Grief, Glory, and a Dear Old Friend

Grief is sometimes a surprisingly slow burner.  Tragedy deals you a very shrewd, very unexpected sort of blow, but rather than finding yourself immediately laid on your beam ends like a ship in a hurricane, you merely shrug, or scowl, or raise an eyebrow.  This is your brain's equivalent of a counterweight on an elevator, I suppose - it keeps you from falling too quickly.  An hour later, though, you feel it, and you hate yourself for that shrug or that eyebrow, and the tragedy turns over in your mind a hundred different ways, unbidden, for day or weeks or months, until you wonder if you will ever cease to discover new reasons the said tragedy is so tragic. 

A few weeks back, I received word that my dear friend Nick had been badly injured in an accident.  We had been best friends throughout our teenage years (he moved to Colorado a few years after high school).  The years of teendom are, nearly invariably, the silliest years accorded to the cycle of humanity:  indeed, if you possess such a friend as is able to endure you through that complete, interminable succession of seven years, this is a friend indeed. 

I will spare you, dear reader, of the descriptions of our bookish exploits and nerdish frivolities.  I remember these times with great fondness indeed, but they lie behind the realm of the discussion at hand (and at any rate, it is difficult to stop such amusing nostalgia once it is begun).  However, it is enough at this point to explain that for long years, we were inseparable friends.

The day after his accident, he succumbed to his injuries in a quiet hospital and slipped away.  Amazing to consider, no?  Only 36 hours before that, he had been as healthy and strong as anyone aged at 30 years.  How quickly one's situation changes.  Children are born, people join in marriage, fortunes are made, souls enter eternity. 

And in the midst of all of these things, God is at work.  As we dismantle the tragedies in our lives, we naturally attempt to reassemble them in ways that make sense to us, but how futile this endeavor is, how hollow these efforts sound, how weak and insubstantial are the end results, unless we find the Lord in the center of it all.  Even if the tragedy in question is a loved one who died saving a busload of orphans from certain death, the clearcut nobility of such a death can hardly surmount the sad reality that your loved one is gone, and that in perhaps 50 years, there will be scarcely anyone who remembers this incredible sacrifice. 

And then, of course, you have, quite suddenly, this sense that basically anything can happen.  I am, most decidedly, not referring to your "I Believe I Can Fly" high school guidance counselor telling you to reach for the stars and be yourself - no; I mean that all of those things which you assumed could only touch your life if you saw them in a newspaper quickly begin to seem more real - house fires, muggers, accidents, terminal illnesses, and so forth.

Again, though, if we can at all, we must meet with tragedies knowing that God is at work, and that His work, furthermore, is always purposeful, is always in keeping with His character, and does extend to all things (cf. Rom. 9:21-24, Ps. 135:6, Ps. 33:8-11, Dan. 4:35, and many others).  The sovereign purpose is glory - salvation of undeserving sinners with staggering love, grace, patience, and righteousness, and conquest of evil by means of infinite power, wisdom, and righteousness.

We have discussed this before, so I merely touch on it here.  The point is, God's sovereign work gives us not merely a reason, but the reason, that things happen:  because He is somehow glorified by it.  Some will reread that statement with horror, but yes, God has designed even tragedies for His own glorious ends.  Think of the cruelties that Joseph's brothers visited upon him, and then think how God used those circumstances.  Said Joseph to them much later, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." (Gen. 50:20)

Other examples abound in Scripture, and once you begin to identify them, you cannot help but see them everywhere in its pages.  Paul and Silas are imprisoned wrongfully and beaten brutally, but (literally) at the end of the day, the jailer is saved by the grace of Christ (Acts 16).  The Jerusalem saints were persecuted and scattered, but this dispersion caused the gospel to go forth into new places (Acts 8:1-4).  Even the death of Jesus Christ, the most appalling treachery and crime in all of creation's history, was predestined by God to produce the only way of salvation for a lost and wayward race of sinners.  Incredible.  Go and read Acts 4:27-28 this minute if there resides any doubt in your mind that God Himself was the architect of Christ's death.  Go and read Isaiah 53:10.  Does this not add yet another layer of glory to Christ's death, to consider that the Godhead conspired to bring it about in order to secure the salvation of Christ's church? 

Walking through life with an understanding of God's sovereign purpose of glory helps us to declare, "I cannot say why this tragedy has befallen us, but I know beyond doubt that God is in control, and that this tragedy is an essential part of His plan, and that by this, God is sure to be glorified."  Because we trust in His wisdom and goodness (having tasted them again and again), this sort of understanding is a boon to the distressed believer; it offers real joy in the midst of admitted sorrow. 

And if the tragedy is appallingly black and difficult, let the arduous burden of sadness convince our hearts still more of the overwhelming greatness and surpassing importance of God's glory:  this may be harder than anything you had ever reckoned you would (or could) face, but this means that God's glory is more incredible, and more essential, than you had ever imagined.  There is great purpose at work.  If God has promised us that we will, upon our deaths, experience an eternity free of hardship in His very presence, then He is surely not trifling with us in this life by allowing such tragedy.

We can bring this full circle, then.  I do not know the many reasons why God designed that my friend should die at age 30, but I know that He will be rightly glorified in all of this.  I can say this with all my heart.  And I think that one reason among many, perhaps, is so that His gospel might be proclaimed.  Below is part of an e-mail that my friend Nick sent me years ago; it is undoubtedly the best thing he ever told me in all of our years of acquaintance:

As you know we've both grown up in Christian homes. Myself, I thought I had become a believer WAY back in the day when I was but five or six years old. Did the whole "accept Jesus into my heart" deal. And sure, I spent a good amount of my time serving the church, doing missions, and the like. And I have no doubt that God had me doing those things for His glory, but all those times I was so brokenhearted and downtrodden by the things going on in my life, I never realized God was simply trying to get my attention and let me know that I wasn't saved. How do I know that to be true? How do I know that it wasn't just me being a backslider, or just not being a good enough follower of God? Simple. I never understood sin to be what it was. I was never shown the Law as a mirror to help me SEE my sin. And past that, I thought I was saved. I was proud, selfish...I did good things in the name of God, but I was like the people who will come to God during Judgement Day and be turned away even though they did all those great things in His Name.  

I never read my Bible. I never hungered for it, I never wanted to be at church and looked for ways to leave early. So that's my setup. My preface for my conversion.

Years and years and years have gone by. Twenty three to be exact. Many of which I was fully capable of making a wise decision regarding God. In the last couple years since moving to Colorado life has been pretty miserable. But, something was still missing. Remember now, I THOUGHT I had God in my life, but He wasn't dwelling within me. So somehow by a miracle I started listening to a radio talk show called The Way of the Master Radio. I had been given some from a friend of mine, but it was a year or two before I even tried listening. Well, Way of the Master is based on some really neat ideas. Ideas of the Bible, go figure. Here's their deal: Law to the proud, grace to the humble. They do a lot of phone fishing (witnessing to people on the streets) and ask some questions such as these: Do you think you're a good person? What do you think happens to you when you die? Have you ever lied? Stolen something? Used God's name in vain? So basically these people brought it to my attention that I am a filthy rotten sinner and there is absolutely NOTHING I could do on my own to save myself from eternal damnation. That scared the living daylights out of me. I was never certain in my salvation, always had doubts. So I heard these messages and started thinking. I was consumed by the fact that I was a sinner. And I knew Jesus died for me, but I couldn't get past it all. Was I saved? Was I lost still? Way of the Master asks some simple questions to help you see if you are in the faith. Nothing special. "Is Jesus precious to you? Do you read your Bible without fail each and every day and enjoy it? Do you share your faith? Are you growing in holiness?" I looked back on my life. I could not answer yes to any of those questions. In fact I was worse off than before.

