In 1 Kgs. 20:35ff, we read of one of the sons of the prophets who wanted to deceive Ben-hadad, king of Syria (see 1 Kgs. 20:38). So he "said to his fellow at the command of the LORD, 'Strike me, please.' But the man refused to strike him. Then he said to him, 'Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you have gone out from me, a lion shall strike you down.' And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion met him and struck him down."
How shall we take "at the command of the LORD" and "you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD"? Was this prophet's word truly of YWHW? It would seem, in context, that it was. Nothing seems to point in the other direction. That the word was fulfilled also accords with the criteria for prophetic predictions given in Deuteronomy 18. Moreover, in the light of all of Scripture, and in the light of 2 Kgs. 17:25 in particular, I'm inclined to say that this was a predication truly based on "the command of the Lord." But whether I'm reading this one aright or not, 2 Kgs. 17:25 makes it abundantly clear that YHWH is the sort of God who sometimes sends lions to to take lives.
Do we have categories for this as we think about who God is and how he reigns today? It seems to me that the generality of us all have a category of "nice things" and a category of "bad things." We attribute the "nice things" to God; the "bad things" we attribute to another. That "another" may be Satan, may be nature, may be evil agency, may be chance or whimsy, but rarely do we conceive that YHWH is the kind of God who sometimes sends lions to take lives. We've got to read the Word of God more closely, and seek to see all through that enlightening lens. After all, we're in the story. And as characters of the grand narrative, we're either in step or out of step with the story's Main Character. Do we know and acknowledge who the Main Character really is? Do we know his character and ways?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
The Freedom of a Christian
In 1520 Martin Luther put to print three key works of the Reformation. They were The Address to the German Nobility, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and The Freedom of the Christian. The first two I have yet to read, but the last one I’ve now read three times. And it was only upon this third reading recently that I’ve begun to understand what Luther was after and how important this work was (and even still is). And I found myself praying in line with Elisha’s request to Elijah, “O Lord, give me a double portion of that man’s spirit!” (2 Kgs. 2:9). That is, of Luther’s.
In this tract, dedicated to Pope Leo X by Luther “as a token of peace and good hope,” Luther makes a bold claim. He says to Leo X: “It is a small book if you regard its size. Unless I am mistaken, however, it contains the whole of Christian life in a brief form, provided you grasp its meaning” (343). The whole of the Christian life? That is bold. The work is only about thirty-five pages in the American edition of Luther’s Works (vol. 31, Career of the Reformer: I).
Luther sets down two propositions in this little book, he says, “for the unlearned—for only them do I serve” (344). They are these:
A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.
A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.
What follows in this tract is stirring stuff for faith. And so I highly commend it to your faith. And I urge you to read it more than once as well. I, for my part, shall doubtless read it again and again from time to time. There is so much foundational doctrinal matter upon which to build one’s life. And it’s only been with the addition of some years in the faith that I’ve begun to grasp something of the power of Luther’s points. No one will agree with Luther on all of his exegesis. But no one should read Luther for careful, meticulous exegesis. Read Calvin for that. Read good modern commentaries for that. But for bold spirited formulation of some of the big guns of our religious weaponry, Luther is tops, perhaps without peer regarding the doctrines of faith.
You may purchase vol. 31 of Luther's Works at amazon. Or you may read another translation for free online here, parts 1, 2, and 3, under the heading Concerning Christian Liberty.
In this tract, dedicated to Pope Leo X by Luther “as a token of peace and good hope,” Luther makes a bold claim. He says to Leo X: “It is a small book if you regard its size. Unless I am mistaken, however, it contains the whole of Christian life in a brief form, provided you grasp its meaning” (343). The whole of the Christian life? That is bold. The work is only about thirty-five pages in the American edition of Luther’s Works (vol. 31, Career of the Reformer: I).
Luther sets down two propositions in this little book, he says, “for the unlearned—for only them do I serve” (344). They are these:
A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.
A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.
What follows in this tract is stirring stuff for faith. And so I highly commend it to your faith. And I urge you to read it more than once as well. I, for my part, shall doubtless read it again and again from time to time. There is so much foundational doctrinal matter upon which to build one’s life. And it’s only been with the addition of some years in the faith that I’ve begun to grasp something of the power of Luther’s points. No one will agree with Luther on all of his exegesis. But no one should read Luther for careful, meticulous exegesis. Read Calvin for that. Read good modern commentaries for that. But for bold spirited formulation of some of the big guns of our religious weaponry, Luther is tops, perhaps without peer regarding the doctrines of faith.
You may purchase vol. 31 of Luther's Works at amazon. Or you may read another translation for free online here, parts 1, 2, and 3, under the heading Concerning Christian Liberty.
Calvinism Everywhere, Part 25
The familiar Elijah narrative warrants careful consideration. But this post will only look at those elements that highlight the theme of this series on Calvinism everywhere. Feel free, however, to read that choice section of Old Testament narrative again and again. No one's stopping you from much instruction and encouragement. Even much fun.
