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"Headship" in Ephesians

One hotly debated subject within the church and evangelicalism today is the role of the wife in submission to her husband and the role of the husband in the position of head over his wife and family. One view that is rising among evangelicals in the church is the view that submission in marriage is equal between the husband and wife. This view is called egalitarianism. They pull their Scriptural evidence from Ephesians 5:20-21, "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." However, according to the wider context of Ephesians, submission in marriage is far more complex. Surely, both husbands and wives should submit to one-another, but as Ephesians 5:22-33 instructs us, it should be as the Church and Christ functions together, which Paul calls a profound mystery (Ephesian 5:32).

Understanding the term "headship" may helpful in interpreting Paul's meaning of submission in marriage. Ephesians 1:22 is the first use of the word, "And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things [in] the church" (note: Paul's use of the dative is certainly sphere, therefore, my own translation would be in the church rather than to the church). Paul is citing from Psalm 8, the dominion of the king, "you have put all things under his feet." Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, God honored him as the king over all of creation, and more specifically made him the head of his body, the church. Here, Christ has reign over everything, but has a more intimate headship over his own body, the Church (see Ephesians 1:22-23).

Ephesians 4:15 is the second use of the word, "Rather speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." The unity of the church is the context that controls this passage. The headship of Christ is the stem of all unity and "makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love" when it submits itself properly(4:16). Unity within the head, that is Christ, sanctifies the Church, unifies it, and builds it up in love.

Finally, in Ephesians 5:23, "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the Church, his body, and is himself its Savior." The parallel is clear, in the relationship between the husband and the wife, the husband is paralleled to Christ as head and the wife is paralleled to the Church as one in submission to the headship of the husband. A biblical survey of how God historically chooses Israel or the Church as his Bride throughout wisdom and prophetic literature and how he, more specifically Christ, is portrayed as the Bridegroom throughout the gospels would be helpful, but space only allows us to look at Paul's most detailed teaching on the subject.

There is a one-ship that is granted in the relationship between the husband and the wife as is with Christ and the Church. The Church and Christ are one body with Christ as the head, as it is with the husband and the wife, "In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself" (vs. 28), and later in verse 31, when referring to Genesis 2, "the two shall become one flesh." This headship of the husband includes sacrificial love as Christ showed love through sacrifice (5:25-27) and nourishment (5:28-30).

Paul's use of headship in Ephesians 5 should be related to his previous uses in 1:22 and 4:15.

• Just as Christ is "head over all things in the Church" (1:22) so should "wives submit in everything (or all things) to their husband" (5:24).
  
• Just as unity within the headship of Christ in the Church builds up the Church in love (4:15-16 - as Ephesians 2:21-22 also says, "Christ, in whom the whole structure [the Church], being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit") so should husbands be the head over wives in order to nourish her and cherish her properly as Christ does the Church in sanctifying her and presenting her spotless (5:25-30).

So, in the eternal wisdom of God, he has chosen to create marriage to help us see the glorious picture of Christ's love for his Church. Any distortion of God's instruction for us in marriage also distorts his chosen means in which he displays his eternal love and satisfaction for his bride. For the sake of the gospel and the glory of Christ, this truth should sober every husband and wife to pursue God's model of marriage.

Down Goes Boston!

Major League Baseball has begun and it could not have been a better beginning (well, I guess somethings could have been better). My KC Royals got off to a great start by beating the Boston Red Sox 7-1 last night. Gil Meche, KC's starting pitcher, had a great, 1 ER, 6 SO, and I BB. While our lead off hitter, DeJesus, went hitless, our 2-3-4 hitters, Grudzielanek, Teahen, and Sweeney made up for DeJesus with 7 combined hits and 4 RBI's. Hopefully, the young Teahen will spark some needed offense and Sweeney will remain healthy. Surprisingly, we got great relief from Peralta - giving up no runs and only 2 hits in 1.2 IP.

On top of that news, both the White Sox and Detroit lost, while Cleveland and Minnesota both won, making it a three way tie for first place in the AL Central at 1-0. I don't know how long it will last, but it was a great start for KC against a powerful Boston team. History tells me that I will probably not be as blissful at the All-Star break, but for now I can ignore history and be a naive optimist.

A Human Question and A Divine Response

In preparation for Easter Sunday, I have been meditating on some passages that are focused on Jesus' last hours. One of the passages is Matthew 26:39-42, Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane. He prays in verse 39, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And then later, in verse 42, after rebuking his disciples for sleeping, he prays again, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." He prayed with such earnestness that sweat fell as blood (Luke 22:44). I do not know of too many other passages that show the explicit humanity of Jesus with such force. You have human weakness in Christ that drastically needs the help of the Father. You have pleading to search for other ways of passing the cup of wrath. But within the this human display is a divine response by Christ. How?

There is an impression of a heavy weight that Christ is getting ready to bear and it is drastically affecting his condition. Not only do we see the explicit humanity of Jesus, but we also see the absolute contrast of our filthy sin and the spotless Lamb of God, God Himself. His almost crippled posture displays the absolute priceless Son of God readying himself to become a curse on behalf of us. Truly, he had become "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Is. 53:3). But with a face set like flint he definitively and divinely responds, "Your will be done." The Sent One of God obediently looks to what his true food was, "to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work" (John 4:34).

Singing Psalms When Miserable - Carl Trueman

Carl Trueman writes an excellent article in the new edition of Reformation21, entitled Where (or How) is Authenticity to Be Found. The basic question the article attempts to answer is "what does the miserable Christian sing?' Here is a portion of it:

Some years ago I wrote a short editorial for the journal Themelios entitled `What do miserable Christians sing?’ It took me about thirty minutes to write, edit and email to head office; yet of all the things I have ever written, I have received more – and more positive – correspondence on that short piece than on anything else I have ever done. What was my basic thesis? That the typical Christian church offered the broken-hearted nothing whatsoever to sing in praise to God on a Sunday; and in so doing, the church was failing in her duty to care for the hurting, the downtrodden, the depressed. The answer I proposed was a recovery of psalm singing, not on the grounds that psalm singing is the only pure form of worship but because it offers a truly deep and authentic idiom for expressing the full range of human emotion and experience to God in the very act of praising him. No hymn book or collection of choruses of which I am aware even comes close to offering what the psalms offer in this regard.

