Monthly Archives: April 2011

Look where 5 years of German gets ya…

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TRUE STORY: One Sunday morning, a distinguished looking couple from Germany came to our Church. In greeting and chatting with them after the service I made a very big mistake. I told them that I studied German for five years in High School.

In their lovely thick German accents they said, “oh how nice. Please tell us something in our German language.”

I said, “oh no, its been so many years since I studied German and I have forgotten most of what I have learnt. All I can remember now are little phrases that are quite useless.”

“No, please, Pastor John,” the lady said with an eager smile, “we have been away from Germany for 3 weeks and have not heard any German at all – please, Pastor John, tell us – please tell us something in German.”

I was more than a little suprised with their insistence. They seemed very determined for me to say something in their language.

“O.K., here’s something I remember” I said, “but I do warn you, it is not a very useful phrase.”

“We don’t mind,” the husband said, “just tell us something in German.”

O.K., I said, “Ich kannst nicht ins kino gehen aber ich bin nur dreizein jahre alt.”

The German couple looked completely stunned for a brief moment. Then they looked at each other. One started smiling, the other started laughing, and then they both started laughing in unison, to such an extent that their laughter became loud.

Others in the room stopped their own conversations and began turning around to find out where the big noise was coming from.. and as they looked, they saw this visiting German couple holding each other up as they were almost falling down because their laughter was so pronounced.

Amidst their gasping for air, the husband said, “You are right, that is totally .. ridiculous..” as he tried to breathe through the laugher again… “We thought you would quote a Scripture or have at least something profound to say, but that was one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard…”

Why would they be laughing so much?

Well, in their imagination, they could see me in Germany, perhaps in one of the big cities.. perhaps I was driving a car and it broke down and I needed help.. finding someone on the sidewalk I rush up to them and say:

“I CANNOT GO TO THE MOVIES BECAUSE I AM ONLY THIRTEEN YEARS OLD!”

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This is absolutely breathtaking, no matter what they might be selling:

The Omission of “Sanctified” in the Golden Chain

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Pastor John, I have so enjoyed reading your teaching this week on the Golden Chain of Redemption from Romans 8:28-30. Because I can see myself in the chain in the word “justified” (in that I know He has declared me just or right in His sight through faith in Christ – Romans 5:1), I can now look both forwards and backwards in the chain, and understand that all the other things God says are also true of me. How amazing this is! Looking forward in the chain, in spite of my on-going struggles, He will bring me to full glorification (what comfort it is to know this); and looking backwards, He called me, predestined me, and foreknew me (set His love on me in eternity past). That’s so assuring to me!

I do have a question for you though. Why do you think the idea of sanctification is not included in the Golden Chain?

I am so glad to hear that the articles were a blessing. Isn’t God amazing! I believe that is the whole point of the text in Romans 8 – to bring a deep settled assurance to God’s people, even under the most intense pressure situations. The eighth chapter of Romans starts with the concept of “No Condemnation” and ends with the idea of “No Separation” for the people of God. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. That is where the truths of the chapter are all taking us, but sandwiched between those two thoughts of no condemnation and no separation is the statement of the Golden Chain of Redemption (v. 28-30), which is the foundational basis for this assurance.

Regarding your question, on the blog at desiring God, Dr. John Piper wrote of a reason for the omission of the word “sanctified” in the golden chain of redemption found in Romans 8:28-30. I agree with him completely but would like to add a second reason for the omission. Dr. Piper writes:

Have you ever wondered why “sanctification” is missing from this golden chain in Romans 8:29-30?

Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Continue reading →

Romans 8:28 – 9:24 (Part 4)

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How exactly does God ‘harden’ a human heart?

Well there two possible answers. One is to actively put evil into the heart of man – which I do not believe to be true of God biblically. The second, and I believe scriptural view is that in some people’s cases, God withholds mercy, (let’s always remember mercy by definition can never be demanded) and leaves them to the stubbornness of their own (hostile to God) nature. God doesn’t need to actively put evil in a human heart, to harden it – He can just withold mercy and leave us to our own evil desires. The worst thing God can do for us while we are in a state of spiritual deadness is to leave us in the hands of our boasted free will.

God holds people responsible for something they cannot do, which is to come to a saving knowledge of Christ by their own power and will! (v. 16) In this case, they cannot resist His will, but yet they are still at fault. Still the pot screams, “THAT’S NOT FAIR, GOD!”

Today, the vast majority of Christians hold the unbiblical belief that God does not hold us responsible for things we cannot do. Why do they hold to this idea? Because they believe the alternative is not fair.

What is Paul’s answer to this? Well lets read it in the next verse:

20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?

Paul’s answer is to point out that God is God, and man is man, and man has no business telling God what to do with His creation.

21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

The implication in Paul’s question here is that yes, indeed, God as the Potter has every right to make what He likes from the clay. Though man will shout loud and long about what seems to be man’s lack of freedom in all this, God’s answer is to shout back, “What about My freedom as the Potter?” In Romans 9, Paul contends for the Potter’s freedom to have mercy on whom He will.

22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

Though these words are phrased as a question, it is obvious that these words are indeed Paul’s continued answer to the claim that this idea of election is unfair.

Paul refers to “vessels of wrath” which were created for the purpose of destruction!

When seeing these words we immediately think that we have misunderstood them, for surely they can’t mean what they appear to say…. or can they? Continue reading →