Free Resource on Manhood and Womanhood

As we study the important issue of biblical manhood and womanhood on Thursday nights, I want to direct you to a resource Piper mentioned in the last video we watched.  The booklet "50 Crucial Questions: An overview of central concerns about manhood and womanhood" is available for free from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood  (CBMW- the group advocating the complementarian position). If you would like a pdf version of the entire book you can get it free from Piper's website by clicking here.

Reflecting on the Sermon: 1/9/11

Continuing in Romans, Rod preached on the doctrine of election from Romans 8:28-30.  He laid out how the truth of God's sovereignty in salvation (vv.29-30) is the support for the truth of verse 28, that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him.  It is amazing to me how practical and comforting the doctrine of election is.  God has foreknown me (ie. set his love on me and chosen me).  What an amazing truth.  May we humbly embrace this doctrine.

Work and Cultural Renewal- Tim Keller

Here is a helpful article from Tim Keller (turned into a Q&A format by Matt Perman at the blog "What's Best Next") on how Christians should think about work and transforming culture through our jobs.  This is a good article if you are trying to think about how your current or future job can be a way for you to glorify God.

Reflecting on the Sermon: 1/2/11

The text was Romans 8:28-30.  Rod preached on the two limitations to Romans 8:28 (God causes all things to work together for the good....).  The limitations were: 1. It is true for those that love God, 2. It is for those that are called by God. 

As he reflected on the first point he mentioned that God working all things together for good only applies to those that love God, not to those that just know about God.  You can know tons of theology, but not love God (ie. not be a Christian).  Rod went on to provide some biblical questions to ask yourself to see if you really love God. 

1. Do you want to know God?
2. Do you desire what God desires, love what he loves? Do you have a zeal for God's glory?
3. Do you hate what God hates (ie. evil, sin, worldliness see 1 John)?
4. Do you love other believers (see 1 John)?
5. Do you keep God's commands (see John 14:21)?

The second point (God calls us) is what makes it possible for us to have this kind of love for God.  On my own I would not love God.  I am thankful for the humbling truth that God called me and loved me first so that I might love him and have the promise that he is working all things together for my good.

Perseverance: Objections Part 5

Here is another passage that on the face of it may seem to contradict the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints as I have laid it out.  

b. 1 Timothy 4:1

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons... 

Here Paul says that "some will depart [go away] from the faith."  Again we see departing, going away, falling away.  What is it they are falling away from?  It is "the faith."  There is a subjective sense of the word faith (ex. I have faith in Jesus).  But there is also an objective sense to the word faith (ex. the faith [the set of objective truths about Jesus and salvation]). 

As is common in the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus), "the faith" is used here in the objective sense.  It is referring to the set of objective truths on which Christianity is based.  This fits the context (see 3:15 where he speaks of the church as the buttress of "the truth."). 

So, Paul is not saying a person can lose his or her faith.  "What Paul is saying here is that in later times many will fall away from a profession of the Christian religion.  Such a defection would not imply that these defectors had true faith to begin with" (Hoekema, 249).  As we have seen before, it merely shows they were not truly with us (1 John 2:19).

Perseverance: Objections Part 4

Over the next several posts we will examine some passages that deal with apostasy and see if they fit with or contradict the doctrine of perseverance as I have laid it out thus far. 

a. Luke 8:4-15

First, we can think about the parable of the sower and the seed.

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: ⁵ "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. ⁸And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold" (Luke 8:4-8).

Jesus goes on to explain the parable in verses 9-15.  The seed is the Word of God (v. 11).  The seed that fell on the path and was eaten by birds (v. 5) are "those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved" (v. 12).  So, these obviously never believe and are not saved.  So far no problems with the doctrine of perseverance.

Next we see "the ones on the rock."  They "are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away" (v.13).  What about these?  They believe for a while and in testing fall away (the Greek word means to go away or withdraw.  Do they lose their salvation?  I believe the answer is no.  

The Bible makes it clear that there is true saving faith (which perseveres until the end) and an empty faith which does not truly save (and therefore does not persevere).  This empty faith is described in James when he writes "even the demons believe [true doctrine about God]- and shudder" (2:19).  They believe but are not saved.  They know about God and believe truths but don't have a saving faith.  

Another reason I don't believe we are speaking of saving faith in Luke 8:13 is that we are told they "believe for a while."  This belief is qualified with the statement "for a while."  But, the Bible describes true, saving faith as a persevering faith (Matt. 10:22).  So, these individuals do go away from the truth, but they did not posses true, saving faith to begin with.  They proved they didn't belong when they left.  John describes these people when he says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us" ( 1 John 2:19).  So, these are those who give a profession of faith and maybe even attend church and serve, but when testing comes it becomes clear that the gospel never truly took root in their lives.  This doesn't contradict the doctrine of  perseverance we have laid out thus far.  It fits it perfectly and emphasizes the truth that all true believers persevere to the end

The seed that fell among the thorns represents "those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature."  These people hear, but they go on their way.  They hear the message and keep it in their mind for a while but never embrace Jesus as Lord.  This becomes clear as life continues on, and any superficial professions of faith they made are "choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life."  They don't love God.  They still love the world, and 1 John 2:15 says you can't love God and the world.  So, these are those who may have a positive response to the gospel, but don't truly posses saving faith.

Perseverance: Objections to The Doctrine Part 3

In our study of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, we have begun to examine questions and objections to the doctrine.  In the most recent post, we began to examine the objection that the doctrine seems to contradict some biblical texts.  Specifically, we examined passages that call for believers to continue in the faith.  We saw that calls to continue in the faith do not contradict the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.  Rather, they emphasize one side of the coin (our responsibility to persevere).  Also, they serve as the means by which God causes his true children to persevere.

Over the next several posts, we will take up a second form of texts that seem to contradict the doctrine, namely passages of Scripture that discuss cases of apostasy.  

2. Cases of Apostasy
The word apostasy means to fall away.  So, passages that are in this category are ones in which a person falls away or turns away from the faith.  In order to address this objection, we will study a few passages in this category.