"Trading One Dramatic Resolution for 10,000 Little Ones"

Here is a helpful article, "Trading One Dramatic Resolution for 10,000 Little Ones," to read as you take some time to reflect on 2010 and think of changes you want to make in your life for 2011.

Reflecting on the Sermon: 12/26/10

Rod preached on Romans 8:28.  I really enjoyed the message, and I hope you take the time to listen to it if you missed it.  As he spoke about God causing all things to work together for the good of those that love God, he used a great illustration from Spurgeon.

Spurgeon said, that if you take a watch and open it you will see one gear turning counter-clockwise and another one turning clockwise (back in the day...now a days they are made differently I think).  At first glance the insides seem confusing.  But, the watch designer made it this way and it causes the hands on the face of the clock to turn clockwise.  This analogy reminds us that at times our life circumstances seem confusing, yet it is all designed by our God for our ultimate good.

Reflecting on the Sermon: 12/19/10

For our "out-of-towners," check out the sermon online if you get a chance during some of your down time...maybe when you wake up from your turkey induced coma on Christmas afternoon.  The sermon was from Romans 8:26-27 and dealt with prayer.  Rod focused on two points from these verses: 1. God only hears the prayers of his saints, 2. The Holy Spirit prays for Christians according to the will of God.  One good practical point he dealt with is the question, "If God is sovereign, why pray?".  The short version of the answer is 1. God commands it, and 2. God is sovereign over the ends and the means.  Listen to the sermon if you missed it to hear a more detailed answer.

The Infinte Ocean of Christ's Love

Here is an excerpt from Octavius Winslow that is sure to stir your heart with the love of Christ.  The whole thing is worth reading. I pray you will make time to meditate on Christ's great love as we celebrate his incarnation.

Beloved, nothing shall take the love of Christ from you,
or separate you from it. It does not ebb with the ebbing
of your feelings; it does not chill with the chill of your
affections; it does not change with the changing scenes
and circumstances of your life.

The love of Christ has depths we cannot sound,
heights we cannot explore, an infinite fulness and
freeness tiding over all the sins, infirmities, and
sorrows of its blessed and favored objects.

Seek to know this love of Christ, though it is so vast
that it 'passes knowledge.' Infinite though it is, you
may experience its reality, taste its sweetness, and be
influenced by its all commanding, all constraining power.

Reflecting on the Sermon: 12/12/10

Still in Romans 8...and I'm glad...there is so much good stuff here.  This week Rod covered verses 26-27.  He began by discussing the Holy Spirit and how God preserves those who belong to him.  Then he moved to discuss how the Holy Spirit groans for us when we do not know how to pray.  There are times in life when we are so confused we don't even know how to pray.  But, we can take heart knowing that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to God's will!  What a relief.  When I am perplexed and groaning in under a heavy load or trial, I can have peace knowing that the Spirit of God groans for me.  The third person of the Godhead interceding for me- amazing.

Reflecting on the Sermon: 12/5/10

Rod preached on Romans 8:19-25, focusing on how every true believer has the hope of glorification.  He focused a lot on how a true believer has tasted of the hope of glory and groans for more- yearns for glorification.  I thought he gave a real practical way for us to examine our own hearts to determine if we exhibit this evidence of groaning for heaven.  My life is anchored here (instead of in heaven), if I am often focusing my time, energy, and money to try and make life better for me here and now instead of seeking God's kingdom.  This is a tangible way for me to examine my unseen heart.  I can look at my check book, how I spend my time, and what I think about most often and get a feel for where I am anchoring my life.  Man, that is a challenging test and reminds me that I often yearn too much for temporal happiness instead of eternal things.  God, loosen our grip on this world and cause us to cling to the hope we have in you.

Perseverance: Objections to The Doctrine Part 2

Last time, I began discussing objections to the doctrine.  Today we will begin looking at a second objection.

Objection 2: It Seems to Contradict Scripture

Another set of questions/objections comes from various passages of Scripture which seem to, on the face of it, contradict this doctrine.  These can be divided into two types of passages: 1. Calls to continue in the faith, 2. Cases of apostasy.  Today we will just look at one. 

1. Calls to Continue in the Faith

First, are passages which exhort believers to continue in the faith.  This includes passages such as Matthew 10:22b, which says, "But the one who endures to the end will be saved" and John 8:31b, which says, "'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.'"  In Colossians 1:22-23 Paul says,

he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.

Do these passages mean that God might not keep those who belong to Him until the end?  Does it mean that a true Christian might fail to endure and thus lose his or her salvation?  The answer is a resounding "No!"  For starters, "[i]t is only natural that Paul and the other New Testament writers would speak this way, for they are addressing groups of people who profess to be Christians, without being able to know the actual state of every person's heart" (Grudem, 793).

Second, these passages simply look at the doctrine from the human side of the equation; the side where we see that all true Christians must persevere in the faith.  They place the emphasis on our calling to persevere (just as other passages place the focus on God preserving us).

