Ouch!

Too often in recent years I have heard people say something like this, "I could never bring the people I work with or go to school with or my neighbors to church, because it would seem so weird to them and I'm afraid it would do more harm than good." Ouch! I know that the first response to such a statement is to talk defensively about the offense of the gospel but I also know that in most instances that is not the problem. The problem is not the gospel and but archaic forms of expression, words that have lost their meaning, and just plain strange teachings that are at best peripheral to the gospel. Then when people ask for church recommendations it is embarrassing not to be able to give them many without qualifications as to what they can expect to find when they attend and what they will need to overlook if they are going to profit from the experience. This is not right.

Churches should be vibrant communities of Christians who love God and who are seeking to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives. There should not be a big disconnect between what they do and say on Sunday and how they live the rest of the week. Nor should it seem as if we are going back in time when we enter a church service. It is an interesting but discouraging exercise to listen to churchy lingo that flows from the lips of the initiated without any awareness that there are people in attendance who have no idea what they are talking about because no one, including the speaker, talks like that at any other time. It is all very strange.

Then there are those who add to the gospel their particular brand of political, economic or social theory, or those who think the Bible is as patriarchal and chauvinistic as they are and wonder why people walk away shaking their heads at this boorish display of cultural insensitivity. Outspoken, pugnacious preachers and teachers will always attract a loyal following, but that does not mean they are right. And for all their supporters they will turn off many more who need the biblical gospel and not a truncated, parochial version of it. The last thing we need today are those who major on minors. The need of the hour is for those who see the bigger picture and are able to articulate the truth faithfully in light of our current situation. What worked in the past does not always work today and it is a crying shame when we put unnecessary obstacles in the way of others. There is enough of an "ouch" to the biblical gospel -- all other "ouches" are unnecessary.

Chapel Reflections

This morning in chapel I had the opportunity to hear one of our recent graduates share a message on prayer. He and his wife and young family have just taken up residence in Toronto again and he has become the pastor of a well-established church in the city. As I sat and listened to his warm and clear presentation of the scriptures I remembered that this is one of the reasons that schools like Toronto Baptist Seminary exist. In one of his letters to Timothy, the apostle Paul instructs him to "keep what he had heard from Paul as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 1:13). And later in the same letter he writes, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2). Our job is not to be novel but faithful to the revelation already given by our Lord Jesus and his apostles. We are not looking for new truth but for new ways of applying the truth in our time and generation.

Sometimes amid the busyness of life I wonder if it is worth the trouble until something happens as it did today in chapel and I get a glimpse of what God can do with his word in the lives of his people. So many churches in Toronto (and beyond) need of spiritual revival and renewal. Too many well established congregations are dying of old age as one by one their members are called home. Fortunately there are church plants and those establishing new works, but it will be a shame if the older works are allowed to close their doors without a serious attempt to resurrect them. And resurrect is the right word! This is what they need and nothing short of resurrection will save them. But this is necessary wherever a church is planted and continues to grow and remain useful. The spiritually dead and insensitive must be brought to life by the power of God. Only then will they thrive and grow and give birth to new congregations of God's people. Fortunately God is able to resurrect the dead and that inspires us to press on in spite of obstacles and discouragements. It is wonderful to be part of the transmission of truth from one generation to another. Who knows what God will today, tomorrow and in the more distant future!

Academic Bookstores

Yesterday afternoon I dropped into a theological bookstore located on the University of Toronto campus to pick up some books for courses I am teaching next semester. As I looked around at the various offerings I was thankful that academic bookstores exist where people like myself have access to such a wealth of information. In our video age many speak with great certainty about the near extinction of books and bookstores, but I think they are wrong. There will always be a need for books. I know we live in a society with many high tech gadgets including electronic devices that allow us to download entire books and take them with us wherever we go. While I enjoy the benefits of such technology myself, I do not believe they will ever replace words on a paper page that I can hold in my hands. Various electronic devices may supplement the use of books but they will never replace them--or at least that is how seems to me.

