Premature Judging

My sister in Christ Jenn has done us Christians a great favor by writing her latest post. It is simply outrageous and gut wrenching convicting. I literally had to stop and repent after reading it and really check my heart and theology. As I thought about the beautiful and liberating doctrine of "Justification by Grace through Faith" I literally shuttered as I thought over the last few weeks and how judgemental I had become. I would say they can't be of the faith because they: listened to that, or watched this, or wore that, or talked like that or did this, or acted like that. I so easily forgot that we are not moralist and our salvation nor righteousness can, will, or ever has rested in ourselves. Our righteousness is found in another man. His name is Jesus Christ and He lived the life, died the death, and beared the sin, that I could not and maybe would not even if I could. God became a man and took on the wrath that was stored up for us.

I forget sometimes that my salvation is in a person. As long as He stands I stand and since it is impossible for Him to fall, then my standing is secure and so is the person stuggling with lying, stealing, sexual immorality, lust, impatience, rudeness, self-righteousness, selfishness and other such sins. We are all guilty ourselves and as Jennifer says "what about the tree in my eye". I would add the tree that I am busy hitting people over the head with trying to help them get the splinter out of their eyes.

Please read her post here. Please contribute to conversation as we grow in this critical area of our relationship with Christ. .

Here is an excerpt:

Yesterday, during a conversation with a sister in Christ, I was checked on
something that has been on my mind for the past few days. In the past, up til
now, I have been too quick to use snapshots to determine the authenticity of a
person’s relationship with Jesus Christ. This sister and I were discussing a
coworker who has a penchant for filthy language.
Her - You know, he cusses a
lot. I don’t like that.Me - I KNEW there was something that made me think he
wasn’t a Christian.Her - That doesn’t mean he isn’t a Christian. There ARE
Christians who cuss.
It made me think - Yes, all believers are in different
levels of their sanctification, and while we are called to be perfect and holy, we’re not, and we very much so fall
short. And what if someone were to look at snapshots of MY life ? There are
many moments where my behaviors don’t reflect the Lord Jesus. I am in no way
proud of it, but it’s true. I have had moments of anger and various other sinful
behaviors, where if someone were to see me in those moments, they’d probably
assume I was one who didn’t know the Lord! In this, I’m convicted, especially in
light of the Matthew 7 Scripture I referenced above.

Recapturing the Doctrine of the Priesthood of Believers!!!!

As I read the Between Two Worlds blog, my heart was moved to write this blog. This specific post was about Tim Challies and his new book. Follow the thread and you will see what I mean. Phrases such as “what qualifies him” and other such phrases were cast at will. I started to wonder about the spirit of the pre-reformation and there wasn’t much difference here. One quote from someone was “does a man need a doctorate degree to write a book, it isn’t like he is an accountant writing on biology”. This is my sentiments exactly. When did we lose the doctrine of the “Priesthood of ALL Believers”? I thought the veil was torn about 2000 years ago and I also thought the heart and soul of the Reformation was for “every man to have a bible in his/her hand”. Has what our forefathers of the faith died become vain? Here is a quote from Tim Challies blogger (here) and the author of the book “Discipline of Discernment”:

“Yet it is a strange contradiction that those who identity most closely with the Protestant Reformation seem often to be those who are most prone to forgetting about the priesthood of all believers. This idea, that God offers His truth to all believers through His Word, is a defining characteristic of Protestantism but one that continues to make Christians uncomfortable. Though many give it verbal assent, it is still easier to simply find and trust certain teachers, always giving them the benefit of the doubt. “I am of Paul! I am of Apollos!” can become “I am of MacArthur! I am of McLaren!” We can take comfort in another person’s position, believing that only a truly godly man could rise to become the Senior Pastor of a large church, or we can take comfort in another person’s credentials, assuming that a man with so many degrees and accolades must be right. Yet all the while the Bible commands each of us to do the hard work of discernment and to realize that we are all called to pursue and obey the truth.” We must ask ourselves some serious questions if this isn’t our heart! Are we not able to question those in “authority” anymore, can a laymen write a book , start a church, or do we need 10 years of Seminary and another 2 in church planting? Is Tim not qualified to write a book but qualified to start a bible study, lead a home group, or even disciple his family? Which has greater weight? Listen very carefully, if we don’t stop this hogwash, we will soon find ourselves in the same position of those who were oppressed by Rome!

