Five "Conundrums" of Calvinism - A Second Response

Following are Scot McKnight's sketches of Roger Olson's objections to Calvinism and a few brief responses.
  

CONUNDRUM #1 - How can God have absolute divine sovereignty and humans be genuinely responsible?

  

Is this really a conundrum? If God is absolutely sovereign, surely He is able to create beings that are genuinely responsible! His sovereignty can't be construed as hindering Him from being able to do this. The question fails to take its own premise into consideration. A less-than-sovereign God would be limited this way, but not the supremely sovereign God of the Bible.

 

Furthermore, how can God be GOD and not have absolute divine sovereignty? Could He truly be God and possess only limited or partial sovereignty? The question seems absurd and unworthy of God.

 

CONUNDRUM #2 - How can God determine everything and anything be evil? That is, if everything is God’s will, and God is good, everything is good or at least nothing is evil. This includes rape, child abuse and hell.

 

This question presents a false dichotomy. Why can't God will both good and evil in different ways and to different ends? If God wills that an evil thing should occur (not from Himself directly, but through a creature acting freely), and then acts with just judgment to remedy the situation, isn't this good? It does not mean the evil was good, but the evil was a means to a greater good that could not have existed if the evil had never happened. Once this is understood, the rest is a matter of trust.

 

As a side note, hell is not necessarily evil. Inasmuch as it is a just judgment against actual crimes (such as rape and child abuse), hell is an expression of God's goodness. Hell is the place for evil to be judged, but that does not make it evil. Hell is a just (and therefore good) response to evil. There can be no doubt that hell is a sad reality, but it is neither unjust nor evil in and of itself. The very fact that someone would label God's just judgment of sin as something "evil" reveals a deep misunderstanding of the Biblical teaching.

 

CONUNDRUM #3 - How can anything injure God’s glory if God wills everything? Even unbelief, even heresy, even sin.

 

In one sense, nothing can possibly "injure" God's eternal glory. This is the meaning of the doctrine of impassibility. In another sense, there is a kind of theology that fails to reflect the true glory of God because it credits man for God's work. The effect of this theology is to hinder the soul of man from reaching its highest attainment: loving and glorifying God. Such theology can harm man, but it does not injure God. God's ordination of any theology that is less than Biblical can be regarded as an act of judgment against those who do not love the truth. It doesn't hurt or diminish God's glory; rather, it hurts those who embrace it. The same is true of heresy and sin and unbelief. We help our own souls by abandoning such things - yet we are not somehow "helping" God in the process. We are simply acknowledging the Truth about Him - and this is to our own benefit as well.

Bad theology only injures God's glory in the minds and hearts of those who hold it. It doesn't bring actual harm to God. So, be an Arminian if you want to hurt yourself. But don't ever believe that any Calvinist thinks you are hurting God by doing so.

CONUNDRUM #4 - How can God’s saving some and passing over others and [sic] be good and loving and gracious? [Olson thinks God chooses on the basis of foreknowledge.]

 

Can we sum up "good and loving and gracious" as equivalent to "merciful"? If we can, then God answers the question this way: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy." God doesn't owe any sinner anything, so His just judgment in releasing sinners to judgment is good. He gives generously to all - even those who reject Him - so His love cannot be called into question. He forgives all of His enemies who turn to Him in faith, so His grace is beyond doubt. I don't see how the Calvinistic approach leaves any room for a believer to question God's love. Perhaps it leaves room for an unbeliever to question God's love, but that is the very reason the person remains an unbeliever: he doesn't trust in the love God has for him, therefore he doesn't turn his heart toward God and benefit from the provision God has made for his salvation.

 

CONUNDRUM #5 - How can God be good and ordain evil actions in this world?

 

How can God be GOD and not ordain all that exists and all that occurs? How can God be just and save a hell-deserving fool like me? Only by the cross. Before the cross God forgave sin, and how could those Old Testament saints ever explain the apparent contradiction in this? They didn't need to explain it. They needed to trust God. And those who trusted Him were justified on the basis of a sacrifice that hadn't yet occurred. Yet God ordained the evil actions that would lead to the sacrifice of His own Son in order to save all who trust in Him. Arminians should trust God more and stop asking silly questions. There are many things not yet revealed.

 
Don't get me wrong. I love Arminians, used to be one myself, and think there are many godly brothers in that camp. I have great admiration for certain Arminians. I also think a lot of Calvinists are wasting their great theology on loose living and apathy. May God resurrect the Calvinistic power and passion of men like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, John Newton, Richard Baxter and John Bunyan in our day! But perish the thought that anyone should abandon the clear teaching of Scripture over these supposed "conundrums" presented by Drs. McKnight and Olson.

As I see it, the bigger conundrums belong to Arminians:

How can a mere man tell God that He can't have absolute sovereignty without robbing man of responsibility?

How can a mere man tell God that He can't ordain evil for His own good purposes?

How can a mere man tell God He isn't allowed to choose whom He will mercifully save and whom He will justly condemn? (Isn't it ironic that Arminianism takes away God's freedom of choice?)

How can a mere man tell God that His goodness renders His ordination of all things impossible? As if God is not permitted to ordain certain things, and as if some things have to occur quite apart from God's sovereign ordaining.