Beyond the existence of real books is the matter of content. So often it seems that we are living in a dumbed down culture where everything is reduced to simplistic sound bites. There is a place for quick summaries of complex issues but there is also a need for more sustained discussions that challenge the mind and the heart. One problem is the financial viability of such books and discussions. If their value is measured by units sold we have made a mistake. Just because a lot of people are not interested in a given subject or willing to pay money for academic books does not mean that they are superfluous. The majority is not always right and sales is not the best indicator of true value. In light of this it is good to see that there are entrepreneurs who understand the bigger picture and who are willing to finance the publishing of works that need to be written and to build libraries where people can do research and study at an advanced level. The value of such legacies may never be fully appreciated by the foolish crowd but all of us should be thankful that they exist.

Prophetic Limits

Human beings love to speculate about the future and there is no shortage of speculation in our day. We wonder what will happen in our lifetimes and beyond, and in the process we realize the limitations of our knowledge and our ability to look down the corridor of time. Christians believe that the Bible tells us all we need to know to live for the glory of God in this life until Jesus comes again. But there is a difference between all we need to know and all we would like to know about what lies ahead. Although God has told us many things, he has not told us everything. There are still many mysteries and we are required to walk by faith and believe that God knows what he is doing and that his will unfold his good purposes in his own time.

In Revelation 10:1-4 we are told that the apostle John heard seven thunders speak and that he was about to write down their message when a voice from heaven told him to "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down." The fact that John heard things that he was not permitted to pass on indicates that we do not have all the pieces of the eschatological puzzle. No one knows all that will happen in the future. We are told about the return of the Lord, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the new heavens and earth, but beyond that, there is a veil of silence in the Bible that should be respected. We are not wiser than God and he has seen fit to set limits on our knowledge. We need to go as far as his revelation allows and then stop and wait on him. Christian churches and institutions are wise to leave people room to differ on the eschatological details and we should never make the fine points of prophetic speculation tests of fellowship.

Until Jesus comes again at the end of the age we are called to serve him in this world as long as we live. There is much to do and our time on earth is short even if we live to be one hundred. Jesus will come at a time known only to God the Father. Ours is not to predict when that will be or to waste time speculating. Ours is to be busy making a difference in this world, using our abilities as God intended. Time crawls when we watch the clock, but when we are busy doing what God has called us to do, it seems to fly. Curiosity is a wonderful gift of God that motivates us to explore the world he has made, but we must not allow it to run wild. It is best utilized when it helps us fulfill the revealed will of God, then we must be disciplined enough to stop and allow room for wonder.

Balance

Last evening at the London Sola Scriptura Conference I spoke on preterism. Most people at the conference had no idea what preterism is, and that is probably a good thing. I was asked to speak on the topic because of a small but vocal group of troublemakers known as full or consistent preterists. These people believe that most if not all of the eschatological events spoken about in the Bible were fulfilled when Jesus "came back" in 70 AD and through the instrumentality of the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish temple. This means that they believe the second coming of the Lord, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment and the establishment of the new heavens and earth have already taken place. All of this is preposterous and unfortunately is an example of the kind of false teaching that Jesus warned would characterize the last days in which we live. It is sad that people are so easily led astray by false teaching and that some are so determined to draw away disciples after themselves.

One of the challenges of living in the time between the first and second comings of Jesus Christ is maintaining our focus and not being deceived by idle notions that obscure what is important. There are no shortage of strange and novel teachings out there in the religious world. And even within the evangelical community it is fascinating to see the fads and come and go down through the years. It is not enough to tie a Bible verse on our ideas. Every heretic claims to be biblical. We must demonstrate that our views can be sustained by the scriptures as a whole and that they reflect the truth of God's revelation as it is progressively and climatically revealed in Jesus Christ. Anything less will lead us in the wrong direction. As in all things, it is a matter of balance, in this case, biblical balance that is consistent with what Christians as a whole have believed down through the years. May the Lord continue to lead us forward into the 21 century until we see Jesus again.

The Persecuted

The eighth beatitude is, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." We might wonder who would persecute the kind of people described by the beatitudes. But we do not have to look far for an answer. Sinful human beings who are not interested in the things of God find the kind of life and people described by Jesus offensive. Those who are determined to do their own thing regardless of the consequences do not like those who are determined to submit to the Savior.

