The Blog! It's moving! Run for your lives!

My blog is now at

isaiah543.wordpress.com


One reason I like wordpress is that there is a "recent" comments module that lets you know when someone comments even on an ancient post. I hope that this feature will encourage you to start up conversations on things that are old news. That's one of my least favorite things about blogging so far. It seems like if you don't get in on the conversation in the first 12 hours after posting, you've missed the party. Let's revive some old conversations.

Supposedly there are many other features that I will come to appreciate over at wordpress, but I don't know what they are yet. The main reason I'm moving is that mathuaerknedam said he'd buy me a beer if I left blogger, and hey, you don't have to tell me twice.

Astonishing

Today in my "morning watch" I came again to Galatians 1. There is something verse 6 that Paul calls astonishing, he wonders, he marvels at it. He is amazed at how people who have so recently been called by the grace of Christ could so quickly be led into legalism.

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ. (1:6)

But when God, who had set me apart from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, (1:15-16)

You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (3:1-3)

Why would we think that we need to keep the law in order to be saved when our own conversion experience witnesses to the contrary? Anybody out there receive the Holy Spirit as a reward for years of diligent law keeping? There's a good chance I was high on drugs when I received the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul was on his way to persecute Christians when he received the Holy Spirit. I think Paul's point is that understanding effectual calling by his grace should be an antidote to being suckered by the legalists. Consider your calling. So let's do this together. I ask you, did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law? Do you remember when you were effectually called? Tell us about it. Tell us how he called you by his grace.


P.S. need a definition of effectual calling? Here's one:

Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 67

What is effectual calling? A. Effectual calling is the work of God's almighty power and grace,(1) whereby (out of his free and special love to his elect, and from nothing in them moving him thereunto(2) ) he doth, in his accepted time, invite and draw them to Jesus Christ, by his word and Spirit;(3) savingly enlightening their minds,(4) renewing and powerfully determining their wills,(5) so as they (although in themselves dead in sin) are hereby made willing and able freely to answer his call, and to accept and embrace the grace offered and conveyed therein.(6)

(1)John 5:25; Eph. 1:18-20; 2 Tim. 1:8,9
(2)Tit. 3:4,5; Eph. 2:4,5,7,8,9; Rom. 9:11
(3)2 Cor. 5:20 compared with 2 Cor. 6:1,2; John 6:44; 2 Thess. 2:13,14
(4)Acts 26:18; 1 Cor. 2:10,12
(5)Ezek. 11:19; Ezek. 36:26,27; John 6:45
(6)Eph. 2:5; Phil. 2:13; Deut. 30:6

The Vision Thing

A coupla quotes:

"Most evangelicals overestimate what they can accomplish in five years and underestimate what they can accomplish in twenty." -James Montgomery Boice

"The only things worth doing take longer than a lifetime." - Augustine

And a sermon excerpt:

Where did we get the idea that leadership in the church means mapping out measurable objectives for ministry and a blueprint for church growth? Why can’t our vision just be to pray for his kingdom to come, to pray for boldness to preach the gospel, to make the most of every opportunity, to keep in step with the Spirit, to put to death the misdeeds of the flesh? Last week we read in Paul’s conclusion to 2 Corinthians, “Aim for restoration” or aim for perfection, aim for maturity. Is that an acceptable vision?

Those who would argue for the critical importance of a clearly defined vision for the ministry of the church often bring forth one verse as their rallying cry to form focus groups. It’s the verse on the front of your bulletin, Proverbs 29:18 which in the KJV says “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” I have long suspected that this word vision in Proverbs 29:18 surely can’t mean what Dilbert’s pointy haired boss means when he says the word vision, but this week I looked at the verse in Hebrew for the first time and confirmed my suspicions.

It turns out the Hebrew word for vision in this verse is the word used for the visions of the Old Testament prophets. In fact, the ESV translates the verse “Where there is no prophetic vision, the people cast off restraint.” The point is not that people need carefully crafted vision statements. The point is that people need a word from God. Where there is no word from God, society crumbles. When there is a famine for hearing the word of the Lord, the people fall apart. This word vision is the same word used in Isaiah 1:1 “The vision of Isaiah” That’s the title of the book. The vision of Isaiah. God says to the church through Isaiah “Get you up on a high mountain…O herald of good news…say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” That’s the vision we need. A vision of God.