So one evening after I got home from work I fell on my face and wept. I repented for my sins and I put my full trust in Jesus. I understood that He really DID die on that horrible cross to save me from my wretched self. I realized that if I would have died the day before I would have spent my eternity in Hell and I was terrified of that thought. But God is so ultimately kind that I couldn't help but stay on my knees and cry for a good long time. Every time I think about it I can't help but weep with joy due to His kindness. I am radically new. I've been regenerated!!!! I absolutely love reading my Bible and read it every day. I love worship and understand what it's really about. I've stopped watching a lot of movies and shows that I used to like. I stopped listening to a lot of music. I'm thankful, I watch my words, my thinking is radically different. I'm learning tons of new stuff each day and I know God has a lot of work yet to be done in my life. Ha ha, if I were to name all the things He's working on currently with me it'd be a pretty big list. I hate sin because God hates it. My conscience is way more active these days. I know it was dead previously. I had no real remorse. I can't even attend church anymore without being in tears through the worship. Even now as I listen to some stuff I'm ready to cry.

He is so kind, isn't He? So loving, so amazing. So big and powerful and sovereign and righteous and just. So perfect, so merciful. "Indescribable, uncontainable. You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. You are amazing God." So cool. So cool...!

So yeah, that's my story.

12 Evangelistic Points from an Old Pro (Part 2 of 2)

We last looked at the first six of twelve evangelistic guidelines which could be derived from Paul's words in 1 Thessalonians 2 - a knowing boldness, pure exhortation, God-honoring speech, honest speech, humble comportment, and gentle care.  Today's discussion will comprehend the final six, which we will quickly see are no less crucial or desirable in the righteous pursuit of the gospel, and of the discipleship which must be a part of every believer's life.

7.  Selfless affection.  "Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us." (v. 8) Paul and his fellow soldiers did not cloister themselves atop a tower of smug condescension:  "We will give you the gospel, and you will listen and ask polite questions, and we will then return to our own rarified company."  No; they developed a genuine love for those to whom they imparted gospel truth; they were close, personal, and real (most people are more savvy to dissembly and condescension than we care to suppose).  Especially as the Lord began to build the Thessalonian church, the evangelists invested their very lives into these dear people. 

8.  Unselfish living.  "For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God." (v. 9) Seeing to their own needs allowed Paul and his friends to present a very uncluttered message.  Imagine how pedestrian they would have appeared, had they on one hand presented (as they claimed) the only way of salvation and eternal life, while on the other demanding some manner of material benefit.  This harkens back to the television gospel charlatan who draws people into his church, only to leech their financial resources to the breaking point.  We must take care to avoid a two-faced appearance in our interaction with unbelievers or new believers.

9.  Purity of conduct.  "You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; " (v. 10) Just as they did not seek monetary gain in their work, they were careful to avoid the sort of hypocrisy that would only have blunted the force of their discipleship work amongst these new believers:  "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - here; let us show you."  Or, "As Christians, righteousness is, on occasion, incredibly important to us."  They sought, as we should, to exemplify Christ's righteousness.  This does not mean that young believers look at us and see people basking in the glories of moral perfection, but they see people for whom striving after godliness is a continual priority - this constitutes a distinction from unbelievers (cf. Ps. 119:20, Rom. 7:22).

10.  Earnest exhortation.  "just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, " (v. 11) By now, you have noticed the transition in this passage from strict evangelism toward general Christian discipleship - the natural consequence of evangelism and salvation.  New believers must be nurtured and directed in their newfound faith and zeal (or else Scripture would avail us nothing after salvation), so Paul passionately cheered and warned and pled with his Thessalonian family, bringing sanctifying biblical truth to bear with the gentleness, care, and wisdom of a father addressing his children. 

11.  A heart of discipleship.  "so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." (v. 12) The simple goal of Paul's work was godliness - to gird the infant Thessalonian believers such that they were living as children of the true, holy, and sovereign God should.  Some preach morality from a desire to cleanse the fabric of society, or to make their church look appealing to outsiders, or to salve the human conscience.  Paul's motivation was far greater than any of these things, though - the worthiness of His God to have holy partakers of His blessings.

12.  A humble heart before God.  "For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe." (v. 13) These godly believers, in delivering the gospel to the Thessalonians, did not congratulate themselves in their masterful powers of persuasion or righteousness.  Rather, they recognized the active work of God as being the sole catalyst behind the spiritual life which sprang up before their very eyes in that city.  This recognition led to their thankfulness toward God, and indeed their reliance upon Him in their crucial work.  Thus God, in His sovereignty, was glorified in their hearts, and they looked to Him for the results of their labor. 


We begin to see, then, that evangelism is more than simply declaring the gospel, and its undertaking demands more than a little care and caution from us.  It is a comprehensive program of godliness, love, selflessness, boldness, and reliance upon the Lord as we declare the gospel, and it resolves itself into a lifelong work of discipleship and shepherding when a person is graciously saved by the Lord.  In short, it is a weighty undertaking.  Praise be to God alone, who blesses us with His perfect Word and His own Spirit, by which we may be fitted for this indispensable kingdom work! 

12 Evangelistic Pointers from an Old Pro (Part 1 of 2)

The best mechanics fix what is broken.  The best mothers love their children.  And the best Christians speak the gospel.  Of course, we seek for our lives to form a clear picture of life in Christ, but we also know that truth, purposeful and direct, must issue from our lips if the people in our circles would understand, and hopefully come to taste, Christ's inimitable salvation.

To say that this is not always easy would be a fair (if completely obvious) statement.  To suggest that we could use all of the (solid) help we can get would be similarly axiomatic.  If I mention the name of Paul in this context, then we have only to throw our hands in the air and say, "Of course!"  This is not daring ground at all.  Of course Paul knows his work in the area of evangelism, and if we have any reliable record of that work, it is to be found in Scripture, where all is trustworthy and truthful. 

I would like to mine 1 Thessalonians 2 for gems on how to evangelize.  A note first, though - this passage is not an instruction on evangelizing, but rather a recounting by Paul of his early days with the Thessalonians.  The context police tighten their grip on their clubs, but stay a moment - if Paul is commending the evangelistic work of himself and his fellows as blameless before the Thessalonians and before God (as indeed he is), then we may very safely extract some conclusions about good evangelism from his example. 

Here, then, are 12 pointers on evangelism from the great apostle.

