Aiden W Tozer wrote often about the need to press beyond an intellectual understanding of Christian theology and doctrine into a real experience of and relationship with God. In his day he saw an emphasis on such intellectual understanding at the expense of really knowing God. I think that in many circles the situation has reversed itself in our day - we crave experience and minimize theology and doctrine. This is equally dangerous. One place this problem manifests itself is in our response to sin. When we don't grasp the personal nature of our relationship with God it is easy to think of sin in merely legal terms, something that must be tolerated or dealt with according to certain procedures. Likewise, if our focus is entirely on a content-less experience of Christ, we may not have a high view of the holiness of God and of His wrath against sin. We may simply say, "Sorry," as if we just bumped into Him in the hall. Sin is very serious business. Tozer reminds us, however,
"Regardless of what men may say, we are still face to face with the sin question, and no man who has neglected to deal with his sins can even remotely understand the question of the deity of Christ and the mystery of the Godhead. Until the sinner has been brought before the bar of God and convicted of personal guilt, any notions he may have about Christ are bound to be academic, nothing more, and wholly unrelated to life. One deadly result of our failure to face up to the fact of sin is the widespread moral insensitivity which characterizes Christians these days... The nerve has died in the Christian conscience and the sin that would have driven our Christian fathers to their knees in a paroxysm of repentance leaves us almost untouched."
How do you think about sin? How do you respond to sin in your own life? Do you take it as seriously as God does? What would change if we did?
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Steadfast Peace
A long time ago I memorized Isaiah 26:3, which says,
"You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in You."
But I think verse 4 helps develop the idea further:
"Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD , the LORD , is the Rock eternal."
Perfect peace is certainly a desirable state, and here we learn it is promised to those whose mind is steadfast. But not just steadfast in any particular direction - steadfast in its focus and trust in the Lord, who is the Rock eternal. The whole image of the Rock is oriented towards the fact that the Lord is forever to forever unchanging; He is the very definition of constant and steadfast. When our minds and hearts are constant in our faith and trust in Him, no matter the circumstances, we can find peace that, in the words of Philippians 4, "defies all understanding."
The English Standard Version (a newer translation that I heartily recommend) translates verse 3 above with a slightly different emphasis that draws greater attention to the point we're discussing:
"You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Is your mind "stayed" on Christ? Do you trust Him in all circumstances; in His unchanging grace and goodness?
"You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in You."
But I think verse 4 helps develop the idea further:
"Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD , the LORD , is the Rock eternal."
Perfect peace is certainly a desirable state, and here we learn it is promised to those whose mind is steadfast. But not just steadfast in any particular direction - steadfast in its focus and trust in the Lord, who is the Rock eternal. The whole image of the Rock is oriented towards the fact that the Lord is forever to forever unchanging; He is the very definition of constant and steadfast. When our minds and hearts are constant in our faith and trust in Him, no matter the circumstances, we can find peace that, in the words of Philippians 4, "defies all understanding."
The English Standard Version (a newer translation that I heartily recommend) translates verse 3 above with a slightly different emphasis that draws greater attention to the point we're discussing:
"You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Is your mind "stayed" on Christ? Do you trust Him in all circumstances; in His unchanging grace and goodness?
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
James 1:6-8
Continuing our stroll through James 1 we happen upon some verses that may at first trouble us a bit, 1:6-8:
6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double minded man, unstable in all he does.
Now should we take this the way many Pentecostal TV preachers and "faith-healers" might preach it - that if we just believe enough and have enough faith we can get what we want and, conversely, when our prayers aren't answered (or we don't get the answer we want) it is because we don't pray hard enough or exercise enough faith? NO! Those who preach it that way are dead wrong! As if God's will was dependent upon some subjective level of faith or prayers on the part of finite men.
The key to this passage is, I think, in the concept of being double minded. The double minded person is one who has two agendas, who is pulled in two directions, and tries to serve two masters. On the one hand he wants God's favor and may have genuine desire to live for God. On the other hand, he wants to please this world and serve himself or something other than God. Thus he has two minds, figuratively speaking. He is unstable because he is constantly aiming for two targets at once. The slightest bump in the road could send him teetering way off course. When hard times come (and remember the context is suffering, read the first few verses), he doesn't know how to respond because he doesn't know where his heart really is. Thus he is blown about by the waves.
God demands our whole hearts and lives. Jesus taught that we cannot serve two masters; it just isn't possible. To ask God for wisdom (or whatever) without being fully committed to His agenda in our lives (and in the universe as a whole) is to want to have our cake and eat it too. We want His blessing and the assurance of His will, but we also want to manage our own agenda and pursue our own selfish and/or worldly desires. This cannot be.
