The Spirit of God

I love this piece from Mark Lauterbach:

What does it mean to live by faith in the person and work of the Holy Spirit?

I am a continuationist. That means I believe from Scripture that the age in which we live is marked by the continuing active presence of God, by the Spirit. While I think his work may be more pronounced at one time or other, I do not believe what the Spirit of God is doing in the world has changed. There is no cessation of any particular aspect of his work.

Acts 2 is the record of the inauguration of this day, and it reminds me that the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost is not an event that ended at sunset of that day. No, it is like a wedding – it brought about a whole new state of being. It is like an inauguration, it resulted in a new regime.

Acts 2 says that the regime of the “last days” (in which we live) is marked by the effusive, abundant working of the Spirit of God in all of his people. No one person has a special corner on the work of the Spirit. He is given abundantly to all his people. The result is powerful works of God – healing and conviction of sin, signs and conversions. The result is also great fruitfulness. When the Spirit of God comes, the barren ground bears a great harvest. 3000 are converted in one day, and the fruitfulness abounds so much that Luke no longer records conversions, he records multiplication of churches.

What does it look like to trust the Spirit of God? Where does my practice of the Christian life look like I believe in the present work of the Holy Spirit? Where does fear take over my life? Or a desire not to be embarrassed? Or to be in control?

Filed under: Charismatic, Church, Conversion, Discipleship, Evangelical, Evangelism, Grace, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Salvation, Sanctification, Sovereignty of God, The Bible, The Christian Life, The Gospel, The word of God, Union with Christ

Bob Kauflin on Spirit-Filled Worship

I like this piece from Bob Kauflin:

Addressing One Another in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

This past Sunday I had the privilege of speaking at Solid Rock Church, the Sovereign Grace church in Riverdale, Maryland, not far from where I live. I spoke on Eph. 5:15-21
Warning: mysql_connect() [function.mysql-connect]: Too many connections in /var/www/goodnews/session_mysql.php on line 62 and called the message, “Spirit-filled Singing.” I shared six characteristics of singing that are a result of being filled with the Spirit.

My first point was “Spirit-filled singing is to each other,” and based on Eph. 5:19Ephesians 5:19 [19]addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, (ESV) where Paul says we’re “addressing one another.” You’d think in a passage about singing praise to God that Paul would begin with God. He doesn’t. The first focus of our singing Paul mentions is not God, but one another. Col. 3:16Colossians 3:16 [16]Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (ESV) fills this idea out and says that we’re “teaching and admonishing one another.” This shows us that one of the primary aims of corporate worship is meant to be building each other up, not simply having our own personal encounter with God.

Ways We Can Address One Another When We Sing

How do we “address one another” when we sing? I can think of a number of ways. As we all sing at the same time, we’re hearing those around us proclaim biblical truth and our response to it. We’re being taught and admonished by our brothers and sisters to trust the God of Scripture and the only Savior.

Songs like “You are Holy” have the men alternating lines with the women. Other songs are in a call and response format, where the leader sings a line and the congregation responds.

Listening to a soloist is another way we can address one another as we sing. Solos don’t have to be “performances.” When the vocalist’s motives and gestures are Christ-exalting and natural, our hearts can be inspired and instructed as we listen to some else’s Spirit-filled singing.

Practices that Hinder Horizontal Awareness in Worship

Over the years, most of us have developed a few practices that can hinder any benefit we might receive from addressing one another as we sing.

1. Singing songs that lack biblical substance or doctrinal depth. If the songs we’re singing are primarily subjective, and focused on how we feel, what we’re doing, or some other subjective element, we’re not going to have much to say to each other.

2. Thinking that “worship” means closing my eyes, raising my hands, and blocking out everyone else around me. I’ve had many profound moments like that, as I’ve focused in an undistracted way on the words I’m singing and the Savior I’m singing to. But being Spirit-filled should actually make us more aware of others, not less. Many of the songs we sing aren’t even directed towards God. Crown Him with Many Crowns, Before the Throne of God Above, and Amazing Grace, are a few that come to mind. So when I lead I probably have my eyes open more than half the time. I’m looking around, addressing others, celebrating the fact that we can glory in Jesus Christ together. I do that even when I’m not leading, sometimes turning to someone beside me to rejoice in God’s grace. I want to benefit from the fact that I’m with the people of God.

3. Singing alone. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with praising God on my own. But in the age of iPods, earphones, and Internet downloads, it’s easy to lose our appreciation for singing with the church. The Spirit intends us to join our hearts to each other as well as to Christ when we sing.

After I preached the message this past Sunday, I wanted to apply the message in a memorable way. So I had everyone stand up and told them we were going to sing Amazing Grace a cappella. Only I didn’t want anyone closing their eyes. I wanted people to look around the room as they sang, rejoicing at God’s mercy in each other’s lives. It was a little awkward at first, but eventually we were singing with all our hearts, unashamedly “addressing one another” in song, reminding ourselves of how amazing God’s grace truly is, to save wretches like us.

So next time you lead or worship God with your church, don’t stop at asking the Lord to “open the eyes of your heart.” Ask him to open your eyes in your head, too.

