In just a few short weeks, college football season will be upon us. As an East Carolina alum, I am excited about cheering on my beloved Pirates. Check out this video interview from the recent Conference USA Media Day. Head coach Ruffin McNeill and junior linebacker Damon Magazu provide their perspective on this year’s squad and a preview of the season. Watch the video here.
Here’s something awesome I found. Have you ever heard of Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers? I hadn’t heard of them until very recently, but it turns out that they are a pretty good band based out of San Francisco. Besides recording some decent tracks of their own, this band has an interesting hobby: van sessions. While on tour, the band spends hours in their van driving to gigs in various cities. To pass the time, they play their own renditions of classic pop hits, and they post videos of it online for everyone’s enjoyment. Here’s a nice rendition they did of Hall and Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That”:
What are the benefits of trusting in Jesus Christ?
If you are a Christian, it is likely that you have considered this question quite a bit. Perhaps you have even been asked this question by a curious or skeptical non-Christian. It seems that this is the key question with which we are faced on a daily basis, especially in a world where there are so many options.
Indeed, we are surrounded by a dizzying array of options in virtually every aspect of life. Perhaps you are looking for something to make you feel better about yourself–a sense of purpose, value, and accomplishment. If so, you might decide to devote yourself to advancing in your career or taking up a hobby. Perhaps you are looking for companionship and a sense of belonging. If so, you can join always join some sort of club. Whatever you are into, there’s sure to be some organization consisting of people who share your interests. Or if that doesn’t do the trick, you can focus your efforts on finding and marrying that perfect man or woman you’ve always dreamed of.
Or maybe you want to make a real difference in the world. If that’s the case, then you can get involved with supporting politicians who agree with you. Or you can donate money to various non-profit charities around the world. Or perhaps you have a deeper, darker problem for which you need help. Anger. Depression. Addiction. If so, there is a host of solutions available for you, including therapists, counselors, retreats, medications, books, videos, seminars, and 12-step programs.
The point is, there are so many options out there for virtually every aspect of life, that it is vital that we who follow Christ are crystal-clear as to why the gospel–the message of God’s salvation plan through Jesus Christ–is infinitely more valuable and effective than anything else human beings have ever seen, experienced, or imagined. Otherwise, Christianity might appear to us as nothing more than just one more option on the enormous buffet of life’s solutions.
This brings us back to our original question: What are the benefits of trusting in Jesus Christ?
To be certain, the benefits of following Christ are infinite in number. Were we to attempt to make an exhaustive list, we could fill libraries and yet never come close to grasping the full scope of everything God has freely given us in Christ. However, we can look to the Bible and find three basic categories of benefits for followers of Christ: past grace (redemption), present grace (sanctification), and future grace (restoration).
As far as I can tell, most evangelicals today seem to have a pretty firm grasp on the past and future aspects of the gospel. Just consider your own perspective on the benefits of trusting Christ. If you are like most other evangelicals, you probably tend to focus almost entirely on what faith in Jesus Christ means for your past and your future. Specifically, you celebrate two great realities:
The church has done a great job in emphasizing the past forgiveness and future restoration that have been secured for us in Christ. The Bible is rife with promises of redemption and restoration for everyone who trusts in Jesus. Moreover, we should celebrate these wonderful truths and cling to them daily as reminders of the powerful hope we have in Christ.
Still, there is one aspect of gospel hope that is all too easy for us to overlook: the present grace of sanctification. What is sanctification all about? Simply put, God has promised us that if we trust in Jesus, then we have real hope and real power right now! We can fight our sin and experience true victory, because Christ has freed us from being controlled by our temptations and failures. We can have deep, genuine joy even while we are surrounded by suffering and difficult circumstances. Why? Because Christ has freed us from being defined by our circumstances. For followers of Christ, God uses everything–including failure and suffering–for our good.
This is the gospel here and now.
