Christ and Culture...

I am amazed sometimes at the liberties culture will take with things that are closely tied to Christianity. Watching the Monday Night Football game tonight I saw a commercial for the new "Saw V" horror flick. The tag line for the movie is "WWJD?" Sound familiar? Made popular by the recent popularity of the classic book, "In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?", the WWJD has been a pop-Christian icon in the last couple of decades.

It is not surprising that something like this should happen, but the intentional irony that is produced by the usage of this phrase for this movie should not be overlooked. Christ came so that the image of God (Imagio Dei) in man would be restored; the movie makes the mutilation and killing of men entertainment. Christ came so that those who place their faith in him would be perfected in the flesh; the movie is about the gratuitous destruction of the flesh. Christ willingly went to the cross and allowed his flesh to be mutilated for the expiation and propitiation of sin; the main character of the movie will take joy in mutilating the flesh of others.

WWJD was a phrase to cause people to consider the willing sacrifice of Christ at the cross as a standard for our daily living. Not enough in and of itself to bring about the salvation of souls, nor should it be left as the intended significance of Christ's death at the cross, WWJD is a valid question for those who have understood the gospel message and responded in faith to ask themselves as they live out lives for the glory of God. The blatant use of the same acronym (WWJD? - 'What Would Jigsaw Do?') for "Saw V" flies in the face of the message of the life and death of Jesus Christ.

Am I surprised at this in a world that is fallen, corrupt and sinful? No. But neither do I want to blink in surprise when I see it and then go on as if I never did see it. How many Christians will go to this movie for "entertainment" without thinking about the ramifications of how Hollywood has placed this movie in ironic apposition with the faith?

Life...

Have you ever watched a newborn suck on a pacifier? You should sometime. Suck, suck, suck, suck, suck - breathe, breathe, and do it again, and again, and again. :) I was holding Caleb last night after he had dinner and he was loving the pacifier. For the first time he was eyes wide open for a long period of time and interacting with the world around him. Suck, suck, suck, suck, suck - breath, breathe. Suck, suck, suck, suck, suck - breathe, breath. Sitting in the arms of his father, trusting without yet being able to articulate it that his life will be sustained. Suck, suck, suck, breathe, breathe.



What a picture for the Christian! To have the ability to rest so completely in the arms of the Father and enjoy the simple things in life. To trust in breathe and life. To be fed from a source outside yourself. To be sustained by another. To have your eyes wide open trying to perceive and understand what is around you. To interact without going out and creating your own issues from sin, the desire to control, or the 'need' to fulfill desires. Would that as adults we could learn to live life in the manner of babes,

Suck, suck, suck, suck, suck - breathe, breathe.

Biblical Anthropology - Control Freaks

Every so often a 'stray thought' hits me and I realize that the Lord is teaching me something in the midst of life. This week has been really tough for us. We went in last Friday to have our son 5 weeks early by C-section. We were hopeful that he would be perfect and fine but knew that there could be complications because he was so early. Well, he came out great, gave us a good yell, and then decided that he didn't feel like breathing on his own! They were able to get him to breath, and he has steadily been improving since, but this whole week has been spent trying to get Niki back on her feet after the C-section and watching our young son struggle to learn to breathe on his own in the NICU.

How does this relate to Biblical Anthropology? I was in the truck (I don't even remember where I was going!) and it hit me that we often say that one of man's great issues is the desire to control everything around him rather than allowing God to have and exercise control. How do we understand and approach the issue of control?

Man was created to exert control. Kings in the Ancient Near East would leave their image behind in conquered lands so that the people would know who ruled. The thought often was that the conquering king had brought order to disorder and thus blessed that land by imposing his rule. This idea seems to have arisen directly from the Biblical narrative. God brought order to the disorder of matter that existed immediately at the beginning of creation. To that which was "formless and void" God brought order progressively through the days of creation. On the sixth day God created the "capstone" of all of creation - man. Man was created in God's image in order to rule creation under His authority which began with Adam's caretaking of the Garden of Eden.

In the Fall of man in sin, man moved from a position of appropriate exercise of control in accordance with the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God to the position of attempting to exercise control in the same manner as God! Satan tempts with the phrase, "you will be like God (in knowing good and evil)." One of the benefits of being like God is to exercise absolute control. Here is the problem with men - that rather than exercising control in a way that is good and pleasing to God and in alignment with His will we try to control things around us to achieve the results that we desire.

This has been our struggle this week as we have watched Caleb struggle to make it through his first days of life - that we cannot control what is going on. I have seen two extreme reactions to the situation: 1) Anxiety/Fear, and 2) Control what you can and wait for things to develop to a point where you can exert control over things again. If you struggle with fear and anxiety consider that maybe you are trying to control things to ends that you desire, and in the absence of being able to, or knowing how to, achieve desired results you experience fear and anxiety. Or, if you walk around looking assured but are constantly stressed out consider that you have learned to exert control where you can and then wait until things develop to a point where you can control things again. Neither of these reactions are proper. Instead, we ought to ascertain what God's will is and then exert what control we have in situations to make things be in keeping with His will in order to produce results that bring glory to His name! This is what man was created to do. So, does God need to have control in all things? Yes! But we should realize that He has chosen in His mercies to use us in some things (not all!) to exercise control and to do so in a manner in keeping with His good, perfect, and pleasing will so that His wisdom "might be made manifest to the rulers and powers in the heavenly places."