Filed under: Attributes of God, Charismatic, Church, Evangelical, God the Father, God's Glory, Grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Reformed, The Bible, The Christian Life, The Gospel, The glory of Christ, The word of God, Worship

Sam Storms’ Theology (and mine!)

My friend Sam Storms has published a summary of his theological views. I would have to say, “Snap! Mine too”, with one or two minor/nuanced qualifications (which one would expect). Thanks Sam!

On numerous occasions I’ve had people ask me about my theological convictions, most likely because I appear to be an odd mix of views that cannot be found in any one confession of faith or reduced to a single label, system, or denomination.

Others have asked the same question when they see the variety of churches in which I’ve either served as senior pastor, associate pastor, board member, or simply member. This would include Southern Baptist, Presbyterian, independent Bible church (with a Plymouth Brethren orientation), Vineyard, Anglican, and charismatic. By now, I suspect many of you might be inclined to say, “Sam, you’re not so much eclectic in your theology as you are confused!”

So, I’ve decided to yield to the pressure of these repeated inquiries and briefly explain what I believe, with only a brief comment on why and a few references to material either in my books or on my website that will provide support. My aim has always been to be biblical. But, of course, everyone would say that about his or her beliefs. So here goes.

I am a Calvinistic, charismatic, complementarian, Christian hedonist. If that weren’t enough to confuse you, I am also amillennial and baptistic, though I believe in rule by a plurality of Elders and maintain a moderately sacramental perspective on the spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist (there’s a word that reflects my four years in an Anglican church!).

Please understand that the issues below are not regarded as fundamental in the sense that one must believe them in order to be a Christian. I have not listed such foundational truths as Trinitarianism, the inspiration and infallibility of Scripture, the virgin conception, sinless life, penal substitutionary sacrifice, and bodily resurrection of Christ, or the doctrine of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

I’m focusing, rather, on issues that differentiate men and women who are all Christians. In other words, I trust you understand that I believe someone who is an Arminian-cessationist-egalitarian-dispensational-presbyterian (I dare say I’ve never heard of anyone being all those!), or some other odd mixture thereof can also be a Christian. I hope those who regard me as an even odder theological mixture will extend the same generosity.

So, let’s look briefly at each of these and a few related sub-points.

(1) I am a Calvinist (all five points, by the way). I hardly think this needs much explanation, and I refer you to my book, Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election (Crossway, 2007). There are several related issues that bear mentioning:

a. On the issue of the order of the divine decrees, I am an Infralapsarian (see Chosen for Life, pp. 213-19).

b. I believe that all those dying in infancy are elect (on my website, http://www.samstorms.com/, a defense can be found in Theological Studies, Controversial Issues).

c. I believe that regeneration, or the new birth, precedes and is the cause/source of saving faith. In other words, we are born again in order that we may believe, not the other way around.

d. In view of the present controversy, it is important that I affirm my belief in the forensic nature of justification in which the righteousness of Christ (often called his active and passive obedience) is imputed to the believer through faith alone.

 

(2) I am a Charismatic. When asked if I am “charismatic” I typically respond by saying, “Tell me what you mean by the term and I’ll tell you if I’m one.” More times than not, what people have in mind is far and away different from what I believe. So let me simply identify several relevant issues.

a. I believe that all spiritual gifts are valid today and that nothing in Scripture suggests otherwise. My chapter in the book Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? Four Views (Zondervan) is the most extensive answer I’ve given to this question. Also, my book The Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts (Regal) provides an answer to the question of how such gifts operate in church life today.

b. I believe that baptism in the Spirit occurs at conversion for all Christians (again, check out the two articles on the website in Theological Studies, Controversial Issues). This sets me apart from classical Pentecostalism and much of the contemporary charismatic movement.

c. Although I do pray in tongues (daily), I do not believe that this or any other spiritual gift is designed by God for all Christians. Every Christian has at least one gift while no Christian (at least, none I know) has every gift (nor should they).

d. I believe healing is in the atonement in the same way I believe all spiritual and physical blessings are in the atonement. Were it not for the death and resurrection of Christ we would have nothing but the eternal damnation that we deserve. But not all such blessings are experienced in their fullness until the consummation of all things in the New Heaven and New Earth. This would certainly be true of the healing of the body.

d. Although I do believe God heals today, I do not believe that the so-called “Health and Wealth and/or Prosperity Gospel” is in any sense a “gospel” and I ask all Christians to cease referring to it in such terms. Call it a “movement” or “philosophy” or even a “theology”, but stop calling it a gospel! The same applies to what typically is called “The Word of Faith” movement, in much of which I struggle to find the presence of true, biblical “faith”.

e. I believe in both (1) the finality, sufficiency, and authority of Scripture, on the one hand, and (2) the validity of revelatory gifts such as prophecy and word of knowledge, on the other. And no, the latter (2) is not a threat to the former (1).

