Friday Giveaway! The Essential Works of Thomas Watson

Thomas Watson was a Non-Conformist Puritan preacher at St. Stephen's, Walbrook in London before the Great Ejection in 1662. Though not quite as famous as other Puritans, Watson is widely considered one of the most readable. His works are gospel saturated classics held in high regard by many theologians such as Charles Spurgeon.

Today, a good friend of mine, would like to give away a copy of The Essential Works of Thomas Watson, published by GLH Publishing.  You don't want to miss this opportunity!  This book, in Kindle format, includes 15 classic writings from the beloved Puritan.  The contents alone should be enough to make your mouth water:

-A Body Of Divinity
-The Doctrine Of Repentance
-A Divine Cordial (All Things For Good)
-Religion Our True Interest (The Great Gain Of Godliness)
-The Godly Man's Picture
-The Beatitudes
-The Art Of Divine Contentment
-The Lord's Prayer
-The Ten Commandments
-The Christian Soldier/Heaven Taken By Storm
-The Mischief Of Sin
-The Christian's Charter
-The Duty Of Self-Denial
-A Christian On The Mount
-Sermon On The Eve Of The Great Ejection

All you have to do is be the 5th person to email The Rest of Sunday and a copy of this ebook will be gifted to you.  All that is needed is your name and email address for the gift to come to you via Amazon.

GLH Publishing, unlike other Kindle publishers, has done a fantastic job with this work.  The contents are all hyperlinked and the formatting is commendable.  They have also informed me that this volume is on sale for the month of October for $6.99, down from $9.99.

So...shoot me an email and you just might be reading Watson over the weekend!  Have a great Friday!

How Premarital Cohabitation Destroys Marriage and Distorts The Gospel

In a recent post, Glenn Stanton of The Line: Bringing Focus to the Single Years, writes about what cohabitation does for marriage.  In writing this, Stanton shows, even statistically, the many downfalls that often accompany premarital cohabitation.  While the majority of these couples, some 75% of them, see cohabitation as an aggressive step toward marriage, the reality, however, is that this decision is actually proving to be an aggressive step toward abuse and even divorce.

The many warnings from Scripture, along with the undeniable sociological statistics, should prove to be a guard and guide for singles (as well as married couples) in an over-sexualized culture.  In other words, the more we are bombarded with false depictions of the “glorious life in premarital cohabitation” via television, radio and other media, the more we need to hear the truth that those who choose to live this way are in rebellion against God, and are, in reality, relational train wrecks.  As said above, the reasons for this are ultimately theological.  Consider a few points.

First, that we may not, and should not, allow the clear distinctions between lust and love to be blurred.  A couple who decides to partake in the glories of marriage before vowing to commitment in marriage are more in lust than they are in love.  A man who decides to rebel against God in pursuing his lusts cannot possibly love the woman he is lusting after as Christ loves the church. 

Second, the bed that the couple shares in cohabitation is not the bed that they will share in marriage.  It is a common saying that lust seeks to fill the bed before the vows and then to empty it after them. Sex before marriage is nothing but selfishly taking from another individual.  This is very different from the biblical picture of sex described as two people selflessly giving to each other.  Lust is not a passive, lifeless reality; but one that is actively rebellious, desiring to kill and destroy.

Last, those who desire to have the consummation before the commitment ultimately distort the gospel.  The saying is true that “love waits.”  True, gospel-centered love, is content with the commitment that is now, and with the promised consummation that is not yet.  The life in-between is one of patient endurance, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that clings to the promise in faith and looks with great expectation to the hope that is to come.   But those who would have the consummation now communicate that there is no future hope, and that there is no Risen Christ who is trustworthy, good, and worth waiting for. 

There is a right way to become married that glorifies the Christ who both ordains it as well as communicates through it (Eph 5).  This same Christ, however, will not allow His Name to be profaned by a pseudo-union that is superficially bound by selfishness and lust.  When two people, on the other hand, commit to each other, consummate the commitment, and move forward to live in a glorious marriage, they proclaim the Lord who selflessly and sacrificially died for His Church, who will come again in the great consummation, and who will live with them forever in glory.

It is Not Reasonable to Live by Man's Reason Alone

While following the Lord, people often come to the end of their logical rope: Moses finds himself on the shore of the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his army pursuing; the people of Israel are led into the wilderness with no food or water; and even the multitudes along with the disciples find themselves following Christ to a remote area with only a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread to sustain them.    

If we take our Bible seriously, these are not uncommon situations.  More times than not Christ leads us to places where we are forced to ask: How do we survive now that we are here?  We then logically search all options and are left with the helpless answer: I have no idea.  When we come to the end of our logical rope, we have no other option but to look to Christ and simply trust what He says.

This is why the Word of God is so important.  In it Christ informs and instructs us through seemingly impossible situations.  He shows off that way.  We are too often confined by the limits of our own logic and reason.  Consequently, obedience becomes more difficult, and, in some cases not a "reasonable" option.

