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Best Blogs Digest: For Busy Disciples (Aug. 2010)

September 1st, 2010

By Greg Gibson

How to Use the Bible Story
“…2. How would you summarize your book’s argument in one sentence?
With biblical theology, we have in Scripture everything we need for effective ministry in the church; without it, vast sections of Scripture are nothing more than moral tales at best and irrelevant history at worst.

3. How would you summarize your book’s argument in one paragraph?
…Too often though, pastors and church leaders approach the OT as not much more than a collection of moral examples and the NT as the story of Jesus and how we get saved. But the Bible is so much more than life’s little ‘answer book’ and the world’s first evangelistic tract. It’s the story of everything; it’s the revelation of God’s grand design to glorify himself through the history of salvation. This means Scripture isn’t a story we turn to in order to answer our questions, but a story we’re in that explains us to ourselves and teaches us the questions we should be asking and the answers we need…

4. You write, ‘I think it’s fair to say that everything in the life and ministry of the local church is affected by a proper use of biblical theology’ (p. 199). How?
Biblical theology places us inside the storyline of Scripture. So good biblical theology is almost always the difference between misapplying and faithfully applying Scripture. For example, should the unemployed, barren, or disabled in your church consider themselves cursed by God, while the rich, fruitful, and strong in your church consider themselves favored? Does God-honoring worship require the use of cymbals and tambourines? Should we baptize infants, and if so, whose? Should the church seek political power and a role in civil law-making? I could go on. The answers to all of these questions, and countless more, aren’t found by simply collecting and comparing all the references in the Bible to childlessness, cymbals, or laws. They’re found by understanding the whole storyline of Scripture and where the Christian and the local church fit into it…” Interview with Michael Lawrence on Biblical Theology and the Church by Michael Lawrence

How Would You Summarize the OT’s Message in One Sentence?
“1. How would you summarize your book’s (Dominion and Dynasty) argument in one sentence?
God created humanity to rule the world in his image, and humanity was dethroned from that rule and will be re-enthroned as kings and queens of creation.” (GG:…through Messiah.) Interview with Stephen Dempster on Old Testament Theology by Andy Naselli

Summary of Hebrews’ Message by Peter O’Brien
“…1. How would you summarize the message of Hebrews?
Hebrews is a “word of exhortation” (Hebrews 13:22) sent as a letter to Christians, probably from a Jewish background, urging them to maintain their confession of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and perfect high priest (3:6, 14; 4:14; 10:23).
Through exposition the author uses the Old Testament to show the Son’s place in God’s saving plan, his superiority to angels (1:5–14), the purpose of the incarnation (2:10–18), the superiority of Jesus’ priesthood (5:1–7:28), and his high priestly offering by which he inaugurated the new covenant (8:1–10:18).
Through exhortation, which includes words of encouragement and stern warnings, as well as positive and negative examples, the author repeatedly urges his listeners to persevere faithfully in order to reach their eternal rest in the heavenly city.

2. Why did the audience of Hebrews need this message?
The members of the community had previously suffered persecution, imprisonment, public abuse, and the loss of their property (10:32–34). Now they were being called upon to endure suffering again.
They had grown weary as believers and were in danger of drifting away or, worse, willfully persisting in sin and rejecting the Son of God. Although the author does not say that they have actually committed apostasy, some are in great danger. In order to prevent such a disaster he addresses his powerful “word of exhortation” to them…” Interview with Peter O’Brien on the Letter to the Hebrews by Peter O’Brien

Pornified or Purified?
“Here’s the point: These two pictures of male sexuality are deliberately intended to drive home the point that every man must decide who he will be, whom he will serve, and how he will love. In the end, a man’s decision about pornography is a decision about his soul, a decision about his marriage, a decision about his wife, and a decision about God. Pornography is a slander against the goodness of God’s creation and a corruption of this good gift God has given his creatures out of his own self-giving love. To abuse this gift is to weaken, not only the institution of marriage, but the fabric of civilization itself. To choose lust over love is to debase humanity and to worship the false god Priapus in the most brazen form of modern idolatry.” Two Pictures: Purified vs Pornified by Al Mohler

The Gospel Nuns
“‘‘Some people come to Italy for an audience with the Pope. As for me, I’d prefer to meet with the Sorelle Evangeliche (Gospel Sisters),’ I declared, entering the home of Cristiana Gavagni and Annamaria Mazzari, a.k.a. the ‘Gospel Nuns.’ Known among evangelicals throughout Italy, these sisters have a ministry of itinerant evangelism in which they encourage congregations to pursue gospel-centered outreach. Their message is simple: ‘Choose Christ and him alone’…By now, Annamaria was ready to leave the Catholic Church. She could no longer celebrate Mass or attend confession, and she had discarded all of her religious paraphernalia such as statues, beads, and clerical attire. (This is evidently when she broke the habit). After 46 years as a nun, she was ready to resign…One thing was left…baptism. On September 25, 2005, Pastors Dick Paul and Sam Wegner baptized them at Bible Christian Church of Florence. Afterward, Cristiana and Annamaria were cut off from fellowship with the sisterhood and alienated from many of their family members. Having served in their order for 102 years combined, they were now on their own for the first time, out from under the protective care of Mother Church. Thankfully, the evangelical church stepped in as Pastor Sam Wegner and the congregation of Bible Christian Church surrounded then with loving support. I asked Cristiana how it felt to undergo baptism knowing that she would face such alienation. She responded without batting an eye, ‘It was joy like I had never felt before!’ Describing the nature of their ministry, Annamaria explained, ‘We visit churches to share our testimony, our love for God’s Word, and the liberation which he has given us in Jesus. It is a privilege to serve the Lord.’” The Gospel Nuns by Chris Castaldo

Interview With the Apostle Paul on the Law
“We have died to the law.
How did we die to the law?
We died to the law through the body of Christ.
For what purpose did we die to the law?
We died to the law so that we would belong to another—to him who has been raised from the dead.
Why did God join us to Christ?
So that we could bear fruit for God.
What kind of fruit will we bear if we are under the law and not united to Christ?
While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.
So we’re not under law?
We are released from the law.
You’re saying we’re dead to the law?
We died to that which held us captive.
What are the results of our death to law?
We now serve in the new way of the Spirit . . .
As opposed to?
. . . the old way of the letter.” An Interview With the Apostle Paul on the Law, Life, and Death by Justin Taylor

Schreiner Answers 40 Questions on the Law
“But if I had to recommend just one book on the topic, it’d be Tom Schreiner’s 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law…’Tom provides perhaps the most helpful guide available for 40 of the most difficult questions about Christians and Biblical Law.’ I’ve had an opportunity to read an early draft of the book and would give it my highest recommendation.” Schreiner Answers 40 Questions on Gospel and Law by Justin Taylor

What One Thing Would You Change About Seminary?
“Al Mohler: There is a body of knowledge to be mastered and a set of ministerial skills and practices to be developed, of course, but these do not a minister make. The ministry is a calling, and the most important qualifications for the Christian ministry are spiritual.

Don Carson: I’d make it more integrated.

Jeff Louie: We should teach a course on the understanding and centrality of the gospel to every entering seminarian, then build upon that understanding in the theological, canonical, historical, and practical ministry courses. Too often there is no course on the gospel given in seminary, or it is an elective, or it is a subject relegated to a class on evangelism. This subject should be front and center, and everything else we study should be tied to it and flow from it.

Richard Pratt: The agenda of evangelical seminaries is set primarily by scholars. Professors decide how students will spend their time; they determine students’ priorities; they set the pace. And guess what. Scholars’ agenda seldom match the needs of the church.
Can you imagine what kind of soldiers our nation would have if basic training amounted to reading books, listening to lectures, writing papers, and taking exams? We’d have dead soldiers. The first time a bullet wizzed past their heads on the battlefield, they’d panic. The first explosion they saw would send them running. So, what is basic training for the military? Recruits learn the information they need to know, but this is a relatively small part of their preparation. Most of basic training is devoted to supervised battle simulation. Recruits are put through harrowing emotional and physical stress. They crawl under live bullet fire. They practice hand to hand combat.
If I could wave a magic scepter and change seminary today, I’d turn it into a grueling physical and spiritual experience. I’d find ways to reach academic goals more quickly and effectively and then devote most of the curriculum to supervised battle simulation. I’d put students through endless hours of hands-on service to the sick and dying, physically dangerous evangelism, frequent preaching and teaching the Scriptures, and days on end of fasting and prayer. Seminary would either make them or break them.”