Bible Classes in the Public Schools

Time Magazine recently put out an article by David Van Biema entitled The Case for Teaching the Bible, that argues for teaching Bible classes, Old and New Testament, in public schools. His reasons are not religious, but academic. Van Biema says, "Its hard to call someone educated if they haven't at least given some thought to its key passages." Why? Basically, he argues, because the Bible has shaped much of the Western Culture, our Declaration of Independence was based on it, and democracy itself is based on it (or at least its founders based democracy upon it). Much of pop-culture and historical literature makes references to the Bible that makes absolutely no sense unless the audience is some-what Bible-literate (Van Biema refers to Shakespeare, The Old Man and the Sea, contemporary movies like Babel, and Pulp Fiction). Finally, he argues, that being Bible-literate is "essential to being a full-fledged, well rounded citizen." John Hagee and Chuck Colson were quoted. Hagee opposed public school education of the bible saying that the teachers would mis-represent Scripture and obscure the meaning. While Colson is in support of it hoping that they would introduce the impact the Bible has had on individuals and history and let God do the work of enlightenment.

Should there be public school education of the Bible? In trying to answer this, one thing that might be important in attempting to think through this is the effect our nation's "mass biblical illiteracy" has on how we do evangelism. We cannot start out with using biblical terms right out of the box like sin, judgment, abundant life, eternal life, or crucifixion. These terms have been either massively obscured by secular culture or has left their vocabulary entirely - in other words you are speaking in terms they don't even comprehend. We are talking to people who have long lost the Judea-Christian heritage. So we must go back as if we are talking to people who have absolutely no spiritual or biblical language, because we are, so that when we do end up using biblical terms (and we should), like sin, judgment, justification by faith, sanctification, they have actual meaning to them (a good model for evangelism prepared by Don Carson is called Two Ways to Live ). But, providing biblical classes for them may start to change things drastically in college ministries and personal evangelism, maybe for good or bad. One thing that may be helpful is try to think about or come up with a model for a society that is still largely post-modern (or post-post-modern - whatever that means) but now somewhat biblically literate from an academic setting rather than devotional, and then think about 'what does evangelism look like?' Hopefully greater minds than mine will think about this and articulate for us what this may or even may not look like.

Sam Storms and Revelation 20

Justin Taylor, on his blog Between Two Worlds has been posting sections of Sam Storms' new book since John Macarthur's comments at his Shepherding Conference. The chapters he is including is on the topic of Amillennialism and The Millennial Kingdom of Revelation 20. You can read part 1 and part 2 of Storms' work on this theme. If this is of any interest to you, they are helpful in understanding the amillenialist's position in the context of Revelation 20.

Christ Honored in Life and Death -or- Unashamably Shamed

If you happen to be reading the "M'cheyne Bible reading plan" than you read with me this morning in Philippians 1, the famous "to live in Christ and to die is gain" passage. I meditated on these verses this morning:

"Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance , as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death" (Phil. 1:18-21).

Paul rejoices not just in his soon-to-be-deliverance, for all through his letters he counts it a joy to be in chains for the gospel of Christ. While in most of his greetings he gives his title next to his name, 'Paul, an apostle' (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus 1:1) or 'Paul. a servant' (Philippians 1:1), yet, we see in Philemon 1, Paul greets Philemon by saying, "Paul, a prisoner of Christ." This is his title he gives himself - his boast, if you will. So the cause of his rejoicing is not just in his release but in the honor of Christ by his work through (1) the Philippians prayers for deliverance and (2) Paul, himself, unashamably and courageously honoring Christ in life and death.

Paul's lot on earth was shame - imprisoned, beatings, stonings, and false witnesses by false brothers, and much more. And in all this, in 2 Corinthians 11:23, Paul says his labors are greater than many because of his sufferings. His shame was his boast for it honored Christ.

T4G White Presumptive - Mark Dever

Great blog post by Mark Dever on appropriate language for racial unity in Evangelicalism. I encourage you to, please, read it.

New Sovereign Grace Website

I have often been blessed by the ministry of C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries. It is a website for resources, sermons, churches, great literature, and worship theology. Sovereign Grace Ministries have recently updated and redesigned their website. Here is part of their newsletter that explains their updates:
Sovereign Grace Ministries Launches New Website

This month Sovereign Grace launched a new website at www.SovereignGraceMinistries.org. It has a new look, revised and expanded content, and better organization so you can more easily find what you're looking for.

We're particularly excited about the new Resource Library. Now you can search books and audio messages by topic, title, author or speaker, and more. Or, you can search all our music by song title, theme, lyrics, songwriter, and more. Then get song lyrics with just one click, or sort your search results by title, media type, or price. Looking for teaching on the cross or on the Holy Spirit? Looking for books by C.J. Mahaney or songs by Mark Altrogge? You'll find them here. It's like a library catalog for Sovereign Grace.

We've added other features as well:

• Clickable maps to help you find Sovereign Grace churches: one for the United States and one international
  


• A growing library of Mission Presentation videos
  


• A Worship section, with recommended resources and an archive of Bob Kauflin's Worship Matters columns

There's more than we can describe here, so come and explore.

Great Site for Audio

This is a great resource site for audio by Carson, Piper, Dever, Grudem, and literally dozens more. Topics range from doctrine, church history, culture, and many social issues like abortion, love, and literature. The site is called Faith by Hearing.

I hope you benefit from this.

God's Dupes - Sam Harris

Sam Harris recently wrote a column for the LA Times entitled God's Dupes congratulating Californian Congressman Pete Stark for apparently being the first congressman in history to acknowledge that he does not believe in God and also challenging other politicians to follow his lead.

Harris is a vocal atheist, author of The End of True Religion and Letter to a Christian Nation, who blames much of the world's problems on religion, faith, and zealousness. He says this of Congressman Stark in his article:

Mythology is where all gods go to die, and it seems that Stark has secured a place in American history simply by admitting that a fresh grave should be dug for the God of Abraham — the jealous, genocidal, priggish and self-contradictory tyrant of the Bible and the Koran. Stark is the first of our leaders to display a level of intellectual honesty befitting a consul of ancient Rome. Bravo.

There is, of course, thankfulness of honesty in politics. I would rather have politicians say "I am an atheist" when he actually is, rather than seeking the moderate vote by claiming "faith as their source of strength." Yet, the vehement call for the "fresh grave" that should be dug for the "God of Abraham", calling him "the jealous, genocidal, priggish and self-contradictory tyrant of the Bible and the Koran" shows the spirit in which he writes, and that Congressman Stark is not his topic but only a springboard. The response given to Harris should not be an argument for the loving-kindness of God, his care and grace for all types of people of the world, and the need and duty for the praise of his glory. Reasonable arguments are not his tactics, nor will he accept them in return. In his book Letters to a Christian Nation he creates a straw-man argument for the Christian faith and then annihilates it. Douglas Wilson writes in response to Harris in Letter from a Christian Citizen: A Response to Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris , recognizing that it is simply nothing new and even questions the reason's behind some of the arguments.