But when we listen to, and trust, the Word of the omniscient and omnipotent Lord, we finally find a Refuge where logic and reason are freed from the confines we place upon them. Christ alone has all the facts.  Therefore, our faith in Him compels and frees us to leave the limits of our own inductive processes. And when we trust Him in doing so we finally receive logical reasons to trust, love, hope, and obey.

Christianity is not about leaving reason for blind faith.  Quite the contrary, it is about being united, by faith, to the One who frees reason from the limits of the fallen human mind.  In Christ, we do not know everything; but, we boast only in the fact that we know the One who knows everything.  Faith in Christ therefore, is the only rational approach to life.  Having said all of this, we can conclude (and even quote:) that man cannot live on his logic alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt 4:4).

God Is Not Merely An Inference

This is a great quote from D.A. Carson in The God Who is There on how God is not merely the end of an argument after we have looked and analyzed all of the evidence.  While many may think that they can observe all of nature in a non-theistic sort of way, on a neutral playing field, and make conclusions as to whether God exists or not, this practice is, at its core, morally rebellious as well as logically inconsistent.  More on that later, but for now, here is Carson:

"At the end of the day God is not merely an inference, the end of an argument, the conclusion after we have cleverly aligned the evidence.  But if you begin with this God, the testimony to his greatness in what we see all around us is heart stopping.  It takes an enormous act of will on the part of even the most cynical of scientists instead to look at it all and say, "Ah, it's just physics. Stop admiring it.  Don't do that.  There's no design.  It's just molecules bumping into molecules."

Reasons For Limited Atonement

One of the most difficult of the Reformed doctrines is the doctrine of Limited Atonement.  Most people recoil at first for decent reasons - they don't like to use the word limited to describe the work of Christ on the cross.

As noble as this may be, we may not allow our own goals to obscure the goals of our Triune God.  Even further, as much as many might attempt to "unlimit" the atonement, it is almost impossible to propose any position at all that is without some type of limits.  In other words, everyone limits the atonement whether they know it or not, either in scope or sufficiency.

Perhaps the best explanation of this truth is found in John Owen's The Death of Death.  Here is a clip that is often sited because of its logical force regarding the topic (note: I will edit and comment on the section to allow for smoother reading):

Owen writes,

God imposed his wrath due unto, and Christ underwent the pains of hell for, either
1. all of the sins of all men, or 
2. all the sins of some men, or 
3. some sins of all men.  

If the last, some sins of all men, then all men have some sins to answer for, and so shall no man be saved; for if God enter into judgment with us, though it were with all mankind for one sin, no flesh should be justified in his sight...

In other words, option 3 is eliminated.  If Christ does not undergo the pains and punishment of hell for all of man's sins, then there will be at least some sins that man will have to account for. This view of the atonement is not sufficient to finally save.

If the second, that is it which we affirm, that Christ in their stead and room suffered for all the sins of all the elect in the world...

This is the Reformed doctrine stated and further advocated and explained in the rest of the book.

If the first, why, then, are not all freed from the punishment of all their sins?  You will say, "Because of their unbelief; they will not believe."  But this unbelief, is it a sin or not? If not, why should they be punished for it? If it be, then Christ underwent the punishment due to it, or not?  If so, then why must that hinder them more than their other sins for which he died from partaking of the fruit of his death?  If he did not, then did he not die for all their sins?  Let them choose which part they will. 

Owen's argument here makes Option 1 logically untenable.  Unless one embraces Universalism, he/she must leave Option 1 in search for another.

If you have not read this book, and are aware of the debate as well as the implications surrounding it, I would highly recommend it to you.  Owen is not easy to read, but the reward for treading the difficult pages is well worth it.

I'm All Jacked Up...But He's Not.

I have not posted anything in a few days.  I just have not wanted to.  It has been a rough week.  One of the goals of this site, as well as my life in ministry, is to live among others with honesty and transparency.  I have often said and observed that the church in America is far too clean - that is, we try hard to appear sinless to a sinful world; without struggle to a world who is barely treading the waters of reality.  Consequently, our buildings are far from being a refuge to the very people Christ means to save.

With that said, I confess I have not followed through with my commitments to honesty and transparency.  Even in confession, I confess those things that are respectable to confess.  My wife convicted me about this the other night.  When my world is dirty, I just can't handle it.  Why?  Because deep down I think I am far too clean.

Over the past month I have realized that my faith is weak.  My idols are dressed in Christian clothes, and I have loved them more than I ought.  All idols, however, die.  They fall away.  They revoke their promises.  And they leave us empty.  I was anchoring my life in things that were not Christ and I have been paying the price.  Instead of a strong husband, father and pastor, I have been a weak roommate, babysitter and employee.

