfluous, the Father being considered the first, next the Son from him, and then the Spirit from both. For the mind of every man naturally inclines to consider, first, God, secondly, the wisdom emerging from him, and, lastly, the energy by which he executes the purposes of his counsel. For this reason, the Son is said to be of the Father only; the Spirit of both the Father and the Son. This is done in many passages, but in none more clearly than in the eighth chapter to the Romans where the same Spirit is called indiscriminately the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of him who raised up Christ from the dead. And not improperly. For Peter also testifies (1 Pet. i. 21), that it was the Spirit of Christ which inspired the prophets, though the Scriptures so often say that it was the Spirit of God the Father.

A nice chunk from Romans

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring--not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations"--in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness." But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.- Romans 4.13-5.11

Oh so great a passage. I read this chunk a few times in my devotions today, every time it sank it to give me deeper insights and a greater appreciation and love for Jesus Christ, my savior and my righteousness. May everyone who takes the time to read it let it digest and let it change you. Maybe I'll write on it later.

I realize I do not love...Confession 2

What does it mean to love sinners? What does it mean to love the lost? What does it mean to love our enemy? What does it mean to love our neighbors? What does it mean to love?

I've realized my love (in practice, not in understanding) is so narrow and so selective. My heart has broken occasionally for the church or for people I know personally and enjoy their company, but it has never been broken for the lost people I do not know, or are not close. I can intellectualize about it and come up with a mental ascent for how important they are, but it's never sunk into my heart. I pass people on the street and in stores day after day, and I just walk by them. I may give a half smile, and possibly a nod, but I could also very probably look stern and deep in thought, careless and carefree to their presence. Then there's a lot of people I know. "Friends" that by a realistic standard are mere acquaintances, and I know they're on a path to hell, but do I care? If I did wouldn't I be running alongside them screaming and begging and pleading for them to head my warnings and turn to Christ, the one person that can save them? I know evangelizing to every stranger you see is a bit much, but people I have a relationship with, I don't believe I care about them. This realization hurts me, because this love isn't something I can muster of my own power, this love is supremely...divinely greater than any pathetic love we can attain on our own. I do love people who are close to me, and I'm beginning to love those who are opposed to me, but how much do I love those who are at a distance but still connected to me? God, break apart this death inside of me. Give me your heart, a heart that was broken over Jerusalem, a heart that loved people he had barely met, a heart that would lay down it's life for strangers and people who betrayed him. Oh God, transform me. This need I confess, this need I know you will meet. Please send help soon.

This is the gospel.

I was thinking about the gospel. I think, from observation and personal experience, that all too often we look at the gospel, and we know it has is the power of salvation to any and all who believe but we almost trivialize it after we're saved as if it's lost its power since we have obtained salvation. This i believe to be a tragic mistake. The gospel should be a great cause of joy to the believers, and it should be one of the ways that our love and holy affections for Christ are birthed and grown. The gospel is a means to bring us to humility and magnify the glory and love of Christ. The gospel can be a source of encouragement when we fall and a strength when we are tempted. Why is it that we overlook it so much? I've read on multiple occasions from multiple people (Jerry Bridges comes to mind first off) who have written that we should preach the gospel to ourselves daily. I decided to write out the gospel. Feel free to change the name when you read, comment, or give concerns about things i omit or include that you see as problematic. Bear with my words, and may God guide them and bless them.