(GG: Jesus’ training of the 12 apostles is a partial model to pastors’ training today. Seminaries tend to over-emphasize something Jesus didn’t: hyper-scholarly details. Jesus emphasized character and ‘how to’ more: faith, love, humility, how to pray, how to evangelize, etc. The Church needs scholars, but scholarship is not a qualification for pastors. Are we making scholars or disciples? Yeah, I know the 2 aren’t mutually exclusive, but what is our emphasis?
I love reading scholars, but never want to preach like most of them write. Good preachers can translate scholar-speak into pew-speak with simple and clear words. Think about this: The smartest Bible teacher who ever lived was able to explain complex doctrinal truths in simple and clear words that even uneducated farmers and fishermen could understand. Go and do likewise.) TGC Asks: What one thing would you change about seminary? by Collin Hansen

Racism Remedy: Justification by Faith
“11.00 a.m. on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the American week…I want to suggest that one of the best resources for confronting racism in the Christian church is the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith…justification by faith according to Paul has vertical and horizontal dimensions…While justification by faith certainly answers the question, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ it also answers another question, one seldom asked, ‘Who are the people of God?’… Paul’s formulation of justification by faith took shape in the context of the struggle to legitimize the membership of his Gentile converts in a church under siege from Jewish proselytizers…The horizontal elements of justification by faith are displayed in three key places in Paul’s letters. In Rom. 3.28 Paul states: ‘We reckon a person to be justified by faith without works of law’. Then he asks in Rom. 3.29: ‘Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not God of the Gentiles too?’…what is the first implication that Paul draws after this in Eph. 2.11-3.11? Paul gives a majestic discourse about how the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles has been broken down, how Gentiles attain the citizenship of Israel, and the unity between the races in the new creation that God has ushered in…The argument in Antioch between Paul and Peter described in Gal. 2.11-14 had racial issues at the forefront. Peter ate with Gentiles at the church in Antioch, until certain men from James came. Under duress Peter separated and withdrew from table fellowship with Gentiles…Justification by faith is Paul’s weapon to argue for the unity of the church of Jew and Gentile against those who would divide them, segregate them, or assign some to a second tier status. If we claim to believe and follow what the Apostle Paul taught about justification then: Do we believe that every person is justified by faith in Christ? Or do we believe that God is the God of our race only? Do we believe that we are saved by faith so that the dividing wall between black and white communities has been torn down? Do we walk towards the truth of the gospel concerning the way we treat those of different race, color, and ethnicity at the table of the Lord.
To practice any form of ethnic or racial exclusion means that one either does not understand or does not believe in justification by faith. Let me be clear. The denial of ethic privilege and racial superiority is not merely an implication of justification by faith; rather, it is a core element of the doctrine. They are mutually exclusive because justification constitutes a church of Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, Greek and Barbarian, White and Black, African and Asian. Churches and Christians that practice racial segregation even for pragmatic reasons deny the biblical teaching and the application of the doctrine of justification to the koinonia of the church. Justification is the act whereby God creates a new people, with a new status, in a new covenant, as a foretaste of the new age.” (GG: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” Rom. 15:7) Guest Post: Justification by Faith and Racism by Michael Bird

What the Bible Says About Ministry to the Poor (Summary)
“#1: Don’t Undersell What the Bible Says About the Poor and Social Justice

#2: Don’t Oversell What the Bible Says About the Poor and Social Justice
Just as some Christians are in danger of over-reacting against social justice, other Christians, in an effort be prophetic, run the risk of making the Bible say more about the poor and social justice than it actually does. Here are a few examples of ‘oversell.’

(1) For starters, the alleviation of poverty is simply not the main storyline of Scripture. Some Christians talk like the Bible is almost entirely about the poor, as if the story from Genesis to Revelation is largely the story of God taking the side of the poor in an effort to raise the minimum wage and provide universal health care. As we tried to show earlier, the biblical narrative is chiefly concerned with how a holy God can dwell with an unholy people. Granted, one aspect of living a holy life is treating the poor with compassion and pursuing justice, but this hardly makes poverty the central theme in the Bible. If our story does not center on Jesus Christ, and the story of Jesus Christ does not center on his death and resurrection for sin, we have gotten the story all out of whack.

(2) Likewise, we must remember that the ‘poor’ in Scripture are usually the pious poor. They are the righteous poor, the people of God oppressed by their enemies yet still depending on him to come through on their behalf (see for example Psalm 10; 69; 72; 82). This does not mean “the poor” should be evacuated of any economic component. After all the pious poor are very often the materially poor. But it does mean that the poor God favors are not the slothful poor (Prov. 6:6-11; 2 Thess 3:6-12), nor the disobedient poor (Prov. 30:9), but the humble poor who wait on God (Matthew 5:3; 6:33).

(3) We should note that almost all the references to caring for the poor in the Bible are references to the poor within the covenant community… Christians are enjoined to do good to all people, but the priority is ‘especially to those who are of the household of faith’ (Gal. 6:10).

(4) Justice, as a biblical category, is not synonymous with anything and everything we feel would be good for the world. We are often told that creation care is a justice issue, the gap between rich and poor is a justice issue, advocating for a ‘living wage’ is a justice issue. But the examination of the main social justice texts has shown that justice is a much more prosaic category in the Bible. Doing justice means following the rule of law, showing impartiality, not stealing, not swindling, not taking advantage of the weak because they are too uninformed or unconnected to stop you.” A Brief Wrap Up on The Poor and Social Justice by Kevin DeYoung

Which Motives to Conversion Should Evangelists Use?
“Most of us, I suspect, develop fairly standard ways, one might even say repetitive ways, to appeal to the motivations of our hearers when we preach the gospel. Recently, however, I have wondered if I have erred in this respect—not so much in what I say as in what I never or almost never say…

1. A Survey of Possible Motivations
1.1 Fear
1.2 The Burden of Guilt
1.3 Shame
1.4 The Need for ‘Future Grace’
1.5 The Attractiveness of Truth
1.6 A General, Despairing Sense of Need
1.7 Responding to Grace and Love
1.8 (Hope)

2. Four Theological and Pastoral Reflections on This Survey
2.1 We do not have the right to choose only one of these motivations in people and to appeal to it restrictively.
2.2 On the other hand, we may have the right to emphasize one motivation more than others.
2.3 Nevertheless, the comprehensiveness of our appeal to diverse motivations will reflect the comprehensiveness of our grasp of the gospel.
2.4…failure to cover the sweep of motivations ultimately results in diminishing God.
The point to be made is simple: any failure to appeal to the full range of biblically exemplified and biblically sanctioned motivations not only means that there are some people we are not taking into account, but, more seriously, that there are elements in the character and attributes of God himself that we are almost certainly ignoring.” Pastoral Pensées: Motivations to Appeal to in Our Hearers When We Preach for Conversion by Don Carson

The New Perspective’s False Dichotomies
“Moisés Silva explains why we can be grateful to the “new perspective on Paul: first, for reminding us of what was obvious long before E. P. Sanders’s Paul and Palestinian Judaism came on the scene, namely, that it is quite unfair and inaccurate to paint postbiblical Judaism with the broad, indiscriminate brush of ‘legalism’ and self-righteousness; and second, for helping us to see more clearly that Paul’s overarching interest in Galatians 2-3 was not precisely to expound the doctrine of justification but to address the Jewish-Gentile question in the church and thereby to clarify who are the true descendants of Abraham.
But one exaggeration doesn’t deserve another: But to acknowledge that much is hardly to accept other exaggerated claims—for example, the tendency to seek right-standing with God by human effort was not much of a problem in Judaism (and therefore that such a thing was outside Paul’s purview), or that the doctrine of justification by faith alone, as understood in Protestant theology, does not play a significant role in Galatians 3 (let alone that it was foreign to Pauline thought!).” Gratitude for the New Perspective on Paul but Resistance to Its False Dichotomies by Moises Silva

