One of the distinctive contributions of John Wesley to the Christian world was a clearer understanding of what God was doing in the lives of all people. Wesley understood God’s grace to function in three distinct “movements” in a person’s life. The first movement is understood as being “Prevenient.” Historically, this was also called God’s preventing grace. The essential reality is that even before a person knew or understood or even desired God’s grace, God was at work in a person’s life preparing the way for them to hear and know Jesus Christ. (Look at Ephesians 1:4 and 1 Peter 1:20 for examples of this.) So what does this mean for you, the Christian, and for those who are not yet believers? It means that God is always at work. When you want Him and when you don’t. When you need Him and when you think you won’t. As we grow in our knowledge of what God is doing, our confidence in His love grows as well. What’s the bottom line?
Tag: Theology
The Piper-Warren Interview
First of all, it was a refreshing and interesting interview. Two men with different approaches to ministry “jousting” about what they believe. Dr. John Piper picked the questions that he wanted to get clarification on and Dr. Rick Warren answered them in as candid a way as I have ever seen. While Piper was accused of giving in to the “Purpose-Driven” machine when he invited Warren to give a talk at the Desiring God Conference in 2010, there were not minced words in this interview. There is a genuine affection shared by these two men for one another. What made the interview worth watching was to see Piper dig deeply into Warren’s book “The Purpose-Driven Life” and to ask very direct and uncomfortable questions that Warren was quick to answer.
Interview on Desiring God’s website. (This is also available on Pastors.com, but the quality seemed to be better here.)
Here is an example of the questions that were asked. This is a very direct question by Piper to Warren on the nature of the atonement.
Why Not Me?: Rethinking How and Why We Suffer | Part 3
When we don’t know what to do we do what feels right. The danger with this approach to life is that our feelings are never fully informed of all that is happening around us. So, when we rely on such an unreliable source of information we make decisions and entertain thoughts that are not congruent or consistent with God’s word and plan for us. Suffering, not pleasure, strengthens our faith. Suffering forces us to depend upon God to sustain us. Pleasure drives all of our attention and affections inward.
Why are we so surprised when we suffer?
I am not going to be looking at how the Bible, or the Christian faith for that matter, addresses the suffering of others. What I want to look at is what the Bible describes when it comes to the way that a Christian should suffer. Please understand that I understand suffering to be an expected reality as did many of the writers of the scriptures, including Jesus. I think that one of the more difficult thoughts that we have to overcome is that as Christians we can fall for the often told, or implied, lie that as Christians suffering will no longer be a part of our lives. And if it is, it is because of some moral failure, some lesson that we have to learn, or that it is something that just happens and God is somehow going to make things all right. I think that when we frame suffering in this way we are left with a deficient theology of suffering and in many ways we undermine God’s character. Not only that, but all are terrible alternatives to a Christian’s response to or understanding of suffering. I think that they are shallow, hurtful and inconsistent with the what the bible says. What makes matters more amazing is that we have not investigated deeply enough what God, Jesus, and the writers of the Old and New Testament have to teach us about suffering.
I have come to realize that many believer’s have a theology of suffering that is inconsistent with what the bible teaches. What this leads to is a self-centered view of suffering, avoidance of difficult circumstances and an unwillingness to be instruments of God’s glory regardless of what happens to us and in our lives.
Ridiculous Verses
The question becomes this: What does the bible say about how a Christian should suffer? I will not attempt to capture the whole of the scriptures witness on the issue of Christian suffering, but I would like to provide a representative sample so that we can begin to understand how Christian’s are supposed to accept, receive and understand suffering. And then, after entering into suffering how we should respond.
Joseph is standing in a position of power and his brothers, the ones that sold him into a life of misery are now standing before him. There would be no greater opportunity to exact his revenge. But that is not how Joseph sees the situation. Joseph has come to understand that God’s purpose for his life far different from what even his brothers could have known. Joseph looks at them and says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20, NLT). How could Joseph had said this? Joseph had come to understand that the circumstances of his life were the necessary steps of God will and glory to be seen in the world. For some, this is a very difficult pill to swallow. I can understand and appreciate that.
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. (John 15:18-21, ESV)
If there is anyone in the scripture that understood what Jesus meant about the animosity that the world would have toward Christians it was Paul. I want to share a few passages that are just mind-blowing odd, not because of what he describes, but in the way that Paul thinks about the suffering that he is enduring.