Not surprisingly, the Bible is filled with wonderful promises of present hope for Christians. Here is a passage that really gets to the heart of God’s practical provision for us in Christ here and now:
His divine nature has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
– 2 Peter 1:3-4
Peter’s point here is clear. God has equipped us with everything we need to live joyfully and courageously in this world as reflections of his own holy character. And how has God equipped us? By his divine nature–the Holy Spirit–living in us and giving us wisdom and power to change and grow more in the likeness of Jesus.
This is the gospel here and now. Whether you are dealing with lingering failures, a difficult relationship, a lost loved one, or anything else, you can experience real hope, real joy, and real change. The bad news is that you cannot do it alone. The good news is that it is all available to you right now if you will trust in Jesus Christ.
Last week, the United States Supreme Court announced its decision to uphold the controversial Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare.”
What is Obamacare? In a nutshell, Obamacare is a healthcare initiative proposed by Obama administration with the broad purpose of providing healthcare to all Americans, regardless of income or medical history. The bill was passed by the U.S. Congress in 2010 and thus became law. Though this certainly appears to be a noble endeavor, Obamacare is a piece of legislation rife with controversy.
To begin with, Obamacare includes an individual mandate for health insurance. In other words, every individual American will be legally required to purchase health insurance by 2014. Anyone who fails to do so will face a monetary penalty, payable to the Internal Revenue Service on their next tax return.
Though President Barack Obama and supportive members of Congress appealed to the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause as a justification for the individual mandate, the Supreme Court struck down that justification, stating that the Obamacare mandate oversteps the authority granted to Congress by the U.S. Constitution. However, the Court did still uphold the individual health insurance mandate, saying that is falls within Congress’ constitutional authority to impose taxes.
A second controversial aspect of the Obamacare legislation consists of a mandate by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that requires all employers—including religious organizations—to provide insurance plans that cover abortion and certain contraceptive drugs that cause chemical abortions after fertilization. Whereas abortion has not previously been covered in most health insurance plans, the U.S. government is now mandating that such coverage be offered by all employers. That includes, with only a few narrow exceptions, all religious organizations—even those who find abortion morally reprehensible.
This so-called “contraceptive mandate” was left untouched by the Supreme Court, meaning that faith-based organizations will be legally required to offer abortion as a healthcare option to employees.
So needless to say, Obamacare matters for followers of Christ. Imagine this: Christian schools, publishers, hospitals, and ministries telling their pregnant employees that they have the right to obtain an abortion—with the company health plan! Sadly, this is the new reality.
The question is, what are Christians to do? Indeed, it seems we are now facing quite a dilemma. On the one hand, we are commanded in God’s Word to honor the secular government by obeying its laws, pursuing its good, and living peaceable lives. On the other hand, however, we are commanded in God’s Word to be stewards and agents of an even greater good—the Gospel—and thus we must call out evil for what it is and do everything in our power to resist it and oppose it at every turn.
So what must we Christians think and do about Obamacare? Now that it has been upheld by the Supreme Court, what does that mean for us who hate abortion and are deeply concerned about protecting the lives of millions of unborn babies? Should we just refuse to comply to the government in this matter? Should we just throw our hands up and hope that God will work all of this out? How can we be most faithful?
Love God. Love Others. Hate Abortion.
The main thing that we Christians must always do is love God and cherish his laws above all else. Jesus himself affirmed that the greatest and most important of all God’s commands is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37) Jesus also adds that we are to have a genuine, specific love and care for others. Both of these commands, says Jesus, serve as a summary of the whole Christian life. That is, every other command we have in the Word of God amounts to a more specific command to love God and love others.
In loving God and others, we must hate whatever stands against God and the well-being of others. Abortion does both. It violates God’s holy commands to understand that human life belongs to God and must be respected and guarded at every turn. And abortion stands against the well-being of human beings because it suggests that human life is dispensable. Thus, abortion sets a tone for a selfish and violent disregard for others while we pursue our own agenda.
