I was having a conversation with a few guys about manhood a few days ago, and we got into a disagreement about what it means to be manly. So I figured, hey, let’s look at what the Bible has to say about manhood.
1) God expects us to just know what it means to be manly. In 1 Corinthians 16:13, Paul says, ‘Act like men.’ And in 1 Corinthians 11:14-15, Paul says, “Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is a disgrace for him…?”
We’ll get to that ‘long hair’ issue in a second – but note this: God expects us to just know what manliness is.
2) Some of what manliness is is culturally relative. 1 Corinthians 11 is about head coverings. In the verse I just cited, Paul says, essentially, don’t you know that a head covering (long hair) on a man is effeminate?
Now, we don’t ‘know’ that per se. It was something unique to the Corinthian culture. But the fact is – they would’ve known that wearing a head cover in their culture was effeminate.
Application? There are things in our culture that are girly. So I can say you listen to girly music. Or like girly movies. Or talk in a girly way. Knock it off and toughen up, guys.
3) Only men are called to exercise authority in their families and in the Church of God. Of course that authority should be gentle (1 Peter 3), not domineering (1 Peter 5), and for the love of the saints/one’s wife (1 Peter 5; Ephesians 5:22ff).
But it’s still authority. That means a dude has to be decisive, responsible, and a leader. He has to own the direction for his family – and before he can do that, he needs to be decisive and responsible about his position as a Christian.
4) Godly men are to be willing to suffer. Ephesians 5:22 and following tells us a godly husband should suffer for the holiness of his wife because he loves her. So our love should compel us to suffer for the holiness of Christ’s bride and his people, in general.
Real men embrace suffering.
There’s a strength about that. You can look back to 1 Corinthians 16:13 about it.
5) Godly men protect God’s people against attacks against the glory of God.
Adam, as recorded in Genesis 2, was responsible for the commands God gave. Eve wasn’t even around when God gave them. And Adam did jack when Satan showed up.
He was supposed to speak up, act as his wife’s authority, and kill the serpent. Likewise, in the Church, the elders are commanded (Titus 1) to teach sound doctrine and silence those who contradict it.
Oh but that sounds so… harsh.
6) Men have a natural tendency towards violence – and that’s not a bad thing. Adam was supposed to kill the serpent. The priests (Numbers 3) were supposed to kill anyone who dared desecrate the temple. Only men were called to be soldiers.
Sometimes protection means we rebuke people. Sometimes protection means we use force. And that’s what men are called to.
Of course that can be abused. But those abuses aren’t what we’re talking about right now. Some things require violent action, and men are put in those positions for violent action. No man gets an exception.
7) Men are to lead courageously. In Judges 4, Barak failed to courageously lead God’s people into battle. Deborah, a judge in Israel, calls him out and mocks him – because he wanted to be protected by a woman.
8) Men are to determine the actions of their churches. In Isaiah 3 God mocks Israel – saying that women are leading them. He does that to mock the men. They should’ve been sticking up and leading Israel. They failed.
So there’s just a little bit. I’m not talking about stuff like love and gentleness here- those things that every Christian is commanded to obey. It’s clear from these Scriptures (and more) that men are to be uniquely men.
They are to lead. Take authority. Take responsibility for the Church of God. Silence those who would lead the sheep astray. Take responsibility for their families.
So men – you know this stuff. A few things to do:
A) Own your own spiritual growth. Stop being a spiritual coward, start following Jesus your King. That means submitting to his word and taking your own sin seriously.
B) Own your family’s spiritual growth if you have one.
C) Step up in the Church. Think of ministries to do. Do them. Step up when they ask for volunteers. Stop looking to be entertained and start taking risks to serve God.
D) Know the Bible. Speak the Bible. Rebuke those who contradict the Bible.
Guys – any more you can think of?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Free Will
I hear a lot of people saying that the Bible teaches the idea of free will.
Really? Can you show that?
And what exactly does free will mean? Do you have a workable definition?
And do you really believe God has a free will? Think about that.
Really? Can you show that?
And what exactly does free will mean? Do you have a workable definition?
And do you really believe God has a free will? Think about that.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The Betrayal of Jesus was the Will of God
I was recently asked if Judas freely chose to betray Jesus, or if it was God's will.
Now, biblically, the answer is both.
Let me give you some Scriptures on the subject:
Acts 1:16 and John 6:64 show that Judas' betrayal was fulfillment was prophecy.
Acts 1:25 shows that Judas belonged to destruction.
John 17:12 - Jesus calls Judas the son of destruction - and says that what Judas did was intended to fulfill prophecy. By the way - catch that 'intent.' Who intended it? God.
Acts 2:23 says that Jesus was delivered up in agreement with the definite plan and foreknowledge of God
As far as God's rule over all things goes, look at Ephesians 1:11, Amos 3:6, Job 1:21, and Psalm 115:3. Isaiah 45:7-13. God has decreed whatsoever comes to pass.
The following verses show God works in the hearts of people. See Isaiah 44:28-45:6; Romans 9; Genesis 50:15-20.