Blessed Are the Peacemakers
“I would recommend that every church at least be familiar with Peacemaker Ministries and the resources that they offer. I recently had an opportunity to lead a group through their small-group DVD set and study guide, and the feedback was very encouraging, with tangible fruit produced.” Blessed Are the Peacemakers by Justin Taylor

More Christians Than Communists in China?
“No one knows exactly how many Christians there are among China’s population of 1.3 billion. There are an estimated 21 million members of the government sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic movement, but nobody knows how many Protestants worship in unregistered house churches. Some recent surveys have calculated there could be as many as 100 million Chinese Protestants. That would mean that China has more Christians than Communist Party members, which now number 75 million.” NPR on the Chinese Christian Boom by Collin Hansen

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Best Blogs Digest: For Busy Disciples (July 2010)

August 2nd, 2010

By Greg Gibson

Theistic Evolution’s Achilles Heal: Pre-Fall Death
“The Genesis record is a beautiful picture of God’s creation. Order, purpose and harmony permeate His completed work. Man relates righteously to God; Adam and Eve relate lovingly to one another; and animals dwell peacefully among them. No sign of conflict, fear, violence or death appears, until the day Adam sinned against God. That’s a problem for evolution—a big problem. Christians who flirt with evolution have some serious explaining to do when it comes to the existence of death before Adam’s transgression. How can God pronounce a world filled with violence, disease, suffering and death “very good”? Answer: He can’t. (GG: The new creation will be a restoration of the pre-fall creation. There will be “no more death” in the new creation, just like the pre-fall creation.) The Achilles Heal of Theistic Evolution by John MacArthur

7 Beliefs of the New Atheism
“The points detailing the distinctions of the New Atheism are as follows…

1. Celebration of Atheism – no sense of mourning as seen in the “Victorian Loss of Faith”…

2. Changed and clear direction of attention – No longer the philosophical rejection of God but a rejection of the God of Christianity specifically…

3. Explicitly based in scientific argumentation…

4. Attack upon moderate and liberal Protestantism…

5. Belief in God is not to be tolerated…

6. Theism is seen as harmful to children – teaching a child theistic beliefs is tantamount to child abuse and on the same level as (if not worse than) physical abuse…

7. Theism should be eliminated because of all the harm it has brought to humanity”…New Atheism? Yea, yea, yea whatever… by Carrie Hunter

Good and Bad Reasons to Leave Your Church
“Good Reasons for Moving On—The Four P’s

    1. Providential moving
    2. Planting another church
    3. Purity has been lost
    4. Peace of the church is in jeopardy due to my presence

Possible Reasons for Moving On – The Three S’s

    1. Spouse…
    2. Special Needs…
    3. Special Gifts…

Reasons Often Used Which are Insufficient

    1. Children’s Ministry…
    2. Buzz…
    3. Youth Group…
    4. Church has changed…
    5. New Pastor…
    6. I’m Not Being Ministered to…
    7. Music…
    8. There are others…”

Jason Helopoulos on Good Reasons for Moving On by Jason Helopoulos

Seminary Training by Dr. Jesus
“Here is the heart of the problem: we had taken a great means of grace and a critical support for life and faith and the crucial tool of our ministry – Bible understanding – and had turned it into the end, rather than the means to the end. We told ourselves we were mature Christians because we were educated rather than because we delighted ourselves in the Lord. We turned our devotions into comprehension exercises.” Training Preachers by Marcus Honeysett

Pastors: Visit Your Men at Their Workplaces
“Pastors, go to where your men work. During my past 4 years as a pastor in the Bay Area I quickly discovered that one of the most important things for me to do was to hang out with men in my church at their workplace. This helped the men. It showed them that I care about their callings, how they spend 50+ hours of their week, and the people they work with. This helped me. It taught me about the unique opportunities & challenges men were facing in their different workplaces, it opened my eyes to a world bigger than our church, and it helped set new trajectories for my preaching and discipling.” What is one of the best ways for a pastor to gain evangelistic opportunities? by Brian Croft

Pastoring Women
“We want to reflect on what he uniquely and wonderfully intends for women in the life of the church, and how to specially pastor them.” See 9 articles from the 9Marks e-Journal Pastoring Women

Bible Inerrancy: Annotated Bibliography
“Behind the centrality of expositional preaching is the assumption of the authority and truthfulness of God’s Word…I’ve saved the best for last. If I could just recommend one book on the inerrancy of the Bible it would undoubtedly be this one—John Wenham, Christ and the Bible (Tyndale Press, 1972 [UK]; IVP, 1973 [US]).Wenham’s book has been through three editions and makes the simple point that our trust in Scripture is to be a part of our following Christ, because that is the way that Christ treated Scripture—as true, and therefore authoritative. (Robert Lightner, a professor of Systematic Theology at Dallas Seminary published a similar book a few years later, A Biblical Case for Total Inerrancy: How Jesus Viewed the Old Testament [Kregel, 1978].)Wenham had first put these ideas in print with a little Tyndale pamphlet in 1953 called Our Lord’s View of the Old Testament. In Christ and the Bible, Wenham, an Anglican evangelical who taught Greek for many years at Oxford, has done us all a great service in providing us with a book which understands that we do not come by our adherence to Scripture fundamentally from the inductive resolutions of discrepancies, but from the teaching of the Lord Jesus. Only because of the Living Word may we finally know to trust the Written Word. May God use these resources of those who’ve gone before us to equip and encourage us in so trusting.” (HT:JT) Inerrancy of the Bible: An Annotated Bibliography by Mark Dever

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Best Blogs Digest: For Busy Disciples (June 2010)

July 1st, 2010

By Greg Gibson

The New Calvinists
This is not your grandparent’s Calvinism! A good analysis of the new Calvinsts, followed by some interesting discussion. The New Calvinism Considered by Jeremy Walker

Schreiner: Salvation Promises and Warnings Harmonized
“I have argued in this book that the warnings and admonitions in the Scriptures have a particular function. By them believers are warned against departing from Christ and the gospel. If they do apostatize, then they will face final damnation….It is by means of taking the warnings seriously that the promise of our salvation is secured.” Assurance, Perseverance, and the Warning Passages of Scripture by Justin Taylor

“One of the most difficult issues in reading the scriptures is explaining the tension between warning passages and texts that promise assurance.1 On the one hand, the warning passages, such as are found in Hebrews, James, or Revelation 2-3, are incredibly severe, even frightening. They seem to warn believers that if they abandon the faith, continue to do what is evil, and fail to persevere until the end, the only prospect is eternal judgment and hell. On the other hand, the texts on assurance, such as John 10:28-30, Romans 8:28-39, and Philippians 1:6, seem to guarantee that God will continue the good work that he has started in believers, and he will see to it that those whom he has elected to salvation will make it to the end…for I am persuaded that the scriptures do teach unconditional election, and that God’s electing and sustaining grace is such that his sheep will never perish. They never perish precisely because they listen to the Good Shepherd’s voice which effectively admonishes and warns them lest they fail to follow him and perish.” Perseverance and Assurance: A Survey and a Proposal by Thomas Schreiner

“’Once saved, always saved.’…But is that the central theme of the New Testament’s teaching on perseverance?…Schreiner continually points the reader back to the Bible, the cross and Jesus’ perfect righteousness to answer the objections to his view of perseverance. Thirdly, this view of perseverance gives the warnings found in the New Testament their teeth back, while at the same time granting comfort and assurance to the believer. The warnings are shown to be one of God’s tools to keep us running the race and fixing our eyes on Jesus.” Run to Win the Prize by J.J. Sherwood