There are many passages in the New Testament that reveal that persecution is normal Christianity (cf. John 15:18-25; Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 4:13-14). The world is not waiting to hear about Jesus. If we keep to ourselves and remain quiet about what God says in his word, the world will leave us alone. But if we speak up, as we must, and tell them the truth about sin, righteousness and judgment to come, there will be difficulties. This is consistent with the biblical portrayal of the world. Human beings are in rebellion against God and Satan is a determined enemy who goes around like a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Jesus says that those who are persecuted because of righteousness are blessed "because theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Now we have come full circle from the first beatitude which promised the same thing. Even though there is more to come in the enjoyment of our inheritance, amid the persecution the persecuted are given the assurance that they have come under the protection of King Jesus and his blessings are theirs forever. We should note, however, that it is persecution because of righteousness that is blessed. Some people are persecuted because they are foolish or obnoxious. There is no blessing attached to that. Righteousness here refers to the cause of God as it comes to full expression in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thus the beatitudes give us a balanced picture of authentic Christian living and experience. It is important to remember that no one is naturally fits the description of the beatitudes. These are marks of grace that are worked in us by the power of God and are indicative of supernatural spiritual healing. If we are to know these graces in our lives we must go to the one who sat down on a mountainside to teach in Matthew 5, the same one who went to the cross for our salvation in Matthew 27, and rose from the dead as the one with all authority in Matthew 28, and ask him to cleanse and empower us. Only he can transform from the inside out.

Peacemakers

The seventh beatitude is, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God." Others have pointed out that Jesus does not say, "Blessed are the peaceful." He does not commend those who go through life blissfully ignorant of those around them and unaware of the strife that frequently characterizes the human condition. Rather he commends those who relentlessly pursue peace in all their relationships even at great cost to themselves. Peacemaking is difficult work. And no one is ready to take it on who has not been humbled by God and transformed along the lines of the first six beatitudes. But peace is important to God and it is one of the great themes of the Bible. However, the peace of God is not peace at any cost. It is a very specific kind of peace that takes us to the heart of the gospel.

From a biblical point of view the presence of discord and the absence of peace is ultimately the result of sin. When God originally made human beings he made them upright and consequently they were at peace with him and with one another. But sin changed all that. It shattered our relationship with God and with one another. The impact of sin is seen in the violent murder of Abel by his older brother Cain. And it is also seen in the discord introduced into the relationship between Adam and Eve, and between them and the environment in which God placed them. The rest of the Bible tells how sin has produced no end of problems for human beings. If this were all the Bible said there would be no room for hope, but fortunately it is not.

The Bible tells us that God has acted in history to bring about peace. God has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. This is what the gospel, or the good news, is all about. God, in the person of his Son, has come to our rescue. He has provided a way back to the peace and harmony of the original garden and more. Jesus died on the cross to remove discord and strife and to make it possible for men to be right with God and to live in peace as brothers and sisters. God is the #1 peacemaker of all time! Therefore, it is not surprising that those who pursue peace are called his "sons" or "children." When we strive to make peace and to maintain peace with others we demonstrate our spiritual lineage. We are indeed, the children of God.

Given this perspective peacemaking involves sharing the gospel with others. We must tell others what God has done for us in Christ and we must urge them to participate in it. There will be no real and lasting peace where human beings are not changed from the inside out. Only God can change people radically on the inside. And nothing short of radical change will change our world which is embroiled in conflict of one sort or another. Peacemaking also involves treating others with respect as those made in the image of God, it means that we will not involve ourselves in the coercive power structures of this world that trample down the poor and those who cannot defend themselves. And it will mean pursuing personal holiness. As long as we are at the center of the universe there will be nothing but trouble. It is only when we take our place at Jesus' feet and view life through the lens of Christian discipleship that people get a glimpse of God's love, grace and power.

Next time: "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Purity and the Beatific Vision

The sixth beatitude is, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." It is one thing to look good on the outside, it is quite another to be internally pure. Deceit and hypocrisy are never pleasing to God because they are an implicit denial of his existence, or at the very least, a denial of his complete knowledge of all things. When we are merely content with external purity we act as though God were blind or as if he does not care. But nothing could be further from the truth. God wants his people to be real and authentic. He wants us to be pure in heart.

This is why Jesus tells us that the pure in heart are rewarded with the vision of God. They see and experience him who is altogether pure, the one who is described as "the Father of heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17). God's people see him now, with the eyes of faith. We see his hand in human history and we know his presence in our own lives. But as wonderful as this is, there is coming a day when that we will experience God in a way that surpasses anything we presently know.

