Friday, July 29, 2011

A Relationship, Not an Explanation

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
-Hebrew 2:8-9

As we go through life, whether we, or someone we know, will go through a very painful season. It is during these seasons that Christians and non-Christians alike will ask something similar to this question: “If God is good or if there is a God, why is He letting me go through this pain?”

The pain could be a disease or illness, the loss of a loved one, unemployment, or a myriad of other possibilities. No matter what the cause, the pain is there and we try to make sense of it or understand it, especially if we have faith in a God who is working all things to our good.

During these times, it is easy to doubt that God is working all things to our good. We wonder if He cares or if He has the power we thought He did. Surely, if God is who He says He is and if He loves me like He claims to, He wouldn’t let me go through this pain!

This seems to be the exact scenario that the author of Hebrews describes in the text quoted above. The problem is, Scripture teaches us that all things are in subjection to Christ. Yet when we encounter difficulty and pain, we do not see all things in subjection to Christ because certain events seem to be counter to His will.

Death, sickness, tears, poverty, loneliness, etc. are all the result of a fallen world, a world that has rebelled against its ruler. These things that are in rebellion do run counter to the decreed will of God, those things which He has commanded. 

Our minds cannot fathom that a situation can be in subjection to a being as great as God and yet run counter to His decreed will. There is an element of mystery to this that we simply will not be able to understand while we are here on earth. It is as simple as that. We don’t know why God permits all the evil that exists in the world, especially as it affects His children, His church.

It is into this mindset that the author of Hebrews, and ultimately the Holy Spirit, offers a resounding and comforting truth. Though we do not see or understand that everything is in subjection to Christ, we are able to see Christ. We see a Savior, by the eyes of faith, who has suffered and tasted death for all of us and has risen to rule in heaven.

Christ does not give us an explanation, He gives us a relationship! He gives Himself to us to trust in Him, that He truly is working all things for our good, and at times, that does involve pain and hardship (cf. Heb. 12:7-11).

Say a person gets brain cancer, like Matt Chandler, a pastor I greatly respect, recently did. He has the option of asking lots of questions, being frustrated by no answer, and building up bitterness towards his God. Or, he can respond in faith, learn that God does have a loving reason for this and will be with him throughout the entire process and teach Pastor Matt who He is and allow him to grow to be more and more like Christ through the process. This is, truly, how Matt Chandler did respond, and it sets an example for the rest of us to follow. Here is the video, I highly recommend watching it!  

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

John Stott: A Pillar of Strength in Our Age

Today marks the death of one of the most influential leaders in Christianity. He had not only influenced Christianity at large, but he has also played a great role in my life. His theological precision and care, coupled with a pastoral heart which sought to winsomely win over souls for Christ have been a testament to what a Christian minister should be. I have benefited greatly from his various commentaries and other works both directly and indirectly, as almost every preacher I have sat under over the years has been influenced by John Stott.

Great men set us an example to follow. They forge ahead of the mass of humanity and courageously go where others dare not. John Stott has done this in many ways as he defends and advances the cause of the Gospel in the world. He has left a great legacy for those of us who follow him. At this point, words fail me, I simply cannot describe the impact that he has had on my life.

In closing, one of the greatest marks of John Stott was his humility. In his day, he stirred quite a large controversy in an article he published. Though a committed evangelical his whole life, he did wrestle with the idea of hell. In his article, he confessed that he was not closed to the possibility of annihilationism, the view that there is no hell, that those who do not go to heaven simply cease to exist at the end. What was so remarkable about this article was the humility with which he approached the topic. He knew he was running against tradition, but he was honest with his the struggle that he was undergoing on this particular topic.

He was a great man, and I am encouraged by the fact that he has now received his reward. He is now in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, a journey which he was started in his youth and continued on the rest of his life. John Stott truly has fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Why is God Consumed with Himself?