Elijah predicts, as YHWH's spokesman, that "there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word" (1 Kgs. 17:1). And of course you know what happens, if only because it's included in this series of posts. And then we read, in the narrative of Elijah's conversation with the widow of Zarephath, that the God of Israel said this to the widow: "The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that YHWH sends rain upon the earth" (1 Kgs. 17:14). Then predictably, by now, we read in v. 16 the fulfillment of the prediction: "The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah." Are you yet getting used to that wonderful phrase, "according to the word the LORD"? And then, also predictably, shortly thereafter, there was rain (1 Kgs. 18:45). For the mouth of the Lord had spoken.
Next chapter, in the showdown with the prophets of Baal, after they've gone through their goofy gyrations, to absolutely no effect whatever, apart from lacerations and mutilations, Elijah prays to the Lord of heaven and earth: "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God . . . (1 Kgs. 18:37). So fire falls from Heaven and consumes offering, wood, stones, dust, licking up also the water in the trench. This is done, and I make note of it here, that we might know that YHWH, Father, Son, and Spirit, he is God. There is no other. This is his own world, and his will will be done. And so rounding off the narrative before Elisha's call, we read once again of more deaths predicted, as in the previous chapters, "according to the word of the LORD." See 1 Kgs. 19:17.
Elijah predicts, as YHWH's spokesman, that "there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word" (1 Kgs. 17:1). And of course you know what happens, if only because it's included in this series of posts. And then we read, in the narrative of Elijah's conversation with the widow of Zarephath, that the God of Israel said this to the widow: "The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that YHWH sends rain upon the earth" (1 Kgs. 17:14). Then predictably, by now, we read in v. 16 the fulfillment of the prediction: "The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah." Are you yet getting used to that wonderful phrase, "according to the word the LORD"? And then, also predictably, shortly thereafter, there was rain (1 Kgs. 18:45). For the mouth of the Lord had spoken.
Next chapter, in the showdown with the prophets of Baal, after they've gone through their goofy gyrations, to absolutely no effect whatever, apart from lacerations and mutilations, Elijah prays to the Lord of heaven and earth: "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God . . . (1 Kgs. 18:37). So fire falls from Heaven and consumes offering, wood, stones, dust, licking up also the water in the trench. This is done, and I make note of it here, that we might know that YHWH, Father, Son, and Spirit, he is God. There is no other. This is his own world, and his will will be done. And so rounding off the narrative before Elisha's call, we read once again of more deaths predicted, as in the previous chapters, "according to the word of the LORD." See 1 Kgs. 19:17.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Calvinism Everywhere, Part 24
In 1 Kings 14, Jeroboam's wife is charged to visit Ahijah, the prophet of the Lord. She meets this word for Jeroboam: "Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart . . . therefore behold, I will bring harm . . . (1 Kgs. 14:7-10). God had made Jeroboam king. He wasn't a self-made man. (No one is.) And yet Jeroboam cast God behind his back (1 Kgs. 14:9).
So YHWH promises to bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam (1 Kgs. 14:10). This will include much carnage for dogs and birds to eat (1 Kgs. 14:10-11). Can we be sure? Oh yes; "for the LORD has spoken it" (1 Kgs. 14:11). There then follows a word about Jeroboam's child alone going to the grave (1 Kgs. 14:13), which appears to be a good thing in the context, as in Abijah only, among all Jeroboam's offspring, did YHWH find "something pleasing." So the child dies, "according to the word of the LORD" (1 Kgs. 14:18). Now "YHWH will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam" (1 Kgs. 14:14). Remember, he is the one who raises up and throws down kings.
So YHWH promises to bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam (1 Kgs. 14:10). This will include much carnage for dogs and birds to eat (1 Kgs. 14:10-11). Can we be sure? Oh yes; "for the LORD has spoken it" (1 Kgs. 14:11). There then follows a word about Jeroboam's child alone going to the grave (1 Kgs. 14:13), which appears to be a good thing in the context, as in Abijah only, among all Jeroboam's offspring, did YHWH find "something pleasing." So the child dies, "according to the word of the LORD" (1 Kgs. 14:18). Now "YHWH will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam" (1 Kgs. 14:14). Remember, he is the one who raises up and throws down kings.
So Jeroboam breaths his last (1 Kgs. 14:19-20) and Nadab his son begins to reign over Israel (1 Kgs. 15:25). But his reign ends rather abruptly when Baasha conspires against him and slays him (1 Kgs. 15:27-28). "And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed . . . according to the word of the LORD" (1 Kgs. 15:29). And we're even told why YHWH sent this massacre: "It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and that he made Israel to sin . . . (1 Kgs. 15:30).
Then, although Baasha was exalted by God (it was the Lord's doing, again, as always), yet since he was made of the same stuff as Jeroboam, he hears a similar word about his house being swept away like Jeroboam's: 1 Kgs. 16:2-3. When Baasha sleeps with his fathers, Elah his son comes to the throne (1 Kgs. 16:6, 8), which is followed fairly swiftly by his assassination and replacement by Zimri (1 Kgs. 16:10). And "according to the word of the LORD" (1 Kgs. 16:12), Zimri lays waste to "all the house of Baasha" (1 Kgs. 16:11).