1.  A knowing boldness.  "but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition." (v. 2) They had been abused cruelly and unjustly by certain of the Philippians for their gospel (Acts 16:22-24), and had no reason to expect different in Thessalonica, but this did nothing to blunt their zeal for their Lord's gospel.  God had brought them anguish in Philippi, but had also delivered them from it, and indeed had worked through those trials to spread His salvation still further (Acts. 16:25-31).   Evangelism must be bold, even in the light of danger and persecution.

2.  Pure exhortation.  "For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit;" (v. 3) Paul and his company urged the truth of salvation without a hint of moral compromise.  They did not fall prey to the ghosts of pragmatism or cowardliness, which strive to compel believers to water down their message, cloak that message in deception, or otherwise adjust its focus away from sin or Christ.  The gospel is not about wealth or happiness; it is about gracious salvation from sin and the perfect justice of a holy God. 

3.  God-honoring speech.  "but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts." (v. 4) This is a sobering verse, in a way - Paul and his comrades had been entrusted, by God, with His saving gospel.  What a weighty responsibility!  What an enormous blessing and task!  As Christians, are you and I any less entrusted with the gospel?  We too, then, must feel the enormity of our work, and must make it our urgent priority to please God in our speech.

4.  Honest speech.  "For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness—" (v. 5) A requisite feature of God-honoring speech is speech that is honest in its intentions.  It does not seek to soothe the ego of its audience, for God requires the most empty-handed humility imaginable from those seeking salvation.  It also does not have an undercurrent of greed - how can we cherish an undefiled compassion for a lost sinner, or how can we maintain the utmost priority upon gospel truth, if we are consumed with our own desires?

5.  Humble comportment.  "nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority." (v. 6) If Paul and his friends did not come to mollycoddle human pride, they certainly did not come to be congratulated and praised for their incredible work.  The fact that Paul speaks of apostolic authority here suggests that he refers to their conduct toward the new converts in Thessalonica, and this is a pleasing sort of observation to have - once the work of evangelism has happily given way to the work of discipleship, how do I conduct myself?  It is certainly not the time to seek regard for my heroic character, or my great love, or my profound wisdom, or my palpable leadership, lest I quench the zeal or distract the focus of my newfound brothers and sisters. 

6.  Gentle care.  "But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children." (v. 7) Again, the fledgling church is in view here, the product of Paul's evangelistic mission and the work of the Holy Spirit.  I include this one, as well as the last one, because they demonstrate that our work is not over - not remotely - when a person gets saved.  Evangelism cannot be our sole focus, but when the unspeakably joyous event of salvation comes to pass in a person's life, our lifelong work of nurturing discipleship, patient care, and selfless service begins.  We must approach evangelism with this truth in mind, lest God work His salvation and we are unprepared to lead this new believer onto a path of growth. 

[To be continued here]

Forget the Bad - Fear the Good!

God's self-understanding is beyond questioning.  Thus His descriptions of His many counterfeits, those would-be comers in the sealed arena of deity, are always crushingly perceptive.  For instance, when He warns His people in Jeremiah 10 not to trifle with idols, He says this of them in verse 5:

Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they,
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.

In other words, idols do not possess even the vigor needed simply to move or to speak.  Where, then, is the logical basis for fearing acts of judgment or vengeance from such as these, when they have no more strength or volition than a head of cabbage?  (Though, to be sure, there are those who do fear cabbage.)  God renders this crystal clear when He explains that idols cannot do evil (a better translation than "harm," it appears), and certainly they can do no good either.

A god who can act evilly is surely one to be feared:  what sort of tragedies, calamities, or injustices might be visited upon us, without warning, cause, or explanation?  What promise could be made that we could trust?  What assurance could we enjoy, even of our continued existence?  How could such a god be appeased beyond doubt?

However, all the terrors that would attend a god capable of evil are nothing compared to the very real terrors of our living, holy God, who can do only good.  A perfectly good and holy God is a God of integrity, a God of preserved promises, and a God of faithful, fulfilling action.  While this means that we may trust His salvation with a grip that even death's cold fingers are helpless to loosen, it also means that we must trust His condemnation in the same way.  His holiness is relentless, and it will be satisfied and avenged. 

This should devastate our glib, cavalier hearts.  An evil god may tire of punishing a certain enemy, or else this god may feel that the punishment has at last become equal to the crime.  A perfectly holy God, on the other hand, knows that any offense against Himself is immeasurable, and must be punished immeasurably.  His integrity will see His work done, and His justice does not permit Him to parole His enemies.  His honesty cannot overlook the treachery of a sin, so every one must be accounted for, either on the cross of Christ, or in an eternity of hot, dark, agony.

To die, unrepentant and prideful, and thus to fall into the hands of a holy and offended God, is a prospect overwhelming in its hopelessness.  To live, unrepentant and prideful, in the knowledge that you are actively offending a holy God should provoke an urgency of fear sufficient to dwarf and obscure any other concern of life.  Even to live as believers in the throes of unrepentant sin should cause our hearts to quail, for if we look at ourselves in this dreary light, we will find all of our former assurance unceremoniously stripped away (1 John 2:3-6, 2 Peter 1:3-9).

To summarize, then, God uses the nature of idols to reveal something about Himself.  He says, in essence, "Do not fear idols; they can do nothing.  Do not fear evil gods, for these are not real.  Fear Me, because I am real, and because I am holy."  There is no hope found in the folly of defiance; the only real hope is the hope that God extends to us in the blood of His Son, spilled for the punishment of the sins of those who would believe in Him and turn from those sins.  To the believer and the unbeliever alike, I say simply this - do not harden your heart to this.  Believe in His justice, and then live in His grace.  He extends certainty of that eternal salvation which alone can deliver us from the certainty of eternal destruction.  Repentantly seek this with all your heart, and when God has blessed your humble frame with this salvation, do not fritter away the blessed assurance of that salvation through persistent disobedience!  Take fullest advantage of His unspeakable kindness, friend.

We will let Jeremiah's fittingly humble response ring in our ears as we close:

There is none like You, O Lord;
You are great, and great is Your name in might.
Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
Indeed it is Your due!
For among all the wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
- Jeremiah 10:6-7

Prison Perspectives on Progress

"Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear."
- Philippians 1:12-14

Paul sat in a prison in Rome for charges fantastically conceived and untenably forwarded.  In subsequent verses, he would describe how some of his fellow workers for the Lord, blinded by their thirst for power and seeking to take advantage of Paul's lamentable absence, had taken to haunting the church, effectively seeking to fill the vacuum Paul had left.  They proclaimed gospel truth, but did so in a bid to rob Paul of his influence - incredible!  This is the situation with which we, the eager readers, are met in this passage. 

If we know Paul at all, then it is no surprise that he did not draft a tally of his sorrows for the Philippians to feast upon - there were far, far more important considerations at hand.  How went the work of the Lord?  Was the gospel progressing in the world?  It was far better for Paul to focus on this at the expense of his own sorrows, and it was far better for the Philippians to receive this lasting example of the Savior's pre-eminence in all things. 

Paul turns to his present circumstance, then, and describes how the gospel is prospering.  In so doing, he delivers to the church three points which demonstrate some of the means by which the gospel progresses, and which indeed may serve to refine our definition of  "gospel progress."