Are you double minded? Does your life, your prayers, your speech, etc, indicate that you have one mind or two? To be sure we all struggle with sin in our lives and struggle with what Paul calls the "old self" and its sinful desires. But does the overall flow of your life show a single-minded follower of Christ, or an unstable, double minded person?
6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double minded man, unstable in all he does.
Now should we take this the way many Pentecostal TV preachers and "faith-healers" might preach it - that if we just believe enough and have enough faith we can get what we want and, conversely, when our prayers aren't answered (or we don't get the answer we want) it is because we don't pray hard enough or exercise enough faith? NO! Those who preach it that way are dead wrong! As if God's will was dependent upon some subjective level of faith or prayers on the part of finite men.
The key to this passage is, I think, in the concept of being double minded. The double minded person is one who has two agendas, who is pulled in two directions, and tries to serve two masters. On the one hand he wants God's favor and may have genuine desire to live for God. On the other hand, he wants to please this world and serve himself or something other than God. Thus he has two minds, figuratively speaking. He is unstable because he is constantly aiming for two targets at once. The slightest bump in the road could send him teetering way off course. When hard times come (and remember the context is suffering, read the first few verses), he doesn't know how to respond because he doesn't know where his heart really is. Thus he is blown about by the waves.
God demands our whole hearts and lives. Jesus taught that we cannot serve two masters; it just isn't possible. To ask God for wisdom (or whatever) without being fully committed to His agenda in our lives (and in the universe as a whole) is to want to have our cake and eat it too. We want His blessing and the assurance of His will, but we also want to manage our own agenda and pursue our own selfish and/or worldly desires. This cannot be.
Are you double minded? Does your life, your prayers, your speech, etc, indicate that you have one mind or two? To be sure we all struggle with sin in our lives and struggle with what Paul calls the "old self" and its sinful desires. But does the overall flow of your life show a single-minded follower of Christ, or an unstable, double minded person?
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Heart and Minds, response to a question
Recently a reader posted this question:
"I have a question: what do you mean by "Is your faith limited to thinking, or does it go beyond that?" I've always been a bit perplexed concerning the relationship between head & heart, knowing & believing. I'm not a very intellectual person (It's a bit harsh to say "I'm not smart"), and at times I really wonder how much I need to know and understand. What is the "....beyond that"? "
This is a great question, and one that many of us struggle with, so I decided it deserved a new entry rather than a comment. And it's a question that the book of James, which I've been writing about recently, helps us answer.
When we think about knowledge versus belief, head versus heart, I think that most of us tend towards one extreme or the other. Some of us tend to intellectualize our faith such that it becomes exclusively a matter of proper theology and doctrine. Others of us tend to simply rely on the experience of faith and worship, and don't want to get bogged down with deeper issues of Christian thought. Most of us could pretty easily identify which extreme we tend toward.
When I asked "Is your faith limited to thinking, or does it go beyond that?" I was echoing the challenge Piper issued in that quotation to those of us who tend to intellectualize our faith. James tells us that "faith without works is dead." Faith in Christ calls us to action, and James, throughout his epistle, shows us particular examples of such action. Paul often talks about pursuing holiness, being conformed to the image of Christ, of putting off the old self and putting on the new. True faith in Christ should inevitably lead to action, and it should also engage our whole beings - emotions and, yes, intellect.
Yet we must be sure that action (or experience, which is what many cling to in our culture) without the foundation of knowledge is misguided and even deceptive. I wrote about a month ago on contentment, pointing out that our faith does rest on content - the truth of the gospel and of Scripture. We should strive and work to understand it, to grow in grace and knowledge, as Scripture exhorts us to do.
So, my long winded answer to the question is that we must continue to grow in our understanding of Scripture. The mind is like the body, capable of being stretched and exercised, and we are called to love the Lord our God with all of our minds. But not just our minds - but also our hearts, etc. I hope this helps. I'll pick back up with James tomorrow.
"I have a question: what do you mean by "Is your faith limited to thinking, or does it go beyond that?" I've always been a bit perplexed concerning the relationship between head & heart, knowing & believing. I'm not a very intellectual person (It's a bit harsh to say "I'm not smart"), and at times I really wonder how much I need to know and understand. What is the "....beyond that"? "
This is a great question, and one that many of us struggle with, so I decided it deserved a new entry rather than a comment. And it's a question that the book of James, which I've been writing about recently, helps us answer.
When we think about knowledge versus belief, head versus heart, I think that most of us tend towards one extreme or the other. Some of us tend to intellectualize our faith such that it becomes exclusively a matter of proper theology and doctrine. Others of us tend to simply rely on the experience of faith and worship, and don't want to get bogged down with deeper issues of Christian thought. Most of us could pretty easily identify which extreme we tend toward.
