Books and Sanctification

Books! I find myself in agreement with the preacher of Ecclesiastes where he writes, “...Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.” This probably sounds strange coming from a pastor. I am always challenged by the number of books written and people asking me my opinions of them. I am a slow reader and it takes me much time to work through books.

I was recently asked my opinion on the book, “Extravagant Grace” by Barbara Duguid. This volume has received many good reviews. The inquirer had some questions and concerns. There are also a couple of reviews out there that raise some criticism. Even the OPC magazine, New Horizons posts a positive review in the February 2014 issue and a letter in May 2014 issue that offers a critique. So what did I think? Yep, I had to admit I hadn’t read the book.

So, my comments are not about Mrs. Duguid’s book, “Extravagant Grace” but about the topic raised by it and my questioner, Sanctification. I just want to make one point from the scriptures that I think is relevant to the discussion and perhaps of help to others.

In my own personal battle with sin a verse of scripture brought illumination and a sense of freedom, I Corinthians 1:30. Paul declares that Jesus Christ is the believer’s sanctification. In my struggle with learned habitual sins and my own weaknesses that are common to many (I Cor 10:13), I came to understand that my only hope is faith in Christ. This faith, just like the faith of justification is not a passive faith but an active trust. I could endeavor, plan, plot, promise, and try to live righteously with tears on my own all I wanted but I would fail. Surrender to my sin is the great temptation by the Tempter himself.

I read Paul in Romans 7:15-25 and I began to hope. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” I read again I Corinthians 1:30. I read again Ephesians 4:17-24. Who is the new man? It is Jesus Christ. How do I put him on? I put him on by faith. Sanctification is by faith, an active faith which engages the will, heart, and mind to live as one united to Jesus Christ by faith. I settle for nothing less than living by faith in the Son of God, fleeing to him for forgiveness, and being fed upon him by the word of God, the sacraments, and prayer.

Just like books, there is no end to sin. No they aren’t the same but I need sanctification in both areas. My hope in the battle with sin is in my union with Jesus Christ by faith. By faith I stand and live in the daily struggle against sin and for sanctification. That is my hope for you too.

Our Resurrection in Christ

Doubtless there were many sermons preached on Easter Sunday, April 20. I did preach on the theme from I Corinthians 15. While I think that recognized religious holidays give pastors an opportunity to preach and that such holidays give churches an opportunity to share the essentials of the gospel, I think there is great benefit in the position that every Sunday is “Resurrection Sunday” and that the Christian Sabbath is the great day of week. It is a promise of the believer’s rest in Christ (Heb 4:1-10).

The idea of the Sabbath that Jesus taught that “…the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath,” relates to the promise of the resurrection and our union with Christ Jesus by faith. I am referring to the immense and often under rated benefit of the Christian believer’s union with Christ or, as it is commonly referred to, one’s relationship with Christ.

John Calvin argues thoroughly in his commentary on I Corinthians 15 that there is “a mutual and reciprocal result” established from Christ to us and from us to Christ. Behind Paul’s argument in that chapter, stands the reasoning that if Christ has risen then believers will be raised and if Christ has not risen then believers will not be raised. Equally, if believers are raised then Christ must be raised and if we are not raised from the dead then Christ has not been raised. He even goes so far to reason that “Christ did not die or rise again for Himself, but for us…” and he states further that Christ’s resurrection finds its purpose not in himself but in its result of the resurrection of his own members.

There is a connection or rather a union here. This is a relationship but more than a relationship defined in the common sort of way of an emotional connection. Nor is the believer’s relationship with Christ merely economical where we simply get things (salvation, justification, redemption, resurrection, heaven, etc.) from Jesus. As real as emotional and economical benefits in Christ are, something more profound is expressed.

What we should understand is that our relationship with Jesus by faith is one of union or identity. Christ’s death becomes the death of the believer by faith. Christ’s resurrection becomes the believer’s resurrection by faith. By this I do not mean to imply that ours is merely a spiritualized death or resurrection. No, we must truly die to self and our body of sin must die yet the penalty of death for sin is fulfilled by Christ for us so that our death is not penal (see Westminster Larger Catechism Q85). The essence of the substitutionary atonement is that Christ bears the believer’s sin, its guilt, and its required punishment for them. In this faith union believers are also sharers in his resurrection. As surely as he was raised from the dead believers will be bodily raised from the dead too. Indeed, the purpose of the resurrection of Jesus is the resurrection of believers in him. Christ has entered into his glory. Believers, by their faith union in him, enter into their share of his glory. The great Sabbath Rest is pictured and promised at every public Sunday/Sabbath worship. You see, every Christian Sabbath is Resurrection Sunday.

Christ was raised for us! (Romans 6:1-14)

Zealous for Jesus?

Reflecting on the special[i] celebration and remembrance of the substitutionary suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to be observed this Easter weekend I was reading John 18. I am again moved by the poignancy of John’s narrative, his portrayal of the nobility of Jesus before his enemies, and his testimony of the zeal of Peter.