1.  It progresses in proclamation.  Paul equates spreading the knowledge of his "imprisonment for the cause of Christ" with the progress of the gospel.  For the present, he says nothing of conversions or responses, but merely that he has been able to acquaint everyone around him with the circumstances of his imprisonment, and, in the process, to proclaim the salvation of his excellent and unique Savior.  Certainly, salvation is a clear indicator of the gospel's movement; however, we see here that the Spirit-filled proclamation of salvation is, in itself, gospel progress.

This is a healthy attitude to adopt, for we do not always see the results of evangelism.  While we cannot discern how a person will respond to gospel truth, it being the province of the Lord to grant growth unto salvation where he sees fit (cf. 1 Cor. 3:6), we know that faith never comes apart from knowledge of the gospel (Rom. 10:9-17).  The gospel is the seed of salvation; it must be planted before precious life can erupt from dead soil.  So indeed may we reckon the proclamation of the gospel to be progress for the gospel, even if salvation is not immediately evident.  In disclosing saving truth to partakers of unbelief and death, we are working to advance the gospel, regardless of the visible results.  This is encouragement to those who preach good news to their fellows with often very little sign of spiritual life or concern.

2.  It progresses in preparation.  Paul's travails, he writes, have served to encourage his brethren to fearlessly proclaim Christ.  This too, says Paul, is gospel progress.  If we are fitted with stronger courage, or with fuller understanding of truth, or with a greater heart for sinners not so unlike ourselves, then we are better fitted for kingdom work.  This sort of growth constitutes an advancement of the gospel which should by all means endure upon this earth, and even continue to grow, for as long as the will of the Lord binds us to our earthly stations.  It becomes but another avenue by which we may continually work for the gospel, even in solitude - by striving to grow in Christlikeness.

Time spent on our knees, or with scripture in our hands, grants us a greater gospel strength and serves to further the gospel.  Does this spark a flame of conviction in our hearts?  There is always more we can do to gird ourselves as soldiers for our Lord.  There is certainly more that I can do, I know, whether I am with unbelievers, other believers, or by myself.

3.  It progresses in persecution.  Paul labored under, but was not conquered by, persecution here.  The world had struck at him with a substantial brutality, and in the midst of this, opportunistic believers came in like vultures seeking to feast on him, so that hatred piled atop hatred.  And yet in both of these cases, in both of these hardships, somehow the gospel not only prevailed, but shone through all the brighter.  Persecution birthed unique opportunity and movement for the gospel!

On one hand, Paul was thrust into the thick of Roman society, even into the very highest levels (Phil. 4:22), with fresh ears all around him to receive gospel truth.  He was propelled into this arena due to the hatred of his countrymen.  On the other hand, his fellow believers were strengthened by his testimony in difficulties to proclaim the name of the Lord more strongly!  Some loved Paul, and others certainly did not, but whatever the case, believers were opening their mouths and bringing forth the truth of the Savior!  We do well if, in the midst of calamity, we can look about us to see either how we might use our circumstances for God's kingdom, or else how God has already begun to work for His kingdom through our plight.  Do not squander your trials, Christian!  Who can fathom what riches of grace the Lord has made ready to unleash in the grimmest crucibles of your hardships?

The gospel has a divinely-imparted buoyancy, dear friends. and it progresses easily in the hands of our Lord.  What more fitting work is there than to devote ourselves to its spreading?  It is grace to sinners, joy to saints, and glory to our God!

The Art of Daily Self-Evangelism

When my eyes open in the morning, I endeavor to make that first moment one of thankfulness to the Lord.  Depending upon the hour, this may be genuinely difficult, and I cannot claim uniform success in this (nor, at times, can I remember it clearly later), but indeed there is something wonderfully pleasing about beginning one's day in this context of gratitude. 

Pleasing though it is, there is surely more that may be done in those first moments of wakefulness to help in recalling us to our duties and our unique station in this life as believers in the one true God.  I submit that it would not go at all amiss, were we to preach the saving gospel of our Lord to our own hearts every morning. 

Why say this?  Does it save us anew?  Impossible.  Does it, however, help to frame our day?  Absolutely.  Before we break our fasts at our paltry morning tables, let us feed our souls with the unspeakably rich bread of life (John 6:35)!  Let us refresh our thirsty souls (Matt. 5:6) with the living water that comes only from Christ (John 4:14) before we raise any glass to our lips.

Weigh out the benefits of this daily "self-evangelism," as it were, dear fellow believer.

1.  It calls to mind the greatness of God.  You knew of this when salvation first came to you; how much better do you know it now?  Has His indescribable grace grown to your thinking less dear or more, less essential or more, less urgent or more, less constant or more, and less sufficient or more?  We have far grander, more sweeping vista of His fathomless goodness now than even we did in that first great moment when He gave His precious salvation and breathed into our hearts new and startling life. 

He is the God of the universe, but He is not enthroned in heavenly halls so remote and austere that He is not aware of you; He purposed to save you personally, along with all of your brothers and sisters, before He created a single molecule, and He now resides with you and in you.  He is your God in every sense of the word, and your Father in ways too powerful to describe.  He who created you, saved you, and keeps you is worthy of your daily remembrance and devotion, is He not?

2.  It brings us to remembrance of our own weakness and sinfulness.  Again, this was in your truest thoughts when you were saved, but do you not understand this still better now?  Having contended with temptations of all sorts, across a spectrum of biblical mandates, the totality of which we could not perceive upon salvation, it certainly does not fall to us to congratulate ourselves for our own righteous worth.  If anything, we echo the true words of the seasoned apostle, righteous but pained, who cried, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24)

We rely solely upon the Lord for our righteousness, and we daily remain His happy slaves, like Paul and Timothy (Phil. 1:1).  As we remember Christ's gospel, we gird ourselves for service to Him above all, and we apprehend the pollution that always poisons our souls when we dare to elevate our own thoughts and opinions to reside alongside, or even above, God's clear testimonies.  We needed the Lord as unbelievers, and we need Him no less now.

3.  It brings the gospel to the fore of our thinking.  The gospel reminds us of who our God is, and who we are, and it also draws our attention back to the things which make for peace.  How fitting, when our hearts are prostrated before Him, and we have fitted ourselves for His service, that our hearts should be full of His gospel!  Oh, to be gospel-minded as we embark upon our interactions with the world around us!  To be settled in the convictions of our hearts concering His gracious salvation as we meet with people who so desperately need it, and who can, this very day, hear it from our lips!  Not only are we more likely to speak of saving grace when we have been reflecting upon its wonder, but we are more likely to believe in its efficacious strength in that moment, so that our speech does not falter and the weakness of our proclamation does not belie the precious and immeasurable power of the gospel. 

Drink in the riches of your Savior's gospel, my friend.  Drink deeply and daily, and serve your King with a glad and full heart!

The Independent Gospel

"What is this chlorophyll in my milkshake, Mom?"