3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5, ESV)
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:16-18, ESV)
Who talks like this? Seriously! How can you look at the suffering that you are enduring and not become bitter or hardened by it. Paul had become convinced of EVERY word that Jesus taught. There were no reservations. There was no doubt. There was nothing that could distract this apostle from the task that was laid before him. Peter in his first letter provides us with two helpful passages that put suffering for Christ in their proper context.
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. … 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. … 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Peter 4:12-14, 16, 19, ESV)
9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:9-10, ESV)
Suffering as a Christian is one of the marks and one of the evidences that we are pressing into the enemy’s territory. When we are satisfied with the way things are; when we are comfortable with the events that are taking place around us, we have not fully grasped the power and intensity of the Gospel. Why do I make such a statement? I say this for one simple reason, a reason that Paul himself offered up for his devotion and single-minded tenacity in spreading the message of Jesus: he believed that Good News was worthy of being spread to as many as would receive it.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Romans 9:3, ESV)
We have just hit the twilight zone of bible verses. I had read this verse so often and I had missed the full weight of what Paul was saying here. Paul is saying that when he looked at his countrymen, the Jews, his love for them was so strong that he was willing to forsake the single most precious thing that he had. To say it another way, Paul is saying that he would chose to endure the fires of hell and eternal torment “for the sake of” his countrymen! The longing of his heart; the depth of his love; the tenderness of his ministry was always for one thing, that others might come to know Jesus. If that meant being jailed, beaten, stoned, almost drown or chased out of town. The Gospel was such Good News to Paul’s soul and mind that anything and everything was worth enduring so that Jesus would be proclaimed.
Here are several other passages that continue to put suffering not in the category of a curse, but rather the blessed opportunity of every believer to make Jesus known.
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ … 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death… (Philippians 3:7-8, 10, ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, ESV)
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, … 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. ( 2 Timothy 1:8, 12, ESV)
19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (James 2:19-24, ESV)
Opportunities Wasted
One of the thoughts that runs through my mind is wondering how many opportunities have I wasted, where I was faced with a difficult situation, and rather than turning to God to sustain me through it I blamed him for what I was dealing with. When we don’t know what to do we do what feels right. The danger with this approach to life is that our feelings are never fully informed of all that is happening around us. So, when we rely on such an unreliable source of information we make decisions and entertain thoughts that are not congruent or consistent with God’s word and plan for us.
Suffering, not pleasure, strengthens our faith. Suffering forces us to depend upon God to sustain us. Pleasure drives all of our attention and affections inward. When this happens we lose sight of almost everything around us. I guess the question becomes this: Why do we run from suffering so quickly? I am not advocating that we wallow in misery. What I am wondering is why don’t we see, or maybe we just can’t see, how God could use what is happening for his glory. The underlying assumption here is that God would allow this to happen. God will protect us from the world and its influences. I think that John’s words are a fitting end to this discussion. When we are convinced of this simple truth we will be driven to the Gospel, into the arms of our Savior, and we will no longer find our satisfaction in the small and dissipating pleasures this world offers.
13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. (1 John 3:13, ESV)
Additional Passages to Consider: 2 Corinthians 1:5-6; Galatians 6:17; Philippians 1:21, 29; Colossians 1:24; Hebrews 5:8; James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 3:14-17.
Why Not Me?: Rethinking How and Why We Suffer | Part 1
As I read the bible I find that there is a given assumption that suffering will be, and to a greater extent than is understood, should be an expected part of what I encounter as a Christian.
Reading Time: This post will take about 20-25 minutes to read.
This post is directed toward anyone that claims the Christian faith. If you are not a Christian or do not have religious leanings I hope that you might still be able to find the content helpful.
Learning How to Suffer: An Under-Attended Class
In the last several months I have had several reasons to do some thinking on the topic (and reality) of suffering. The reason for my writing began with the opportunities that these events have provided for me to do some thinking and rethinking of what I believe regarding this subject. What I am not trying to do in this and future posts is to make too much of the personal questions like, “Why is this happening to me?” or other questions that look at suffering as a force acting on me. I think that this kind of effort can be and is beneficial, but I wanted to take this a step further.
