Streamlining Your Run

Finished today with the chapter, "Jesus' Endurance and Ours". Considering Hebrews 12.1-2, Beeke had this to say about the casting off of our sin:

Sin takes our eyes off of our Savior; it interrupts our relationship with God. Sin is anti-God...



To run the Christian race with endurance means doing continual battle against every weight and every sin. We must become increasingly conscious of them; every day, we must decide against them, say no to them, put them to death. We cannot trivialize sin, dumb it down, desensitize our consciences, or let down our guard. We cannot just let sin happen; we cannot let it penetrate our souls and our lives.

Look at Jesus today in Hebrews 12.1-2. And by His grace, cast off your sin.

What Does God Desire In Salvation?

Read these...

Deuteronomy 28.63:
And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. (ESV)

Ezekiel 18.30-32:
"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live." (ESV)

Then read John Piper's article, "Are There Two Wills In God?"

A judge may not want to sentence someone to death because he cares for that person, while doing it all the same because he cares for justice all the more. God does not seem to delight in the death of the wicked, though He does not save everyone because He delights in His glory all the more. (See Romans 9.14-24)

T4G Response

Carolyn McCulley has a video with responses from those who attended T4G.

HT: Abraham Piper

Inerrancy Resources

One more on the subject. Look here for lots of inerrancy resources.

Interview With Craig Blomberg (on the inerrancy of Scripture)

Justin Taylor interviewed Craig Blomberg - Distinguished Prof. of the NT at Denver Seminary and author of The Historical Reliability of the Gospels.

Both the interview and the book are worth the read.

"The Rationality of Innerancy"

Here's a philosopher's (J. P. Moreland) defense of the very important doctrine of Scripture's inerrancy.

For further clarity, Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology, defines inerrancy like this:

The inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact.

Grudem also, after describing challenges to inerrancy, provides four problems of denying the doctrine. I find the 3rd to be the strongest.

1. If we deny inerrancy, a serious moral problem confronts us: may we imitate God and intentionally lie in small matters?
2. If inerrancy is denied, we being to wonder if we can really trust God in anything he says.
3. If we deny inerrancy, we essentially make our own human minds a higher standard of truth than God's Word itself.
4. If we deny inerrancy, then we must also say that the Bible is wrong not only in minor details but in some of its doctrines as well.

Jesus Meeting Needs

I'm reading Joel Beeke's Walking As He Walked. This stood out to me this morning:

A young wife once said to me in counseling, "My husband doesn't meet all my needs." When I explained that only Jesus Christ can meet all our needs, she was genuinely puzzled while her husband was genuinely relieved. Too often we Christians expect too little of Jesus and too much of each other. (emphasis mine)

Hilarious and Clean (Imagine!)

Check out Brian Regan!

Together for the Gospel in Christianity Today

Click here to see the report.

T4G Audio

Go here to hear.

T4G; Day Two

What a day we have had. MacArthur. Dever. Sproul. Mohler. The worship was moving. Christ was exalted.

As Scott summarizes, "This was a powerful reminder of where we stand in our sin and the power of the cross...words don't do justice."

It would be far too much to chronicle the day. It will all be online and I'll tag it then. But here's a few highlights:

O, John MacArthur, thank you for the blessing you gave us in describing human depravity and inability. What a gift.

"[Depravity] is the most despised...and the most distinct of Christian doctrine."

"The best prayer I ever prayed had enough sin in it to damn the whole world." - Bunyan

"False belief systems all affirm human goodness."

"Never appeal to that which enslaves the sinner in order to rescue the sinner."

"Soft preaching makes hard people. Hard truth will break hard hearts."

"All hearts have the same problem. All need the same message."

"Be meek. Be humble. No one should be so humble as those who preach the gospel...We're just clay pots: replaceable, breakable, ugly."

Mark Dever:

His message was far-reaching and deep...deserving of more synthesis. Dever explained many ways we are tempted to tweak (and taint) the gospel. He said,

"God is not about the most sinners saved, but most glory gained."

"To add to the gospel is to detract from it...Keep the gospel clear. Don't try to improve it."

R.C. Sproul's exposition on the curse motif of the cross provided one of the holiest moments of my life. Since I'm in need of some brevity, I'll give you Todd's response:



We enjoyed some kickin' BBQ at the fine establishment shown below.



An excellent lecture by Al Mohler finished the day. We left we a deeper allegiance to the gospel of Jesus Christ: to live for it , proclaim it, protect it, and die for it if need be.

