August 2012

Five Verses on Adoption

The word “adoption” (Greek huiothesias) occurs only a few times in the New Testament, and each time it refers to God choosing a people for himself. Though there are not a lot of references to this word, there is a good deal we learn from them about the doctrine of adoption.

1) God adopts those whom he loves and has predestined to be his children

“In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:4-6)

2) It is through Jesus Christ that God’s children are adopted

“In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:4-6)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

3) God adopts his children so that he might display the glory of his grace

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Downstream, in the Moral Sewage

All through history there have been the few who have benefitted at the expense of the many and the rich who have benefitted at the expense of the poor. Sometimes the progressive have benefitted at the expense of those who are falling behind. Many cities have produced endless amounts of waste and have flushed it into rivers that have delivered that waste, and all the death and disease that attends it, to people who live far downstream. 

I thought of this as I read an article Al Mohler wrote for The Atlantic (he wrote the article, they chose the photo, unfortunately). Helen Gurley Brown died two weeks ago and Mohler wrote about her life and legacy as one of the most important and most underestimated agents of the sexual revolution. “Since 1960 we have experienced a moral revolution that has transformed every dimension of American life, and the death of Helen Gurley Brown is a reminder that the sexual revolution did not happen by accident. Like all revolutions, this one required moral revolutionaries.”

Her contribution was in creating the cultural category of the “single girl” and in convincing that single girl to liberate herself from all the traditional sexual mores. The single girl could and, indeed, should, have sex freely and with as many partners as she desired.

When Brown’s Sex and the Single Girl hit the bookstores in 1962, it lit a firestorm of controversy. A former advertising writer, then recently married to a leading Hollywood producer, Helen Gurley Brown dared to scandalize the nation, virtually inventing the “single girl” as a cultural category. Brown urged young women to see themselves as empowered by sex, money, and men--but without any need for the traditional commitment to marriage.

Her argument was so scandalous at the time that no major publisher would touch the book. The bookstores were filled with books offering advice to young wives and mothers, but Helen Gurley Brown was openly inventing a new cultural category, the sexually liberated single girl.

The single girl “is engaging because she lives by her wits,” declared Brown, who pointed to her younger self as a prime example of the empowered single girl she now celebrated.

And, most central to Brown’s vision, the single girl is having sex, a lot of sex, and enjoying romantic relations with men, lots of men.

Most scandalous of all was Helen Gurley Brown’s insistence that married men were not off limits for sexual affairs--not by a long shot. Married men, she advised, were among other things, “frequently marvelous in bed and careful not to get you pregnant.”

As I read about Brown’s life, I was deeply saddened and disturbed on at least a couple of different levels.

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A La Carte (8/27)

Capturing and Holding Attention - Sam Crabtree: “Capturing and holding attention is simultaneously an art and a science. To the degree that attention-grabbing is a science, is learnable, is transferrable--here are 24 suggestions that come to mind.”

Gospel Thunder - As Timmy Brister says, in this video you’ll see Jackie Hill bringing gospel thunder.

Pro-Lifer Stockholm Syndrome - “A ferocious riposte from pro-life activist Hilary White on the Akin controversy, how pro-abortionists are fallaciously and cynically exploiting the issue and how many pro-lifers are caving…”

Animals in the Womb - “Using revolutionary four-dimensional scanning technology, scientists have shed light on the world of animals inside the womb, including that of dolphins, sharks, dogs, penguins, and elephants. The images are from a National Geographic Documentary called Extraordinary Animals in the Womb.”

Life-Changing Preaching - Paul David Tripp’s shares some more great thoughts on preaching. “It is necessary for me to live with a passage, to carry it around with me, and to marinate my soul with its nourishing and thirst-quenching waters. I simply can’t do this in a couple hours. I need meditative time with the passage so the Spirit can work through it in me and through me to the people under my care.”

A Story of God’s Faithfulness - Here is a powerful story of God’s faithfulness through trial.