Piper on Marriage

"So I start with the assumption that my own sin and selfishness and cultural bondage makes it almost impossible for me to feel the wonder of God’s purpose for marriage. The fact that we live in a society that can defend two men or two women entering a sexual relationship and, with wild inconceivability, call it marriage shows that the collapse of our culture into debauchery and anarchy is probably not far away.

I mention this cultural distortion of marriage in the hopes that it might wake you up to consider a vision of marriage higher and deeper and stronger and more glorious than anything this culture—or perhaps you yourself—ever imagined. The greatness and glory of marriage is beyond our ability to think or feel without divine revelation and without the illumining and awakening work of the Holy Spirit. The world cannot know what marriage is without learning it from God. The natural man does not have the capacities to see or receive or feel the wonder of what God has designed for marriage to be. I pray that this book might be used by God to help set you free from small, worldly, culturally contaminated, self-centered, Christ-ignoring, God-neglecting, romance-intoxicated, unbiblical views of marriage.

The most foundational thing to see from the Bible about marriage is that it is God’s doing. And the ultimate thing to see from the Bible about marriage is that it is for God’s glory. Those are the two points I have to make. Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God. And ultimately, marriage is the display of God."

-John Piper, This Momentary Marriage, pp. 20-21 (Online PDF Version - FREE!)

Quick Marriage Primer

Why marriage is hard:
Because I'm selfish, and I don't particularly like dying.

WE ALL BRING BAGGAGE INTO THE MARRIAGE . . .

Why marriage is good:
Because God made it for His own glory and for our good.
Because it is God's parable of Christ and the Church.


Why a Christian's marriage is always hopeful:
Because God changes hearts and minds.
Because suffering is a tool God uses to shape us into Christ's likeness.
Because LOVE ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS TRUSTS, ALWAYS PERSEVERES, and NEVER FAILS.
Because God has poured His love into our hearts.


Why marriages fail:
Unbelief. Pride. Stubbornness. Unforgiveness. Selfishness.


Why marriages last:
God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God.
Faith. Hope. Love.
GOD.


Why marriages end - the right way:
People die.


Why only one marriage will last forever:
Because the Church is Christ's bride, we are on our way to the marriage of the Lamb, and He HATES DIVORCE

The Gospel in Isaiah 26

Editor's Note: I haven't posted much lately because I've been busy wrestling with the implications of Isaiah 53:5 while preparing for the next installment in the Suffering Servant series. That post should be ready for presentation soon. After we finish our study of Isaiah 53, I plan to present a series of articles from a devotional book on Biblical paradoxes (the author - a like minded preacher from a Plymouth Brethren background - has graciously granted me permission to re-publish his material on this site, which is very exciting!). After that, I plan to discuss some key theological concepts related to the goodness of God - particularly Augustine's theodicy and its relation to Calvinism and Christian faith in general). So, while I continue to struggle joyously through the implications of Isaiah 53:5, I have decided to publish the following brief doctrinal/devotional on Isaiah 26. Hope it's encouraging!

The book of Isaiah has been called "The Gospel according to Isaiah." Let's take a quick look at Isaiah 26 to find out why.

1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
he sets up salvation
as walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates,
that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

Here is the doctrine of justification by faith. What a strong city this doctrine is. What a welcoming gate of entrance it opens to those who trust in Christ. The word "nation" in verse 2 is the usual word for Gentiles, so for the Jews there was a great irony here. Could be read: "The righteous Gentile that keeps faith may enter in."

3 You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Here are the doctrines of reconciliation, sanctification and preservation. He reconciles us to Himself and keeps us and protects us. We trust in Him and fix our minds on Him and flee to Him.

5 For he has humbled
the inhabitants of the height,
the lofty city.
He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,
casts it to the dust.
6 The foot tramples it,
the feet of the poor,
the steps of the needy.”

7 The path of the righteous is level;
you make level the way of the righteous.

Here is a continuation of the doctrine of progressive yet militant sanctification, with emphasis on God's work of humbling the proud and then exalting the humble. His triumph is our victory! His conquering "army" is a band of blessed, triumphant, ragged beggars. Sanctification is the pathway in which we walk - humbly, by faith - never losing sight of our poverty and neediness. The meek shall take the land.

8 In the path of your judgments,
O LORD, we wait for you;
your name and remembrance
are the desire of our soul.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.

Here are the results of the doctrine of regeneration. Only a regenerated heart can have these holy desires and worshipful yearnings. You must be born again.

For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 If favor is shown to the wicked,
he does not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly
and does not see the majesty of the LORD.
11 O LORD, your hand is lifted up,
but they do not see it.

Here are the doctrines of total depravity, common grace and reprobation. The unregenerate man militates against the things of God, even in a godly environment. God's favor is shown to all, but those who do not believe cannot "learn righteousness" by grace. They are blinded by sin.

Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.

Here is the doctrine of divine wrath and judgment. Make no mistake, God reserves fiery wrath for His enemies. But He has a great saving zeal for those who are His.

12 O LORD, you will ordain peace for us,

for you have indeed done for us all our works.

Here is the doctrine of man's entire dependence upon God. No "free will" here, but a bold affirmation of the divine decree and compatibilism. "For it is God who works in you . . ."

