Monthly Archives: June 2011

Trinitarian Solidarity

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From page 13 of his book, The Pillars of Grace, Steve Lawson writes:

“… divine sovereignty in salvation involves each of the three persons of the Godhead – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three work in perfect unity to rescue the same undeserving sinners. Within the Trinity, there is one saving purpose, one saving plan, and one saving enterprise. Those whom the Father chooses are precisely those whom the Son redeems and those whom the Spirit regenerates. The persons of the Godhead act as one Savior. The Trinity is not fractured in its saving activity. It is not divided in its direction and intent, as if each person of the Godhead seeks to save a different group of sinners. Instead, each member of the Trinity purposes and irresistibly proceeds to save one and the same people – God’s chosen people.

Sadly, many believe otherwise. They insist that the Father saves only the few sinners whom He forsees will believe in Christ, this mistakenly confusing foreknowledge (Acts 2:23; Rom. 8:29-30; 1 Peter 1:2, 20), which means “forelove,” with mere foresight. They also imagine that Christ hypothetically died for all sinners – a different group from which the Father saves – naively assuming there is only one meaning for the scriptural words world and all. They further claim that the Spirit saves yet another group, that is, some sinners whom He woos. Sadly, they mistake His internal, saving call (1 Cor 1:2, 9) for a general, non-saving conviction (Heb. 6:4-5). According to this leaky scheme, the three persons of the Godhead are purported to be pursuing three different groups of individuals – few, all, and some. Thus, the persons of the Godhead are sorely divided in Their saving activity. Even worse, the sinner – not God – reigns as the determinative in his or her salvation.

But the Bible teaches otherwise. Scripture reveals a perfect unity within the Trinity, a perfect oneness between the Father, Son, and Spirit in Their saving activities. God’s Word teaches that the Godhead acts as one Savior in saving one people. The truth is that man is not sovereign in salvation – God is. All three members work together with absolute sovereignty and unwavering resolve to save the very same people for Their own glory. This is accomplished through the free exercise of the supreme authority of all three members of the Trinity.

Facts about Brazil

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Out here in Brazil I was able to visit Seixas, which is the most easterly point anywhere in the Americas and therefore, the closest to Africa.

Brazilians are a proud, patriotic people. One native boasted that if the USA were to lose Alaska, Brazil would be the larger of the two countries. My reaction was to say, “two things: The last time I checked, Alaska IS part of the USA and you just go and try to tell all the Bears and Elk there that they are not American and see how they react.” 🙂

Brazilians are notorious for at least a couple of things:

(1) Having a party for any reason whatsoever
(2) The love of the game of soccer

The parties can last for days, and the soccer matches are such a big event that when Brazil play any game at all, the banks and businesses close four hours before the kick off.

I was born and raised in England, the very home of soccer. However, there is no doubt that Brazil has taken the game to a whole new level, both in skill and in fanaticism. BRAZIL IS SOCCER CRAZY.

The rivalry between Brazil and Argentina is notorious, the games played between them, like wars. The whole nation’s emotions rises and falls on Brazil’s result. The fact that Brazil has won the World Cup in soccer 5 times (more than anyone else) means that Brazil is a happy country. If Brazil does not win, the next best thing is for Argentina to lose. Brazilians ususally cheer for any team playing against Argentina.

As to religion, Brazil is a Roman Catholic country, and yet a great many people often mix this Catholicism with other pagan religious rituals. The percentage of evangelical Christians is relatively small, but thankfully growing.

May God cause His gospel to be proclaimed and heard by many here in this beautiful country.

30 hours later…

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Just arrived here in Brazil after a 30 hour treck from door to door. Looking forward to resting as I didn’t get much sleep on the flights. Brasil is a lot greener than I thought it would be, the people so friendly. Will post more when I feel half of what I write might make sense (the mind is tired). Thanks for all your prayers!

Brazil Trip

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Today is a day of traveling: around 24 hours of it. Over the years I have had the privilege of seeing much of our world. I have visited many of the countries in Europe, as well as Asia, Australasia and North America but today I head to South America for the very first time. I will be away for 10 days which will include ministry time in north eastern Brazil. God willing, I will endeavor to continue to write here on the blog (as good internet connections allow). I would very much value your prayers for this short time away. May all God’s purposes be established.

Is the New Testament Reliable?