This is sordid stuff, isn't it? And it comes to pass, all of it, down to where the droplets of blood spattered, "according to the word of the LORD," a not insignificant phrase, a phrase to be pondered.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Owen's Hermeneutics: A Breath of Fresh Air
In the modern West, there is almost universally such a strong sense of progress that the past is incessantly despised or looked upon with condescension. I don't think the fields of linguistics and hermeneutics are exempt either. Older handlers of language are frequently spoken of as apes that simply plopped noncontextual dictionary definitions into the meaning of words in a given context, ignoring like idiots the obvious, namely, the larger linguistic structures of which the words partake.
Now in saying this sort of thing, I don't want to dismiss the real instances of progress that have been made, nor ignore the shortcomings or bone-ignorance of the past. But I do want to say that our sense of progress is a bit overblown, and oftentimes overweeningly arrogant. Moreover, and this is my chief concern, important methods and approaches and lessons are sometimes lost.
What follows now is a small sampling (three statements) from John Owen's work on the Spirit, from the third volume of his Works, with my brief commentary along the way. The first one particularly pleases me.
Here is Owen on hermeneutics: "Scripture is able of itself to manifest its own intention and meaning unto humble and diligent inquirers into it" (47).
This sort of statement is conspicuously absent in modern
Now in saying this sort of thing, I don't want to dismiss the real instances of progress that have been made, nor ignore the shortcomings or bone-ignorance of the past. But I do want to say that our sense of progress is a bit overblown, and oftentimes overweeningly arrogant. Moreover, and this is my chief concern, important methods and approaches and lessons are sometimes lost.
What follows now is a small sampling (three statements) from John Owen's work on the Spirit, from the third volume of his Works, with my brief commentary along the way. The first one particularly pleases me.
Here is Owen on hermeneutics: "Scripture is able of itself to manifest its own intention and meaning unto humble and diligent inquirers into it" (47).
This sort of statement is conspicuously absent in modern
Friday, July 22, 2011
Calvinism Everywhere, Part 23
So the divided kingdom was ultimately from God (1 Kgs. 12:24). And it would appear that the lion that killed the man of God in 1 Kgs. 13:24 was also from God as recompense for his disobedience to God's word. What's instructive here is how the immediate and broader contexts must be called to mind to conclude that the lion was sent by God. The snapshot (either the verse or paragraph, or if you were there without a biblical worldview) would simply picture a lion mauling a man. And why would any suppose that this was God's doing?
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Assassination of Body and Character
What is murder? Assassination of someone's body. What is slander? Assassination of someone's character.
—Colin Gunton, The Christian Faith, p. 44.
—Colin Gunton, The Christian Faith, p. 44.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Calvinism Everywhere, Part 22
In response to Solomon's request (1 Kgs. 3:9), God was pleased to put wisdom into the mind of Solomon (1 Kgs. 10:24), more it seems than any before him or after him (save One, the Holy Son). His wisdom and wealth (which were connected) took away the breath of the Queen of Sheba (1 Kgs. 10:5). Although she had heard of Solomon's fame (1 Kgs. 10:1), upon seeing his wisdom she exclaimed, "The half was not told me!" (1 Kgs. 10:7).
But Solomon's wealth of wisdom did not keep him from making shipwreck upon the love of many foreign women, who stole away his heart after false gods (1 Kgs. 11:1ff). So Solomon worshiped abominations, doing evil in the sight of YHWH, not following him wholly as David had done (1 Kgs. 11:5ff). Almost needless to say, YHWH was angry with Solomon (1 Kgs. 11:9). The LORD told Solomon, "I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. . . . But I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen" (1 Kgs. 11:11-13). We see here, then, the raw and just reign of God.
Moreover, YHWH raises up an adversary against Solomon, not once (1 Kgs. 11:14), not twice (1 Kgs. 11:23), but thrice (1 Kgs. 11:36; 12:1, 15). And he did this not only from among the nations, but even from Solomon's own lusting loins, which produced Rehoboam. So Rehoboam gets one tribe from the Lord; and Jeroboam gets ten tribes from his hand (1 Kgs. 11:31). This division in the kingdom comes, remember, on account of corrupt worship (1 Kgs. 11:33). Because of this, though not forever, YHWH afflicts the offspring of David (1 Kgs. 11:39).
Now what shall we make of all this? Well, we shall make out in
But Solomon's wealth of wisdom did not keep him from making shipwreck upon the love of many foreign women, who stole away his heart after false gods (1 Kgs. 11:1ff). So Solomon worshiped abominations, doing evil in the sight of YHWH, not following him wholly as David had done (1 Kgs. 11:5ff). Almost needless to say, YHWH was angry with Solomon (1 Kgs. 11:9). The LORD told Solomon, "I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. . . . But I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen" (1 Kgs. 11:11-13). We see here, then, the raw and just reign of God.
Moreover, YHWH raises up an adversary against Solomon, not once (1 Kgs. 11:14), not twice (1 Kgs. 11:23), but thrice (1 Kgs. 11:36; 12:1, 15). And he did this not only from among the nations, but even from Solomon's own lusting loins, which produced Rehoboam. So Rehoboam gets one tribe from the Lord; and Jeroboam gets ten tribes from his hand (1 Kgs. 11:31). This division in the kingdom comes, remember, on account of corrupt worship (1 Kgs. 11:33). Because of this, though not forever, YHWH afflicts the offspring of David (1 Kgs. 11:39).