See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?... He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing…Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing…Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

That’s the vision without which we perish. That’s the vision we need, that’s the vision for which the people truly hunger, that’s the vision for which the people should be clamoring.

And so just before he dies Paul writes to Timothy, “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

Paul’s vision is for the church is to preach the word, to proclaim the vision of God, even when such preaching goes out of season. And we live in a time when preaching is out of season. Most people don’t want a vision of God so much as they want a purpose driven life.

Why does this always happen to me?

I was contemplating a silly blog rant about why my links are suddenly down at the bottom of the page (anybody know how to fix it?) when I remembered this great Weird Al song about whinyness...

I was watching my TV one night when they broke in with a special report
About some devastating earthquake in Peru
There were thirty thousand crushed to death, even more were buried alive
On the Richter scale it measured 8.2

And I said, "God, please answer me one question?"
"Why'd they have to interrupt 'The Simpsons' just for this?"
What a drag, 'cause I was taping it and everything
And now I'll have to wait for the rerun to see the part of the show I missed

Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?

Turn or Burn

If that seemed at times the theme of this morning's sermon, it was no coincidence. It was from Psalm 7:12 that Spurgeon once preached a sermon of this title. Here's an excerpt:

Baxter used to say, “Sinner! turn or burn; it is thine only alternative: TURN OR BURN!” And it is so. We think we can show you why men must turn, or else they must burn.

First, we cannot suppose the God of the Bible could suffer sin to be unpunished. Some may suppose it. They may dream their intellects into a state of intoxication, so as to suppose a God apart from justice but no man whose reason is sound and whose mind is in a healthy condition can imagine a God without justice. Ye cannot suppose a king without it to be a good king; ye cannot dream of a good government that should exist without justice, much less of God, the Judge and King of all the earth, without justice in his bosom. To suppose him all love, and no justice, were to undeify him, and make him no longer God.

Persevering Through the Pain of Relationships for the Sake of Joy

From a sermon on 2Corinthians 1:23-2:4...

Three principles so far for persevering through painful relationships.
1) Fear God. Speak as in his presence, for you are.
2) Don’t try to control others, but work with them for their joy.
3) Be wise about your choice of timing and methods of communication

and finally now #4) Have an optimistic and hopeful long-term perspective.

I see that in verse 3. In the midst of Paul’s sorrow and anguish, he is still confident. He says “I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all” In other words, he believed that their relationship would get over this hump. He believed that the day would come when they would again rejoice together in the Lord, when they would again share a common joy in the gospel.

But this long-term confidence doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel a lot of anxiety about the short-term outcome of this conflict. We will see him be very transparent and vulnerable about that concern as we go through this book. He was not sure that the Corinthians would respond favorably to his severe letter. So what was his confidence? As we saw two weeks ago, his hope was anchored in heaven. He knew that the Lord would keep those who were his. He knew that in heaven he would see the fruit of his labor. He wrote to the Thessalonians in 1Th 2:19-20, “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.” True, the wheat and the tares grow together in the church so we can’t have any guarantee that specific people will respond favorably to our efforts to help them find their joy in the Lord, but nevertheless, as he wrote in First Corinthians, he knew that his labor in the Lord was not in vain.

I believe the Lord has done something in my own heart this week through the writing of this sermon. I am hopeful that this is a breakthrough for me. The Lord gave me many years ago a high view of his sovereignty that has substantially delivered me from excessive anxieties about physical suffering. I really do trust that whatever happens to me will abound for my good and His glory and through this God has granted me a measure of peace.

But this week it occurs to me for the first time to apply this confidence in the sovereignty of God over suffering to relational pain. Two weeks ago we read in the opening verses of 2Corinthians about God’s comfort in affliction and that he lets us suffer affliction so that we might no longer trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. And at that time I encouraged you to “hope in God who raises the dead and to abandon any confidence in our ability to make for ourselves a pain-free life. Accept the inevitability of affliction, and trust in God to use it to make you a person of deep faith who can comfort others.”