I believe the final two paragraphs are the most interesting parts of his article. I will take them one at a time.

There is no question that many people do good things in the name of their faith — but there are better reasons to help the poor, feed the hungry and defend the weak than the belief that an Imaginary Friend wants you to do it. Compassion is deeper than religion. As is ecstasy. It is time that we acknowledge that human beings can be profoundly ethical — and even spiritual — without pretending to know things they do not know.

At first glance, this statement seems to be true, even to Christians. I mean, wouldn't it be more righteous to want to help someone, not just because God says to help them, but because we have enough compassion to work on their own accord? Christians, especially, need to know why this statement is false. It is important for Mr. Harris to know that Christians do not "do good things in the name of their faith, or just for the sake of Christianity", but with faith. There is a huge difference, and I hope this is clear. As Christians, we believe the highest good is to please God before all others. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:9, "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please [God]." Paul also made himself an example to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 2:4, "So we speak not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts." And then in 4:1 calls us to follow in his example, "That as you received from us how you ought to live and to please God, that you do so more and more." Finally, Paul calls us soldiers of Jesus Christ, yet as soldiers, we should not get "entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him" (2 Timothy 2:4). Scripture puts forth one more qualifier in actions for Christians: we should act in faith. "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Heb. 11:6). Therefore, when Christians act, they do so in faith in order to please God. If we act just in the name of faith (or because it is our Christian ethic), then yes, there are higher and better reasons to act with compassion. But to act in faith in order to please God and be vessels of mercy "so they may see your good works (and not honor you) and glorify the Father, who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16) is the highest good and there is no higher reason to act in such a way. Every act we do, whether in compassion or love, should be to bend other's affections and praise to God in heaven, ultimately to save their souls, or it is not completely compassionate nor loving.

Indeed, it is time we broke this spell en masse. Every one of the world's "great" religions utterly trivializes the immensity and beauty of the cosmos. Books like the Bible and the Koran get almost every significant fact about us and our world wrong.

This is an example where Harris' logic seems to break quite a bit. What he insinuates here is that the belief that God created the universe "trivializes" the bigness and grandeur of our universe and everything in it. However, the meaning of the word "trivial" denotes purposeless and insignificance, which is the very demeanor his world-view promotes. Atheism promotes "absurdity" in life and the mere arbitrary aspects of it. There is no need to even go into atheistic philosophies to show this to be true. The only end to atheism is triviality itself. Yet, when we know that all of creation was made to promote the glory of God, then triviality disappears immediately. We understand, then, that our existence is for revealing, praising, speaking of, treasuring, and loving the glory of God. This is anything but trivial. We were created for the highest good (God's glory) for the highest of being (God). May we never trivialize this great purpose.

Obviously, this post is not meant for the eyes of Sam Harris. These words will not be persuasive for him. I am not an apologists nor can I give Harris what he wants if he is to believe in God. There is nothing I can say, apart from the work of God through my words, that can persuade him that a perfectly loving God exists. He has probably read greater men with greater words on this matter. There is no logical argument that I can give him that this loving God gave his Son so that his blood can cover the sins of all who would believe in him. The covering of my sin through Christ is folly to the world and the fragrance of death. Oh, but to those who are being saved through that very blood, it is a sweet fragrance from life to life everlasting (1 Cor. 1:23; 2 Cor. 2:15, 16). May God be pleased to grant Mr. Harris that sweet fragrance of life. If Mr. Harris reads these words, may God bless them for the sake of mercy.

A Companion to "Knowing God"

J.I. Packer has recently released his book Growing in Christ. Packer says this in his introduction of his work:

This is a companion piece to my book, Knowing God, which has been used widely for group discussion.It offers a series of quick, brief outlines—“sprints” if you will—with questions and Bible passages for further study, covering the contents of the three formulae which have always been central in Christian teaching—the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, plus Christian baptism.

I have read the first three chapters of the book and the introduction. I do agree with Packer that it serves as a companion to Knowing God, but also it proves to be a really good reminder of important truths after you done your own devotions. It instructs us to stand firm on the essentials and gives us standards of hills on which we might die on if we are so called. I do strongly suggest the book and look forward to finishing it myself.

Questions with Bob Kauflin: The Bible and Media

Here is a link for an interview with Bob Kauflin, the worship leader for Sovereign Grace Ministries, on how Kauflin pursues righteousness in song writing, listening, and music research. I thought there was much wisdom found in his words. Bob Kauflin has a great blog-site himself, giving insights for worship leaders and worshipers. If you have never heard any of his worship songs or read any of his lyrics, I encourage you too.

We Shall See Him and be Like Him

Part II

By His Cross I Can Hate Sin and Taste the Sweetness of the Lord

⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Romans 6:4-6

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Psalm 34:8

Charles Spurgeon once said,

Recollect that there are two kinds of perfection which the Christian needs — the perfection of justification in the person of Jesus, and the perfection of sanctification wrought in him by the Holy Spirit. At present, corruption yet remains even in the breasts of the regenerate — experience soon teaches us this. Within us are still lusts and evil imaginations. But I rejoice to know that the day is coming when God shall finish the work which He has begun; and He shall present my soul, not only perfect in Christ, but perfect through the Spirit, without spot or blemish, or any such thing.

Spurgeon presents the accomplishment of justification and sanctification as grace, something that is accomplished on our behalf. Then we read in Romans 6:13 specific commands on how to act, “Do not present your members to sin… present your members to God.” You almost want to scream at the Apostle Paul, I’m trying! Yet amidst the passage on sanctification and battle to be found more and more in the image of Christ that Romans 6 speaks of, we read in verse 17, “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient to the heart.” And at the end of chapter 7, after reading of the struggle of what the author wants to do, but cannot help to do otherwise (or whomever you believe Paul is describing) in verse 24-25 Paul writes, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” You don’t thank someone unless they are personally responsible for what was accomplished.

Therefore, we can say we are saved and sanctified by grace through faith and we will be glorified also in the same manner. Yet, we must stay faithful to texts that compel us to fight for our holiness. Ephesians 6:10-20 displays for us the armor of God. There would be no need for armor if there was no battle. But as in Romans 8:37, “In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” We must preserve this paradox between battling and being battled for.