What I have been wondering about is what the bible has to say to me about my response to suffering. Does the bible have anything to teach me, in a practical way, about how I am supposed to respond when a tragedy hits my life directly (i.e., the death of a loved one)! And if there is something in the bible that helps me to better live in and live through suffering, what can I do to begin to do that so that I might better reflect the bible’s example and direction. And, also related, to experience some of what I read in the life of the apostles and the early church.
As I read the bible I find that there is a given assumption that suffering will be, and to a greater extent than is understood, should be an expected part of what I encounter as a Christian. Suffering should be expected as the rule and not the exception of the Christian experience (I will explain further in the next section). Just because society has “advanced” according to some standards and measures, the offense of the Gospel to the self-righteousness found in the world (and still many times in my own heart) has not changed. I think that we make a grave mistake in thinking that the world has grown in its desire for the things of God. I know that this may sound crazy to some. I am okay with that.
What I am thinking as I write these thoughts down is to try and investigate what the bible has to say about how I should experience and perceive suffering within my own heart and mind. Another thought, and possibly more importantly, what impression are those who do not hold my faith in Jesus left with, about my faith, when they see me dealing with tragedy and suffering?
Essentially there are two short questions here. They are:
- How should a Christian suffer?
- What will the world learn about Jesus when we suffer as Christians?
Suffering’s Two Tributaries Into My Life
I believe that suffering will come in two general ways to a believer. The first is that suffering will come because we are living in a world that as been contaminated and polluted by Sin. This means that there are events and circumstances that we cannot avoid just because we are now redeemed by Jesus’ work on the cross. I am not just saying that “stuff happens.” I am saying that we should not be surprised when it does. The blood of Christ is not a magic potion that makes us immune to the suffering of this world. The blood of Christ provides us a way through that suffering that will, or should, reveal the full measure of the Gospel in us to those who see us. (Here are a sampling of Paul’s own words as he discussed the issue of suffering in his own life: Romans 5:3, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 1:5-7, Colossians 1:24, Philippians 1:29, Philippians 3:7-10, 2 Timothy 1:8, 12, 2 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Timothy 2:8-10).
Connected to the presence of Sin in the world, I have in mind that even the Christian will have to deal with the consequences of their personal sins. Christ has taken away the penalty of sin, but in the same way that every action has a reaction, every sin has a consequence. These cannot be avoided and so we should not be surprised when we suffer for them. Peter tells us as much in his letter (1 Peter 2:20a). This suffering is justified and while God can use it God does want us to make a practice of sinning (1 John 3:7ff). This it is not what I am referring to when I talk about suffering. (Just want to clarify.)
The second way that we will suffer is due to our profession and demonstration of faith. [Aside: I am growing in my curiosity about whether or not an increase of suffering in our lives of this second variety is an indicator of our devotion to Christ. I will have to look at this further, but I am going to go on a limb and say, “Yes,” in response.] As we become convinced that Christ is who He said He was and that the life that he purchased for us is not speculation or wishful thinking, it will become natural for us to grow in our desire to conform our life to His. It is in this process of maturity that we will have our eyes opened to the inconsistencies that exist between our life in Christ and what this world has to offer. John does not pull any punches when he says the following:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17, emphasis added, ESV)
It is the love of the world that creates in us the double-mindedness that James warns about (James 1:8). We have been born again, born from above, recreated, given a new nature, a new purpose, a new will, a new citizenship in a new city. We have a new king, a new family, a new language, new gifts and new clothes. Why are we so infatuated with things that will fail, places that will fade and people that will falter? Why do we find ourselves so willing to pawn the treasures of God for the cheap souvenirs of a place that we will forget faster than our last breath? I just do not understand this anymore.
Growing Restless With The Way Things Are
I find myself growing more and more restless. Not so much with the people outside of the church. They are doing what they are supposed to do. I grow frustrated with the people who claim Christ as their treasure. But even more than frustration, I grow increasingly fearful. Fearful of the lack of devotion to Christ. Not just commitment. There are a lot of folks committed to Jesus (as long as the dividend is high enough). But then “it” hits the fan and the fade begins. Look again at the attitude that Peter demonstrates in John 6 when Jesus starts talking about cannibalism (Jesus’ teaching about drinking His blood and eating His body).