So this morning I say to myself and to you, “Stop hoping for a relationally pain free life. Accept the inevitability of relational pain. Don’t try to avoid it at all costs. See it as an opportunity to grow, to love, to work through it for the sake of greater long-term joy, probably even in this age, but if not, then certainly in the next.

How might this change our church if we really grasped this principle? We’re going to hurt each other’s feelings from time to time, it’s inevitable in any family. But are you holding a grudge? Are you harboring an evil suspicion? Is there a difficult conversation that you need to have that you’ve been avoiding? Don’t let this sermon be a license to come out swinging. Don’t pick up the phone and let your tongue start wagging aimlessly, think about timing, methods of communication. Think about the fear of God and the other person’s joy, but then…have that conversation. Persevere through the pain of relationships for the sake of rejoicing together again in the Lord.

The Worthlessness and Worldliness of Human Regulations

from a 1997 sermon on Colossians 2:20-23

"If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations- 21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)- according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion [KJV: will worship] and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

An austere disciplined denial of all earthly pleasure is not the way to live the Christian life. It is the way to live the gnostic life and it looks impressive for a while, but it is not the Christian life. Lightfoot describes in this way the ascetic discipline of the gnostics that fails to touch the springs of action. "By their fatal transference of the abode of sin from the human heart within to the material world without, they had incapacitated themselves from finding the true antidote."

A Prayer for the SBC

Father,

I pray for my brothers who lead the SBC.
Teach them that the flesh can't kill the flesh.
May they mortify sin by Your Spirit instead.
May they walk in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
May they believe that preaching grace promotes holiness.
Forgive them their unbelief.
Put Fear in their hearts to convict them of binding the consciences of your children with extrabiblical resolutions.
Show them the Hellward tendency of their good intentions.
Raise up leaders who are men of both grace and truth.

In the name of Jesus who will surely build His church and wash her with the Word,

Amen.




Feel free to cut and paste this whereever it will edify and/or possibly be prayed.

Shame

The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest denomination in America, is no longer walking in the truth of the gospel. Note it well, I didn't say their leaders were not real Christians or that they were heretics or false teachers. I said what the apostle Paul said of the apostle Peter in Galatians 2: they are not walking in accordance with the truth of the gospel.

They passed this resolution at their national conference last week:

WHEREAS, Years of research confirm biblical warnings that alcohol use leads to physical, mental, and emotional damage (e.g. Proverbs 23:29-35); and

WHEREAS, Alcohol use has led to countless injuries and deaths on our nation’s highways; and

WHEREAS, The breakup of families and homes can be directly and indirectly attributed to alcohol use by one or more members of a family;

And
WHEREAS, The use of alcohol as a recreational beverage has been shown to lead individuals down a path of addiction to alcohol and toward the use of other kinds of drugs, both legal and illegal; and

WHEREAS, There are some religious leaders who are now advocating the consumption of alcoholic beverages based on a misinterpretation of the doctrine of “our freedom in Christ”; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 13-14, 2006, express our total opposition to the manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptists to take an active role in supporting legislation that is intended to curb alcohol use in our communities and nation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptist to be actively involved in educating students and adults concerning the destructive nature of alcoholic beverages; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we commend organizations and ministries that treat alcohol-related problems from a biblical perspective and promote abstinence and encourage local churches to begin and/or support such biblically-based ministries.

-------------------------

and quoted from this story...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199440,00.html

"Also Wednesday, the SBC unofficially barred members who drink
alcohol from serving as trustees or members of any SBC entity.

The ban, part of a larger anti-alcohol resolution that was
easily approved by delegates, was proposed by Jim Richards,
executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas
Convention. While stopping short of officially preventing
drinkers from serving, it "urges" that no one be elected or
appointed to SBC offices if they are "a user of alcohol."

-----------------------------

Let us pray for our tragically deceived brothers and the 16 million church members they represent. In the early 1990s a group of liberals within the SBC tried to take over and were smacked down by a wonderful conservative Reformed resurgence. Let us pray for a backlash to this new resolution. Let us pray fervently that the legalists would be as ashamed by 2010 as the liberals were in 1990. Amen. Let us drink together.