The final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation (not Revelations, by the way...), speaks of this reality in symbolic language which transcends our present ability to comprehend it at this point in history. For instance, "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it... (Revelation 21:22-24). But here, as elsewhere in the Bible, experiencing this beatific vision is linked to purity and the diligent pursuit of holiness (cf. Revelation 21:27; Hebrews 12:14; Psalm 24:3-6).

Purity of heart is not easily attained, in fact, from a merely human standpoint it is beyond our grasp. We are impure by nature and so easily drawn to that which is impure as well. Purity, that is approved by God, only comes to us by faith as we follow the one who uttered this beatitude to the cross. It is only as we are washed in the blood of the Lamb that we are cleansed from our impurities and given the grace to seek after authentic purity from that point on. But whatever the difficulties, purity of heart is worth the struggle because in the end we are blessed with God himself. There is no greater reward or motivation.

Next time: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."

The Merciful

The fifth beatitude is, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." I think it is indicative of Jesus' skill as a teacher that he speaks about mercy after the pursuit of righteousness. We can probably think of "righteous" people that we would rather not be around. People who are always right! People who think that its their way or the highway! Unfortunately these pompous pretenders know neither righteousness nor mercy. It is also unfortunate that too many such people hide out in churches poisoning the fellowship and stifling outreach into the community while thinking God is pleased with them. Theirs is an obnoxious pseudo-righteousness that has nothing to do with true spirituality and we would do well to avoid it.

The mercy that Jesus commends is marked by forgiveness and compassion. It is the kind of thing that can only be offered by those who have known the mercy of God in their own lives. A merciful person does not stand around with folded arms while others hurt nor do they say, "I told you so, they are only getting what they deserve." Someone who is merciful tries to alleviate the suffering of others. They know how to put themselves in the life situation of others and they empathize with their struggles and pain. Without condescension their hearts are soft enough to pity others in their distress.

Mercy is something that genuine followers of Jesus cannot help but extend to others because they have experienced the mercy of God themselves. When they were guilty, God forgave them. When they were in distress, he came to their rescue. This did not happen just once, but over and over again. And so powerful was their experience of God's mercy that they have been transformed. Just as those who are forgiven much cannot help forgive others, so those who have known God's mercy must be merciful (cf. Matthew 18:21-35 and the parable of the unforgiving servant).

This beatitude raises many important questions. Are we merciful people? Is this how we come across to others? Is there any evidence of mercy in our lives? As Christians must never forget the King of kings who forgave all our sins and reached out to us in mercy and in grace. Divine mercy is an awesome, life-changing experience. We must never forget that the one who gave us this beatitude was on a mission of mercy that would take him to the cross where he would die the just for the unjust to bring us to God. If we have experienced his mercy we cannot steel our hearts toward others.

Next time: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

Hungry and Thirsty for Righteousness

The fourth beatitude is, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Hunger and thirst are strong desires and not superficial feelings. Those who are approved by God strongly desire righteousness and will not be content with anything less. "Righteousness" in Matthew's gospel is not the same as in the apostle Paul. When Paul speaks of "righteousness" he often means the perfection of Christ which is imputed or put to the account of believers. Though we are unrighteous in ourselves, we are viewed as righteous because of the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Matthew is more concerned with our actually conduct versus our standing in Christ. Thus "righteousness" in Matthew refers to right conduct and justice. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to strongly desire God's will in our lives and to do all that we can to live according to his commands.

Jesus says that those who long for righteousness will be filled. They will gain what they seek. This means that their desires will be fully realized in the new heavens and earth the home of righteousness (2 Peter 2:13). But it also means that even now they can know the joy of becoming more Christ-like in their attitudes and conduct. This happens as they read and study the word of God which reveals the way of righteousness (Psalm 42:2; 63:1). For the believer there is nothing worse than a famine of the word of God (Amos 8:11-14). We want to know what God desires so that we can pursue it in our personal lives and globally in the world. As we grow in our knowledge of God our hunger and thirst for righteousness are satisfied.

However, it is important to point out that there is a sense in which the more we are filled the more we long to be filled. This makes no sense to those who have never experienced it but those who have know that they can never get enough of God. Because he is infinite and we are finite our knowledge of him is something that will never be complete. And so we hunger and thirst and are filled... only to hunger and thirst again... only to be filled... and on and on in the most glorious and delightful way.

Next time: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."