My hope has also been reduced to events that could not possibly exceed this life.  As a matter of fact, the temporal reach of my hope has been less than just a few hours.  I have relied on the promise of instant gratification, temporal pleasure, and fleeting comforts of sleep, laziness, and "being able to finally do what I want to do."  Because of this, my fuse has been short, my patience almost nonexistent, and my levels of frustration extremely high.

Without faith securely in Christ, and without hope firmly fixed in glory, I have not been a loving human being.  My life has been utterly selfish.  I have only loved those who are loving in return.  I have only served those who are able to serve in return.  And as I sat in my misery yesterday, like a jacked up wimp, I understood the gospel at a deeper-than-intellectual level.  My life was rooted in the sinking sand of earthly things, and as they shifted and sank, so did I.

But Christ is so different.  His mercies truly are new every day.  He is the Rock who is firmly fixed at the right hand of God the Father.  Because He lives, He frees me to love others regardless of what they may offer me in return.  This is the distinct nature of the Christian message - that our love for others is not dependent upon whether the other is sinful or not.  Rather, our faith, hope and love are deeply rooted in the Rock of Christ who is coming again.

Even as I write this, I'm not feeling "fixed."  This is a tough season that I can't seem to master.  I feel like Jesus is sleeping in my boat.  But I trust Him.  And I trust He will keep me in His loving care until I die.  That's about all I've got right now.  And my Bible tells me that's enough.

The Rest of the Rest (9/17/11)

Remembering 9/11:
Over the past year or so, I have been grateful for the photographical contributions of boston.com.  The pics from Ground Zero are astonishing.

Social Issues:
The New York Times article, Soaring Poverty Casts Spotlight on 'Lost Decade,' quotes Harvard economics professor, “This is truly a lost decade...We think of America as a place where every generation is doing better, but we’re looking at a period when the median family is in worse shape than it was in the late 1990s.” The article discusses how the poverty level in America continues to increase.

To shed more light on the subject however, The Heritage Foundation has conducted a study to define what the census actually means when they say that a family is impoverished.  The results of the study were published in an article entitled What is Poverty in the United States Today?  The article discusses what the media and other officials have defined and identified as poverty and what poverty actually entails.  An overgeneralized summary would be that the average "impoverished" American home may struggle to make ends meet, but they are struggling to pay for things like cable TV and air conditioning while putting food on the table.

Education:
Homeschool Blindspots is a great post by Josh Harris.  He is really reposting and commenting on an article by Reb Bradley in the Virginia Home Educator Magazine.  I would suggest all homeschooling parents read this.

Michael Horton of the White Horse Inn gives the reasons why he advocates Classical Christian Education. One of the comments I appreciate is, "The Classical Christian Education takes full advantage of the way children learn.  It goes with the grain instead of against it..."  This is about a 3 min video and worth your time.

Electronics:
If you know me, you know that I am a sucker for gadgets.  Unfortunately, I don't make enough money to like them too much!  But, with the new iPhone launch just around the corner (probably in early October) I figured this article, 5 Ways to Dump Your Old Handset Before the iPhone 5, may be of some help.

Books:
Here is the book, Justification and Regeneration by Charles Leiter.  I have not read this book, but because it is being offered for free by Challies, I am inclined to trust that it is solid.

The God Who Is There by D.A. Carson is a good primer for those seeking a fuller understanding of both Biblical and Systematic Theology.  Each chapter carries a different predication to the subject phrase "The God Who Is..."  This helps the reader keep the different attributes of God as well as the different phases of redemptive history under a single thematic umbrella.  The book is not as tidy, nor as thorough as I would like; but it is very informative, simple and manageable. While Carson skims past the minor prophets, he does spend a good bit of well deserved time in the Pentateuch.  I would say that this is a decent book for students of the Bible to have on their shelf.

The Envy of the World by Ellis Cose is a book about being a black man in America.  While Cose does not address the issue from a distinctly Christian perspective, he does do a wonderful job describing the black experience in an honest, transparent, informative and clear way.  "Being black in America," says Cose, "is a very complicated thing....Though this may be the best time ever to be a black man in America, you only prosper if you make it through the gauntlet.  And that gauntlet is ringed with bullies armed with ugly half-truths with which they will try their damnedest to beat you to death...Your best chance at life lies in rejecting what they - what much of America - tells you that you are, perhaps rejecting, in the process, ideas you have harbored for most of your existence of what it means to be black and male."

Cose also discusses the culture's desire to emulate and even admire the uncivilized, strong, wild child identity of the black male.  Many white folks are especially desirous to leave the stereotypically structured, boring, educated, goodie-goodie life for the more untamed life of the hood.  The irony is that emulation and admiration is not ontologically the same as being black. People can stop imitation when it becomes inconvenient.  The black man cannot.

The stereotypes have ironically and tragically become too often actualized. Therefore, while America may envy the black male, she is more likely to meet that black male on the streets with anxiety instead of admiration.  I appreciate this book greatly.  The perspectives that I have gained from this book have caused me to both repent and rejoice - repenting of my own racism, and rejoicing because of the blessing we have in America in the black culture.

