After exposing the vile nature of the Prodigal's sin, MacArthur turns to our sin, and removes any distinction between the prodigal and us.
The Prodigal Son is a living symbol of every sinner who has ever lived—including you and me. And therefore we need to pay careful attention to the warning Jesus gives us in this part of the parable.
All sin involves precisely this kind of irrational rebellion against a loving heavenly Father. Sin’s greatest evil lies not in the fact that it is a transgression of the Law—although it most certainly is that (1 John 3:4). But the real wickedness of sin stems from its nature as a personal affront to a good and gracious Lawgiver. Our sin is a calculated, deliberate violation of the relationship we have with our Creator. . . .
When we sin, we show disdain for God’s fatherly love as well as His holy authority. We spurn not merely His law, but also His very person. To sin is to deny God His place. It is an expression of hatred against God. It is tantamount to wishing He were dead. It is dishonoring to Him. And since all sin has at its heart this element of contempt for God, even the smallest sin has enough evil to unleash an eternity full of mischief, misfortune, and misery. The fact that the entire world of human evil all stemmed from Adam’s simple act of disobedience is vivid proof of that (Romans 5:12, 19; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22).
Moreover, sin always bears evil fruit. We cannot take the good gifts God has surrounded us with, barter them away as if they were nothing, and then not expect to reap the consequences of spiritual poverty that are the inevitable result.
Here’s a shocking reality: the Prodigal Son is not merely a picture of the worst of sinners; he is a symbol of every unredeemed sinner-alienated from God and without a hope in the world (Ephesians 2:12). He is a precise and living effigy of the entire human race—fallen, sinful, and rebellious. Worse yet, his character reflects not only the state of our fallen race as a whole but also the natural condition of every individual ever conceived by a human father since the fall of Adam. We all begin this life with our backs turned against God; desiring to flee far from Him, with no regard for His love, no appreciation of His generosity, and no respect for His honor.
It’s true: the evil motives that drove the Prodigal are the natural tendencies of every fallen human heart. “The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7–8). We are “by nature children of wrath,” born with a sinful nature and helplessly dominated by fleshly desires (Ephesians 2:2–3).
In other words, we are all prodigal sons and daughters. Every one of us is guilty of self-indulgence, dissipation, and unrestrained lust. We have been heedless to the consequences of sin and reckless in the pursuit of evil. Apart from God’s restraining grace, every one of us would have long ago sold our birthright, wasted our lives, and squandered every blessing God has given us-trading away His bountiful, daily goodness in exchange for a brief moment of cheap self-gratification.
With Reformation Day just past, I’ve pulled from my bookshelf a reminder that the Reformation still matters, from The Holy Bible: Confraternity Edition (1958).
Indulgences
A
The faithful who spend at least a quarter of an hour in reading Holy Scripture with the reverence due to the Word of God and after the manner of spiritual reading, may gain: An indulgence of 3 years.
B
Those, however, who read at least a few verses of the Gospel and further kiss the book of the Gospels, devoutly reciting one of the following invocation: Through the Gospel's words may our sins be blotted out—May the reading of the Gospel be our health and protection—May Christ the Son of God, teach us the words of the Holy Gospel, are granted: An indulgence of 500 days;
A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, if they perform this act daily for an entire month, as given above;
A plenary indulgence at the hour of death, if they frequently performed this devout exercise during their lives, provided that they have made their confession and received the holy Communion or are at least contrite, and invoke devoutly the most holy Name of Jesus with their lips, if possible, otherwise in their hearts and accept death patiently form the hand of God as the just penalty for sin.
“Oh, but that all changed with Vatican II,” you say? Think again.
[F]or Catholic leaders, most prominently the pope, the focus in recent years has been less on what Catholics have in common with other religious groups than on what sets them apart — including the half-forgotten mystery of the indulgence.
“It faded away with a lot of things in the church,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “But it was never given up. It was always there. We just want to people to return to the ideas they used to know.”
I am not a fan of open letters, but when the intended recipient hides behind layers of so-called “Help” forums, what can be done?
Dear Google,
I wish I could contact you directly, but you don’t seem to want any direct feedback from your users. If you did, you would post a conspicuous “contact us” link somewhere. No thanks, I’m not interested in going to user’s forum and complaining to strangers who are not the cause of my problem and can do nothing for me. I want you, because you threw the monkey wrench in the works. I want you to fix it.
Google+ is a good idea. The circles make it what Facebook is not, a social medium that recognizes that not everyone I know is my friend, that friends and family do not share exactly the same space, and there are things I would like to share with one group (or individual) that I wouldn’t share with everyone else. But you’ve really screwed up with your attempt to herd your users into the Google+ corral and close the gate. I refer to the removal of the “share” button from Google Reader. Now, I’m supposed to “+1” links I want to share, to be seen only by Google+ users. That doesn’t work for me.
Since the beginning of this blog, I have shared links in the sidebar (front page). This has been a key feature of this site. About two and a half years ago, I discovered a widget that allowed me to put my Google Reader Shared Items there. That was a great discovery, because it allowed one-click sharing and saved a lot of valuable time. I won’t be going back to the old way of manually linking. It’s just too time-consuming. So, unless I can find another way to do what you used to do, that part of this site is dead.
Thanks a lot.
David Kjos
Now, if any of you smart folks know of any solutions to this problem, I’m all ears.
But when he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!”
—Luke 15:17
Here, I am convinced, is where true repentance always begins: with an accurate assessment of one's own condition. Everyone-from the profligate sinner who is a complete wastrel (such as this young man) to the most fastidious, patronizing Pharisee-needs to face the reality that the sinfulness we have inherited from Adam has made us spiritual paupers. No sinner has the means to atone for his or her own sin or the ability to overcome the power of sin that holds us. Our sin has put us in a desperate situation.
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
—Lamentations 3:22–23
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father! There is no shadow of turning with thee; Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; As thou hast been thou forever will be.
Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed thy hand hath provided— Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifold witness To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow— Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Hymn LX. Zion, or the city of God. Isaiah xxxiii. 27, 28. John Newton (1725–1807)
Glorious things of thee are spoken, Zion, city of our God! He, whose word cannot be broken, Form’d thee for his own abode: On the rock of ages founded, What can shake thy sure repose? With salvation’s walls surrounded Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.
See! the streams of living waters Springing from eternal love; Well supply thy sons and daughters, And all fear of want remove: Who can faint while such a river Ever flows their thirst t’ assuage? Grace, which like the Lord, the giver, Never fails from age to age.
Round each habitation hov’ring See the cloud and fire appear! For a glory and a cov’ring, Showing that the Lord is near: Thus deriving from their banner Light by night and shade by day; Safe they feed upon the Manna Which he gives them when they pray.
Blest inhabitants of Zion, Wash’d in the Redeemer’s blood! Jesus, whom their souls rely on, Makes them kings and priests to God: ’Tis his love his people raises Over self to reign as kings And as priests, his solemn praises Each for a thank–off’ring brings.
Savior, if of Zion’s city I thro’ grace a member am; Let the world deride or pity, I will glory in thy name Fading is the worldling’s pleasure, All his boasted pomp and show; Solid joys and lasting treasure, None but Zion’s children know.