Now, biblically, the answer is both.
Let me give you some Scriptures on the subject:
Acts 1:16 and John 6:64 show that Judas' betrayal was fulfillment was prophecy.
Acts 1:25 shows that Judas belonged to destruction.
John 17:12 - Jesus calls Judas the son of destruction - and says that what Judas did was intended to fulfill prophecy. By the way - catch that 'intent.' Who intended it? God.
Acts 2:23 says that Jesus was delivered up in agreement with the definite plan and foreknowledge of God
As far as God's rule over all things goes, look at Ephesians 1:11, Amos 3:6, Job 1:21, and Psalm 115:3. Isaiah 45:7-13. God has decreed whatsoever comes to pass.
The following verses show God works in the hearts of people. See Isaiah 44:28-45:6; Romans 9; Genesis 50:15-20.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Bad Worship Songs and Coming Soon...
Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Ministries wrote an article called 'Top Ten Ways to Write Bad Worship Songs.' I commend it to you. Check it out here.
Also, coming soon - Christian Manliness, and Modern Evangelicalism and Drinking (Booze!)
Also, coming soon - Christian Manliness, and Modern Evangelicalism and Drinking (Booze!)
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Christians and Vulgarity - a Summary - Part V
So we’ve looked at Ephesians 4:29, Ephesians 5:4, and Colossians 3:8. I think it’s time for a summary. I’m just going to make three sections here: don’t – and do – and - how to obey God with your tongue.
Don’t
1) Do not speak as truth about God what Scripture does not teach.
2) Do not say things that will result in bad doctrine or bad behavior.
3) Do not say anything that doesn’t come from love of God and his people.
4) Do not say anything that will cause someone to lust sexually.
5) Do not say anything that will cause someone to desire things of this world – things that aren’t Jesus.
6) Don’t say things that you know will offend people unnecessarily. (Obviously, rebuking sin will offend people – we need to do that.)
7) Don’t say things to hurt people.
Do
1) Do seek to know sound doctrine so you can speak it.
2) Do live speaking to people about the cross of Christ.
3) Do consider what the people you’re talking to need from Jesus.
4) Do guard yourself against lust and greed.
5) Do publicly give thanks to God for the gospel.
6) Do love people from the heart – especially brothers and sisters in Christ.
How to Obey God with Your Tongue
1) Be quick to listen, and be slow to speak. Think before you speak! (James 1:19)
2) Control your tongue - but know you can't because your heart is indwelt with evil. (James 3:1-12)
3) Ask yourself what sort of heart/soul/self your speech reveals. (Matthew 15:18)
4) Admit how grave your soul’s sin is against God – to God and to people (1 John 1:9; James 5:16)
5) Tell yourself about the gospel! The passages we’ve examined occur in sections about how God has given us his Holy Spirit; about how we in Christ no longer are guilty because of Christ’s cross; about how Jesus’ death took away our old rebellious nature and guaranteed our heavenly future.
6) Pray for the strength to love Jesus – and to talk like you love Jesus.
7) Repeat steps 1-6 every day, and as often as your sin requires.
Don’t
1) Do not speak as truth about God what Scripture does not teach.
2) Do not say things that will result in bad doctrine or bad behavior.
3) Do not say anything that doesn’t come from love of God and his people.
4) Do not say anything that will cause someone to lust sexually.
5) Do not say anything that will cause someone to desire things of this world – things that aren’t Jesus.
6) Don’t say things that you know will offend people unnecessarily. (Obviously, rebuking sin will offend people – we need to do that.)
7) Don’t say things to hurt people.
Do
1) Do seek to know sound doctrine so you can speak it.
2) Do live speaking to people about the cross of Christ.
3) Do consider what the people you’re talking to need from Jesus.
4) Do guard yourself against lust and greed.
5) Do publicly give thanks to God for the gospel.
6) Do love people from the heart – especially brothers and sisters in Christ.
How to Obey God with Your Tongue
1) Be quick to listen, and be slow to speak. Think before you speak! (James 1:19)
2) Control your tongue - but know you can't because your heart is indwelt with evil. (James 3:1-12)
3) Ask yourself what sort of heart/soul/self your speech reveals. (Matthew 15:18)
4) Admit how grave your soul’s sin is against God – to God and to people (1 John 1:9; James 5:16)
5) Tell yourself about the gospel! The passages we’ve examined occur in sections about how God has given us his Holy Spirit; about how we in Christ no longer are guilty because of Christ’s cross; about how Jesus’ death took away our old rebellious nature and guaranteed our heavenly future.
6) Pray for the strength to love Jesus – and to talk like you love Jesus.
7) Repeat steps 1-6 every day, and as often as your sin requires.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Campus Ministries and the Local Church
There's a wonderful article on the subject of the relationships of campus ministries to the local church here.
Christians and Vulgarity, Part IV
This will be the last Scripture I talk about on this subject. After that, God willing, I’ll post a summary of what we’ve seen from his book. Some of you are just waiting for this long winded stuff to be over so you can read the summary. I know this, because as I re-read what I’ve written, I just want the quick summary too.
