I don't think there's anything in my life that comes close to meriting or warranting the love that God deserves from me. This love should be absolutely unparalleled, but what's constant on my heart is that I have a very finite capacity to reciprocate Christ's holy and divine love (1 John 4:19). Yet I know that ultimate sanctification will only come at death, and until then, my flesh is still waging battle against the Spirit.
At the crux of it all, I still don't think I fully understand what total surrender means nor have I come close to achieving it in my life. That in heeding Christ's call to discipleship, I am to deny myself, take up my cross, and become completely enslaved to Jesus and God's will for my life. What I do understand is that this work is initiated, directed, and governed by the Holy Spirit, as He continues to regenerate holiness in every aspect of my life.
Some time ago, I spoke to our church's youth about how foundational bondslavery is in our relationship with Christ. I've been sitting on a post expounding on that issue and hope to have it ready soon. But in the meantime, I feel it necessary to implore every Bible-believing Christian to consider this question: is your life a total and complete act of surrender to the Lord? Or is personal elevation still the centerpiece of your life?
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
A biblical understanding of "holy laughter" & the Charismatic movement
Recently, I've been engrossed in a massive online discussion between Charismatic and non-Charismatic Christians, who are at odds over whether or not current Charismatic movements and practices are biblical. One such practice that has come out of the neo-Charismatic movement of the 1990s is called "holy laughter," supposedly a fit of uncontrollable incited by the Holy Spirit. You can find numerous videos of this purported holy laughter by searching for it online.
I don't want to get into the weeds of why I think general Charismatic practices are unbiblical. For that, I would suggest two excellent books: Counterfeit Revival by Hank Hanegraaff and Charismatic Chaos by John MacArthur. I do, however, want to pinpoint where I think biblical truth has been distorted and how manifestations of the Charismatic movement are inconsistent with everything we know about the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Understanding the "universality" of Christ's atonement
Perhaps one of the biggest debates within evangelical Christian circles is the attempt to understand who Christ died for-- more importantly, for whom does His atonement work? This is often referred to as the universality of Christ's atonement, with Arminians generally prescribing to the view that it is unlimited, and that Jesus' sacrifice was made for all and is validated by those who come to accept Him, and with Calvinists, on the other hand, generally arguing that the atonement is limited to those who are of the predestined elect.
Firstly, I do believe that the atonement debate is probably one of the more esoteric disputes that have been espoused since Reformation times. In other words, it's non-essential discourse to which we don't have a commandingly firm answer to, and ultimately a byproduct of a larger debate that questions the role of human responsibility in relation to God's sovereignty. For more on this, I'd recommend John MacArthur's sermon, which exposits wonderfully on the matter. I might feel compelled to write more about it down the road. At any rate, what is essential is that all Christians agree that Christ's atonement is not universal (as in, literally everyone to have lived), but still limited to those who place their faith in Jesus as savior. The question at hand deals with the extent of that limitation.
As someone who prescribes more to reformed theological views, I will not shy away from the opinion that Christ's atonement is indeed limited, in the sense that it is purposed specifically for the elect. Arminians generally counter this view by citing extensively from the Gospel of John, where there are numerous verses that seem to express Christ's salvation as a provision for "all" or "the world" (John 1:29, John 3:16, John 12:32).
The question, of course, is: who is all? As was already mentioned, all certainly does not refer to every human being who has lived, in the sense that all have been saved. However, Arminians would argue that unlimited atonement does authorize Christ's sacrifice for every human being, and that it is up to each individual to choose Christ to complete salvation. Nonetheless, this paradigm still considers "all" as interchangeable with "every human being" and thus still somewhat universalist.
Semantically, however, I do believe that when John refers to "all" or "the world," he is speaking not so much in such universalist tones, but more in the sense of "not just some (i.e., Israel)." In other words, it's important to think about this in the context of the New Covenant, in which Paul declares that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). Paul, too, uses the word "all" but is referring specifically to Christians, who are no longer justified by a particular creed or race, as opposed to Jews or Israelites who were formerly bound by the nation-specific Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants in their role as God's chosen people.