This is exactly (or approximately, at least) what a child would say if he or she were handed a chocolate milkshake into which a floret of broccoli had been blended.  It would not go unnoticed and it would not be appreciated.  This, however, is how many churches and individuals treat the gospel.  To such as these, the gospel may not be pleasant, but it is good for a person - much like a plate of lima beans.  It needs some sugar to sweeten its allure.  And so these peddlers of false hope couch the precious gospel of Christ amidst enticements calculated to bedazzle even the most worldly of sinners.

To pronounce this tragedy as devastating is understating the case.  The gospel is looked upon almost as a necessary evil, or else it is dispensed with altogether.  Such treatment for the dearest treasure to ever grace our sin-worn world!  How do we treat this gospel, the only avenue to eternal life we will ever see?  It is enough to make a grown man weep, to consider how pastors or music groups or fellow believers tiptoe around the gospel and mention it so guardedly that it becomes almost the Christian version of an inside joke - without the humor. 

May these words of Paul, long esteemed by the church he helped to found, serve either to encourage or to convict us in this matter:  "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Rom. 1:16) These words resonate with a tireless and burning spiritual potency, and they should clamorously issue from our own hearts with an unrivalled earnestness and faithfulness such that we daily thrust our very lives into the hands of our sovereign Lord, to use always and only as He sees fit!  No matter how beleaguered we may grow, these words hold faithful and true in all things.  If nothing else, be encouraged in reading this.

A few brief considerations on this verse:

1.  The gospel is God's power unto salvation, not ours.  This is not a scepter we can pry from His omnipotent fingers.  The Lord calls us to give His gospel to an unbelieving world, and as we do so, we can and should command all the tact, wisdom, gentleness, and love which we can muster, but this never extends to altering the gospel itself to force a result within someone.  We proclaim it in fullness and God in turn unleashes the power of salvation according to His own inscrutable will.  We must know both our place and His in this work.

2.  It is the power of God unto salvation only for those who believe.  Here is how God has determined where the power of salvation will go.  Belief (also translated as "faith" in the Greek) itself is a heavenly gift, imparted by God alone so that any boasting on our parts is an utter lie (Eph. 2:8-9 - what believer does not know these verses?).  Without this gift of belief, the gospel will not come in power, and would not be received, even if it were. 

There are no handholds, loopholes, or back doors that allow for human interference here.  God grants belief.  He opens the heart of the sinner to feel the offense of sin before God, and then convinces this sinner of the reality of Christ's saving work until the sinner can do nothing but cry out for salvation.  God then sends the power of His salvation.  These acts cannot be duplicated by mere humans - can we enliven a dead heart to turn inexplicably toward the God it has always despised (Rom. 3:10-12)?  Can we explain things to a heart that only the Spirit of God can disclose (1 Cor. 2:10-14)?  So it is less than worthless - it is downright dangerous - to expect people to be saved by a weak or false gospel, and it is fully blasphemous to suppose that God might honor belief in such an abomination. 

3.  There need be no shame in the gospel.  It is a simple thing to regard the rich and full gospel as something that can only bring confusion and rejection to an unbeliever, and ridicule upon the believer.  This is how we allow ourselves to be ashamed of the gospel.  Paul Himself wrote that "the word of the cross is foolishenss to those who are perishing" (1 Cor. 1:18), but this fact did not compel him toward shame, exactly because this gospel which the world regards as foolish is God's unfailing power unto salvation!  It does its work precisely as God intends it to - for those whom He enlivens, it turns from complete foolishness to precious, live-giving, unfailing hope!  What shame could there be in so perfect a work from so perfect a God?  Far from prompting a debilitating, dishonoring shame, the reality of God's gospel should spur us toward greater service of Him in seeking the spread of His kingdom of glory!


There is no place for a weak, vague gospel in which God's avowed power is replaced for a wholly inadequate, ineffectual human substitute.  This is, to be honest, the best possible news for His children, as we do not have to bear the burden of being the unbeliever's only hope.  We passionately proclaim the message in love and faithfulness, and our God works through that as He desires.  We have our simple, happy, loving work, and God has His glorious, effectual, sovereign work. 

Practical Theology: Irresistible Grace in Evangelism

A young man, a wealthy ruler, comes before Jesus, and, kneeling, asks simply, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17) Christ's response (vv. 18-21) is, to say, the least, indirect.  The word "repent" does not leave His lips, and neither does "believe."  Both of these are implicit in the conversation, but He leaves them unsaid.  He asks a question.  He makes a few simple statements.  The man answers rather unrealistically.  Christ issues a command.  The wealthy ruler walks away, devastated and apparently unsaved (v. 22).  And so this familiar story leaves us. 

Surely Christ was operating within the realm of divine prerogative as He interacted with this man.  The nagging question, though, is this:  if Christ had taken a gentler, less demanding approach, would this man have been saved?  A related question - could this man have been saved, had he been allowed at this time to enter into the fellowship of true belief, just as veteran churchgoers are sometimes suddenly saved in today's churches? 

We can answer both these questions with some further consideration.  Christ answered as He did in order to reveal the character of the man's beliefs.  The young man's convictions did not permit him to submit himself to Christ, either as Savior (v. 20) or as Lord (v. 22), and neither is optional for salvation (cf. John 3:36, Luke 14:27).  The point is simple:  in this invaluable example, Jesus was not moved by a simple profession or a bare question - He drove His gospel in as deeply as was needed in order to outwardly prove or disprove the man's belief, and He did it with sincere compassion (v. 21).  He was unafraid to get to the bottom of this urgent matter, and He did so perceptively and lovingly. 

A few objections will surely sound out here:

1.  "This is the omniscient Christ - we can hardly be said to have this sort of insight into people around us."  This is true, but this does not hinder our knowledge and understanding of the gospel, and it is from this perspective that we operate.  People differ, but the old gospel was written by hands far stronger and timeless than ours.  If someone comes to us seeking to understand the gospel, we must give it to them with all of its force, with all of its urgency, and with all of its requirements, lest they come short of salvation.

2.  "Who are we to judge people's hearts?"  This is a terrible sort of assumption.  Judgment is neither meant nor required here.  Let us create a (somewhat imperfect) picture.  Your friend is standing upon an actively crumbling ledge above some yawning chasm.  He is not silent; he is crying for help.  There is a ladder behind him, and you point it out, describing this ladder and how it must be used.  You demonstrate it several times.  You explain it again.  He declines to use the ladder and turns away, having become upset that you are judging his heart.  If this sounds absurd, you have grasped the intent. 

If a person is truly humble before the Lord, grievously conscious of sin, and seeking to repent before a holy God, then no part of the gospel will work as a deterrent.  The powerful truth of the gospel will at first be a hot blade to the heart of such a person as he or she is laid low by the knowledge of personal sin, but it will become as honey upon the lips as this person approaches, once and for all, to dine at God's own table, invited by His grace and drawn by His might.  On the other hand, a feigned humility or inappropriate presumption on the part of such a person will only be flushed out by the true gospel, as it was with the rich young ruler, and this is no great loss, for this is not the sort of attitude that a holy God honors with salvation.