I believe this paradox should be realized in our daily fight with sin and our battle for holiness. We should be fighting daily to defeat sin and temptation with faith knowing that we are being empowered with a greater power, namely the Holy Spirit. So then, in my explanation of how one can hate sin, know that it is within the envelope of grace, meaning there is more to our fight than just our own efforts.

The Emancipation of the Believer

My whole assertion in this series of We Shall See Him and Be Like Him is that the primary weapon that the believer has in the defeat of sin is the meditation on the glories of Jesus Christ. The more we see Christ for who he is revealed in Scripture, the less sin will be compelling and desirable. If you have not read Part I Meditations on Jesus and the Defeat of Sin, and you would like to, you can read it here. The question worth looking into in all this is: By what factor do I exchange my sinful desires for Christ?

The answer that one might be quick to jump to is “the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.” This is absolutely true, but before the Holy Spirit can re-birth someone, that someone needs to be dead. The only death that leads to the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit is the cross of Christ with which we participate in. Romans 6:4-6 will help explain this further:

⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

I split the passage into two parts, (1) verses 4-5 and (2) verse 6. (1)Verses 4-5 say the same thing only in two different ways; therefore we need to take them as parallel statements. Verse 4 asserts that we were put to death with Christ so that we would be raised with him and have a new life. Verse 5, then, states it in a condition. If we have participated with Christ in his death, then we will participate with Christ in a resurrection. We should not interpret “a resurrection” as in the second coming of Christ and our bodily resurrection. Since verse 5 is parallel with 4, then when verse 4 asserts that we will have a “newness of life” we parallel that with “a resurrection”. Plainly put, our participation with Christ in his death gives us new life that is entirely different from before. The difference is so extreme that Paul compares it to a resurrection.

(2)Verse 6 has an interesting grammatical structure, rendering English translations slightly misleading. The result in the verse is clear: we are no longer slaves to sin. But what is not apparent is the cause of this result. It seems clear from the English translation that our crucifixion with Christ that renders our body of sin to nothing is the cause of freedom from sin. This is true, but it is not what the verse actually says. A clearer translation would be as follows:

“Since we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that our body of sin might be brought to nothing, we are to serve sin no longer.”

The verse is not saying what frees us from sin, but what keeps us from acting like we are slaves to sin. The reason we no longer act as slaves is because we have come to the knowledge of our actual freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln and put into effect on January 1, 1863. However, not all slaves stopped working for their masters on January 1. It was not until they were told and they finally attained the knowledge of their freedom did they have the liberty to not act as slaves any longer. So it is with believers. Paul places some importance on the knowing that we are free from sin in order that we may act as freed slaves. The knowing keeps us from acting differently. In verse 11, Paul says, “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin.” Paul uses the “consider”, meaning to think of yourself as dead. Other translations use the word “reckon”. ‘Reckon yourselves to be dead.’ The slave must learn of his emancipation before he acts as if he is free. If there is ever a Biblical charge to learn of your union with Christ, it is found in Romans 6:6-11.

Here, then, is the two parts of our passage: (1) We die with Christ in order that we may live a new life like his resurrection. (2) Since we have the knowledge of our freedom, we should act like we are free.

The Sweet Taste of the Lord

We are now freed from the mastery of sin by Christ, the Emancipator of sinners, to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8). From the captivation of sin to the participation in the death of Christ we now have obtained, if you will, new taste buds, new eyes, and a new sense of smell. 1 Corinthians 2:14, 16 explain the difference between the two stages, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned…. But we have the mind of Christ.” The Spirit of God stirs in us good and holy affections for God that the natural man cannot even comprehend. We have a whole new sensory system. We do not simply have a changed mind, but a whole new mind – the mind of Christ. We cannot “taste and see that the Lord is good” with natural eyes and natural taste buds, but only with entirely new sensations, nothing of which was there before.

In Matthew 13, Jesus’ explanation for speaking in parables was because “seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (13:13). But he said to those who believed, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.” The people heard Jesus’ words yet did not hear with the power of the Holy Spirit, enlightening their hearts. They heard without truly hearing. Jonathan Edwards used his illustration of tasting honey in a number of his writings. It goes like this: I may tell a person that honey is sweet and give him an excellent argument for the sweetness of honey, but if he tastes it and he does not think it is sweet there is nothing I can do further for him. Either he has a taste for the sweetness of honey or he doesn’t. Either someone has the Spirit given taste buds to taste the sweetness of Christ or they don’t. The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 2:14, describes himself as a means God uses to spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of [God] everywhere.” He describes it as an aroma “from life to life” to those who are saved (2:16b). But those who do not have the new supernatural sensory system it is a "fragrance of death to death (2:16a). By the resurrecting power of the Holy Spirit we may see, taste, hear, and know the knowledge of the Lord.

Yet, what is it of the Lord that we need a supernatural sensory system to see, hear, taste, and know? The answer is the goodness, holiness, and the moral perfection of the Person of Christ. Without this knowledge, we do not know him any different than the devils of this world know him. Without this knowledge, we do not know him as our Perfect Mediator. If we do not see and savor the perfection of Jesus and the holiness of the unique Son of God, then the precious blood of Christ has no significance in our lives. We must first love and treasure his holiness for the rest of the affections towards him to follow. We love his majesty because it is a holy majesty. We adore his glory because it is a holy glory. We take delight in his love because it is a holy love. All affections towards God are derived from his holiness. Taste and see, by the sensory giving power of the Spirit, that Christ is holy and relish it.

See Him and Taste Him and be like Him

Christ is set before us to feast on. He makes that clear to us in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” He describes himself in verse 55 as “true food” and “true drink.” Later in chapter 6, after many of Jesus’ disciples had left because his words were difficult to take and caused grumbling among the people, Jesus asked his twelve disciples, “Do you want to go away as well”(v. 67)? Simon Peter’s response shows that the disciples were starting to taste the satisfying goodness of Christ, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God” (v. 68). While this verse has much meaning, more than we can uncover here, we can see at face value that the disciples were not swayed to leave as the rest because they fed and were satisfied by the Holy One of God, Jesus Christ. And so it is with all believers. If we are fed and satisfied with Christ, specifically in the context of his holiness, things that are contrary in nature will have less and less sway on us. As it has been said, “for he who sees the beauty of holiness must necessarily see the hatefulness of sin, its contrary.” We have redeemed eyes, taste buds, ears, and minds to daily take in from his Word the holiness of Christ and know that there is nothing, no lust, no passion, no desire that is more satisfying than Christ. May the explicit, holy, good, and satisfying glory of Christ be ever before us. How do we fight? Always put God's Word that contains the holiness of Christ before our eyeballs and become more and more acquainted with the knowledge of it.