 

(3) I am a Complementarian. I’ve written briefly on this issue at my website. The relevant material can be found in Theological Studies. A few words of clarification are in order.

a. If I am to err, I choose to err on the side of flexibility and freedom. In other words, I hesitate to restrict women from any form of ministry that does not have explicit biblical sanction.

b. As I read the New Testament, it appears that Paul and others restrict women from serving in what I call senior governmental authority, which would include the office of Senior Pastor (i.e., that individual or pastoral office responsible for the regular, authoritative exposition of Scripture) and Elder (or Bishop, depending on which term you prefer). Therefore, I believe a woman can serve as a deacon or worship leader or counselor or any other expression of Christian ministry that does not violate Paul’s injunction against women exercising authority over men (1 Timothy 2:11-15; 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).

 

(4) I am a Christian Hedonist. Simply put, I believe it is impossible for us to desire pleasure too much, and that the pleasure we cannot desire too much is pleasure in God and all that he is for us in Jesus. For more on this, I direct you to my books, Pleasures Evermore: The Life-Changing Power of Enjoying God (NavPress) and One Thing: Developing a Passion for the Beauty of God (Christian Focus). If you want a shorter explanation, visit my website and you will see a brief article on the Home page titled, “What is Christian Hedonism?”

 

(5) I am an Amillennialist. This is a huge topic on which I am currently writing a book. So I’ll limit myself here to only a few specifics.

a. One of the primary reasons I am not a Premillennialist (neither Historic nor Dispensational) is because of what I read in the NT concerning the Second Coming of Christ.

To be a Premillennialist of any sort, you must believe that physical death and the curse on the natural creation will continue to exist beyond the time of Christ’s return. You must believe that the New Heavens and New Earth will not be introduced until 1,000 years subsequent to the return of Christ. You must believe that unbelieving men and women will still have the opportunity to come to saving faith in Christ for at least 1,000 years subsequent to his return. To be a Premillennialist, you must believe that unbelievers will not be finally resurrected until at least 1,000 years subsequent to Christ’s return and that unbelievers will not be finally judged and cast into eternal punishment until at least 1,000 years subsequent to Christ’s return.

But my reading of what happens at the Second Coming of Christ indicates that then, and not 1,000 years later, physical death is swallowed up in the victory of Christ, never again to exert its power; the natural creation is delivered fully and finally from its bondage to sin; the New Heavens and New Earth are inaugurated; all opportunity for salvation of the lost comes to an end; and both the final resurrection and final judgment of all mankind occur.

b. I find no biblical support for a pre-tribulation rapture, Christian Zionism, a distinction between Israel and the Church, or a future seven year period known as the Great Tribulation.

c. I believe Matthew 24:1-35; Mark 13:1-31; and Luke 21:5-33 (otherwise known as the Olivet Discourse) refer to events that transpired in the first century, beginning with the exaltation of Christ and consummating with the destruction in 70 a.d. of both the city of Jerusalem and its Temple.

As I said, I hope to finish a book on eschatology sometime in 2008, but in the meantime you may read several articles in defense of these beliefs, available on my website under Theological Studies, Eschatology.

 

(6) I am a Baptist (or, “baptistic”, as some prefer). If you’ve recovered from (5), and I suspect many of you haven’t, let me turn briefly to another broad subject and focus on several important items (rest assured, of course, that being baptistic would entail far more than simply what I mention below).

a. I believe only those who are able to provide a credible testimony of personal faith in Jesus Christ should be baptized (immersed) in water.

b. I believe that a local church should be governed by a plurality of Elders, of which the Senior Pastor is one. I see no biblical basis for a church being led by a single Elder or Pastor. (No, this does not make me a Presbyterian, although I once served as interim pastor for three years in such a church.)

c. I believe that Jesus Christ is spiritually (and therefore, really, but not physically) present in the elements of the Eucharist and that the elements are more than merely a symbol of his body and blood. They are (one of) the sacramental means by which the sanctifying (but not saving) grace of Christ is mediated to the believer. For more on this, check out the two articles titled, “What Happens in the Eucharist?” on my website, Theological Studies, Miscellaneous Topics.

(7) I am a . . . I needed a seventh point to satisfy those who are obsessed with biblical numerology (”6″ will never do, or so they tell me), so here is a brief list of other, often contentious, issues. (You can find articles on each of these issues on my website under Theological Studies, Controversial Issues.)

a. I believe that Open Theism is heretical.

b. I believe that eternal punishment in Hell is conscious and unending.

c. I believe that the NT leaves open the possibility for some form of apostolic ministry today (although without the Scripture-writing authority of the original company).

d. I believe Christians can be demonized (note, I did not say demon-possessed).

e. I do not believe the NT mandates that Christians “tithe” 10% of their income but I do believe in generous, sacrificial, proportionate giving that often times, depending on one’s wealth, ought to exceed 10%.

f. While affirming the historicity of Adam and Eve as the first humans and parents of our race, I tentatively embrace the theory of an old earth and old universe. (I’ve not written anything on this, but may have to.)

 

I think that’s enough to get myself into trouble with just about everyone! I must confess, however, that I’m not in the least bothered by that. My only concern is that these beliefs be grounded in Scripture and not merely experience or personal preference or an emotional wound or ambition or something that I’m required to believe in order to keep my job or because some hero of mine in centuries past happened to believe it. Isn’t that something for which we all should strive?