We prayed for our church tonight, and we miss our families.

Tomorrow finishes it off with Piper and Mahaney. Can't wait.

Anyabwile and Race

For more info: here's Tim Challies' summary of Anyabwile's thoughts on race, ethnicity, and our identity in Christ.

And here's an article by Thabiti on the subject.

T4G; Day One

Here's the venue:



We enjoyed Ligon Duncan, a panel discussion, a phat dinner at the Ford's and then a paradigm-shifting message from Thabiti ]Anyabwile.

Some of Ligon's best quotes:

On John 17: "Truth is for joy. Doctrine is for delight. You're a killjoy if you're against doctrine."

On 1 Timothy 1.6-11: "Immorality finds itself in the rejection of true teaching."

From William Perkins: "Theology is the science of living blessedly ever after."

"If someone tells you they don't believe in systematic theology, watch out; they're about to slide it under the door."

From Thabiti:

"Race posits that there is an essential biological difference between the ethnicities...believing in race is a little like believing in unicorns. Like unicorns, race doesn't exist."


Thabiti certainly wasn't denying or devaluing ethnicity, but rather debunking the idea that an essential biological difference separates, divides, and differentiates humanity. He had several reasons:

1. "Race" (as he describes it) leads to the abuse of people and Scripture.
2. The trajectory of "race" is racism.
3. "Race" prevents or hinders meaningful engagement with others.
"'Race makes slaves; it binds."
4. "Race" underminds the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.
(See Gen. 1.26-28, 2.22-24, 3.20, 5.1-5, 9.5-6, 10.1, Acts 17.26)
5. "Race" undermines the gospel. (He then considered Paul's argument in Romans 5. We're either all in Adam - sharing God's image and our fallenness - and saved by Christ or we're not.)

When we see groups of different folks, do we think, "different, dangerous, no benefit, no joy?" or "like me, safe, benefits, joy". He said we should think the second because we are in Adam as God's image bearers, sinners, and in need of salvation.

Some final thoughts - "Christ's blood creates the deeper ethnicity", and "Cling to Christ and find yourself clinging to others who cling to Christ."

His message was powerful and deserves more thought. It was evident that other members of the panel were moved and influenced.

Now we're in the hot tub and soon to bed. 'Night!

Good Morning!

Our conference begins this afternoon with two sessions:

First, Ligon Duncan's title is "Sound Doctrine: Essential to Faithful Pastoral Ministry"

The second session has Thabiti Anyabwile: "Bearing the Image: Identity, the Church of Christ, and the Church"

Look here for speaker information.

T4G 2008

It's April 14th and our motley crew is off on our adventure. Together for the Gospel is top-notch pastor's conference and we are excited to see what God will do in our lives.

I'll be blogging our experience.


Aside from Joel getting tied up in security (oh yeah, the cell phone), everything has gone very smoothly. We arrived in Louisville, Kentucky around 3.45 p.m., immediately enjoying the fabulous hospitality of Tony and Karen Ford.



We miss our families but are happy to be here. Pray for us!

What You Win Them With

Here's a guiding proverb with some wisdom, I think:

"What you win them with, you win them to."

Not sure on the source, but I do know I want to "win them to" the gospel.

The Cross and Christian Ministry

I've found a wonderful source of wisdom in D. A. Carson's The Cross and Christian Ministry. From his studies in 1 Corinthians, Carson instructs in the following areas:

1) "The Cross and Christian Preaching"
2) "The Cross and the Holy Spirit"
3) "The Cross and Factionalism"
4) "The Cross and Christian Leadership", and
5) "The Cross and the World Christian"

I'm now in the chapter on leadership. Here are a few thoughts I found penetrating and edifying:

The person who daydreams about being a leader in almost any field imagines what it is like to be the best, or at least to be better than most others - to succeed where others fail, to be stalwart where others stumble, to create where others merely perform, to win adulation and applause, perhaps after some initial hardship and rejection. To be a leader may mean fame, money, and some freedoms from the responsibilities and humdrum existence of ordinary mortals. To be a leader means to win respect. Only rarely do those who dream of leadership, but who have never experienced it, think through the responsibilities, pressures, and temptations leaders face. Almost never do they focus on accountability, service, suffering.