An important part of our Christian growth and witness is our capacity to openly identify the moral failures of our society and reject them on the basis of biblical truth. Of course must not do so in a self-righteous or judgmental spirit. After all, we of all people know that we are helpless sinners who have been forgiven only by God’s mercy in Christ. Though we were rebels against God and his laws, he sent Jesus to bear the righteous wrath of God by dying on the cross. And it is only through Jesus’ death and resurrection that we are made right before God.
So we must reject abortion, because it presents a false and destructive message about the character of God and the value of human life.
Responsibly Challenge Government Overreach
As Christians, it is our moral duty to be good citizens. That is, we must live within the legal bounds set by our secular government, knowing that we are living ultimately under the authority of our God. As we are instructed in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, every secular authority is under God’s authority (Rom. 13:1). So as we seek to respect and cooperate with our federal and local authorities, we are indeed honoring God.
However, this does not mean that secular governments possess boundless authority that cannot, or should not, be challenged. There are times when, in loving truth and standing against evil, we will inevitably find ourselves in opposition with the secular government. In such times, we must not waver from the truth of Scripture, but rather insist on it. But we must pursue responsible, Christ-commending ways of resisting wrong—not simply saying and doing things that we know will draw antagonism and bring backlash but have no immediate or eternal impact.
In the case of the Obamacare abortion coverage mandate, there are legal avenues of challenging the legislation, and many courageous groups and individuals are currently engaged in that battle in the courts and elsewhere. As long as we live in a democratic society that will allow us to do so, we must find ways to challenge the destructive policies of the state, while affirming its God-given authority by working within its legal parameters.
By doing so, we can go a long way in “put[ting] to silence the ignorance of foolish people” (1 Peter 2:15) who expect Christians to either act out and cause trouble or compromise on our morals in order to comply.
Are you a member of a church? Well, you should be.
Mark Dever says, “If you call yourself a Christian but you are not a member of the church you regularly attend, I worry that you may be going to hell.”[1] That’s a pretty extreme statement, but I totally agree with it.
You see, what Dever is suggesting here is not that membership in a church contributes to a person’s salvation, but rather church membership is a vital means of confirming that a person’s salvation is genuine. After all, the Bible is clear that nobody is a true Christian simply because they think they are.[2] There are objective criteria that must be met. And the local church helps clarify those criteria while affirming (or denying) an individual’s claim to meet those standards.
In other words, the church says, “Okay, so Joe claims to believe the Gospel. Well, we the church are an authorized distributor and guardian of the gospel. So we can look at Joe’s life and let you know whether it appears, from our standpoint, that Joe’s claim is legitimate.”
With that in mind, allow me to briefly offer three reasons for that every Christian should join a local church.
If you claim to be a Christian, you should join a church for your own sake. In other words, you should join a church so that you can better understand the state of your own soul and thus be more equipped to repent from sin, hope in Christ, and live in obedience.
All too often, we believe the lie that we are the world’s experts on ourselves. I know I am a Christian, I might say, because I know my own heart. I know what I truly believe, regardless of what others may think. Other people cannot see into my heart, but I can.
It is true that we do have unique insight into our own internal thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. To assert otherwise would be ridiculous. But we must not give ourselves too much credit. We are all sinners, and one of the most tragic and difficult aspects of sin is how deceptive it can be—even for repentant followers of Jesus.
Scripture is rife with warnings about the deceptiveness of sin. For example, the apostle Paul warned the church in Corinth “not to associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.” (1 Cor. 5:9)
So apparently, it’s possible to believe you are a Christian even when your life gives clear evidence to the contrary. I don’t know about you, but I find that terrifying!
But notice what Paul tells this church to do about such a person—do not associate with him. Cut him loose. In other words, the church should make it clear to this individual that his conduct is inconsistent with his claim. He is not living like a Christian, but rather an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, etc. Despite his own claims to love Christ—a claim that could very well be honest and well intentioned—he appears to be deceived.