13 O LORD our God,
other lords besides you have ruled over us,
but your name alone we bring to remembrance.

14 They are dead, they will not live;

they are shades, they will not arise;
to that end you have visited them with destruction
and wiped out all remembrance of them.

15 But you have increased the nation, O LORD,

you have increased the nation; you are glorified;
you have enlarged all the borders of the land.


Here are the doctrines of confession and repentance from sin, divine sovereignty and the glory of God. We are natural idolaters, but the one Lord of all has captivated our hearts. He is jealous over us for our good and His glory. Soli deo gloria.

16 O LORD, in distress they sought you;
they poured out a whispered prayer
when your discipline was upon them.
17 Like a pregnant woman
who writhes and cries out in her pangs
when she is near to giving birth,
so were we because of you, O LORD;

Here is the doctrine of God's discipline. God loves us enough to humble us and bring us to the end of ourselves through suffering. Isaiah has just finished saying that God "increased" and "enlarged" the nation. Now he explains how it was done: by the pruning that leads to greater fruitfulness.

18 we were pregnant, we writhed,
but we have given birth to wind.
We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth,
and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.

Here is the doctrine of man's inability to save himself. Apart from effectual grace, all our works and efforts and strivings accomplish nothing of value. God's hand of discipline leads us to this realization - so that we may learn to trust in Him rather than ourselves.

19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Here, combined, are the doctrines of regeneration and the resurrection of the dead.  As a new day dawns, bringing fresh dew and light from above, the regenerated heart joyfully praises God. The night has passed! There is new birth! Death itself is overcome!

20 Come, my people, enter your chambers,
and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until the fury has passed by.
21 For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,
and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,
and will no more cover its slain.

Once again, here is the doctrine of divine wrath and judgment, along with the doctrine of atonement for sin. These verses call to mind the first Passover, when the righteous were covered and hidden away from God's judgment because an unblemished lamb was slain for them. And One has been sacrificed for us, too.

Hogwash, Bad Hermeneutics and Psychology (with a bit of poison in the Kool Aid as an added bonus)

Here's a pop quiz for the Bible scholars in our audience:

Identify where this verse talks about your emotional needs . . .

Ephesians 5:33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

What's wrong? Couldn't do it? You may just need to be less theologically strict in your interpretive methods.

The pastor of a Southern Baptist church in my area can help you. Attendance at his church is around 5,500. In a recent sermon titled "What a Man Needs", this pastor stated the following:

"God has wired a man in such a way that his greatest emotional need is respect."

The preacher builds his thesis on the following logic:

P1 God's primary command to a wife is to respect her husband.

P2 God's primary command to a husband is to love his wife.

C Therefore, a wife's primary emotional need is love. and a husband's primary emotional need is respect.

The implied reasoning: we can define a person's emotional needs by the commands God gives to others.

This sounds sensible enough in our cozy, americanized, pop-psychology-influenced church culture. But there might be a few problems to consider before we drink too much of the Kool Aid . . .

This type of thinking is drawn directly from the "Hierarchy of Human Needs" developed by atheist/humanist Abraham Maslow. This hierarchy is a primary resource that is used extensively by psychologists - including many who call themselves Christians and market their books to the Church.

I'm curious, what exactly is an "emotional need?" Aren't emotions a response of the body-and-mind to internal and external circumstances? Do I need to feel a particular way? What do my emotions have to do with a command from God to my wife?

I'm not saying emotions aren't powerful and important (they certainly are), but I question the very idea that "needs" can be attached to them. Our feelings can't be directly controlled by us, but they can be influenced and eventually changed by our thinking, and by our circumstances (whether relational or incidental). God's commands are meant to teach us how to think and what to do. They're not meant to ascribe needs to our fluctuating emotions.

So what is meant by the idea that I have an "emotional need" for respect that can only be met if my wife behaves a certain way? Does it mean I lack something essential simply because my circumstances aren't ideal? What happened to the teaching that Christ is the One who meets my needs? Why is the burden of my emotional stability placed on my wife's shoulders? Why is she manipulated into obedience by my ever-changing feelings? And where does God say marriage is about meeting each others' emotional needs? I thought it was a picture of Christ and the Church? What need does He have for my respect? Isn't it my role to glorify Him by my obedience and service, without regard to my feelings at any given moment?

Ephesians 5 contains many straightforward commands, but no list or description of anyone's needs. These needs exist only in the mind of the preacher. It's the same kind of self-focused, reverse-logic hermeneutic that drives a preacher who should know better to say, "the command to love your neighbor as yourself means you can't love others until you love yourself." In this way Christ's clear command, "love your neighbor," is turned on its head and made into a murky admonition to "love yourself." May God have mercy on us, and forgive us for sending people on a futile quest for more self-love. It's like looking for water in an ocean. God is calling out to us, saying, "Come up on shore, come out of that briny, turbulent sea of self-love, and draw freely from my refreshing artesian wells. Then share my water with others. Sure, you're going to smell like salt for awhile, and you may even find yourself body surfing in that unsatisfying sea water. But once you've tasted fresh water you'll know the difference and you'll long for what satisfies your thirst. You'll become more like Me and learn to delight in serving others rather than yourself." Meanwhile, culturally blinded pastors are pushing their flocks further out to sea, with promises of fulfillment for those who dive deeper into the illustrious love of self.

