Fear and Trembling

My favorite Christmas Carol this year is Joy to the World.  (Please note that this changes each year.)   This hymn stands out to me as the one song we sing at Christmas time that has a missions focus and a focus on end-times.  The lyrics, with commentary inserted, are below. Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room. And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven, and heaven and nature sing. This is a straight-forward request for us to receive the living Christ into our hearts by faith and repentance.  Every heart should prepare Him room. Joy to the world! The Savior reigns. Let men their songs employ. While fields and floods, Rocks, hills and plains, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat the sounding joy. This is a call to unashamed praise to the Christ, the Savior of the world. No more let sin and sorrow grow, Nor thorns infest ...

This is part three of a multi-part series on “He Has Spoken,” a study published by  The Colson Cente r.  This post discusses the second presentation and discussion in the five lesson DVD curriculum.  This lecture is titled “Being Biblical: How We Miss the Point of Scripture.” John Stonestreet comments that we often hear misconceptions about the Bible’s authority, what the Bible is.  Two of these misconceptions could be called ‘the Bible as a rulebook’ or ‘the Bible as a collection of inspirational nuggets.’  But these misconceptions do not explain the Bible’s non-inspirational portions, which Stonestreet calls “scary."  Some describe the Bible as God’s love-letter to His people, but even that relatively accurate description does not account for the descriptions of God’s wrath and the stories of how that works out in history.  The Bible is also often seen as a book that tells stories about heroes of the faith, but these heroes are often flawed. ...

(This is an article written for our local paper.) A Christian view of death and dying sounds very strange to the modern ear.  This is especially true because Christianity has long seen death as true and right in one sense and evil and wrong in another.  It is seen as not a part of God’s perfect will, but it is seen as a part of his decretive will. God’s perfect will, or will of desire, is expressed in His commandments as contained in the Bible.  It does not contain sin or the consequences of sin.  God’s perfect will is what He would have, not what He would allow. God’s decretive will contains those things which He does not desire in and of themselves, but those things which He allows.  This will includes all things that actually happen (Ephesians 1: 11).  God allows death in this sense, and He allows death for good reasons. In Christianity, seen from God’s perfect will, death is an enemy to be destroyed, not an event to be accepted. Christ ha...

(This is an article written for our local paper.) Our last article explored certain philosophical problems with the existence of evil.  I wanted to explore the personal side of evil’s presence it in this article. Knowing that evil “is,” that it exists, is enough to convince me that there is a God. We cannot define evil without defining good. Evil is in some way good’s opposite, a falling short of the good. Knowing that evil “is” leads us relentlessly to a God who is the definition of the good. Without Him, we would not know evil when we see it. Of course, Christianity does not stop there. It also offers hope for deliverance from evil. In the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ we find ultimate deliverance from “the last enemy,” death (1 Corinthians 15:25-28). In Christ, we find deliverance from the power of evil and the forces that bring it about (Colossians 2:8-15). In my own life, many things have not worked out the way I had hoped. I have been quite disa...

(This is an article written for our local paper.) Much has been written about the philosophical problems the existence of evil poses for the Christian faith. The philosophical question is simple: how can God be both all-powerful and all-good while allowing evil and suffering? I am not about to try to give a comprehensive explanation for how evil came to be. God created men with the ability to sin and the ability not to sin, but I cannot reason beyond that. I do not know the “how”; I just know the “is.” I know that evil exists. I know evil is present. I know evil is real. What must exist in order for evil to be truly wrong? Does not the existence of evil itself  require a standard of good? Should I just accept evil as a part of the way the universe works? Should I accept a view of evil based on social convention, or the DNA encoded in my cells? These things vary from one person to the next, or one time to the next, but we do not find a definition of evil that changes grea...

This is part two of a multi-part series on “He Has Spoken,” a study published by The Colson Center .  This post discusses the first presentation and discussion in the five lesson DVD curriculum. This lecture revolves around a simple set of sentences: God is.  He exists. God is Personal. God has spoken, and therefore truth can be known. And, God speaks in the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible. These are very weighty statements that cannot be completely elaborated on and defended in a short lecture and discussion, but the curriculum does a nice job of emphasizing the importance of these propositions and pointing you to resources that back up these statements.  The main resource cited is Stand to Reason , an apologetics ministry led by Greg Koukl.  This ministry has been of great help to me in my faith walk, and I am glad to see Stand to Reason endorsed by this curriculum.  As Stonestreet puts it in the lecture, “The work h...