Now what shall we make of all this? Well, we shall make out in
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Another Blog Fast
I'm taking a one week blog fast. I'm going under for an intensive theology class this week at Wheaton College. When I come up, I'll be back. Wifey is taking the class with me, our first class together (though we've been in the school of Christ together for over four years). It should be a good week with my bright and beautiful bride, who is like the holy women of old. Thinking about the deep things of God with Emily is undoubtedly one of the greatest joys of my life.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Can Wicked Rulers be Allied with YHWH?
Here's a pertinent rhetorical question for our land: Ps. 94:20. Never confuse one party or other with the kingdom of God. But never think, either, that the kingdom of God has nothing to do with politics. Jesus is Lord of all, and every knee will bow (Phil. 2:9-11). God has raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come (Eph. 1:20-21).
Would that the preachers in our land would lay hold of their pulpits and preach Ps. 2:10-12 like they believed it, effectively banishing our silly sacred/secular mindset, our privatized and truncated religious thinking and living. Either Jesus is Lord of all, or he's not. And professing Christians in North America often want him to be Lord just of their little churches (usually just Sunday morning, perhaps, if Jesus is lucky) and their little hearts (during devotional time, if we even touch our Bibles). But, Jesus is Lord of all. We don't make him Lord of anything. The Lord God has appointed his Christ to rule the nations. So King Jesus reigns. And every national knee will bow: "All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name" (Ps. 86:9).
Would that the preachers in our land would lay hold of their pulpits and preach Ps. 2:10-12 like they believed it, effectively banishing our silly sacred/secular mindset, our privatized and truncated religious thinking and living. Either Jesus is Lord of all, or he's not. And professing Christians in North America often want him to be Lord just of their little churches (usually just Sunday morning, perhaps, if Jesus is lucky) and their little hearts (during devotional time, if we even touch our Bibles). But, Jesus is Lord of all. We don't make him Lord of anything. The Lord God has appointed his Christ to rule the nations. So King Jesus reigns. And every national knee will bow: "All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name" (Ps. 86:9).
Friday, July 8, 2011
Calvinism Everywhere, Part 21
First Kings 8 records Solomon's magnificent prayer at the dedication of the temple. The depths and heights of biblical theology and typology here reach far and climb high. And were I up to the daunting task, I'd do a whole series on this far-reaching sinew of Scripture that goes back to Genesis and forward through the cross and resurrection on into Revelation. Would that preachers took up this text in our churches for series of 10-12 weeks or more! There's so much here!
But, for now, we'll focus in on only a few elements to stay on topic: Calvinism Everywhere. The whole of 1 Kings 8:22-53 is a prayer. And so God's almighty ability to do what is asked for is assumed. Solomon was sure of God's ability to carry out what he purposed, for this God speaks with his mouth, and fulfills with his hand (1 Kgs. 8:24). I shall not highlight what is prayed for and then fulfilled, however, though that would be profitable. Rather I shall look at some portions where God has sent some providential dealing Israel's way (in line with the covenant curses of Deuteronomy).
On account of Israel's pervasive sinfulness and covenant-breaking—"for there is no one who does not sin" (1 Kgs. 8:46)—God fulfills what he threatened in Deuteronomy. Solomon knows these curses are coming; that's why he prays. And these are the coming covenant curses: defeat before the enemy (1 Kgs. 8:33); drought conditions (1 Kgs. 8:35); famine, pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, caterpillar, plague, sickness, siege conditions (1 Kgs. 8:37); exile into the land of their captors (1 Kgs. 8:46). These conditions, Solomon assumes, come about from the hand of the covenant Lord on account of covenant-breaking disobedience. When these curses fall, when Israel goes into exile, all will acknowledge the hand of YHWH (1 Kgs. 9:9). And the covenant Lord alone can deliver from the bitter fruit of faithlessness. He sends distress and destruction; he also sends salvation and deliverance.
So behold your God, O man! And turn in trust and pray—toward the place where his name now dwells (Jn. 1:14; 2:18-22). For there is one mediator appointed between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5-6), the true temple, the ultimate meeting place with God, where God's holy presence fully and finally dwells (Col. 1:19; 2:9).
But, for now, we'll focus in on only a few elements to stay on topic: Calvinism Everywhere. The whole of 1 Kings 8:22-53 is a prayer. And so God's almighty ability to do what is asked for is assumed. Solomon was sure of God's ability to carry out what he purposed, for this God speaks with his mouth, and fulfills with his hand (1 Kgs. 8:24). I shall not highlight what is prayed for and then fulfilled, however, though that would be profitable. Rather I shall look at some portions where God has sent some providential dealing Israel's way (in line with the covenant curses of Deuteronomy).
On account of Israel's pervasive sinfulness and covenant-breaking—"for there is no one who does not sin" (1 Kgs. 8:46)—God fulfills what he threatened in Deuteronomy. Solomon knows these curses are coming; that's why he prays. And these are the coming covenant curses: defeat before the enemy (1 Kgs. 8:33); drought conditions (1 Kgs. 8:35); famine, pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, caterpillar, plague, sickness, siege conditions (1 Kgs. 8:37); exile into the land of their captors (1 Kgs. 8:46). These conditions, Solomon assumes, come about from the hand of the covenant Lord on account of covenant-breaking disobedience. When these curses fall, when Israel goes into exile, all will acknowledge the hand of YHWH (1 Kgs. 9:9). And the covenant Lord alone can deliver from the bitter fruit of faithlessness. He sends distress and destruction; he also sends salvation and deliverance.