There's nothing inherently wrong with emotions. There's nothing inherently wrong with desiring respect or love from others. There's nothing at all wrong with the the kind of self-love that causes one to turn away from evil. But there is something very wrong with twisting the commandments of God into psycho-babble and failing to declare the truth as it is found in the text. There is something desperately wrong when church leaders validate the idolization of desires, the deification of feelings, the shifty blame game of invented emotional "needs" and the manipulation of a spouse through this world's hollow and deceptive philosophy. The Word of God should not be turned into humanistic drivel.

We're all loaded with emotional desires - this is what drives most of my struggles with sin, I think. I want something to happen, I want to be treated a certain

way, I want to have a feeling of significance and pride, I want to be appreciated and esteemed by others - and I'm willing to go against God's directives to get these things. To call these desires "needs" is both dangerous and unbiblical. Normal human desires very quickly turn into idolized demands, and this doesn't qualify them as needs. It makes them SINFUL God-replacements.

Recently, I've had numerous discussions with various people about nouthetic counseling and psychology. Nouthetic counseling isn't perfect. But in my experience, pastors who are influenced by the nouthetic approach don't fall for all of this psychologized Scripture twisting. They teach the commands and promises of God, not the self-focused idolatry of made-up "needs."

I'd suggest the following alternative to eisegetically reading emotional needs into the text.

P1 God's primary command to a wife is to respect her husband.

P2 God's primary command to a husband is to love his wife.

C Therefore, the best way to glorify God in the role of a husband is to love your wife; and the best way to glorify God in the role of a wife is to respect your husband.

After all, this is why we're here, isn't it?

A nice byproduct of glorifying God in this way is . . . your spouse will probably be more emotionally healthy and satisfied in the relationship. Both of you will enjoy marriage more. But let's not ever make this the focal point. Let's keep the focus right where God has it: ON HIS GLORY.

I must love my wife as Christ loved the church - without regard to her respect for me or my feelings about her behavior - because this glorifies God. I must do this out of love for God, and love for her, and in response to His love, and not for my own selfish ends. Isn't this the kind of love that moved Christ to the cross?

A Morning Meditation

Experientially and practically, today I have sinned sufficiently to seal my condemnation. On any given day, at any given moment, I sin enough to prove that I deserve an eternity without God. I have entertained selfish thoughts. I have been lazy. I have not loved my Creator with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. I have not rightly loved those around me, helped the needy, considered the poor, or blessed my enemies. I have sought my own glory and pursued my own desires. Whatever good I may have done is tainted, stained, and interwoven with self-centeredness. And pride. And short-sighted worldliness. And unbelief. And fear. Whatever sanctification I have attained is the sanctification of a sinner, by grace. This is what I'm like on my good days, my very best days. Day by day, moment by moment, the reality is - I fall short of the glory of GOD . . .

The glory of God, think of it! The One Who does justice, thinks justly, and IS just. The One Who does mercy, thinks mercifully, and IS merciful. The One Who acts with joy, thinks joyously, and IS eternally filled with joy. The One Who does what is good, thinks what is good, and IS good! Who alone is good. Who is the spring and fountain and source of all goodness. Who uses what is evil to reveal more of His goodness. Who unites Himself to humanity, takes in all the evil and sin of humanity, and thereby cleanses humanity! Who suffers because of love, Who dies in order to rise again, Who helps the helpless.

At any moment, on any given day, at any point in history, His blood is sufficient to cleanse the vilest of sinners. He redeems the most wretched of men. His sacrifice is enough to warm the coldest heart, to quell the strongest floods of rebellion. His propitiation turns away deeply deserved wrath, His purchase seals necessary redemption, His death and resurrection effectively secure the faith of His chosen ones and the welfare of His wayward children. His life is their life. His faith is their hope. His joy is their strength. But He only saves sinners who agree to all the charges levied against them by God's pure law of truth. The rest are far too righteous to be saved.

As believers, we are always in a world of blessed and cursed conflict. Blessed because the conflict is evidence of grace. Cursed because our bodies are not yet redeemed. On our best days, our sanctification is the sanctification of a sinner. This humbles us. And on our worst days, our sins are the sins of a saint. This gives us hope. Therefore let us always flee from self to Christ, and loathe everything in ourselves that is not God-given, God-breathed, God-conceived, God-inclined and God-honoring. Let us always repent, always trust, and always look to Christ - Who ALONE is our righteousness and all our holiness!

O Eternal Fount and Source of all good, be glorified in me!

But where sin did abound, grace did much more abound . . .

Mark 2:17 Jesus said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Galatians 2:17 But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!

Solus Christus

In Christ Alone

A God-Centered Defense of the Biblical Doctrine of Hell

Editor's Note: In a recent post, I pointed out that a Biblical understanding of sin takes the mystery out of the doctrine of hell and places it back in the doctrines of grace, where it belongs. The author of a book called, "Hell? No! Why You Can Be Certain There's No Such Place As Hell" took exception to my overt affirmation of the reality of hell. I was headed out of town for the weekend and could not respond to his comments, so I asked my friend Chris DeVidal to respond. And I'm glad I did. Here's the thoughtful and God-exalting response written by Chris . . .