John. You have read that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son that whosoever, that means you John, that believes will have eternal life and escape the due punishment for their sins. Yes, you are indeed a great sinner, born into an inherited sin nature that has killed your soul, blinded your eyes, deafened your ears, hardened your heart, leaving you dead and hateful towards God, unable to love Him, unable to change, and unable to desire anything pleasing to Him. This sin effects every part of your life, and anything you do that is not for the glory of God is in fact sinful, which means that since you don't desire God and are an enemy of God, everything you do is sinful and further blinding you and hardening your heart. This leaves you as an object of God's wrath, deserving hell, leaving you at enmity towards God, who hates everything tainted by sin. His hatred is not bad, for it is rooted in His righteousness and justice and holiness. He cannot look upon anything tainted by sin with a pleased affection, or even apathy. His holiness burns against such things. You will justly be sentenced to an eternity in hell, having the wrath of a righteous and holy God poured upon you. You will lash out in hatred and agony, but the wrath will never stop, the pain will never cease. This is where you are found before you accept Christ. Every person who is born of the flesh, save Christ Himself who was born of immaculate conception without imputed sin, is born drenched in sin, and can do no good, nothing to please God. Therefor all mankind is born an object of God's wrath. Who then can be saved? With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. God, being so rich in love, grace, and mercy sent His son to come down and in an act of propitiation to lay down His life on behalf of anyone who hears the call of God and responds. How can someone respond if they're blind and deaf? The call goes out to the entire world, and it goes with the power of Holy Spirit that has the power to replace our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh, to give us sight and hearing to accept the gospel, to give us a new spirit that is alive and full of holy affections and desires to know and follow God. This is the call of God. He saw you in your despair and your sin, and He felt compassion for you. His only begotten Son was sent down to earth to become a man, live a sinless life and then lay down His life to appease the wrath of God so that a loving God could save a wretched sinner and still be holy and just! Oh so great a love, that when we were worthless and deserved death The Loving One made a way for us to be reconciled as sons and daughters and be washed clean of our sin! He loves us so much that He sacrificed His son on our behalf and if only you will hear and believe you will be saved not because of who you are, but because of who He is. You're a sinner, so great a sinner. He is Love, oh so great a love it is! And so the call goes out: "Turn from your sin, the punishment has been paid for all who hear and who repent and believe"! John, that is the gospel...while you were yet a sinner, Christ lay down His life, his invaluable life, to save a sinner like you for it is by grace you have been saved!

Ligonier 2007 National Conference

From Ligonier Ministries:

We give thanks to the Lord that the 2007 National Conference has received such a favorable response. As never before in our generation, contending for the truth requires that we are able to give solid reasons for the hope that lies within us (1 Peter 3:15).

John MacArthur, Al Mohler, John Piper, R.C. Sproul, and Ravi Zacharias aim to equip as many people as possible to defend their faith. To this end, we are offering a free live webcast of this conference.

Ligonier has just opened up registration for a free live stream of the conference. You can register here or here.

Lewis On Love

Yesterday Justin Taylor had this great quote posted on his blog, I thought it was worth spreading.

"When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. Insofar as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased." - C. S. Lewis, Letters of C.S. Lewis

Husbands Love Your Wives Who Submit To Their Husbands...

This topic has been getting played again and again in my head the past few days, so now I am going to write about it. What is the relationship between husbands and wives? The simple answer is that husbands are the head of the household, and wives are to submit to their husbands. This is the biblical (drastically oversimplified on purpose) answer to that question. This doesn't sit well in our society many times, and I'm starting to understand a few of the reasons why. One is that it doesn't sit well because both men and women have historically misunderstood what each role entails. Men have become unjustly domineering and controlling, and women have become unjustifiably militant and contemptuous. Another is that both men and women don't understand just what the gospel entails and what the role and purpose of Christ and the church are. To establish the biblical definition of the roles of a husband and a wife, I will go directly to scripture to leave no doubt of my simple definition listed before.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. -Eph. 5.22-33

Now that a scriptural basis has been clearly established, I will not bother defending my original position to people who are still going to bicker about matters of submission and leadership. If you call yourself a Christian, read the words from the Word of God, breathed from his own Being, and argue with Paul, or take your argument to God. I will not bother defending something so clear. My intent is to understand it and keep it from perversion, but it says what it says, and the text is clear.