Music:
Don't forget about the Holy Culture Drop CD.  Here is a great article from Rapzilla about the project.  In short, download the album for free here.  Burn it to a CD.  Print out the artwork.  "Drop" it into someone's hands who needs to know Christ.

Funny Friday - My Wife and I in About 40 Years or So...Enjoy!

I wonder what the "webcam" will be when my wife and I are this age?

A Few Thoughts On Judgment

The judgment of God, for many, is the proverbial fly in the Christian ointment.  Some try and remove it, while others attempt to enjoy the ointment around it.  No matter how hard one tries, however, these strategies leave their Christianity incomplete and without significant force.  Sure it may be popular; but pragmatism is no substitute for the unadulterated gospel of God's salvation through judgment.

My first thought about all of this is that it should not surprise us that the biblical doctrine of judgment is always being tampered with.  The seed of the serpent will always be whispering that sweet but deadly lie, "You will not certainly die" (Gen 3:4).

D.A. Carson, in The God Who is There, states it well: "The first doctrine to be denied, according to the Bible, is the doctrine of judgment...because if you can get rid of that one teaching, then rebellion has no adverse consequences, and so you are free to do anything."

My second thought is that the severity of the judgment is directly correlated to the worth of the offended and not the offender.  If a man kills a dog, he gets a few years.  If he kills another man, he gets life in prison (or death).  And if he attempts to kill God, he gets an eternity in hell.

I mention this because I heard Rob Bell say in an interview that he doesn't believe God would send a seventeen year old to hell for committing sin.  The idea is that it would be unfair for seventeen years of sin to be punished by an eternity in hell.  The key flaw here is that he is anchoring judgment in the worth of the offender and not in the One offended.  Our Lord is so holy and glorious that one transgression, even by a seventeen year old, is punishable by an eternity in hell.

My third and final thought is that judgment becomes unbearable when we do not focus on the Cross of Christ.  For the Cross tells us at least two things about God and His judgment.  First, until we understand the weight of the judgment we deserve, we cannot fully understand the glory of the the Savior who absorbed all of our judgment.   If what we deserve is small, our Savior is small.  But if our judgment is great, so is our Savior.

Second, when thinking of the punitive system of covenantal judgment, we must understand that God inaugurated such a system with the Cross of His Son in mind.  In other words, when God the Judge freely decided to set Hell as the final punishment for sin, He knew that the severity of Hell would be the punishment His Son would take upon Himself on the Cross for His people.

In summary, in a culture where Jesus is small, we cannot afford to leave the severity of judgment out of our preaching.  In thinking lightly of judgment, we think lightly of sin, of God's glory and of Christ Himself.  The problem of our culture is that teenage athletes are seen as stronger than the God-man.  When such idolatry is identified along with the severe judgment it deserves, then Christ the strong, wrath absorbing Savior begins to grow in our hearts.  Leaving judgment out of our gospel is dangerous, unloving and deadly.

The Federal Budget Better Understood

Removing zeros makes federal monetary talk more understandable to those of us who don't use the t-word (trillion) on a daily basis.  I heard a gentleman the other day on talk radio discussing how no other country on the planet uses the t-word like we do.  

Why do they avoid normalizing it at all costs?  Because it is not normal!  It means you've got another t-word breathing down your neck (trouble)!  Have a look at the numbers below...

(HT: Challies for the image)

The Overwhelming Message of the Old Testament

The Lord saves blatant transgressors (Gen 3:21)

The Lord saves drunks (Gen 9:1)

The Lord saves cowardly liars (Gen 12)

The Lord saves devious cheaters (Gen 28)

The Lord saves weak murderers (Exod 3)

The Lord saves grumbling ingrates (Exod 14)

The Lord saves sinners by placing their punishment upon Another (Gen 22; Leviticus 16)

The Lord saves freely, by grace alone (Deut 7)

The Lord saves the poor and the fatherless (Deut 10)

The Lord saves pagan foreigners (Gen 17; Deut 10, 24)

The Lord saves dirty sluts (Joshua 2)

The Lord saves wimpy doubters (Judges 6)

The Lord saves sex addicts (Judges 15)

The Lord saves and uses small, insignificant women (Ruth)

The Lord saves womanizing and murderous adulterers (2 Sam 12)

The Lord saves struggling widows with children (1 Kings 18)

The Lord saves those who grow weary serving Him (1 Kings 19)

The Lord continually saves His rebellious people from tyrannous leaders (2 Kings 22)

The Lord saves child-sacrificing, innocent-blood-sheding idolaters (2 Chron 33:10ff)

The Lord faithfully saves His people from the seed of the serpent (Gen 3:15; Esther)

The Lord saves those who humbly come to Him in faith and repentance (Psalms)

The Lord saves the stupid people like me (Proverbs)