So behold your God, O man! And turn in trust and pray—toward the place where his name now dwells (Jn. 1:14; 2:18-22). For there is one mediator appointed between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5-6), the true temple, the ultimate meeting place with God, where God's holy presence fully and finally dwells (Col. 1:19; 2:9).
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Delighting in The Spirit's Person and Work
John Owen on the Holy Spirit is quickly proving to be life-changing for me. I don't think I can be the same after working through volume three of his works. I don't say this flippantly; and I don't say this infallibly. After all, the Spirit is sovereign and moves as he pleases (1 Cor. 12:11), blowing where he will (Jn. 3:8). But I do say it advisedly.
I think I've only been able to say this sort of thing a handful of times in my walk with God. Another one of these seasons was spending a whole year with Professor Greg Beale in Principles of Interpretation and New Testament Theology at Wheaton College. This season profoundly shaped my approach to the Bible, my understanding of eschatology, and my appreciation for God's inbreaking new creation kingdom in the risen Christ. Yet another was being introduced to the prophetic preaching of John Piper. In particular I experienced electric soul shock upon hearing Piper preach in person for the first time. My whole being was moved. Never before had a man brought such unction and power with his message.
So, similarly perhaps, here's a serious word for me, and I think for all, from Owen on the importance of our response to the Spirit's ministry in the world:
May the Lord and Giver of life be pleased to blow through our land and give us life indeed through the Son, working in us not only a zeal to avoid despising the Spirit's person and work, but more, a zeal to delight in and prize sensibly his person and work. O God our Father, give us a felt sense of the glory of the gift of your Son's Spirit! All we possess, that is to say, infinite glory and treasure, we do possess in the Spirit.
I think I've only been able to say this sort of thing a handful of times in my walk with God. Another one of these seasons was spending a whole year with Professor Greg Beale in Principles of Interpretation and New Testament Theology at Wheaton College. This season profoundly shaped my approach to the Bible, my understanding of eschatology, and my appreciation for God's inbreaking new creation kingdom in the risen Christ. Yet another was being introduced to the prophetic preaching of John Piper. In particular I experienced electric soul shock upon hearing Piper preach in person for the first time. My whole being was moved. Never before had a man brought such unction and power with his message.
So, similarly perhaps, here's a serious word for me, and I think for all, from Owen on the importance of our response to the Spirit's ministry in the world:
But now the Lord Jesus Christ, being ascended unto his Father, hath committed his whole affairs in the church and in the world unto the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11). And it is on this design of God that the person of the Spirit may be singularly exalted in the church . . . and with respect unto him it is that the church in its present state is capable of an apostasy from God. And whatever is found of this nature amongst any, here it hath its beginning; for the sin of despising his person and rejecting his work now is of the same nature with idolatry of old, and the Jew's rejection of the person of the Son (Works, vol. 3, p. 44).We need to think long and hard about this warning from Owen. And we need to consider whether or not we honor the Spirit fully, sow to him duly, and delight in him truly. Do we grieve him? Do we quench his holy motions?
May the Lord and Giver of life be pleased to blow through our land and give us life indeed through the Son, working in us not only a zeal to avoid despising the Spirit's person and work, but more, a zeal to delight in and prize sensibly his person and work. O God our Father, give us a felt sense of the glory of the gift of your Son's Spirit! All we possess, that is to say, infinite glory and treasure, we do possess in the Spirit.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Calvinism Everywhere, Part 20
So on into the book of Kings. In 1 Kgs. 2:12 we read of Solomon's firmly established kingdom. But how did this come about when Adonijah had seized the throne with substantial support? Well, "it was [Solomon's] from the LORD" (1 Kgs. 2:15). Such is the way things tend to go when God governs the universe.
We also read that the LORD's word from 1 Sam. 2:27-36 was fulfilled: 1 Kgs. 2:27. As I said, such is the way things tend to go when God governs the universe.
This is Calvinism—God, sovereign everywhere. Come, join the joy ride. Come, and worship before the Lord.
We also read that the LORD's word from 1 Sam. 2:27-36 was fulfilled: 1 Kgs. 2:27. As I said, such is the way things tend to go when God governs the universe.
This is Calvinism—God, sovereign everywhere. Come, join the joy ride. Come, and worship before the Lord.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Where is Your Faith Focused?
John Owen on the prominence of the Spirit in the New Testament as an object of our faith:
The Holy Spirit, the doctrine concerning his person, his work, his grace, is the most peculiar and principal subject of the Scriptures of the New Testament, and a most eminent immediate object of the faith of them that do believe. . . .—Works, vol. 3, p. 23.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Grace and Mercy Grounded in Love
Yesterday's Lord's Day sermon on Eph. 2:1-10, preached by NCC pastor Andrew Fulton, provided liberating food for the dull duty-bound believer. More than that, though, good as that was for me, it also stirred me to contemplate more clearly the nature of grace and mercy in relation to love, which I've wondered at for years. I think the Lord has given me some light.