66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (emphasis added, ESV)
Oh God, that my resolve to follow you be converted into an unquenchable devotion to Your Son! “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!” This is not just poetic language. This is not brown-nosing. This is not an attempt at piety. This is the confession of a man that has truly “believed, and [has] come to know, that [Jesus is] the Holy One of God.” I am convicted of this almost everyday.
The Bottom Line: I Lost My Passport
So what is the bottom line? I think that we have not been assimilated to our new home in way that makes us long for it more than what we see around us. If it is true what Paul said that what is spiritual is more real than what we can see with our eyes, we have a long way to go when we long to keep what we have here over what God has for us (2 Corinthians 4:18)! Here is a question that I have been asking myself lately: Would I rather live life here on this earth? Or, do I want to be where Jesus is?
Anybody, especially any Christian, who thinks that this sounds morbid, to overly dramatic or even like a death wish has not, I believe, fully considered what God has given to us. I am a professional Christian, and I am only now coming to appreciate what the Gospel is offering to me, a lost and wretched sinner. I am sure that we can argue back and forth on this point, but I think that this question is at the very heart of why God has not completely eradicated suffering and evil. He does not want us to grow so accustomed to this world that we lose sight of what Jesus went to prepare for us in heaven. Remember, we should not love the things of this world (1 John 2:15-17).
A Sinful Silence on Sin
So where does this leave us? Why have we not kept our passports current? I think that is has something to do with a failure to feel the weight of Sin’s effect in our lives and in the lives of those around us. This world does not like for sin to be talked about and exposed. While this may appear obvious, the church has become remarkably silent on the subject. How many sermons in a given year directly and pointedly tackle THE GREATEST hindrance to having a relationship with God? We want to help people rather than heal them. We want to furnish our buildings rather than finish Christ’s work. We want to share our opinions rather than the Word of God. We want to placate the religious rather than to please the Father. Our priorities are so messed up we have grown doubtful that it will ever change. So what do we do? We start new churches that will get it right.
Please understand, I think we need more churches! As many as we can start as soon as we can start them. The concern that I have is that we may start churches that will duplicate and repeat the very thing that is not working – majoring on the minors of what it means to be a church. The church must return to the only mission for which she was created, to make disciples. (I will pick up this subject on another day!) Let’s back to the subject at hand.
Implications Precede Applications
It is now my conviction that the root of complacency in the early years of my faith was my failure to dig deeper and deeper into the implications of the bible. This led to laziness in my faith expression. The implications of the Bible must necessarily precede any applications that I might attempt to make. One example is God’s admonition for us to be holy as He is holy. While it might be easy to look at the first part of that phrase and make it the primary focus because it is about what I have to do, I would be wrong. That first part may be what I want to find out, but if I start there before I know the second I have put the proverbial cart before the horse.
But why is this a mistake? It is a mistake because the more important aspect of that statement is that God is HOLY. What exactly am I trying to be or become if I am supposed to imitate God in holiness? If I don’t have the clearest understanding of what God’s holiness is and demands I will be satisfied with whatever makes me feel better or just makes sense to me. The implication of God’s holiness will have a direct and radical effect on how I try to do what the command implies.
Let me press into this a little more. Follow me here.
- God is Holy
- God’s holiness requires holiness in everything else
- Any failure for holiness requires punishment
- Adam sinned and put the whole of creation under the curse of Sin
- Any effort to “make it up to God” fails and I am left without escape
- Only a holy person can stand in the place of the accused (but that person does not exist)
- So, God comes in the person of Jesus Christ
- Jesus fulfills the law I could not
- Jesus receives the judgment of God for Sin
- Faith in 1 – 9 gives God the right to count me righteous
- Anybody that does not believe is still under judgment
- And that judgment is eternal separation from God
Now this is just the implication!
The application of this is that we must live in a way that accords to this implication. Behavior will follow belief. I can not behave my way to a new belief. I have believe my way to a new behavior. This is not an act of the will, but a change in our affections. In other words, when I dig deep, what is the motivation that is driving me? Until I am able to articulate that motivation I will make decisions based in something that I am not as aware of as I need to be, or at least could be.
This is why the Gospel ought to become the most loved and cherished information and message that we have ever heard, and ever share! It is the Gospel that provides the greatest motivation for living because if we can apply what the Gospel implies we will keep our focus on what God is focused on.