The fear of God is the death of every other fear; like a mighty lion, it chases all other fears before it. —C.H. Spurgeon

No Sacrifice Too Great

John and Betty Stam served with China Inland Missions in the 1930’s. In December of 1934 they fell into the hands of Communist insurgents and were soon executed, dying as missionary martyrs. Both had been raised in Christian homes and both had parents who supported their desire to be missionaries. A short time after they were put to death, John’s father wrote this beautiful letter in which he so powerful expressed both joy and grief, declaring that there is no sacrifice too great to make for the One who gave all he had for us.

Our dear children, John Stam and Elisabeth Scott Stam, have gone to be with the Lord. They loved him, they served him, and now they are with him. What could be more glorious? It is true, the manner in which they were sent out of this world was a shock to us all, but whatever of suffering they may have endured is now past, and they are both infinitely blessed with the joys of heaven.

As for those of us who have been left behind, we were once more reminded of our sacred vows by a telegram received from one of John's schoolmates in the Midwest--"Remember, you gave John to God, not to China." Our hearts, though bowed for a little while with sadness, answered "Amen!" It was our desire that he, as well as we, should serve the Lord, and if that could be better done by death than by life, we would have it so. The sacrifice may seem great now, but no sacrifice is too great to make for him who gave himself for us.

We are earnestly praying that it will all be for God's glory and the salvation of souls. How glad we shall be if through this dreadful experience many souls shall be won for the Lord Jesus! How glad we shall be if many dear Christian young people shall be inspired to give themselves to the Lord as never before, for a life of sacrifice and service!

We were honored by having sons and daughters minister for our Lord among the heathen, but we are more signally honored that two of them have won the martyr's crown. We are sure that our dear brother and sister, Dr. and Mrs. Charles Scott, both join us in saying, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

Weekend A La Carte (8/25)

Thriving at College - The Kindle edition of Alex Chediak’s Thriving at College is on sale at just $2.99. Randy Alcorn says of it: “Most Christian young people go to college without specific goals and are unprepared for the challenges that await them. While some prosper spiritually, most get derailed, and an alarming number abandon their faith. Alex has written an insightful and useful book to help college-bound people know what to expect, how to prepare for it, and what to do to avoid the pitfalls.”

4 Responses - “We are facing a true moral inversion -- a system of moral understandings turned upside down. Where homosexuality was even recently condemned by the society, now it is considered a sin to believe that homosexuality is wrong in any way.” Al Mohler suggests how Christians are to respond.

Joel Osteen and Family Feud - I enjoyed reading how this person responded to Joel Osteen coming to his hometown. “I had no desire to attend, but I did want to head downtown and do something outside the gathering as an act of quiet personal protest.”

Confused by Complementarianism? - I appreciated Carl Trueman’s thoughts on complementarianism here, and why it, of all issues, has been raised to the status of a “dividing issue.” To be clear, I am not necessarily saying I agree with him; rather, I appreciate the way he makes me think here.

Clouds - A gallery of clouds. Yes, clouds.

The Missing Ingredient - A good word for preachers: “Like cooking, preaching can become bland. It can fail to have that freshness worthy of the gospel table. There are many reasons why. One could identify a lack of preparation, lack of understanding, poor delivery, and shallowness. We would not disagree that under-cooking the homiletical meal is a problem. But there is something else that can make preaching bland: the deadly reality of not being personally wowed by the subject.”

Sin is not so sweet in the committing as it is heavy and bitter in the reckoning. —Richard Sibbes.

Free Stuff Fridays

Free Stuff Fridays
This week's Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by P&R Publications. They are offering up five prize packages, each of which will contain 21 different titles—a brand new book and two series of booklets. Each of the five winners will receive:

Gospel TreasonResources for Biblical Living is a series of excellent 32-page booklets, the kind of booklets you want to read yourself and then keep on-hand to give away. They address issues such as grief, discontentment, fear, selfishness, and the like. Each issue is handled carefully, biblically and with a view to overcoming that issue through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The new Gospel for Real Life booklet series is meant for counseling. The initial six titles look to issues like cutting, borderline personality, anxiety, and so on. Counselors will find them invaluable resources.