That said, that last verse is Colossians 3:8. In the ESV, God says, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” Yes, kids, no obscene talk! Question is this: what’s obscene talk?
Well, what’s the Greek mean? It’s a compound word. The second is that classic word ‘logos’ – which refers here not to a particular word you’d use, but to entire speech content – which is made up of individual words. The first part of the compound word means something like ‘ugly’ or ‘unacceptable.’ BDAG, the standard New Testament Greek lexicon, says that it’s speech that is ‘generally considered in poor taste.’ It goes on to talk about the idea that this may include two different things – story-telling involving ‘unseemly deeds’ like adultery; or derogatory remarks.
So BDAG says this verse means either don’t tell stories about shameful, sinful, ugly things – and don’t rip on people.
That sounds good enough, really. How about some context real quick? Colossians 3 is a series of commands where Paul’s just saying – look, Jesus rose from the dead. That means, you Christian, have a different kind of life. Act like Jesus is your King, how about.
And he says that our old person has died. That is to say, that when Jesus died, the part of us that lived in the old, rebellious world, died. So act like that rebellious person is dead.
The rebellious you died. Act like it.
Then, starting in verse 8, Paul tells us what to get rid of. Those things are ‘anger, wrath, malice, slander,’ and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another…”
Notice anything in common here? All of those things are against people. They’re not nice. Ever heard a parent say to a kid, ‘talk nice!’ Yeah, that’s what’s going on here.
Let’s go a little further in the text. God says we have a new life because we’re connected to Jesus – and Jesus rose from the dead. So Jesus’ new life gives us a new life. Here’s a few verses of what God says that we need to do:
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”(Colossians 3:12-14).
In other words, love people. Do it from the heart. The opposite of all those bad things, including ‘obscene speech,’ is love.
Well, where’s this leave us? Paul doesn’t give us a guide for determining what naughty words are in English. And he never says that certain words are ‘bad.’ What he says, is love people with your language. That love starts in the heart – and love doesn’t want to hurt people. Love wants to push them towards Jesus.
So is the S-word wrong? No! The question is – am I loving the person in saying it? It does grate, doesn’t it? The F-word definitely makes people flinch, doesn’t it? The question is, am I using that language to point people away from this rebellious world to Jesus. Am I pointing out how horrible the good things in this world are – compared to Jesus – or am I just mad?
If I’m on the road by myself, and people aren’t driving like I want them to, and I yell ‘shit!’ – do I sin? Yes. I’m not trusting the sovereign God who works everything as he wants it to be (Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:28, Amos 3:6, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 135:6, Job 1:21). No one else is hurt by that exclamation if I’m by myself – except my holy God, whose Son died for me – who I apparently don’t trust enough to love me and to control the traffic for my good in knowing him!
Or maybe I’m just saying that knowing him isn’t good enough.
So I don’t love or trust God in those situations. The exclamation is merely the result – and the word is not sin. But my heart has blasphemed my Lord.
And are you more shocked and appalled by the word I just typed out - or by the fact that my anxious, controlling heart worships and serves itself and not its Creator, who is to be praised forever? Oh God, let our hearts be pained by how we fail you!
And this I say with full confidence – and with a good conscience – that everything on this earth is SHIT compared to knowing, loving, and serving Jesus. Everything.
Does that grate on you? It should. And so should everything in this world that distracts you from his service.
Coming next time – a summary of the commands of our Lord in these three verses regarding our speech, if God permits.
That said, that last verse is Colossians 3:8. In the ESV, God says, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” Yes, kids, no obscene talk! Question is this: what’s obscene talk?
Well, what’s the Greek mean? It’s a compound word. The second is that classic word ‘logos’ – which refers here not to a particular word you’d use, but to entire speech content – which is made up of individual words. The first part of the compound word means something like ‘ugly’ or ‘unacceptable.’ BDAG, the standard New Testament Greek lexicon, says that it’s speech that is ‘generally considered in poor taste.’ It goes on to talk about the idea that this may include two different things – story-telling involving ‘unseemly deeds’ like adultery; or derogatory remarks.
So BDAG says this verse means either don’t tell stories about shameful, sinful, ugly things – and don’t rip on people.
That sounds good enough, really. How about some context real quick? Colossians 3 is a series of commands where Paul’s just saying – look, Jesus rose from the dead. That means, you Christian, have a different kind of life. Act like Jesus is your King, how about.
And he says that our old person has died. That is to say, that when Jesus died, the part of us that lived in the old, rebellious world, died. So act like that rebellious person is dead.
The rebellious you died. Act like it.
Then, starting in verse 8, Paul tells us what to get rid of. Those things are ‘anger, wrath, malice, slander,’ and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another…”
Notice anything in common here? All of those things are against people. They’re not nice. Ever heard a parent say to a kid, ‘talk nice!’ Yeah, that’s what’s going on here.