Next time: We will look at the issue of suffering within the context of God’s will and God’s word.
The Reformed Wesleyan, Part 2
A Slip of the Tongue
I don’t know if you have ever been talking to someone and said something that you didn’t plan to say, but when you said it you were like, “I have to remember that.” OK, if you followed me on that, you now know where the idea for The Reformed Wesleyan came from. It was one of those moments when you say something and you realize that God has told you something out of your own mouth. It doesn’t happen all of the time, but this was one of those instances where I said it and knew that I was going to follow this line of thinking.
My youth group was hosting a Super Bowl party and we had kids from the “church across the street” over with us. We were all having a good time. The pastor of the other church was there and we were just talking about ministry and seminary. I had joked that he should let me come and preach at his church and that I would bring down the “Wesleyan hammer.” I was really just saying dumb stuff. The conversation shifted just a little bit to theology and I told him and the other two ministers there that I was thoroughly Wesleyan but added this qualifier. I said, “I am probably the most reformed Wesleyan they would ever meet.” That is how it actually happened.
Defining Terms
One of the dangers in choosing or using labels is that it creates ideas and pictures in the minds of the people that hear them. This is the case with this idea of being a Reformed Wesleyan. I am not trying to confuse the lines between these two theological systems. I am not trying to combine them together to make them fit in an unnatural way. The idea I have in my mind is cutting a path that captures what I understand as I read the bible.
The Wesleyan Part
As I have studied the life of John Wesley during my time in the Methodist church I have found a man formally trained and practically motivated. Wesley was trained in the best schools of his day for the ministry. What he found was that this formal schooling provided enough training to be a good minister, but it left a lot to be desired for practical ways of living out the Christian faith. But, Wesley was also practical. Not merely pragmatic. Because of this, he began a pattern of living to remove as much sin as he could in an attempt to draw closer to God. Wesley understood that people needed some way of “doing” the Christian life without robbing the whole effort of meaning and substance. This is where the “method” for Methodism comes from.
Wesley did come out of the Arminian theological position, but he modified it because he recognized that there were several areas in which the Arminian position did not reflect as clearly as he understood it the depth and breadth of what the Bible had to say. One of the main areas where this is seen is in the doctrine of Original Sin. Wesley wrote the following in his sermon on Original Sin:
II, 2. Hence we may, Secondly, learn, that all who deny this, call it original sin, or by any other title, are put Heathens still, in the fundamental point which differences Heathenism from Christianity. They may, indeed, allow, that men have many vices; that some are born with us; and that, consequently, we are not born altogether so wise or so virtuous as we should be; there being few that will roundly affirm, “We are born with as much propensity to good as to evil, and that every man is, by nature, as virtuous and wise as Adam was at his creation.” But here is the shibboleth: Is man by nature filled with all manner of evil? Is he void of all good? Is he wholly fallen? Is his soul totally corrupted? Or, to come back to the text, is “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil continually?” Allow this, and you are so far a Christian. Deny it, and you are but an Heathen still. [source]
Wesley, as I read him, was also influenced by the reformed understanding of Sin as the above example implies. This was the reason that personal holiness and seeking to increase in sanctification were so important to Wesley and his followers.
The Reformed Part
So, what does it mean that I am a Reformed Wesleyan? Or to say it another way, in what sense am I reformed? I would begin by saying that I begin with the same basic assumption with regard to how theology should be arranged when studied as a system. The reformed theological system begins with the presupposition that God is sovereign is his interaction with his creation. Now, this may sound simple, but the implications of this are profound and must be taken seriously. Where I deviate from the reformed camp is in the area of anthropology, or how God designed and created humanity.
I will summarize here what I mean by this. The reformed position, as I understand it, sees the effect of sin upon humanity to be total. That means that everything that a man does is incapable of pleasing God. The concept of total depravity is NOT that humanity is incapable of any form of good. The thrust of the concept is that nothing that humanity does is good enough to change God’s mind about us. I believe that humanity is totally depraved because of the effects of sin, as did Wesley. The issue I take here is that the biblical idea of “faith” has to be redefined so that faith itself has to fall under the sovereign control of God. The reason for this is that faith, within the reformed camp is understood as a “meritorious work.” Or, said another way, if faith originates in a person then this becomes an activity (a work) that compels God to respond with salvation. I do not think this is how faith is defined in the bible.
