Revival or Reformation?

Before we see revival in the culture there must be reformation in the church. Revival cannot break forth in the world if the church is comfortably asleep in the darkness. The world is going to live like the world. There will be evil, selfishness, injustice, and an all-consuming desire for money and possessions. It ought not to be so with us. Too often we look to the world and bemoan its vices, or the government and its hypocrisy, as if the government is the solution to the problems of our society. Government is not the answer, the gospel is. Of course the world is corrupt, what else would we expect? And those who do not repent and believe the gospel will be judged, but we must remember that, “judgment begins with the household of God,” 1 Pet. 4:17.

Too many who claim to be Christians live lives that are indistinguishable from the world. If someone looks at your life and doesn’t see a difference between you and your unbelieving neighbor, there’s a problem. As Paul reminds us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,” (Rom. 12:2) so we should shine as stars in the darkness; reflecting the light of the Son. As the Apostle John tells us:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him,” 1 John 2:15.

Do we love the world? Are we focused on ourselves instead of Christ? Do we desire earthly pleasures and possessions? Is the blood of Jesus shed on our behalf precious to us, or have we become accustomed to it? Do we have a genuine love for God? Is His glory our highest priority?

Just as the Roman Catholic Church was in desperate need of reformation in the sixteenth century, so we are today. The Reformation is not over. Yes, the errors of Rome are numerous, but we need reform in the Protestant church as well. Our worship resembles rock concerts and our preaching is glorified motivational speaking. Our churches are comfortable and casual, and our pastors are hip but lacking in biblical exposition and doctrinal depth. We want sinners to feel at ease. We don’t want to offend anyone so instead of preaching repentance and faith, we present a multimedia event. But church should be different than going to the movies. If we don’t like the music or if the pastor doesn’t say the things we want to hear, we just find another church. We treat church the same way we treat fast food. We would rather have onion rings instead of fries with our burger. Instead of proclaiming Jesus as Savior, Lord, and King, before whom we should bow, He has become our acquaintance, even our homeboy. We have totally lost reverence for the holiness of God. He is holy beyond our imagination. He is worthy of infinite worship and devotion.

We need to repent folks. We need to repent of our apathy, of our complaining, our self-centeredness, and our consumer-driven mentality. We are not called to be consumers of shallow Christianity; we are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We must take up our cross and follow Him. It’s not about our tastes, or our preferences. In fact it’s not really about us. It’s about self-denial. It’s about following in the footsteps of the Master and living the crucified life for God’s glory alone. The cross is not only the starting point of the Christian life; it is center of the Christian life. Christ crucified and resurrected should be the center of our world. As the Apostle Paul said:

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified,” 1 Cor. 2:2.

Do we need revival? You better believe it! But what we don’t need is a revival of so called “manifestations” of the Spirit. What we really need is a revival of sound biblical doctrine, expository preaching, and Christ-centered living that shuns cultural conformity and is fueled by a passion for the glory of God. The truths that were recaptured by the Reformers need to inflame our hearts once more. The sovereignty of God in all things, the supremacy of Christ, the authority of Scripture, the doctrines of grace, holiness, purity, truth, honor, righteousness, faith, and genuine Christian charity. The five Solas of the Reformation codify this so well. Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Soli Deo Gloria. Grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone, Christ alone, to the glory of God alone! This says it all. This is the heart of the gospel and the soul of Christianity.

We may long for revival, but what we need is reformation!

Holy Fuzzy Thinking Dr. Craig!

For someone as scholarly and well respected as William Lane Craig, I am absolutely astounded at his fuzzy thinking. Not to mention debates where he used the three-headed dog Cerberus from Greek mythology as an analogy for the Trinity, and the protagonist from the movie Avatar as an analogy for the two natures of Christ. Craig should be smart enough to know that all analogies for God ultimately break down. The finite will never be able to fully comprehend the infinite; not only that, but such poor analogies as Cerberus and Avatar, seriously? Rather, we should point people to the authority of Scripture and define the nature of God as the Bible defines it.

But I digress. The point I wanted to focus on was a question¹ posted on Craig’s website and the answer he gave. The question was about Calvinism and Molinism, with respect to God’s foreknowledge. The questioner was obviously confused, yet Craig’s answer only added to the confusion. I was baffled. I did some more research and looked at other articles and questions he answered in this regard to further ascertain his views. For those who don’t know, William Lane Craig is a proponent of Molinism or what is called middle-knowledge, which is a strange concept devised by a Jesuit theologian in the 16th century named Luis de Molina. I won’t really get into that here except to say that it’s a concept which tries to reconcile the mystery of God’s sovereignty with human free will and culpability by positing that God has "middle-knowledge" of all possible events, people, circumstances, etc. For more information on Molinism and its errors go here. However, I want to address some of the fallacies of Craig’s thinking and the logical consequences that inevitably follow.