The basis of your argument is:

* We didn't ask to be born, and yet we are damned
* Infinite punishment could not possibly be merited by a finite crime
* Jesus seemingly preached against hell in Luke 9:51-56

Editor's Note: The first assertion is the height of ingratitude. The second is inaccurate due to a low view of sin (which springs from a low view of God, as Mr. DeVidal is about to demonstrate). The third is a gross misinterpretation of Scripture that any first year Bible student could dismantle with ease. But let's allow Chris to answer, he does a better job . . .

Please allow me to answer these three points with one question:

What motivates God to do all that He does?

Why the creation? Why the cross?

You might say, "love."
And that's a good answer, but it needs more refinement.
I think you might mean, "love for humans."

Tell me, what did God (the Father) love before He created us?
I think there can only be one answer, the Son.

Who is the Son?
Deity. God.

If you don't agree with me on this point we have a different discussion. So let's assume you agree.

So what motivates God?
Love. For Himself.

Don't take my word for it. Ask yourself what motivated Him to save when you read Isaiah 48:9-11.

Or John 17:1 Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.
Or John 14:13 ... so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
Or John 16:14 He will bring glory to Me ...
Or Acts 12:23 ... because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down ...
Or Psalm 25:11 For the sake of Your name ... forgive my iniquity ...
Or Romans 9:17 I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed ...
Or Exodus 14:4 ... I will gain glory for Myself through Pharaoh and all his army ...
Or Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake ...
Or Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord ...
Or Ezekiel 20:14 But for the sake of My name I did what would keep it from being profaned ...
Or Psalm 106:7-8 Yet He saved them for His name’s sake,to make His mighty power known.
Or Isaiah 43:6-7 ... everyone who is called by My name,whom I created for My glory ...
Or Jeremiah 13:11 ... to be my people for My renown and praise and honor.
Or 1 Samuel 12:20-22 ... For the sake of His great name the Lord will not reject his people ...
Or 1 Corinthians 10:31 ... do it all for the glory of God.
Or Ezekiel 36:22-23, 32 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. ... I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord.
Or 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.

(Reminder, God wrote those verses about Himself.)

Want more proof?
How about the biggest book in the Bible: The Psalms.

What are the Psalms' basic content?
Praise God!
Praise God!
Praise God!

The Psalms were written by God. So what He's really saying is,
Praise Me!
Praise Me!
Praise Me!

What motivates God most is love for Himself.

By beginning with the assumption that God revolves around man, you are led down a terrible road - even to the point of inventing a different god than what is found in the Bible.

This is called idolatry.
(I don't know if you're an idolator, but the warning must be clear: assume that man comes first and you will become one.)

I'm not sure you were aware of this assumption. I know of very, very, very few people who have asked and Biblically answered the question, "What motivates God?" Not even me. But you must ask this question to rightly understand the Bible. When you see that God is motivated by love for Himself, the Bible falls into place. Your life will radically change for the better. Trust me.

So if God loves Himself above all things, how does that presuppose the doctrine of Hell?

Let me explain . . .

God is infinitely worthy.

Worthy of exaltation.
Worthy of majesty.
Worthy of respect.
Worthy of praise.
Worthy of honor.
Worthy of glory.
Worthy of song.
Worthy of all!
He is WORTHY of obeying, simply because He is worthy.

Now, what is sin?

What is sin but a rebellion against His command? What a TERRIFIC insult to His honor!!! He said "don't do it," we say, "you're not worthy of obeying." On the basis of His worth alone, He should be respected, listened to, agreed with, obeyed. He is supreme over all!

If He says jump, our only answer ought to be, "How high?" Simply because He is worthy of obedience.

David the Psalmist agreed. He sinned against Uriah and Bathsheba and his son and dragged all of Israel down into scandal, thus sinning against literally millions of people. Yet he wrote these words:

Against You, You only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in Your sight
(Psalm 51:4a ESV)

Why?

so that You may be justified in Your words
and blameless in Your judgment.
(Psalm 51:4b ESV)

Another way to consider sin is it is deeds that would be done only if He isn't really there.

If a dignitary, some royalty or ambassador, visits your house and you go about your life as if he were not there, you would greatly insult him. How would your and my life change if Jesus knocked on our door and said, "I'll be following you around from now on, listening to your thoughts, words, watching your actions and judging your fears." Would you act or think differently?

To the degree that you would change, there is unbelief that He really is watching, that He really does exist. This belittles Him. God will not tolerate belittling of His name for very long.

He is most motivated by love for His own self-worth.

Tell me, what would it communicate about His opinion of Himself if there was no punishment for those who belittled the worth of His great name, the name that He loves?

What if He did nothing to uphold the worth of His great name?

GOD WOULD BE INFINITELY BLASPHEMOUS.

If God were not to uphold the glory of God, God would deny God the glory that God deserves. God would be heaping scorn upon God. That would be blasphemous!

Let us consider even the smallest little grumbling about the weather, alone in your car on the way home from work. I was guilty of this a few weeks ago.

What are we really saying?

First, we say that God doesn't know what He is doing. Don't you see that He is watering the plants to feed you? He doesn't have to. He could let you try to make plants grow all on your own, without any water at all anywhere on the earth.

