Romans 2:4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
4 ἢ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταφρονεῖς, ἀγνοῶν ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιάν σε ἄγει;
Paul is building his argument about the sinfulness of mankind and the desperate need we all have for God's grace. Here he asks something of a rhetorical question because the answer should be "no." Of course, it's not. It's not for his readers and it certainly isn't for me.
God's grace must lead us to repentance. If we call ourselves saved and stay exactly where we are then we do not really understand salvation. We may have drawn a "get out of hell free" card, but we don't really understand salvation. That is not to say that God demands perfection. We are always going to be works in progress. However, we must not be stationary in our pursuit of godliness. It just is not meant to work that way.
Some of you may wonder why I harp on this so much. One of the few practices in professing Christendom that upsets me as much as the prosperity gospel is the quest for decisions. Charles Finney really popularized this. The idea is to get people to make decisions for Christ and then assure them of their eternal future with God. That is the most extreme version of decisionism, but it is still quite common in some circles. Salvation is not a purely emotional decision. If we are going to make a decision to walk with Christ it has to come with counting the cost of that decision. Nothing is ever the same once we decide to walk with Him. Repentance is a part of salvation. Paul makes that clear here.
I am not saying that works have anything to do with our salvation. They are a result of it. They are the fruit that shows what kind of tree we are.
What kind of fruit are you bearing?
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
The Truth and The Lie
Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
24 Διὸ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς· 25 οἵτινες μετήλλαξαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ψεύδει καὶ ἐσεβάσθησαν καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, ὅς ἐστιν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν.
This passage comes just before the well-known passage where Paul condemns homosexuality. Make no mistake, Paul would go ballistic if he were to read some of the arguments put forth in defense of that perverted lifestyle today. But that's not what I want to write about as that is far too easy and obvious.
Mark Driscoll makes a big deal out of the articles in the phrase τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ψεύδει. One could very easily translate this as "the truth of God for the lie." What would the lie be? I think it is the same lie that Eve fell for back in the garden. We have this tendency to put the creature ahead of the Creator, which is to our destruction. Instead, we must put God first. We do not do this naturally, but we do after God saves us from ourselves.
What do you worship? Is it the truth of God or the lie? Which do you believe? Obviously there are times when I believe the lie. That's what sin is. It is believing the lie rather than believing in the goodness of God. The good news is that the more we trust God the easier it is to keep trusting Him. Believe the truth!
24 Διὸ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς· 25 οἵτινες μετήλλαξαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ψεύδει καὶ ἐσεβάσθησαν καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, ὅς ἐστιν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν.
This passage comes just before the well-known passage where Paul condemns homosexuality. Make no mistake, Paul would go ballistic if he were to read some of the arguments put forth in defense of that perverted lifestyle today. But that's not what I want to write about as that is far too easy and obvious.
Mark Driscoll makes a big deal out of the articles in the phrase τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ψεύδει. One could very easily translate this as "the truth of God for the lie." What would the lie be? I think it is the same lie that Eve fell for back in the garden. We have this tendency to put the creature ahead of the Creator, which is to our destruction. Instead, we must put God first. We do not do this naturally, but we do after God saves us from ourselves.
What do you worship? Is it the truth of God or the lie? Which do you believe? Obviously there are times when I believe the lie. That's what sin is. It is believing the lie rather than believing in the goodness of God. The good news is that the more we trust God the easier it is to keep trusting Him. Believe the truth!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tending the Sheep
John 21:15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
15 Ὅτε οὖν ἠρίστησαν λέγει τῷ Σίμωνι Πέτρῳ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Σίμων Ἰωάννου, ἀγαπᾷς με πλέον τούτων; λέγει αὐτῷ· ναὶ κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ· βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου. 16 λέγει αὐτῷ πάλιν δεύτερον· Σίμων Ἰωάννου, ἀγαπᾷς με; λέγει αὐτῷ· ναὶ κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ· ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. 17 λέγει αὐτῷ τὸ τρίτον· Σίμων Ἰωάννου, φιλεῖς με; ἐλυπήθη ὁ Πέτρος ὅτι εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὸ τρίτον· φιλεῖς με; καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· κύριε, πάντα σὺ οἶδας, σὺ γινώσκεις ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ [ὁ Ἰησοῦς]· βόσκε τὰ πρόβατά μου.
This is a fairly heavily-preached passage at the very end of John's gospel. Here Jesus restores Peter after Peter's denials on the night of Jesus' betrayal. This is a powerful passage that displays God's grace. I know that I am thankful for it because of my many failures.
Much is often made of the difference between Jesus' question ἀγαπᾷς με πλέον τούτων; contrasted with Peter's response of ναὶ κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε. It is usually preached something like Jesus asking Peter if he loves Him and Peter responds, "You know that I consider you a close friend." This is because of the supposedly great difference between αγαπη and φιλεω. Don't let anyone fool you. It preaches well, but the differences aren't that great. Not enough to warrant a sermon anyway.
This is a beautiful passage. I love how it demonstrates God's persistent grace in our lives. He loves us when we do not deserve it. He restores us when we think we can do nothing for Him. But don't make too big of a deal about these words.
15 Ὅτε οὖν ἠρίστησαν λέγει τῷ Σίμωνι Πέτρῳ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Σίμων Ἰωάννου, ἀγαπᾷς με πλέον τούτων; λέγει αὐτῷ· ναὶ κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ· βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου. 16 λέγει αὐτῷ πάλιν δεύτερον· Σίμων Ἰωάννου, ἀγαπᾷς με; λέγει αὐτῷ· ναὶ κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ· ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. 17 λέγει αὐτῷ τὸ τρίτον· Σίμων Ἰωάννου, φιλεῖς με; ἐλυπήθη ὁ Πέτρος ὅτι εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὸ τρίτον· φιλεῖς με; καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· κύριε, πάντα σὺ οἶδας, σὺ γινώσκεις ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ [ὁ Ἰησοῦς]· βόσκε τὰ πρόβατά μου.