The Lord saves the hopeless and depressed (Ecclesiastes)

The Lord saves His people through wounding and healing (Prophets)

The Lord saves horrible sinners by crushing a Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53)

The Lord saves and uses children (Jeremiah)

The Lord saves naked, bloody, cheap, whore-like communities (Ezekiel 16)

The Lord saves miraculously (Daniel 3)

The Lord saves prideful and hard-hearted rulers [Presidents] (Daniel 4)

The Lord saves those who simply seek Him by faith alone (Amos 5; Hab 2:4)

The Lord saves from His awful lionlike wrath (Amos)

The Lord saves savage nations (Jonah)

The Lord saves resentful and stubborn ministers (Jonah)

The Lord saves even though every single person deserves to die (Minor Prophets)

The Lord saves His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21)

The Lord's name is Jesus (Matthew 1:21)

The message of the Old Testament (as well as the New!) is overwhelmingly clear.  Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9).  Many of us have grown up thinking that the God of the Old Testament is the God of wrath, while the God of the New Testament - Jesus Christ - is the God of grace.  This could not be farther from the truth.  The glory of all of the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament, is that God relentlessly pursues sinners to save them.

What's Wrong With The World?

It is one of the marks of fallen man to blame shift, to see to it that responsibility not be taken for his sinful actions.  Well, let me be clear.  Fallen man means to see to it that someone else take the responsibility for his sinful actions.  It began with Adam in the Garden.  And it has continued, faithfully, throughout history, even to you and me.

This is who we are and not necessarily merely what we learn from others.  A boy misses a ball - it was the sun's fault.  A husband cheats on his wife - it was his wife's fault.  A politician fails to follow through with promises - it was the other party's fault.  The world is filled with chaos and disaster - it is God's fault.  And on and on it goes.  We like taking responsibility for our successes, but not for our failures.

I am reminded of G.K. Chesterton's response to the London Times question, "What's wrong with the world?"  Chesterton replied,

Dear Sirs, 
     I am.
Sincerely yours,
G.K. Chesterton

Chesterton got it.  He understood that, in a fallen world, we could forever sit in our pathetic chairs and blame everyone else for our own failures.  It's not hard to find flaws in other humans; and if that is an acceptable means of diverting responsibility, then it becomes a most common practice.  A man who takes responsibility moves; but a man who does not, just sits and points at others.

One of the glories of the gospel, however, is that it frees us from this tiring, lazy and relationship-fracturing practice.  Because the Lord Jesus Christ is authoritative, present and in control, we are free and responsible to obey regardless of the sinful actions of others.  We live unto the Lord; and He is faithful as well as able to ensure that we are not tempted beyond our ability (1 Cor 10:13).  We only need to repent and believe - to humble ourselves and trust Him.

In other words, we don't have to try and pin the blame for our sins upon another person.  We have the grace of having the root cause of our sin identified for us.  The Scriptures tell us that we are what is wrong with the world.  After all, if we are never sinful and everyone else is always sinful, then we exempt ourselves from the category of humanity Christ came to save - sinners.  This does not give us an excuse to sin; but cause to repent and believe the gospel.

The Rest of the Rest (9/10/11)

Remembering 9/11:
Truth-Telling in a Time of Tradgedy, from Dr. Mohler, reminds us of the tragedy that blindsided us ten years ago.  Dr. Mohler wrote: We know that the world will never be the same after this. We do not want to exaggerate, but exaggeration seems almost impossible. There are no words adequate to convey the horror, the grief, the outrage, or the sense of disbelief...This is a crucial test for the Christian church. We must measure our words carefully. We must think biblically and seek a proper perspective into which we can put all of this. This is not easy, but authentic ministry often comes down to saying what you know to be true when people are desperate to hear it and no one seems to know where else to look.  (Thanks Mr. Morgan for sending this our way.)

Gospel:
This is a great post by Tullian Tchividjian on how the Gospel sets us free to not be okay.  In a world where success and "being okay" is our ultimate goal, Tullian brings a powerful [contrary] word.  It is okay not to be okay.  The text actually comes from his book Jesus+Nothing=Everything.  This is well worth the time it takes to read it.  I would highly suggest that we all gain a deep understanding of the message so that we can communicate it to those in our immediate contexts.

Social Issues:
Tim Keller discusses how African American churches, as well as other minority communities have a lot more to lose from desegregation than white churches.  Very interesting perspective.

Books:
The book Gospel-Centered Family: Becoming the Parents God Wants You To Be, by Ed Moll and Tim Chester, is a decent read.  If you have read other books on gospel-centered parenting like Shepherding Your Child's Heart, this book will not really give you any new information.  After the first chapter or so, I began to skim.  For the price, however, it is a good, manageable resource to hand out to families who have never been introduced to such material.