Let’s go a little further in the text. God says we have a new life because we’re connected to Jesus – and Jesus rose from the dead. So Jesus’ new life gives us a new life. Here’s a few verses of what God says that we need to do:
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”(Colossians 3:12-14).
In other words, love people. Do it from the heart. The opposite of all those bad things, including ‘obscene speech,’ is love.
Well, where’s this leave us? Paul doesn’t give us a guide for determining what naughty words are in English. And he never says that certain words are ‘bad.’ What he says, is love people with your language. That love starts in the heart – and love doesn’t want to hurt people. Love wants to push them towards Jesus.
So is the S-word wrong? No! The question is – am I loving the person in saying it? It does grate, doesn’t it? The F-word definitely makes people flinch, doesn’t it? The question is, am I using that language to point people away from this rebellious world to Jesus. Am I pointing out how horrible the good things in this world are – compared to Jesus – or am I just mad?
If I’m on the road by myself, and people aren’t driving like I want them to, and I yell ‘shit!’ – do I sin? Yes. I’m not trusting the sovereign God who works everything as he wants it to be (Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:28, Amos 3:6, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 135:6, Job 1:21). No one else is hurt by that exclamation if I’m by myself – except my holy God, whose Son died for me – who I apparently don’t trust enough to love me and to control the traffic for my good in knowing him!
Or maybe I’m just saying that knowing him isn’t good enough.
So I don’t love or trust God in those situations. The exclamation is merely the result – and the word is not sin. But my heart has blasphemed my Lord.
And are you more shocked and appalled by the word I just typed out - or by the fact that my anxious, controlling heart worships and serves itself and not its Creator, who is to be praised forever? Oh God, let our hearts be pained by how we fail you!
And this I say with full confidence – and with a good conscience – that everything on this earth is SHIT compared to knowing, loving, and serving Jesus. Everything.
Does that grate on you? It should. And so should everything in this world that distracts you from his service.
Coming next time – a summary of the commands of our Lord in these three verses regarding our speech, if God permits.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Christians and Vulgarity, Part III
So far we’ve looked at the general subject of Christians and the use of profanity, and then we looked at Ephesians 4:29. We saw that the whole content of what we say is to point people to Jesus – and that that means we shouldn’t be saying things that are untrue or things that result in sin.
This time, let’s look at Ephesians 5:4. We’ll look at the verse and its context first, then make nine observations, then draw and apply conclusions to ourselves.
The Verse and its Context
The translators of the ESV translate Eph. 5:4 as follows: “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”
The context of the verse is (as always) the key here to understanding God’s meaning. This is part of a section in which Paul tells God’s children to imitate their divine Father – and that means loving everyone in His Church.
God said this: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:1-2).”
Paul then contrasts this with a few things in verses 3-4 – “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”
Nine Observations
So – first observation: see that contrast in verse 3? The but? That means that whatever activity and speech are being talked about, they’re being contrasted with loving God’s people as God loves his people.
Second observation – the ‘foolish talk’ and ‘crude joking’ are somehow linked to sexual immorality and covetousness. I’m leaving out ‘filthiness’ because it’s not exclusively about speaking, necessarily; but the word means ‘shameful,’ essentially.
Third observation – ‘foolish talk’ is again from that word ‘logos’ – probably referring to entire speech content, and probably referring to doctrine. In other words, don’t say spiritually stupid stuff. Or in other words – have cross-centered speech.
Fourth observation – crude joking – or as some translations put it, ‘vulgar talk,’ is out. Again, this is about whole speech content, not about vocabulary – though certainly vulgar vocabulary is excluded.
But what is vulgar vocabulary? …let’s see if we can answer that question later.
Fifth observation – verse 5 gives the reason for both verses 3 and 4. So verses 3 and 4 ban a list of things, including stupid (doctrinally wrong!), vulgar talk. And then verse 5 comes in and God says that those things are out because, “everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Sixth observation – these manners of speaking are tied to sexual immorality and greed. A quick survey of all the instances of even the word impurity will show us that Paul ties the idea to sexuality. (As in Romans 1:24.)
Seventh observation – verse 4 contrasts these things that are forbidden with giving thanks. The positive command is ‘give thanks!’
Eight observation – impurity is linked in 4:19 again to sexual lust and material lust (greed) – and contrasted with sound doctrine in verse 25.
Ninth observation – this is all linked to things that non-Christians do in secret (5:12). This is probably talking about sex acts that are against God’s will.
Alright, I think that’s enough; I think we can draw some conclusions.
Conclusions, and How We Should Live and Talk
The content of our speech is to be cross-centered, correct doctrinally, and praising God for how he’s rescued us. In doing so, we love fellow Christians, since we point them to our Savior.
And because we’re to point people to Jesus, we need to avoid things that distract us from him. If we were to summarize all this banned stuff – we end up with this sort of general banned talk: we should not talk about things that cause people to desire stuff that is not God.
That would include making light of sexual sin – because it leads to hell (5:5). That would include greedy talk about material things as well. That might include certain words.