I'm not very happy at John MacArthur right now

Every year John MacArthur puts on a conference for pastors. This year he was the opening speaker and made some remarks on eschatology that saddened me. The title of his opening address was "Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is a Pre-Millennialist." You can listen to the audio here. Some of you may read this and have no idea what these terms mean. Pre-millennialism refers to the belief that Jesus will return before his 1,000 year reign. There are different pre-millennailists viewpoints and they are confusing and I have little space to talk on it now. I don't like to take time and refute something said or preached, but MacArthur is a powerful, influential preacher who some take all he says and banks on it. I don't want to refute pre-millennialism here, simply because a lot of my living heroes are pre-mill, and I don't think it is an awful theological stance to believe in. However, to make a sweeping statement like MacArthur did is of little value and I believe unwise.

"It's too late for Calvin," he said," but it's not too late for the rest of you. If Calvin were here he would join our movement." MacArthur references that it is too late for Calvin. What he is saying is that Calvin did not take a stand on any belief on the end times, only that Christ will come bodily and in glory. John Calvin did not even write a commentary on Revelation. Why? Because the Bible is not explicitly clear on this subject. Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, C. S. Lewis, and Martyn Lloyd Jones all were godly men and had great spiritual and theological influences on the Church, all were Calvinists, yet all had different views on end times. While I think there are theological and exegetical problems with MacArthur's view of the end times, I would not regard his view as un-Calvinistic. What is ironic of MacArthur's statement is that only a small amount of reformed Calvinistic churches or denominations hold to his view of dispensational pre-millennialism.

In a time when pastors need to be encouraged to preach the glory of God, truth amongst acceptivism, sin and hell, the cross and glory, and the importance of missions, separating yourself from the rest of the reformed community over one of three major evangelical eschatological viewpoints is not a very wise choice.

Peace Without False Peace

John Calvin says this, "The godly heart feels in itself a division because it is partly imbued with sweetness from its recognition of the divine goodness, partly grieves in bitterness from an awareness of its calamity; partly rests upon the promise of the gospel, partly trembles at the evidence of its own iniquity; partly rejoices in the expectation of life, partly shutters at death" (Institutes of the Christian Religion, vol. 1, p. 564).

This is an interesting perspective considering how we as Christians proclaim the message of personal peace and joy on earth. The message of personal peace and joy must be in the context of joy and peace with God. But this may not be as plain as it appears. Hopefully this will become more clear.

The more we find pleasure and joy in the Lord, the more we mourn the occurrence of sin. The more we crave the coming of Christ and our future heavenly hope, the more our body groans with expectation. And, finally, the more we see clearly life in Christ, the more the thought of the necessity of death to obtain it makes us shudder. The paradox of mourning and joy should be expectant. While we rejoice over the salvation and future glory of our bodies, we mourn our loved ones who neglect the salvation given freely through Christ.

The example of how we rejoice over the victory of Christ over our sin, yet still we mourn our sin that we fall in, I think, makes this paradox clear. John Owen wisely instructs that in times of repentance "Do not speak peace to yourself before God speaks it, but hearken to what God says to your soul." Why not speak peace to yourself if your sins are paid for and your debt is clear? Simply because of this paradox. While our sins are paid for, only God speaks with true abhorrence of sin and man speaks peace with a heart that is deceitful, giving himself peace without truly killing the sin.

So then, Christians should have peace without false peace and joy without false joy.

The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World

One of my favorite books is Here I Stand: A Biography of Martin Luther. The book is a wonderful recount of the bravest of the reformers (I might get some grief over that comment). Since Here I Stand, there has really not been a major work done on the life of Martin Luther, at least of its caliber. Recently, though, Stephen Nichols has just released a new major biography on the reformer that I have not stopped hearing about. It is called The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World.

Here is a review of the book on Challies Dot Com.

John Piper and His Daddy

John Piper's father has just recently passed away. On Desiring God's website, Piper has put up his journal entry for that day which narrates his father's death. I encourage you to read it. You can read it here.

Mega Church the game

I know this is more sad than funny, but I couldn't resist posting about this computer game. I have a hard time believing this is a real game, but this ad was posted on Amazon. The front of the box tries to sell the game by saying, "Create the church you want any way you want. Realistic. Hours of fun. Uplifting."

Here is the provided description of the game:

Be the next Joel Osteen as you play Mega Church.

Product Description

• Pastor a simulated church and create your own Christian empire
• Build a church from the ground up
• Hire and fire staff
• Deal with idiots, naive volunteers, and denominational egos
• Attract fickle unchurched people with Bingo, revival meetings or fasting--it is all up to you!
• Select a pre-loaded community
  • Xurban or suburban church plant (for those who want it easy or just starting out)
  • Or pastor an inner-city, multi-ethnic 80 year old church with 50 members and $1 million mortgage debt (for those who really want a challenge)
• Choose a denomination (Lutheran, Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal plus many more obscure factions)
• Or load a brand new emergent plug-in
• Take weekly offerings and go over budget
• Start your own radio or cable-access show
• Attend the latest conference to hone your skills
• Implement the latest ministry fad
• Review weekly attendance and giving records
• Earn points with God by winning souls for Christ
• With network play enabled, you can steal members from other churches and earn points just like you saved them yourself.

The possibilities are endless! To grow your church, work on all the strategic variables,

• Write a mission statement
• Choose a logo
• Get a billboard
• Hire a professional musician
• Buy plasma television for your PowerPoint presentations

Prayer, study and preparation get thrown in there too--and the mysterious (or fickle) will of God! Deal with real-life scenarios including,

• Troublesome board members
• Elderly donor who wants to buy a new organ
• A son starts using drugs
• Your trusted deacon sleeps with your secretary
• The city starts a construction in front of your building
• Offering stolen

Denominations and Bible colleges use it to prepare potential church planters or associate pastors. It is better than an internship!

The worst line in the whole thing is said at the end of the ad:

Do it all without a degree, license or even the Bible! Just like Joel Osteen!

Jesus in the Suburbs of Houston

I'm not sure if you have heard of Jose de Jesus, but he is an interesting figure in the Hispanic culture right now. He is claiming to be the second coming of Christ and apparently already has millions of followers with the promise of more. Read the ABC News Article. The video is disturbing, watching crowds of people sing and worship over this man. While it is hard to take this guy seriously, we should not ignore him.