—Olney Hymns. Book I: On select Passages of Scripture.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
—Romans 13
Often throughout Scripture is the figure of clothing or putting on, used, both in reference to good and evil. It is man who first tries the thing with his fig leaves; but he fails. Then God steps in and clothes man with skins. After this the figurative use of clothing is very frequent. Judges 6:34, “The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon” (so it is in the Hebrew); 2 Chronicles 6:4’, “Let thy priests be clothed with salvation”; Job 7:5, “My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of the dust”; Job 29:14, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me”; Psalm 35:26, “Let them be clothed with shame”; Psalm 93:1, “The Lord is clothed with majesty, the Lord is clothed with strength”; Psalm 132:9, “Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness”; Isaiah 61:10, “He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation”; Isaiah 59:17, “He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing’, and was clad with zeal as a cloak”; Isaiah 52:1, “Put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem”; Luke 15:22, “Bring forth the best robe and put it on him”; Romans 13:12, “Let us put on the armor of light”; 1 Corinthians 15:53, “This corruptible must put on incorruption”; Ephesians 4:24, “That ye put on the new man”; Ephesians 6:2, “Put on the whole armor of God”; Colossians 3:52, “Put on bowels of mercies”; Colossians 3:14, “Put on charity.” These passages shew us the use of the figure in Scripture. Something in addition to what we had before, or to what we possess in ourselves, is supposed to be taken on as a garment; something which makes us to appear and to act differently from what we did before; something suited to a peculiar office, or service, or action. The king puts on his royal robe, the priest the priestly robe, the captain his military robe; the robe thus, as it were, altering for a season the individual, and investing him with another character, or office. Clothing is not merely to cover or conceal uncomeliness and shame, but to beautify; to give weight and dignity to our person and our actings; to represent an office.
I. What this is that is put on. It is Christ himself that we put on; not one thing merely, such as righteousness, but everything which makes us comely and acceptable to God. Christ himself is here described as a robe. The figure is not of His giving us a robe, but of His being that robe. It is Himself as our robe, that we are to put on. “As many of you as are baptized unto Christ, have put on Christ.” “We are complete in Him.” He covers us so that no part of our former selves is seen. In looking at us, God sees not us, but Christ himself; and He treats us according to what He sees in Him; He blesses us according to the completeness which we possess in Him; He will recompense us hereafter according to the worthiness and perfection which belong to Him. Christ’s person represents ours before God as the high priest represented Israel. His work is the substitute for us, and for all work of ours in the matter of acceptance, so that we get according to what He did on earth, and not according to what we do. His righteousness comes in room of ours, so that it is on His righteousness, and not on ours, that the great questions turn in regard to which we deal with God; for He is the end of the law for righteousness. His whole life comes in place of ours, His sufferings in place of ours, His death in place of ours; and in regard to every one of our transactions with God, we may plead what He is, not what we are; what He did and suffered, not what we do or suffer. It is not an infusion or transfusion into us of His goodness or perfection. It is the legal reckoning of these to us by God in all His dealings with us, so that in every transaction between us and God, the question is not, what we deserve, but what Christ deserves. Thus we put on Christ, and are “found in Him”; treated as if He and we were identical or interchangeable. It is a whole Christ whom we put on; it is with a whole Christ that God deals in dealing with us.
II. How this putting on is done. The link by which we become personally connected with Christ is our own believing. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” We put on Christ simply in believing. Our reception of the Father’s testimony to the work and person of Christ is the “putting on.” There is no other. Full and large is that testimony. It is the declaration of what the Father sees Christ to be; and whoever comes to be of one mind with Him in regard to this Son of whom He testifies, is regarded by Him as clothed with Christ. There is nothing mystical about this putting on, nothing unintelligible, nothing laborious. Men may dislike or reject the idea that a man is saved by believing the divine testimony,—that a man puts on Christ by believing what God says about Him,—but Scripture leaves us in no doubt at all. “Believe,” and straightway thou art clothed with Christ. He covers thee from head to foot. Not according to thy works, or prayers, or feelings, or convictions, but according to the simplicity of thy faith,—thy acceptance of the Father’s testimony to the person and work, the death, and burial, and resurrection of His only begotten Son,—thou art, from head to foot, clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ; and in the great day of the Lord thou shalt be “found in Him.”
III. What is the effect? There are two aspects or sides which are to be regarded in this: (1.) God’s side; (2.) the believer’s.
(1.) God’s side. God looks at us and sees us as if we were His own Son. He sees not our deformity and imperfection, but His beauty and perfection; not our sin, but His righteousness; not our unworthiness, but His worthiness. “Thou art all fair,” He says; “there is no spot in thee.” He loves us accordingly, and deals with us accordingly.
(2.) Our side. (1.) Our consciences are completely satisfied. Not only have we the blood to purge the guilt, but we have the perfection to cover all imperfection, so that we feel that God “sees no iniquity in Jacob, and no transgression in Israel.” (2.) Our bands are completely loosed. The certainty of possessing God’s favor in such surpassing measure gives the fullest liberty. (3.) Our joy overflows. Such love! Such favor! Such nearness! Such dignity! Such glory! Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us! “That the love wherewith thou hast loved me maybe in them.” (4.) Our motives to a holy life are increased. What manner of persons ought we to be who are so regarded by God, so beloved of Him! (5.) Our zeal is quickened. Loved with such a love, and treated in so divine a way, what is there that we are not willing to do for Him?
Our whole life is to be a daily putting on of Christ. Put on, put on! And regarding the sinner He says, “Bring forth the best robe and put it on him.”
If you are a bibliophile with a particular interest in theology, you may be aware of the recently-published companion volumes (I hesitate to use words like “volume” to describe cheap paperbacks, but there you go) For Calvinism and Against Calvinism. I expect one to be pretty good, and the other poor. Guess which is which. I haven’t read either, and probably won’t, so I quite naturally thought I should write something about them.
The point I want to address is found in the titles of these books: For Calvinism and Against Calvinism. These titles create a premise for the argument, and it is hardly neutral. Like an earlier work, Debating Calvinism, the titles give the impression that Calvinism is an extrabiblical theory, a tangent from simple biblical theology. Why not publish them as For Arminianism, Against Arminianism, and Debating Arminianism? The answer is simple: Arminianism is considered the default position. While I understand that Arminianism is the majority opinion, Calvinists should not allow the debate to be presented as though we hold the weaker position. If we really believe that monergistic regeneration is the clear teaching of Scripture, we ought to speak and write as though it is so. We ought to speak and write as though the orthodox church has always believed it (because it has), and treat synergistic regeneration as the innovation it is. I have no doubt that Michael Horton and James White, the Calvinist authors of the books in question, do just that. But the titles give the advantage to the synergists. Imagine the average ignorant evangelical (forgive the redundancy) perusing their CBD catalogue. They’re probably not going to buy either book, having exhausted their book budget on the deep (if you get my meaning) emanations of [the latest popular authors]. All they will see are the titles, and possibly these accompanying blurbs:
On For Calvinism:
“For the past 500 years, Calvinism has been immensely influential—and often misunderstood, argues Horton. Taking you beyond the caricature of Reformed theology as a fatalistic belief system, he walks you through the “Five Points” and invites you to consider how Calvin’s teachings provide a biblically centered path for faith and practice in the 21st century.”
On Against Calvinism:
“John Calvin's doctrines have been debated for five centuries—affecting God's reputation in the process. Is Calvinism a viable theology for the 21st century? Drawing on Scripture, reason, and tradition, Olson exposes what he believes are errors in Reformed theology, critiques the “new Calvinism,” and proposes historically rich, biblically faithful alternative theologies.”