One big misconception is that the roles of leadership and submission are so intertwined with value and importance in our understanding. This is not the intent of scripture, and it is not true of the roles in their relation to husbands and wives. Both male and female are created in the image of God (Gen 1.27). God showed favoritism to neither Adam nor Eve, and as Paul said to the Galatians, there is no male or female because we are all one in Christ (Gal. 3.28)! We are entitled to the same reward and heirs to the same promise (Gal. 3.29, 1 Pet. 3.7). Once we can understand that men and women have equal value, both having the same importance to God, we can begin to understand that the roles are not a matter of superiority, but are necessary to keep a logical order and function in the confines of marriage.

The necessity for a marriage's function can be easily demonstrated. If, for instance, parents had equal leadership and both of them told a child to do two opposite things, then who's to say which the child must do? Which parent is the child to obey? And since obedience to one parent means disobedience to the other, the parents whose instruction was violated could punish the child for obeying the other parent! That would not be helpful to the parent/child or the spousal relationship and could be the cause of spite and a bitterness from either parent or the child. Any time you have two leaders with equal authority, order is undermined and a power struggle ensues at the onset of any differing view. Eventually one will rise to leadership and the other will be forced into being a subordinate (often times bitterly), or the entire function completely quits and both people go their own way.

Something else to consider about leadership is that leadership is necessary for proper function, but that it does not come without its struggles. Leaders of Christian households have a God given duty to lead their families first in a Godly, God-seeking direction and secondly to put the good of the family above the good of themselves. Such a role could lead to major sacrifice and self denial if it is needed for the welfare or the family as a whole. In addition to the duty to make proper decisions for the family, the responsibility of failure falls on the shoulders of the leader as well. Being a leader, when you make mistakes, you are responsible to do all you can to repair any damage done, and fix any error. Being a leader also does not mean that you make all your own decisions and neglect the voices of your subordinates. A good leader, a Godly leader, will listen to the people he leads, consider their opinions, and then make a decision in light of all view points, and all known facts. So being a leader is not a carefree position of power, at least not if it's executed in a Godly fashion. Being a leader comes with severe responsibility and can be very stressful at times. In some aspects, it's a blessing not to have to lead.

One of the large problems that has led to radical feminism, and the mishandling of families is that husbands have taken their roles as leaders and become tyrants. This is a terrible tragedy, and though it doesn't justify swinging to the opposite end of the spectrum to "correct" it, husbands need to be clearly defined and understand what a leader is. Husbands are to give up their lives for their wives! They're not to lord their authority over them, this is perverse and denies the long suffering and tenderness that Christ has with the church! As Christ nourishes and cherishes the church, husbands have a responsibility to nourish and cherish their wives. It is not a burdensome duty, but is done out of love because "he who loves his wife loves himself". You do not lord dominion over yourself, and husbands should not lord it over their wives. Paul says in Colossians that husbands should "love your wives, and...not be harsh with them" (Col. 3.19). Wives should not be treated as property, as slaves, or as any type of inferior. Husbands are to acknowledge that their wives are weaker (physically), but this should not lead them to superiority but rather they should "honor (them) as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered" (1 Pet. 3.7). Not showing understanding and honor to your wives actually leads, not only to an unhappy marriage, but also to an incomplete communion with God! In order to effectively lead, you must seek after God for guidance and help, and if you're not loving your wife properly then you're relationship with God is hindered, and you can't effectively lead your family. Husbands have a very high standard to live up to, set by Christ himself! Christ shows grace and mercy to His bride every time that we (the bride) trespass against him and, as adulterers, go seek pleasure in other things besides Him. Christ's love, His unconditional love, covers over a multitude of sins and He woos us back to faithfulness again and again as we continually commit adultery against Him! This is the standard set for husbands. Forgiveness, long suffering, and faithfulness all for the purpose of wooing a wavering bride back into the covenant keeping bonds of marriage! These are hardly the actions of a tyrant, but are more appropriate of nothing less than the loving God-King, namely Jesus Christ!