So what is the mercy of God, what is the grace of God, and what is the love of God? And how do grace, mercy, and love relate? This text—Eph. 2:4-5—brings these together plainly and brightly. First, I'll give definitions that I believe are governed by the context of this text. Then I'll try to bring them together.
So what is the mercy of God? Simply stated, mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. This is the negative side, we might say. Born and dead in transgressions and sins (Eph. 2:1), God's mercy comes in and pities the suffering and misery of our condemnation and judgment under the Judge's just wrath. And God withholds exactly what we deserve. He does not condemn the guilty.
So then, what is the grace of God? Well, it is the positive side: grace is God giving us what we don't deserve. Grace gives us a free gift we didn't and can't earn. Grace gives lavish generosity to those who've been stubbornly and persistently stingy and sinful. It moves way beyond mercy.
Mercy says, "I will not sentence you to death, a death that is your due for rebelling against the law of the Lawgiver, for spitting in the face of your good and kind King, for worshiping (delighting in and desiring and loving) the creature and creation rather than (supremely delighting in and desiring and loving) the Creator—who is blessed forever! Amen!" (Rom. 1:25). So speaks Mercy.
But Grace comes in, wonder of wonders, and says, "I will move beyond granting pardon. Wonderful as mercy is, I will do more. I will seat you in the heavenlies in my risen and exalted Son and make you a co-heir of all that is his (Eph. 2:6; cf. Rom. 8:17). The tripersonal God of infinite love and joy and sweetness will be your everlasting portion and treasure and enjoyment. I know you spit in my face. I know you disregarded my glory. And so I showed you stunning mercy. But that's not all. I also want to make you my son, with all the privileges and possessions of that status." So speaks Grace.
Well then, what is love, if it's not what's already been described? It is this: love is the infinite fountain-like heart of God that pours forth mercy and grace on greasy ingrates from all eternity and on into all eternity. "Because of the great love with which he loved us" (Eph. 2:4). Notice that love grounds the mercy that's gone before to deal with our condition in Eph. 2:1-3. And notice that love then also grounds the grace that lavishes upon us what follows in Eph. 2:5-7. Love is the bottom of all the free mercy and grace of God that comes to us through Christ in the gift of his Spirit.
And this Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son, now poured out through the risen and living Savior and Lord of all—on us—on dirty, grimy, slimy, unholy idolaters. This Spirit is the life of God given to us in union with the risen Son—we who were cold corrupting corpses in trespasses and sins. Now, because of grace and mercy, bottomed in eternal love, now we live with the very life of the risen Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. He made us alive with him—by grace you have been saved! (Eph. 2:5). O praise the glory of this great triune grace! (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14). This is the free, unfettered gift of God—so no boasting! (Eph. 2:8-9). Except of grace, glorious grace. God's grace.
So love is the bottom of this grace and mercy, the eternal love of the Father, Son, and Spirit (Eph. 1:4). But how may we know this love? What does it look like? I'm glad you asked, for I'm glad to tell you. It looks like this: "We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us" (1 Jn. 3:16); "God did not spare his own Son" (Rom. 8:32); "God gave his only unique Son" (Jn. 3:16); "Christ loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). Love looks like the cross. Love looks like Christ crucified. Love looks like the King killed. For you, and for me.
So what is the mercy of God, what is the grace of God, and what is the love of God? And how do grace, mercy, and love relate? This text—Eph. 2:4-5—brings these together plainly and brightly. First, I'll give definitions that I believe are governed by the context of this text. Then I'll try to bring them together.
So what is the mercy of God? Simply stated, mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. This is the negative side, we might say. Born and dead in transgressions and sins (Eph. 2:1), God's mercy comes in and pities the suffering and misery of our condemnation and judgment under the Judge's just wrath. And God withholds exactly what we deserve. He does not condemn the guilty.
So then, what is the grace of God? Well, it is the positive side: grace is God giving us what we don't deserve. Grace gives us a free gift we didn't and can't earn. Grace gives lavish generosity to those who've been stubbornly and persistently stingy and sinful. It moves way beyond mercy.
Mercy says, "I will not sentence you to death, a death that is your due for rebelling against the law of the Lawgiver, for spitting in the face of your good and kind King, for worshiping (delighting in and desiring and loving) the creature and creation rather than (supremely delighting in and desiring and loving) the Creator—who is blessed forever! Amen!" (Rom. 1:25). So speaks Mercy.
But Grace comes in, wonder of wonders, and says, "I will move beyond granting pardon. Wonderful as mercy is, I will do more. I will seat you in the heavenlies in my risen and exalted Son and make you a co-heir of all that is his (Eph. 2:6; cf. Rom. 8:17). The tripersonal God of infinite love and joy and sweetness will be your everlasting portion and treasure and enjoyment. I know you spit in my face. I know you disregarded my glory. And so I showed you stunning mercy. But that's not all. I also want to make you my son, with all the privileges and possessions of that status." So speaks Grace.