3.  "Will we not unduly dissuade people from Christianity?"  This question is perhaps the most important of all, for, were this true, it would create a formidable moral dilemma indeed.  We need not, however, explore this possibility, for God's Word strangles it with its usual blessed clarity:  "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out...This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day."  These words, spoken by Jesus in John 6:37 and 39, create a compelling picture of the Father's sovereign purposes at work - He gives His elect to Christ, and all that He gives will surely come to Christ.  In other words, we have landed upon the great truth of scripture which theologians like to call "irresistible grace."  It grants a lasting comfort to us in this matter.

If God is sure to win the souls He calls, as John 6 indicates, then the temptation to cheapen the gospel, to soften it so it may slip inoffensively into a reluctant heart, loses all of its teeth.  As God has divinely lavished the full measure of certainty in salvation, then the thought that we humans should try to add a further certainty of our own sort is intrusive and dangerous.  We either do not trust His work, or we seek to overturn it.  In fact, if we try to hurry someone into the kingdom and skirt away from a full understanding of the sinner's need for a Savior, or any other glittering facet of the gospel, we risk falsely assuring an unbeliever of his or her Christianity.  Here is a principle:  any person should be able to explain the saving gospel to someone else, from the very instant of salvation.  If this is not the case, we must question his or her understanding of the gospel, and, alongside of this, we must question his or her salvation. 

It becomes us well, then, to approach the repentant unbeliever with care and deliberateness.  Reckless haste is inappropriate:  nothing will hinder the truly repentant from salvation, certainly not a few moments of compassionate, soul-searching questions, but a glossing over of truth will never drive someone into the arms of the Lord.  No one can be cheated into the kingdom of God.  Explore the gospel with such the searching sinner with discernment and reverence.  Move to correct any misunderstandings, and rejoice if you see a truly burdened heart yearning for Christ's singular salvation!

One note further.  Jesus explained further in John 6:44 that only those whom the Father sends may come to Christ.  This removes one more reason to offer a hasty, emaciated gospel - we will certainly not sneak our friends into the kingdom this way.  No; God must be at work in a person, working His power unto salvation, and then nothing can stand in the way of that glorious salvation running its miraculous course and sweeping the glad, contrite sinner down into the ocean of grace.  How potently does God provide for our security, and how powerfully does this security arm us as we seek to bring people to Him!

Simple Truth Entreated: The Response of Unbelievers (Part 5 of 5)

- Still others will declare, “I can believe in your God, but only as one God among many.”  I think you say this because you see there are many so-called gods in this world, and you cannot bring yourself to discount any of them, so long as people are worshiping them.  If people are sincere, if they believe they are right, then what right have we to declare otherwise?  Thus do we divorce belief from truth, for only when we remove truth is there room for so many opposing beliefs in this world.  Put another way, if people started to believe that two plus two actually equaled five, would this make five a viable answer alongside four?  Of course not!  It is preposterous, and yet we apply this very thinking to the spiritual world.   Real truth teaches, guides, and corrects, whether we refer to mathematics or theology. 

So we must honor truth, not beliefs.  Beliefs must be made to serve truth, and the Bible gives us absolute truth (John 17:17).  God says, “And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me.  Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” (Is. 45:21b-22)

- And what of those who state, “I cannot believe that the world is as evil as the gospel portrays it to be.  It is filled fundamentally good people.”?  If this is so, then the world is in terrible shape for having such good people.  Turn the television to any channel, or watch any small child for a day, or look for any candid moment into your own heart.  Can you escape the selfishness, the excuses, the frustration?   Aside from this, we do tend to judge our own goodness in relativity to those around us, but the gospel calls us to examine ourselves alongside the standard of our divine Judge, God Himself, and this standard is perfection.  All have sinned, and thus stand in need of salvation from that sin.

- There will be those who maintain, “Of course I have sinned, but I will count on my good works for the Lord to save me.”   This was the folly of many people in Jesus’ time as well.  They relied upon adherence to a set of rules (some from the Bible, and some not) to achieve a righteous standing before God.  This adherence, however, was never enough to save people – remember what Jesus said to a religious leader:  “You must be born again.” (John 3:7b) Just as a baby cannot bring about birth through his or her own actions, so we cannot achieve for ourselves the spiritual rebirth needed to save us. 

A legal example illuminates – a man is caught in a murder.  He is seen carrying out the killing, his fingerprints are on the weapon, and he has confessed.  However, he declares, “I know I have committed this terrible crime, but consider also the volunteer work I have done all my life.”  Will the judge be moved to mercy?  Of course not!  Doing what is expected cannot cancel out doing what is evil.  Justice looks at evil deeds without reference to good deeds. 

Aside from this, even the deeds which we do apart from God, and which we would reckon as good works, are viewed in a different light by God, who counts our own righteousness as naught but “filthy rags.” (Is. 64:6) If it is not done for Him in obedience and love, then it simply no good, no matter what it is.

- Finally, some have tragically concluded, “I believe in this gospel, but I am afraid I have sinned too much for the Lord to extend His grace.”  May your despair turn to rejoicing, for the gospel was made – made, we declare – for such a one as you.  You need not fear that the power of your sin is somehow greater than Jesus’ omnipotent victory over sin, or that the depth of your sin is greater than His reach, or that the murk of your sin will overpower the radiance of His grace.  Christ declared in John 6:37, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”  He is faithful with those who come to Him.  Remember Jesus’ command for all to repent in Acts 17:30?  If the all-knowing Lord has made such a command, then He is prepared to honor and bestow grace upon those who do repent. 

What you say is true in that we cannot deserve grace.  However, this is the very definition of grace, is it not?  No one deserves it, but the Lord, who is no liar (Titus 1:2) offers it to all.  This is the humbling glory of it all, the unique glory that God desires you to see, to relish, and to respond to in repentance and humility.   To you, we say again, repent now!  Believe that God is able and willing to save you, and repentantly seek that salvation on His terms.  If you find yourself unable to believe this, honestly approach the gracious God of all and plead with Him to bless you, so undeservedly, with a true and saving belief in Him.  

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

 - Romans 10:12-13

The gospel is and will always be the most important matter of our lives, whether we are children of God or are outside His grace.  While we are here on earth, it is the matter with which we all have to do, for it can either save us and fuel us for a righteous, obedient life, or it can consign us for all time to an eternity in hell.  It is the sole point of connection which God offers to humanity that promises the riches of forgiveness and sonship with God, rather than the just and perpetual misery which our sin demands.  Praise, praise our great God for the glory that torrents through the gospel – for the grace and the wrath laid side by side, for the power that assures His purposes, for the ever-present and unassailable justice, and for the love that saves His children.  May all of our selfish objections, and all that we seek to withhold, simply give way before the wondrous gospel of Jesus Christ.

Simple Truth Entreated: The Response of Unbelievers (Part 4 of 5)

Simple Truth Entreated:  The Response of Unbelievers

           

If you are reading this and have not been saved from the just penalty of your sins by Jesus Christ, or if perhaps the force of biblical truth has removed you of all your certainty of your salvation, then do not barricade your heart against the saving truth of the Word  Repentance and surrender to Christ are your only rational recourse.  True, the gospel seeks to invade your sinful heart, to conquer it, and to change it as to make it utterly alien, but you must, you must throw open the gates and let it enter undisputed, or it will kill you someday, and for all eternity.  This gracious offer of the Lord, so real and substantial in this instant, will not endure even a hairsbreadth beyond your own life – what certainty have you beyond this brief moment? 