When it comes to the doctrine of God’s foreknowledge, the question that must be answered is: since God is omniscient, how does He know the future? You can't simply appeal to His omniscience to answer the question. Again, how does God know the future? Does He have passive knowledge because He sees what will happen, or does God know the future because He has ordained what will happen? This is the point. If you don’t answer this question, you cannot proceed with any meaningful discussion. The answer lies with the nature of God. God’s omniscience by definition rules out the idea that many people have, that somehow God looks into the future and “sees” what will happen. As if God, like a clockmaker, sort of winds up the universe and lets it go to see how things unfold. The basic problem with this is twofold. First, God is an eternal, transcendent being who is outside of time. In fact He created time. So a Being that is not bound by time and has infallible knowledge is not required to look into the future. The future is already established. Second, there wouldn't be a future in the first place unless God ordained that it should be. In other words, you cannot separate God’s foreknowledge from His decree. This can be seen in many passages of Scripture. Let's look at Isaiah 46:9-10 as an example:

“Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’”

So how can God declare the end (future) from the beginning? How can He know the things not yet done? It is because He has decreed the future. His counsel will stand, and He will accomplish His purposes. Take a look at Acts 4:27-28.

"for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place."

So the crucifixion of Jesus and all the people involved in it, and all of the circumstances surrounding it, happened exactly as God predestined. It doesn't get much clearer than that.

Another great example is where the Bible tells us that Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, Acts 2:23, 1 Peter 1:19-20, Revelation 13:8. How is this so? It is because God ordained it before He created the world. Some people are not consistent in their theology at this point. They think that the fall of Adam and Eve was a surprise to God and redemption is the clean-up operation that God devised to fix the horrible mess Adam made. As if God turned to Jesus and the Holy Spirit and said, “Did you see what Adam and Eve just did? I told them not to eat that fruit! I can’t believe what they just did! Well, okay, let’s see how we can remedy this situation. I've got it! Jesus, would you mind going down there and becoming a man and dying on a cross, and so on, etc.” No! Redemption was God’s plan from the beginning. How can Jesus be the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world if this was an afterthought? Look at 2 Timothy 1:8-9:

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

Did you catch that? We were called according to God’s purpose and given grace in Christ before time began! That is and incredible thought. It’s mind-boggling! I don’t see anything in this passage that says God looked into the future and saw that we would place our faith in Christ and so chose us on that basis. No, all of this was settled in God’s mind long before you and I were born, before the world was created, in fact, before time began.

This is the biblical teaching. Now let's contrast it with William Lane Craig's erroneous middle-knowledge view. In a nutshell Craig posits that when God created the world, He was trying to maximize the amount of people that would freely choose Him while minimizing those who would reject Him and so thereby end up in hell. So God chose presumably, from an infinite number of possible worlds that "could" have been created and arranged the circumstances so that the majority of people would freely come to Christ. In this world some people may never choose Him regardless of the conditions, but might have, given a different world and different conditions. This concept starts getting convoluted really fast. So with this idea as the backdrop, here is what Craig says:

"The hypothesis is that God has done the very best He can, given the true counterfactuals of creaturely freedom which confront Him….The counterfactuals of creaturely freedom which confront Him are outside His control. He has to play with the hand He has been dealt."²

What? Are you serious? I don't even know what to do with such nonsense! So God is doing the best He can and has to play with the hand He has been dealt? Who dealt Him this hand Mr. Craig? Is there some other deity that is more powerful than God? This is so utterly absurd that it almost isn't worth mentioning. It's hard to believe people entertain such foolishness.

Now Craig is using the word "counterfactual" in the philosophical sense expressing what has not happened but could, would, or might under differing conditions. For example: If I would have gotten up earlier, I would not have been late for work. This is true of course, but the glaring problem is, it is totally hypothetical! Since God knew from all eternity exactly what time I would get out of bed on a particular morning, then I couldn't possibly have done otherwise unless God is not omniscient.