Correction on Previous Posts

On the previous post - Repentance and Joy - I had serious typo that would make seem I was saying something I wasn't. The last section where I ask, "So how does repentance restore joy?" I said, accidentally, that it "certainly justifies us." What I meant to say was that is certainly does not justify us. Grace, faith and the righteousness of Christ are what justifies us, not repentance. Also, I was talking about repentance in a believer, who was already justified. If that seemed confusing, I apologize. I have made the correction on the post.

Repentance and Joy

One quick thing that I have been reflecting on in working on the second part of the four part We Shall See Him and be Like Him series is this: how does joy relate to repentance. If you did not read part I and you would like to, you can press on this link: Meditations on Jesus and the Defeat of Sin.

I probably will not write a whole section on this in the series that I am working on, so I thought I would share a few thoughts here. Psalm 32:3-5 says:

3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

David expresses emotion here that is because of his silence over his sin; or to put it plainly, he ignored it. It is almost an exhausting set of verses to read. It gives you a tired feeling when you relate to all the ways he expresses his state of mind. This is not an uplifting verse to read at all. David says again, in chapter 31, the previous chapter that,

10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and my bones waste away.

The weight of sin on the life of the believer is heavy, especially the believer who takes seriously the glory and honor of God. Joy, at least not real joy, cannot be present. Someone can certainly be happy in sin. Some may even enjoy their sin. Yet, this is not the joy that Paul speaks of when he says, "for we work with you for your joy" (1 Cor. 1:24b). This joy is not the joy of fellowship (though that may bring them joy), but it is in the foundation of what the Corinthians firm faith is found, namely Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:24c).

So how does repentance restore joy? It certainly does not justify us, giving us the assurance of eternal life, for if we are believers we already have that. But repentance restores communion with Christ. No one can meditate fully on the Jesus Christ that is revealed in Scripture without being compelled to repent of any lingering sin. Repentance, therefore, freely allows the believer to grow in the joy of the Lord. Maybe if I give my short (perhaps somewhat superficial) definition of joy in the Lord, then this will be more clear. I believe joy in the Lord is when Jesus Christ becomes our highest treasure, meaning that he is the object that brings us most joy. A litmus test to see if your joy is in the Lord is to think of losing all possessions in this life and still being joyful knowing that your greatest treasure is ahead of you. Or, do you look forward to the next life, where there is no other treasure besides Christ? If this is not entirely true in the life of any believer (which I don't know of many who has championed this completely), then the practice of consistently meditating on the person of Christ revealed in Scripture is the remedy. Joy in the Lord is a process of growing, as is sanctification.

Let us always be in humble, self-searching repentance in order that we may always be growing in the joy of the Lord.

"The Faithful Preacher" - Thabiti Anyabwile

If you have not heard of Thabiti Anyabwile's new book The Faithful Preacher or if you have never heard of Thabiti Anyabwile, let me introduce him to you and his new book. To be honest, I have just recently become acquainted with him through some audio online at conferences and his sermons from his church, and most recently the Desiring God Pastor's Conference in February. Thabiti is a pastor at First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman Islands, not really a location for direct publicity. You can listen here of his powerful testimony from Islam to Christianity on 9marks. I would strongly suggest you listen to it. His blog Pure Church is a great blog to keep up with and read. Thabiti writes regularly on the African American Church today and reforming it. It is really encouraging to know his influence and his heart for the purity of the African American church in America. His book, The Faithful Preacher is a biography of three African American preachers who were faithful with God's word and their congregations. There are several reviews online about this book. Challies.com writes a review of it here and Between Two Worlds reviews it here. Both reviews give a good overview of the book. I think if you read these reviews you will see the importance of the book.

Every Response At Once

For the past week or so the Internet has been pulsing with responses to the Tomb of Jesus documentary by James Cameron. So here is a link that has every response critical of it. The one by Craig Blomberg is excellent along with Andreas Köstenberger's.

Amazing Grace (2007)

William Vaughn, author of Statesman and Saint: The Principled Politics of William Wilberforce writes a review of the just released movie Amazing Grace, the cinematic biography of William Wilberforce, that can be read here. Honestly, my wife and I have not been able to see yet, but we plan to this week.

The Secret

Author and Professor of Applied Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Donald Whitney reviews the book, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne. This is a quote from the review:

"The Secret is nothing more than Name It-Claim It, Positive-Confession, Prosperity Theology (without God and the Bible), built on a foundation of New Age self-deification. In other words, the book is just another version of what some TV preachers have taught for decades, namely, if you will sustain the right thoughts, words, and feelings, you will receive whatever you want. But The Secret adds this important twist: your thoughts can bring anything into your life because you are god."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Ecce Homo

John Beeson is a pastor on staff at Westerly Road Church in Princeton, NJ. Westerly is a strong evangelical church is a difficult place to be such a church. John recently gave a sermon on Rev. 21:3, "Behold God's dwelling place is now with man." John puts forth some really insightful truths that gives us great hope and wonderful thoughts to reflect on. His sermon is entitled "Ecce Homo", the date was on Dec. 31 and you can find the sermon links here:
Down load Link
Streaming Link
Direct Link

James Cameron and the Ministry of the Apostle Paul

In case you have not heard, James Cameron (producer of the movie Titanic) is releasing a documentary claiming he has found the tomb of Jesus with his body still there - not resurrected. Also with his wife Mary Magdalen and his son Judah. His claims are based on DNA evidence and other research analysis. Despite the fact that his evidence and research is on shaky ground (it is hard to judge how much of an understatement this is) and his lack of scholarly backing, it does stir up some thoughts and force Christians to reflect again on the resurrection of Christ, like all evangelical oppositions.

Tuesday afternoon, about lunch time, my wife made the comment, "I wonder what the Lord will do with this?" It automatically showed me the perspective she was having over the whole thing. She didn't wonder who was going to be the first Christian scholar to put together a response book. She didn't whip out The Case for Faith or The Case for Christ to reassure herself again. She simply wondered how the Lord will cause this to play out, which ultimately will be for good.

Ephesians 3:7-13 has a good response for Christians sweating over this. This passage argues for the sovereignty of God in fulfilling his plan. First, starting with verse 7, Paul states, "Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God," and verse 8, "To me though I am the least of all the saints, this grace [his call to ministry] was given." The sovereignty of God is shown in these two passages in that Paul's very call to ministry was a "grace" or "gift", and it was not of anything that God foresaw in Paul. God formed Paul and called Paul according to "the working of [God's] working power" (v. 7). Then verses 8b-10 show what exactly Paul's ministry was:

1. "To preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (v. 8b).
2. "To bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things" (v. 9).
3. "So through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places" (v. 10).