Oh Peter! How often many of us wish we could be like him. It was earlier that evening of the celebration of the Passover that Peter vowed to give his life for Jesus (John 13:37). How zealous Peter was for Jesus, his Lord. How we wish to be so.

I find John Calvin’s thoughts about the zeal of Peter as a lesson to us very instructive. He writes:

“…(L)et us learn that in the person of Peter, Christ condemns everything that men dare to attempt arbitrarily. This lesson is especially worth noticing, for nothing is commoner than to defend everything that we do under the cloak of zeal, as if it were unimportant whether God approved or not what men think to be right…”

I am not trying to highlight Peter’s faults in order make me or others feel superior. No, we are often all too much like Peter and we need to take heed. We may, like Peter, act bravely and run great risks for Christ’s sake, but zeal alone does not justify our actions that God does not approve of. Such indiscreet zeal may put us into a more grievous situation that may hazard temptations we wouldn’t have to face if we were to restrain our zeal by God’s word and faith.

Calvin continues in his comments on John 18:10-14, “Again, it was exceedingly thoughtless in Peter to try to prove his faith by the sword, while he could not do so by his tongue. When he is called to make confession, he denies; but now unbidden by his Master he raises a riot. Warned by such a striking example, let us learn to moderate our zeal. And as the wantonness of our flesh ever itches to dare more than God commands, let us learn that our zeal will turn out badly whenever we dare to undertake anything beyond God’s Word. It will sometimes happen that the beginnings please us; but we shall pay for our rashness in the end.”

The whole of Peter’s failure lies in his focus. He is concerned about himself though he cloaked it in a concern for Jesus. He felt the need to live up to his oath and to act by himself before others for Jesus. Having failed to act rightly for Jesus reproved him, his fleshly strength gave way and his spiritual weakness was revealed. John contrasts Peter’s spiritual failure with Jesus’ solitary fidelity by juxtaposing Peter’s first denial before the mere question of servant girl with Jesus serene confident witness before the high priest and the abuse of an officer. Again, Peter is questioned by mere men and servants and he denies Jesus twice more. Jesus then stands before a Roman Governor and calmly defends himself against false charges. Peter was in the end, like we, concerned about himself. Jesus is always concerned about us (John 18:8,9).

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[i] In reformed congregations from the Scottish tradition it is customary not to observe “holy” days (i.e. holidays). Jesus Christ’s resurrection is celebrated and remembered every Lord’s Day (Sunday). See WCF 21.7, LC 116, SC 59.

You Already Have a Relationship with God

"Therefore just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." (Romans 5:12).

I've always taught that there is no "sin" gene in humanity that is somehow genetically passed down from one generation to another. The corruption of humanity and its result, death, came by another means, a legal one that God instituted. A real historical person, Adam, was the God created and appointed representative of the entire human race. That is what the scriptures clearly teach in Romans 5:12ff, I Corinthians 15:21ff, and the story of his fall into sin recorded in Genesis 3.  When Adam sinned God imputed or credited that sin to the rest of us who biologically descended from him. Adam acted as a "public" person and not just as in individual. He acted for us. The result was dreadful. .

All of this is basic to the Christian worldview. God created all things and he alone set the rules for life. This is what evolutionary theory, whether secular or theistic, undermines. If one can get rid of a historic Adam and therefore his role as our representative, then we can get rid of sin and make death just a part of life. We are just individuals acting on our own... and dying on our own.

It is from this kind of individualistic thinking or, as Van Til would say autonomous thinking, that many modern notions spring. These notions have affected Christians who unwittingly adapt individualism to their theology. An example is the popular evangelistic question of, "Do you want to have a personal relationship with God?"

It is sometimes put this way, " Having a personal relationship with God begins the moment we realize our need for Him, admit we are sinners, and in faith receive Jesus Christ as Savior. God, our heavenly Father, has always desired to be close to us, to have a relationship with us." http://www.gotquestions.org/personal-relationship-with-God.html#ixzz2s0x91yOW

Romans 5:12ff and Genesis 3 teach us is that every human being has a personal relationship with God. The real question is, "What kind of a relationship? "  You see, God created Adam and created a relationship with him and his wife, Eve. God had to define the terms of this relationship because well, God is God and he so much more vast in every way than his creatures. Think about it. God, in all his perfect and infinite glory, power, love, truth, and being wanted to establish a relationship with his creatures. Wow!

But you know how that story ended right? Adam and Eve bought into the lie that Satan, the deceiver, sold them and they decided to be like God themselves by defining for themselves right and wrong, good and evil. From that moment on the relationship between God and humanity was broken. Now I don't mean broken as in non-existent. I mean broken as no longer functioning as intended. Adam and humanity are now under the curse of God, liable to judgment and death. Where death is sin is. This relationship became a bad one. Its like when you have had a bad argument with your wife or your children. She is still your wife and they are still your children but the relationship is strained or bad. There are harsh words. There is judgment and anger.