Second, we say that God doesn't love His creatures to send this providence. There are literally MILLIONS of people on earth shaking their fist in His face, and He gives them a sandwich. What a tremendously loving, patient God this must be!

Third, we say that God doesn't exist. When we complain to the air about circumstances, we are effectually complaining that He sent the circumstances. We would never, never, never, never, never question His providence if He were sitting in the car next to us. This belittles His great name. God will not tolerate belittling His name for long.

Grumbling under our breath to ourselves about the rain must be an infinite affront to the majesty and authority and worth of HIS GREAT NAME.

What an amazing God, then, who visits the furious wrath deserved upon those who grumble about His rain. He visits the full fury of hell, upon His Son, who gladly volunteered for the job "for the joy that was set before him." (Hebrews 12:2 ESV)

I CANNOT believe I get to worship this God!

What a God!
What a God!
What a God!

In summary, hell is a doctrine that is demanded by an understanding of the nature of the God of the Bible. Period.

If you don't agree, you have to deny the core, fundamental essense of who God is.

Ultimately, in order to escape these Biblical truths, you must create another god.

This is called idolatry.

Conclusion

* God loves Himself above all things, and does all that He does to bring glory to Himself.

* God is worthy of all, and worth giving glory to.

* Even the slightest grumble under your breath, alone by yourself where no one hears, is worth an infinite amount of punishment. (Indeed, I did not say this earlier but an infinite amount of punishment in hell really isn't enough to pay for just one of our crimes, let alone our multiplied crime upon crime. If hell didn't exist the trees and the rocks would SCREAM for justice!!)

* God would not be just to Himself if He did not mete out the just punishment on those who grumble under their breath.

* This God is amazing who visits the fury of infinite wrath upon Himself in order to show kindness to us, so that we will in turn bring Him the glory He deserves.

WHAT A GOD!
WHAT A GOD!
WHAT A GOD!

"...bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." (Isaiah 43:6b-7 ESV)

Isaiah 52:13 - The Servant is Exalted, Even in His Sufferings

"He will be high, and lifted up, and greatly exalted."

Here it appears we have a pile-up of synonyms. But do we?

Although it is true that the Hebrews were fond of using synonymous terms for emphasis, I do not believe the Spirit's intent in this passage was merely to emphasize how exalted Christ is. I propose that this verse does not simply tell us that He is exalted; rather, it tells us why and how He is exalted. The three terms - high, lifted up, greatly exalted - may speak of three distinct phases in the existence of the Son of God: His pre-incarnate glory, His crucifixion, and His exaltation at the Father's right hand following the resurrection. The main reason for this is the phrase, "He will be ... lifted up," which is consistently used in John's Gospel as a reference to the cross.

Jesus Christ was Highly Honored from all eternity

Heb. RUWM, רום = " to rise, rise up, be high, be lofty, be exalted ... to be set on high ... to be raised, be uplifted, be exalted ... to be lifted ..." (Brown-Driver-Briggs) It is noteworthy that on numerous occasions this Hebrew word is translated "to offer," in the context of ritual sacrifices. Perhaps there is a hint here of the covenant of redemption.

Where was Jesus before the incarnation? Did He exist prior to the virgin birth? Scripture makes it clear that He not only existed eternally as God, but He existed in a state of glory with the Father. Consider this prayer in John 17 . . .

John 17:5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

And look at the claim He makes in a dispute with the Pharisees:

John 8:57-58 “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

The last sentence was correctly interpreted by the Jewish leaders as a claim to deity, for they immediately picked up stones and attempted to kill Him.

Jesus Christ was Lifted Up on the Cross

Heb. NASA, נשא = the common Heb. word for lifting or carrying, occurring 654 times in the OT. It means "to lift, bear up, carry, take ... to be lifted up, be exalted ... to be borne, be carried ... to be taken away, be carried off, be swept away" (Brown-Driver-Briggs)

The term "lifted up" can be taken as a technical reference to crucifixion. Note that the voice is passive (in Heb. it is the Niphal stem), while the terms before and after are in the active voice (Qal stem in Heb.). Someone is lifting Him. While this might refer to Christ's exaltation by the Father, there is no reason to suppose it does not rather indicate the cross. Note these passages from the book of John:

John 3:14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up."

John 8:28 So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

John 12:32-34 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. The crowd then answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"

It is not by accident that the cross is placed between "high" and "greatly exalted" in Isaiah's account. Our Lord was indeed "lifted up" on the cross . . . but this was not the end.

Jesus Christ is Now Greatly Exalted

Heb. MEOD, מאד = "exceedingly, much" (Brown-Driver-Briggs)
Heb. GABAHH, גבה = "to be high, be exalted ... to be lofty" (Brown-Driver-Briggs)

He has been glorified exceedingly in His resurrection, ascension, and heavenly reign.

Ephesians 1:20-22 ... [God] raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church ...

Philippians 2:8-11 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It was through the humble obedience of being "lifted up" on the cross that our Lord was most highly exalted. Beloved, our path is to follow this same trajectory. The way of humble obedience leads to the highest glory.