Wives on the other hand have a separate but complementary role. Though they are the subordinate to the husbands in role, they are intended to come alongside the husband and help him. Submission has a significant ability to bring a wavering husband who does not follow the Word back to Godliness since "they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives--when they see your respectful and pure conduct" (1 Pet. 3.1-2). That shows a profound power found in submission. What glory can be attributed to Christ when a woman is found to be of pure and respectful conduct, where there is no bitterness and no resentment for her husband, nothing but pure love! With the same love that a husband looks over the flaws of his wife (because of Christ), so a wife should have a love that looks over the flaws of her husband! Such a wife is a blessing to her husband, and as the Proverb says, "she is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain" (Prov. 31.10-11). A Godly wife will help keep her husband firm and God-centered in his ministry as a leader! This is all a part of why God made Eve, of equal value, but as a helper to Adam. Both of them must be properly functioning and supporting each other if the union of marriage is going to benefit either of them. The majority of Proverbs 31 deals with the excellency of a good wife, but the last section I want to focus on.

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. -Prov. 31.25-21

This passage speaks very highly of women, hardly the inferior servant that woman have at times been made out to be. A wife's servant hood are clothed by "strength and dignity", and she is described as wise and fearless (or laughing at the future)! A Godly wife is a blessing and a joy to her children and to her husband! Her actions speak of her value, and her beauty is "the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious" (1 Pet. 3.4). This is hardly someone who is weak willed, but is more appropriately someone who does not seek to usurp the leadership of her husband, and respects and honors him in his authority over the family. This type of behavior is the behavior of one who "fears the LORD" and submits to her husband as the church submits to Christ. Fear of the Lord is more lovely than charm and physical beauty, because a wife who fears the Lord is found to be a wise woman, for "fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Ps. 111.10). What Godly wives lack in physical strength and leadership, they make up for with strength of character and wisdom, both of which are invaluable assets to help assist the leader.

Marriage is a mysterious and valuable union. To understand and fulfill a marriage, we must know, understand, and live out the gospel! The gospel is one of grace, mercy, love, and patience. Christ, the husband in the spiritual union, laid down his life (as we committed adultery and mocked him) in place of us, because of our transgressions! To even begin to fathom that love, that a husband would pay the penalty for his wife's adultery, and be completely glad to do it! That is the gospel, we have a husband who purchased us from damnation for our (MANY) acts of adultery, and He had no regrets because it pleased His father. We as the church strive and yearn and fight to obey Him because we love Him and it is our desire to be faithful and live in service of Him! We don't want to usurp his role, because we know that He will always lead us in paths of righteousness and will never leave us or forsake us, and so we are glad to serve Him! Oh, that both husbands and wives will show grace, mercy, love, and patience towards each other, that husbands would learn what it means to lead, and that wives would see the immeasurable beauty of femininity. Neither husbands nor wives will be found perfect, but we should strive to be. Husbands, love your wives and Christ loves church: completely sacrificial and substitutionary, not domineering and persecuting. Wives, submit to your husbands as the church submits to Christ: out of love and gratitude, not spite and envy!

To die is gain!

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. - Phi 1.21

I don't think we can meditate on this passage enough. "To live is Christ". If you had one word to sum up your life, what would it be? Success? Money? Sex? Power? Something so noble as love? I will not (at this moment) claim that to have any of these things is idolatry and false worship, but I will challenge you to consider Paul's self confessed summary of his life's purpose...Christ. To partake of the sufferings of Christ, to continue to ministry of Christ, to conform himself to the life of Christ, to enjoy Christ as treasure. This sums up Paul's life. Is it too invaluable for us to do likewise, which brings me to the second half; "to die is gain". What do you hold as valuable in your life? Money? Power? Status? Possessions? What do you enjoy in your life? Family? Friends? Sex? Music? Movies? Books? The finer things? Oh, can we begin to taste, and can we get an insatiable desire for Christ, so much that nothing else satisfies, nothing has more value? When you die, at the loss of EVERYTHING you have, you will leave it all behind, will this pain you or will you run towards Christ and say "Gain!" "Such a deal!" "I won!" To lose everything in this world, all people, all things, all pleasures, will you look at Christ and say "Gain!" This is what Paul would do. Is this type of pursuit lower than you?