The blurb for Horton’s For Calvinism calls Calvinism “Calvin’s doctrines,” and we are “invite[d] to consider how Calvin’s teachings provide a biblically centered path for faith and practice in the 21st century.” Against Calvinism, on the other hand, “proposes historically rich, biblically faithful alternative theologies.” Which one sounds like one man’s opinion, and which sounds like The Truth®?” While we are invited to consider one view, we are told that the other is historically rich and biblically faithful. “Calvin’s doctrines” are pitted against doctrines that are “historically rich” and “biblically faithful.” And that is the message most who see these books will get. I don’t doubt that the Calvinist argument will be more convincing to the few objective readers, but for the majority who see the titles and blurbs, I think the opposite will be true.
In conclusion, I wonder about the overall effectiveness of these two (or three, or four) view books when the argument is presented from a defensive position. I would rather see stand-alone works with titles like The Potter’s Freedom, the subtitle of which is “A Defense of the Reformation and a Rebuttal of Norman Geisler’s Chosen But Free.” Those words present it as a defense of something all orthodox Christians recognize and love, the Reformation, and a rebuttal of (by implication) a doctrine that is in opposition to the Reformation. That is beginning from a position of strength. And that is the way anyone who really believes what they write should begin.
Addendum: This is not intended to discourage you from reading the For/Against Calvinism books. As I’ve said, I believe actually reading them will produce valuable fruit to the discerning reader.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
—Psalm 51:11
Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the nature of genuine repentance, as seen in Psalm 51:
I do not hesitate to assert that this is perhaps the most subtle and delicate test as to whether we have repented, or where we are: our attitude towards God. Have you noticed it in the psalm? The one against whom David has sinned is God, and yet the one he desires above all is God. That is the difference between remorse and repentance. The man who has not repented, but who is only experiencing remorse, when he realizes he has done something against God, avoids God. . . . The man who has not been dealt with by the Spirit of God and has not been convinced and convicted, tries to get away from God, to avoid him at all costs. He does not think, he does not read the Bible, he does not pray; he does everything he can not to think about these things. But the extraordinary thing about the man who is convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit is that though he knows he has sinned against God, it is God he wants—“Be merciful to me, O God.” He wants to be with God—that is the peculiar paradox of repentance, wanting the one I have offended!
—quoted by John MacArthur, A Tale of Two Sons (Thomas Nelson, 2008), 97–98.
I have recently been watching an old (mid-’90s) sitcom on Netflix. Watching, I have been shocked — SHOCKED! — to observe that biblical morality is not a hallmark of the average sitcom character. If you didn’t know that before, you do now. You’re welcome. Anyway, one of the subplots of this program is the pregnancy and motherhood of one of the secondary characters. This character is not married.
Following this story, I was immediately struck by what seems to be a standard element in this kind of story. Not being up on what’s playing on the tube these days, I could be wrong, but this is what I’ve observed. Following the announcement of the pregnancy came two predictable things. First, will she have the baby? Naturally, she has the option of keeping it or killing it. That’s not how the writers put it, of course. “Killing” is not mentioned, nor is the word “abortion” spoken. But the option is presented. Second, just as predictable (for a sitcom, as opposed to a serious drama) is the decision to keep the baby. Unwed mothers on television and in movies are as common as Mormons in Utah, but abortion and comedy still do not mix. Why is that?
The answer, I think, is that even the most morally depraved (television producers?) in our society recognize that abortion is a bad thing. They can talk about abortion in the abstract without emotion, but actually doing it is a somber undertaking. The most skilled writer just can’t think of any good punchlines. Pregnancy, on the other hand, is a comedy goldmine. You might not think so if you’re pregnant for the first time right now, but most mothers can look back on past pregnancies and find something humorous. So can their husbands (usually secretly). No one who has had an abortion jokes about it. Pregnancy is also almost universally considered a good thing. Even in less-than-ideal circumstances, mothers love their babies and are eventually able to treasure the joy they bring with them. Abortion brings no pleasure with it.
And so we find, in a most unexpected place — the television sitcom — a remnant of the imago dei. New life, the creation of God, is a source of joy and laughter. In a context in which laughter is the goal, there is no room for tragedy. By the absence of the act in that context, we see the pro-choice writer’s honest admission that abortion is not just another choice.
This is possibly the most potent single sentence, outside of Scripture, that I’ve ever read:
Consider this: of all the iniquities the Prodigal had indulged in, the one sin with the most potential for evil was the great distance he had put between him and his father.
Thanks to all who have served and sacrificed in the cause of liberty. “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” —Thomas Jefferson
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying,
“Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
—Revelation 7:9–12
Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim
Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim, And publish abroad His wonderful Name; The Name all victorious of Jesus extol: His kingdom is glorious and rules over all.
God ruleth on high, almighty to save, And still He is nigh—His presence we have; The great congregation His triumph shall sing, Ascribing salvation to Jesus, our King.
“Salvation to God, who sits on the throne,” Let all cry aloud and honor the Son; The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim, Fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb.
Then let us adore and give Him His right— All glory and pow’r, and wisdom and might, All honor and blessing with angels above, And thanks never ceasing, and infinite love.
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Petitionary Hymns Poem XXXV.Refuge in the Righteousness of Christ. Augustus Toplady (1740–1778)
From thy supreme tribunal, Lord, Where justice sits severe, I to thy mercy seat appeal, And beg forgiveness there.
Tho’ I have sinn’d before the throne, My advocate I see: Jesus, be thou my Judge, and let My sentence come from thee.
Lo, weary to thy cross I fly, There let me shelter find: Lord, when thou call’st thy ransom’d home, leave me not behind!
I joyfully embrace thy love To fallen man reveal’d; My hope of glory, dearest Lord, On thee alone I build.
The law was satisfy’d by him Who flesh for me was made: Its penalty he underwent, Its precepts he obey’d.
Desert and all self-righteousness I utterly forego; My robe of everlasting bliss, My wedding garment thou!
The spotless Saviour liv’d for me, And dy’d upon the Mount: Th’ obedience of his life and death Is plac’d to my account.
Canst thou forget that awful hour, That sad, tremendous scene, When thy dear blood on Calvary Flow’d out at ev’ry vein ?
No, Saviour, no; thy wounds are fresh, Ev’n now they intercede; Still, in effect, for guilty man Incessantly they bleed.
Thine ears of mercy still attend A contrite sinner’s cries, A broken heart, that groans for God, Thou never wilt despise.
Love incomprehensible, That made thee bleed for me! The Judge of all hath suffer’d death To set his prisoner free!
—The Complete Works of Augustus Toplady (Sprinkle Publications, 1987).
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
—Romans 15
It will be good to take this apostolic prayer to pieces, and mark each separate part and truth.
I. The hope. It is of the things hoped for that the apostle is speaking. It is not to “hope,” or to “a hope,” but to “the hope,” that he is pointing. It is not that thing called “hope,” as springing up in our breasts, that he would have us dwell upon; it is the glory to be revealed, the hope which is laid up for us in heaven. This is the bright star on which he fixes our eye. The inheritance, the kingdom, the glory, the new heavens and earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness; these make up what the apostle announces as the church’s hope, her one resplendent hope, which is to be realized when her Lord appears. This is the hope that fills up her future, and sheds brightness on her present, even amid all her “heaviness through manifold temptations.”
