Fear and Trembling

“There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be true as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His “blood and righteousness” alone that we can rest.” - B. B. Warfield I have had many times of doubt in my life. I have convinced myself I was on the way to hell because of my mediocre Christian life, my personal suffering, and my doubts. In my times of despair, I have learned to look to three things: Look to my attitude toward God. "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love...

Quote from a Rod Rosenbladt sermon I found here : God: I told you. I hate religion. Religion was your idea – not Mine. You have forgotten what Anselm said: “You have not yet considered the depth of your sin.” Sinner: But I want to show you I have. I really have. I know it is really deep. Talk to me. Teach me sanctification. God: I told you. You aren’t ready for sanctification yet. You just imagine that you are ready. You are arrogant and you don’t know it. Sinner: What do you mean? I am ready. God: You are not. If you were, you wouldn’t be talking like you are talking. Sinner: Well, what then? God: Just sit there. Sit there for a long while. Sinner: And do what? God: Consider the shed blood. Consider that the blood was enough. Think about the fact that it isn’t your repenting that has saved you. Think about the fact that it isn’t your faith that is saving you. Sinner: Can’t I just, as you said, just think about my sin and the depth of it? God: That is a start. Bu...

Josh Harris cites the following poem: Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be an evangelical hypocrite, who sins more safely because grace abounds, who tells his lusts that Christ's blood cleanseth them, who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved, who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives unholily. A Puritan prayer from the book Valley of Vision . The thing is, if I am honest, I am exactly that kind of hypocrite. Only the perfect Christian could be immune to the charge, and, alas, I am not him. I look to Christ to save me.  He's my only hope.

A prominent Christian minister comments on the Parable of the Prodigal Son : What must we do, then, to be saved? To find God we must repent of the things we have done wrong, but if that is all you do, you may remain just an elder brother. To truly become a Christian we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right. Pharisees only repent of their sins, but Christians repent for the very roots of their righteousness, too. We must learn how to repent of the sin under all our other sins and under all our righteousness – the sin of seeking to be our own Savior and Lord. We must admit that we’ve put our ultimate hope in both our wrongdoing and right doing we have been seeking to get around God or get control of God in order to get hold of those things. It is only when you see the desire to be your own Savior and Lord—lying beneath both your sins and your moral goodness—that you are on the verge of becoming a Christian indeed. When you realize that the antidote to being bad...

I have never found an explanation of repentance and faith as clear as this one. What must we do, then, to be saved? To find God we must repent of the things we have done wrong, but if that is all you do, you may remain just an elder brother. To truly become a Christian we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right. Pharisees only repent of their sins, but Christians repent for the very roots of their righteousness, too. We must learn how to repent of the sin under all our other sins and under all our righteousness – the sin of seeking to be our own Savior and Lord. We must admit that we’ve put our ultimate hope in both our wrongdoing and right doing we have been seeking to get around God or get control of God in order to get hold of those things. It is only when you see the desire to be your own Savior and Lord—lying beneath both your sins and your moral goodness—that you are on the verge of becoming a Christian indeed. When you realize that the antidote to being b...

“If our theology does not quicken the conscience and soften the heart, it actually hardens both; if it does not encourage the commitment of faith, it reinforces the detachment of unbelief; if it fails to promote humility, it inevitably feeds pride.” - J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness, page 15 I have often questioned why I study theology. Is it a noble quest for knowledge of the God who died for me, or is it the ignoble feeding of my overblown ego? Or is it a little of both? I have thought of several good reasons I have to study theology. I want to know God better. I want to follow God’s will for my life more closely and be a moral person. I want to be better able to communicate the truth to others that I come in contact with. I want to be able to answer legitimate questions from myself or others. There are some bad reasons as well. I want to show others how smart I am. I want to be able to one-up those who disagree with me. I am truly a mixed bag of motives in everything I do....

Follow this link to a great statement of the gospel for those of us who struggle with sin.  Here's an excerpt: When the major stress in pulpit and curriculum shifts from "Christ outside of me, dying for me" to "Christ inside of me, improving me," the upshot is always the same: many broken, sad ex-Christians who despair of being able to live the Christian life as the Bible describes it. So they do what is really a sane thing to do -- they leave. The way it looks to them is that "the message of Christianity has broken them on the rack." To put it bluntly, it feels better to have some earthly happiness as a pagan and then be damned than it feels to be trying every day as a Christian to do something that is one continuous failure -- and then be damned anyway...What the "sad alumni" need to hear (perhaps for the first time) is that Christian failures are going to walk into heaven, be welcomed into heaven, leap into heaven like a calf leaping ou...