I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. -Is 42:8


There is a confession of the Christian faith that I have struggled with over the years. It has always been a nagging dissatisfaction in the back of my mind, a thought that I have never given much expression to, but which has nevertheless remained a firm fixture over the years. I do believe that I am not the only Christian that has had this question; indeed, I believe that many Christians either flat out reject the idea or, like myself, are quietly provoked by it.

The confession is this: God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, is consumed with His own glorification.

The sound of this statement is disturbing, but why? I believe that our disturbance lies in error on our behalf, rather than on God’s. In the Scriptures, God condescends to use anthropomorphizing terms to describe Himself. That is, to enable our getting to know Him better, He has used language to describe Himself in human terms though He is not a human. There are a plethora of examples in Scripture of this; the Psalms are ripe with them, as are the Prophets. Indeed, God does not only use anthropomorphic terms to describe Himself, He has taken on human nature to save us. But He is still not a human being.

As a caveat, I am not denying the divinity of Christ, what I am denying is that God shares the same status as human beings. He alone exists uncreated, in a class separate from every other thing in existence. Unlike any human, His power is limitless, His knowledge knows no end, and His existence has no origin or termination.

That said, our balking at the original statement comes, I believe, when we forget who God is. For any man or woman to have their personal glorification as the vision for their existence would be narcissism at its purest and a value which humanity would universally reject as taboo and loathsome.

Yet God, the Creator of heaven and earth, is different. Consider this, who does a man or woman have to thank for their accomplishments? If they succeed in their job, if they raise their children well, if they reach any other goal in life, the thanks will lie somewhere outside themselves, if they are honest.

Take a persons career, for instance. To succeed in a career, one has to be trained to some degree by another. Circumstances must also be favorable and the right opportunities need to open up at the right times. In other words, success in a career is dependent on many variables external to the individual. There may be some measure of talent inherent in an individual that will make success in a career more likely, but that talent is not something they have bestowed on themselves. If we believe what the Bible does say, we must admit that God gives individuals the talents they have to succeed. Not only that, He also gives the training and the opportunities for success, through various mediums to be sure, but all these blessings originate from Him. So, a person has little to thank him or herself for when they succeed.

On the other hand, no one has trained God, no one has given Him opportunities, and no one has made Him with certain talents that will help Him succeed at being God. There is no one higher than God for God to thank. We delight in Him because He is the originator of the good in us. Logically, He can delight in Himself because He is the originator of the good that He is. He is consumed with the best thing that exists: Himself!      

Friday, February 18, 2011

Love as the Greatest Motivator

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
-1 Cor. 13:13

The other day I was reading 2 Samuel 23:15-16, “And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David.” As I finished this section, I asked myself: what would cause these three men to rick their lives to get David a cup of water? The only answer I could find was love.

Love is the ultimate and final motivator. Fear can only motivate to an extent, and a superficial extent at that. Fear does not inspire someone to go above and beyond to serve. Duty only motivates someone to do what is required; it does not provide motivation for the extraordinary.

Love motivated God to send Christ into the world, the defining supererogatory action of history. God had no duty to send Christ. Indeed, duty would have been fulfilled by the just judgment of all humanity, not the offer of salvation. Nor was God motivated by fear to accomplish the salvation of the world. Love accomplished this greatest act of history.

Likewise, love is the singular motivation in our relationship with God. A response to God purely out of duty neglects the accomplished work of Christ by producing the false notion that we can repay God the debt we owe Him by our dutiful works. Duty is also a poor motivator in times of trial and temptation when other options, sinful options, seem to provide far more. Yet love will triumph in these times to compel us to turn to Christ in love to live life like Him.

Naturally, all humans love something or someone other than God, the Bible uses the term idolatry to describe this; something else takes the place that God should have in our lives. Yet, as we surrender our lives to God, He does an amazing thing in our hearts. He turns our heart away from the idols that we love and changes us so that we love Him instead. As we grow in love for God, our love for idols decreases.

Finally, the Apostle Paul reminds us that love is the greatest part of our relationship with God. Faith will last until we reach heaven when we will see the object of our faith. Hope will last until that hope has been realized. But love will last for the rest of eternity as we rest in the love of God forever.