But let’s face it – is this verse about our vocabulary and ‘naughty’ words? Absolutely not! And to make it about that is to just make up a rule that we Christians can easily obey. I can easily not use the F-word – if that genuinely makes someone lust.
This verse is about something deeper. It commands that the entirety of my speech to point to Christ; and negatively commands me not to distract people from him. Do I lust after an i-Phone? A beautiful woman who’s not my wife? An HDTV? Financial security?
Do I express those lusts? Do I cause others to stumble into those hell-earning lusts, rather than being expressly thankful for Jesus, our Messiah, who died for our sins, rose from the dead, and is coming again?
Do you? What do you want? Is it stuff, or Jesus? What do you talk about wanting – stuff or Jesus? What do you happily talk about in general – stuff or Jesus?
I hope that drives the sword of the word of God into your soul! It does mine.
God commands us to be imitators of him – and that’s because we who believe in Jesus are his loved children. His Son died in the our places, and he is coming to collect us into his eternal kingdom. Let’s let that control our desires and talk like it does – and we’ll love our brothers and sisters by doing so.
This time, let’s look at Ephesians 5:4. We’ll look at the verse and its context first, then make nine observations, then draw and apply conclusions to ourselves.
The Verse and its Context
The translators of the ESV translate Eph. 5:4 as follows: “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”
The context of the verse is (as always) the key here to understanding God’s meaning. This is part of a section in which Paul tells God’s children to imitate their divine Father – and that means loving everyone in His Church.
God said this: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:1-2).”
Paul then contrasts this with a few things in verses 3-4 – “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”
Nine Observations
So – first observation: see that contrast in verse 3? The but? That means that whatever activity and speech are being talked about, they’re being contrasted with loving God’s people as God loves his people.
Second observation – the ‘foolish talk’ and ‘crude joking’ are somehow linked to sexual immorality and covetousness. I’m leaving out ‘filthiness’ because it’s not exclusively about speaking, necessarily; but the word means ‘shameful,’ essentially.
Third observation – ‘foolish talk’ is again from that word ‘logos’ – probably referring to entire speech content, and probably referring to doctrine. In other words, don’t say spiritually stupid stuff. Or in other words – have cross-centered speech.
Fourth observation – crude joking – or as some translations put it, ‘vulgar talk,’ is out. Again, this is about whole speech content, not about vocabulary – though certainly vulgar vocabulary is excluded.
But what is vulgar vocabulary? …let’s see if we can answer that question later.
Fifth observation – verse 5 gives the reason for both verses 3 and 4. So verses 3 and 4 ban a list of things, including stupid (doctrinally wrong!), vulgar talk. And then verse 5 comes in and God says that those things are out because, “everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Sixth observation – these manners of speaking are tied to sexual immorality and greed. A quick survey of all the instances of even the word impurity will show us that Paul ties the idea to sexuality. (As in Romans 1:24.)
Seventh observation – verse 4 contrasts these things that are forbidden with giving thanks. The positive command is ‘give thanks!’
Eight observation – impurity is linked in 4:19 again to sexual lust and material lust (greed) – and contrasted with sound doctrine in verse 25.
Ninth observation – this is all linked to things that non-Christians do in secret (5:12). This is probably talking about sex acts that are against God’s will.
Alright, I think that’s enough; I think we can draw some conclusions.
Conclusions, and How We Should Live and Talk
The content of our speech is to be cross-centered, correct doctrinally, and praising God for how he’s rescued us. In doing so, we love fellow Christians, since we point them to our Savior.
And because we’re to point people to Jesus, we need to avoid things that distract us from him. If we were to summarize all this banned stuff – we end up with this sort of general banned talk: we should not talk about things that cause people to desire stuff that is not God.
That would include making light of sexual sin – because it leads to hell (5:5). That would include greedy talk about material things as well. That might include certain words.
But let’s face it – is this verse about our vocabulary and ‘naughty’ words? Absolutely not! And to make it about that is to just make up a rule that we Christians can easily obey. I can easily not use the F-word – if that genuinely makes someone lust.
This verse is about something deeper. It commands that the entirety of my speech to point to Christ; and negatively commands me not to distract people from him. Do I lust after an i-Phone? A beautiful woman who’s not my wife? An HDTV? Financial security?
Do I express those lusts? Do I cause others to stumble into those hell-earning lusts, rather than being expressly thankful for Jesus, our Messiah, who died for our sins, rose from the dead, and is coming again?
Do you? What do you want? Is it stuff, or Jesus? What do you talk about wanting – stuff or Jesus? What do you happily talk about in general – stuff or Jesus?
I hope that drives the sword of the word of God into your soul! It does mine.
God commands us to be imitators of him – and that’s because we who believe in Jesus are his loved children. His Son died in the our places, and he is coming to collect us into his eternal kingdom. Let’s let that control our desires and talk like it does – and we’ll love our brothers and sisters by doing so.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Wives naturally submitting to their husbands...
There's a bit of common wisdom out there that says this:
"If a husband is sacrificially loving his wife consistently, her natural response will be to submit to him."