Knowing and Following the Will of God

In March I was privileged to attend the Shepherd's Conference at John MacArthur's church, Grace Community, in California. Thank you, Denton Bible and Brent Bowen for making that possible! It was three days of men sharpening men in the Word, and it changed my life. One of the better sessions I attended was on knowing the will of God by Jonathan Rourke. Below I am putting my notes for the benefit of whoever this may encourage. We live in a generation that seeks for signs and logical argumentation, and this is nothing new - "For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom." (1 Cor. 1:22) So, how do we understand God's will?

We begin by living according to what the Word says rather than how culture has taught us to live. This is why it is vital to be in Scripture daily. After Moses gave Israel the Law for the second time he says in Deuteronomy, "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity." Life comes through obedience to God's word and death through disobedience. The vitality of our walk with Christ will rise and fall with our obedience to the Word of God. Our daily intake of Scripture will provide the ammunition to withstand the insidious advice and standards of secular culture.

Privately
Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18)
1. The Command ~ "Walk by the Spirit."
2. The Promise ~ "You will not carry out the desire of the flesh."
3. The Warning ~ The spirit and the flesh are in opposition
4. Clarification ~ "If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law."

The "error that must be exploded is the idea that faith in Christ is one thing and holiness is another; that obedience is some how optional after faith." (Piper) There is no Biblical division between faith and obedience. A strong desire to obey arises out of understanding that leads to faith. How can you be adopted as sons and daughters into the household of the Most High and not expect, even desire passionately, to obey Him!

Walking "in a manner worthy" (Eph 4:1) is only possible when walking by, with, and according to the Spirit. Without our walk being based on an inner vitality provided by the Spirit we will be no better than the Pharisees - we become legalistic. Keep Galatians 3:3 in mind, "Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" Only by walking in the Spirit will we not carry out the desires of the flesh, and because of the indwelling of the Spirit we no longer need the 'tutoring' of the Law for righteousness but are taught and led into all righteousness by the Spirit.

Fight the Flesh (I Thessalonians 4:1-8)
1. Obey God
2. Please God
3. Fear God

You can actually please God and be assured of it. He has revealed it that it is possible. You obey God's commandments that He has given, which are for your sanctification. You will only live Holy because of a reverent fear of the Lord. We sin because we do not fear God enough. A.W. Tozer wrote in Knowledge of the Holy, "The most important thing about a person is their concept of God." A person who has sought to know God cannot help but come to fear Him. See Deuteronomy 4:10-12. God assembled the nation to receive the Law so that they would fear Him! God's revelation of Himself cause this in us as much as we come to understand His grace and mercy. Notice that Moses points out that God was on the mountain in fire and smoke and thunder; that Israel heard His voice but did not see His form. They were not able to see His form because we have a propensity as humans to attempt to define God in order to gain a comfortable understanding of who He is. If you feel you have come to understand God you should be uncomfortable; if you are beginning to truly understand Him you will find your self uncomfortable - and this is the beginning of true Fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom.

If you are practicing these two internal aspects of walking by the Spirit and Fearing the Lord you will be able to move to the outward aspects of following God's will.

Publicly
Submit to Authority (1 Peter 2:13-17)
1. Submit to Human Authority
2. Silence Human Opposition

To submit is different than obeying. Submission to human authority carries with it a limited commitment whereas obedience to the Father carries a complete commitment. You will not disobey the Word of God in order to obey human authority.

Rejoice in Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19)
1. Resist the Temptation to fear
2. Rejoice in your share of suffering
3. Remember the Cost of Obedience
4. Rest in the Coming of the King!

This has an eschatological view to it. What we do in our few short years will impact eternity. In proportion to how this is modeled will it become an infectious, spreading, glorious disease among your people.

What about hard times and unexplainable losses and difficulties? How can one know if they are punishment from the Lord seeking one's repentance or circumstances allowed for the increasing of our faith? You cannot know either way for certain, but you can rest in that God works all things for the good, and thus you should experience them with joy and peace in faith. See Joseph's story. Sold into slavery by his own brothers in Egypt, thrown into prison there, and ultimately raised through God's hand to the highest position in the land under Pharaoh he tells his brothers, "Do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life." What a testimony of faith in the midst of impossible circumstances! If you are living wholly for the Lord you are assured that you will suffer.

Finally, delight yourself in the Lord and follow these principles. By so doing God's providential will will be over all things in your life - who you marry, your career and current employment, where you live, how you spend your time, etc. Your heart will seek to please the Lord in all things and, able to truly rely upon the Spirit and hear His still small voice, you will be living according to His will in a manner pleasing to Him. We worry too much about the "one thing" we should do in every situation and thus gravitate too much to hearing His specific will in all things and seeing a "sign" of His will for all things. So much confusion can be removed through devoted study to the Word in order to come to truly know God and the revelation of His will for how we should live our life every day rather than living for ourselves until a big decision comes along that we feel we ought to take to Him for a decision.

Under Construction

I made an effort a few months ago to start a blog. I didn't do a good job keeping up with it. I will be updating this blog in the next week or two and keeping up with it, so check back soon!