Secret Video of Italian Soccer Training Camp

Click here.
[ht:Steve L.]

A Sober Assessment of Reformational Drinking

There was a great article by this name that appeared about six years ago in a issue of Modern Reformation magazine. I've lost my copy and have searched several times online for it in vain. But today it has been located for me (ht: fruittart).

It's a church history piece. Here's a favorite quote that perhaps someone will act on at the next budget meeting...

"Calvin's yearly salary in Geneva included several barrels of wine. The Town Council recognized the large number of guests he would be expected to entertain, thus he was given "the substantial annual salary of 500 florins, together with twelve measures of wheat and two bossets (perhaps 250 gallons) of wine."

Click here and scroll down just a bit to the May 9th post and click "continue reading"...

Two Innumerable Things in Psalm 40

I had a great time last week praying with some of you at the Green St. Coffee House. (Sorry, I'm never going to warm up to its new name, Bar Giuliani, that's goofy. But dumb name or not, you're invited to join us Wednesday at 7am.) Last week we prayed through Psalm 40 and I decided to linger there a few more days.

I was struck by the repetition of the phrase "beyond number".

verse 5: Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, And Thy thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with Thee; If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count.

verse 12: For evils beyond number have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; They are more numerous than the hairs of my head; And my heart has failed me.

Our iniquities are innumerable. Notice David says this even after he has been lifted out of the miry pit and had his feet planted on the rock. Still his iniquities overtake him. But thank God that there is something even more innumerable than our iniquities--God's wonderful and gracious thoughts toward us. As Sibbes said, there is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.

Meta

So I'm still pretty new to blogging. Why am I doing it? It's my effort to keep up a conversation with people I care about. Why have I closed comments to non-members? Because I don't want to be burdened by the need to respond to people I don't know. If you want to be a member and I know you, all you have to do is ask and I'll add you to the conversation.

But there's a downside to keeping our community small. I realize that I can't really keep the conversation going unless I post every day. But I don't think of postworthy things every day. So, I'm going to try a new thing. On days when I have nothing new to say, I will post a paragraph from one of my old sermon manuscripts. Here's today's installment...

What is the gospel? There is much in just these first four verses of Romans to begin an answer to that question, but let me begin by examining the word itself. What does the word “gospel” mean? It means good news. It’s a compound word in Greek meaning a good proclamation, a good announcement. When I think of the word proclamation, I think of a herald riding into town with news from the king and he blows a trumpet. Hear ye! Hear ye! The King has spoken… and he delivers his message. Now when he does that, that’s not an invitation to dialog. It’s just an announcement. You can believe it or not believe it but it remains a stubborn fact. The gospel is not an argument to be debated, it’s an announcement to be delivered. The gospel is not a world-view. The gospel is not a philosophy, it’s a proclamation. The gospel is not a list of demands about what you must do, it is a declaration of what God has done.

That’s why it’s called here in verse 1 “the gospel of God” It’s God’s gospel. It’s about Him. It announces good news of salvation for you, but ultimately it’s not about you. It’s about God, it’s about his glory, his salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. The reason why many people are frustrated and confused when they read the Bible is that they do not read it in a God-centered way. They don’t come to the Bible to learn of God, they come to the Bible constantly asking it to tell them what they must do. But you don’t need to be told what to do, you need to be told what God has done. When you understand what God has done it will change your life to be sure. But it’s not a self-help manual. The whole point is you can’t help yourself. You need to receive God’s help, so be still and listen to the good news of what God has done for you and quit trying to use the Bible’s teaching to save yourself. If you just want to be told what to do so that you can go do it for yourself, Romans is going to drive you nuts, because there is not a single command in the book of Romans until chapter 6:11, and then you know what he commands you to do? Think!

So I’m probably going to be preaching this book for a year or more before you ever get told what to do. But that’s OK, because, as we’ll see in verse 16, the gospel is the power of God. This message has power to save you all by itself quite apart from your moral striving. So just listen and receive and believe and soak in the good news of the gospel and trust God to change you through it.