 

 

Filed under: Attributes of God, Calvinism, Charismatic, Christian hedonism, Church, Evangelical, God's Glory, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, News & Views, Reformed, Sam Storms, Sovereignty of God, The Bible, The Christian Life, The Cross, The Gospel, The glory of Christ, The word of God

Storms on Edwards’ Religious Affections

The Resurgence has a great interview (approx. 30 mins.) with Sam Storms on his book, ‘Signs of the Spirit’ – an accessible understanding of ‘The Religious Affections’ by Jonathan Edwards. Storms speaks knowledgeably and passionately about Edwards’ unique discernment concerning the workings of the Spirit. Or true Biblical spirituality. You can listen here.

Filed under: Attributes of God, Books, Calvinism, Charismatic, Christian hedonism, Church, Church History, Evangelical, God's Glory, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Jonathan Edwards, Puritan, Reformed, Revival, Salvation, Sam Storms, Sanctification, Sovereignty of God, The Bible, The Christian Life, The Gospel, The glory of Christ, The word of God, Union with Christ, Worship

Lloyd-Jones: A man of the Word & Spirit!

My thanks, once again, to Adrian Warnock for this:

“. . . the trouble has generally been . . . that people have emphasised either experience or doctrine at the expense of the other . . . This is something that has been happening in the church from almost the very beginning . . .

When the whole emphasis is placed upon one or the other, you either have a tendency to fanaticism and excess or a tendency toward a barren intellectualism and a mechanical and a dead kind of orthodoxy . . .

As you read the stories of Luther and Calvin and other reformation fathers you will find that they began to fight this war on two fronts. They were fighting a dead, mechanical intellectualism on one hand, and they had to fight these other people who were running to excess and riot on the other.

Then in the seventeenth century you find the same kind of thing in connection with the Puritan movement . . . There were three main sections . . . in the middle you had people like the great John Owen and Thomas Goodwin in London, who constantly emphasised what they regarded as the only true scriptural position . . . which emphasises Spirit and doctrine, experience and definition. You must not say it is either/or; it is both. These, too, had to wage a warfare constantly on the two fronts. They had to fight the dead, barren intellectualism of many in Anglicanism and in the ranks of Puritanism, and the wild excesses of the early Quakers and various others . . .

As Evangelicals we find ourselves fighting on two fronts. We are obviously critical of a pure intellectualism and of a dead mechanical church which lacks any life . . . the gospel of Jesus Christ is a life-giving gospel. That is one side; but on the other side we see certain tendencies and we see certain excesses and we say “believe not every spirit, but try the spirits to see whether they are of God.” And thus we seem to be opposing everything, and so we receive criticism from all sides . . .

For myself, as long as I am charged by certain people with being nothing but a Pentecostalist ,and on the other hand charged by others with being an intellectual, a man who is always preaching doctrine, as long as the two criticisms come, I am very happy. But if one or the other of the two criticisms should ever cease, then, I say, is the time to be careful and to begin to examine the very foundations.

The position of Scripture . . . is one which is facing two extremes. The Spirit is essential, and experience is vital. However, truth and definition and doctrine and dogma are equally vital and essential. And our whole position is one which proclaims that experience which is not based solidly upon truth and doctrine is dangerous.”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John, pp. 400-403.

Filed under: Charismatic, Church, Church History, Evangelical, God's Glory, Grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Pentecostal, Reformed, Revival, Salvation, Sanctification, Sovereignty of God, The Bible, The Christian Life

Terry Virgo on the Cross

Terry Virgo blogs a preview of the next Newfrontiers magazine. This is an excellent piece from Terry!

The sign of a fish provided an early symbol of Christian commitment and identification with the Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, but the more enduring image is undoubtedly the cross.

Whether unending lines of identical white crosses at a military cemetery or two simple pieces of wood nailed together in a remote place; whether massive and resplendent on the dome of a great cathedral, or minute, jangling on a necklace, the cross remains the unmistakeable sign identified with the Christian faith.

In our contemporary world, of course, we are far removed from its original horror and shame. We see it paraded at the heart of a national flag or carried high at a procession full of pomp and splendour. When Paul boasted in the cross, his boast would have been incomprehensible to any of his contemporaries, apart from those who had fully embraced its breathtaking wisdom.

The cross was a form of public execution of unparalleled degradation and repulsiveness. Though Paul gloried in the cross, men’s normal response would have been horror and disgust at something so hideous and repellent. It was reserved for the lowest of the low and enabled Rome not only to crush its enemies but to leave them full of utter terror, fear and humiliation.

Even though the Romans imposed this infamous punishment on their enemies, Cicero condemned it as ‘a most cruel and disgusting punishment’, later adding, ‘The very word “cross” should be far removed not only from the person of a Roman citizen but from his thoughts, his eyes and his ears.’

Naked and disowned by men and God, someone hanging on a tree was regarded by the Jews as forsaken and damned. Man had inflicted punishment to the limits of his ability. Now let God curse him!