When I asked "Is your faith limited to thinking, or does it go beyond that?" I was echoing the challenge Piper issued in that quotation to those of us who tend to intellectualize our faith. James tells us that "faith without works is dead." Faith in Christ calls us to action, and James, throughout his epistle, shows us particular examples of such action. Paul often talks about pursuing holiness, being conformed to the image of Christ, of putting off the old self and putting on the new. True faith in Christ should inevitably lead to action, and it should also engage our whole beings - emotions and, yes, intellect.
Yet we must be sure that action (or experience, which is what many cling to in our culture) without the foundation of knowledge is misguided and even deceptive. I wrote about a month ago on contentment, pointing out that our faith does rest on content - the truth of the gospel and of Scripture. We should strive and work to understand it, to grow in grace and knowledge, as Scripture exhorts us to do.
So, my long winded answer to the question is that we must continue to grow in our understanding of Scripture. The mind is like the body, capable of being stretched and exercised, and we are called to love the Lord our God with all of our minds. But not just our minds - but also our hearts, etc. I hope this helps. I'll pick back up with James tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
James 1:5
A couple of days ago we took a look at James 1:2-4, and discussed the call to take joy in all kinds of trials - and discovered that even in our struggles God is at work. He redeems our struggles for good. They have purpose in our lives - good purposes! It is interesting that this exhortation is immediately followed by a promise of wisdom to those who ask.
James 1:5 reads: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." Doesn't that just make so much sense? When we are faced with trials and struggles we often don't know how to respond, what to do, where to go, what to say, etc. By definition, struggles are tough and they present us with a challenge that must be met and overcome - but how? James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, understands this particular need, and assures us that God will meet it if we would but ask him.
Again, perhaps its overly obvious, but it bears mentioning at this point that we must ask for wisdom in our struggles. One of the marvelous results of struggles and trials is that they (should) bring us to a greater awareness of our need for God and to prayer. We must ask God for wisdom. There is no harm in seeking godly counsel from others; indeed this is something that is quite healthy. Yet if we do not first turn to the Source of all wisdom (not to mention strength, grace, comfort...), we are just being plain silly. He knows you and your circumstances better than anyone (including you). Not only that, but he knows what tomorrow will bring.
Do you struggle to think of God's generosity when times are tough? Yet James points us to this characteristic of God in his discussion of trials and troubles. When it comes to wisdom He "gives generously to all." And isn't wisdom what we really need anyway? Not the wisdom of this world, but the wisdom of God. The apostle Paul describes that wisdom in Ephesians 1: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe."
Who do you look to in trouble? Do you earnestly seek wisdom from God, do you ask that the eyes of your heart might be enlightened so that you might find an eternal perspective on trials?
James 1:5 reads: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." Doesn't that just make so much sense? When we are faced with trials and struggles we often don't know how to respond, what to do, where to go, what to say, etc. By definition, struggles are tough and they present us with a challenge that must be met and overcome - but how? James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, understands this particular need, and assures us that God will meet it if we would but ask him.
Again, perhaps its overly obvious, but it bears mentioning at this point that we must ask for wisdom in our struggles. One of the marvelous results of struggles and trials is that they (should) bring us to a greater awareness of our need for God and to prayer. We must ask God for wisdom. There is no harm in seeking godly counsel from others; indeed this is something that is quite healthy. Yet if we do not first turn to the Source of all wisdom (not to mention strength, grace, comfort...), we are just being plain silly. He knows you and your circumstances better than anyone (including you). Not only that, but he knows what tomorrow will bring.
Do you struggle to think of God's generosity when times are tough? Yet James points us to this characteristic of God in his discussion of trials and troubles. When it comes to wisdom He "gives generously to all." And isn't wisdom what we really need anyway? Not the wisdom of this world, but the wisdom of God. The apostle Paul describes that wisdom in Ephesians 1: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe."
Who do you look to in trouble? Do you earnestly seek wisdom from God, do you ask that the eyes of your heart might be enlightened so that you might find an eternal perspective on trials?
Monday, January 10, 2005
Flannery O'Connor on fighting for joy
"Always you renounce a lesser good for a greater; the opposite is what sin is.... The struggle to submit... is not a struggle to submit but a struggle to accept and with passion. I mean, possibly, with joy. Picture me with my ground teeth stalking joy - fully armed too as it's a highly dangerous quest."
Flannery O'Connor, quoted by John Piper.
Flannery O'Connor, quoted by John Piper.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Piper on Desires
John Piper, in When I Don't Desire God, writes of the importance of fighting for joy:
"God is glorified in his people by the way we experience him, not merely by the way we think about him. Indeed the devil thinks more true thoughts about God in one day than a saint does in a lifetime, and God is not honored by it. The problem with the devil is not his theology, but his desires."
If you've read much Piper, you know how vitally important it is to him that we think properly about God and understand the marvelous depths of truth about Him and in Him. Yet if that's as far as we go, then we haven't really understood. Does your theology and understanding lead to greater desire for God? Is your faith limited to thinking, or does it go beyond that?