Quote of the Day

Just a few minutes ago I finished listening to the panel discussion/gigglesnort between the speakers who were at the Together for the Gospel conference some weeks ago in Kentucky. Glad I listened all the way to the end because CJ Mahaney closed the time by citing out of nowhere his favorite Richard Sibbes quote.

"There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us."

Wow, that got me. Snuck right up through my spine and out my eyes. Did you feel it? Read it again.

I think it's time to read Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed.

More Romans Reflections

Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

In verse 13, I don't believe that "living according to the flesh" is the same thing as doing "the deeds of the body". "Flesh" in Paul doesn't always mean debauchery. It means anything that is merely human and not of the Spirit. It can even include human moral striving, cf. Philippians 3. That seems to be what Paul means here, because when he does speak of putting to death our sins, he changes his term to "deeds of the body" instead of the expected "deeds of the flesh". So if living according to the flesh doesn't mean debauchery here, what does it mean?

The point of the verse is that there are two ways to fight against the [mis]deeds of the body. One is by the flesh, the other is by the Spirit. Living according to the flesh is trying to overcome the sins of the body by law plus willpower. Try this and you will die.

What then is doing it by the Spirit? Check out the parallelism between verses 13 and 15.

living according to the flesh = the spirit of slavery
putting to death by the Spirit = the Spirit of adoption as sons.

Fight sin like a son, not like a slave. Don't say "No" to sin because you're afraid of the master's whip. Say "No" to sin because Papa loves you very much. Only love conquers sin. Legalists are dead meat.

Quiet Time Guilt

Nope, we're still not free enough yet. More freedom! More freedom! Ahhhhhh.....

http://gregscouch.homestead.com/files/Quiet_Time_Guilt.htm

Undiscerned Spiritual Pride

From the back of our bulletin, February 18th, 1996. Yes, that was over a decade ago.

"A few months ago after reading Jonathan Edwards' chapter called "Undiscerned Spiritual Pride" in a section called "Obstacles to Revival" in his Thoughts on the Revival of Religion, I was prompted to spend a day doing a Bible study on pride. This was the end product:

Self Examination Questions for Discerning Spiritual Pride

1) Have I spoken of others' sins with levity or contempt? (instead of with grief or not at all)
2) Have I treated others with suspicion? (instead of suspecting no one's heart more than my own)
3) Have I been rough or harsh with anyone?
4) Have I said or done anything with the intention of being noticed?
5) Have I shown favoritism or neglected someone?
6) Have I been irreverent or disrespectful of God or men?
7) Have I been too talkative? (instead of slow to speak, quieted by His love)
8) Have I shown an unhealthy interest in controversy?
9) Have I been unwilling to listen to God or men?
10) Have I been defensive?
11) Have I insulted or mocked anyone?
12) Have I been irritable, impatient, or easily offended?
13) Have I been thankful for all that God has given me?
14) Have I sought God today, or have I lived as if I didn't need Him?"

Censoriousness: The Besetting Sin of Bloggers

Censoriousness?! What's that?

censorious - Tending to censure; highly critical.

Jonathan Edwards wrote in "Thoughts on the Revival",

The word of God, which is in itself sharper than any two-edged sword, ought not to be sheathed by its ministers, but so used that its sharp edges may have their full effect, even to the dividing asunder soul and spirit, joints and marrow. Yet they should do it without judging particular persons, leaving it to conscience and the Spirit of God to make the particular application.

But all their conversation should savour of nothing but lowliness and good-will, love and pity to all mankind; so that such a spirit should be like a sweet odour diffused around them wherever they go. This would have no tendency to prevent the awakening of men’s consciences, but on the contrary would have a very great tendency to awaken them. It would make way for the sharp sword to enter; it would remove the obstacles, and make a naked breast for the arrow.

Yea, the amiable Christ-like conversation of such ministers in itself, would terrify the consciences of men, as well as their terrible preaching; both would co-operate to subdue the hard, and bring down the proud heart. If there had been constantly and universally observable such a behaviour as this in itinerant preachers, it would have terrified the consciences of sinners ten times as much as all the invectives and the censorious talk there has been concerning particular persons, for their opposition, hypocrisy, delusion, pharisaism, &c.