As Paul implored, “we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5:20b) We stand to gain nothing in this appeal, excepting joy, whereas you stand to gain “everything pertaining to life and godliness.” (2 Pet. 1:3b) Come; come now, before you draw another breath!  There is no matter of greater importance, nothing of truer urgency, than this matter of the sinful chasm between you and your Creator.  Do not wait for tomorrow when today may yet betray you!  “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:31) To die without Christ is to be judged by Christ, without the benefits of His protection or intercession.  He will weigh out your sins, and will justly repay each of them, including the sin of reading this appeal and ignoring it.  You will find yourself consigned to a blind torment beyond the reckoning of art or science, a lonely agony unsatiated by the endless passage of ages.  Surrender all to Christ; admit of your guilt before Him!  Plead His forgiveness, and lay your very life at His kingly feet.

If we urge you in light of His grace, we also charge you on the basis of His sovereignty.  “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30b-31) God not only invites all to repent of their sins; He commands that repentance.  The day of judgment approaches, over which Christ will preside as proven, triumphant Lord, so the command has gone out:  repent now.  God has created this world such that He is Lord over all of it; He sovereignly issues His orders, and it falls to us to obey Him.  Fortunately, He is entirely wise, powerful, and righteous – we need not fear His leading. 

Many objections are commonly made by those who resist the gospel; let us briefly examine but a few:

- Some of you will say, “This is all well and good, but I simply do not believe in God.”  This is merely to say that you believe in yourself, for, as your finite mind cannot account for a God like the One revealed in the Bible, then He clearly must be a fabrication.  So you set yourself up as your own sure authority, and all your life is washed through the filter of your own good opinions.  Do you not see, though, how dangerous this becomes?  An earthworm could hardly conceive of a thinking, feeling, deciding, inventing human being, but this does not render human beings any less real.  Does an annelid’s inability to grasp music or technology make you or I any less real?  Surely not!  Rather, it serves to underscore the vast difference between a worm and a person.  

This vastness looms larger still between us and our God, and we cannot afford to dismiss this reality out of hand simply because it does not reduce to a comfortable human understanding.  In actuality, how disappointing would an entirely comprehensible deity be?  If God were such a one that could be understood completely, He would not be God at all, for this would fully assure us that He was a fabrication of the human mind.  Our inability to fully understand Him should not dissuade us of His reality.

- Some others will say, “Surely; I believe in God, but I cannot believe in your God.”  My friend, my God is the God revealed by the Bible; what better revelation of God and His character would you have?  Your own suppositions?  Another book, perhaps?  When science and archaeology have crushed countless so-called holy books to powder, the Bible stands conspicuously intact, a solitary monument in the midst of so much rubble.  Space does not permit a complete treatment of its enduring character, but I urge you, look into its history.  See how it has been preserved in the face of determined and repeated opposition.  Mark how its truths have not been altered, though it passes through centuries, through languages, and through cultures.  Note how it is the product of dozens of human minds from different eras and different nations, and yet it comes together as a cohesive whole.  You begin to understand that the Bible you hold in your hand is a startling book indeed – it is the revelation of the one true God to humanity, written perfectly by that very God through human agents, and preserved diligently by God against every feeble calamity and opposition that this world could muster.  To understand this book is to see our Creator as He has revealed Himself.

Simple Truth Revisited: The Response of Believers (Part 3 of 5)

Simple Truth Revisited:  The Response of Believers (continued)

3.  Assurance.  This is twofold.  First, our hearts are assured that we are in the faith, if indeed we behold the gospel in all its undimmed truth and do not shrink away or lash out.  If we seek to alter it, to blunt any of its sharp edges, whatever the reason, there is cause for concern.  Are humans not invariably sinners?  Did Christ not endure all of the Father’s punishment for sins?  Perhaps salvation is not pure grace?  Which portion of the Savior’s gospel truth, tell me, dare we adjust?

On the contrary, if we cherish the gospel in its fullness, if we believe that it is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16b), then our lives will evidence this dearly-held belief.   Our pursuit of righteousness, our attitude toward unbelievers, and our service of God’s kingdom and glory all stem from the hardy root of the gospel.  If a love for the gospel is evident in our lives, then assurance will be forthcoming.

Secondly, when we as believers examine the gospel, God’s Word grants us a greater understanding of its precious truths and their far-reaching implications.  Put simply, we are blessed with greater assurance that we believe truth and know truth.  We cannot afford to rely upon an attitude of “I heard this in Sunday school,” or “My favorite pastor says this.”  These words cannot hope to bear the weight of our beliefs amidst the tempests of life, because they hinge more upon human supposition than upon timeless truth.  Only the strength of God’s enduring Word can truly shape our understanding of the gospel and grant us clarity and assurance. 

4.  Purpose.  The gospel not only serves to direct people to God’s life, but it also serves to direct the lives of God’s people.  We have already seen how righteousness is a mandate of the true gospel.  To this, we now add the Great Commission:  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matt. 28:20a) The gospel and discipleship go hand in hand.  It is gospel truth that frees people and makes them disciples, and it is the righteousness reflected in the gospel that becomes the pursuit of the disciple.  Thus the Great Commission is work that is not content merely to see the lost saved by the gospel; its fuller aim is to see those same people growing in righteousness as active, zealous disciples in whom the gospel continues to grow in their hearts and their priorities. 

Simple compassion for the lost also directs believers to the gospel.  If Christ is, as He Himself proclaimed, the only way of salvation, then we must bring people to Him.  We must display Him and His glory to the unbelieving world.  A common Christian adage is that Christianity is more than knowing facts concerning Jesus – it is about knowing the Savior Himself.  The truth here is healthy and undisputed, but let us take care, lest the axiom sway us too near to a different pole.  People must know the truth about Christ if they are to know Him, and they must know Him if they are to be saved by Him.  This is the substance of statements like Acts 4:12 or John 17:3, and it falls now to the church to disclose the person of Jesus Christ to the world, by imitation of His righteous character, and by proclamation of His saving work.  Is this not the gospel? 

The gospel, then, is not something that Christendom cannot afford to relegate solely to evangelists and new believers.  It is not the life vest that we grab when the plane is hurtling toward the ocean, only to discard once we are safe.  It is our spiritual life’s blood, and every bit as precious to our spiritual health as the blood that courses through our bodies is to our physical health.  Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a believer who could be said to possess too keen a focus upon the gospel, or too complete an obsession on living out its principles and implications.  The idea is impossible.  Sadly, though, it is far, far easier to picture a Christian in whom the gospel does not enjoy the preeminence that so richly becomes it.  An honest Christian sees in the mirror one who could stand to love the gospel yet more, who could wrap his or her life still tighter and more wholly around the gospel, for the glory of the One whom the gospel reveals.   For God’s glory, brothers and sisters, let us strive after this!