10 Evangelism Starter Questions

    “1. When you die, if God says to you, “Why should I let you into Heaven?”, what would you say? Are you interested in what the Bible says about your answer?
    2. If you were to die tonight, where do you think you would spend eternity? Why? Are you interested in what the Bible says about this?
    3. Do you think much about spiritual things?
    4. How is God involved in your life?
    5. How important is your faith to you?
    6. What has been your most meaningful spiritual experience?
    7. Do you find that your religious heritage answers your questions about life?
    8. Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs? If what you believe were not true, would you want to know it? Well, the Bible says…
    9. To you, who is Jesus?
    10. I often like to pray for people I meet; how can I pray for you?” Ten Questions to Ask to Turn a Conversation Toward the Gospel (HT:9M) by Don Whitney

3 Numerical, Gospel Errors
“Graham Cole notes that there are three ‘ways to spoil the gospel’”
1. addition
2. subtraction
3. disproportion” Three Ways to Spoil the Gospel by Andy Naselli

The Victorious Life Defeated
Perfectionism, Higher Life, Victorious Life, Deeper Life, Abundant Life, and Spiritual Christians: What do these views of sanctification all have in common? They give the unregenerate false assurance, rely on spiritual experiences, view sanctification as instant instead of progressive, and lead to pride for the “haves” or frustration for the “have nots.” KESWICK THEOLOGY: A SURVEY AND ANALYSIS OF THE DOCTRINE OF SANCTIFICATION IN THE EARLY KESWICK MOVEMENT by Andy Naselli

Typology Defined in One Sentence
“Typology: The idea that persons (e.g., Moses), events (e.g., the exodus), and institutions (e.g., the temple) can—in the plan of God—prefigure a later stage in that plan and provide the conceptuality necessary for understanding the divine intent (e.g., the coming of Christ to be the new Moses, to effect the new exodus, and to be the new temple)” .Defining Typology in One Sentence by Justin Taylor

34 Bible Software Programs
16 New Bible Software Tools and Methods
5 Commercial Bible Software Programs
6 Free Downloadable Bible Software Programs
7 Free Online Bible Software Programs
New Ways to Study the Bible by Tyndale House

Bible Translated Into Every Language in 15 Years
“A Christian endeavor of almost 2,000 years could be substantially completed by 2025. Protestant translators expect to have the Bible — or at least some of it — written in every one of the world’s 6,909 spoken languages…Portable computers and satellites get the credit for speeding things up by about 125 years….About 2,200 languages remain without a Bible. About 350 million people, mostly in India, China, sub-Saharan Africa and Papua New Guinea, speak only these languages. Working on this “to-do” list are about 6,600 career and short-term missionaries with training in the Bible and linguistics.” Bible translators hope to have every language covered in 15 years by The Denver Post

90% of Southern Baptists Unregenerate?
“Although the Southern Baptists claim 16,228,438 members, on average only 6,184,317 people (guests and non-member children included), a number equal to only 38% of the membership number, show up for their church’s primary worship meeting (usually Sunday morning)…In the average church you can cut the 38% Sunday morning attendance by about two-thirds or more when counting those interested in a Sunday evening service…the number of Sunday evening attenders was equal to only 12.3% of the membership (in churches that had an evening meeting)…And remember that the numbers of those attending include many non-member children and guests, often making up a third of the congregation’s main meeting attendance. When all factors are considered, these figures suggest that nearly 90% of Southern Baptist church members appear to be little different from the ‘cultural Christians’ who populate other mainline denominations…We might reverse some of our proclivity to continue as normal if we introduced our preachers more accurately in our evangelism meetings and convention settings. Try using this introduction: ‘Here is Brother ______, pastor of a church of 10,000 members, 6400 of whom do not bother to come on a given Sunday morning, and 8600 of whom do not come on Sunday evening. He is here to tell us about how to have a healthy, evangelistic church.’ It might be better to ask a man to speak who shepherds 100 members, all of whom attend with regularity and all of whom show signs of regeneration—a man who, in the last year, has baptized 5 people who stick” Southern Baptists, An Unregenerate Denomination by Jim Eliff

Charles Darwin’s Wife: His Mental Problems From Guilt
“Darwin’s many psychological or psychologically influenced physical health symptoms included severe depression, insomnia, hysterical crying, dying sensations, shaking, fainting spells, muscle twitches, shortness of breath, trembling, nausea, vomiting, severe anxiety, depersonalization, seeing spots, treading on air and vision, and other visual hallucinations…The physical symptoms included headaches, cardiac palpitations, ringing in ears (possibly tinnitus), painful flatulence, and gastric upsets,,,Others, including Darwin’s own wife, argued that his mental problem stemmed from guilt over his life’s goal to refute the argument for God from design” (GG: Beware how the author redefines sin as mental illness and psychiatric disorders. God’s Word is sufficient for our mental problems.) Was Charles Darwin Psychotic? A Study of His Mental Health by Jerry Bergman, Ph.D.

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Best Blogs Digest - May 2010

May 31st, 2010

By Greg Gibson

Six-Word, Evangelism Opener
“Over and over I’ve seen one simple question open people’s hearts to hear the gospel. Until I asked this question, they showed no interest in spiritual matters. But then after six words-only seventeen letters in English-I’ve seen people suddenly begin to weep and their resistance fall. The question is, “How can I pray for you?” Six Words as an Opener to the Gospel by Don Whitney

Four-Point, Evangelism Outline
“Everyone has their own version of the ‘gospel’ story:

    1. Creation – who I am or who I should be
    2. Fall – what’s wrong with me and the world
    3. Redemption – what’s the solution
    4. Consummation – what I hope for”

(GG: If you need an outline for Christ’s redemption, try 2 M’s + 6 R’s:
Messiah, miracles, righteous, Redeemer, risen, reigning, returning, and repent.) Everyone Has a Gospel Story) by Tim Chester

Imperatives - Indicatives = Impossibilities
“The dominant mode of evangelical preaching on sanctification, the main way to motivate for godly living, sounds something like this:

    You are not _____;
    You should be _________;
    Therefore, do or be ________!

Fill in the blank with anything good and biblical (holy; salt and light; feed the poor; walk humbly; give generously; etc.).” (GG: To preserve balance, see the helpful comments by Andrew Faris and Andy Naselli.) Imperatives - Indicatives = Impossibilities by Justin Taylor

Living in Constant Guilt?
“I’m convinced most serious Christians live their lives with an almost constant low-level sense of guilt. How do we feel guilty? Let me count the ways.

    We could pray more.
    We aren’t bold enough in evangelism.
    We like sports too much.
    We watch movies and television too often.
    Our quiet times are too short or too sporadic.
    We don’t give enough.
    We bought a new couch.
    We don’t read to our kids enough.
    Our kids eat Cheetos and french fries.
    We don’t recycle enough.
    We need to lost 20 pounds.
    We could use our time better.
    We could live some place harder or in something smaller.”

Are Christians Meant to Feel Guilty All the Time? by Kevin DeYoung

Christ-Centered Preaching: A 2nd-Century Example
In the 2nd century, Bishop Mileto of Sardis preached, “This is he who made the heavens and the earth, and formed humanity in the beginning, who is announced by the Law and the Prophets…” This Is He by Trevin Wax

Jonah’s Sectarianism vs. God’s Gracious Heart
“We can’t escape a stark contrast in this story—the tribal mindset of Jonah versus the missional mindset of God…A tribal mindset is antithetical to the gospel. The gospel demands that we be missional, because the gospel is the story of God sacrificing himself for his enemies. Both these approaches are robustly present in Jonah’s story. Jonah represents the best of a tribal mindset, the absolute best. He’s like the trophy for the tribal person. And God—ever-gracious, ever-pursuing, ever-compassionate—serves as the trophy for the mission-minded. Jonah runs from his enemies; God runs toward his enemies. Jonah serves himself; God serves the world.” Are You Tribal or Missional? by Trevin Wax

Giving: Tithing, Guilt, or Generosity?
“He begins by identifying two different extremes that Christians often hold with regard to possessions. Either: 1. God wants you to give 10%, and after that you can do whatever you want with your money. 2. Whatever you give, you should be giving more.” The Generosity Matrix by J.D. Greear