For Paul to boast in the cross and be determined to preach no other message than Jesus Christ and him crucified was extraordinary, a mystery of foolishness to the Greeks and a cause of deep offence to the Jews. How could his disciples proclaim Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah? He had not merely died; he had been completely humiliated at the hands of the Gentiles. The true Messiah should have followed David’s success against Goliath and vanquished the Romans, not be thoroughly dishonoured, mocked and dismissed by them.

God’s predetermined plan
For Paul and the apostles to go to the world proclaiming a message centred in crucifixion was absolutely staggering. It seemed like a public acknowledgement of defeat and disaster, but of course the message of the cross did not stand alone! It was made dynamic by the insistence that, though Godless men put him to death, there were two other breathtaking factors to discover, namely that Christ had been ‘delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God’ (Acts 2:23) and that indeed it was impossible for death to hold him, for God had raised him up again (Acts 2:24).

Jesus had not been simply betrayed, tricked and overwhelmed by men’s cunning; God himself had predetermined it. The Bible consistently speaks of God’s advance plan and complete involvement. God had ordained a way to satisfy His justice, vindicate His name, uphold the law, fulfil the promises, realise Israel’s destiny, defeat Satan, justify sinners, release captives, demonstrate His unspeakable love and begin a new creation.

God had not abdicated. He was involved. God (we are told) ‘made him to be sin who knew no sin’ (2 Cor. 5:21). We often misquote this verse and paraphrase it ‘he became sin’, whereas we are plainly told that God ‘made him to be sin’. As Leon Morris points out, ‘The verb is active and the subject is God,’ and as Philip Hughes adds, ‘There is no sentence more profound in the whole of Scripture, for this verse embraces the whole ground of the sinner’s reconciliation to God.’

He suffered for our sins as though they were his own so that we might enjoy the reward of his righteousness as though that had been our own. His spotless life in all its perfection and innocence is credited to our account, as though we had lived it.

When Jesus shouted out ‘it is finished’, never did the word ‘it’ carry so much weight. Judgement was passed, the law was fulfilled, God was satisfied, the temple was redundant, principalities and powers were disarmed, the battle was won and new creation could begin.

Our cross as well
For us who are in Christ, we were crucified, dead and buried with him. The Bible tells me that two men were crucified with Jesus but it also reveals that I was crucified with him. I might not always feel like it, but my old self was as certainly crucified as those two! (Rom. 6:6). Judgement is passed, bondage to sin is over, resurrection life has begun.

Paul gloried in the ‘old rugged’ cross not in nostalgic reflection but in triumph and glorious emancipation. ‘May it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world’ (Gal. 6:14).

As J I Packer said, ‘Jesus Christ our Lord, moved by a love that was determined to do everything necessary to save us, endured and exhausted the destructive divine judgement for which we were otherwise inescapably destined, and so won us forgiveness, adoption and glory.’

Filed under: Attributes of God, Calvinism, Charismatic, Church, Discipleship, Evangelical, God's Glory, Grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Justification by faith, Reformed, Salvation, Sanctification, Sovereignty of God, The Bible, The Christian Life, The Cross, The Gospel, The glory of Christ, The word of God

“It Is to Your Advantage That I Go Away”

I love this quote from Sinclair Ferguson. My thanks to Timmy Brister for posting it. It’s always concerned me that the Holy Spirit is often thought of as some second best companion compared to having Jesus with us in person. He is “another comforter” of the same kind as the Son of God. The Spirit of Jesus! Here’s Timmy’s intro and a great quote:

Have you thought about that phrase uttered from the mouth of the greatest miracle worker ever lived? Imagine that you lived three years with the man who raised dead people, touched lepers, healed the lame, blind, deaf, and mute, and cast out demons, and he told you that it is to your advantage that he leaves the scene!  To the disciples, this must have been a shocking statement!  I thought I’d provide an excerpt from Sinclair Ferguson as he addresses this passage.

Ferguson writes:

“Christ has become ‘life-giving Spirit.’  Having the Spirit is the equivalent, indeed the very mode, of having the incarnate, obedient, crucified, resurrected and exalted Christ indwelling us so that we are united to him as he is united to the Father.  It is in this sense that John sees the difference that Pentecost signals in the ministry of the Spirit.  Now, as the bond of union to God, the Spirit indwells all who believe as the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is a development of epochal proportions.  The Spirit who was present and active at Christ’s conception as the head of the new creation, by whom he was anointed at baptism (John 1:32-34), who directed him throughout his temptations (Matt. 4:1), empowered him in his miracles (Luke 11:20), energized him in his sacrifice (Heb. 9:14), and vindicated him in his resurrection (1 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 1:4), now indwells disciples in this specific identity.  This is the meaning of our Lord’s words, otherwise impossible to comprehend: ‘It is for your good that I am going away’ (John 16:7).”

- Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Holy Spirit. Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996, 71-72.

Filed under: Attributes of God, Books, Calvinism, Charismatic, Church, Evangelical, God's Glory, Grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, New Covenant, Reformed, Revival, Salvation, Sanctification, Sovereignty of God, The Bible, The Christian Life, The Cross, The Gospel, The glory of Christ

Trueman on CJ, Basketball, and Spurgeon!