In the same way, it is vital for us to submit to the authority of a local church in order to more clearly see the reality of our own hearts. What a joy it is when my profession of faith is affirmed by a church who observes my life and agrees that Christ indeed lives in me. But if it appears that Christ does not live in me, the most loving thing anyone can do for me is warn me of that fact so that I can turn from my sin and seek salvation through self-denying faith in Jesus.
Similarly, you should join a church for the sake of other Christians. In the same way that the church serves to affirm the veracity of your gospel profession, you can be a part of doing the same for others. Do you want to really love and help those who claim Christ? The church provides you with an effective outlet for holding up the gospel and helping others understand their own hearts’ response to that gospel.
However, your role as a church member is about more than just affirming or denying the professions of others. Church membership is about Christians making a covenant with one another to pray for one another, serve with one another, guard one another from sin, encourage one another in faith, affirm one another’s gifts, and meet one another’s needs.
The writer of the book of Hebrews instructs Christians to “spur one another on” and “not neglect meeting together as some are in the habit of doing.” (Heb. 10:24-25) This is just a small sample of what how the church functions for believers. When we read through the rest of the New Testament, we find that this is the normal way of life in the local church.[3]
Finally, it is vital that you join a church for the sake of non-Christians. Just as church membership clarifies the Gospel to those inside the church, it also clarifies the gospel to those outside. When we accept some people as members of a church—while excluding others—we are, in a sense, distinguishing ourselves from the rest of the world. We are in effect saying, “Hey world, check out our church members. This is what a Christian looks like! This is what the gospel looks like!”
When we refuse or neglect to take part in church membership, we are forfeiting a tremendous witnessing opportunity, one which God himself has graciously ordained for the spread of the gospel in our neighborhoods and in the nations.
So why pass that up? Sure, no church is perfect, and living in covenant with other sinners will always bring challenges. But I can say from experience that for the three reasons I discussed above—and many other reasons—it is definitely worthwhile.
Are you a Christian? Prove it. Join a church.
[1] Mark Dever, What Is a Healthy Church? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2005), 21.
[2] See Matt. 7:21-23
[3] For a few examples, see Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37, Eph. 4:11-16, Phil. 1:27-30
Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.
If you are an evangelical Christian living in the Western Hemisphere, there is a good chance you have heard this exhortation before. Attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi (though it wasn’t until two centuries after his death that this saying was linked to him), this oft-quoted platitude serves as the basis for a common approach to Christian evangelism that suggests it is possible—and perhaps preferable—to effectively communicate the gospel solely through actions.
In other words, evangelism does not always require a verbal explanation of the gospel. If we want to communicate the gospel to people, all that is really necessary most of the time is a pattern of behavior that bears witness to the gospel.
Be kind to others. Help those who are in need. Provide for your family. Be a man of your word. Be faithful to your spouse. Don’t get drunk. Don’t cheat on your taxes. Pay all your bills on time. Love. Forgive. Embrace.
These are all wonderful things that commend the gospel. When our lives are full of these qualities, we give compelling evidence for the power and truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But this raises a question: Is this all we need to do in order to faithfully and effectively bear witness to our God?
An examination of Scripture says no. Consider, for example, the overwhelming pattern in the New Testament of Christians verbally explaining the gospel. The book of Acts alone is replete with verbal evangelism. Here are a few examples:
Notice how many of these passages include the phrase “he opened his mouth.” I do not think it is by accident that this phrase occurs so frequently. It seems that the writer of Acts intends to draw our attention to the fact that verbal preaching was the primary means of the gospel being spread in the first century of Christianity. Christians spoke; non-Christians heard and believed.
So the question we must answer is: Why should we expect that it would be any different today?
Well, it isn’t any different at all. Words are still primary in evangelism. The modern emphasis on actions as a primary means of evangelism is rooted in a reluctance to offend people with the very message that is intended to reconcile people to God. After all, if we’re going to people that Jesus is real, we must spend more time doing things that will attract them to the truth rather than turning them away with our harsh-sounding words.