Of course, the Church is also "chosen" (1 Peter 2:9) but it's important to note that believers are not chosen by which nation or race they are born into, but rather whether or not they are justified by faith in Christ. In that sense, we can say that Jesus did come to save all.
Firstly, I do believe that the atonement debate is probably one of the more esoteric disputes that have been espoused since Reformation times. In other words, it's non-essential discourse to which we don't have a commandingly firm answer to, and ultimately a byproduct of a larger debate that questions the role of human responsibility in relation to God's sovereignty. For more on this, I'd recommend John MacArthur's sermon, which exposits wonderfully on the matter. I might feel compelled to write more about it down the road. At any rate, what is essential is that all Christians agree that Christ's atonement is not universal (as in, literally everyone to have lived), but still limited to those who place their faith in Jesus as savior. The question at hand deals with the extent of that limitation.
As someone who prescribes more to reformed theological views, I will not shy away from the opinion that Christ's atonement is indeed limited, in the sense that it is purposed specifically for the elect. Arminians generally counter this view by citing extensively from the Gospel of John, where there are numerous verses that seem to express Christ's salvation as a provision for "all" or "the world" (John 1:29, John 3:16, John 12:32).
The question, of course, is: who is all? As was already mentioned, all certainly does not refer to every human being who has lived, in the sense that all have been saved. However, Arminians would argue that unlimited atonement does authorize Christ's sacrifice for every human being, and that it is up to each individual to choose Christ to complete salvation. Nonetheless, this paradigm still considers "all" as interchangeable with "every human being" and thus still somewhat universalist.
Semantically, however, I do believe that when John refers to "all" or "the world," he is speaking not so much in such universalist tones, but more in the sense of "not just some (i.e., Israel)." In other words, it's important to think about this in the context of the New Covenant, in which Paul declares that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). Paul, too, uses the word "all" but is referring specifically to Christians, who are no longer justified by a particular creed or race, as opposed to Jews or Israelites who were formerly bound by the nation-specific Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants in their role as God's chosen people.
Of course, the Church is also "chosen" (1 Peter 2:9) but it's important to note that believers are not chosen by which nation or race they are born into, but rather whether or not they are justified by faith in Christ. In that sense, we can say that Jesus did come to save all.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The unsettling truth of papal infallibility
[Update: Vatican spokesman Rev. Thomas Rosica has since corrected Pope Francis concerning his teachings on salvation. Not good for affirming papal infallibility.]
Pope Francis made waves around the world today when he proclaimed that all who do good, even non-believing atheists, are redeemed. At the risk of alienating some of my closest Catholic friends, I thought it prudent to point out how the Pope's comments in light of the dogma of papal infallibility should be deeply unsettling for any Christian-- Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox.
First, it's important to note the context and history of the dogma we call "papal infallibility." Like many other Roman Catholic dogmas, it has no basis in the Bible, and thus has none of the authority that Scripture alone contains. Papal infallibility, in essence, is any doctrine defined by the Pope in "his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians" which can be made under the possession of "infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed his Church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals."
Pope Francis made waves around the world today when he proclaimed that all who do good, even non-believing atheists, are redeemed. At the risk of alienating some of my closest Catholic friends, I thought it prudent to point out how the Pope's comments in light of the dogma of papal infallibility should be deeply unsettling for any Christian-- Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox.
First, it's important to note the context and history of the dogma we call "papal infallibility." Like many other Roman Catholic dogmas, it has no basis in the Bible, and thus has none of the authority that Scripture alone contains. Papal infallibility, in essence, is any doctrine defined by the Pope in "his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians" which can be made under the possession of "infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed his Church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals."