These things in general have rather stupefied sinners’ consciences; they take them up, and make use of them as a shield, wherewith to defend themselves from the sharp arrows of the word that are shot by these preachers. The enemies of the present work have been glad of these things with all their hearts. Many of the most bitter of them are probably such as in the beginning of this work had their consciences something galled and terrified with it; but these errors of awakening preachers are the things they chiefly make use of as plasters to heal the sore that was made in their consciences.

Spiritual pride takes great notice of opposition and injuries that are received, and is apt to be often speaking of them, and to be much in taking notice of their aggravations, either with an air of bitterness or contempt. Whereas pure and unmixed Christian humility, disposes a person rather to be like his blessed Lord, when reviled, dumb, not opening his mouth, but committing himself in silence to him that judgeth righteously. The eminently humble Christian, the more clamorous and furious the world is against him, the more silent and still will he be; unless it be in his closet, and there he will not be still.



Want more? Here's a section from Edwards' "Love, The Sum of All Virtue".

http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/charity10.htm

The Inevitability of your Sanctification

I've been studying Romans 6 lately in preparation for the fall.

ESV Romans 6:2 How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

What does it mean that we are dead to sin? It means we are justified. It means that in Christ his death is our death, his righteousness is our righteousness, and so we are not condemned. We are free from the guilt of sin, we are free from the power of sin to condemn us. That's what "dead to sin" means and that's all it means. It doesn't mean that we are dead to the influence of sin.

ASV Romans 6:7 for he that hath died is justified from sin.

Sadly, almost all the English versions translate the word "justified" in verse 7 "freed". This prevents us from seeing that justification itself is the key to no longer living in sin.

How does this work? Is it that now that I am justified, I am free from the guilty feelings that keep me in bondage to sin? That's true to a point, but that's not Paul's argument. And if it were Paul's argument, it wouldn't be a very strong one. The mere fact that justification puts new motives in the hearts of Christians is no guarantee of their sanctification.

Is it that when I am justified and come to understand that Jesus died for my sins, I will now hate my sins because their evil is seen in the suffering Christ had to endure for them? That's true and is a good reason to repent, but that's not Paul's argument here either.

The reason why your justification guarantees your sanctification is that both your justification and your sanctification come from your union with Christ.

Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

I've been saying throughout the sermon series on Romans that we are too obsessed with our sanctification and need to focus more on justification and glorification. I've been saying that exultation in your justification is the key to sanctification. Now it occurs to me that even that statement is a little too man-centered. I really could just say, "justification is the key to sanctification" or "union with Christ is the key to justification and sanctification"

And if today's meditation is for you a flash of insight that gives new understanding of Romans 6 and union with Christ, that itself is not the magic bullet that will kill your besetting sin and sanctify you. Union with Christ is what will sanctify you. Guaranteed. It's not dependent on your exultation or understanding.

Of course, exultation and understanding are good things. They are even means through which sanctifying grace keeps coming. But they are not the ultimate ground and guarantee of your inevitable sanctification and glorification. Union with Christ is.

So we do nothing? No, we still do things. We fight to think of ourselves dead to sin and alive to God and we offer the parts of our bodies no more as instruments of unrighteousness but as instruments of righteousness. We do these things. But we do them, and we will inevitably do them, because of our union with Christ. We work out our salvation because it is God who works in us. It's not our work plus God's work. It's not God works when we work. It's we work because God works. His work is the cause of our work.

Have you ever heard the cliche' "Pray as if it all depends on God. Work as if it all depends on you?" I've always thought that was ridiculous. Knowing our own hearts as we do in the mirror of the word, "working as if it all depends on you" leads to wallowing in despair. No, we are called to work as if it all depends on God, which it does. Does this lead to laziness? No, it leads to happiness. It leads to our getting up off the floor and rising to fulfill our glorious destiny.

Profanity, The Last Word

1 Corinthians 13:5 "[Love] is not rude"

In addition to my previously posted four guiding principles for when not to use coarse language, let us remember that love is the fulfillment of the law.