I think the person who wrote that forgot that we're sinners. Those commands are there because our natural inclination is to do the opposite.
A husband's natural inclination is not to sacrificially love his wife. That can only be done as, in the Spirit, he puts to death the deeds of his body.
Same goes for wives. They won't submit, except by the Spirit. It may be easier to submit to a loving husband - but it's the same internal, sinful, inclination and desire that must be overcome by submission to Christ.
So men - don't try to be a good husband and love your wife so she'll submit. Love your wife for her holiness to honor Christ.
And women - submit to your husbands as to the Lord - for his glory. Period.
Both - don't try to do it by yourself - depend on the Holy Spirit's power and choose to value Christ over yourself.
"If a husband is sacrificially loving his wife consistently, her natural response will be to submit to him."
I think the person who wrote that forgot that we're sinners. Those commands are there because our natural inclination is to do the opposite.
A husband's natural inclination is not to sacrificially love his wife. That can only be done as, in the Spirit, he puts to death the deeds of his body.
Same goes for wives. They won't submit, except by the Spirit. It may be easier to submit to a loving husband - but it's the same internal, sinful, inclination and desire that must be overcome by submission to Christ.
So men - don't try to be a good husband and love your wife so she'll submit. Love your wife for her holiness to honor Christ.
And women - submit to your husbands as to the Lord - for his glory. Period.
Both - don't try to do it by yourself - depend on the Holy Spirit's power and choose to value Christ over yourself.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Christians and Vulgarity, Part II
Go here for Part I.
So we saw last time that there are three main passages used to tell Christians not to say 'naughty' words: Ephesians 4:29; Ephesians 5:4; and Colossians 3:8. I say we take a look at these passages. Shall we?
Ephesians 4:29
Ephesians 4 hits two related topics. It first talks about all that the Holy Spirit is doing to build up Jesus’ Church. It’s cool stuff; check it.
The second topic it hits starts with this command: “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds”(Ephesians 4:17). In other words, you used to not be a Christian. But now that you are a Christian, you shouldn’t live like a non-Christian.
Simple enough, right? Paul elaborates on what acting like a Christian means, and part of said elaboration is Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
The real question we have to answer here is this: what is ‘corrupting talk?’ I’ll just make a series of observations.
1) This passage is about the whole content of your speaking – not about particular words. ‘Corrupting talk,’ as in the ESV, is a decent translation of the Greek here. The NET renders the two words ‘unwholesome word’ – and while technically that’s a possibility, we’re not dealing with a ‘word’ in the English sense here; we’re dealing with a ‘word’ in the Greek sense – as in a message. It doesn’t refer to vocabulary so much as to entire content spoken.
As a matter of fact, Paul uses the word several times in Ephesians. In 1:13, he calls the Gospel itself the ‘word of truth.’ In Ephesians 6:19, Paul asks the Ephesians to pray that a message be given him to proclaim the gospel boldly. Your English translation may say ‘words’ – but the Greek is singular – ‘word.’ So the thing being spoken is a whole message – the whole content of one’s speech.
2) It’s possible that what is being spoken of here, particularly, is speech about doctrine. Again, the word ‘word’ here is used in Ephesians specifically about doctrinal words. See 1:13, 5:6, and 6:19. A quick survey of the word ‘word’ (logos) shows us that Paul doesn’t always mean a doctrinal message – but a majority of the time he does.
3) This speech has bad effects. The word translated ‘corrupting’ in the ESV means that the thing being talked about isn’t producing good stuff, at the very least. And is actually producing bad stuff. The bad stuff (I’m about to show) – is bad doctrine and bad behavior.
4) This speech is contrasted with good speech that’s characterized in three ways: it builds up; the needs of the moment are considered; and the purpose of the speaking is giving grace to those who hear.
Building up is a reference to 4:16 and the preceding verses. It’s about people maturing as Christians – in doctrine, character, and ministry skill.
There’s always a need for being built up, but those needs vary. So we’re to speak with reference to what’s needed.
And the purpose is giving grace to the hearers. Now grace, in Ephesians, always has God as the giver. And it’s always about how God himself is working in his people – in bringing his people home to heaven because of love. So giving grace? It’s getting people to experience Jesus. And how’s that happen? Well, by speaking to each other with – the gospel. With good doctrine, not bad.
So what’s this boil down to? There’s a prohibition placed here on speaking things that aren’t in line with what the Scriptures teach about reality. There’s a positive command to talk to people about the truth of the gospel, to be sensitive to the fact that they need that at different times and in different ways, and that it’s for their spiritual growth.
There’s nothing here about the particular vocabulary that one uses, except that the framework provided by Ephesians 4:29 should be used to examine everything we say.
So we saw last time that there are three main passages used to tell Christians not to say 'naughty' words: Ephesians 4:29; Ephesians 5:4; and Colossians 3:8. I say we take a look at these passages. Shall we?
Ephesians 4:29
Ephesians 4 hits two related topics. It first talks about all that the Holy Spirit is doing to build up Jesus’ Church. It’s cool stuff; check it.