Faith is not a “work.” It is not something that when I “do it” makes God notice me. Rather, faith as it is displayed and demonstrated in the Bible is trust in what God has done. The emphasis is always on God. That means that God’s action was the necessary cause or source of faith. What this means is that as God acts and moves we are moved. This is connected to how God created humanity because as I understand it, we are created to respond to truth, which comes in the form of the Gospel. (That is why we have lie detectors and not truth detectors!) We recognize the truth and know it intuitively, but we fail to respond or refuse to respond to the Gospel because we have fallen in love with sin. The reason that God grounds the salvation event in the preaching of Jesus is because it is through the lives of the redeemed that sinners are confronted with truth in an incarnational way. So when Jesus says that He came to fulfill the law that is what he is pointing to. No one comes to faith without having come in contact with the church! (I will come back to this later on in another post.)
Several examples will help. Abraham, Moses, and the multitude that heard Peter on Pentecost exercised faith in response to God. Abraham looked at the stars of the sky and believed God when God said that Abraham would be a great nation (Genesis 15:1-6). Moses raised a bronze serpent in the desert and all who looked upon the serpent and trusted that it would do what God promised were healed (Numbers 21:4-9). Then there was the multitude that responded to Peter’s sermon after the Holy Spirit fell in the upper room. As Peter preached over 3000 agreed with Peter about the truth that he preached. Look at the response of the people:
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:37-41, ESV, emphasis added)
If what Paul said in Romans 1:16 is true, that the Gospel is the “power of God unto salvation,” then we have to take into account what the responsibility of the hearer is in the exchange. This last issue is many times left unanswered, and even unasked. If God is the one who gives the very faith that a person needs to respond when the gospel is preached, as the reformed camp argues, then it cannot be avoided that God is the one withholding faith (for a reason in God’s own mind) from the hearer of the Gospel when there is no response. But, if faith is an attribute built into the design of humanity, if it is one of the characteristics that we were given when we were made in the image of God, then God bears no responsibility for our failure to respond to the Gospel when preached. This is the fundamental problem that I have with reformed soteriology.
Now What?
I have given a brief account of where the idea of The Reformed Wesleyan comes from. I have also tried to provide some insight into what I mean by this. As I continue to figure this out for myself I will address various issues along the way. I look forward to any comments about what I have said and for opportunities to clarify and dive deeper. Join the journey!
My Prayer: Father, thank you for your undeserved grace provided for us by Jesus Christ. Help me to never be ungracious to those that disagree with me and with those with whom I disagree. Help me to grow in love and in wisdom so that I may be a faithful and clear witness to your love. The Good News of Jesus will never be seen if I am unwilling to address the eternally terrible news of Sin. Continually remind me of what I have been brought out of so that I might enjoy your company forever. You are what will make heaven so enjoyable. When I make heaven about me I have missed it. Heaven is all about you and I should seek heaven because you are there! Keep me focused on you! Amen.
What is the Gospel? (Pt. 8) – “Commit to Repentance”
This is part of the series “What is the Gospel?”
One of the key aspects of the Gospel is that repentance is not a one-time thing. We must commit ourselves to repentance. I mentioned previously that repentance is the turning away from sin. But many times we mistakenly believe that our lives will only require one course correction. Sin is always around us, tempting and tricking us into believing that we have arrived. There is no arriving while we walk this earth. We are on a journey. We are constantly moving towards God’s presence. It is because of this striving that we must commit to turning away from sin. Paul said, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” [Romans 7:15].
Paul was familiar with the Olympic games of his day and used an athletics illustration to help the Corinthians understand that the life of faith should be run as if to win the prize—eternal fellowship with God. Repentance, I believe, is the means by which God adjusts our course in life to run the race of faith well. Look at what Paul says,
25Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” [1 Corinthians 9:25-27]
Paul desires to remain qualified; therefore, he must be constantly evaluating what he does in light of Scripture and God’s character to finish the race well. We should emulate Paul’s example as we live the Gospel out in our lives.
What is the Gospel? (Pt. 7) – “The Challenge of Repentance”
This is part of the series “What is the Gospel?”