While this is Paul's mission given to him by God, verse 11 has something to say as to whom the credit is actually due, "This was according to the eternal purpose that [God] has accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." This not only shows that God is ultimately responsible for accomplishing the work, but shows who he accomplishes it through: Jesus Christ. So then, finally, in verse 13, Paul starts his verse with "Therefore", meaning in light of all of what I have said about the sovereignty of God, "I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you" (v. 13). In the suffering of Paul or in the contemporary opposition that we are facing, Christians are not to lose heart, for God is sovereign over his purposes.

ps. - good article by John Piper - Eight Reasons Why I Believe That Jesus Rose From the Dead

We Shall See Him and be Like Him

Part I

Meditations on Jesus and the Defeat of Sin

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be
has not yet appeared;but we know that when he appears we shall
be like him,because we shall see him as he is.
I John 3:2

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed from one degree of glory to another.
For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

In the third chapter of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrims Progress, Christian, the allegorical character representing the believer in his journey to eternal blessedness, has just left the foot of the cross. His heavy burden has been lifted and his rags replaced by a new garment. He has come upon the Beautiful House, where Christian dialogues with Porter, Piety, Prudence, and Charity. Prudence asks Christians about any hindrances that he has had in his journey since he has left the City of Destruction. Christian tells of “carnal cogitations” or thoughts that were of his old nature, and explains, “Now all those things are my grief.” She then asks Christian by what means he uses to fight off these sins (or as he calls them, “annoyances.”) Christian’s reply is at the very heart of what my aim is of my writing:


"When I think what I saw at the Cross, that will do it; when I look upon my broidered coat [his gift of the righteousness of Christ], that will do it; and when my thoughts wax warm about where I am going [the Celestial City], that will do it."


The means by which Christian fights off temptation, or “carnal cogitations,” is thinking on the very glory of Christ crucified, where his sins were forgiven and he was given the righteousness of Christ. The glory of Christ and its benefits are the meditations Christian uses to fight for holiness.

Fighting for holiness can be a confusing subject. Scripture presents two sides of this fight: the active and the passive. The active is the tearing out of your eye out because it causes you to stumble (Matt. 18:9), fleeing from youthful lusts and sexual immorality (I Cor. 6:18; 2 Tim. 2:22), and controlling one’s “own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust” (I Thess. 4:4-5). This is the act of canceling your Internet service because you have created deadly habits, the self-control, and disciplining your body to keep it under submission (2 Cor. 9:27).

Scripture also presents the passive side of the fight. Romans 6 says were once slaves to sin – only able to crave sin in our life – but now slaves of righteousness –now desiring righteousness. “When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness…. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life” (Romans 6:20, 22). Nothing in slavery is active, other than what you are compelled to do. Being enslaved to sin, you were compelled to sin and nothing else. Being enslaved to God and righteousness, you are compelled to the fruit of sanctification. The juxtaposition between the two natures of the fight for holiness is hard to reconcile and difficult to articulate in the daily struggle against sin.

There are, however, many books on the subject of sanctification and with it are many readers. The many readers, I am afraid, have the expectation that by the time they finish the book the struggle with sin should be largely behind them. And in the spirit of supply-and-demand, authors attempt to supply the demand, stocking our churches with shallow and trite remedies for sin, like offering cough syrup for lung cancer. The fight to kill sin becomes a frustrating and hopeless endeavor that dangerously flirts with the hardening power of “the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13).


The Glory of Christ and the Death of Sin

This effort of mine is pastoral in nature. Every pastor wants his congregation to move from the desperate struggle of sin into the sweet, daily enjoyment of the goodness and holiness of Christ. Every pastor longs for his congregation to move from the imitation calentures of sin to the enjoyment of Jesus and the desire to have Christ as their treasure, delighting in his glory that turns the sun and the moon into shadows. This is the end to which a shepherd should lead his flock: to see Christ as glorious and beautiful. Yet, to treat this end as only an end would go against the testimony of Scripture. Seeing Christ as glorious and beautiful is also, I believe, the means. And thus is my proposition that the consistent, daily meditation on the glory of Christ is a vital and indispensable practice in killing the weight of sin in the life of the believer.

The Apostle John reveals what kind of affect the glory of Christ has on the believer, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (I John 3:2). As children of God, we have a future that is not entirely known to us, but what we do know is that at the coming of Christ, we will be dramatically transformed. John is quick to give the cause of this transformation, “because we shall see him as he is.” The appearance of the glory of Christ will completely destroy our corrosive nature and sinful flesh and be transformed into the very likeness of Christ, himself. We could literally translate this passage as “we shall be of the same nature.” We shall see and be of the nature of the holy, good, and incorruptible resurrected body of Christ. We can conclude that the sight of the glory of Christ kills sin instantly and destroys the nature that desperately clings to sin and destruction.

Yet, it would seem that I John 3:2 is beyond the point of our subject, since this speaks of what will happen at the coming of Christ rather than the daily struggle of sin while in the wait of his coming. This is the famous “already – not yet” paradox of the New Testament. The New Testament teaches us what we are in Christ but have not yet truly attained. For example, Ephesians 2:5-6 says that God has “made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The Apostle Paul speaks in the past tense, as if we have already been raised up and seated in glory with Christ. But, clearly, we have not yet attained all that is truly already ours.

2 Corinthians 3:18, I believe, will help sort out the “already – not yet” holiness of I John 3:2, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Paul, in 2 Corinthians 3, is showing the difference between the hopeful New Covenant in Christ and the damning and joyless Old Covenant. The New Covenant gives us hope (see also part IV), which leads to courage, and we, shamelessly, with unveiled faces behold the very glory of the Lord, Jesus Christ. And, again, the glory we are beholding transforms us to greater and greater degrees of glory.

The difference between the full disclosure of the glory of Christ in I John 3:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:18 is shown precisely at the end of 2 Corinthians 3:18, “For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” The communion and exposure to the glory of Christ we have now is only through his Spirit, whom he has sent. This is not a physical communion yet. God’s dwelling place is not yet with man. This should not be entirely discouraging. What we have on earth through the Spirit, though it is infinitely less satisfying than what will be in the flesh with Christ, is still richly and abundantly satisfying and should be the chief means by which we fight sin.