II. The God of the hope. Of that hope He is the beginning, the middle, and the end; the center and the circumference; its root, and stem, and branches; its seed, its blossom, and its fruit. There is not one of these “things hoped for” but is to be traced to Him as its sole fountain head. Hence its peculiar blessedness and glory; hence also the security which we have for its realization when the fullness of the time is come. That hope cannot fail us, because the God of the hope is faithful and true. He will most surely introduce us into its glory; or rather, He will make that glory rise on us like the glory of the rising sun.
III. Fill you with all joy and peace. There is joy; ‘joy unspeakable and full of glory”; but it is not of earth. It comes down from heaven. There is peace; the peace which passeth all understanding; but its fountain is above. It is God who gives these; and He does so as “the God of the hope.” The author of the hope is the provider of the joy and the peace; so that we may be sure these will be like Himself, and like the hope. They will be like the hope, and the hope will be like them; they the earnest of the hope; and the hope their consummation and fullness. This God of the hope not only gives the joy and peace, but He fills us with them; nay, He fills us with all joy and peace, leaving out no part of the joy and the peace, and leaving no part of us unfilled! Blessed and glorious petition, “the God of the hope fill you with all joy and peace”!
IV. In believing. This joy and peace, though heavenly in their origin and nature, were not miraculous. They did not gush up into the soul like water springing from the sand by some supernatural touch. They found their way into the soul by a very natural, very simple, but very effectual channel,—the belief of God’s good hews about His only begotten Son. They were not the reward of believing; they were not purchased by believing nor did they come in after believing: they were obtained in believing. Faith did nothing but hand in its report to the soul. That report was both glad and true. As soon then as the report thus found its way in, all was changed. The joy and the peace which that report contained filled the soul. And as it was thus that the joy and peace came in, so it is thus that they continue in. They began in believing, and they are maintained in precisely the same way; so that if at any time they are interrupted, we must have recourse to the same report which gladdened us at first, and which is still as sufficient to gladden us again. The thing that gladden us was the thing which we believed. Not our way of believing it; not the quality nor the quantity of our faith; but simply the thing believed the glad tidings of great joy concerning Him who died, and was buried, and rose again. If the thing believed proves ineffectual to gladden, no considerations as to the satisfactory nature or composition of our own faith will prove sufficient. The attempt to believe in our own faith instead of believing in Christ must be abortive both in itself and in its results; and the incessant efforts of some to get up a faith worthy of being believed in, and capable of recommending them to God, are the dictate and the development of as hateful a self-righteousness as was ever exhibited by ancient Pharisee or modern Romanist. No. When the God of the hope fills us with all joy and peace, He does so by presenting us with objects full of joy and peace, so that, in believing, we are filled with the blessedness which they contain.
V. That ye may abound in the hope. The hope not only fills, but overflows, as the word “abound” might be rendered. It comes in and lights up the soul with its heavenly brightness; but it does more. It is so glorious and so boundless that the soul cannot contain it. We fix our eye on it; and as we gaze it expands, and enlarges, and intensifies. It grows brighter, and more real, and more excellent as we continue to dwell upon it. Our faith becomes more and more the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
VI. Through the power of the Holy Ghost. He comes in and dwells in us; thus working in us from within, not from without. He comes in as the Spirit of power, and love, and of a sound mind. He comes in as the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of faith, the Spirit of joy and peace, the Spirit of Christ. He comes in as “the seal” by which we are sealed unto the day of redemption; God’s own seal which stamps us as God’s property. He comes in as the witness, witnessing with our spirits that we are the sons of God. He comes in as the earnest of the inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. He comes in, not in feebleness, but in power; in almighty power, to work a work in us and for us, which but for Him must remain unaccomplished forever.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
—Luke 15:20
The prodigal’s father was so anxious for his son’s return that, when he saw him, he ran to meet him. This indicates a great deal more than joyful haste to meet his long-awaited son. It indicates a profound humility on the part of the father. Even today, in our hurried western culture, adults do not run under normal circumstances. We normally run only in emergencies or in controlled contexts in which running is appropriate, such as sporting events. We don’t normally see a man dressed in business attire, briefcase in hand, running down the sidewalk. That would be undignified. Yet, we can imagine a loving father running to meet a long lost son, and so we must enter the world in which this story was told to grasp the significance of the father’s race to greet his returning son. John MacArthur writes:
And make no mistake: in the context of that culture, the father’s action of running to the boy and embracing him before he even came all the way home was seen as a shameful breech of decorum. In the jaded perspective of the scribes and Pharisees, this was just one more thing that added to the father’s shame. For one thing, noblemen in that culture did not run. Running was for little boys and servants. Grown men did not run—especially men of dignity and importance. They walked magisterially, with a slow gait and deliberate steps. But Jesus says “his father . . . ran” (v. 20; emphasis added). He did not send a servant or a messenger ahead to intercept his son. And it was not merely that he quickened his pace. He himself ran. The text uses a word that speaks of sprinting, as if he were in an athletic competition. The father gathered up the hem of his robe and took off in a most undignified manner.
The image of a respectable, wealthy, honorable man such as this running seems so out of place in Middle Eastern culture that Arabic Bible translators have traditionally been reluctant to translate the phrase without resorting to a euphemism such as “he hurried,” or “he presented himself.” Kenneth E. Bailey, an evangelical Bible commentator who lived in the Middle East and made careful studies of the language and culture there, wrote:
The reluctance on the part of the Arabic versions to let the father run is amazing. . . . For a thousand years a wide range of such phrases were employed (almost as if there was a conspiracy) to avoid the humiliating truth of the text—the father ran! The explanation for all of this is simple. The tradition identified the father with God, and running in public is too humiliating to attribute to a person who symbolizes God. Not until 1860, with the appearance of the Bustani–Van Dyck Arabic Bible, does the father appear running. The work sheets of the translators are available to me and even in that great version the first rendition of the Greek was “he hurried,” and only in the second round of the translation process does rakada (he ran) appear. The Hebrew of Prov. 19:2 reads, “He that hastens with his feet sins” (my translation). The father represents God. How could he run? He does.’
The father was humbling himself, even though the Prodigal Son was the one who should have been doing so.
. . . But he didn’t think it was really an elephant; we are enjoined to wait and see.
Dan Phillips wonders what T. D. Jakes really believes. Along with the rest of us, he hopes James MacDonald’s Elephant Room thingiewhatever will clear it all up. Okay, not really. Among other serious theological transgressions, Jakes has pretty clearly shown his modalist colors (while carefully not quite affirming or denying any specific Trinitarian view). But MacDonald says we should reserve judgment until Jakes speaks his piece (again), so I suppose I can play along. As I do, however, I don’t think it unfair to lay out my expectations.
For Jakes to escape his current heretic status, and rescue MacDonald from buffoonery, he will have to clearly articulate at least the most basic Trinitarian theology, as seen in the image below. It would be even better if he would say, “Yes, I believe in the Trinity as affirmed in the Nicene Creed,” but I’ll keep my expectations to a minimum.
Simple enough? I leave you to speculate on how that will mesh with this.
My first summer after high school, I worked for a local building contractor. The job required me to acquire several tools, which I did with pleasure. Tool buying, you might know, is one of any real man’s favorite things to do, much more so than, say, actually using tools. Not only do we like our tools, we like having good tools. We generally go for the best we can find, and never mind the price, because, as our wives frequently need to be reminded, they pay for themselves!