Well then, what is love, if it's not what's already been described? It is this: love is the infinite fountain-like heart of God that pours forth mercy and grace on greasy ingrates from all eternity and on into all eternity. "Because of the great love with which he loved us" (Eph. 2:4). Notice that love grounds the mercy that's gone before to deal with our condition in Eph. 2:1-3. And notice that love then also grounds the grace that lavishes upon us what follows in Eph. 2:5-7. Love is the bottom of all the free mercy and grace of God that comes to us through Christ in the gift of his Spirit.
And this Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son, now poured out through the risen and living Savior and Lord of all—on us—on dirty, grimy, slimy, unholy idolaters. This Spirit is the life of God given to us in union with the risen Son—we who were cold corrupting corpses in trespasses and sins. Now, because of grace and mercy, bottomed in eternal love, now we live with the very life of the risen Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. He made us alive with him—by grace you have been saved! (Eph. 2:5). O praise the glory of this great triune grace! (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14). This is the free, unfettered gift of God—so no boasting! (Eph. 2:8-9). Except of grace, glorious grace. God's grace.
So love is the bottom of this grace and mercy, the eternal love of the Father, Son, and Spirit (Eph. 1:4). But how may we know this love? What does it look like? I'm glad you asked, for I'm glad to tell you. It looks like this: "We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us" (1 Jn. 3:16); "God did not spare his own Son" (Rom. 8:32); "God gave his only unique Son" (Jn. 3:16); "Christ loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). Love looks like the cross. Love looks like Christ crucified. Love looks like the King killed. For you, and for me.
Calvinism Everywhere, Part 19
Second Samuel 24 begins with God's anger burning against Israel, and so YHWH incites David against them (2 Sam. 24:1). I discussed this in the last post on Calvinism Everywhere. Here I want to direct your attention to what happened after David's heart struck him (for taking a census) and he confessed his sin (2 Sam. 24:10).
Through the prophet Gad YHWH speaks and gives David three options from which to choose. For his sin, God could send three years of famine upon the land; or God could make David flee before his foes for three months; or God could send three days' pestilence through the land (2 Sam. 24:12-13). Which will it be, David, from the hand of the sovereign Lord? David chooses pestilence; so YHWH sends pestilence (2 Sam. 24:14-15). And 70,000 die.
Now consider those three options again. They assume absolute sovereignty. God's total control over nature, wills, and disease is plain. And it is at these three points that we moderns routinely refuse to recognize the hand of God. Nature? Come on. We know famines occur due to natural, not supernatural, processes (hence nature). God doesn't interfere with such things, at least not ordinarily. Right? And being chased by foes would mean God would have to bring some pressure to bear upon the human will, since being chased by men or not involves free choice. And we know God doesn't interfere with free choice. Don't we? And pestilence? You've got to be kidding. This is just pure biology and pathophysiology. Germs happen. Cells dysfunction. We can even describe the mechanisms of many diseases. But God sending disease? Sounds really primitive, even mean-spirited and bad-tempered, and (of course) unloving. So God wouldn't do that. God couldn't do that.
But there you have it. It's in the text. God will send one of the three options before David: famine, foes, or disease. (And, incidentally then, he'll withhold the other two.) Now what sort of God are we talking about to be able to bring such to pass? With whom are we reckoning? With whom do we have to do? The God of the spirits of all flesh, the God of heaven and earth, the God of armies. YHWH is his name, Father, Son, and Spirit, working his wondrous will from all eternity. O bow low, soul, and do obeisance, and marvel, and adore! Adore the God of Calvinism, the God of this world, the God of the Bible. Holy is he! (Ps. 99:5,9).
Through the prophet Gad YHWH speaks and gives David three options from which to choose. For his sin, God could send three years of famine upon the land; or God could make David flee before his foes for three months; or God could send three days' pestilence through the land (2 Sam. 24:12-13). Which will it be, David, from the hand of the sovereign Lord? David chooses pestilence; so YHWH sends pestilence (2 Sam. 24:14-15). And 70,000 die.
Now consider those three options again. They assume absolute sovereignty. God's total control over nature, wills, and disease is plain. And it is at these three points that we moderns routinely refuse to recognize the hand of God. Nature? Come on. We know famines occur due to natural, not supernatural, processes (hence nature). God doesn't interfere with such things, at least not ordinarily. Right? And being chased by foes would mean God would have to bring some pressure to bear upon the human will, since being chased by men or not involves free choice. And we know God doesn't interfere with free choice. Don't we? And pestilence? You've got to be kidding. This is just pure biology and pathophysiology. Germs happen. Cells dysfunction. We can even describe the mechanisms of many diseases. But God sending disease? Sounds really primitive, even mean-spirited and bad-tempered, and (of course) unloving. So God wouldn't do that. God couldn't do that.
But there you have it. It's in the text. God will send one of the three options before David: famine, foes, or disease. (And, incidentally then, he'll withhold the other two.) Now what sort of God are we talking about to be able to bring such to pass? With whom are we reckoning? With whom do we have to do? The God of the spirits of all flesh, the God of heaven and earth, the God of armies. YHWH is his name, Father, Son, and Spirit, working his wondrous will from all eternity. O bow low, soul, and do obeisance, and marvel, and adore! Adore the God of Calvinism, the God of this world, the God of the Bible. Holy is he! (Ps. 99:5,9).