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Years ago, it was not very important for most Christians to be aware of the issues when it comes to textual criticism of the New Testament. The debate took place mainly in the halls of academia and the vast majority of people had no idea of the issues and they would hardly ever come up in conversation with neighbors. That is certainly not the case today. When Christians share their faith, it is very often the case (if not the norm) that they are immediately confronted with mis-information from people who have heard certain things attacking the trustworthiness and reliability of the Bible. The attacks have gone mainstream.

1 Peter 3:15 commands Christians to always be ready with an answer for the hope the lies within us. The technical term for this is “apologetics” – a defense of the Christian faith. All Christians are to engage in apologetics, though of course, some people will be more highly trained in this discipline than others. I believe it would be a right application of this Scripture to say that part of a Pastor’s job is to help God’s people know how to defend their faith.

With this in mind, and seeking to provide an answer to the skeptics, I post this lecture by my friend Dr. James White. I recommend it highly.

Work it out!

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With Scripture alone as the firm and solid foundation, I affirm that justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, all to the glory of God alone.

The faith that justifies is a living and not a dead faith. This living faith is the fruit of a regenerated heart that wants Christ, loves Christ, and wants His will. The Reformers made it clear that justification is by faith alone and yet the faith that justifies is never alone – it is always accompanied by works. As the book of James tells us, faith without works is dead. A dead faith can save no one. Only a living faith saves. Therefore, true living (saving) faith will always display the fruit of works.

While justification (God’s declaration that a sinner is made right in His sight) is never based on sanctification (we are justified by faith alone apart from works – Romans 3:28; 4:4,5; Eph 2:8,9), the moment a person is justified, the process of sanctification begins. God has started a work in us that He will thankfully complete (Phil 1:6). That process will make all His justified children fully glorified (conformed to the image of Christ) (Romans 8:29-30).

Concerning this earthly pilgrimage towards Christ likeness, this process of sanctification requires effort on our part… actually much effort, a great deal of effort.. actually a whole lot of effort. Continue reading →

Excuse me waiter, did you mess with the food?

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But as for you, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 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. 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. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. – 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5 ESV

To serve as the pastor in the newly formed King’s Church in Phoenix is a high calling and an amazing privilege. To serve the King of Kings and the people Christ died for – what could be greater than this? Yet with every great privilege comes great responsibility.

Have you noticed in the above text how it is the presentation of Scripture as God breathed (at the end of 2 Timothy 3) that is the basis for the solemn and holy charge given to preach the Word, in chapter 4? The one thing naturally leads to the other. It is because of the nature of Scripture as divinely inspired that Paul tells Timothy to preach it with boldness, in season and out of season. Literally this phrase means “in good times and bad times,” or by way of application, “preach the word when the people like it and when they do not.”

Being a pastor and talking with other pastors, I think I understand how pastors think. God has placed a servant’s heart in every true shepherd’s heart. The genuine pastor did not get into this for money or fame, for the gold or the glory, but because there is a driving passion in the heart, placed there by God, to obey the One who called him for His own eternal purposes. Sadly, what is crystal clear at the beginning phaze of ministry can become fuzzy over time as Church pressures, politics and personalities all have their influence. But the above passage gives us a solemn charge to stay at our post knowing our chief responsibility under the gaze of God is to serve the people of God the Word of God.

I have met some people in ministry who have openly told me that they teach through the Scripture but seek to avoid controversial subjects. I know why they do this. They do not wish to divide their congregation. The Evangelist may count how many people were in a service, but a pastor is far more likely to count how many were not there – he aches inside to see the people he loves come and be built up in their most holy faith and knows what the Word of God can do for them. He organizes his whole week to make room for the serious study of God’s word. It is labor indeed – real work. Often it is in the early hours of the morning that he is awakened from sleep with inspiration to dig out or mine the Scripture – and the inspiration lasts until the clock tells him he must take a quick shower and get on with the business of the day (and restful sleep is only a hope for the next night).

But here’s the problem. Love for the people is very commendable, but it should not be the chief motivation in ministry. There should be a greater love for the God who called us to obey Him. The truth is, if we preach the Word accurately and with the fire and passion He instills in us, this shows great love for people too, because we are giving them the very best thing imaginable – the word of Almighty God. People need a lot more than a pep talk once a week, as in a coach’s half time team talk. No, they need far more substance than this. What they need is the proclamation of the word of God.

If we love Him, we will teach and preach in order to please Him first, for the message of the text is that we preach to the audience of One. God is watching us closely as we preach His Word. 2 Timothy 4:1 could accurately be translated, “I solemnly charge you as one under the gaze of God…” Continue reading →

The Breathtaking Wonder of Creation

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Here is Terje Sorgjerd (of TSO Photography), an outstanding photographer.