But back to my new summer job. Of the necessary tools for my new occupation, one of the most basic was a tape measure. The standard model in every carpenter’s belt at the time was a Stanley Powerlock, 25-foot by 1-inch, which currently sells for about $10.00. It served me well during my time on that job, and for several years after when I was no longer in construction. It was that same tape that I took to work ten years later when I went back to construction. It was still the standard among my coworkers, and still served just fine, until . . .
One day, shopping at Menards, I saw it: a Stanley 30-foot Contractor Grade tape measure. Not only was it 5 feet longer, its blade was “13% thicker” and “reinforced with BladeArmor coating”! Even better, unlike my scuffed silver-gray 25-footer, this one was yellow, a perfect match for my DeWalt cordless tools. Sure, it was twice the price, but it would pay for itself, don’t you know. And within the first hour on the job, it did just that. I entered the jobsite that day just itching to measure something. At the first opportunity, I drew my tape and extended the blade.
My partner, Biff*, looked askance with eyes narrowed. “Where’d you get that?” he asked, fingering his own pathetic 25-footer. I almost felt sorry for him.
“What?” I asked innocently.
“That tape!”
“Oh, that. Picked it up at Menards Saturday.” Rats, I thought, realizing how short-lived my elevated status would be. Sure enough, next Monday, Biff showed up with his own 30-footer. Still, I was first. I’d always have that.
A year or two passed with tool parity maintained. Then one day Biff caught the end of his tape in a crack. He whipped it up and down a few times in a attempt to shake it loose, but it held fast. Not giving up, but not about to walk the distance to dislodge it manually, he whipped the tape with increasing violence until the end, already fatigued from use, snapped off. Biff cussed, and I chuckled, little knowing how seriously our détente had been unbalanced. I loaned him a spare until he could get out to buy a replacement. Had I known what he was about to do, I might not have been so generous.
Did I mention that Biff used to drive me to work, since I was on his way? Well, the next week, when we pulled in at the shop, he casually reached across to the glove box and pulled out a shiny new 35-foot tape, clipped it on his belt, and strutted arrogantly into the shop, displaying his symbol of victory with deliberate ostentation. 35 feet! And he knew, having borrowed my spare, that I couldn’t justify going out and buying one myself without exposing my jealousy. Either way, he would get the last laugh . . . or would he? Not if I could help it. I had a plan. I went shopping.
I had two sets of carpenter’s tools in those days, one that mostly stayed in the work truck, and one that I kept at home. Biff didn’t know that — yet. So one particularly hot day, when he was dropping me off after work, I casually asked if he wanted to stop in for a cold one. (To this day, I marvel at my cool demeanor as I set the trap.) He did, and we sat in the shade by the garage, slaking our thirst, my vengeance drawing nearer. We talked about work, kids, anything to get him relaxed and lower his guard. Then my chance came.
“I see you’ve still got that stack of siding we salvaged for your garage,” Biff said. “When are you going to nail it on?”
“I’m not sure I’ve got enough,” I said, “I haven’t measured the garage yet. Hey, give me a hand, would you?” Outside, I remained cool. Inside, an evil laugh burst forth. He was mine. I went into the garage, and returned with tape in hand, holding it with the label clearly visible: Stanley FatMax 30′. The blood drained from his face. Sure, it was only a 30-footer, but it was the FatMax, 1-¼ inches wide, with 11 feet of standout. And we both knew we seldom needed even 30 feet.
“New tape?” Biff whimpered.
“What? Oh, yeah. Hey, check this out.” And, standing about 10 feet away, I began extending the blade through the air, reaching him without bending. “Cool, huh?” I had won. With a brand new tape in his belt, he couldn’t, with any dignity, one-up or even equal me now. He could strut his stuff at work, but he would always know that I had the big dog laying at home, and that I didn’t need to carry it to prove anything. I was on top, and I was cool.
That is the story of my tape-measure war. Now, of course, I’m older and too mature to get dragged into such a silly competition. I don’t need the biggest and best anymore. Good enough is good enough. So when my second son got a construction job this summer, rather than have him buy all his own tools, I gave him some of mine, including the 30′ FatMax. “It’s okay,” I said. “I can get myself a new one.”
And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
—Luke 15:21–24
[The parable of the Prodigal Son] reminds us that Christ receives sinners who are in exactly the same situation as the Prodigal Son—unclean, clothed in filthy rags, utterly bereft of any assets, with nothing whatsoever to commend themselves to Christ. He receives them with the same kind of gladness seen in this parable—and infinitely more. In the words of Romans 4:5, Christ “justifies the ungodly.” If that thought doesn't make you want to weep with gratitude, then you have probably never felt yourself in the place of the Prodigal Son, and you need to pray for repentance.
I’m recycling this old post as a courtesy to T. D. Jakes and James MacDonald to help them prepare for their big date in the Elephant Room. Also, because I’ve got nothing else today. This was originally posted in November, 2006.
I was thirty years old before I actually encountered anyone who called themselves Christians and denied the Trinity. I had heard that such people existed, but outside the Jehovah’s Witnesses, I didn’t know who they were. Then, when we moved to this small town in North Dakota, we met a character who had recently left the same church that we began attending. He was a self-styled teacher with a very overpowering personality who had managed to gather a small group of very committed disciples and formed his own “church,” renting a church building in a neighboring town. A few years ago, this little cult built its own facility just a few blocks up the street from our house.
This post is, in a nutshell, what I told one of them when I had the occasion to discuss it, along with a few comments to Trinitarians who explain it badly.
There is one true God, eternally existent in three persons.
There is only one God. In no sense are there three.
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4, and quoted again by Jesus in Mark 12:29). “Has not one God created us?” (Malachi 2:10) God is always spoken of as singular. God is always “he,” never “they.” He reigns over the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of the gods. In Luke 18, Jesus is addressed as “Good Teacher.” His reply: “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”
God is three distinct persons. In no sense are they one. All three exist simultaneously and eternally.
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is never the Son or the Holy Spirit.
The Son is never the Father or the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is never the Father or the Son.
The Trinity is revealed in Scripture from the very beginning. In Genesis 1:2, “the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” Farther along in verse 26 we find God talking to himself: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” Who was God talking to? Why the plural pronouns? Four thousand years later, John the Apostle wrote of Christ: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” (John 1:1-3) The Son was present in the beginning, and participated in creation.
“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. … And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. … He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.”
In Gethsemene, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” . . . “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matthew 26:39, 42). To whom was Jesus praying? Was he putting on an act, going through the motions of prayer in order to set an example for his disciples, as some have said? If so, what does that tell us about him? If true, it tells us that God is an actor, a deceiver, a manipulator who plays with our minds like faith-healers and “revival” preachers. No, Jesus, being God, is incapable of any kind of deceit. He was praying to his Father, as one distinct person to another.
The Trinity is probably most clearly demonstrated at Jesus’ baptism: “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). Jesus was in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended upon him, and the Father spoke from Heaven—three distinct persons in three distinct places—simultaneously.
God does not appear at different times and places in different roles or modes. His triunity may not be compared to the way in which we fill different positions yet remain one person, as one man may be a son, husband, father, grandfather, employer or employee, etc., all at once. That is the Modalist heresy.
God also cannot be described as many Trinitarians have attempted to describe him:
The Trinity is not like an egg—yolk, white, shell.
The Trinity is not like an apple—skin, flesh, seeds.
The Trinity is not like water—liquid, solid, vapor.