“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel…”

                                          - Paul, from Philippians 1:26-27

Simple Truth Revisited: The Response of Believers (Part 2 of 5)

Simple Truth Revisited:  The Response of Believers

Clearly, gospel truth seeks a response from the unbeliever, but what of the believer?  There are those, who, after (evident) conversion, revisit the gospel but rarely; these may, I think, be sorted into two groups.  The first group, after making a profession of faith and repentance, make no move to grow or to obey.  If their cars leave the driveway on Sunday, it is to avert a culinary crisis, not a spiritual one.  And the next year, when the spring cleaning unearths their Bibles, they find a place for them on that shelf of books which they fully intend to read someday when life has considerably slowed (perhaps by Shakespeare, next to which the Bible seems to them no more important, and no easier to fathom).  To these, we say – read on, friend.  There are words in here for you. 

The second group is more careful to study and to enjoy fellowship, in accordance with scripture, but they consider that the gospel, having saved them, can impart but little further consequence into their spiritual life.   This is, in their thinking, the difference between the milk and the meat, as the author of Hebrews says, and they conclude it, then, a mark of immaturity to be shackled to the gospel.  Again, read on, friend. 

Four reasons come readily to mind as to why the believer benefits from returning to the true gospel time and again. 

1.  Adoration and Humility.  “Consider your calling, brethren,” Paul urges in 1 Cor. 1:26.  “…and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Cor. 1:28-31; emphasis added)  In other words, we are called to consider our own consummate weakness, and the complete life that God Himself has bestowed upon us, in direct opposition to that weakness.  Does this not stir our hearts to remember the indomitable force of God’s grace in our lives?  What place, then, has pride in our hearts? 

When we transfer to our God the esteem that we would otherwise squander on ourselves, we see God magnified, as He should be, and ourselves humbled, as we must be.   If we dare to suppose that this sort of attitude is fit only for infant believers just starting out, we simply guarantee that we will always be infant believers ourselves.  The Holy Spirit does not grow those who are insensible to the grace by which He always works.  Our humility before God communicates our acknowledgement of the insurmountable spiritual and moral failings which we possess, and our adoration of God recognizes the presence of His manifold spiritual and moral perfections.  The gospel rests at the very center of this understanding, and, as such, resides at the very center of life in Christ. 

2.  Righteousness.  The gospel, like salvation, extends beyond simple redemption.  Our Lord Jesus “gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:14b)  Redemption was not the end of Christ’s aims; He sought to create a people who would pursue righteousness and grow in it.  Remember Ephesians 2:8-10:  His grace has made us, making boasting impossible, and His grace has indeed made us for specific good works.  The will of God is our sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3a). 

God’s call to righteousness is therefore traced back to His desire for righteousness, which is expressed, and indeed made apparent, in the gospel.  When we return to the gospel, the clarion call to righteousness sounds with divine urgency.  Are the wages of sin not death?  Was it not unrighteousness that earned this fate for humanity?  Survey the vast cost of salvation, won by a perfect obedience before the Father, the last Adam sustaining the utter righteousness that the first Adam could not!

It is obvious, then, that the gospel is not morally ambiguous, and it makes no provision for those who seek to maintain moral ambiguity.  In other words, it is an offense to the gospel to seek salvation from damnable sin without any desire to be removed from the mire of that very sin.  Be assured that any appeals for salvation made in this spirit will be spurned by the Father.

The gospel exists because of unrighteousness.  It counts an unmerited, perfect righteousness to the credit of those who repent, in order to surmount this human unrighteousness, and it sets people upon a lifelong pursuit of righteousness.  Thankfully for sinful humanity, within this calling resides powerful hope:  the grace of God that accompanies us in our righteous endeavors (Titus 2:11-12) has already been proven in our very redemption.  If His grace was able to draw us powerfully out of hopeless darkness, then surely we may trust in its ability to guide us in light!

Simple Truth (Part 1 of 5)

Author’s Note:  We'll inaugurate this blog with a daily series on the gospel:  what it truly is, how it should affect believers, and how unbelievers should respond.  I urge you, whoever you are, to take a moment to read on.

God, the only true God and He who created all things (Is. 45:18, 44:24), being entirely holy (Rev. 15:4), sovereign (Ps. 103:19), and eternal (Is. 40:28), lives in three Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 3:16-17, 28:19).

Although the world, as God created it, was “very good,” (Gen. 1:31), the human race has nevertheless become an unvarying group of sinners (Rom. 3:23, Eccl. 7:20), people who disregard God’s commands at every turn (Rom. 8:7-8).  This universal sinfulness has killed us spiritually (Eph. 2:1), making each of us worthy of eternal punishment (Rom. 6:23, Eph. 2:3, Matt. 25:41), and utterly  hindering us from pleasing God (Rom. 8:7-8).   God is entirely just, and must meet offenses against His own insuperable holiness with appropriate retribution (Ps. 7:12-13; 75:7-8):  an eternity of agony, separated from Him (Rev. 14:11, Matt. 25:46). 

It was not, however, God’s intention that the entire human race go down into eternal hell.  The masterful and incredibly loving stroke, devised before time began (Titus 1:2, Matt. 25:34), came in the form of Jesus Christ, God Himself, becoming fully human while still fully God (Phil. 2:6-7) and living a perfect, sinless life (1 Pet. 2:22, Heb. 7:26).  This life culminated in Christ willingly and sovereignly going to His own death (John 10:18) as His heavenly Father unstintingly laid the full weight of eternal punishment for the sins of many upon Him (2 Cor. 5:21, Is. 53:4-12).  We see that if Christ so suffered and died for our sins, then the just punishment for those sins has been depleted, and we need no longer go to Hell for them.  What gracious and superlative love!

After He had taken the Father’s just wrath upon Himself and died, He wondrously took up His life again three days later (Matt. 28:1-6, 1 Cor. 15:3-4), rising triumphantly from the dead and showing Himself to many (1 Cor. 15:5-8).  If He has raised Himself from the dead, then He has gloriously conquered sin and death – not only is He able to keep people from hell, then, but He can also give them eternal life (Rom. 6:3-10, 1 John  5:11)! 

The uniqueness of this act cannot be overlooked or understated.  When Jesus said that “no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6b), He demonstrated the solitary access He offered to the Father.  The apostle Peter later affirmed the same truth:  “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) If we would be saved from the just wrath of God for the sins in our hearts, we must seek that salvation by the means which He, the sovereign and only true God has established.

What is our response to this?  How can we have this life and avoid our eternal doom?  The command in the New Testament is that people “should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.” (Acts 26:20b; cf. Matt. 4:17).  In other words, we must remorsefully admit of our sinful character to God, and beg Him to forgive us on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice on behalf of sinners.  We must also understand that, according to Acts 26:20, we cannot claim to be repentant, but then continue to live and act just as we did before; we must count the cost (Luke 14:26-35).  Our salvation, if genuine, will bear the fruit of good works because we want to please God (1 John 5:3, Rom. 7:22)!

This is the story of us all, friends.  Have we ourselves availed ourselves of Christ’s precious blood and loving work of grace?  Have we humbled ourselves before a mighty and just God?  If so, do we now seize the opportunity to share this extraordinarily good news with others?  More on this later.