This is a fairly heavily-preached passage at the very end of John's gospel. Here Jesus restores Peter after Peter's denials on the night of Jesus' betrayal. This is a powerful passage that displays God's grace. I know that I am thankful for it because of my many failures.
Much is often made of the difference between Jesus' question ἀγαπᾷς με πλέον τούτων; contrasted with Peter's response of ναὶ κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε. It is usually preached something like Jesus asking Peter if he loves Him and Peter responds, "You know that I consider you a close friend." This is because of the supposedly great difference between αγαπη and φιλεω. Don't let anyone fool you. It preaches well, but the differences aren't that great. Not enough to warrant a sermon anyway.
This is a beautiful passage. I love how it demonstrates God's persistent grace in our lives. He loves us when we do not deserve it. He restores us when we think we can do nothing for Him. But don't make too big of a deal about these words.
Profession of Faith
John 20:28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
28 ἀπεκρίθη Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου. 29 λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ὅτι ἑώρακάς με πεπίστευκας; μακάριοι οἱ μὴ ἰδόντες καὶ πιστεύσαντες.
If you want to get a moniker hung on you for eternity, just doubt who Jesus is. "Doubting" Thomas refused to believe in the resurrection of Christ until he was able to touch the wounds himself. This is his response to doing just that. There is nothing fancy to point out in the Greek other than to say that ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου is written as explicitly as it can be. Putting μου on each side of the καὶ removes all doubt about what Thomas was saying. Jesus is both his Lord and his God.
There are those who say that Jesus was the son of God, lived a perfect life, was crucified, and on the third day rose again; however, they also say that He was not God. Let's assume that they are correct for a minute. Take a Rabbi who was perfectly devout. If He was not truly God then Thomas just committed blasphemy here. Jesus rebukes Thomas a bit, but not for blasphemy. He simply makes a point about how weak Thomas' faith was and how much more blessed those who would know Him later (read: us) would be because they required a measure of faith.
It is inconceivable how Jesus' would let such blatant blasphemy slide if He was not God. By His silence Jesus gives tacit approval to Thomas' statement. In fact, He also gives implicit agreement by what He says. In other words, Jesus says, "You believe rightly, but only because you have seen me. Those who believe rightly without the physical benefits you just enjoyed will be even more blessed."
Jesus is God. I don't see how else you can read this with integrity.
28 ἀπεκρίθη Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου. 29 λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ὅτι ἑώρακάς με πεπίστευκας; μακάριοι οἱ μὴ ἰδόντες καὶ πιστεύσαντες.
If you want to get a moniker hung on you for eternity, just doubt who Jesus is. "Doubting" Thomas refused to believe in the resurrection of Christ until he was able to touch the wounds himself. This is his response to doing just that. There is nothing fancy to point out in the Greek other than to say that ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου is written as explicitly as it can be. Putting μου on each side of the καὶ removes all doubt about what Thomas was saying. Jesus is both his Lord and his God.
There are those who say that Jesus was the son of God, lived a perfect life, was crucified, and on the third day rose again; however, they also say that He was not God. Let's assume that they are correct for a minute. Take a Rabbi who was perfectly devout. If He was not truly God then Thomas just committed blasphemy here. Jesus rebukes Thomas a bit, but not for blasphemy. He simply makes a point about how weak Thomas' faith was and how much more blessed those who would know Him later (read: us) would be because they required a measure of faith.
It is inconceivable how Jesus' would let such blatant blasphemy slide if He was not God. By His silence Jesus gives tacit approval to Thomas' statement. In fact, He also gives implicit agreement by what He says. In other words, Jesus says, "You believe rightly, but only because you have seen me. Those who believe rightly without the physical benefits you just enjoyed will be even more blessed."
Jesus is God. I don't see how else you can read this with integrity.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
No Accusation
John 18:30 They answered him, "If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you."
30 ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος κακὸν ποιῶν, οὐκ ἄν σοι παρεδώκαμεν αὐτόν.
Pilate had just asked the crowd for their accusation against Jesus and this is what they came up with. If you want to be a bit more wooden and literal you could translate εἰ μὴ as "except" or even "unless." Either way, you get the idea. They didn't have a true charge against Jesus, but they wanted Him to die.
On the other hand, God the Father does have a true charge against God the Son. On the cross He took on the sins of mankind. Therefore, there was a just reason to kill Him. The problem is that He did not have any sin on His own, so it was only through God's (the whole Trinity) mercy that He went to the cross.
Sinner, do you marvel at this? Do you realize that there would be no accusation for Jesus' death but for your sin? I hope you do. I know that it is something I need to dwell on more and more. I take this for granted far too often.
30 ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος κακὸν ποιῶν, οὐκ ἄν σοι παρεδώκαμεν αὐτόν.
Pilate had just asked the crowd for their accusation against Jesus and this is what they came up with. If you want to be a bit more wooden and literal you could translate εἰ μὴ as "except" or even "unless." Either way, you get the idea. They didn't have a true charge against Jesus, but they wanted Him to die.
On the other hand, God the Father does have a true charge against God the Son. On the cross He took on the sins of mankind. Therefore, there was a just reason to kill Him. The problem is that He did not have any sin on His own, so it was only through God's (the whole Trinity) mercy that He went to the cross.
Sinner, do you marvel at this? Do you realize that there would be no accusation for Jesus' death but for your sin? I hope you do. I know that it is something I need to dwell on more and more. I take this for granted far too often.
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