Perhaps a coarse word does not blaspheme God, does not curse men, does not glorify sexual immorality, and does not express anger. Is it then always OK to say it? Of course not.

If the word has no defensible edifying potential, then it would be unloving to upset people for no good reason. And even if the word has defensible edifying potential, you still have to know your audience. Sometimes, probably most times, coarse language will obscure the communication of your message.

But I'll never choose rules over reason for the sake of polite pragmatism. So that's why I've insisted on thinking these things through. I think the most prudish of commentators should admit the possibility that sometimes, even if ever so rarely in their opinion, coarse language actually enhances communication. Paul certainly seemed to think so. If you've really got something to say, sometimes it's worth administering a little shock to your audience in order to get heard.

Look, we're famous!

Hey, my profanity ravings have made a splash in the Reformed blogosphere. I'm a bad pastor, I'll go stand in the corner now. Check out the May 19th post on

teampyro.blogspot.com

I'm interested in all of your responses, but you must promise not to slander our good Calvinist brothers at teampyro. It's a great blog, especially when they post long quotes of Spurgeon.

But still, ***paragraph deleted***

Dang, that last paragraph was really witty. And it didn't have any profanity. But I cut it anyway 'cause I hate blustery blogging. Even when it's not profane.

Peace and love.

Where have you lived?

I'm feeling like lightening up and procrastinating "profanity, part 3." So, where have you lived and how long? Here's my info:

Winter Park (suburb of Orlando), FL 4 years
Stone Mountain (suburb of Atlanta), GA 6 years
Chicago and its suburbs, 13 years
Champaign-Urbana, IL 16 years

So, a friend's blog asked whether we're students or townies. Which am I? I guess I'm more townie now than anything else, but I feel more like a student. Here's an interesting question. How many residents of C-U have never studied nor worked at the University of Illinois?

Profanity, part 2

Shame on you loyal readers, both of you, for not doing your homework and helping me with my profanity bible study. Oh well, the good news is that mere Thessalonians get into heaven too. ;-)

Let me say up front that it is not my desire to promote the more widespread use of profanity. On the contrary, I believe that application of these principles to govern coarse language will actually reduce our cussing by about 95%. But I cannot abide lists of forbidden words. I want something that gets to the heart.

From the verses cited two days ago, I believe we can say that "cussing" is something Christians should not do when...

1) It blasphemes God.
2) It curses people.
3) It glorifies sexual immorality.
4) It expresses anger.

What's left? Here's a couple of examples of God-glorifying obscenity.

"Compared to the glories of knowing Christ, the pleasures of sin are a steamy pile of %$#@!"

"Anyone who thinks they can boast before God of their own righteous works is completely *&^%$#!"

If I write a part 3, we'll look at some examples of coarse language in the Bible, like Php 3:8, Isa 30:22, Gal 5:12, Ez 23:20, and 1Sam 25:22 (see KJV).

Profanity, A Bible Study, part 1

First, the data gathering phase.

Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

What does the context suggest that "corrupting" or "unwholesome" means?

Here's the entry in BAGD Greek-English lexicon for the word translated "corrupting" or "unwholesome"

"sapros"(‘make putrid')

1. lit. of such poor quality as to be of little or no value, bad, not good

A. in the prim. sense spoiled, rotten (of spoiled fish Antiphanes Com. [IV BC] fgm. 218, 4 K. [in Athen. 6, 225f]) of rotten fruits (PFlor , 9 figs; Theophr., HP 4, 14, 10 of worms that infect olives) of grapes that lie on the ground and rot Hs 2:4.

B. of poor quality bad

a) of living matter, fish Mt 13:48 (s. BAR 19, ’93, 52; it is of semantic significance that these fish have just been caught and would therefore not be rotten or spoiled, whereas Antiphanes in the ref. cited above [1a] declaims about fish that have been in the marketplace too long).—Of plants and their products (Aristoph., Theophr. et al.; PFay 119, 4; 6) that are of inferior quality: trees, Mt 7:17f; 12:33a; Lk 6:43b; fruit Mt 12:33b; Lk 6:43a. Unless the proverb contains hyperbolic diction, ‘rotten’ would be an inappropriate rendering, since ‘rotten’ trees would either not bear any fruit at all or at the most fruit of such poor quality as to be inedible.

b) of stones unusable, unfit, bad, stones of poor quality

2. bad or unwholesome to the extent of being harmful, bad, evil, unwholesome, in a moral sense an evil word, evil speech Eph 4:29



Ephesians 5:3-5 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ( that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

All of the words in bold above occur only here in the NT. Again, what does context suggest they mean?