While I appreciate the heart behind this, I think it completely misses the basic fact that the gospel message is inherently offensive to unbelieving ears. What person do you know enjoys being told that he is a guilty rebel who is hopelessly in need of a Savior? But consider for a moment—does an individual’s feelings or response to the gospel make it any less true?
We Christians need to come to terms with the fact that the world simply will not love us and embrace us for preaching the gospel. But this does not discourage us from boldly speaking the truth. To the contrary, we are motivated by the fact that preaching the gospel—regardless of how it is received—gives glory to our God.
Moreover, we know that even if some of our hearers reject the message, others who hear that same message will believe it and put their hope in Christ. Don’t believe me? Look again at Peter, Paul, and Stephen. All three of these men were openly mocked while they preached. Stephen was stoned to death! But in each of these cases, there were some people among the crowd who repented and believed.
Does that mean that we are guaranteed the same result every time we open our mouths to preach the gospel? No. But it does show us that God works miracles to cause people to repent and believe, even when we least expect it. So in faith, we open our mouths—like Peter, Paul, and Stephen—and we plead with sinners to trust in Christ for forgiveness and salvation.
Our actions are important. In fact, the book of James assures us that our actions are vital to our witness as followers of Christ. Do you claim to have faith in Jesus? Well, your life had better back that up. But in the end, that’s all actions are—evidence of the spiritual reality to which we lay claim.
As such, we must deliberately explain the gospel. We must talk about God’s holiness, our sin, and Christ’s atoning death. We must talk about repentance, faith, and sanctification. We must talk about the joys of following Christ in this life and the awesome hope we have for eternal life. We must open our mouths and talk about these things. And we must do it early and often.
Should we be wise in knowing exactly when and how to speak up? Of course. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to speak up or else we cannot really call it evangelism.
The gospel is not self-evident, though we certainly wish it were. Rather, people need to hear the gospel in order to believe it. God has ordained it this way.
I came across this video the other night, and I had to share it. I know this is a bit old, but it is still too good not to post. In this short video clip, 4-year-old Josh Sacco gives his own rendition of Kurt Russell’s pregame emotional pregame speech from the 2004 movie Miracle. Whether you have seen the movie or not, I think you will find this entertaining. Enjoy!
There is a new civil rights movement underway in the United States of America.
At least, that’s what many proponents of same-sex marriage would have us believe. Among those Americans who support the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, one common line of reasoning and rhetoric involves drawing comparisons between the current battle over gay marriage and the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Some, like David Badash who writes for a pro-gay marriage blog called The New Civil Rights Movement, are quite explicit in the comparison they draw. In a recent article, Badash writes in a matter-of-fact tone that “there is no valid reason to oppose same-sex marriage, just as there is no valid reason to oppose interracial marriage.”
Do you see what Badash is doing here? He is attempting to portray gay marriage as an issue that essentially boils down to basic fairness and humane treatment of an oppressed, marginalized minority. By Badash’s logic, the very same issues that lie at the heart of racial prejudice and discrimination also lie at the heart of the debate surrounding same-sex marriage.
The implication is clear: If you support racial equality, then you must also support same-sex marriage. After all, they are really just two sides of the same coin. Moreover, those who oppose same-sex marriage while supporting racial equality are not only bigots, but they are the worst kind of bigots—hypocritical bigots.
While I understand much of the underlying logic of the comparison between same-sex marriage and the civil rights movement, I see one major problem with it: it is downright wrong. Period. When it comes to issues of morality, human decency, and equality, there are no legitimate grounds for comparison between the campaign for same-sex marriage and the civil rights movement.
If this is true, then why do so many people insist on drawing this comparison? Well, I think the comparison is often rooted in any number of faulty assumptions with regard to same-sex attraction. Allow me to address just one of these assumptions here.