One of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther: If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong (sin boldly), but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign. (from Letter 99, Paragraph 13. Erika Bullmann Flores, Tr. from: Dr. Martin Luther's Saemmtliche Schriften Dr. Johann Georg Walch Ed. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, N.D.), Vol. 15, cols. 2585-2590.) Are we daring enough to live  this? 

Just by telling me that I am a miserable, great sinner you are placing a sword and a weapon into my hand with which I can decisively overcome you; yea, with your own weapon I can kill and floor you. For if you tell me that I am a poor sinner, I, on the other hand, can tell you that Christ dies for sinners and is their Intercessor… You remind me of the boundless, great faithfulness and benefaction of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The burden of my sins and all the trouble and misery that were to oppress me eternally He very gladly took upon His shoulders and suffered the bitter death on the cross for them. To Him I direct you. You may accuse and condemn Him. Let me rest in peace, for on His shoulders, not on mine, lie all my sins and the sins of all the world. Martin Luther

I finished the book Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan (Colorado Springs, Colorado: David C. Cook, 2008) . The book is a strong call to the kind of Christian discipleship that can change a person’s life and change our world for the better. (See also the website associated with this book for information and supplemental videos and other materials.) This book is a strong call to the life of obedience that necessarily follows faith in Christ. But anytime a strong call to discipleship and obedience is issued, it can be misunderstood. I wanted to post a quick look at the underlying assumption of the book: the grace of Almighty God as demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. This grace is the righteousness of God that is earned for us in Jesus and credited to us through faith ( Romans 3:21-31 ). Our constant and consistent sin against a Holy God is a source of guilt and shame among Christians. Chan describes the problem and provides help: S...

Thanks to Debbie Kaufman at Ministry of Reconciliation for a great post found here . Here’s the post: ‘Be a better mom, be a better wife. Be a better dad, be a better husband. Do more try harder, keep busy’ is what is being preached today, but where is Christ and what He did at the cross? That is the message from Michael Horton. We have lots of Christian T-shirts, bumper stickers, jewelry, WWJD bracelets. We have those who say if one is a true Christian they cannot vote for (fill in the blank). But where is Christ in all of this? Michael Horton gives his view and it’s one I agree with. But you knew that or I would not be highlighting this podcast would I? One thing Michael said that I think is profound :”Christianity is being used as an adjective today. ” ending the podcast with “Christ has won the victory on the battlefield.” This should be the message the church gives, not Christ is our helper. Please listen and prayerfully consider if Michael Horton is right, and if he is right, whi...

I am looking forward to getting a copy of Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church by Michael S. Horton . I listen to White Horse Inn broadcasts avidly, and I agree wholeheartedly with much in their current series on “Christless Christianity.” Here’s the established website for book information .

I’m reading the best recovery / self-help book I’ve seen. The book, The Last Addiction: Why Self-Help Is Not Enough , is written by Sharon A. Hersh (WaterBrook Press: Colorado Springs, 2008). The book’s take on “surrender” is the most Biblical expression of the concept I have read. Here’s an excerpt: When I surrender my wounds to [Christ’s] death on the cross for me, I am acknowledging that I can’t save myself. This concept of surrender is more foreign [than] we might think, especially if we are familiar with words of faith. We can believe that Jesus died, was buried, and arose again. We can say the words, “I know Jesus died for my sins. I want Him to come into my heart.” But surrender goes further. Surrender is joined to belief when I know that I am utterly helpless, and I exchange my ways of being good, of proving myself, of pulling myself up by my bootstraps, for The Way of needing [Jesus’] love, forgiveness, mercy, grace and holiness as much as I need oxygen. This despera...

John Piper posts an encouraging note here . Here’s the intro.: One of the greatest hope-killers is that you have tried for so long to change and have not succeeded. Now you look back and think: What’s the use? Even if I could experience a breakthrough, there would be so little time left to live in my new way it wouldn’t make much difference compared to so many decades of failure…

I finally had the chance to see Ironman this weekend. I really enjoyed this movie. The script interjected just enough humor, and the action shots were not overplayed. I began reading Ironman comics while in grade school, and I had high hopes that the movie would catapult the character back into fame. (I have many Ironman comics, and I’ll be headed to e-bay soon.) There has been much discussion of whether Robert Downey, Jr. could pull off the character of Tony Stark. Downey is a person who has struggled with alcoholism, drug abuse and bipolar disorder; and many were apprehensive about his credibility as the armored Avenger . Downey seems to have overcome his addictions and condition. I pray that is true, and that his new fame will not be a stumbling block. Either way, his recent recovery is commendable, and I think makes him the perfect choice for the character of Tony Stark, Ironman’s alter ego . Stark has always been a thoroughly human character whose alcohol abuse, womanizing and gen...