How to Write an Awful Worship Song
The top-7 tips…

    3. Be Vague About Your Theology.
    4. Make the Song All About You.

How to Write an Awful Worship Song by Stephen Altrogge

Fruitless: Fifty Years of Christian, Political Activism
“Over the past 50 years, conservatives have spent tens of billions of dollars lobbying, trying to elect candidates, trying to organize in various ways…And what has it gained? Are we any better off…What have all those conservatives and libertarians done with those billions of dollars that has shown any improvement in the political or the moral climate of the country? Now, if that money had been put into the preaching of the gospel…perhaps there would be something completely different to show for it…And I learned a very good lesson on Capitol Hill – that what happens there is of little consequence. That if one is interested in changing society, you don’t go to Capitol Hill, you preach the gospel. If anybody is operating under the illusion that political action is going to make a significant change in society apart from a sea change in the beliefs in the American people, then they’re condemned to futility. They will waste their lives.” (GG: Spend more of your time and money evangelizing than politicizing, changing hearts than changing laws, and working for the kingdom that is eternal rather than temporary.) Co-Belligerency by John Thomson

193 Scientists Who Believe in Creation
Biologists, Chemists, Geologists, Physicists, etc. Some modern scientists who have accepted the biblical account of creation by Answers in Genesis

C.S. Lewis: Not a Christian Leader
“A recent article in Christianity Today admits, ‘Though he shared basic Christian beliefs with evangelicals, he didn’t subscribe to biblical inerrancy or penal substitution. He believed in purgatory and baptismal regeneration.’” C.S. Lewis by Gary Gilley

Should a Calvinist Marry a Pentecostal?
“If you’ve counted the costs laid out above, if you’re able to receive one another in the gospel, if you’re able to be unified in your church life and your child-rearing, if Aimee’s willing to follow cheerfully, if Calvin’s willing to lead self-sacrificially, then I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Should We Marry if We’re Theologically Divided? by Russell Moore

13-Year Old Divorced 5 Times
Date and divorce, marry and divorce. Date, Divorce, Date, Divorce, Date, Divorce, Marry, Divorce, Marry. - 5.0 by Rick Thomas

Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookies: Guess These Quotes?
“I thought ‘This fortune sounds like something Joel Osteen would say.’ And then it struck me–there is very little difference between Joel and those fortune cookies (except that the cookies are delicious, of course). And now, to prove it, I will give you these twelve quotes. You tell me which are from the fortune cookies and which are from Joel Osteen.” Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookies by Tim Challies

Edited 6/01/10

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Best Blogs Digest - April 2010

May 2nd, 2010

By Greg Gibson

Did Jesus Preach Justification by Grace Alone Through Faith Alone?
“I would use the title “Did Jesus Preach Paul’s Gospel?”—the gospel of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, on the basis of Christ’s blood and righteousness alone, for the glory of God alone…there is the suspicion (or even conviction) that justification by faith alone is part of Paul’s gospel, but not part of Jesus’ gospel…When we start reading one of the Gospels, we already know how it ends—the death and resurrection of Jesus as a substitute for our sins (Mark 10:45; Matthew 26:28)—and we should have that ending in mind with every verse that we read.” Did Jesus Preach the Gospel of Evangelicalism? by John Piper

55 Things the Gospel Isn’t
“Here are ways we often miss the center of the Gospel. Note that these may, or may be not wrong concepts; most have truth in them, and are good things. But they are not the “center” of the Gospel. They can misguide the believer when they are taught as the center, taught as the focus, taught as the key, or become the emphasis of our teaching, because they draw attention from the true center which is person and work of Christ…The Gospel Center is Jesus’ person, work on the cross for forgiveness of sins, and his resurrected triumph over death. From that center we understand the fuller work of the triumphant Christ, from his perfect life to his enthronement and return.” 55 Things the Gospel Isn’t by Jeff Louie

Theistic Evolution vs. Christ’s Virgin Birth, Miracles, and Resurrection?
“Lastly, I am astonished by the naivete of these scholars. Do they think they can restrict the hegemony of science over Scripture to the realm of creation issues? What will science make of the virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus, and the resurrection? The 20th Century gives us the answer. Moreover, do they think they can avoid worldly scorn merely by jettisoning biblical creation, while still holding to even more obnoxious doctrines like substitutionary atonement? The hermeneutics behind theistic evolution are a Trojan horse that, once inside our gates, must cause the entire fortress of Christian belief to fall under the humanistic sword.” (GG: It’s hard to believe that God evolved the old “creation,” but created the new creation.) Theistic Evolution: A Hermeneutical Trojan Horse by Rick Phillips

Pediatricians: Homosexuality Not Genetic or Unchangable
The American College of Pediatricians: “There is no scientific evidence that anyone is born gay or transgendered. Therefore, the College further advises that schools should not teach or imply to students that homosexual attraction is innate, always life-long and unchangeable. Research has shown that therapy to restore heterosexual attraction can be effective for many people…

Dr. Francis Collins, former Director of the Genome Project, has stated that while homosexuality may be genetically influenced, it is “… not hardwired by DNA, and that whatever genes are involved represent predispositions, not predeterminations. He also states [that] “…the prominent role[s] of individual free will choices [has] a profound effect on us.

The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) recently released a landmark survey and analysis of 125 years of scientific studies and clinical experience dealing with homosexuality. This report, What Research Shows, draws three major conclusions:
(1) individuals with unwanted same sex attraction often can be successfully treated;
(2) there is no undue risk to patients from embarking on such therapy and
(3), as a group, homosexuals experience significantly higher levels of mental and physical health problems compared to heterosexuals. Among adolescents who claim a “gay” identity, the health risks include higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, alcoholism, substance abuse, anxiety, depression and suicide.”

(GG: My wife and I know 4 children who formerly acted gay. But my wife exhorted them, and they changed. We’ve also observed that adult, gay males act more feminine than females. They have to practice acting feminine because it is unnatural to them.) American College of Pediatricians: Homosexual Attraction is Neither Innate Nor Unchangeableby Kevin DeYoung

Family Worship Resources Bibliography
Teach your family to worship the Lord with this huge list of articles, sermons, books, and websites. Creating a Family Worship Time (A Compilation of Resources) by IBC Parents (HT:JG)

How to Pray for Revival in Your Church
“You can pray that God would move in way that results in:
* hundreds of people coming to Christ,
* old animosities being removed,
* marriages being reconciled and renewed,
* wayward children coming home,
* long-standing slavery to sin being conquered,
* spiritual dullness being replaced by vibrant joy,
* weak faith being replaced by bold witness,
* disinterest in prayer being replaced by fervent intercession,
* boring Bible reading being replaced by passion for the Word,
* disinterest in global missions being replaced by energy for Christ’s name among the nations, and
* lukewarm worship being replaced by zeal for the greatness of God’s glory.” Pray for an Awakening in Your Church by Justin Taylor

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New Covenant Theology Interview:
Hermeneutic, System, and Questions

April 15th, 2010

By Greg Gibson

Here is a brief 7 minute and 20 second audio/podcast interview I did on New Covenant Theology. (Thanks to Uri Brito for providing the audio. Below are my edited notes from the interview…

———-

New Covenant Theology is a hermeneutic that results in a system. First we will define the hermeneutic, then the system, and finally answer some questions…

New Covenant Theology Hermeneutic

Hermeneutic: The New Testament consistently interprets the Old Testament. We can see this New Testament hermeneutic in church history…

    A. Justyn Martyr: Called the Church the new Israel (despite being historic pre-millennial).

    B. Many apostolic fathers: Non-Sabbatarians (did not believe God changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and did not apply the 4th command to Sunday).

    C. “Pre-Anabaptists” like the Donatists and Waldensians (mostly Baptists), and Reformation Anabaptists rejected paedobaptism for credobaptism, and rejected church-state theocracy. (Agreement with their New Testament hermeneutic applied to ecclesiology is not necessarily an endorsement of all their other beliefs.)