Gospel Treason is perhaps best described in this endorsement: “Brad has thought a lot about the insidiousness of idolatry in today's culture. He has done a thorough job of showing us how modern day idols are both offensive to God and grace robbing to the believer. This book will cause you to consider your own heart in terms of what you really want and live for. It will also help you to minister to others who are suffering or caught in sin that hinders them from the freedom we have in the gospel.”

Five winners will receive all of those titles…

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.

Vacating the Internet

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. That may be true as it pertains to friends and family, but it was not my experience this summer when I abandoned the Internet and digital technologies for a week. In early August we headed south and spent a week holed up in a cabin in a Virginia state park (Lake Anna, if you need to know). As we did two summers ago, we decided to declare this a digital-free vacation, leaving all computers and iPads and iPods and other gear out of the equation. The only electronic gear we allowed was Kindles, since that is the primary means through which Aileen and the kids read books, and a GPS, since I’ve forgotten how to read a map. I can’t say that I missed much of what we left behind.

Now let’s be clear—there are certain ways in which I’ve learned to put boundaries on my use of electronic and Internet-connected devices. If I learned anything from writing The Next Story it’s that our technologies are always threatening to form us in their image; if we do not take them captive, they will take us captive. With varying degrees of success, I’ve found ways of taking my devices and technologies under my control. Still, I often grow lazy and complacent and in such times I find myself checking email a hundred times a day or haphazardly googling any little question that may come to mind. In such times I use my devices without reflection or restriction and I use them at the expense of other things that ought to maintain a higher priority.

What surprised me in my time away this summer was how easy it was to give up all online access for eight or nine days. Not only was it easy, it was also pleasurable. I enjoyed being offline and enjoyed not feeling the need to keep tabs on the ebb and flow of online ranting and raving. I realized anew that for a vacation to be an experience in which I vacate not only a geographic location but also whatever makes life fast-paced and stressful, I will need to vacate the Internet.

Getting off the Internet slowed the pace of life which, in turn, slowed down my mind. As soon as we left the house, which is to say, as soon as we left the Internet behind, the pace of life slowed in a noticeable way. We were no longer living from email-to-email or Facebook update-to-Facebook update. Really, there was nothing to keep up with at all, except the car ahead of us on the highway. My mind immediately slowed down, engaging with one thing instead of half thinking about it before moving on to whatever came next. In quiet moments I had no choice but to be quiet and to think where I usually dive into my pocket and pull out my phone to do something, anything.

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A La Carte (8/24)

Tired of Hearing “The Gospel” - Thabiti goes on a bit of a rant in this post. It’s worth reading. “It's ubiquitous.  And it's becoming an inflexible law.  We dare not face any issue without the requisite hat tip to ‘the gospel.’  If we do, there's bound to be someone to write us a ticket for our verbal violation, to insist we missed a ‘gospel’ opportunity.”

Bonhoeffer - Eric Metaxas’ biography of Bonhoeffer is on sale, today only, for $1.99 (Kindle edition).

The Disciplined Pursuit of Less - This article has given me some pretty good food for thought. The author shows how success is a catalyst for failure.

Practical Law-Gospel Theology - Tullian Tchividjian describes a difficult situation his church is going through. “Our church was recently hit with a high-ranking moral tragedy. It was discovered that a staff member (and close friend) was engaging in marital infidelity.” Read how he has begun to lead his people through this.

A Bachelor Pastor - This is a powerful message from a bachelor pastor who is about to get married.

$5 Friday - There are several good deals in Ligonier’s $5 Friday. They include two books by R.C. Sproul and one by Richard Phillips. There are also some good teaching series.

We Waste 40% of Our Food - In the West we have unparalleled prosperity and that generates unparalleled waste. “Each year, about 40 percent of all food in the United States goes uneaten. It's just tossed out or left to rot. … By one recent estimate, Americans are squandering the equivalent of $165 billion each year by rubbishing so much food.”