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Christ in us
Paul proclaims that the word of Christ should richly dwell within us. John 1 says that the Word is God. So God, Christ as deity Himself, is to "richly dwell within us." It's not enough to be conformed to the image of Christ. We must exhibit Christ himself. In Colossians 3, Paul declares that Christ is all and in all, referring to believers, or the elect.
Through the Holy Spirit's regeneration, it is Christ Himself who is being brought to the forefront of our lives in that Jesus increases while we decrease (John 3:30). How many times have we looked up to older, wiser, and more godly role models and have said, "I want to be like him or her."? The truly godly, those who live a penitent life according to the transformation enabled by God's grace, will exhibit Christ. As He imputes His righteousness to us, it is Jesus who we ultimately want to be like.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Perfection of all things
If there's one sobering conclusion I've come to in the aftermath of the Boston bombings, it's that our vision of a "happily ever after" society is far from reality and the truth of the world. As much as I want tragedy, despair, murder, sickness, and so on, to disappear, I'm reminded by passages in scripture which tell us that we will have tribulation in the world (John 16:33). It's as simple as that.
I once heard a pastor reminisce that there wasn't anyone who died in the 9/11 attacks who wasn't going to die eventually. The same is true of Boston, of London, of Madrid, of Atlanta, of Oklahoma City, and of virtually every occurring death that we might consider "premature." As a result, we often respond to sudden tragedies by saying things like "it was too soon" for someone to die, or that this person "had their whole lives ahead of them."
By that measure, the tragedy is completely ingrained in the fact that the deceased are no longer able to enjoy the "riches" of this life. That this life is so good, it is devastating to think that they will miss out on it. Under that purview, there is nothing good, nothing better, nothing perfect beyond this earthly life. And for those who die apart from Christ, that is true.
But even Christians, who have assurance in Christ, tend to be equally shaken by tragedy as their non-Christian counterparts. They, too, may lament the lives cut short. But cut short from what? Jesus commands us to refrain from storing treasures on earth because it is in the heavenly kingdom which endures (Matthew 6:19). In other words, our treasures, investments, livelihoods, etc. are to pass away (1 John 2:17), as they accompany our bodily death.
Ultimately, God makes all things perfect. Through Christ's death and resurrection, we are sanctified and perfected. And through His glorification, we too, will one day dwell in His glory (Romans 8:17).
I once heard a pastor reminisce that there wasn't anyone who died in the 9/11 attacks who wasn't going to die eventually. The same is true of Boston, of London, of Madrid, of Atlanta, of Oklahoma City, and of virtually every occurring death that we might consider "premature." As a result, we often respond to sudden tragedies by saying things like "it was too soon" for someone to die, or that this person "had their whole lives ahead of them."
By that measure, the tragedy is completely ingrained in the fact that the deceased are no longer able to enjoy the "riches" of this life. That this life is so good, it is devastating to think that they will miss out on it. Under that purview, there is nothing good, nothing better, nothing perfect beyond this earthly life. And for those who die apart from Christ, that is true.
But even Christians, who have assurance in Christ, tend to be equally shaken by tragedy as their non-Christian counterparts. They, too, may lament the lives cut short. But cut short from what? Jesus commands us to refrain from storing treasures on earth because it is in the heavenly kingdom which endures (Matthew 6:19). In other words, our treasures, investments, livelihoods, etc. are to pass away (1 John 2:17), as they accompany our bodily death.
Ultimately, God makes all things perfect. Through Christ's death and resurrection, we are sanctified and perfected. And through His glorification, we too, will one day dwell in His glory (Romans 8:17).
Sunday, March 31, 2013
This Easter Sunday
Today we celebrate. We celebrate victory over sin. Over death. Over hell. We celebrate that Jesus, the only one to have lived in perfect righteousness, is risen and alive, sitting at the right hand of the Father in glory (Eph 1:19-21), and interceding for us sinners. We celebrate that in Christ's resurrection, we, too, have the victory and may one day dwell in His glory (Eph 2:5-7).
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
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