It gets worse. In answer to a question on his website about the creation of possible worlds in which certain individuals may or may not freely choose God, William Lane Craig said this:

"It is of the very nature of free will to make an arbitrary choice between equally good alternatives. So it seems to me that God could choose arbitrarily between these two worlds (though there are countless other options)."³

Wow! Unbelievable. I'm not even going to address his flawed notion of free will in this post, but anyone who says such things loses all credibility. I am sorry to say, I no longer respect Dr. Craig because anyone who can make such absurd statements has left the path of wisdom. This is a direct assault against the very character of God. Does Craig even read the Bible? God does not do anything arbitrarily! He always has a purpose, and that purpose will always be accomplished, (Ps. 33:11, Prov. 19:21). I think the problem is Craig's starting point. It seems that he starts with philosophical presuppositions and then tries to make the Bible fit them, instead of starting with the exegesis of Scripture first. If you begin with the Bible, not philosophy, you won't end up saying ridiculous things like this.

God has a plan for all things. He doesn't play cards or roll dice. There is no "could have been," or "might have been" with God. He didn't create the world by an arbitrary decision. There weren't countless other options. It was the only world He intended to create. And those whom God intended to redeem will be saved. They will never be lost because God had an eternal plan to save them, "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will," Eph. 1:11.

¹ http://www.reasonablefaith.org/is-molinism-as-depressing-as-calvinism

² http://www.reasonablefaith.org/molinism-and-the-soteriological-problem-of-evil-once-more

³ http://www.reasonablefaith.org/molinism

Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion

Well I finally did it! I finished John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. It took a long time, but it was definitely worth it. It is not an easy-read novel or a fast-paced pager-turner, but contained within is a wealth of knowledge. It is a massive tome of deep biblical theology; a comprehensive compendium on the chief tenets of Christianity as well as a defense against heresy and the errors of the Roman Catholic Church. I recommend every Christian read it. And if you want to learn more about Calvin the man, I recommend, The Expository Genius of John Calvin by Dr. Steven J. Lawson.

As I read his work and learned about his life, I found some things that were both amusing and profound, so I made a short list.

Calvin’s favorite word: Piety
Calvin’s second favorite word: Cavil
What Calvin is probably most remembered for: The doctrine of election
Where Calvin is probably most misunderstood: The doctrine of election
Calvin’s most beautiful treatise: His discourse on prayer
Calvin's primary role Pastor
Calvin's highest aim: The glory of God

If you think Calvin was an authoritarian, fire and brimstone Reformer who thundered God’s wrath and burned heretics at the stake, you should read his discourse on prayer. It will change your opinion of him. Yes, Calvin was a powerful Reformer who rediscovered and articulated the core biblical truths which altered history in sixteenth century Geneva. And his Institutes of the Christian Religion has become a defining masterpiece of Protestant theology.

But Calvin was primarily a pastor and a preacher of the gospel. He was a biblical expositor of the highest order, so much so that Philip Melanchthon called him “the Theologian." He worked tirelessly, preached constantly, and wrote extensively even on his deathbed. When he was so gravely ill, to the point where he could no longer walk, he still desired to preach. And so was carried to church on a stretcher. He was beset with many ailments throughout his life and died at age 54. Yet for all this, Calvin was just a man, a sinner saved by grace. He deserves no praise, except to say he was gifted by the Holy Spirit to expound the Word of God.

I don’t follow John Calvin, except where he followed Christ, though imperfectly, as we all do. I follow Holy Scripture. I follow the Lord Jesus. Yet I think Calvin was a brilliant theologian who was used by God in profound ways. And if some dare to "cavil" at the doctrines of predestination and election, we must remember that Calvin didn’t invent these doctrines. Like it or not, the Bible clearly teaches them. We must never forget that Jesus Himself said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day,” John 6:44.

Radically Reformed?

When I thought about starting this blog I was initially going to call it "Radically Reformed." I wanted a title with either the word "Reformed," or "Reformation" in it. Plus it kind of rolls off the tongue. I was hesitant to use the word "radically" because words mean different things to different people. So I went to my old friend Webster to see what he had to say. I like to look up the meaning of words and their etymology. It's interesting how words change over time and sometimes mean very different, or even opposite things from what they originally meant. Anyway, here's how Webster defines the word radical: 1) very new and different from what is traditional or ordinary; 2) very basic and important.

As I began to reflect on this it didn't bother me so much and I began to think of some things that were radical in Scripture, as well as in church history, and in my own life.

Jesus did some radical things. He ate with sinners and tax collectors. He healed the sick on the Sabbath Day. He rebuked religious leaders. And He did strange things like making mud with His spittle and anointing the eyes of the blind. He even brought the dead back to life. The incarnation itself was totally out of the ordinary. In fact, it was unprecedented! The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And what may be even more radical was instead of overthrowing Roman rule and reigning as the triumphant Messiah; He became the suffering servant and died on a cross to redeem His people.