The Paradoxes of Prayer - Part 3

Prayer As A Practical Paradox

I'd like to take a brief look at paradox in the methodology of prayer. Knowing things about prayer is of little use if we fail to move on to the act of praying. With this in mind, we'll examine three Biblical prayers that contain elements of paradox in the very way they are verbalized. Then, I'll suggest a method of praying based on these examples.


Biblical Examples

Exodus 33:12-13 You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people."

Moses quotes God's own words back to Him. He makes a request on the basis of those words. And he asks for what he already has. In essence, it is a plea for more grace, because although grace is always all-sufficient, and is always fully available, we always need more and can never have enough.

I Kings 18:37 "Answer me, O lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again."

This comes from Elijah's prayer when he faced the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Elijah prays that the people may know what God has already done: that He has turned their hearts back again. The prophet does not pray that God will turn their hearts back. Rather, he prays for the people to know that God has turned their hearts back. Apparently, God has already turned them, but they do not yet know it. And it appears that they won't know it unless Elijah prays effectively for them.

Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

Calvin comments thus:

He declares that he believes, and yet acknowledges himself to have unbelief. These two statements may appear to contradict each other, but there is none of us that does not experience both of them in himself. As our faith is never perfect, it follows that we are partly unbelievers; but God forgives us, and exercises such forbearance towards us, as to reckon us believers on account of a small portion of faith. It is our duty, in the meantime, carefully to shake off the remains of infidelity which adhere to us, to strive against them, and to pray to God to correct them, and, as often as we are engaged in this conflict, to fly to him for aid.

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary insightfully interprets the prayer as follows:

that is, "It is useless concealing from Thee, O Thou mysterious, mighty Healer, the unbelief that still struggles in this heart of mine; but that heart bears me witness that I do believe in Thee; and if distrust still remains, I disown it, I wrestle with it, I seek help from Thee against it." Two things are very remarkable here: First, the felt and owned presence of unbelief, which only the strength of the man’s faith could have so revealed to his own consciousness. Second, his appeal to Christ for help against his felt unbelief— a feature in the case quite unparalleled, and showing, more than all protestations could have done, the insight he had attained into the existence of a power in Christ more glorious them any he had besought for his poor child.

The Method

I suggest the following simple method of prayer, which is applicable to all sorts of needs and requests.

1. Confess what you know is true (e.g., "Lord, I was wrong to say what I said. That was selfish and arrogant.")
2. Give thanks for what God has done (e.g., "Lord, thank you for convicting me of my sin in this matter. Thank You that I didn't say more than I did. Your grace restrained me from committing worse sin.")
3. Conform your prayer to the Word (e.g. "Lord, You command me to repent and believe the good news. You tell me I must bridle my tongue.")
4. Declare your God-given intentions (e.g., "Lord, I repent of the unkind words I spoke.")
5. Ask God for help (e.g., "Lord, help me to repent of my sin. I can't do this without Your help. Apart from You, I will only fail.")
6. Thank God in advance for what He is doing (e.g., "Lord, thank You for forgiving me. I thank You that You are helping me to repent and change the way I speak to others. May You be glorified in my words.")


Based on the example given, it should become clear that making things right with the person who was treated badly is the next step. Biblical prayer will lead to the right kind of action.

In this way, faith is exercised as we obediently ask God for His help, while also acknowledging that He has given us what we ask for. Thus, we work for the Lord - all the while acknowledging that it is God Who works in us to will and to work according to His own will. And so He is glorified in us, and through us, and by us. Our prayers are at once confessions of weakness, applications of Scripture, declarations of faith, statements of intent, and grateful acknowledgements of God's sovereign grace. Our Father will respond to these cries of child-like dependence, Spirit-inspired honesty and tenacious trust as they are woven into our prayers.

IMPOSSIBLE: The Sermon On The Mount, Part 4

At the end of the last post in this series (going back about three weeks - where does the time go?), I posed the question, "where are faith and regeneration in the Sermon on the Mount?" Here's the answer I'm proposing: they are wrapped up in the concept of God the Father which our Lord has interlaced through the entire sermon.

Jesus' presentation of God as the Father of His disciples implies regeneration and inspires faith.

Before we leap toward the commonly held, universalistic idea that "all people are God's children," let's notice that Jesus is expressly addressing His disciples in this sermon. Matthew 5:1-2 says, "When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them ..." The direct audience is the disciples, although the crowds are certainly listening in.

A child is a father's offspring, the extension of his life. The life of the father is in his son. As in Adam all died, so all who are in Christ live again, through the sharing of the Father's life that is in Christ. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, shares with us the privileges of His sonship. This includes the most basic privilege of all, that of having spiritual life in ourselves. It is impossible to have eternal life apart from union with God.

That is the INVOLUNTARY side of sonship. It is the aspect in which God gives us His own life, not because we chose to live but because He chose to make us alive. After all, who chooses to be born?

The VOLUNTARY side of sonship involves dependency, relationship, and imitation. Another way of of saying this is, "sonship leads us voluntarily into a faith relationship." Many earthly fathers have proven themselves untrustworthy, and failed to bring their children into this type of trusting intimacy, but it is nonetheless God's intention for fatherhood. With God, failure is impossible. He always draws His children irresistibly into communion with Himself, simply by showing them how loving and faithful He is. We therefore voluntarily trust Him, through the faith which He gives us by revealing Himself. One of our Lord's most obvious objectives in the Sermon on the Mount is to endear us to the Father He is revealing.