The Trinity is not like time—past, present, future.
The Trinity is not like space—height, depth, width.
The Trinity is not any other metaphor you’ve thought of. I know, some of you can’t stand not having an explanation for everything. You are very creative and imaginative and love thinking these things up. Well, stop it! You almost persuade me to become a modalist. The Bible tells us quite clearly that God is triune. It does not even begin to tell us how that is so.
Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
—Psalm 45:2
Fairest Lord Jesus
Fairest Lord Jesus! Ruler of all nature! O Thou of God and man the Son! Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor, Thou my soul’s glory, joy and crown!
Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands, Robed in the blooming garb of spring; Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, Who makes the woeful heart to sing.
Fair is the sunshine, Fairer still the moonlight, And all the twinkling starry host; Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer Than all the angels heaven can boast.
Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations! Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor, praise, adoration Now and forever more be Thine.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
—Romans 16
Let us note here,
I. Satan’s overthrow. The whole history of the world is interwoven with the doings of him whom Scripture calls “the serpent” (2 Corinthians 11:3); “the old serpent” (Revelation 12:9); the God of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4); “the great dragon” (Revelation 12:9); “the wicked one” (Matthew 13:19, 1 John 5:18) ; “the devil” (Matthew 4:8); “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2); “the accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10); “the adversary” (1 Peter 5:8). He is a living person,—originally connected with heaven, now with earth, once associated with angels, now with men, full of malice, a murderer and a liar, a deceiver. His dealings first with Eve, and then with Christ, are the two great specimens of his nature, his tactics, and his aims. The first promise announced a battle between him and the seed of the woman. This battle has been going on without intermission, between him and Christ, and between him and the members of Christ’s body. With them it is warfare, with the rest of mankind it is friendship. The warfare has been fierce as well as long, open as well as secret, outward as well as inward. In all his assaults and stratagems he has to a certain extents succeeded, but always in the end been baffled. It is to this ultimate baffling or bruising that the apostle here alludes. In four ways has this final bruising been manifested, or is to be manifested:
(1.) In Christ Himself. He seemed for a while to conquer; he succeeded in stirring up men against Him; Judas to betray Him, and His disciples to forsake Him. He specially seemed to triumph over Him on the cross. There He bruised his heel. But that was the means and commencement of his defeat. His bruising began at the cross. There he received his deadly wound, his death stroke, which is to be completed at His second coming. Christ’s personal victory over Satan by Himself and for Himself is yet to be manifested.
(2.) In the Church. Satan has bruised the church’s heel, but the church is yet to bruise his head. Each age of the church has shewn this double process more or less; but the last age is to shew it fully; when Christ comes to deliver her from her oppressor forever.
(3.) In each saint. We wrestle with principalities and powers. Each of us has a daily battle with Satan. In this we are often worsted, yet in the end we overcome. We resist, and he flees from us. We pursue, and the God of peace enables us to overtake him and to bruise him under our feet.
(4.) In the world. He is prince of this world, and he has long exercised dominion therein. But the day is coming when he will be bound with the great chain and cast into the bottomless pit,—and after that into the lake of fire. That shall be his final bruising and binding; that shall be earth’s deliverance from his power,—the end of the reign of evil, and the beginning of the reign of good and righteousness.
II. The saint’s deliverance. We have briefly alluded to this already; but let us notice still further the peculiar expression used in reference to this. It is evidently of individual Christians that He is speaking when He says, the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. (1.) He shall bruise, that is crush, grind to powder, overwhelm. (2.) Satan, as the adversary, as the tempter, as the inflicter of pain, and him who has the power of death,—not merely his head, but himself. (3.) Under your feet. He shall place your feet upon his head and neck, as in the case of a conquered foe,—as if you had won the whole battle yourself, and triumphed over the enemy. (4.) Shortly. It will not be a long warfare in any sense. A short work will God make of this. Thus shall the saint be delivered; thus shall he conquer; thus shall he triumph; thus shall all his enemies be put under his feet. It will not be long! Hold fast, O saint; hold out! Resist, contend, use the whole armor, smite with the sword of the Spirit; for no other weapon will avail in the conflict with such a foe. Fight! For God is on your side.
III. The victory of the God of peace. It is as the God of peace that He wins the victory for us, and bruises Satan tinder our feet. It is as the bruised one that He bruises. He whom Satan smote, is He who smites Satan. The God of peace has made peace; and having made peace by the blood of His cross, He proceeds to destroy all that had once marred the peace,—all His enemies and ours,—giving us complete victory and triumph. It is on the basis of the reconciling blood, the peace-giving work on the cross, that the operations against Satan are carried on. It is under the banner of the God of peace that we fight. He is our captain, and the peace which He has made is that which secures the victory to us. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb,—the blood that has made our peace. It is the righteous peace made on the cross that makes it a righteous thing in God to bruise Satan under our feet; for, to bruise (or punish) him is one thing, and to do so under our feet is another. It is one thing to triumph over him, and another to make us triumph over him,—to make us conquerors,—more than conquerors,—to make us sharers of the honour and the spoils of victory; for with us He divides the spoil. In fighting for us and with us, God has respect to this blood made and blood bought peace. We in maintaining the fight have our eye constantly on it. We fight and conquer as men who know the God of peace, having believed His testimony to the work which has produced the peace. We fight and conquer as men who have obtained the peace, and by that peace are nerved and animated for the conflict, as men who know that God is with us. The peace within, and the consciousness of friendship with God, emboldens us and rouses us—makes us brave and invincible.
What consolation, too, in that word “shortly.” It will not be long. Take the word as referring to the saints simply, or to the church, the victory is near. Behold I come quickly. Fight on. Resist the devil. Wrestle with the principalities and powers.
John MacArthur’s subtitle of A Tale of Two Sons hints at a different story than the one we learned in Sunday School: “The Inside Story of a Father, His Sons, and a Shocking Murder.” Murder? I don’t remember that part. But you will remember that the story seems unfinished, with the elder brother angrily standing outside. A proper happy ending would have him repenting of his bitter resentment, begging his father’s forgiveness, and being welcomed into the celebration. The family would have been united in joy. But that ending is missing. The real ending, left untold, was finished in real life.
Don’t forget that Jesus told this parable—including the abrupt ending—chiefly for the benefit of the scribes and Pharisees. It was really a story about them. The elder brother represented them. The hanging resolution underscored the truth that the next move was theirs. The father’s final tender plea was Jesus’ own gentle appeal to them. If they had demanded to know the end of the parable on the spot, Jesus might well have said to them, “That is up to you.” The Pharisees’ ultimate response to Jesus would write the end of the story in real-life.
We therefore know how the tale really ended, then, don’t we? It is not a happy ending. Instead, it’s another shocking plot turn. In fact, it is the greatest shock and outrage of all time.
They killed Him.
Since the father figure in the parable represents Christ and the elder brother is a symbol of Israel’s religious elite, in effect, the true ending to the story, as written by the scribes and Pharisees themselves, ought to read something like this: “The elder son was outraged at his father. He picked up a piece of lumber and beat him to death in front of everyone.”
We also have a story. Whether we are the prodigal or the elder brother, the ending to our story depends upon our response to Christ.
The invitation to be part of the great celebratory banquet is still open to all. It extends even to you, dear reader. And it doesn’t matter whether you are an open sinner like the Prodigal Son, a secret one like his elder brother, or someone with characteristics from each type. If you are someone who is still estranged from God, Christ urges you to acknowledge your guilt, admit your own spiritual poverty, embrace your heavenly Father, and be reconciled to Him (2 Corinthians 5:20).