Escape From Reason, by Francis Schaeffer, for me, was extremely informative, relevant and thought provoking.  He discusses how rationalistic autonomy, that he argues, began with Aquinas, has affected culture from the Renaissance to modern times.  Schaeffer has such a deep grasp of the gospel that he could identify (and even predict) the effects of fallenness in culture.  One thread-like concept that runs throughout the entire book is that, when reason becomes detached from God, it immediately tries to "eat up" grace.  When we seek autonomy we find to place in our lives for divinity.  Get this book.

Defeating Darwinism, by Phillip Johnson, approaches the subject of Darwinian Evolution in a very interesting way.  It is as if he is trying to communicate to both the academy and the lay person.  In a very presuppositional way, he exposes the unavoidable faith commitments of the Darwinian worldview.  In a word, this book seeks to (and succeeds!) demote Darwinism from fact based to faith based.  Once we see it clearly, we can expose its intrinsic flaws.

Interesting:

Martin Bashir interviews Tim Keller.  A great interview!

Funny Friday - Learn to Dance the Hard Way...

Oh...



(HT: 22 Words)

One of my "love-languages" is pranking people.  I learned, however, not to prank my wife early on in our marriage.  She is not a fan.  So, I have to live my pranking fantasies through youtube.  I love this!

There Is A Reward For Those Who Obey - Understanding Reward And Grace Alone

The idea of reward makes people in evangelical camps a little uneasy.  We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone.  Our works could never merit the blessings that we receive freely from God.  We must be careful, however, not to make these glorious truths eclipse other glorious truths.  And there is one glorious truth that I believe is being eclipsed.  It is the glory of being rewarded for our obedience.

From the beginning, the Lord has used the promise of reward to encourage obedience in His children, especially when obedience was commanded during difficult circumstances.  After establishing His covenant with Abraham, the Lord tells him, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great" (Gen 15:1).  The Psalmist also understood reward when he said, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth" (Ps 58:11).

And Christ Himself spoke of reward often, saying things like, "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven..." (Lk 6:22-23).

So how do we reconcile the reality of reward within the framework of meritless grace?  How are we supposed to obey with reward in mind and not think that we merited the reward?  I would suggest a few thoughts to bring reconciliation in this matter:

First, the concept of reward shows up after the Lord establishes His gracious covenant with Abraham.  This is not to say that reward did not exist before.  It may have.  Noah would have undoubtedly understood the reward that accompanied his faithful obedience in building the arch.  The point here is that reward is placed within the context of the covenant of grace, and not the covenant of works.  Reward, by nature, is gracious.

Second, reward is promised only to those who have been graciously delivered.  When we understand that the law was given to a delivered people (Exod 20), we understand the nature of obedience.  We must be delivered to obey.  We do not obey so that we may be delivered.  Once we are freed to obey, through faith and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are promised that our obedience (in this context) will be rewarded.

Third, it would be foolish of us to believe that we merit the reward under the covenant of grace.  The Lord Himself sustains our every breath, He ordains our every step, and He empowers and prepares for us every good work.  The Bible says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph 2:10).  How could we possibly take meritorious credit for something that was all of grace!

Fourth, the giver of the reward is always the Lord.  Jesus said, "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you?...And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you?...And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?...But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High..." (Lk 6:32-35).  Our benefit and reward does not come from others, but from the Lord Himself.  This encourages us to freely and selflessly love others while not expecting anything in return from them.

Fifth, trusting the Lord (and not man) for His promised reward is a way for us to glorify Him on earth.  It is a way for us to show that He is both generous and trustworthy; and that His reward far surpasses anything we want or desire on earth (Ps 73:25).  We are willing to give up all treasures here because we eagerly await glorious treasures in heaven.

Sixth, we must pay attention to the grammar in order to stay away from infusing merit back into this doctrine.  The Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Romans that God will render to each one according to his works.  The preposition is extremely important as the Apostle did not say on account of his works.

Seventh, because the reward comes to the redeemed according to their obedience, we understand the necessity of a Redeemer - One who purchased our freedom.  This Redeemer, Jesus Christ, received what we meritoriously deserved on account of our works - death on a Cross.  But He also purchased, on account of His own works, our inheritance.  Our reward, therefore, while according to our imperfect obedience, was merited on account of His perfect obedience.

Eighth, consequently, the reward that we receive is far greater than anything we could merit or purchase ourselves.  It is truly a gift that is according to our obedience.  There is a great chasm between what we do and what we receive!  When we finally receive our inheritance in glory, we will be overwhelmed by the gracious generosity of our God.  And we will be in awe of the perfect obedience of Christ, that actually merited and purchased the reward!  We will see the greatness of His obedience in the greatness of our reward!

Finally, the greatest part of the reward is that it is eternally relational.  Our text in Lk 6 is deeply informative in this regard saying, "and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High."  First, the verb "you will be" is in the 2nd person plural form.  Jesus is saying that many will be sons of the Most High.  Second, those who place their faith in Christ and thus obey His commandments, will be sons of the Most High.  They will be deeply and significantly related to God Himself.  In other words, to be rewarded by God means that we will have an eternal, perfect, faithful, loving Father as well as brothers and sisters who are without sin, and who will be in our family for eternity!