This New Testament hermeneutic resulted in parts which were combined into a whole system by Jon Zens, John Reisinger, etc. starting in the late 20th century.

New Covenant Theology System

1. New Testament eschatology (contra Dispensationalism)
2. New Testament ecclesiology (contra paedobaptist, Covenant Theology)
3. New Testament nomology (contra paedobaptist and Reformed Baptist Covenant Theology)

IOW, Christ brought a new covenant with a new priest, new sacrifice, new temple, new land, new people of God, and new law.

New Covenant Theology Distinctives

1. Hermeneutic: New Testament consistently interprets the Old Testament (not author’s original intent/literal/grammatical-historical).

2. Scripture: Christ-centered Bible (not Israel-centered or covenant-centered).

3. God’s Purpose and Covenants: One pre-historical purpose revealed in historical, distinct covenants (not two purposes, or one Covenant of Grace).

4. Old Testament Prophecy: Promises to Israel fulfilled by Christ and believers (Jews and Gentiles) in the Church.

5. Church: Regenerate members (not believers and their children).

6. Law: Obey all that Christ commanded (not Antinomianism, or Moses’ commands).

7. Sanctification: Christ-centered growth (not law-centered).

New Covenant Theology Questions

1) In what sense is the Decalogue abolished?

My view is that Christ abolished the Decalogue for direct obedience, but not revelation and doctrine. Jesus and His apostles transferred 9 of the 10 Commandments into the New Covenant canon (New Testament), so that we obey them from the authority of the New Testament, not the Old Testament.

2) What about Matthew 5:17 in this debate?

It’s probably the most important passage on how the Old Testament relates to the New Testament. I’m not sure if New Covenant Theology has a consensus view, so I’ll explain my view.

    A. Law or Prophets means Pentateuch or Prophets (both parts of the whole Old Testament), not the Decalogue or moral law alone.

    B. Fulfill means for eschatological/typological/prophetic fulfillment, not confirm for obedience.

    C. “These commandments” are Christ’s commands, not Moses’ commands.

3) How does New Covenant Theology view the 4th commandment?

New Covenant Theology views the Sabbath command as fulfilled and cancelled by Christ. Many New Covenant Theologians distinguish between 2 Sabbaths: God’s eternal rest (salvation: Gen. 2, Mt. 11:28-29:, and Heb. 4) vs. Israel’s 24-hour, weekly rest (Ex. 16, Ex. 20, Deut. 5, etc.) We see Israel’s weekly Sabbath as a gospel picture of Christ’s eternal rest which we enter by faith. IOW, the type was Israel’s weekly Sabbath, and the antitype is Christ’s eternal rest (Col. 2:16-17) in the new creation.

4) How does New Covenant Theology view the Lutheran law/gospel distinction?

As a hermeneutic where the whole Bible can be divided into law or gospel, I’m not aware of a New Covenant Theology consensus. But for sanctification, NCTs clearly distinguish between indicatives and imperatives, especially since we see a contrast between the Old Covenant’s “if you obey, then you will be” in Ex. 19:5-6 vs. the New Covenant’s “you are” in 1 Pet. 2:9. Also in redemptive history, we distinguish between law-grace, not law-gospel (Jn. 1:17; Rom. 6:14).

5) Should we use the law in evangelism?

RE: Decalogue-evangelism, I agree with Doug Moo, “the popular notion that the Mosaic law should be preached as a preparation for the gospel, revealing sin and one’s need of salvation, has slim Biblical support. None of the examples of evangelistic preaching in the New Testament uses the law in this way” (Stanley N. Gundry, Ed., Five Views on Law and Gospel, p. 339).

Proof: Look at a Bible that shows Old Testament quotes in the New Testament. In Acts, you’ll see direct, explicit quotes from Joel 2, Ps. 110, etc., but not Ex. 20 or Dt. 5 (although they were implied).

When evangelizing, we can convict sinners by appealing to 3 different sources of law:

    1. The Old Covenant Law of Moses: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image” (Ex. 20:4).

    2. The New Covenant Law of Christ: “idolaters…their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire” (Rev. 21:8).

    3. Conscience: “Idolatry is a sin” (no Scripture).

Summary of Christ and the Apostles’ Evangelistic Preaching on Sin:

    1. Jesus evangelized one Jew by quoting from the Decalogue, but not for conviction of sin (Mt. 19:16ff).

    2. The apostles evangelized Jews by implying, but not explicitly quoting the Decalogue.

    3. The apostles evangelized Gentiles by convicting of sin from the conscience, not the Decalogue.

Conviction of sin of unbelief in Jesus the risen Lord:
“he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. In regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned” (Jn. 16:8).

6) What is New Covenant Theology’s eschatology?

Most NCTs are amillennial., some are historic premillennial.

Edited 4/15/10

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Book of Colossians Outline: Christ Is Supreme

April 5th, 2010

By Greg Gibson

The Book of Colossians Outline:
“Christ Is Supreme”
The Good News That Christ Is Supreme, the Fullness of God

 

Introduction (Col. 1:1-2)

Prayer: The Gospel About Christ Changing Lives (Col. 1:3-14)

Gospel Fruit: Hope of Heaven Motivating Faith and Love (Col. 1:3-8)

Gospel Growth: Know His Will to Live Worthy of Him, Pleasing Him (Col. 1:9-11)

Gospel Redemption: From the Kingdom of Darkness to the Kingdom of Light (Col. 1:12-14)

The Gospel That Christ Is Supreme (Col. 1:15-2:7)

Christ Is Supreme Over Creation (Col. 1:15-17)

Christ Is Supreme Over the Church (Col. 1:18-23)

Christ Is God’s Mystery Revealed (Col. 1:24-2:5)

Christ Is Supreme in Sanctification (Col. 2:8-4:6)

The Cure for Sanctification Errors Is Christ (Col. 2:8-2:23)

Philosophy’s Human Traditions: Jesus Is the Fullness of God (Col. 2:8-10)

Judaism’s Law of Moses: The Law Pictured Salvation by Christ (Col. 2:11-17)

Physical-Flesh Circumcision Was a Picture of Spiritual-Heart Circumcision (Col. 2:11-13)

God Cancelled the Law That Excluded Us (Col. 2:14; cf. Eph. 2:11-18)

God Won the Victory Over the Evil Spirits by the Cross (Col. 2:15)

Holy Times Were a Picture of Salvation-Rest in Christ (Col. 2:16-17)

Mysticism’s Spiritual Experiences: Jesus Is the Head (Col. 2:18-19)

Asceticism’s Human Rules: You Died With Christ to This World (Col. 2:20-23)

Christ-Centered Sanctification: Raised With Him Into New Life (Col. 3:1-4:6)

United With Christ in His Resurrection Into New Life (Col. 3:1-4)

New Life and Growth Are Like Changing Old Clothes for New Clothes (Col. 3:5-14)

New Life of Giving Thanks to God (Col. 3:15-17)

New Life in Personal Relationships (Col. 3:18-4:1)

Wives and Husbands (Col. 3:18-19)

Children and Fathers (Col. 3:20-21)

Employees and Employers (Col. 3:22-4:1)

Pray to Proclaim the Gospel About Christ (Col. 4:2-6)

Final Greetings (Col. 4:7-18)

(Book of Colossians Outline)

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Best Blogs Digest - March 2010

April 1st, 2010

By Greg Gibson

What Is God Doing in Our Generation?
“This leads me to a few thoughts on the young, restless, reformed movement. I believe God is at work in the under-40 generation, doing something doctrinally, ecclesiologically, and doxologically healthy among many youngish Christians. Further, I believe this work of God is being mediated through a remarkable network of like-minded pastors, preachers, and scholars. I don’t know when there have been so many folks, often friends, saying and writing more or less the same things about the gospel, the atonement, the Scriptures, the glory of God, the doctrines of grace, the centrality of the church, the importance of preaching, the roles of men and women, and on and on it goes. We are blessed with an inordinate and growing number of good teachers, good books, good blogs, and good conferences…The goal is not to be a T4G-TGC-CHBC-ACE-PCA-SGM-DGM groupie. The goal is to know God, love God, and serve God–all of which can be helped, and is being helped, by the love for gospel truth in these groups (and many others).” A Generation of Bandwagon Jumpers by Kevin DeYoung