Now what I am not saying is that seminary isn’t important. I think there are tools gained (especially the languages and hermeneutics) that are invaluable to any pastor on the planet. However, they are not, BY ANY BIBLICAL STANDARD, prerequisites. It really chaps my hide when I hear the same individuals screaming “Sola Scriptura” from the rooftops but in the same breath they are saying “Westminster plus your bible, or Fuller plus your bible, or Southern plus your bible, or DTS plus your bible”. For me this flies in the face of the 5 Solas! Peter says it very clearly in 1 Peter 2: 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Nowhere does it say “you need a formal education to proclaim these Excellencies”. So I wonder are churches not preparing their members to be dropped on an Island with their bible and start a movement. If every member (at least those who have been around for at least a year) can’t be in a plane crash on a remote Island and plant a church, that means there is something wrong with the leadership there. If that person has to wait until someone with a seminary degree comes along to plant a church there we are in serious trouble. This is why I think the book is important and not only that, even historical. A blogger writes a book! That should be a motivation for all bloggers (though, I don’t even know proper sentence structure half the time so don’t count me in). But this isn’t about a book this is about, your right to question anything coming from anybody! This is about JV versus Varsity Christianity where now we are beginning to become top heavy again. Where laymen are overlooked and pastors are esteemed. Where education comes before wisdom and a passion for the “Glory of God in all things”. We have lost our footing along the way. We have begun to esteem the very things that Christ and the Apostles spoke against. We are doing it all in the name of “qualification”. Each member of the body is fully capable of starting a movement as long as their motive is pure and they have a good grasp of the scriptures and how they fit together and point to Christ. I am thoroughly upset that this isn’t the heart of the Church! I pray that this doesn’t continue because if it does, we may need another reformation in the near future!

What Should a Carnal Christian and Non-believer Have in Common?

They both should fear hell! This may be a very unpopular post due to the huge movement of the “carnal” Christian, who by every standard of scripture is a “non-believing” Christian. This doctrine does the local church and those who live the “carnal Christian” life a great harm. It gives them assurance that they shouldn’t have and it weakens the sanctification and ongoing pursuit of practical holiness in the local church. It has no bearing on the Universal Church, because she is made up of the regenerate and have no fear of hell, because of the finished work of her husband, namely Jesus the Christ. However, those who live in opposition to God’s word as a lifestyle must only be assured of one thing, that they are ENEMIES of God, never given a new heart, and that the wrath of God remains upon them. My good buddy Tyris and I have been spending some time studying the book of Hebrews and the book has proven to be a book of warnings. The warnings start in Chapter 2 and work their way out throughout the rest of the book. Hitting high points in Chapter 6 and Chapter 10, lets look at Chapter 10:



26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

These are common verses used by Armenians to reject the Doctrine of Eternal Security. I can see how Armenians have such a huge problem with this doctrine. OSAS has become a foundation to defend the very dangerous teaching of Carnal Christianity! I believe however that the Armenians have it wrong. They are under the assumption that the individual described here are the regenerate of God. I disagree. The true mark of a Christian is one who perseveres, grows in holiness, loves the body, and lives a life of repentance and brokenness before his Master! But that is a different argument. I want to dialogue with those who hold to this carnal Christian position.

The writer makes it clear that those who deliberately sin after understanding the gospel have only one thing to expect “JUDGMENT AND A FURY OF CONSUMING FIRE”. These individuals are put in the same category as an adversary (enemy). The true believer is called a child and in John 5:24 Christ makes clear that “they will never come under judgment”. Listen to me carefully, the carnal Christian is the person, who wants nothing to do with Christ as it comes to his life, he only wants a “get out of hell free” card or what we call Fire Insurance. The only problem is they don’t want to pay the premium. Relationship, reproof, admonishment, discipline, and obedience are far off. He wants to take God on his own terms and God does not bargain! This individual makes a mockery of Christ and his accomplished work on the cross. It is hard for me to read 1 John, Galatians 5, Ephesians 3-4, Colossians 4, Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 5, 2 Thessalonians 1, Revelation and James and not get a clear view that God will deal with those who enjoy disobeying him. How someone can say “well they believe the gospel, but they just don’t want to make him Lord” is very puzzling to me. In Romans 6 Paul says:

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I think this comes from a very bad view of Romans 7. Most believe Romans 7 to be the life of a Christian struggling with sin. I disagree with this wholeheartedly. The language in Romans 6 as it relates to freedom and Romans 8 as it relates to not being under the flesh, seems to be clear that Paul is not talking about someone who is a believer, but one trying to live by the law through his own power (the whole argument of Paul from 3-8). But that is also another blog. What I am saying is this. There is not a lick of evidence of a carnal Christian in scripture. Paul tells the Corinthians to examine themselves and he warns the others that those who live in opposition to obedience will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 1 John scores the winning run with a Grand Slam in which the Apostle clarifies what the marks of a true Christian are. I pray that you will read the verses provided and to approach the scripture without your theological presuppositions. The carnal Christian is a common view held among many great teachers, but one I believe is very misleading.