This is why we can love others for the sake of reward and not be ultimately selfish.  When we love others and they ask us why we are doing so, we can say, "Because I love you and I long to have the reward of living with God my Father and you, in glory, forever!"

The message of reward gives us something to hope for.  It gives us a motive for obedience.  It gives us yet another reason to trust, love, obey and praise God.  And it empowers and encourages us to cling to Christ more closely.  He is our reward as well as the gracious cause of it.  For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things!  Go out today and love someone.  Show them that your faith is alive and that your reward in heaven is wonderful!  If they persecute you and say bad things about you...

REJOICE! For BEHOLD, your reward is great in heaven!

Laying It On The Line - A Music Video On Abortion

The courage and the resolve of these artists is both commendable and admirable.  To spend time and resources producing material that confronts the sins of the culture shows that they are willing to lay their lives, as well as their livelihoods, on the line for the sake of the gospel.  This video is obviously not about promoting their label or selling records.  It is about proclaiming Christ as well as loving others.  In short, I see and hear the Spirit of God in the video below.

I pray that the Lord will use Christcentric, along with many other Christian hip-hop artists, mightily to change lives.   Their message is unashamedly Christ-centered and is therefore foolishness to many.  I would encourage you to purchase their music and/or support their ministry.  God is doing great things with these men and women.  I'm on board.  I'm following.

Great Deal On A Great Book - Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is a book that I have heard nothing but good things about.  Get it for Kindle for just $1.99.  Don't pass this up.

Life Is Too Short Not To Be Happy Forever

Life is too short to live it unhappily.  Our cultural motto, therefore, is "eat, drink, and be merry; for tomorrow we die..." And so the songs go.  

There is a superficial happiness that people know will end soon, so they party it up tonight in a very careless way.  Isn't this the message of every Katy Perry or Kesha song?  Likewise, there is a deep misery (that the superficial happiness seeks to cover up) that people just can't shake, so they justify partying it up tonight in a very careless way.

Consequently, standards like "You shall not commit adultery," fly out of the window. And motives like "Love your neighbor as yourself," fall out of focus.  In other words, when the unbiblical goal of happiness dominates our ethic, relativism and selfishness rule.  We don't care what God says, and we don't ultimately care about other people.  

But this is all really just a facade.  It has been my observation that we often feel that life is way too long on earth to be miserable, and life is far too short (or even nonexistent) after life on earth to be unhappy now.  This utter hopelessness is the main reason why our culture has ditched Godly standards as well as selfless motives.  

The biblical perspective, however, is radically different.  Our life on earth is a mere breath (Job 7:7).  Our life in heaven is everlasting (Jn 6:58).  But how does this perspective cause the Christian life to look radically different?

First, we are encouraged to seek that which will give us eternal happiness, rather than earthly happiness.  It doesn't make any sense whatsoever to gain all of the treasure on earth but lose everlasting treasure in heaven (Mark 8:36; Matt 6:20).  

Second, we are encouraged to trust in Christ, who alone satisfies the deep longings of our heart.  Faith in Christ is deeply satisfying and is far more fulfilling than the superficial pleasures of this world.  

Third, we are encouraged to keep the Lord's commandments even though they may prohibit us from earthly pleasures.  Indulging in sexual pleasure outside of marriage is a very powerful temptation in our day.  To obtain is almost unbearable when we believe that the end of our hunger seems so far away.  But when the end is in view, and near!, we find strength (by His Spirit) and encouragement to wait.  

Fourth, we are encouraged to bring praises and supplications to the Lord in prayer.  We bring praises for giving us the down-payment of the Holy Spirit (now), as well as the promise of our inheritance in heaven (not yet).  It is common experience that when struggle is small so is prayer.

In summary, life on earth is very short.  Life after physical death is forever.  When conflict happens and we are tempted to abandon the Lord's instruction and promise, we have reason, encouragement and strength to wait patiently.  Yes, faith, hope, and love change everything.  If life is difficult now, don't abandon ship.  Cling to the Lord by faith; hope in your treasure in heaven; and love others well.  

Our culture says that life is too long not to be happy now.  But the Scripture is true that life now is far too short not to be happy forever.  Just think, in a billion years from now, you will look back on ~70 years of waiting and say that it was well worth it.

The Tyranny of Retirement

I wrote another article for Holy Culture entitled The Tyranny of Retirement.  This article focuses on a common mindset that we need to work so that we can make enough money to finally be set free from work - to retire.  I argue that work isn't the problem, fallenness is.  Retirement is not the goal, redemption is.

The message and advice of our culture is tyrannous and dangerous. Focusing our attention upon work itself will do nothing but dig our graves deeper. It misses the problem entirely. Our problem is not work, no matter how difficult that work may be. The problem runs much deeper than what we can or cannot do with our hands. Our problem is sin-deep. And, as implied above, we don’t need retirement – we need redemption.