CJ Mahaney is a pal, but I’ve always had two problems with his ministry:

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First, he thinks basketball players are the greatest athletes.  As I told him this morning, I won’t reply to that, for, as the Bible says, never answer a fool according to his folly.

Second, he think Spurgeon’s sermons are great.  I debated this point with hime arly in the year.  Yes, CHS must have been a great preacher, but I find his written sermons hopeless — the right doctrine invariably injected into the wrong text. 

But CJ’s response was that the move from Christ to pastoral application in CHS is well worth studying and second to none in Christian tradition.  Dare I say it, I have revised my opinion.  I still think CHS’s expositions are fanciful at best; but there is a raw pastoral power to what he does that serves at least as an example of something to emulate.

I was reminded of this last night, when browsing an old book by one of my favourite twentieth century theologian-preachers, Helmut Thielicke.  Thielicke was a Lutheran academic theologian and pastor who came gradually to more evangelical convictions in large part through reading Spurgeon and facing the problem of the vacuous nature of liberal theology when it came to addressing real life-and-death issues in the pastorate.  This was something he knew very much at first-hand.  For example, his sermons to his congregation during the Allied bombing of Hamburg, when every time he preached he knew it was his last chance to speak the gospel to some in his congregation, are peerless.  And yet it was the English baptist autodidact, Spurgeon, who gave this man his real pastoral fire and ammunition.  How?  By the example of his confidence in the simple, straightforward preaching of the Bible on issues of eternal import, and its application to the lives of ordinary men and women, boys and girls.

The book to which I refer is Thielicke’s Encounter with Spurgeon, which consists of a lengthy intro by HT and then extracts from Spurgeon’s writings and sermons.  Well worth reading though I suspect now only available second-hand.

So CJ, while I still think basketball is a travesty of a sport, I will concede the greatness of Spurgeon.  And I leave the last word to Thielicke:

`Our faithfulness to the fathers of the faith does not consist in our copying them but in our comprehending them.  And the communion of saints does not consist in the fact that all of us say the same thing in the same words, but rather that we all drink from the same spring.  notable among those who have also stood watch by this spring is Spurgeon….Sell all that you have (not least of all some of your stock of current sermonic literature) and buy Spurgeon.’

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

Filed under: CH Spurgeon, CJ Mahaney, Calvinism, Charismatic, Church, Evangelical, God's Glory, Gospel, Grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Justification by faith, Mission, New Covenant, Preaching, Reformed, Salvation, Sanctification, Sovereignty of God, The Bible, The Christian Life, The Cross

Lloyd-Jones on Gifts

In Romans – Exposition of Chapter 12, Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes:

I find it almost laughable that people should say that they do not see any evidence of the gifts today. It means, of course, that they are only thinking of speaking in tongues or of prophecy or of miracles … We are entitled, therefore, to argue that if some of these gifts have been in evidence throughout the history of the church and are still here, then why not all of them?

Then speaking of prophecy specifically:

But perhaps the best way of reaching a definition is to ask; what is the difference between prophecy on the one hand and preaching and teaching on the other? Because there is a difference. And I would say that the difference is one word. Immediacy. And this means that a word is given to people and comes to them. Now preaching and teaching are not like that. A preacher and teacher is a man who takes time to study, he takes time to think, to prepare; he arranges his material and gives it order and system. A preacher and teacher should not enter into the pulpit without any preparation and trust to the inspiration of the moment.

What then is the gift of prophecy? Well I would define it as a direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What for? Its purpose is to give a word from God or the Word of God to the Church. Prophecy is the inspired delivery of warning, exhortation, instruction, judging and making manifest the secrets of the heart. Someone who makes a prophecy has been given this gift of passing on, as it were, a word from God to the church and to individuals in the church.

(HT: Rick Ianniello)

Filed under: Charismatic, Church, Evangelical, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Reformed, Sovereignty of God, The Bible, The Christian Life

Blessed Assurance!

From time to time we all go through short periods, or even prolonged seasons of doubt about our standing with God. There can be many reasons for this. Assurance is not automatic. In fact, very little in the Christian life is automatic because the very nature of it is relational. We are saved (justified and forgiven) in order that we can relate to and find our deepest satisfaction and joy in God. That’s why He gives us His Spirit to enable a genuinely experiencial walk with Him.

There are three main ways that assurance works, or better, how it is gained. Firstly it is derived through believing the truth of Gods word. If the word says “all those that call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13), and you have called on His name for salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, you can trust that God is true to his word. You are saved! That’s the first level of assurance. The second is looking for the fruit of regeneration: a transformed life. If we have embraced the Saviour by faith, we are united to Him. He in us and we in him! It is the indwelling presence and power of the Spirit that makes this union ‘real’, effective and increasingly fruitful in producing Christ-likeness in us. In other words, as Jesus said, “you will know them by their fruit.” (Matt. 3:8; 7:17; Jn. 15:18) The second level of assurance is derived from the change in behaviour we see when our lives, by God’s grace, are now radically God-centred rather than self-centred. Finally, the third level of assurance has to do with the direct witness of the Holy Spirit to our heart. Paul says in Gal. 4:6, “And because you are sons, God sent has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying “Abba! Father!” And again in Rom. 8:16, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are Children of God.” 