The Reward of His Suffering - Matt Papa has just released a new single; all the profits are going to missions. The song begins at about 1:40.

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength. —Charles Spurgeon

New & Notable Books

I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Here are some of the notable books that I've received in the past few weeks.

The Thunder: A Novel on John Knox by Douglas Bond - “Told from the perspective of a young student resolved to protect Knox no matter the cost, Douglas Bond’s thrilling biographical novel provides a look at the harrowing life story of a giant of the faith. Discover the fascinating story of a man transformed by the grace and power of the gospel into one of the most influential figures in Scottish history.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

The Life of God in the Soul of the Church by Thabiti Anyabwile - “Extending the concept of Divine life presented in Henry Scougal's classic The Life of God in the Soul of Man, Anyabwile contends that union with Christ is not individualistic, but is discerned in the soul of the local church. This vision of spiritual fellowship is not centered on external activities and programs, but on our shared life in Christ.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

Kingdom through Covenant by Peter Gentry & Stephen Wellum - “The disciplines of biblical and systematic theology join forces to investigate anew the biblical covenants and the implications of such a study for conclusions in systematic theology. By incorporating the latest available research from the ancient Near East and examining implications of their work for Christology, ecclesiology, eschatology, and hermeneutics--Biblical scholar Peter Gentry and systematic theologian Stephen Wellum present a thoughtful and viable alternative to both covenant theology and dispensationalism.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Gospel Treason by Brad Bigney - “Using real-life stories and examples, Brad Bigney shows us how the idols we might not even recognize can still have devastating effects in our lives. In this transparent, honest book, he helps us to identify our idols, understand how they lead us to commit treason against the gospel—and finally repent of them and root them out forever by turning to the only One who can fill our every need.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

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Preach the Gospel to Yourself

Jerry Bridges was talking about preaching the gospel to yourself and being gospel-centered long before it was cool to do so. One of the great burdens of his ministry has long been to have Christians understand that “the gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by it. … Christians are not instructed in the gospel. And because they do not fully understand the riches and glory of the gospel, they cannot preach it to themselves, not live by it in their daily lives.” In other words, we teach people just enough gospel to get saved, but then move on to other things. Bridges wants us to understand that we never move on from the gospel.

In the third chapter of The Discipline of Grace, Bridges provides a powerful, thorough review of the gospel and does this by looking at Romans 3:19-26. He offers an exposition of that passage and through it leads to this imperative: Preach the gospel to yourself. Let me provide an extended quote that gives some of the how and the why:

To preach the gospel to yourself, then, means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that He is your propitiation, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you. 

To preach the gospel to yourself means that you take at face value the precious words of Romans 4:7-8: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

It means that you believe on the testimony of God that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). It means you believe that “Christ redeemed [you] from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for [you], for it is written ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13). It means you believe He forgave you all your sins (Colossians 2:13) and now “[presents you] holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22).

Turning to the Old Testament, to preach the gospel to yourself means that you appropriate by faith the words of Isaiah 53:6: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

It means that you dwell upon the promise that God has removed your transgressions from you as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), that He has blotted out your transgressions and remembers your sin no more (Isaiah 43:25). But it means you realize that all these wonderful promises of forgiveness are based upon the atoning death of Jesus Christ.

It is the death of Christ through which He satisfied the justice of God and averted from us the wrath of God that is the basis of all God’s promises of forgiveness. We must be careful that, in preaching the gospel to ourselves, we do not preach a gospel without a cross. We must be careful that we do not rely on the so-called unconditional love of God without realizing that His love can only flow to us as a result of Christ’s atoning death.

This is the gospel Bridges wants the Christian to preach to himself day-by-day. “When you set yourself to seriously pursue holiness, you will begin to realize what an awful sinner you are. And if you are not firmly rooted in the gospel and have not learned to preach it to yourself every day, you will soon become discouraged and will slack off in your pursuit of holiness.”

To learn very practically about how Bridges preaches the gospel to himself, click here for a short quote from his book Respectable Sins.

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