“…if you simply address the God-shaped blank that people think they’ve got, the God you end up with is the God shaped by the blank. The real God specializes in taking the blanks in people’s lives and pulling and tugging and turning them into a new shape.” – N. T. Wright as quoted in “Mere Mission” in Christianity Today , January 2007, Volume 51, Number 1, p. 38-41. N. T. Wright is right about this one. Trends toward seeker-sensitive and seeker-sensible preaching stress meeting the non-Christian at the point of his “felt need.” The felt need is the thing that the non-Christian thinks is practical for his life. The felt need is useful advice to make his life easier. The problem is that all too often the preacher ends up using the Bible’s moral requirements as practical advice for living. This is not entirely wrong-headed, but the preacher forgets that what he is preaching is God’s law. These are God’s requirements. Man’s duty. And it is a duty that we cannot fulfill ( Matthew 5:4...

It is good for Baptists to listen to the voices of their critics. I found a great post here that reminds me of this fact. Here’s a bit of it: The charge is bandied about that the new breed of Evangelical Seeker-Sensitive pastors are preaching a Me-Centered Gospel, a watered down gospel or are preaching a Christless form of Christianity. But in my conversations with Church Planters and in taking the time to listen to thousands of hours of their sermons I can definitively state that their theology isn't technically 'Christless' and that they believe with ALL of their hearts that they are fulfilling the calling to which they feel Christ has called them. The problem lies in their popularized form of Baptist theology and its Material and Formal Principles. The center of their religion is off and as a result they are focusing on the wrong things and are trying to produce the results they are seeking with the wrong tools. I know this sounds like an outrageous and conceited charge...

I am still listening to Max Lucado’s 3:16: The Numbers Of Hope . I found a great example. He discusses the racing team of Dick and Rick Hoyt , a team that has an impressive competition history . I’ll let Max tell the story: Team Hoyt consists of a father-son squad: Dick and Rick. They race. They race a lot. Sixty-four marathons. Two hundred ans six triathlons. Six triathlons at Ironman distance…Since 1975, they’ve crossed nearly a thousand finish lines… Team Hoyt loves races. But only half of team Hoyt can run. Dick, the dad, can. But Rick’s legs don’t work, nor does his speech. At his birth in 1962, the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, starving oxygen from his brain, stealing coordination from his body… But Rick wanted to run. At age fifteen, he asked his dad if they could enter a five mile benefit race. Dick was not a runner, but he was a father, so he loaded his son in a three-wheeled wheelchair, and off they went. They haven’t stopped since… We bring to the spiritual race wh...

I’ve had a chance to get back to work and family life since returning from Peru. I don’t see how career missionaries every move back to the U. S. Nothing looks the same to me, and I hope it never does. I’ve been under some serious spiritual attack since returning. I keep playing over in my mind all of the things I didn’t do right while I was there. All of my sins seem the more heinous as well. It’s the same set of things I think when I hear sermons preached that tell me what I should do without reminding me of what Christ did. Is it an attack from Satan? I don’t know. My flesh is fully capable of leading me down the path of guilt and despair. The Holy Spirit also brings conviction, but He does not remind us of sins we have repented of ( John 16:8 , Romans 8:15 ). I’ll assume it is a demonic attack for this post. What is the best response to an attack like this? What do we do when Satan brings to mind our sin and labels us by it? It hurts to think of myself as a spendthrift or as slothf...

Keith Mathison in this month’s TableTalk magazine weighs in on the controversy surrounding N. T. Wright’s interpretation of the atonement: “…Wright argues that the church has misunderstood the doctrine of justification for centuries. Justification, he argues, does not deal with how one becomes a Christian. instead it is a declaration that one is already a Christian. Also, according to Wright, justification does not involve the imputation of Christ’s righteousness because such an idea is nonsensical. Furthermore, our future justification is based on our whole life, or as Wright says, on the basis of our “works.” This future verdict, based on works, is received in the present by faith. The reason for the controversy should be evident.” [“When Wright Is Wrong,” Keith A. Mathison, in Tabletalk, Ligonier Ministries, January 2008, p. 74-75.] He goes on to recommend a book by John Piper called The Future of Justification . I am working my way through it now, and I find it helpful. It applies ...