A forerunner...

Just to give you an idea, food for thought, of the subject of my next blog, you can read the two posts on The Extraordinary Value Of Women by Tim Challies (part 1, part 2), and you may want to start listening to Piper's current series on marriage. (I've finished the first 3 of 5 currently finished)

Piper's journal

John Piper's journal entry narrating his father's death is a very nice thing to read. It shows the character of Piper very well.

A poem

The Glorious Triune Eternal God
Dwelling among the heavens and the earth
The Wondrous Miraculous Loving God
Came from his lofty thrown to give me birth

As the day vanquishes the dark of night
So the Spirit has come upon my soul
The darkness and cold that thrives in the night
The darkness torn from me and now I'm whole

I run I dance I sing I shout
Joy springs from me without a doubt

The Glorious Triune Eternal God
Now has become a dear Father to me
The Wondrous Miraculous Loving God
Is now a personal and beloved friend

Christ my Lord and King has become my light
His sacrifice of grace sustain my life
Jesus Son of God divine Word and Light
His blood cleansing me of my sinful strife

My life my hope my strength my love
My savior has come from above

More considerations on homosexuality

Justin Taylor got permission to post part of an article by David Powlison taken Psychology and Christianity: Four Views. The segment is worth reading and consideration.

William Piper has passed on.

John Piper's father has passed away. Continue to pray for the family and all who are effected by this loss.

Ashamed of the gospel?

"I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1.14-16

Are you eager to preach the gospel, or are you ashamed of it? If you understand the gospel and understand that the gospel is necessary to save sinners (for you yourself have only been saved by hearing it with faith), then why do you not preach it? It is either shame of the gospel and God, or lack of love for the world. Either way, if you find yourself in this condition, pray that God will change your heart and give you a passion for the lost. You are (whether you feel it or not) under obligation, a divine command from Christ, to preach the gospel to all men from all nations (Matt 28.19-20).

Piper's father

Keep John Piper and his family in your prayers as his father is going home to be with the Lord soon. You can read a tribute John delivered about his father on Father's Day 'o5.

Be holy as I am holy

As we go about our lives, we develop habits and these habits slowly start to characterize our lives. This was at the forefront of my mind lately because I'm finishing the book of Leviticus in my study, and I realized that "Be holy as I am holy", or some variation of the command to be holy, is used a tremendous amount. If we are holy, that means that we are set apart for Godliness. What does this mean? One of the main things that keeps jumping into my mind is the admonishment by Paul to not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. There is a clear contrast between the worlds habits, and the Christian's habits. I know a lot of people have a long list of "do's and don'ts" that they can almost check off when they accomplish something big or abstain from something evil, and while there is a definite place for such a thing, I think that the issue's of holiness goes further than that. I started to think. How do you drive John? Are you quick to cut someone off to get ahead of them, are you racing to get past that one last car? How do you treat people in passing? Are you courteous about letting others go before you, do you tend to avoid looking people in the eye and get away from them as fast as you can? How are you towards someone who gets in your way, offends you, or acts like you're not even there? Are you resentful or angry at them? How many of these things can people see? The answer is that those who are looking can read a lot more about me than I know, and you can know a lot about a person by observing them. How little do I represent Christ, and how much better would it be if the nuances of my behavior were to change? Without losing sight of the larger aspects of my Christian walk, how do I become more aware of the smaller things that people who are watching notice? This is my question. How can I be holy (in even the smallest things) as God is holy? What a shame it would be to stand before Christ and have to account for a wasted life, how much better would it be to see Christ and your Heavenly Father beaming with joy say "Well done good and faithful servant." If the goal of the Christian life is to live a pleasing life to God that is set apart from the world and holy in all ways, let us strive in every way to attain this.