With this in mind, I would like to examine the various statements about God the Father, so that in the words of His Son we might find Him more glorious and trust Him more fully.

A Perfect, Holy & Righteous Father

(Perfect, yet not perfectionistic)

Mt. 6:9 Pray, then, in this way:‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

The Father is holy. He lives in heaven. He hears our prayers.

Mt. 5:48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The Father is perfect (Gk. TELEOIS, finished, mature, fully developed, complete). His eternal and immutable perfection engenders our perfecting process, and guarantees that we ultimately become like Him in character (i.e., imitators of Him).

Mt. 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness ...

The Father is a Righteous King. Sovereign, just, and worthy to be our primary pursuit.

A Provider

(Rich, yet generous)

Mt. 6:32-33 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The Father knows everything we need. He promises to provide everything we need. He does not abandon His children. In this section, His kingdom and righteousness are presented as our basic necessities, compared as they are with such daily essentials as "food" and "clothing."

Mt. 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

The Father gives His children good things. He does not sell to them, nor does He trade with them. He responds lovingly to their requests with free gifts of grace. What could they ever use to trade or buy with? All that they possess has come from His bounty.

A brief side note here: the concept of total depravity is implied in Jesus' passing description of His own disciples as "evil." He calls them the Father's children, and yet He calls them evil in the exact same verse. In this we find the paradox of a pervasively depraved nature and a radically sanctifying grace present and active in the very same individuals. Those who teach errors such as sinless perfection and innate human goodness would be hard pressed to explain this dual description of the disciples. When we read passages like Romans 7 and Galatians 5, it all becomes more clear, though it is still indissolubly paradoxical - even under the penetrating light of Pauline examination. But back to the subject at hand . . .

Mt. 6:26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

The Father takes care of all His creatures, especially His own children. A good father values his children and gives all he has to them. If we hunger and thirst for righteousness, He will not fail to feed us.

An Omniscient Father

(Unseen, yet all-seeing)

Mt. 6:4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

The Father sees everything, even our most secret deeds.

Mt. 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

The Father is unseen, and He sees every unseen thing. Just as the Father dwells in secret, and the birth of His children takes place in secret, so a great deal of our relationship with Him must remain hidden. Yet the light that results from such a relationship cannot possibly remain a secret.

Mt. 6:8 ... your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

The Father knows everything we need. He knows what we are thinking. He is intimately acquainted with our hearts, wills, and bodies. He made us.

Mt. 6:18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

The Father notices what we do. He is not ignorant of our deeds, whether good or evil.

Mt. 6:32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things ...

The Father knows what we need. Are we getting this yet?

A Kind and Generous Father
(Forgiving of enemies, yet not forgiving of unforgiveness)

Mt. 5:44-45 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

The Father's kindness is unlimited, extending even to His enemies.

Mt. 6:14-15 For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

The Father forgives transgressions. He is so committed to forgiveness that He will not allow for exceptions in His children. They must forgive as they have been forgiven, and they will be forgiven as they share His forgiveness.

Mt. 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
The Father's likeness is seen in those who resolve conflict and restore relationships. They are doing His work as His representatives, for they imitate His kindness.

A Father Who Rewards His Children
(Giving just rewards, yet doing so on the basis of grace)

Mt. 6:1 Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

The Father notices and rewards every single righteous deed done by His children, even though the righteousness came to them as a gift in the first place - and in spite of the fact that they have been forgiven for innumerable evils.

Mt. 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Believe it! God will reward the work you do for Him.

Mt. 6:18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

The rewards are promised, but granted only in the future. Therefore, they can only be received through faith in the Father's Word. Thus, we will only practice secret righteousness if we believe His promise, so our "just" rewards come by grace, through faith. Sublime paradox!

A Glorious Father
(Unseen, yet revealing His glory through our works)

Mt. 5:16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

A perfect balance is achieved by comparing this verse to Mt. 6:1. We are not to practice our righteousness before men, but we are to shine our light before men. Like the Father, we should seek to enlighten others, and not to justify ourselves. We are not to act in such a way that we ourselves are noticed by men, but rather that they may see our good works. Like the Father, we ourselves should remain hidden and allow our works to be seen. We are not to have the motive of being noticed by men, but rather that men may glorify our Father. God-revealing light shines through the good works which result from a humble dependence upon His righteousness. But the man-centered reward of self-glorification is all we will ever get from gaudy displays of self-righteousness. The actions may appear outwardly similar in some respects, but what a contrast in motivations and results!

The Father is worthy to be glorified. Only the new heart that has been created by regeneration, and become endeared to the Father, can have as its motivation the supreme glory of God. Apart from regeneration and faith, the God-centered Christian life would be . . . impossible.

Likewise, it is only as we come to know God as Father that we can bear to see that we are spiritually destitute. It is only in the embrace of our Father that we can shed tears of shame and grief for our sins. It is only in the glow of the Father's love and generosity that we can bow the knee and willingly comply with what He has commanded. As He graciously fills our spiritual hunger, we begin to imitate Him in His mercy, purity, and peacemaking ways. Thus the light shines, and He is greatly glorified in His adoring and grateful children.