And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)
I just picked up Cruciform Press’s October publication, Awaiting a Savior: The Gospel, the New Creation, and the End of Poverty, today. It’s a title that makes me nervous. It could be excellent, applying the gospel and gospel priorities to Christian life, or it could go very badly, falling into popular philosophies of so-called “social justice.” The introduction and table of contents suggests the former, so I am optimistic.
In the few pages I read this morning, the author, Aaron Armstrong, describing the state of creation and life in Eden, wrote, “It was a world in which poverty could not exist” [p. 15]. Poverty could not exist because poverty, like all miseries now in this fallen world, is a result of sin. In a sinless world, there is no poverty.
Reading that, I was struck with an idea not (yet, anyway) stated explicitly: It is perhaps the first irony of all time that poverty began when the richest people who would ever live wanted more. Adam and Eve had everything they could ever need. They were given dominion over all of creation, and free use of all of it, save one thing: they could not eat the fruit of one tree. Of the abundance of the garden, only one tree was off-limits. And it took only a few words from the serpent to make them think “It’s not enough; I want more.” Because Adam and Eve wanted more than God had given, we all have less.
Cruciform Press publishes one new book each month, and offers subscriptions in print or ebook formats for a very reasonable price. Books may also be purchased individually. For more information, visit www.cruciformpress.com.
The first man and woman were created in the image and likeness of God and declared “very good” in his eyes. They were then given the task of serving as God’s representatives within creation. For a time, they lived in perfect harmony with God, each other, and the world around them. But when they chose to sin, everything changed. Their original identity was lost. Their relationships with God, with each other, and with the world were broken, devastated, ruined.
This is poverty in its most true and ultimate sense. Incomparable riches—an unbroken relationship with God and a harmonious relationship with the rest of creation—have been squandered. Everything about our existence has been impoverished as a result of sin.
A fallen world inhabited exclusively by sinners: that is the essence of poverty. Sin, and the effects of sin throughout creation, is the Poverty from which all other poverty flows.
Cruciform Press publishes one new book each month, and offers subscriptions in print or ebook formats for a very reasonable price. Books may also be purchased individually. For more information, visit www.cruciformpress.com.
Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.
Genesis 11:1–9
Aaron Armstrong compares current efforts to eliminate poverty to the building of the tower of Babel.
The current discussion about poverty has a common theme: most people who think poverty can be eliminated also think humanity must be united to achieve it. If we are one in purpose, the thinking goes, nothing can stop us from achieving our goal:
All 191 UN member states unanimously agreed to the Millennium Development Goals. The first of those goals is to eradicate extreme poverty.
Jeffrey Sachs believes that if we are united in purpose and tactics, we can end extreme poverty by 2025.
Paul Collier believes the eight richest nations of the world need to be united in creating new laws and charters designed to assist reformers within the 50 poorest countries in their quest to change their countries for the better, and that the rest of us need to unite in pressuring them to do so.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these options. Building a tower can be a morally neutral endeavor. But it comes back to the “why.” Are we seeking somehow to make a name for ourselves, or are we seeking to make much of God’s name?
Armstrong wonders if “that ‘confusion of languages’ dynamic is still not at work, a means by which God hinders our ongoing attempts at uniting this fallen race for the sake of our own glorification.” I think he’s onto something there.
Cruciform Press publishes one new book each month, and offers subscriptions in print or ebook formats for a very reasonable price. Books may also be purchased individually. For more information, visit www.cruciformpress.com.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
—Romans 8:28–30
Praise the Savior
Praise the Savior, ye who know Him! Who can tell how much we owe Him? Gladly let us render to Him All we are and have.
Jesus is the Name that charms us, He for conflict fits and arms us; Nothing moves and nothing harms us While we trust in Him.
Trust in Him, ye saints, forever— He is faithful, changing never; Neither force nor guile can sever Those He loves from Him.
Keep us, Lord, O keep us cleaving To Thyself, and still believing, Till the hour of our receiving Promised joys with Thee.
Then we shall be where we would be, Then we shall be what we should be, Things that are not now, nor could be, Soon shall be our own.
I thought upon my sins, and I was sad, My soul was troubled sore and filled with pain; But then I thought on Jesus, and was glad, My heavy grief was turned to joy again.
I thought upon the law, the fiery law, Holy, and just, and good in its decree; I looked to Jesus, and in Him I saw That law fulfilled, its curse endured for me.
I thought I saw an angry, frowning God, Sitting as Judge upon the great white throne; My soul was overwhelmed; then Jesus showed His gracious face, and all my dread was gone.
I saw my sad estate, condemned to die, Then terror seized my heart, and dark despair; But when to Calvary I turned my eye, I saw the cross, and read forgiveness there.
I saw that I was lost, far gone astray, No hope of safe return there seemed to be; But then I heard that Jesus was the way, A new and living way prepared for me.
Then in that way, so free, so safe, so sure, Sprinkled all o’er with reconciling blood, Will I abide, and never wander more, Walking along in fellowship with God.
—Horatius Bonar, Hymns of Faith and Hope, First Series (James Nisbet & Co., 1878).
25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.
—Romans 16
What a doxology! What a burst of praise! Full of divine melody; full of grace and truth! Glory to God in the highest is here, yet also peace on earth, and goodwill to man. The great Jehovah, the wise, the mighty, the good, the loving God, is the theme.
Let us look at the contents of this glorious hymn of praise, this rapturous hallelujah of a redeemed man, this utterance of marvelous song.
I. The Stablisher. He is the Creator; it was He who spake and it was done, who commanded and it stood fast; who laid the foundation of earth and heaven.
(1.) He is the mighty God. He is “of power” (literally, “able”) to stablish you. He is the Lord God Almighty, infinite in might, whose is the “strength,” and the “power,” and the “dominion,” and the “greatness,” and the “majesty” (1 Chronicles 29:2; Revelation 4:2). Let us notice the different connections in which this power is introduced in Scripture: (1.) “God is able of these stones to raise up children” (Matthew 3:9); (2.) “Thou canst (art able to) make me clean” (Matthew 8:2); (3.) “Unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above,” &c. (Ephesians 3:20); (4.) “He is able to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:21); (5.) “He is able to succor them that are tempted” (Hebrew 2:18); (6.) “He is able to save to the uttermost” (Hebrew 7:25); (7.) “To Him that is able keep you from falling” (Jude 24); (8.) “To Him that is of power to stablish you” (Roman 16:25). What comfort to the feeble, and weary, and Satan-tempted, in this truth! He who strengthens and stablishes us is the mighty God.
(2.) The fountainhead of the mystery of hidden wisdom. The mystery (or secret) now revealed in Christ and His cross (that “God so loved the world,” &c., John 3:16), which had been kept secret (hidden) in “the eternal ages,” was God’s everlasting purpose concerning His own, His saints, His chosen ones, His church of all ages. It is out of this purpose and this Purposer that our establishment flows. This eternal Purposer, the birthplace and well head of all being, and truth, and blessedness, is He who worketh in us according to the good pleasure of His will. He had sketched His great secret, His purpose of grace, in the prophets, giving us in them the outline and shadow of the good things to come; but not till the Word was made flesh, and the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, had declared Him, was the glorious revelation made.