Saturday, July 2, 2011
From All That Dwell Below The Skies
Based on Ps. 117, here's a glorious 1719 hymn written by Isaac Watts:
From all that dwell below the skies
let the Creator's praise arise;
let the Redeemer's name be sung
through every land, by every tongue.
In every land begin the song;
to every land the strains belong.
In cheerful sound all voices raise
and fill the world with joyful praise.
Eternal are your mercies, Lord;
eternal truth attends your word.
Your praise shall sound from shore to shore
till the suns shall rise and set no more.
Your kingdom come, Lord! Hallowed be your name! Through every land, by every tongue, from shore to shore!
From all that dwell below the skies
let the Creator's praise arise;
let the Redeemer's name be sung
through every land, by every tongue.
In every land begin the song;
to every land the strains belong.
In cheerful sound all voices raise
and fill the world with joyful praise.
Eternal are your mercies, Lord;
eternal truth attends your word.
Your praise shall sound from shore to shore
till the suns shall rise and set no more.
Your kingdom come, Lord! Hallowed be your name! Through every land, by every tongue, from shore to shore!
St. Patrick's Breastplate
I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever,
By power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan River;
His death on cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the Cherubim;
The sweet 'Well done' in judgment hour;
The service of the Seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death-wound and the burning
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till thy returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.
* The original Irish text can be found at wikisource. The translation is by Cecil Frances Alexander (1823-1895).
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever,
By power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan River;
His death on cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the Cherubim;
The sweet 'Well done' in judgment hour;
The service of the Seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death-wound and the burning
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till thy returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.
* The original Irish text can be found at wikisource. The translation is by Cecil Frances Alexander (1823-1895).
Friday, July 1, 2011
Calvinism Everywhere, Part 18
Reviewing the names of David's mighty men, 2 Sam. 23:9ff recounts the victories wrought by the Lord: "And YHWH brought about a great victory that day . . . and YHWH worked a great victory" (2 Sam. 23:10,12).
Now break your brains over these two texts juxtaposed: 2 Sam. 24:1 and 1 Chr. 21:1. Very likely here we have important critical issues (like time of composition) to consider when considering this sort of tension. But theologically (after all, I'm arguing, along with the Bible, that we live in a theocentric universe!) something like the cosmic stage of Job 1:6-12 undoubtedly undergirds the historical unfoldings in 2 Sam. 24:1. Ponder the scene of Satan getting permission from the Lord in Job 1, and ask yourself if the same sort of scenario might not fit 2 Sam. 24:1 and 1 Chr. 21:1. Although, I'll venture an addition: that God himself is said to incite David on account of anger makes this scenario slightly different from that of Job 1. For there Satan initiated; here YHWH initiates.
Oftentimes these texts are spoken of as problem texts. Okay, I know what is often meant, and I'm okay with this after a fashion. However, more and more I have a felt sense that the problem is in me, the problem is in us, not in the text. My head and heart are out of step with the Spirit, and my wisdom, as Job's (Job 38-41), falls far short of the counsels of the everlasting, infinitely wise triune God of Scripture—who has to lisp in infinite condescension to speak intelligibly to us!
So "I lay my hand on my mouth" (Job 40:4). And I tremble at "putting God in the wrong" (Job 40:8). I fear "darkening counsel by words without knowledge" (Job 38:2). I fear hearing the living Lord say: "Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me" (Job 38:3). His judgments, they are upright—they are altogether true and just, good and wise, faithful and everlasting! How "unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" (Rom. 11:33). "This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true . . ." (2 Sam. 22:31). A joy to declare it—yes!—this "LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation" (2 Sam. 22:47). Amen, and amen.
Now break your brains over these two texts juxtaposed: 2 Sam. 24:1 and 1 Chr. 21:1. Very likely here we have important critical issues (like time of composition) to consider when considering this sort of tension. But theologically (after all, I'm arguing, along with the Bible, that we live in a theocentric universe!) something like the cosmic stage of Job 1:6-12 undoubtedly undergirds the historical unfoldings in 2 Sam. 24:1. Ponder the scene of Satan getting permission from the Lord in Job 1, and ask yourself if the same sort of scenario might not fit 2 Sam. 24:1 and 1 Chr. 21:1. Although, I'll venture an addition: that God himself is said to incite David on account of anger makes this scenario slightly different from that of Job 1. For there Satan initiated; here YHWH initiates.
Oftentimes these texts are spoken of as problem texts. Okay, I know what is often meant, and I'm okay with this after a fashion. However, more and more I have a felt sense that the problem is in me, the problem is in us, not in the text. My head and heart are out of step with the Spirit, and my wisdom, as Job's (Job 38-41), falls far short of the counsels of the everlasting, infinitely wise triune God of Scripture—who has to lisp in infinite condescension to speak intelligibly to us!
So "I lay my hand on my mouth" (Job 40:4). And I tremble at "putting God in the wrong" (Job 40:8). I fear "darkening counsel by words without knowledge" (Job 38:2). I fear hearing the living Lord say: "Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me" (Job 38:3). His judgments, they are upright—they are altogether true and just, good and wise, faithful and everlasting! How "unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" (Rom. 11:33). "This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true . . ." (2 Sam. 22:31). A joy to declare it—yes!—this "LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation" (2 Sam. 22:47). Amen, and amen.
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