7 Counterfeit Gospels
“In one of his books (co-authored with Tim Lane), How People Change, he identifies seven counterfeit gospels—-’religious’ ways we try and ‘justify’ or ’save’ ourselves apart from the gospel of grace. I found these unbelievably helpful. Which one (or two, or three) of these do you tend to gravitate towards?”
1. Formalism
2. Legalism
3. Mysticism
4. Activism
5. Biblicism
6. Therapism
7. Social-ism
Counterfeit Gospels by Paul Tripp and Tullian Tchividjian

Which Theological Errors Lead to Hell?
“Where an issue falls within these categories should be determined by weighing the cumulative force of at least seven considerations:
1. biblical clarity;
2. relevance to the character of God;
3. relevance to the essence of the gospel;
4. biblical frequency and significance (how often in Scripture it is taught, and what weight Scripture places upon it);
5. effect on other doctrines;
6. consensus among Christians (past and present); and
7. effect on personal and church life.”
Levels of Doctrine by Justin Taylor

“But I Was Born That Way”(?)
“The key to answering this question—which usually arises in discussions about homosexuality and Christianity—is to insist (with the Bible) that genetic dispositions are not equal to sinful determiners. Our individual makeup and background provide the context for sin and may fuel the craving for sin but never alleviate the responsibility for our sin and the requirement that we imitate God’s holy character…Indeed, human beings are condemned by virtue of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:16, 18). Such a radical view of sin in which we inherit a sinful nature from Adam means that sinful predispositions are part of our personalities from our inception. Hence, even if it were discovered that we are genetically predisposed to certain sinful behaviors like alcoholism or homosexuality, such discoveries would not eliminate our responsibility for our actions, nor would it suggest that such actions are no longer sinful. The Scriptures teach that we are born as sinners in Adam, while at the same time they insist we should not sin and are responsible for the sin we commit. We enter into the world as slaves of sin (Rom. 6:6, 17), but we are still morally blameworthy for capitulating to the sin that serves as our master.” Are We Still Responsible for Sins for Which We May Be Genetically Predisposed? by Justin Taylor and Thomas Schreiner

“Unless Your (Imputed or Imparted?) Righteousness Surpasses That of the Pharisees”
“In Matthew 5:20 Jesus at a pivotal point in His Sermon on the Mount utters the following serious warning: ‘For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven’…this context the question is not at all one of imputed righteousness, but of imparted righteousness. And it is a question of imparted righteousness as necessary in the day of judgment. First, we need to be clear that Jesus is not speaking our initial justification by faith. Entrance into the kingdom is eschatological here–as it often is in the synoptic gospels. Cf. Matt. 6:10; 8:11-12; 13:43; 25:34. This observation is confirmed by the consistently eschatological perspective of the blessings promised in each of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-10. It is also confirmed by the frequent references to the day of judgment in the comments of Jesus which follow (Matthew 5:22, 26, 29, and 30). It is further confirmed by the parallel passage in Matthew 7:21-23 where the scene of entrance into the kingdom of heaven is the day of judgment.” Is There a Future Justification by Works at the Day of Judgment? #6 by Sam Waldron

If Man Is Sovereign, Why Pray?
“If I [believe in libertarian freedom and] plead with God to remove my friend’s illness, that is not absurd, for God can answer that prayer without negating anyone’s freedom. But what about the request that God change the attitudes and actions of my friend’s tyrannical boss?…” If Libertarian Free Will Is True, Why Pray? by John Feinberg and Justin Taylor

Christ Rose Into the New Creation
“But the resurrection of Christ is also inaugurates something much broader—the re‐creation of the universe.” Christ’s Resurrection and the Dawn of the New Creation by Tony Reinke (HT:JT)

Universalism Refuted: Bibliography
“We recently had an email inquiry to The Gospel Coalition asking for resources on ‘Christian Universalism.’” Responding to “Christian Universalism” by Mike Pohlman

How to Lead Your Church in Prayer: 13 Tips
“1. Prepare. Some traditions use set prayers. Others rely on extemporaneous prayers. Both have their place. But I believe what our congregations need most are studied prayers. These prayers may or may not be read, but will be thought through ahead of time. Public prayer is often boring because little thought is put into it. There’s no training for it, no effort put it into it. An hour or two is not too long to spend in preparing a long, pastoral prayer.” Thirteen Tips for Leading the Congregation in Prayer by Kevin DeYoung

Piper Values Marriage Before Ministry
“…the elders graciously approved on March 22 a leave of absence that will take me away from Bethlehem from May 1 through December 31, 2010. We thought it might be helpful to put an explanation in a letter to go along with the sermon. I asked the elders to consider this leave because of a growing sense that my soul, my marriage, my family, and my ministry-pattern need a reality check from the Holy Spirit.” John Piper’s Upcoming Leave by John Piper

Zwemer: How to Pray for Muslims
Want to know how to pray for Muslims? See missionary Samuel Zwemer’s prayer for Muslims. Prayer for Muslim Lands by Kevin DeYoung

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Reformed Covenant Theology’s Inconsistent Hermeneutic

March 1st, 2010

(Due to computer problems, I will not publish the Best Blogs Digest for Feb. Please check back in March.)

By Greg Gibson

Here’s some good news in Reformed Covenant Theology circles. Dr. Gary Crampton, seminary professor and author, has changed his view from paedobaptism to credobaptism. Praise God for Gary’s willingness to follow Christ wherever He leads, whatever the cost.

However, Crampton’s motive for changing is an inconsistently applied New Testament hermeneutic. Paedobaptist Covenant theology applies a New Testament hermeneutic to eschatology, but an Old Testament hermeneutic to ecclesiology and nomology. Reformed Baptist Covenant Theology applies a New Testament hermeneutic to eschatology and ecclessiology, but an Old Testament hermeneutic to nomology. New Covenant Theology is the only system that applies a consistent, New Testament hermeneutic to eschatology, ecclesiology, and nomology.

Here are some excerpts from Rich Barcellos’ interview with Crampton: Part I: Interview with Dr. Crampton (from paedobaptism to credobaptism)…

    Crampton: I am a Reformed Baptist, and an advocate of the teachings found in the London Baptist Confession of 1689 and the Reformed Baptist Shorter Catechism…I have been struggling with the matter of paedobaptism versus credobaptism for almost twenty years.

    Barcellos: What are some of the main problems you encountered with paedobaptism that caused you to keep studying?

    Crampton: There were several issues that bothered me about the doctrine of paedobaptism. I will mention only one, and that is…

GG: Crampton’s answers are continued on the left below, and my edited comments are in [brackets] on the right…

Reformed Baptist Covenant Theology:

…there is simply no text in the New Testament (NT) wherein there is any mention of the baptism of infants. This is admitted by some of the finest paedobaptist theologians that have written on the subject. This means, as admitted and taught by these same paedobaptist theologians, that we must go back to the Old Testament (OT) to establish the doctrine. When it comes to the other NT sacrament of the Lord’s supper, however, the paedobaptist theologians do not apply the same hermeneutic principle. That is, the recipients of the Lord’s supper are determined by the NT teaching rather than the OT teaching. The inconsistency here is glaring.
New Covenant Theology:


…there is simply no text in the New Testament (NT) wherein there is any mention of the [Sabbath changed from Saturday to Sunday, and the whole Decalogue binding on New Covenant Jewish and Gentile believers.] This is admitted by some of the finest [apostolic fathers] that have written on the subject. This means, as admitted and taught by these same [Covenant] theologians, that we must go back to the Old Testament (OT) to establish the doctrine. When it comes to the other NT [doctrine of eschatology], however, the [Covenant] theologians do not apply the same hermeneutic principle. That is, the recipients of the [promised blessing to Abraham] are determined by the NT teaching rather than the OT teaching. The inconsistency here is glaring.
Another problem here is that the OT does not mention baptism of infants at all. What this hermeneutic assumes is that the Abrahamic covenant, wherein the male infants were circumcised, is still binding on the NT church on virtually a one-to-one basis, and therefore the infants of believers should be baptized. Another problem here is that the OT does not mention [Adam - the patriarchs obeying the Sabbath, and the Sabbath given to Gentiles] at all. What this hermeneutic assumes is that the [whole Decalogue including the Sabbath] is still binding on the NT church on virtually a one-to-one basis, and therefore [Gentile believers should keep the Sabbath.]