Christian mission work involves the sharing of the gospel in places where it has not been shared before, or at least where most people do not understand it.  We can get guidance for Christian Missions from what some would consider an unlikely source: The Canons of the Synod of Dort. The Canons of Dort came out of the Synod of Dort, held from 1618-1619 in the Netherlands. Theologians wrote them in order to counter the teaching of James Arminius, and they outline the system of theology known by many today as the “five points of Calvinism.”  However, the Canons of Dort contain much more than five simple points (sometimes summarized by the acronym TULIP, or total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and the perseverance of the saints). Turning to the Canons: This death of God's Son is the only and entirely complete sacrifice and satisfaction for sins; it is of infinite value and worth, more than sufficient to atone for the sins of the...

The church has not faced this grave a situation in centuries. The newspapers scream at us: terrorism, mass murder, abortion, and many other ways that people made in God’s image are dehumanized and devalued. No person on this side of the Columbine High School shooting; the 9/11 attacks; the Virginia Tech. shooting, the Sandy Hook school attack; and Trevon Martin’s tragic death can deny this reality with intellectual integrity. We have rapidly become a society that can rightfully face the judgment of God for some of the values we hold most dear. The way to get to the ‘heart of the matter’ is with Christian ministry efforts. We must reach the people who make up our society to ‘turn the tide.’  To tell one story from a few decades ago: Early in the twentieth century, Baptist evangelists preached through rural Mississippi and Alabama with such effectiveness that moonshiners could no longer sell their whiskey: All their customers were getting converted! In desperation, the whisk...

I have come across a review copy of a Bible study.  It was offered to me in return for a quick review of the material.  However, after looking at the study, I have concluded that one review would not quite do the series justice, so this is the first of a short series of posts on the material.  I am impressed with the materials in this series of lessons. “He Has Spoken: The Worldview of Scripture” is a delightful study published by The Colson Center (A short summary of the study can be found here .).  The DVD-based study presents five video presentations presented by John Stonestreet.   The DVD also includes five discussions between Stonestreet and T. M. Moore on the materials.  There is an accompanying study guide written by Moore.  The basic idea is to use the study in a group format by working through the study guide individually, presenting the video lectures, discussing selected questions from the study guide, and then viewing the discu...

(An article for my local paper.) Politics is defined as “the theory and practice of government, especially the activities associated with governing, with obtaining legislative or executive power, or with forming and running organizations connected with government” (Bing Dictionary). “Politics” is a ‘loaded word’ for some people.  One prominent pastor, Mark Driscoll, became so frustrated in an interview about Christian involvement in politics that he exclaimed, “If you want to influence politics, go have a bunch of kids and teach them how to vote.”  (The other extreme would be the activism of Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority during the 80’s.) We should be involved in politics in ways that reach way beyond our family.  This article will suggest three very important ways in which Christians should be involved in politics according to the Bible: submission, prayer, and moral activism.    “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. ...

(An article for my local paper.) I seem to spend most of my time at work.  I am not special. A survey done in 2012 found that a typical employed adult spends an average of 46 hours per week at work.  That’s about 49% of our waking hours.  We should think carefully about anything that we do so much of the time. We should develop an effective way to think about work. One’s overall thoughts about the world around him or her, one’s worldview, will ultimately decide his or her approach. My way of thinking about the world is distinctly Christian, and my faith informs my outlook toward the work that I do. I see my work as a “vocation,” a distinct calling that God has extended to me, just as important as the ‘call to preach’ experienced by many pastors.   My work is not just something I do to make money so I can support my true interests and enjoyments; it is a “calling.” The Bible, the primary influence on my worldview, commands us to work diligent...

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. “ I Have a Dream ,” August 28, 1963. Compare: Isaiah 40:4-5 .

(This article was originally written for my local newspaper.) Our most recent series of articles for Soli Deo Gloria has looked at the basic rules of interpretation and some practical suggestions to help understand the Scriptures.   We will close the series with a brief exhortation to read the Bible more. We have abundant evidence to prove that the Bible is God’s Word given to us.   The books of the New Testament were written by eyewitnesses of the events they describe and their message has been accurately communicated to us through the centuries of copying and translation.   (See : Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham and The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? by F. F. Bruce)   Those eyewitness testimonies tell us about Jesus’ teaching that the Old Testament was true (Matthew 4:4, John 17:17) and His teaching that the New Testament would be true (John 14:25-30, 16:12-15).   They also tell of the...