"God is glorified in his people by the way we experience him, not merely by the way we think about him. Indeed the devil thinks more true thoughts about God in one day than a saint does in a lifetime, and God is not honored by it. The problem with the devil is not his theology, but his desires."
If you've read much Piper, you know how vitally important it is to him that we think properly about God and understand the marvelous depths of truth about Him and in Him. Yet if that's as far as we go, then we haven't really understood. Does your theology and understanding lead to greater desire for God? Is your faith limited to thinking, or does it go beyond that?
Friday, January 07, 2005
James 1:2-4
After his initial greeting, James the brother of Jesus writes in his epistle,
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Do you find it interesting that he talks about trials "of many kinds?" I'm glad he put it that way. Often we in the West forget that many believers suffer serious persecution for their faith, including imprisonment, ostracization, even death. Yet sometimes when we do remember the plights of others we tend to discount our own troubles. Now, to be sure, they pale in comparison and keeping things in proper perspective is to be commended, but our trials, nevertheless, are real. How do you respond to trials in your life? With complaining? Despondancy? Do you withdraw and hide? Or do you rejoice?
What a marvelous thing it is to know that, in Christ, our trials are meaningful! They have a purpose. James elucidates that purpose for us - they develop perseverance and maturity, they help conform us to the image of Christ. For example, often our trials will remind us that we are dependent upon God and not on ourselves, they will remind us that our hope is in Christ rather than in this world, they will cause us to be in circumstances where we will see God act as only He can. So we learn to persevere in Him.
Those who do not embrace a worldview centered on Christ must suffer doubly because, for them, there is no higher purpose or reason for suffering. The universe is a coldly random place, this life is devoid of any real and lasting transcendent meaning. Many Eastern religions hold that to live is to suffer. The best one can hope for is release from the cycle of birth/suffering/death/reincarnation, release from conscoius existence.
In our trials and suffering, no matter what form they take, believers in Christ thus have an opportunity to present a powerful witness of hope to the reality of the Gospel and the God whose purposes cannot be thwarted.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Do you find it interesting that he talks about trials "of many kinds?" I'm glad he put it that way. Often we in the West forget that many believers suffer serious persecution for their faith, including imprisonment, ostracization, even death. Yet sometimes when we do remember the plights of others we tend to discount our own troubles. Now, to be sure, they pale in comparison and keeping things in proper perspective is to be commended, but our trials, nevertheless, are real. How do you respond to trials in your life? With complaining? Despondancy? Do you withdraw and hide? Or do you rejoice?
What a marvelous thing it is to know that, in Christ, our trials are meaningful! They have a purpose. James elucidates that purpose for us - they develop perseverance and maturity, they help conform us to the image of Christ. For example, often our trials will remind us that we are dependent upon God and not on ourselves, they will remind us that our hope is in Christ rather than in this world, they will cause us to be in circumstances where we will see God act as only He can. So we learn to persevere in Him.
Those who do not embrace a worldview centered on Christ must suffer doubly because, for them, there is no higher purpose or reason for suffering. The universe is a coldly random place, this life is devoid of any real and lasting transcendent meaning. Many Eastern religions hold that to live is to suffer. The best one can hope for is release from the cycle of birth/suffering/death/reincarnation, release from conscoius existence.
In our trials and suffering, no matter what form they take, believers in Christ thus have an opportunity to present a powerful witness of hope to the reality of the Gospel and the God whose purposes cannot be thwarted.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Providence
The concept of divine providence is one that has been much debated in some circles in recent years, and in light of recent events, bears some reflection. Bruce Ware, in his book, God's Greater Glory, defines divine providence thus:
"God continually oversees and directs all things pertaining to the created order in such a way that 1) he preserves in existence and provides for the creation he has brought into being, and 2) he governs and reigns supremely over the entirety of the whole of creation in order to fulfill all of his intended purposes in it and through it."
(page 17)
God knows your circumstances (and those of every person). He knows the past, the present, and the future in full. He preserves His creation (including you and me) and fulfills His good purposes. The universe is NOT random, and stuff doesn't just happen. God has a plan and a purpose in all things that ultimately cannot be thwarted. This is what we have in mind when we say "God reigns."
"God continually oversees and directs all things pertaining to the created order in such a way that 1) he preserves in existence and provides for the creation he has brought into being, and 2) he governs and reigns supremely over the entirety of the whole of creation in order to fulfill all of his intended purposes in it and through it."
(page 17)
God knows your circumstances (and those of every person). He knows the past, the present, and the future in full. He preserves His creation (including you and me) and fulfills His good purposes. The universe is NOT random, and stuff doesn't just happen. God has a plan and a purpose in all things that ultimately cannot be thwarted. This is what we have in mind when we say "God reigns."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)