If we have little assurance the whole of our Christian life is affected. Our joyful praise and worship of the Saviour will be muted, our endeavour to obey and please the Lord will be lacklustre, and our witness and testimony to the world will be weak.

Here’s some helpful comments from John Piper on this subject of assurance. 

John Piper says:

FULL ASSURANCE IS GOD’S WILL FOR US. “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end.” Hebrews 6:11  

ASSURANCE IS PARTIALLY SUSTAINED BY OBJECTIVE EVIDENCES FOR CHRISTIAN TRUTH. “To [his apostles] He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days.” Acts 1:3  

ASSURANCE CANNOT NEGLECT THE PAINFUL WORK OF SELF-EXAMINATION. “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

ASSURANCE WILL DIMINISH IN THE PRESENCE OF CONCEALED SIN. “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.” Psalm 32:3

ASSURANCE COMES FROM HEARING THE WORD OF CHRIST. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 “These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:31

REPEATED FOCUSING ON THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST IS CRUCIAL FOR ASSURANCE. “Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” Hebrews 10:21-22

WE MUST PRAY FOR EYES TO SEE THE TRUTHS THAT SUSTAIN ASSURANCE. “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19  

ASSURANCE IS NOT EASILY MAINTAINED IN PERSONAL ISOLATION. “And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you.’” 1 Corinthians 12:21

ASSURANCE IS NOT DESTROYED BY GOD’S DISPLEASURE AND DISCIPLINE. “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, and I will see His righteousness.” Micah 7:8-9

WE MUST OFTEN WAIT PATIENTLY FOR THE RETURN OF ASSURANCE. “I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.” Psalm 40:1-3

ASSURANCE IS A FIGHT TO THE DAY WE DIE. “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:12 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

ASSURANCE IS FINALLY A GIFT OF THE SPIRIT. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16  “The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself… And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” 1 John 5:10-11

Filed under: Calvinism, Charismatic, Christian hedonism, Evangelical, Holy Spirit, Justification by faith, Reformed, Sanctification, The Bible, The Cross, The Gospel

Building a Comprehensive View of God’s Glory

This is a very helpful piece from Camden Bucey. He addresses my favourite subject, ‘God is the Gospel’, and makes some insightful comments on the preacher/pastor’s task of building a comprehensive view of God’s glory in his congregation.  

“In his book God is the Gospel John Piper makes the point that Christians can tend to miss the main point of the gospel by focusing on its peripheral aspects instead of its supreme end – the glory of Christ. Imagine a jeweler who is an expert in diamonds. It is certainly possible for a jeweler to become so enamored with the peripheral aspects of a diamond and yet miss the diamond’s overall glory. The jeweler can appreciate the diamond’s cut, its magnificent clarity, and its color all the while forgetting to see that those aspects contribute to the overall glory of the object. If the jeweler appreciates each characteristic in isolation without being able to appreciate the fact that the diamond in its fullness is a wonderful thing as it shines in the light, he has missed the point. However, when understood rightly, each individual characteristic of the diamond contributes to its overall glory. As the jeweler comes to understand each aspect of the diamond more fully, his appreciation of the diamond’s glory in its fullness is that much more magnified.

If we become enamored with the forgiveness we have through Christ’s blood without appreciating how it contributes to an overall picture of God’s glory, we have missed the point of the gospel. Likewise, if we imagine we would be happy in heaven with all of the wonderful things the eternal state will provide, but exclude the presence of Christ and fellowship with him, we have missed the point of the gospel.

Interestingly, this thought has bearing on the intensity of theological disagreements. In our theological pursuits, we study specific doctrines in order to build a comprehensive theology that serves to develop a picture of God and the fullness of his glory. Each specific doctrine we espouse should contribute and magnify the picture of that glory in our minds. For instance, the doctrine of particular redemption is a doctrine I hold dear. It is a specific doctrine that contributes to my overall picture of God’s glory. So in theological discussions, when the doctrine of particular redemption is in dispute, it is not simply that specific doctrine that is at stake, it is the fullness of God’s grace. When a doctrine that is part of my comprehensive theology is in question, I tend to get more fired up because if that doctrine was removed from my theology, God’s glory would be diminished [in my mind]. We see this dynamic at work with people who have not embraced the doctrine of election. When first presented with the doctrine people tend to get upset because they do not yet understand how the doctrine magnifies God’s glory. Initially it is often seen as something that diminishes God’s glory by removing his justice (because God would be “unfair” for choosing certain people and not others).

So as we engage in theological discussions, it is important we understand that we will encounter this dynamic. As teachers of God’s truths, we must have a heart for our sheep and seek to build a comprehensive picture of God’s glory in their minds. We must understand, however, that as we teach certain doctrines, the picture of God’s glory may temporarily be diminished in our sheep’s minds until they grasp how those doctrines contribute to a comprehensive theology and more clearly display his glory.”