Christian leadership means being entrusted with the mysteries of God...It is not that Paul, Apollos, and other leaders are servants of Christ while other Christians are not, nor is it that they are entrusted with the secret things of God while other believers know nothing of them. Leaders are not in a special, priestly class. Rather, what is required in some sense of all believers is peculiarly required of the leaders of believers. There is a difference of degree. That is why Paul will be able to say, "I urge you to imitate me" (1 Cor. 4.16).

What it means to be a servant of Christ is to be obligated to promote the gospel by word and example, the gospel of the crucified Messiah. That is absolutely fundamental. There is no Christian leadership that does not throb with this mandate. In the West, we must repent of our endless fascination for "leadership" that smacks much more either of hierarchical models (I am the boss, and, for all below me on the ladder, what I say goes) or of democratic models (give the people what they want; take another survey, conduct another poll, and scratch where they itch)...Christian leaders have been entrusted with the gospel, the secret things of God that have been hidden in ages past but that are now proclaimed, by their ministry, to men and women everywhere.

Standing in the Stead of God

Read here for a reminder of the importance of preaching.

The Obama Hermeneutic

The quote of note (look here for more):

"I don't think it should be called marriage, but I think that it is a legal right that they should have that is recognized by the state. If people find that controversial, then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans. That's my view. But we can have a respectful disagreement on that.

Converted

I am now a big fan of (some) rap.

Check this guy out and you will be too.

Here's the lyrics from Shai Linne's "Were You There":

Verse 1

This story starts at the climax, we find that time’s lapsed- don’t mind that
It’s kind of like a night cap filled with divine acts
We zoom in the lens on Christ's agony on the garden
Doomed for His friends- His tragedy for our pardon
Foreseeing the Father’s cup of wrath has Him stifled and weak
He’s sweating blood with His disciples asleep
The Prince of Peace knows the beef shall increase
Since the thief approaches with the soldiers and the chief priests
His arrest is not just- neither is the trial
While Jesus is being treated foul, He sees Peter’s denial
He’s sent to Pilate, to Herod, back to Pilate
The violence of humanity at its finest
So now He stands before the crowd doomed to die
An angry mob who’s yelling out “crucify”
The way they treat the Lord of glory is debased and it’s foul
But you miss the point if you don’t see your face in the crowd

(chorus)

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there? Were you there? (4x)
Man, sometimes it causes me to tremble
Yo, sometimes it causes me to tremble

Verse 2

This story starts at the climax, we find that time’s lapsed- don’t mind that
It’s kind of like a night cap filled with divine acts
We zoom in the lens on Christ's agony in the garden
Doomed for His friends- it had to be for the pardon
And delivery from misery of kids who speak wickedly
Sinfully, inwardly slick with the iniquity
We see disciples sleep and mock today with a lot to say
But we do the same thing when we don’t watch and pray
Like Judas, we sell Christ out to get the treasure
Whether it’s the cheddar or forbidden pleasure
Like the chief priests, we want Christ to surrender
But we want Him out the way when He doesn’t fit our agenda
Like Peter, we have misplaced, fleshly confidence
But we’ll deny the Lord when faced with deadly consequence
Like Herod, we’re curious about Christ because He’s famous
But we quickly get bored with Him when He doesn’t entertain us
Like Pilate, we see Christ and find nothing wrong with Him
But when the world chooses the wicked, we go right along with them
Despite His kindness, we seek to do our Maker violence
The fallenness of humanity at its finest
So now He stands before the crowd doomed to die
An angry mob who’s yelling out “crucify”
The way they treat the Lord of glory is debased and it’s foul
But you miss the point if you don’t see your face in the crowd

(Chorus)

Verse 3

This story starts at the climax, we find that time’s lapsed- don’t mind that
It’s kind of like a night cap filled with divine acts
We zoom in the lens on Christ's agony on the garden
Doomed for His friends- His tragedy for our pardon
Foreseeing the Father’s cup of wrath- it has Him stifled and weak
He’s sweating blood with His disciples asleep
The Prince of Peace knows the beef shall increase
Since the thief approaches with the soldiers and the chief priests
His arrest is not just- neither is the trial
While Jesus is being treated foul, he sees Peter’s denial
He’s sent to Pilate, to Herod, back to Pilate
The violence of humanity at its finest
So now He stands before the crowd doomed to die
An angry mob who’s yelling out “crucify”
The way we treat the Lord of glory is debased and it’s foul
Ashamed, I bow because I see my face in the crowd

(Chorus)

Enjoy the whole album for a passionate systematic on the glory of the Trinity in the work of the Atonement.

Soli deo gloria