In her recent song “Born This Way,” pop singer Lady Gaga expresses the pervasive spirit of our age:
Don’t hide yourself in regret,
Just love yourself and you’re set
I’m on the right track, baby
I was born this way
Lady Gaga continues later in the song:
No matter gay, straight, or bi
Lesbian, transgendered life
I’m on the right track, baby
‘Cause baby, you were born this way
Notice the logic articulated in these lyrics. Since we all possess personal attributes that we did not choose, and therefore cannot change, we should never be restricted from pursuing actions and lifestyle related to these attributes. Some even go a step further and suggest that these attributes have been given to us by God, and so therefore it is God’s design that we live it out without embarrassment.
Whether it’s race or sexual orientation, or anything else, it’s who you are. Do not try to change, and do not let anyone treat you differently. God made you that way, and you can’t change that. So embrace it, and don’t try to change who you are.
Hence the supposed connection between same-sex marriage and racial equality. The prevailing assumption is that same-sex attraction is as fundamental to a person’s identity as their ethnicity. You didn’t choose it, and you can’t change it. Therefore, to deny an individual the right to legally marry simply because of their sexual orientation is just as unjust as denying an individual the right to vote simply because of the color of their skin. Discrimination is discrimination, no matter how you slice it.
However, there are several flaws in this logic. First, it is simply naïve to assume that we are not held accountable for desires that we did not choose. Conventional wisdom in our postmodern society says we are only responsible for the things we consciously think, decide, or do. But Romans 1 tells a different story.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
-Romans 1:18-21
This is what we Christians call Total Depravity. It means we were all born with two things: (1) an inherent knowledge of God’s nature, majesty, and righteous standards; (2) a corrupt heart and mind which do not acknowledge and submit to God’s nature, majesty, and standards.
This is true for all of us. And guess what? We did not choose to be born this way. But the fact that we did not choose it does not mean God does not hold us accountable. That much is clear in the above passage. Rather than letting human beings off the hook God reveals his wrath.
This is instructive for us Christians in how we relate to the gay community. We need to recognize that the debate over whether same-sex attraction is a choice actually misses the point! Regardless of whether same-sex attraction is a choice, it’s still sin, much like pride is a sin even though I don’t really choose to be prideful in my heart. And like every other sin, we must turn away from it and trust in Jesus Christ who died on a cross to bear the righteous wrath of God.
Same-sex attraction, it appears, is not always a choice. But we Christians have a theology that can handle that. Instead of insisting homosexuals are willfully choosing to be attracted others of their same sex, we should plead with our homosexual friends to turn away from these desires—rather than acting on them—and ask God to forgive them in Christ and help them change by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ethnicity, on the other hand, is morally neutral. In other words, it is not a sin to be black, white, Hispanic, Asian, or any other ethnicity. On the contrary, God has created us all with particular ethnic backgrounds in order to display his own beauty in the diversity of his creation. As human beings created in God’s own image, we are all endowed with a certain kind of inherent dignity and respect.
The civil rights movement was about upholding and affirming this inherent dignity of all human beings, regardless of ethnicity. Courageous men and women of all ages and ethnic backgrounds gave their lives to fight for this kind of equality because it is good, right, and just. In various places in the world—including in our very own country—this fight continues, and it is always a battle worth fighting.
The gay marriage movement is about making room for sinful lifestyles under the guise of tolerance and equality.
The distinction between these two movements is of vast importance, and we must be crystal clear about what is at stake in both. Let us be valiant in our pursuit of justice for the oppressed and marginalized, but always standing for truth. God has not called us to compromise.
Sometimes, Scripture just isn’t enough for us.
Even for those of us who are Christians—and therefore consider the Bible to be the perfect, powerful, infallible words of God himself—sometimes even the most well-meaning citation of a passage from the Bible does little or nothing to console us when we’re hurting or give us understanding when we’re confused. We need more than the Bible, we say. We need something real and practical.
Sadly, some pastors and professional counselors are prone to make the same mistake. Don’t beat people over the head with Scripture, they say. Listen. Encourage. Help. The Bible is not the main thing that drives our counseling. In fact, quoting verses from Scripture, it is said, might actually do more harm than good.