Filed under: Calvinism, Charismatic, Christian hedonism, Evangelical, Holy Spirit, Justification by faith, Puritan, Reformed, The Gospel

Beholding the Glory of Christ – Our ultimate need!

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev. 1:8).

“… [lively] faith concerns the person of Christ, his grace, his whole mediatory work, with all its results, and his glory in them all. Therefore the one thing most needed in our recovery and revival is a steady view of the glory of Christ, in his person, grace and office through faith, or a constant, lively exercise of faith in him as he is revealed in Scripture. This is the only way to be revived and to receive such grace as will keep us fresh and flourishing even in old age. … A constant view of the glory of Christ will revive our souls and cause our spiritual lives to flourish and thrive. Our souls will be revived by the transforming power with which beholding Christ is always accompanied. This is what transforms us daily into the likeness of Christ. So let us live in constant contemplation of the glory of Christ, and power will then flow from him to us, healing all our declensions, renewing a right spirit in us and enabling us to abound in all duties that God requires of us. … the more we behold the glory of Christ by faith now, the more spiritual and the more heavenly will be the state of our souls. The reason why the spiritual life in our souls decays and withers is because we fill our minds full of other things, and these things weaken the power of grace. But when the mind is filled with thoughts of Christ and his glory, these things will be expelled (see Col. 3:1-5, Eph. 5:8). When we behold the glory of Christ by faith every grace in us will be stirred up. This is how our spiritual life is revived (see Rom. 5:3-5, 2 Pet. 1:5-8).”

- John Owen, The Glory of Christ (Banner of Truth) pp. 166-167.

(HT: Shepherds Scrapbook)

Filed under: Calvinism, Charismatic, Christian hedonism, Evangelical, Evangelism, Holy Spirit, John Owen, Justification by faith, Prayer, Puritan, Reformed, Sanctification, The Cross, The Gospel, Worship

More of this Glorious Gospel!

Here’s two more (shorter!) quotes on the atonement, posted by Adrian Warnock

Terry Virgo on the results of the cross: 

“Remember God has accepted us. The gospel of grace is a message of breathtaking freedom. It must be embraced with faith and thanksgiving. You are thoroughly accepted just as you are. Jesus Christ is your righteousness and he is never going to change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. When you wake tomorrow, he will still be your righteousness, before you have done anything to enjoy God’s favour. You have to earn nothing. Your spirit needs to bask in the brilliant sunlight of this reality. You need to know it inwardly and celebrate it on a daily basis.”

CJ Mahaney on the cross:

“As a pastor few things affect me more than interacting with those who are unaware of God’s personal love for them. Normally there isn’t a week that goes by where I’m not talking with someone who hasn’t understood this truth — Christ loved me and gave Himself for me — in personal experience . . . very small errors in a person’s understanding of the Gospel seemed to result in very big problems in that person’s life.”

“For when you are deeply aware of your sin, and of what an affront it is to God’s holiness, and how impossible it is for Him to respond to this sin with anything other than furious wrath — you can only be overwhelmed with how amazing grace is.”

“Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and justification before God through obedience to God. A legalist is anyone who behaves as if they can earn God’s forgiveness through personal performance. It says to God in effect, ‘Your plan didn’t work. The cross wasn’t enough and I need to add my good works to it to be saved’ — legalism is essentially self-atonement for self-glorification, and ultimately for self-worship.”

Filed under: Charismatic, Christian hedonism, Evangelical, Justification by faith, Reformed, Sanctification, The Bible, The Cross, The Gospel

Apostles Today

By Terry Virgo

As a Charismatic and a Bible-loving Christian, I believe that when Jesus ascended he gave gifts to his church. Exalted to the right hand of God, he received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and poured out not only the Pentecostal blessing described in Acts 2:33 but also gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11) to help equip his church and bring it to maturity.

These variously named gifts obviously differ in their function and relevance. It doesn’t say ‘he ascended and gave priests’ or ‘he ascended and gave clergymen’. He gave diverse and distinct gifts. The evangelist differs from the prophet. The apostle differs from the pastor. Otherwise these titles are redundant – a waste of space.

If the inspired Scriptures distinguish between varieties of ministries and clearly imply that we need this diversity of gifting to bring about God’s ultimate intention, why do so many Bible-believing Christians and churches ignore the obvious implications?

For instance, the apostles of the New Testament had a distinct task from the evangelists or pastors, and it wasn’t, as so many of our evangelical brothers suggest, simply to write Scriptures! The apostle Barnabas (Acts 14:14) wrote no Scripture nor did most of the Twelve, while Luke, nowhere described as an apostle, wrote much of the New Testament.

What was the work of an apostle? Surely he was pre-eminently a church founder, giving clear identity to the new communities of believers that began to multiply around the Mediterranean as described in the book of Acts. Perhaps Paul’s most succinct description of himself as an apostle is found in 1 Corinthians 3:10 where he claimed to be ‘a wise master builder’ who had laid the foundation of the Corinthian church.

Filed under: Charismatic, Church, Evangelical, Holy Spirit, Reformed