Depending on your translation, the English word "profane" occurs about 75x in the Bible, usually of desecrating a holy place or blaspheming the name of God. All but once or twice it translates this Hebrew word:

(chalal) vb. pollute, defile, profane; --

Niphal 1. reflex. pollute, defile oneself a. ritually, by contact with dead. b. sexually.
2. Passive, be polluted, defiled, of holy places, name of God and even God himself.

Piel 1. defile, pollute: a. sexually, (the father's bed); a woman. b. ceremonially, profane, the altar by a tool; sacred places; the holy land; sacred things; the sabbath; and so the sanctity of the prince of Tyre who made himself God, and his holy places. c. the name of God, God himself. d. defiles or profanes his inheritance by giving it over to Babylon; the princes of the sanctuary by giving them to Chaldeans.
2. violate the honour of, dishonor,

or this Greek word:

(Bebelow) to cause someth. highly revered to become identified with the commonplace, violate sanctity, desecrate, profane the Sabbath


"Obscene" occurs once and translates this word:

(aischrologes) speech of a kind that is generally considered in poor taste, obscene speech, dirty talk (Aristot., EN 4, 8 [1128a], contrasts the preference for obscenity in older drama with the more refined taste of later times and argues that obscenity, can be expected from those of servile nature but not from a cultured gentleman. Clem. Al., Paed. 2, 6, 52 might properly be defined as story-telling involving such unseemly deeds as adultery or pederasty. aivscro,j=obscene: Ps.-Demetr. Eloc. 151). Obscene expressions would also be used to flavor derogatory remarks (s. Aristot. above); hence the rendering scurrilous talk (Polyb. 8, 11, 8; 31, 6, 4; BGU 909, 11f ) is pertinent Col 3:8, esp. since blasphemy (=‘defamation) immediately precedes. The gener. sense dirty talk fits D 5:1, which could apply to ribald stories as well as scurrilous talk.

And now, here's the context to constrain the lexicon:

Colossians 3:5-15 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.



Results to come in few days. Any thoughts on these? Any other verses you think should be considered in seeking principles to govern a Christian's use of words considered obscene?

It Comes From Galatians, It Really Does.

People sometimes ask me why I so loathe legalism. "Mike," they say, "why do you so loathe legalism? I mean, I know legalism is wrong, I don't like it either. But when you see legalism you get all like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas. What's up with that?"

Some might think it's because I'm some kind of recovering fundamentalist reacting with bitterness against the legalism of my youth. Nope, I grew up basic pagan and ever since my conversion I've been in good gracious churches. I have no scars to show from the legalists, no personal bitterness.

Well then it must be that I'm a licentious grace abuser and I loathe legalists because they threaten my freedom. Nope, I didn't really start exercising the legs of my Christian liberty until my 30s. Never drank scotch until a few years ago, after my vitriolic rampage against legalism was already a decade old.

So where does it come from? It comes from Galatians, it really does. My pastor opened this book up for me in 1991 while I was in seminary and showed me legalism in all its lethal vileness. Then I preached it in 1999-2000 and solidified my convictions. Want a sample? Here's a sermon called "Becoming a Hypocrite: One Man's Journey" from Galatians 2:11-14.

http://www.communityefc.org/mp3/sermons/1999/CEFC_1999101700_16kbps_mono.mp3

Jesus spoke gently to prostitutes and severely to legalists. Paul told legalists to emasculate themselves and go to hell. (Gal 5:12, 1:8). Does it bother you then that so many Christians speak harshly to those who struggle with the sins of the flesh, but give legalists a pass, calling them (wrongly) weaker brothers?