Wrong Beliefs about the Kingdom of God

DA Carson, or as my friends call him, 'The Don,' has a wonderful little article about this subject here.

He hits on the 'red letter Christians' movement as well.

And, in very nice British fashion, uses the word 'rubbish.'

Reformed people are bad at theology.

What I mean by that, is that, often, Reformed people are bad at living out what they claim to believe.

This is from Ray Ortland's blog:

I like Reformed theology. I believe it's what the Bible teaches. But I don't like Reformed culture. I don't believe it's what the Bible teaches.

Reformed theology is all about grace deciding to treat people better than they deserve, for the sheer glory of it all. Sometimes Reformed culture doesn't look like that, feel like that, taste like that. It gives people exactly what they deserve, as judged by the Reformed person. But who exalted him as judge in the first place? Our true Judge stepped down to become our Friend. That theology of grace must translate into the sociology of grace as we treat one another better than anyone deserves, for the sheer glory of it all.

"If our theology does not quicken the conscience and soften the heart, it actually hardens both; if it does not encourage the commitment of faith, it reinforces the detachment of unbelief; if it fails to promote humility, it inevitably feeds pride."

J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness, page 15.

I'm guilty.

I really think the cure for this is daily if not hourly meditation on God's law, confession of specific sin, confession of the gospel, and focused time in thanksgiving to God. Our flesh and our enemy will not be able to puff us up with pride if our eyes are on our Lord and Savior, and our strength is constantly coming from him.

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Wives... do WHAT to your husbands?

I recently went to a marriage seminar. It was wonderful, filled with perceptive insight - and best of all - filled with more Scripture and less psychology.

But for some reason, the word 'submit' was still avoided. I've noticed this in the recently popular 'Love and Respect' material. Now, I don't want to knock that material. It's mostly very good.

To be fair, there is a verse that's translated, 'let the wife see that she respects her husband,'; but to be accurate, the word 'respect' there is the word used for 'fear' in terms of 'fearing God.'

So what about submission? God has said, "Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything" (Eph. 5:29).

Note first, 'in everything.' That doesn't mean that a husband is JUST a spiritual leader. Hopefully he's spiritual. But he is to be a leader in all things.

But note also that submission is not merely a heart issue. But note first - it is a heart issue.

Note also that submission is supposed to reflect how the church submits to Jesus. How's that? Obedience. Yes, there is to be a heart attitude of reverence. But a wife needs to do what the church does when having a hard time with the commandments. Confess sin, praise God for the gospel, and obey in the Spirit for the glory of Christ.

And to back that up - 1 Peter 3:5-6: "for this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham"

So, ladies...

This is a hard message. But someone needed to say it. Respect is good, but it's not the whole story.

And, ladies, you can't do this. But Jesus has forgiven your sins and given you his Spirit. Walk in him.

And for the record, I still think men have a harder job (suffering for their wives' happiness in Christ - at least wives have no explicit suffering in their roles!)

Do you REALLY want to be holy?

I really resonate with the phrase, "The Holiness of God." RC Sproul's book of the same title is a book I cut my Reformed teeth on, and I can't wait to see Jesus in his glorious, holy splendor.

And if someone asks me, "Do you want to be holy? So you know, you can glorify God, and stuff?"

I would zealously answer, "YES!"

But... what's that mean, exactly?

Look at this passage with me: 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13.

God, through Paul, said to the Christians in Thessalonica, " Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints."

This is a prayer Paul was praying for these Christians, and it shows us what God's desires are for our growth. Plus, it shows us what God, in his sovereign, ruling, omnipotent grace will do in our lives if we know him.

Notice this, though. The prayer is that we abound in love.

Real quick rabbit trail. The question 'which Greek love word?' frustrates me. As in 'agape' or 'phileo' or whatever. Reason I get angry is because people who apparently don't know New Testament Greek very well are telling people that they need to know Greek to know what the Bible REALLY says, you know, because the scholar-translators were trying to hide things.

The problem is this: if we separate 'love' into different categories (which NT Greek doesn't do - the scholars did it right), we relieve ourselves of some of the obligation which the word carries.

The love that we are to have for each other IS a heartfelt love. It is ALSO passionate commitment. It says, "I enjoy this person so much, because he was created for the glory of God, that I would die for him." It is all 'love' entails.

That's the kind of love we're to have. That's the kind of love Jesus had for us - and saved us through it. And that's the kind of love that God desires to, and to some degree, now, is producing, in us.

But look at the rest of the passage. There's a purpose for this love; a goal. God says, "so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints."

That's the purpose. Blamelessness. Holiness. And it is something Christ will accomplish - because he died for it. And God doesn't ever say 'whoops.' Jesus didn't die saying, "I sure hope this works."

The overall point is this: a lot of times those of us who emphasize holiness forget about love. Love is THE primary virtue.

And if we emphasize holiness without love - we don't understand holiness. We might even start thinking that we are holy... and sadly... that others are not AS holy as us - and then we will quench love.

But Jesus did love us and died in our place for our living with him forever. It will happen. And we are to love as he loved. And God is the only one who can produce that love, through Jesus Christ, for his glory.

So maybe we should do what Paul does here: pray.

Holy Father,
You are our Creator. You're different from everything else - above it. All glory is owed to you because everything exists because of you.
I admit that I haven't loved well. My emotions don't work like you say they should. My actions don't either, nor do my thoughts. I have broken your 2nd most important commandment, and I am guilty.
But because of Jesus' obedience - his love - and because he died in our places, you consider us as righteous people.
Thank you.
And please do what Paul prayed - make us love well, so that we will be blameless in holiness when Jesus returns in glory.

In his righteousness and blood we pray, and for his glory -
Amen.

What IS the Kingdom of God, anyway?

I've addressed this a few times already. But Jesus talked about it a lot, so I figure I can do so without apology.

But what IS the Kingdom of God? Of what does it consist?

You remember the parable of the Sower and the seed, right? Click here for it.

Now, the way that parable is usually preached draws our attention to this question: "What kind of soil... are YOU???"

I submit that that is not a bad nor inappropriate question, but not Jesus' focus. In verse 11, he calls this teaching a secret of the Kingdom of Heaven. So this parable is about the Kingdom of Heaven - Jesus' Kingdom - Jesus' reign.

Now here's the absolute shock - Jesus says his reign will be invisible until the end, have varying effects, and will consist in a message!

It will be invisible 'til the end: people's reaction to Jesus' reign will be different. Even those who 'bear fruit' will do so as a result of the reign of Jesus, our Savior and God. The emphasis isn't on differing quantities of fruit - it's on Jesus' reign being invisible until the end.

It has different effects: not only does Jesus cause fruitbearing of differing amounts - all within a normal range - but he also governs a world in which his Kingdom is beset by his enemies - and his reign is not yet made visible.

Now here's my point: Jesus' reign now consists in a message - HIS message. After all, did the Lord not say, " Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away"(Matt. 24:25)? Is the future effect of eternal salvation not governed by the message which he was sent by the Father to deliver?

It is. True Christianity is therefore about words - specifically - about God's words. And in these words, Jesus' reigns and changes the world - indeed, the eternities of people.

This should give us occasion for two things -
1) Wonder. Let us wonder and worship at Jesus' sovereign power in reigning through his word!
2) Speak the truth. Jesus delivered a word for us. How is it that we might not pay attention? And if we do pay attention, how is it that we might not speak his words? If we say we care and don't speak - we don't care.

But thank God that he reigns through his words - and he transforms us by them! Pay attention!