From the pen of John Calvin

Taken from Institutes Of The Christian Religion ( Book 1, Ch. VI, 2)

"Hence it is not strange that those who are born in darkness become more and more hardened in their stupidity; because the vast majority , instead of confining themselves within due bounds by listening with docility to the Word, exult in their own vanity. If true religion is to beam upon us, our principle must be, that it is necessary to begin with heavenly teaching, and that it is impossible for any man to obtain even the minutest portion of right and sound doctrine without being a disciple of Scripture."

I fear we have too low a view of scripture (as I do). Let us be awakened to this understanding, that scripture has all authority, and is the only tool we have to judge experience and knowledge. Let us have our eyes unveiled to the supremacy of the divinely breathed, inerrant Word of God! To the glory of God alone will it lead us if we let it speak and we silence our own foolish desires that would distort it. :)

considerations about homosexuality

Al Mohler had a very interesting blog regarding homosexuality. The entire article should be read, but here are his 10 points of consideration for any "Christians who are committed to think in genuinely Christian terms".

1. There is, as of now, no incontrovertible or widely accepted proof that any biological basis for sexual orientation exists.

2. Nevertheless, the direction of the research points in this direction. Research into the sexual orientation of sheep and other animals, as well as human studies, points to some level of biological causation for sexual orientation in at least some individuals.

3. Given the consequences of the Fall and the effects of human sin, we should not be surprised that such a causation or link is found. After all, the human genetic structure, along with every other aspect of creation, shows the pernicious effects of the Fall and of God's judgment.

4. The biblical condemnation of all homosexual behaviors would not be compromised or mitigated in the least by such a discovery. The discovery of a biological factor would not change the Bible's moral verdict on homosexual behavior.

5. The discovery of a biological basis for homosexuality would be of great pastoral significance, allowing for a greater understanding of why certain persons struggle with these particular sexual temptations.

6. The biblical basis for establishing the dignity of all persons -- the fact that all humans are made in God's image -- reminds us that this means all persons, including those who may be marked by a predisposition toward homosexuality. For the sake of clarity, we must insist at all times that all persons -- whether identified as heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian, transsexual, transgendered, bisexual, or whatever -- are equally made in the image of God.

7. Thus, we will gladly contend for the right to life of all persons, born and unborn, whatever their sexual orientation. We must fight against the idea of aborting fetuses or human embryos identified as homosexual in orientation.

8. If a biological basis is found, and if a prenatal test is then developed, and if a successful treatment to reverse the sexual orientation to heterosexual is ever developed, we would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin.

9. We must stop confusing the issues of moral responsibility and moral choice. We are all responsible for our sexual orientation, but that does not mean that we freely and consciously choose that orientation. We sin against homosexuals by insisting that sexual temptation and attraction are predominately chosen. We do not always (or even generally) choose our temptations. Nevertheless, we are absolutely responsible for what we do with sinful temptations, whatever our so-called sexual orientation.

10. Christians must be very careful not to claim that science can never prove a biological basis for sexual orientation. We can and must insist that no scientific finding can change the basic sinfulness of all homosexual behavior. The general trend of the research points to at least some biological factors behind sexual attraction, gender identity, and sexual orientation. This does not alter God's moral verdict on homosexual sin (or heterosexual sin, for that matter), but it does hold some promise that a deeper knowledge of homosexuality and its cause will allow for more effective ministries to those who struggle with this particular pattern of temptation. If such knowledge should ever be discovered, we should embrace it and use it for the greater good of humanity and for the greater glory of God.

God saved a wretch like me. That is indeed amazing grace.

This is much more a public confession that a spiritual challenge or corporate edification. As a follower of reformed theology, one of the core pillars of my theology is total depravity. In layman's terms, I believe that mankind is completely depraved and incapable of doing anything good and pleasing to God, apart from the grace of God, after the fall. I believe that is the fundamental necessity for election and God's saving us apart from our own will and works. I will not get into that debate, but I bring up depravity because I feel consumed by it. I know that I am justified as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, because I have faith he died (and rose again) on behalf of me in an act of propitiation (taking the punishment in my stead to appease the wrath of God) and an act of imputation (clothing me with His righteousness so that I stand holy and blameless before God). This was done so that I could be adopted into the family of God. With that said, I will start my confession.