Yet have you ever stopped and wondered why this is the case? What is going on in our hearts and minds that we would judge God’s Word to be of little use in our greatest times of despair? As I’ve considered this myself, I have found in my own heart—and have often seen revealed in others—that such a low esteem of Scripture is rooted in a prideful, idolatrous dependence on ourselves and on the wisdom of this world rather than God.
As such, I want to offer two suggestions to help you depend more on God’s Word for help in troubled times. First, an encouragement: God’s Word has real power to save us, comfort us, and give us wisdom. And second, a warning: It is dangerous and foolish to disregard God’s Word.
God’s Word has real power to save us, comfort us, and give us wisdom.
First, we need to understand that the Bible has real power to save us, comfort us, and give us wisdom. The Bible is God’s inspired, infallible Word, and it is his primary means of revealing himself and speaking to us. Therefore, the Bible is always relevant.
Consider the apostle Paul’s counsel to his young disciple Timothy:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
– 2 Timothy 3:16
Notice the comprehensiveness of Scripture’s usefulness in Paul’s view. All Scripture is useful for all aspects of ministry—whether it be teaching, rebuking, or counseling. And why is Scripture so useful? Because it comes directly from the all-powerful, all-sufficient God himself. The words of the Bible are the words of God.
It is helpful also to note that Timothy is a pastor. Why is this important? Well, the ironic fact is that many pastors today are the ones who functionally have the least trust and dependence on God’s Word in matters of everyday ministry. Instead, it’s so easy to rely more on ministry models and techniques learned from a book or a seminary classroom. But here is something that far too many pastors miss: While textbooks and seminars can be useful aids, they can never be a replacement for the real thing—God’s inerrant Word, the Bible.
So much did Paul believe this, that he also wrote this to Timothy:
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
– 2 Timothy 4:1-2
Pastor, give yourself to studying, understanding, and preaching God’s Word. Don’t flinch from it. Do it continually and well. Christian, expect this from your pastor. Demand it from him. Keep him accountable in it. Faithfully teaching you God’s Word is his primary job.
But this lesson is not just for pastors. It’s for all Christians. As God’s people, we must understand that our greatest and most important resource for teaching and encouraging one another is God’s Word. When we rely on our own wisdom and techniques, we undermine our own claims that we trust God.
Do you really trust God? Then humble yourself, and rely totally on his perfect wisdom. Preach the Word!
It is dangerous and foolish to disregard God’s Word.
The second lesson, then, deals with how we receive counsel and encouragement: It is dangerous and foolish to disregard God’s Word. Again, let’s take a look at what the apostle Paul says to Timothy on this matter:
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
– 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Paul’s observation here is, sadly, the reality of the human heart. We don’t naturally want truth. We want what sounds good to us. The problem is, our rebellious posture against God’s laws often gives us terrible discernment. The things we want to hear are sometimes not the things we need to hear. In order to get the help our souls really need, we must be reminded of God’s holiness, our sin, Christ’s death and resurrection for our forgiveness, and our need to trust him.
The reason Paul so adamantly charges Timothy to preach the Bible is that he recognizes our sinful proclivity to pursue false teaching.
Essentially, Paul is telling Timothy: “Look, the deck is stacked against you. The people you are shepherding do not naturally love the truth. In fact, many of them love falsehood so much that they will beg you for it. But don’t do it. Don’t give them what they want. Give them what they need. Give them the one thing you know is absolutely true and unfailing. Give them the Word of God.”
The implications here couldn’t be clearer for us. We must rely totally on God’s Word. The Word of God is the best medicine for your own hurting heart and the hearts of those you are ministering to.
I’m preaching this upcoming Sunday from John 3:16-18. It’s a marvelous passage. As I’ve spent time meditating on these three verses of Scripture, I’ve been particularly struck by verse 16:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life.
Sound familiar? Perhaps that’s because you got so used to seeing this verse on banners and T-shirts at football games back in the 70’s and 80’s. (Note: Tebow’s bringing it back!)