Why Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity?

The question may arise, ‘Why the focus on Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, rather than the whole godhead?’ While all three persons of the Trinity are equally glorious and beautiful in measure, it is Jesus Christ, the Son, who Scripture has been designated for us as the avenue to the eternal communion we will have with the Trinity. The Gospel of John is explicit in this designation of Christ.

John 1:41; 18, “And the World became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” The eternal Son, Jesus Christ, became flesh and settled with man. God, himself, revealed himself as flesh. Jesus became the explanation of the Father in heaven, the Word of God, “he has made him known.” This passage seems to cry out the truth that if you do not know Jesus, you do not know God. The Father has designated his Son, Jesus Christ, as the means by which he makes himself known.

Philip, Jesus’ disciple, in John 14:8, says to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Philip, obviously, still did not understand that God revealed himself through Jesus, to which Jesus says, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Earlier in the passage Jesus explained that he is the only way to the Father (14:6), and if you know Jesus then you know the Father (14:7-8).

In Jesus’ final prayer for his disciples in John 17, Jesus prays not only for the disciples, but also for all that would believe.

The glory that you have given me I have given to them that they may be one even as we are one. I in them and you in me, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me (John 17:22-23).

Jesus describes his relationship with his believers and his relationship with the Father being linked all together as one, through Christ. We are in Christ and Christ is in the Father. The Father sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to show himself and his love that he has for his children. Apart from the wonderful truth that Jesus Christ has appeased the wrath of Father towards the believer, he is the sent agent from the Father who will include us in the eternal communion between the Father and the Son. The infinite satisfaction the Father has in the Son, and the Son in the Father, we are now partakers of because of Jesus. Jesus ends his prayer by clarifying this wonderful hope: “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them” (17:26)


The Ever-increasing Practice of Being Satisfied in Christ

Jonathan Edwards writes in his book, The Religious Affections:

"A true saint, when in the enjoyment of true discovery of the sweet glory of God and Christ, has his mind too much captivated and engaged by what he views without himself, to stand at that time to view himself, and his own attainments. It would be a diversion and loss which he could not bear, to take his eye from the ravishing object of his contemplation, to survey his own experience, and to spend time thinking with himself."


This was not quoted from a man who was a perfectionist, but one who knew that the glory of Christ had a transforming power, that in the every-increasing knowledge and discovery of it, sin would become less and less appealing. Not only sin, but also selfish endeavors that would damper the ecstasy of the glory of Christ.

No author has been more helpful to me on this subject than John Owen, especially in his work The Glory of Christ. Owen argues that the center of the life of every believer should be the glory of Christ. Remarking on Jesus’ prayer in John 17, Owen writes:

"The greatest desire that Christ expressed in his prayer was that his people might be with him to behold his glory (17:24)…. He is not concerned that his disciples should merely see how glorious he was, but that the beholding of his glory might bring encouragement, strength, satisfaction, and blessedness to his disciples…. One of the greatest privileges the believer has, both in this world and for eternity, is to behold the glory of Christ." 2

Beholding the glory of Christ is a privilege and it should be savored. The satisfaction that the glory of Christ delivers to believers is like a rapture of flavor that fruit brings to one who has never had the sense of taste before. Simply satisfying the hunger with anything less will just not do any longer. So it is with the glory of Christ. As long as the glory of Christ is set before us, satisfying longings for joy and gladness with anything less will be inadequate.

This, then, is the practice of meditating on the glory of Christ: always keeping it before you. Every morning in my devotions, whatever I am praying for at the time, I always have a list of prayer requests I mention before saying amen. One of them is my request for Christ to remind me of himself throughout the day. When I am reminded of his beauty, holiness, goodness, and mercy [all pertaining to the glory of Christ] I know that anything else that attempts to momentarily replace Christ as my treasure is a lie. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says this about the instant sin replaces Christ as most beautiful in our life, “At this moment God… loses all reality… Satan does not fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God.”3 The beautiful, captivating, transforming glory of Christ should ever be before us.

Notes
1 Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections, 178.
2 John Owen, The Glory of Christ, 2.
3 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Temptation, 33.

Premature Birth and Survival Calls for a Second Look at Fetus Survial Viability

Amillia Sonja Taylor was born just under 23 weeks and weighing 10 oz Oct. 24, 2006, and is still healthy today. She now weighs 4 lbs and is 15 1/2 in. long. Her survival calls for a second look at the viability of a baby's survival in the womb which is set about 25 weeks, which abortion legislation revolves around.

Evangelical's Must Think This Time!

This election year will not be as easy for evangelical Christians to choose. As Harrison Scott Key blogs, "They will have to think! Horror!" Here is a Times article on the choices for evangelicals as president.

"Chosen for Life"

Sam Storms is releasing his new book Chosen for Life, Feb 28, 2007.
Here is the publisher's description:
Divine election is certainly one of the more profound—and controversial—doctrines in the Bible. Does God elect people because they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, or does God elect people in order that they will believe in Christ? Much of the disagreement and controversy concerning this doctrine proceeds from a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means.

This is why Storms begins his analysis of divine election with an attempt to clarify precisely what is at stake and, at the same time, correct misrepresentations of it. He takes a thorough look at the doctrine as it is presented in Romans 9 as well as the rest of the New Testament. He also explores freedom of will and the order of salvation. Appendixes address “Three Problem Passages” and “Who Can and Cannot Pray for God to Save the Lost?”

Storms has also written an essay in the previously released Still Sovereign, edited by Thomas R. Schreiner and Bruce A. Ware, entitled Prayer and Evangelism Under God's Sovereignty, which I personally thought was helpful in articulating the seeming paradox between the three.

Here are what others have said about Chosen for Life:

“I can’t know and love and serve God if I don’t know truth about God. This book describes God the way he really is.” John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis

“This new edition of Chosen for Life has everything one could want on the topic of election. Those who agree will be heartily encouraged; those who disagree will be respectfully challenged; the hearts of all will marvel at the glorious grace of God in the gospel.” C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries

“Storms’s offensive against Arminian-type views of election among evangelicals is a very solid piece of work. The thoroughness of its arguments gives it conclusive force.” J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College

“This extraordinarily clear and courteous book makes its case without stooping to caricature or invective. It is a fine model of exactly how theological disagreements should be resolved: with respectful listening, careful distinctions, historical awareness, deep reverence for Scripture, and patient exegesis.” D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

I personally look forward to its release. I think Storm writes clearly, pastorally, and theologically sound in order that his audience is wide and deep.