Again, I’m thankful that Dr. Crampton has taken a small step in the right direction. Now I’d like to challenge him and Reformed Covenant Theologians to come all the way out of the Old Covenant and fully into the New Covenant. It’s a better covenant.

Paedobaptist Reformed Covenant Theology applies an inconsistent, Old Testament - New Testament hermeneutic resulting in a new covenant, new priest, new sacrifice, new temple, new king, new kingdom, new land, but a partially old and new people of God, and partially old and new law.

Reformed Baptist Covenant Theology applies an inconsistent, Old Testament - New Testament hermeneutic resulting in a new covenant, new priest, new sacrifice, new temple, new king, new kingdom, new land, new people of God, but a partially old and new law.

New Covenant Theology applies a consistent, New Testament hermeneutic resulting in a new covenant, new priest, new sacrifice, new temple, new king, new kingdom, new land, new people of God, and new law: “…teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:20). New Covenant Theology is the only system where the New Testament consistently inteprets the Old Testament.

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“Born Again Into New Life With Christ” (Sermon Notes)

February 3rd, 2010

Intro: Why do so many converts fall away? Why are there so many hypocrites in churches? Because they were never really born again. Many people think born again Christians are no different than non-born again sinners. But they’re confused what it means to be born again.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, a religious Pharisee, ‘”I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (heaven)…unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (heaven)…You must be born again” (Jn. 3:3-7).

Preview:
1. What Does Born Again Mean? 5 Misunderstandings
2. Why Do I Need to Be Born Again? 7 Reasons
3. What Is it Like to Be Born Again? 6 Pictures
4. How Can I Know if I’m Born Again? 5 Signs
5. How Can I Be Born Again? Hear the Good News

What Does Born Again Mean?
5 Misunderstandings

1. “I got baptized and joined a ‘born again church.” (But churches have hypocrites.)

2. “I had an emotional, religious experience.” (But Muslims have emotional, rel. exp.)

3. “I prayed a sinner’s prayer.” (But that wasn’t invented until the 19th century.)

4. “I believe Bible doctrine.” (But demons believe some doctrinal truths.)

5. “I changed from sinning to morality.” (But some alcoholics change without Christ. Trading one sin for another. Proud, self-righteous Pharisees. But when God gives new birth, He changes us from sin negatively to Christ positively: Treasuring Him, loving Him, fellowshipping with Him, worshiping Him, and obeying Him.)

Notice above, “I did…” But being born again is not what you do. It’s what God does to you. Example: You didn’t ask your parents to conceive you. They decided to conceive you.

Definition of born again: The Holy Spirit miraculously washes and changes us by giving new life, new understanding, new desires, and new power.

    “he saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5).

What are we born into? We’re born into “life” (eternal life), united with Christ in His resurrection life…

    “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 Jn. 5:11-12).

    “just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection…Now if we died with Christ we believe that we will also live with him” (Rom. 6:4-5, 8, 11).

That’s why “born again” means we’re born into new life with Christ.

Why Do I Need to Be Born Again?
7 Reasons

1. Humans are spiritually dead, needing resurrection.

    “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, (satisfying) the (lusts) of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in (sins)” (Eph. 2:1-2).

Example: Preaching the good news to dead bodies in the cemetery.

2. Humans love darkness, and hate the light, needing new desires.

    “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (Jn. 3:19-20).

Example: Do you prefer to eat garlic or chocolate? Do you prefer sin or Christ?

3. Humans each have a hard heart, needing a new heart.

    “I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:26).

    “you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Eph. 4:17-19).

Example: Heart attack patient. Is your heart hard or soft toward Christ?

4. Humans can’t understand spiritual truth, needing new understanding.

    “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).

Example: Rocket science.

5. Humans are slaves to sin and Satan, needing to be set free.

    “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” (Jn. 8:34).

    “The Lord’s servant…Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

6. Humans can’t come to Christ, call Him Lord, or obey Him, needing new power.

    “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (Jn. 6:44).

    “no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3).

    “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7-8).

7. Humans are blind to the glory of Christ, needing new sight

    “The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the (good news) of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4).

“OK, God says I need to be born again. But what does it mean to be born again?”

What Is it Like to Be Born Again?
6 Pictures

The Bible contains at least 6 pictures (metaphors) of how God radically changes us.

1. New birth (synonyms: born again, born of God, born of the Spirit, and regeneration)

    “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3).

    “everyone who does what is right has been born of him” (1 Jn. 2:29; cf. Jn. 3:5-8).

    “he saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth (Greek: regeneration) and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5).

The big picture: God’s goals for history include a born again universe, with a born again earth, filled with born again people…

    “Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, at the renewal (Greek: regeneration) of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Mt. 19.:28).

2. Born Again Is Like a New Creation

    “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).

    “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation” (Gal. 6:15).

3. Born Again Is Like Resurrection From the Dead

    “God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in (sins) – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ” (Eph. 2:5-6).

    “Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1; cf. Rom. 6:4-5).

4. Born Again Is Like a Heart Transplant

    “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my commands and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezek. 36:26-27).

5. Born Again Is Like Circumcision of the Heart

    “In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ” (Col. 2:11-13).

    “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul and live” (Deut. 30:6).

6. Born Again Is Like Being Healed From Blindness

    “The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God…For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4-6).

How Can I Know if I’m Born Again?
5 Signs

1. Born Again People Believe in Jesus

    “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (Jn. 1:12-13; cf. 1 Jn. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9).

Faith in Jesus Christ alone, not self, Mary, Church, etc.

2. Born Again People Stop Continual Sinning, and Start Doing Right

    “If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him” (1 Jn. 2:29).

    “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 Jn. 3:9).

    “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin, the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one does not touch him” (1 Jn. 5:18).

Gradual, progressive growth, not sinless perfectionism. Example: Person who practiced lying for 50 years receives new birth.

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3. Born Again People Overcome the World’s Ways

    “For everything in the world – the desires of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world…for everyone born of God has overcome the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 Jn. 2:15-16, 5:4).

4. Born Again People Love Their Christian Brothers

    “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death” (1 Jn. 3:14).

    “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 Jn. 4:7-8).

Who are you more comfortable with: Sinners or born again, Christ-lovers?

5. Born Again People Love God With All Their Heart

    “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul and live” (Deut. 30:6).

We’re born again into new life with Christ.

How Can I Be Born Again?
Through Hearing the Good News About Jesus

In the past, I didn’t understand, in John 3, why Jesus started explaining to Nicodemus “you must be born again,” then changed the topic to the good news. Now I understand: Because the way to be born again is by hearing the good news.

In John 3:3-7, Jesus explains 3 times to Nicodemus about being born again. In 3:9, Nicodemus says, “How?” Then in 3:13-21, Jesus answers by telling the good news about Himself.

    “since you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and lasting word of God…but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the (good news) that was preached to you” (1 Pet. 1:23-25, ESV).

    “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first harvest of all he created” (Jas. 1:18).

Do you need to be born again by God? Understand the good news about Jesus. Evangelists: Do you want to help others be born again? Tell them the good news about Jesus.

Christian: Be what you are. Live like you’ve been born again. What does the born again life look like?

    “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore…” (Eph. 4:24 - 6:18).

    “count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as hose who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness” (Rom. 6:4, 11-13).

Now do you understand why so many converts fall away, and why there are so many hypocrites in churches? Because they’ve never really been born again.

We’re born again into new life with Christ.

Recommended source: Finally Alive by John Piper

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