Reading the bible has always been a struggle for me. Lately I have improved overall, and I owe it to the tender mercies of God, patiently veering me towards righteousness and sanctifying me. I observed a few weeks ago that I was not currently depressed. It's not surprising, because I was fighting to remain faithful to scripture at the time. That was the second time I had almost made a habit of faithfully arming myself with the sword of the spirit, and then as I let one day slip by, without fail, I once again have not read anything for about a week. Without fail, I have slowly returned to spiritual depression and pessimism.

I am noticing the necessity of reading scripture. For the years (yes, years) that I did not read, I was unaware of the depths of my corruption. I was under the belief that I led a good life and wasn't "as bad as those Godless sinners", but in retrospect I realized that I was lost and blind and corrupted by the desires and lusts of the flesh, and because my sight was so jaded, I was not viewing my life in the lens of God, but in the lens 0f man, and who would not look good in comparison to others. The tendency is not to look to men that are better than you, but to keep your eyes focused on those who are worse, and in this lens, we all look spotless, though in reality we are a lighter shade of grey (though no where near white). When I got serious with my faith and started to read scripture and fervently pursue God, I started to get a glimpse of just how corrupted I was. The more tasted the Lord's goodness, the more unquenchable a desire I had to be consumed by him. This state is where I have found myself (on the whole) the past year or so of my life, to the glory of God who brings the dead to life. For the time when I pursued God, but did not study God's word, I relied on experiences and feelings to "grow" in God. This is the point where you get the camp high when you're immersed in "churchy" people and "churchy" things, you get this sense of euphoria, but it fades when you return to life. This is the type of shallow religion you breed when you rely on experiences and feelings without them being rooted in absolute truth and concrete scriptural doctrines of God. You can experience God, and not really know God, but you can never understand those experiences unless you study God's word and view them in the light of scripture. This is my observation of my recent past.

Now in regards to the present, as a dog returns to his vomit, I have returned to my futile ways of apathy and neglect of the scripture for a brief moment. I have no excuse, and dare offer none, but rather accept personal responsibility and make a conscious effort to redirect my life back into the authority of scripture by the reading and digesting of it daily. I have learned that one of the causes of my depression is a lack of reading scripture. I have learned that I am not happy unless I am meditating on the law of God night and day. This is my passion, this is my heart, and when I neglect it, I neglect my own pleasure and my own desires. I open myself up to countless lusts, to anger, to sinful sarcasm, to joking about my own sinfulness (which I am sad to say I do too often as of late), and to mocking the God I serve, the Christ who died to save me, countless times. When I neglect the word of God, I slow down my sanctification and resort to the death inside of me that I should be killing daily as I yearn to become like Christ. I have the taste of bile on my lips, and now I see more clearly (tho not clearly enough) than ever how wretched I am, but I cleave to the hope that Christ, who started a good work in me will continue it until the day of completion. Oh, how I desire that day. Why God chose to save me, and why he sent His only begotten son to die for me, I do not know, and I do not deserve.

In closing I ask any of you who read this, to remember to be a thorn in my (flesh's) side and keep me accountable to read and be a faithful servant of my God. God please love me, for I cannot love myself. God forgive me, for I am desperately wicked. God please change me, for I amd damned without you. Amen.

Orange Juice That Glorifies God

Today I read a very nice article entitled "How To Drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God" by John Piper. The focus was on how to do trivial things for the glory of God, thus fulfilling 1 Corinthians 10:31's command to do everything for the glory of God. Piper takes the stand, as I do, that anything not done explicitly for the glory of God is sinful, and therefore no non-Christian can do anything morally good. It was not an exhaustive defense, but it was nice to read none-the-less. Enjoy.