The point of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that Jesus came to be the new or second Adam. Jesus came to be a better representative and to do all that God required. By faith in Jesus Christ our bad relationship with God is restored and made new. A closer, friendlier, and loving relationship with God is made in place of the broken, separated, and angry relationship with God that we are born with because of Adam's sin. The issue is do you want to keep the relationship with God that you have through Adam or, do you want a new and better relationship with God through Jesus Christ?

All of us are in a relationship with God. We cannot escape that fact. God made us. We are "in" Adam. He is our first representative. Is Jesus your second and better representative?

---See the Westminster Confession of Faith, chapters 6&7 for further reading.

Why Jesus Came, Part II

Christmas celebrations are largely about family gatherings. We all enjoy being those whom we love the most. So as we think of the story of Jesus’ incarnation we see another reason that God sent his son, his great love for sinners. This is what I John 4:9 tells us. The sending of Jesus into the world by the Father revealed his great love for sinners. The triune God wanted to reconcile himself with sin stained and fallen humanity.

When we look at this verse in its context we see that love is defined by God himself. Love is defined by God’s character in his act of sending his only begotten son for lost sinners. God’s creatures exhibit love and affection but their love only reflects the love that is found in God’s actions. Love is defined by God. Love exists in God. God is the perfection of love.

Some may find these statements to be in opposition to the teaching that God is also just and has promised to punish sinners with eternal death. We must remember that while God is love he is not just love. He has many qualities in perfection which are not in contradiction to each other. God is therefore loving and just, holy and merciful, etc.. We may not be able to reconcile these things in our minds but there is nothing inherently illogical about God being perfectly just and loving. Love does not excuse sin. Love does no wrong. The amazing thing about God’s grace is that he maintains his justice and love towards undeserving sinners. That is why he sent his son, Jesus.

In love Jesus came to reveal the self-sacrificing love of the Father by taking the sinner’s place. Jesus willingly came in love to do all that justice demanded so that sinners could be justified and freed from sin. This is John’s point. The self sacrifice of Jesus demonstrates the perfect love of God. Jesus’ coming is the revelation of perfect love. All real love must reflect that same self-sacrificing love towards others. This is what makes love so powerful. This is what makes the story of Jesus’ incarnation so wonderful.

In the end, the love of God demonstrated through Jesus compels us to love God and others as he has loved us. The love of God in Jesus transforms the sinner and enables him to do what the law requires and what a sin corrupted nature prevented; to love God and to love one’s neighbor. Jesus came to define and demonstrate the perfect love of God. “This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

"Why did Jesus Come?"

I have begun preaching a short topical series on the question, “Why did Jesus come?” Likely you know the answer. Jesus came to save sinners from sin. My goal is to challenge people to consider some more forgotten reasons that God gives us in his Word. We often think Christmas is ultimately about us, that God sent his Son for us. While Jesus Christ did come to save sinners there is more to the story.

The first installment was taken from I John 3:5. Jesus was manifested or revealed to take away our sins. In him there is no sin. So you are saying, “How is this different in what I stated in the paragraph above?”  What John is getting at in this context is that believers ought to live righteously. So often today people think that Jesus has saved them from the result of sin, eternal condemnation, but that it doesn’t go any further. The Apostle John says that salvation from sin should result in a life of purity and no longer living in lawlessness. What John means here is the completeness of the atonement. The word translated “take away” means removal by destroying the power of. So sin isn’t just punished in Jesus but the root of sin, its power in the sinful nature of man is broken and destroyed. I am not talking about perfectionism but rather the idea that a new life principle is at work. Believers are regenerated and enabled to live to God. They are no longer lawless as related to God’s law.

John also is not saying that in Jesus personally there is no sin. The doctrine of the sinlessness of Jesus Christ is essential.  However, he isn’t just speaking of the absence of sin. I think that in this context John means that the believer is “in” Jesus (v 5). He “abides” in him (v 6). John is writing about the believer’s union with Jesus by faith. The effect of this union with Jesus Christ is that Jesus’ mighty moral power is active in the believer by the Holy Spirit. Believers united to Christ have a positive, practical, and perfect obedience in Christ. Think of Ephesians 2:10. Believers are saved by grace through faith for good works. Those works are the believer’s works done by the power of Jesus working through him. In other words, Jesus’ righteousness is imputed to the believer through the instrumentality of faith AND that righteousness is like leaven that is working in and through the believer. He lives a changed life.

This is the fullness of the gospel. Jesus did not come only to die for sinners but to make them righteous before God (2 Corinthians 5:21). The gospel is really about Jesus, not about us.

The next installment will be preached this Sunday, December 22, from I John 4:9. Looking at that verse and its context, can you see another reason that Jesus came? Stay tuned and we’ll see yet more of the story!