(This article was originally written for my local newspaper.) “All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all…” – WCF Chapter 1, Section 7 This phrase from the Westminster Confession of Faith has been a great comfort to me as I approach one of the most difficult areas of the Bible to interpret: predictive prophecy.   Predictive prophecy is about the claims that the Bible makes about what will happen in the future.   It especially focuses on eschatology, the study of the end times and what will transpire at the end of the world.   This brief article will discuss the ‘ground rules to use when confronting this difficult area. R. C. Sproul made a classic understatement when he said, “We must approach prophecy very carefully with a sober attitude.”   Sproul makes some interesting points, either directly or indirectly: First, avoid two extremes.   The first is the “skeptical, naturalistic approach” that does away with pr...

(This article was originally written for my local newspaper.) Our current series of Soli Deo Gloria articles is exploring Bible study.   This article will look at a very important tool used to understand the Bible: the Study Bible. A Study Bible contains articles and notes that explain the meaning of particular verses and phrases in the Bible’s text.   I have used several of these Bibles over the years, and I have found them to be most helpful.   The first Study Bible I ever used was the Thompson Chain Reference Bible in the King James translation.   This Bible contained listings of Bible verses that addressed particular subjects.   These lists could be easily followed because they were labeled in the margins of this Bible along with the next reference in the list.   The insights into theology I gained from studying the verse lists in this Study Bible have stayed with me for a long time.   Systematic Theology is the careful study of what the e...

(This article was originally written for my local newspaper.) As promised in our last Soli Deo Gloria column, this article will take a look at three tools that are available to help us understand and study the Bible.   Any book that claims to be the very word of God to man is worth understanding, and we should take the time to carefully explore the Bible’s meaning. Good Bible commentaries are essential.   A ‘commentary’ is exactly what it sounds like: a book that contains a person’s comments or thoughts on a part of the Bible.   No one person is an expert on everything the Bible says, and it helps to consult with scholars who have spent time studying the particular book or passage they are commenting on.   Commentaries on the entire Bible are a good place to start.   These give an author’s or a team of author’s ideas on the entire Bible.   Examples are The New Bible Commentary published by Intervarsity Press and Eerdmans and the excellent Encou...

(This article was originally written for my local newspaper.) Our last Soli Deo Gloria article talked about the original languages of the Bible, and it promised a longer look at English translations.   This article will attempt to guide the reader toward a Bible translation that is just right for a given situation.   A book that gives us information on how to get to heaven and how to live our lives on Earth the way God wants us to is a book that should be translated carefully. There are two basic approaches to Bible translation: formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence.   Formal equivalence attempts to translate each word in the original language by an English word whose meaning is very close.   This is a ‘word-for-word’ translation approach that places the importance on the meanings of each individual word.   The dynamic equivalence approach attempts to translate the thoughts of the authors into English.   This ‘thought-for-thought’ approach ...

(This article was originally written for my local newspaper.) In our current series of Soli Deo Gloria articles, we have been examining the greatest of books, the Bible.   The Bible was originally written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.   So the Scripture must be translated into our language in order for us to know what God has told us in its pages.   This process can be a difficult task.   Aramaic is a ‘dead language,’ which means that it is no longer spoken.   The Hebrew of the Old Testament is very different from the Hebrew language spoken today because all languages change over time. In fact, the Old Testament text did not have vowels, and vowels had to be added in order to be able to read the passages of Scripture. The same tendency for language to change over time applies to the New Testament, which was written in Greek.   This Greek is different from the language spoken today but also different from the Greek written in an...

(This article was originally written for my local newspaper.) In our last article, we looked at the reason for and the permanence of our adoption in Christ.   If we have true faith in Christ, God is our Father in heaven.   This week we will look briefly at some of what that means.   As J. I. Packer says in Chapter Nineteen of Knowing God , The prospect before the adopted children of God is an eternity of love.”   Our adoption is permanent, and it depends on the love of God for us and the grace of God to save us.   God will not let us go.   We are his.   We can also have hope.   Christianity is “a faith that looks forward.”   For Christians, “the best is always yet to be.”   We have the hope of an everlasting inheritance in Christ.   That was the reason children were adopted in the Roman Empire during Christ’s time: “to have an heir to whom one could bequeath one’s goods.”   In just that way, our adoption as God’s...