Finally, we are reminded that God uses means in accomplishing his stated ends.  In this case, the end is that all true Christians will be kept to the end.  The means by which God preserves a believer includes "the exhortations, threatenings, and promises of his word" (Hoekema, 246). This should not seem to unusual for the Christian since we know God uses means in other areas.  For example, when God was going to bring judgment on Israel, he decided to use the Assyrians. He could have just supernaturally wiped them out or punished them.  Instead, he used the Assyrian army and king calling them the rod of his anger (Isaiah 10:5-7). In other words, they would be the instrument or means by which God would bring his ends (i.e. judgment).

Perseverance: Objections to the Doctrine

Perhaps you have some questions about this doctrine.  Or maybe you have heard some objections that you just don't know how to respond to.  Rather than ignoring or dismissing these questions or objections we can go to Scripture and wrestle with them.  In the next few posts, I will lay out a few common objections and seek to analyze them biblically.

Objection 1: It Leads to Moral Laxity
The objection goes something like this: If we tell people that God will not lose any that belong to Him, won't that lead some to not pursue holy living?  While it is true that this doctrine can be misconstrued by some (especially those who say, "Once saved, always saved" and leave it at that), the doctrine does not promote unholy living.  That would be a straw man version of the doctrine (i.e. a description that does not accurately present it so that it is made weaker and easier to argue against).

In fact, the doctrine teaches not only that God preserves those who belong to Him, but it also states that those who truly belong to Him will persevere in the faith.  This doctrine takes seriously the commands of Scripture to pursue holiness, for without holiness no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).  "As we have noted, the Bible teaches that God does not preserve us apart from our watchfulness, prayer, and persevering faith" (Hoekema, 245).

The allegation that this doctrine may promote sin (or at least cause Christians to shirk the duty of pursuing holy obedience to the Lord) is similar to what Paul faced when he taught justification by faith alone.  Some people would object with, "Are you saying we should go on sinning so grace may abound?" (paraphrase of Rom. 6:1).  He responds by saying, "NO WAY!" (paraphrase of Rom. 6:2).  Christians are ones who died to sin when they were united to Christ (Rom. 6:2-3). 

This same truth applies here, for the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is saying that true Christians will endure to the end.  A true Christian is one who has died to sin.  Therefore, for the Christian, this doctrine will not promote ungodly living.  Rather, if rightly understood, it will encourage godly living so that the believer will persevere in the faith and have the blessed assurance of salvation that comes with this growth in holiness.

(Note: I have relied heavily on Anthony Hoekema's book "Saved by Grace," pages 245-ff in dealing with objections to the doctrine).

Perseverance: The Doctrine Outlined Part 5

This week I have been outlining the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.  Before moving on, I thought I'd offer a brief summary of what the doctrine entails.

To sum it up, "[t]he security of believers is inseparable from their perseverance; did not Jesus say, 'He who stands firm to the end will be saved' (Matt. 10:22)?" (Hoekema, 236).  In other words, God's preserving power does not nullify the call for believers to persevere in the faith.  Instead, it empowers true believers to endure to the end.  God preserves His children and His children persevere in the faith.  This is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.

Next time, I will begin to discuss some of the objections made to this doctrine.  

Perseverance: The Doctrine Outlined Part 4

Today we will continue to think about the definition, and support for, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.  Last time, we looked at the doctrine from the human perspective- the calling we have to persevere in the faith and the reality that all true believers will endure in the faith until the end.  Today, I would like to illustrate how although some might claim to be Christian, they may prove that they were never truly a part of God's kingdom by failing to persevere.  


The reality is that there are some who claim to be Christians, and have even had some sort of association with the gospel message, but who are not truly saved.  Jesus discussed this several times in his parables.  One such example is found in the parable of the sower, in Luke 8:4-15, where Jesus describes seed (ie. the gospel) being tossed onto various types of soil (ie. hearts).  The seed only remains and blossoms in the good soil.  In describing this, Jesus says, "As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience."  The word patience can also be translated perseverance.  So, those who are truly saved, in contrast to those who hear the word and maybe even have some superficial change, will truly hold fast, bear fruit, and persevere.

This can be illustrated in the life of Judas Iscariot.  He was with the other disciples and even seemed to truly believe in Jesus.  Even on the night before Jesus' death, when Jesus told his disciples one of them would betray Him, the disciples did not presume to know whom it was.  Outwardly, Judas seemed to be with Jesus.  However, he proved that he did not truly belong when he betrayed Christ (Matt. 26:24).  Individuals like Judas do not lose their salvation.  They merely prove that they do not truly posses saving faith by the fact that they fail to endure.

Reflecting on the Sermon 11/28/10

Rod continued preaching on the topic of suffering from Romans 8:17-ff.  This time, he sought to provide some perspective on the problem of evil.  He noted a few points that we should keep in mind: 1. Evil is real and exists in the world, 2. God is sovereign over all things (including evil) and he is good (not the author of evil), 3. Our sin and unrighteousness is the backdrop that puts God's righteousness on display.

This was a helpful sermon to remind us that it is not true (or truly comforting) to tell someone that God did not ordain the evil that they faced.  If God wasn't able to know or powerful enough to stop the evil then it is not comforting for when we say, "but God will give you the strength to get through this suffering."  How can he if he is unable to control all things?  Only a sovereign and good God gives a person hope in the midst of evil.