The three short films posted here (below) are simply stunning. Using the phenomenon of time lapse photography, they reveal the full breathtaking drama of the heavens. Personally, I can say that to view them was more than merely an informational process for me. It was an experience, a visual encounter of sorts.

I will allow Terje to introduce these very dramatic short videos: Continue reading →

Effectual Grace – The Only Grounds for Pure Grace

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“Our repentance needs to be repented of, 37) Why do some NOT have the good sense to believe the gospel? (John 8:47; 10:26)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)

In these words, the Apostle Paul destroys all notions of salvation by works. We are saved by the grace of God which is received through faith, and works play no part at all. As the next verse (v.10) makes clear, God has indeed planned for believers to do good works, but as this and many other passages in scripture would affirm, the works are the fruit and not the root of our salvation. True believers do good works, but works play no role at all in how we receive salvation, for it is “not as a result of works.”

This much is clear, but questions have arisen as to what exactly is meant by the one word “that” in Ephesians 2:8. We know that whatever it is, it is the gift of God, but can we determine exactly what this gift is?

Some say that the gift is “faith” while others say it is “grace” and still others say it is “salvation.” What may be a point of dispute from the reading of the English translations becomes settled when looking into the original Greek text.

Putting it in terms we can hopefully all understand, the Greek word for “that” is transliterated into English as touto and is in a neuter form. The way to determine what it refers to is to look for the other neuter in the immediate context. That’s how the issue would normally be resolved, except that in this particular case, there isn’t one. “Grace” is feminine; “have been saved” is masculine, and “faith” is also in a feminine form. In this case then, what the “that” refers to is all in the preceding clause. The grace, the salvation and the faith – all of these things – is the gift of God.

Paul is making it clear that nothing in our salvation comes from ourselves. Salvation, grace and faith – from start to finish, all of this is the gift of God, not as a result of works. God has designed salvation in this way for the very purpose of eliminating all grounds for human boasting. Boasting is not merely discouraged, or kept to a minimum, it is completely removed. That is because the entire work of salvation is God’s work from start to finish – “this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God” as the ESV renders it. The grace by which we are saved and the faith that is the mechanism through which we receive it – yes, even this faith – is the gift of God. Salvation is of the Lord and all the glory for it goes to God alone.

SOME QUOTES:

“Grace frees you from boasting in what isn’t your own, including ascribing your repenting and believing to your own sound judgment or good sense. Grace makes us glory in Christ alone, even for these blessings.” – John Hendryx

“The work of our conversion is a creation, resurrection, regeneration and the production of a new heart by which God not only gently persuades but powerfully effects in us to will and to do. As, however, man can contribute nothing to his creation, resurrection and regeneration, so neither can the sinner contribute anything to his conversion. – F. Turretin

Grace is eternal (II Tim. 1:9), immutable (Rom. 11:29), sovereign (Rom. 9:11-24), effectual (Eph. 2:8-9; John 6:37, 39, 44, 63-65), and destroys all room for human boasting (I Cor. 1:29-31; 4:7). It means that the Triune God gets all the praise, honor, and glory for our salvation: The Father for planning it, the Son for purchasing it, and the Holy Spirit for applying and uniting us to it (Eph. 1:2-14). Christ is not only efficient, but is alone sufficient for salvation (Heb 9:12; 10:10) such that our own merit or works righteousness can do nothing to either attain or maintain our justification. The assistance of grace does not even depend on the humility or obedience of man … for it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble …as the Apostle says, “What have you that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7), and, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). Faith is, therefore, not a product of our unregenerated human nature (John 1:13, 6:63-65; Rom 9:16) but is exercised as the infallible result of the work of the Holy Spirit opening our eyes and ears to the beauty of the gospel, turning our heart of stone to a heart of flesh and uniting us to Christ. – monergism.com

“There is no blessing that ever comes to man from God without coming through the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Martyn Lloyd Jones) Therefore if irresistible/effectual grace is granted only to the elect, then where did this grace come from? From Christ. Therefore, Christ died in a redemptive way for the elect (to purchase effectual grace) that he did not for the non-elect (for whom he did not purchase effectual grace). Gospel grace is Christocentric.”

“In Christ…Salvation is Your gift to us. But we confess that often we try to replace Your gift with our own efforts. We try to compete with what’s already perfect. We try to add to what is already full. We try to earn what we already have. Forgive us for assuming that our religious efforts can compensate for our sin and merit Your favor. We repent of all self-righteous morality.”