For Christians, however, this verse much is more than a catchphrase at sporting events. This verse represents the very foundation of what it means to be a Christian. It describes the amazing love of an eternal, transcendent God who had every right to condemn us to eternal punishment because of our rebellion against him. Yet because of that love, he instead chose to forgive us of our rebellion by punishing his perfect Son Jesus in our place. God has saved us not because of any good we have done, but completely on the basis of his own love for us, which he displayed by inflicting our punishment on Jesus. And we receive this staggering gift of God’s love simply by believing. Amazing!
Yet as wonderful and awesome as God’s love is, the story doesn’t end there. No, the story continues with Christians—those rebels who have been saved from the terrible condemnation we deserved—displaying this same love in the way we love others. As God’s ransomed people, we are to live every aspect of our lives out of a deep sense of gratitude toward God. We love because we have been loved by God. We forgive because we have been forgiven by God. And as we live in this way, we display God’s character to the world. When people see what we’re like, they see what God is like.
As such, I think John 3:16 has some very important things to teach us not only about how God loves us, but also about what it means for us to really love others. There are so many lessons here, but I will discuss just two: Love makes costly sacrifices, and love saves from destruction.
Love makes costly sacrifices.
The most obvious lesson we see in John 3:16 is that God’s love for us is marked by deep, personal sacrifice. Because he loved us, he gave his only Son. Think about that for a moment. If you’re a parent, consider the idea of willingly handing over any of your children to sure death for the sake of saving someone who has done nothing but despise you. Well, that’s what only a shadow of what God did for us.
And that’s not mention that God sacrificed his only Son for us. Though this certainly points to the fact that God only has one Son, I don’t think that’s all it does. It underscores the unique goodness of that Son. Jesus, we are told throughout the Bible, perfectly reflects God’s own character in every way. Like the Father, the Son is eternal. Like the Father, the Son is all-knowing and all-powerful. Like the Father, the Son is perfectly wise, just, and good. Yet God willingly sacrificed Jesus in order to spare us from judgment. And Jesus, for his part, voluntarily hung on a cross to reconcile us to God.
As followers of Jesus, this is what our love is supposed to look like. So how are you doing with that? If I’m honest, I’d have to save I’m usually doing a poor job at it. How willing am I to set aside my own rights for the sake of reconciling with someone who has deeply wronged me? How quick am I to voluntarily take the bullet for someone else to accept the blame when there is conflict?
I can only do this is by remembering the enormous cost at which God forgave me. Contrary to what many people in the world believe, God does not simply forgive us because he knows we’re trying our best. No, that’s not at all how God forgives. Because of his justice, he was determined to punish our sin. And because he loved us so much, he punished our sin on the cross where Jesus died. That is real love.
Love saves from destruction.
This leads us to a second lesson: if we really love others, we work to save them from destruction. In the verse, we see that God, driven by his love for us, saved us from certain destruction that awaited us. He did this by sacrificing his Son, but there are countless ways we can, and should, work to protect and rescue others we love.
What does this look like? Well, I think the best way to get to the heart of the matter is to consider how we relate to opponents. How do you think about those who ridicule you or slander you? Do you wish them harm, or do you pray for them? And what about that co-worker who gets all those opportunities you deserve? Do you look for ways to help and encourage him, or do you look for ways to undermine him?
As Christians, we must always remember that reflecting the goodness of our God means praying and working for the good of others—even those who threaten us, hurt us or hate us.
This is Hard Stuff
I may be able to guess you’re thinking at this point: “Man, that is all so much easier said than done!”
I agree. And I don’t want you to think I’m saying these things because I think I’ve gotten it right. Following Christ is difficult, and it often feels unnatural. But I’m thankful to have a God whose love for me didn’t end with the cross. He keeps reminding me of his mercy, and he will do the same for you if you’ll trust him.
Oh, how he loves us!
FREE INDEED 