The second topic it hits starts with this command: “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds”(Ephesians 4:17). In other words, you used to not be a Christian. But now that you are a Christian, you shouldn’t live like a non-Christian.
Simple enough, right? Paul elaborates on what acting like a Christian means, and part of said elaboration is Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
The real question we have to answer here is this: what is ‘corrupting talk?’ I’ll just make a series of observations.
1) This passage is about the whole content of your speaking – not about particular words. ‘Corrupting talk,’ as in the ESV, is a decent translation of the Greek here. The NET renders the two words ‘unwholesome word’ – and while technically that’s a possibility, we’re not dealing with a ‘word’ in the English sense here; we’re dealing with a ‘word’ in the Greek sense – as in a message. It doesn’t refer to vocabulary so much as to entire content spoken.
As a matter of fact, Paul uses the word several times in Ephesians. In 1:13, he calls the Gospel itself the ‘word of truth.’ In Ephesians 6:19, Paul asks the Ephesians to pray that a message be given him to proclaim the gospel boldly. Your English translation may say ‘words’ – but the Greek is singular – ‘word.’ So the thing being spoken is a whole message – the whole content of one’s speech.
2) It’s possible that what is being spoken of here, particularly, is speech about doctrine. Again, the word ‘word’ here is used in Ephesians specifically about doctrinal words. See 1:13, 5:6, and 6:19. A quick survey of the word ‘word’ (logos) shows us that Paul doesn’t always mean a doctrinal message – but a majority of the time he does.
3) This speech has bad effects. The word translated ‘corrupting’ in the ESV means that the thing being talked about isn’t producing good stuff, at the very least. And is actually producing bad stuff. The bad stuff (I’m about to show) – is bad doctrine and bad behavior.
4) This speech is contrasted with good speech that’s characterized in three ways: it builds up; the needs of the moment are considered; and the purpose of the speaking is giving grace to those who hear.
Building up is a reference to 4:16 and the preceding verses. It’s about people maturing as Christians – in doctrine, character, and ministry skill.
There’s always a need for being built up, but those needs vary. So we’re to speak with reference to what’s needed.
And the purpose is giving grace to the hearers. Now grace, in Ephesians, always has God as the giver. And it’s always about how God himself is working in his people – in bringing his people home to heaven because of love. So giving grace? It’s getting people to experience Jesus. And how’s that happen? Well, by speaking to each other with – the gospel. With good doctrine, not bad.
So what’s this boil down to? There’s a prohibition placed here on speaking things that aren’t in line with what the Scriptures teach about reality. There’s a positive command to talk to people about the truth of the gospel, to be sensitive to the fact that they need that at different times and in different ways, and that it’s for their spiritual growth.
There’s nothing here about the particular vocabulary that one uses, except that the framework provided by Ephesians 4:29 should be used to examine everything we say.
Friday, October 3, 2008
The End of the Shack
I actually haven't reached the end of "The Shack."
I've read a tad further - and I've found that the author tells us that God is not angry, nor is he wrathful.
Really.
I think I can show that he's wrong. Click here.
That's 51 verses about the wrath of God, by the way. And I didn't even touch his anger, fury, or any other word for wrath.
Or hate. How about hate. "The LORD tests the righteous,but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence." (Psalm 11:5)
I wonder if Young knows that he's shredded the heart and soul out of the cross of the Christ, my great savior and my God.
"But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace...
"Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief..."
(Isaiah 53:5, 10)
I believe I'm done with this book. Why continue in it? Young creates idols, assaults the sufficiency of Scripture, tears down the incarnation of the Son of God, and maligns God's character - and thus the cross - and the gospel.
I know he means well. And I believe he's my brother. I pray that someone close to him will correct him and bring him under the authority of Scripture and of a Scripture-loving local church.
I've read a tad further - and I've found that the author tells us that God is not angry, nor is he wrathful.
Really.
I think I can show that he's wrong. Click here.
That's 51 verses about the wrath of God, by the way. And I didn't even touch his anger, fury, or any other word for wrath.
Or hate. How about hate. "The LORD tests the righteous,but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence." (Psalm 11:5)
I wonder if Young knows that he's shredded the heart and soul out of the cross of the Christ, my great savior and my God.
"But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace...
"Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief..."
(Isaiah 53:5, 10)
I believe I'm done with this book. Why continue in it? Young creates idols, assaults the sufficiency of Scripture, tears down the incarnation of the Son of God, and maligns God's character - and thus the cross - and the gospel.
I know he means well. And I believe he's my brother. I pray that someone close to him will correct him and bring him under the authority of Scripture and of a Scripture-loving local church.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Why I'm a Christian
If you ask me why I'm a Christian, you're probably really asking me, "Why do you believe in Christianity?" Or maybe you're even asking, "What are the facts that lead you to Christian belief?" Or maybe you're even asking, "What are the things that made it intellectually feasible - but not only feasible, obligatory to believe?"