(3.) He is the everlasting God. “From everlasting to everlasting thou art God” (Psalm 90:1). He is “the King eternal, immortal, and invisible” (1 Timothy 1:17); “with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning” (James 1:17). It is not with mortality, and finitude, and change, and corruption that we have to do, but with the immortal, the infinite, the unchangeable, the incorruptible. He who stablishes us is “the everlasting God.”
(4.) He is the God only wise. Wisdom is His in its widest, highest sense; wisdom without weakness, or one sidedness, or imperfection. The perfection of wisdom is His. The God only wise is His name.
Such is our Stablisher! Can we fear or be discouraged? Shall our weakness, or frailty, or the number of our foes appal us? Greater is He that is for us than all that are against us, without or within! Let us stand fast, and not be moved, or shaken, or terrified.
II. The stablishing. The word expresses steadfastness, fixture, and strength (see Luke 9:51; Romans 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:2,13; 2 Thessalonians 2:17, 3:3; James 5:8;1 Peter 5:10). It assumes that on our part there is weakness, wavering, changeableness; that there is peril for us on every hand from snares and assaults, from wiles and enmity, and that we are constantly liable to be uprooted and overthrown. We are without strength; compassed about with infirmities; apt to be carried about with every wind of doctrine; ready to be moved from the faith, or made to err from ways of uprightness. The process of stablishing is what we need so much; it is more than being “kept from falling,” and we require both. While this stablishing, in one sense, comes directly from the eternal Stablisher, in another, it comes through present means and influences, such as the gospel (“my gospel” [10]), and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, and the revelation of the mystery. Through means of these, God establishes us, by the power of the Holy Ghost, working in us according to His mighty power. The gospel (1) says to us, “Be steadfast”;
(2) it shews us what steadfastness is; (3) it supplies us with the means of steadfastness. In clasping that gospel, we are holding that which alone can keep us from being moved. Let us lean on the cross; let us grasp it as the shipwrecked sailor grasps the life buoy, or is lashed to the mast to prevent his being washed overboard. The cross is thus everything for steadfastness. It stands firm, and it keeps firm all who keep hold of it. It is our prop; our resting place; our foundation; our anchor; our strong tower. The true stablishing (whether in faith, or love, or hope, or truth, or holiness) goes on only here. Apart from it, or away from it, all is instability, and feebleness, and destruction.
III. The stablished. These are, first of all, the saints at Rome, “called,” “beloved of God,” whose “faith was spoken of throughout the whole world.” They needed “stablishing,” though apostles were their pastors and teachers; not once, but all through; day by day; they needed to be “rooted and grounded in love”; to be “made perfect, stablished, strengthened, settled.” And if these noble Roman Christians needed stablishing (men of faith and love, beyond us!), how much more we! For is not the, church of God in these last days far from steadfast? Is she not an unanchored, uncompassed, unballasted vessel, carried about with every wind of doctrine or speculation, departing from old beliefs as obsolete and fossile; rushing after what is new and fascinating; in love with change, and “progress,” and “development,” and “breadth,” and liberality,” according to modern phraseology proudly disdainful of what she calls “bigotry,” and intolerance,” and “stereotyping,” and old-fashioned dogmas and theologies. Surely the church of the last days needs stablishing even more than the church of the first age; there are so many half-and-half disciples now, the mixed multitude that led Israel astray. Let each believing man give heed to this, lest he fall from his steadfastness. Be strong in the Lord; be steadfast and immoveable; hold fast that which thou hast received.
This peculiar doxology, at the close of such an epistle, connecting such a song of praise with the steadfastness of the saints of God, is very striking, and fraught with deep lessons to us. The glory of the God only mighty, and eternal, and wise, is connected with our being stablished; and the process of stablishing us depends on His being what He is here represented to be. Let us feel that we have much to do with Him as the God of power, and wisdom, and eternity.
This post is an answer to a question that regularly comes up when the question of alcohol consumption is discussed. Today, it was Tim Challies’ Christians and Alcohol that inspired the question: What is the difference between alcoholic beverages and cannabis? I see it as follows:
Beer and wine are food. Even a shot of whisky (or brandy, etc.) contains about 70 calories. Cannabis is not food (spare me your enhanced brownie recipes). Monks invented extra-heavy beers to sustain them through their so-called “fasts.” No amount of pot would have provided any nourishment, and I pity a fasting monk with the munchies.
Scripture commends alcohol for our use.* Smoking? Can’t find it in my concordance.
Scripture condemns intoxication. Cannabis serves no purpose but to intoxicate.† This is not the ignorant pontification of a legalistic indy-fundy who has never touched the stuff. I write from ample experience: you smoke pot, you get high. The same is not true of alcohol.
It’s pretty simple, really. Alcohol is not in the same category as mind-altering drugs; enjoying beer does not require acceptance of marijuana.
Addendum: OK, I admit it. It’s possible to smoke marijuana without getting high.
When helping those in need, Christians need to be discerning in the way we help. In any situation, there may be factors that affect how we offer assistance. But one thing upon which the gospel forbids us to base our decisions is the worthiness of the recipient.
The Israelites were freed from slavery because the Lord loved them and kept the oath that he swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When he gave them the promised Land, it was not because of their righteousness, for they were a stubborn people. In the wilderness, they provoked him to anger, worshiping the golden calf, grumbling and complaining endlessly. If a people were ever completely undeserving of God’s mercy, it was the Israelites! Yet, God still brought them to the land he had promised.
Is this any less true of us? How can we, if we have been saved through Christ, say to anyone, “You are not worthy of my help”? How we help may vary from situation to situation (something that we’ll look at in later chapters), but no one should be considered unworthy of assistance.
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I don’t normally use this column just to link to outside sources. I use the Twitter feed (and formerly my Google Shared Items) in the sidebar for that. But occasionally, something comes up that I think is especially important and currently relevant. Such is the case today.
Concerning homosexuality, the evangelical church has always stood on solid biblical ground. Compromise in this area has always been the business of those liberals — until recently, that is. While genuine evangelicals still consider homosexual behavior to be sinful, attitudes toward homosexuality are becoming muddled. Some prominent, respectable, godly, and generally wise Christians have begun to acknowledge the existence of “gay Christians,” poor souls who are hard-wired for perversion, and the most the gospel can do for them is to help them keep their sin restrained inside their heads.
In answer to that, I commend to you Dan Phillips’ article on homosexual “orientation”.
What do you do with an “orientation”? Since it is an un-Biblical category, forget the Bible. There is no forgiveness or redemption for an “orientation.” So I guess you have to do therapy, or meditation, or yoga or something. No idea. Can’t help you.
Or perhaps by “orientation,” he is meaning to say “I struggle with sinful temptations to have sex with other men”? Okay, fair enough. Now we are getting somewhere Bibley.
But in that case, how do you say you “have no plans to” act on them? Picture a man standing up and saying he struggles with temptation to commit adultery with the senior pastor’s wife, but he “has no plans to” act on it? Or that he struggles with temptation to have sex with little children in the church Sunday School, but he “has no plans to” act on it? Or that he struggles with temptation to rape some women in the congregation, but he “has no plans to” act on it?
In the few pages I read this morning, the author, Aaron Armstrong, describing the state of creation and life in Eden, wrote, “It was a world in which poverty could not exist” [p. 15]. Poverty could not exist because poverty, like all miseries now in this fallen world, is a result of sin. In a sinless world, there is no poverty. 