Simply put: We don’t need to work in order to be free; rather, we must be freed in order to work.  
You can read the rest of the article here.

I would like to make one point of clarification.  I am not saying that retirement from a job is a bad thing.  I am saying that retirement from work should not be the goal of human existence.  When it is, it is tyrannous and enslaving.  Work, when understood from a biblical perspective, is a blessing and deeply satisfying.

The Rest of the Rest (9/3/2011)

Parenting:
- Teaching our children Biblical truth is vital.  My wife and I have found that teaching them the catechism is one great way to do this.  I am thankful for the Vitco's for putting these wonderful truths to music.  You can get the music in many different ways here.  You can also find the written version here.

- Long Story Short is another great resource that makes family worship easy, significant, informative and Christ-centered.  Each devotional, which are less than ten minutes, contain a review, a passage of Scripture, questions regarding the passage, as well as instructions for the parents.  There is also a section that serves as a guide for prayer.

Since our evening plans usually vary, we come together for family worship in the mornings around the breakfast table.  We begin with catechism and review.  Then we move into LSS.  Last we pray together.  This is a great way to get the day started!

- Tim Challies writes a very insightful post/review on the book, Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive In Public School.  I have not read this book, but have ordered it and am very interested in the Prichard's point of view.  I do think this will be a great resource for those families who have a strong desire to educate their children in a way that honors the Lord, and who choose to do so in public schools.

Theology:
- Dr. Al Mohler of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary talks about why the historicity of Adam matters.  This is not a topic that a Christian should pass by.  The issue is brought up everywhere, especially in college universities.

Funny:
- This is from Justin Taylor's post, Pride Comes Before The Fall.  Kinda sad, but funny!
- Laugh your head off!

Social Issues:
- Here is another great article by Public Discourse entitled End Human Trafficking: A Contemporary Slavery.
- A ton of debt and the spending just continues.  Randy Alcorn posted this article about a government project that continues to spend needless dollars.

Tear-Jerkers:
http://welcomehomeblog.com/page/2

Have A Funny Friday...

Wow.



I have got to try this:



Ok...I almost didn't post this one.  It's borderline but absolutely hilarious.



Yet another reason to love dogs...

The Current Trend In Pornography: From Adult to Children

I heard these numbers once from a very reliable source – that the top three grossing industries in the world were the trafficking of drugs, firearms, and humans.  Yes, that’s right.  Humans.  We also understand that these humans are being trafficked, for the most part, against their wills; and that a large percentage of them are children.

What is even more troubling is that the production and distribution of child pornography is not necessarily considered human trafficking.  If it were, human trafficking may very well take one of the top two spots as a top grossing industry in the world today.

Today, Public Discourse put out an article entitled End Child Pornography: Enforce Adult Pornography Laws.  The article is extremely informative and posits a credible and viable option for cracking down on the distribution of child pornography.  They propose, along with other experts, that we should direct more of our efforts and resources toward adult pornography laws.  The reasoning is simple. 

Margaret Healy stated in a paper titled “Child Pornography: An International Perspective” that “with the emergence of the use of computers to traffic child pornography, a new and growing segment of producers and consumers is being identified.  They are individuals who may not have a sexual preference for children, but who have seen the gamut of adult pornography and who are searching for more bizarre material.”

In a similar line, Guillermo Canovas makes this profound observation, “Thousands of people are constantly looking for pornography on the web…as their stimulation threshold rises, they feel the need for stronger and stronger material until their search leads them to child pornography.” 

I remember driving into New Orleans one day and observing a billboard next to the Superdome that was advertising a club called Barely Legal.  I remember thinking how outrageous this was, that the owners (Hustler, I believe) were aiming to feed the dissatisfied appetites of pornographers with women who were barely legal.  Their motive and strategy is obvious.  The authorities, however, seem handcuffed when it comes to prosecuting motives and strategies.

The article also states that “since President Obama took office, the Department of Justice has not initiated one adult pornography criminal case.” The investigators are overwhelmed by child pornography cases.  Ironically, these same investigators are reporting that the consumption of adult material leads to consumption of child pornography. 

But we must not fall into the trap of looking to our government to completely stop this heinous crime.  Human emptiness and desire, as history has shown, is stronger than government regulations.  Prohibitory laws mean little to those who are wickedly hungry.  Stopping the behavior is absolutely needed; but aiming at it alone is simply ignorant and inadequate.  The only way to stop wickedness from feeding on children is to overcome it with Christ.  The power of the Gospel is sufficient for this. 

And this is our hope – that Christ both has and will overcome.  He will bring an awful Sword to those who abuse children.  He will bring redemptive healing to those who have been abused.  And, He will offer forgiveness to those who have, in faith, cried out in repentance for mercy.