Final thoughts and Exhortaion

If you read this and your life is defined by rebellion against the commands of God, please know that judgment is on the horizon. If your heart is hard against the sweetness of God’s commands, or the commands of God are bitter upon your tongue, it is most likely that you have been given a new heart and that you are not of the family of God. If you teach this doctrine, please search the scriptures before you write me off. No Christian is going to live perfectly but those who have been born again, pursue holiness with reckless abandon! Carrying our cross becomes a daily pursuit and a love for the world becomes hate. God has given us His Spirit and the Spirit is not powerless in our lives. He comes to do more than seal us; He also comes to conform us. There are many warnings in scripture and this one rings loud throughout its pages. I believe the picture above is false teaching based off the clear teaching of scripture. God bless.

Calmness Amongst Chaos: What Sovereignty Brings!

The debate about the scope of God’s sovereignty is a historical debate. I am beginning to read a bunch of books by dead theologians and the debate can be summed up to: just how sovereign is God. Well this is not a discussion about this scope; this is more an exhortation to those who agree about this and hopefully encouragement to those who don’t. I will be up front, I agree with those who say that God is 100% sovereign in everything from creation to salvation, to the most minute detail (“the hairs on our head our numbered”) detail of life. I want to explain the peace that comes from such a view of this sovereignty.

Matthew 8:23-2723 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

We all know the story about Christ calming the storm. However, I had never really grasped what was going on. I have read in a few commentaries that these type of storms happened, due to the geography of the area. Storms would blow and capsize boats and it wasn’t unusual for someone to lose their lives if they were caught off guard (many were). As we read this story, Jesus was sleeping like a baby. The storms come and even experienced fisherman who knew about these storms and maybe even navigated through them were afraid for their lives “we are perishing” they said. This was not a hard rain or wind situation, these disciple’s lives flashed before their eyes. They hurry to wake Jesus because of the fear of death. Luke says “the boat was filling with water”. So though Matthew doesn’t mention it, they really were in danger of drowning. Once the boat had sunk it was only a matter of minutes before the current mixed with the storm would overpower them, death was imminent. Marks Gospel records the disciples saying “teacher do you not care that we are perishing” in Mark 4. Jesus arises and says “have you no faith” and calms the storms in the famous “peace be still” verse.

I think this was the first glimpse of God’s complete sovereignty even over the elements. This was a chaotic situation. If the disciples had been alone, they were doomed. They were absolutely helpless, and powerless against such a storm. There was only one thing left, appeal to God. It is funny to me that they were surprised that Jesus calmed the storm, but previous to this they beg Him for help. I wonder if that happens to us. We get in a jam and beg God to intervene and when He does, we are caught by surprise. That is another story all together. One thing is for sure, Jesus wasn’t worried one bit.

So what does that say to us? We are to have the attitude of Jesus when things happen in our lives that are chaotic. We can rest assured, that the cancer, the disobedient children, the loss job, the insurmountable bills and the sick dog are all part of God’s sovereign will and though it is wreaking havoc in our lives, God is faithful. Listen to Paul in Philippians 4:4-7

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Paul wrote this while in prison with the possibility of death, nipping at his heels. Paul was convinced that God was totally sovereign and even said in Chapter 1 of the same epistle “what has happened to me is for the advancement of the Gospel”. God’s sovereignty is the only doctrine that can bring peace in a storm. When life is pressing in on us from every angle we can rest assured that God is at the wheel. “All things work for the good”. Many people would say the storm in Matthew 8, Mark 4 and Luke 8 was just chance, but God says in Isaiah 45:

5 I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,
I make well-being and create calamity,
I am the Lord, who does all these things

What about physical deformities? Try Exodus 4:

But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

We have full assurance that any circumstance we find ourselves rather chaotic or calm, that God is in full control, if situations are bad we can appeal to God (Phil 4) if they are good we are to be thankful. But one thing is for sure, we can have peace, because the sovereign hand of God is the Captain of the ship. The situation may not turn out the way we please, but I will leave you with some of the most encouraging scripture written by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.