Jesus tells the story of a young man that had many possessions. He is commonly called the Rich Young Ruler. This young man comes to Jesus and asks him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [Mark 10:17] Jesus replies that he must keep all of the commandments. This young ruler confesses that he had done so since the time of his youth. Jesus then drops the bombshell. Jesus tells him that there is only one thing that is left wanting in the young man’s life. All of the possessions that the ruler has must be given away to the power and then he would have the eternal life he sought. This is the challenge of repentance.
Jesus does not call us to only charity, but sacrificial charity. Jesus does not command service at our convenience, but total submission to his will. Jesus is not asking us to modify our behavior; he is calling us to crucify our flesh. Repentance literally means to turn around or away from. But how can we turn away from sin if opportunities for sinning surround us on every side? The answer is that we must turn to Jesus. We must look to Him and no longer look to anyone or anything else. This young man was depending on his “great possessions” [Mark 10:22] to get him through when only God in and through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit could do it. The gospel tells us that this man went away “sorrowful”. God is calling us to accept His challenge to repent, to turn away from the entanglements of the world and totally rely upon Him [1 John 3:7]. The Gospel life that Jesus proclaimed is not easy, but it is worth the cost.
What is the Gospel? (Pt. 5) – “The Remedy Delivered (Pt. 1)”
This is part of the series What is the Gospel?
One of the most wonderful aspects of Christianity is that God is not far off. God is not so distant that He cannot be known. God is not so mysterious that He cannot be found. It is the one of the greater wonders of the Christian faith that God has come down to earth and made abode with humanity. The doctrine of the Incarnation is relevant to the Gospel because it speaks to the seriousness of the sin. Only God could resolve and reconcile the broken relationship between humanity and God; and the broken relationship between humanity and itself. John captures it so beautifully when he said that, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). God has literally pitched His tent in our midst and has condescended so that we may have access to Him. Peter Lewis in his book The Glory of Christ makes these powerful statements about Jesus being delivered through Mary’s womb.
“If this humanity is less than full and true, then He is inadequate as a mediator; incompetent as a sympathizer; and disqualified as a redeemer. If (save for sin) He is not all that we are in our uttermost humanity, then He cannot perfectly represent us either in His life or in His death. If He does not descend to us from God, then He cannot lift us up to God.…it is in the Humanity of Jesus that we encounter the nearness of God” (pg. 142, 143)
The Gospel message makes no sense if the Savior is not like the sinner. Only one who is like us can stand as an advocate, as a representative and plead for salvation on our behalf. And so we are confronted with the Incarnation and its importance to the Gospel message that Jesus had to become like us so that we could become like He is.
What is the Gospel? (Pt. 4) – “The Birth of Sinful Men”
This is part of the series What is the Gospel?
King David tells us in Psalm 14 that the fool has said in their own heart, “There is no God.” If sin finds its birth in the perverted idea that God is not necessary, where do sinful men come from? Do they not come from the practice of this thought? In Genesis, the enticement for Eve was not the fruit. The temptation was the possibility of being like God. It was the snare of desiring what should only belong to God. Every adult knows the bliss of child-like innocence. There are things that we just wish we didn’t know.
Sinful humanity is the result of its persistence to pursue what only God can comprehend. Why do you think that so many question the existence of God because of the evil that exists? That is a question that is so big only God can make sense of it. That is why when we sin we are standing in the wrong place. God is sovereign. We should step down from His thrown and trust that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Rom 8:28). Even the things that are hard to understand.
What is the Gospel? (Pt. 3) – “The Birth of Sin”
This is part of the series What is the Gospel?
Sin is probably one of the most difficult concepts to explain in the Christian faith. I make this statement carefully because all may not agree. What is Sin? Where did it come from and why is it such a problem? There are various opinions and theories of the origin of Sin, but I would like to make a case that the origin of Sin is not a matter of time, not a matter of when, nor is it a matter of who created or orchestrated Sin, but rather a matter of where.
Where is “Sin” born? What is the source, the root of Sin? I believe that the birth of Sin comes from a twisted idea. Sin finds right of entry when we say in our hearts that God is no longer necessary for life. The Prophet Isaiah gives us a picture of what happened to Lucifer, the chief archangel of God:
12 How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ (Is. 14:12-14, ESV)
The Birth of Sin is found in the perversion of free will, the attempt to remove God’s authority from our lives. This is the genesis of sin, our attempt to look within to find freedom and power rather than relying upon God.