In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformation was considered radical. Many Protestants today don’t even know what they are protesting. Yet in those days, joining the growing Reformation movement could cost you your life. It took a lot of courage for an unknown Augustinian monk named Martin Luther to stand alone against the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Yet in 1517 the sound of pounding nails as Luther hammered his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg reverberated throughout the world and changed the course of history forever.

The Lord Jesus Christ has also done something radical in my own life. Far from such earth-shattering things as raising the dead or changing history, although no less meaningful to me, He has opened my eyes to see the truth revealed in His word. By His grace, I laid aside my presuppositions and allowed the Bible to speak for itself. I began to see the truths recaptured by the Reformers. Unwillingly at first and not without struggle, but the more I study, the more I am convinced.

I now consider myself to be Reformed for no other reason than because I am forced to be by the clear testimony of Holy Scripture. Faithful, consistent exegesis is the only basis for this transition. I simply find it to be the most God-honoring, Christ-exalting, biblically faithful system of theology. In fact, I would say that it is nothing more than true biblical Christianity.

For over thirty years I was largely ignorant of the Reformed faith up until a few years ago. Like so many of us, we simply believe what we have been taught without looking at it critically or testing it in light of Scripture. This of course requires hermeneutics and hermeneutics requires work, but the benefits are abundant. As I studied like never before, I began to see throughout the entirety of Scripture truths that were always there but I somehow missed. The Bible opened up like an unfolding flower. The God I worshipped suddenly grew infinitely larger, and my love for Christ and His atoning sacrifice grew deeper. I feel as though I have only scratched the surface and have a long way to go, but the well is deep and the goal is God, "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen," Rom. 11:36.

Life and Doctrine

The Apostle Paul told Timothy: “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers,” 1 Timothy 4:16 NIV.

Contextually, Paul is exhorting young Timothy his protégé, not to let anyone look down on him for being young, but to keep a close watch on his life and the teaching that was committed to him. As he says in verse 12, "set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." Paul then reminds Timothy to devote himself to the reading of Scripture and to teaching, not neglecting the gift of God within him. This exhortation can be applied to all believers and especially to pastors and teachers.

The goal of every believer is to live a God-honoring, Christ-centered life. To walk in the footsteps of the Master as faithful disciples; imitating the Lord Jesus Christ and growing in sanctification as the grace of God works through us, 1 Corinthians 11:1, 15:10, Philippians 2:13.

No less important than right living is right doctrine. How do we know how to live the Christian life? Doctrine. Theology. Doctrine informs our understanding of who God is, who we are, and how we are to live and worship Him. Orthodoxy fuels orthopraxy.

So how do we know whether or not what we believe is doctrinally sound? Well it depends on who you ask, but in general doctrine is first of all derived from Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura). The Bible is the final authority and contains everything we need for faith and practice. Also, the creeds and confessions of the church have helped codify the tenets of Christianity and are invaluable for understanding sound doctrine. Much of this of course, depends on hermeneutics. That is why it is vitally important to learn the art and science of biblical interpretation so we won't be easily led astray. Hermeneutics seems to be a lost art in the church today and we need to regain it. Even so called "leaders" seem to be unaware that there are actually rules for interpreting the Bible, which is why so many heresies and false doctrines are prevalent in the church today. Paul's words to Timothy in his second epistle are so instructive:

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth," 2 Timothy 2:15.

We must learn to rightly handle God's truth. Theology matters! But why does it matter? First, the word theology comes from two Greek words, theos, meaning God, and logy, or logía, which is a suffix meaning the study of something. So theology is the study and understanding of the nature of God. As Christians we tend to also use the word theology in a broader sense. We refer to theology as not only the study of God, but also of Christian faith and teachings as revealed in the Bible. What could be more important than that? If you are a Christian and theology isn't high on your priority list, it's time to reexamine your list. Actually, it's time to tear it up and start over. Theology is paramount. We can never exhaust it, because God is inexhaustible. He is infinite. He is eternal; the self-existent, immutable, sovereign creator of all things. Our understanding of Him affects every aspect of our lives, so this is not something we can neglect. As C. S. Lewis said:

"Everyone reads, everyone hears things discussed. Consequently, if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones — bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas." - C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

The pursuit of godly living and sound doctrine should be our highest aim, motivated by a love for Christ and a desire to glorify God in all we do. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism so aptly tells us, the chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever. And this is principally done through the reading and study of God's word, as well as through prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers. And so again, as Paul exhorted Timothy:

"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers," 1 Timothy 4:13-16.