To these questions, I can only really say one thing. God made me a Christian. See, the presupposition in those questions is that my mind and will are free - that I'm somehow able to analyze facts in an unbiased fashion and arrive at Christianity - or not.
But God has taught that my mind and will are not free, but rather, are in a state of rebellion against him - as are yours. I can look at all the facts in the world that point to the authority of Scripture - but I - and you - will interpret those facts through rebellious lenses.
The mind is not neutral. It is in rebellion.
So why am I a Christian? God gave me a new soul - a new nature - one that responds to and sees his glory in his book.
If you're asking me what facts in the world agree with Christian belief, well, that's a different question. But in asking it, realize this - all those facts will be interpreted through rebellious lenses - unless God so chooses to have mercy, act, and open one's eyes.
To these questions, I can only really say one thing. God made me a Christian. See, the presupposition in those questions is that my mind and will are free - that I'm somehow able to analyze facts in an unbiased fashion and arrive at Christianity - or not.
But God has taught that my mind and will are not free, but rather, are in a state of rebellion against him - as are yours. I can look at all the facts in the world that point to the authority of Scripture - but I - and you - will interpret those facts through rebellious lenses.
The mind is not neutral. It is in rebellion.
So why am I a Christian? God gave me a new soul - a new nature - one that responds to and sees his glory in his book.
If you're asking me what facts in the world agree with Christian belief, well, that's a different question. But in asking it, realize this - all those facts will be interpreted through rebellious lenses - unless God so chooses to have mercy, act, and open one's eyes.
Christians and Vulgarity, Part I
Though I’m sure it’d be an interesting study, I’m not going to pretend to give a history of the whole matter at hand. I don’t know it. Instead, I’ll just give you my own experience with the issue.
1) I discovered at some point in my youth that there were ‘vulgarities’ in the Bible; words translated ‘rubbish,’ ‘may it never be,’ and ‘eliminated.’
2) People in the emergent movement apparently also discovered this and started using vulgarities – a lot. (They should've also discovered two other things - 1) The Bible, 2) history.)
3) Mark Driscoll became popular as ‘Mark the cussing pastor,’ a label, from what I understand, he’s not proud of. I also understand that much of that cussing was in anger at the emergent movement.
4) Piper invited Driscoll to be a speaker at the Desiring God conference in 2006. A whole lot of people that usually love Piper were irate. Emails were written and many that would’ve normally come to the annual conference didn’t. (Kind of reminds me of my mom banning cereal companies that supported liberal causes...)
5) This year, the Desiring God Conference is entitled “The Power of Words and the Wonder of God.” Paul Tripp, of the CCEF and Westminster Seminary, is one of the speakers. He’s a big deal in the Christian counseling world and, I believe, an ordained PCA minister. In a promotional video for the conference, he repeatedly uses a common vulgarity for POOP to demonstrate that the way we use words isn’t so much about our vocabulary as our intentions.
Now – if people were irate that Piper invited Driscoll – how does he think people will respond to this?
I don’t know about widespread reaction – but I do know some now think Piper has ‘forgotten his Bible.’ They certainly think he’s in grave sin.
It begs the question – what’s the Bible say about vulgarity? Why don’t we look at the three Scriptures cited that are commonly cited to show that… well, to show that Paul Tripp and John Piper are in sin – Ephesians 4:29; Ephesians 5:4; and Colossians 3:8.
That examination will follow soon, God willing.
1) I discovered at some point in my youth that there were ‘vulgarities’ in the Bible; words translated ‘rubbish,’ ‘may it never be,’ and ‘eliminated.’
2) People in the emergent movement apparently also discovered this and started using vulgarities – a lot. (They should've also discovered two other things - 1) The Bible, 2) history.)
3) Mark Driscoll became popular as ‘Mark the cussing pastor,’ a label, from what I understand, he’s not proud of. I also understand that much of that cussing was in anger at the emergent movement.
4) Piper invited Driscoll to be a speaker at the Desiring God conference in 2006. A whole lot of people that usually love Piper were irate. Emails were written and many that would’ve normally come to the annual conference didn’t. (Kind of reminds me of my mom banning cereal companies that supported liberal causes...)
5) This year, the Desiring God Conference is entitled “The Power of Words and the Wonder of God.” Paul Tripp, of the CCEF and Westminster Seminary, is one of the speakers. He’s a big deal in the Christian counseling world and, I believe, an ordained PCA minister. In a promotional video for the conference, he repeatedly uses a common vulgarity for POOP to demonstrate that the way we use words isn’t so much about our vocabulary as our intentions.
Now – if people were irate that Piper invited Driscoll – how does he think people will respond to this?
I don’t know about widespread reaction – but I do know some now think Piper has ‘forgotten his Bible.’ They certainly think he’s in grave sin.
It begs the question – what’s the Bible say about vulgarity? Why don’t we look at the three Scriptures cited that are commonly cited to show that… well, to show that Paul Tripp and John Piper are in sin – Ephesians 4:29; Ephesians 5:4; and Colossians 3:8.
That examination will follow soon, God willing.
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