Reflecting on the Sermon: 1/30/11

We were still in Romans 8:28-30 this week, and I am glad.  What an encouraging set of verses.  I found the whole sermon very encouraging, but the part that stuck out to me was at the end when Rod addressed the question, "How do I know if I'm elect?".  He said the answer is to ask yourself: 1. Do I hate my sin, 2. Do I love God.  Only the Spirit of God can produce a genuine hatred of my sin (as I see how horrible it is) and a genuine love for God (as I see how wonderful he is).  There were many other helpful things from this sermon.  If you missed it, I encourage you to check it out (it will hopefully be on the website soon).

Reflecting on the Sermon 1/23/11

Dr. Haykin was our speaker all weekend at the "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants" conference on church history and theology.  The audio is available at the church website.

The Sunday sermon was based on the Hebrews 11:8-27 and discussed Moses and then Augustine (obviously from church history, not Hebrews).  Just like Moses, and Augustine, we are called to let go of lesser things (that seem so valuable and important) and take hold of Christ who is the only one that stirs the affections of our heart.  We will only cling to Christ tightly if we see him as more beautiful and glorious than all the fleeting pleasures of sin.  At several points, Dr. Haykin quoted the famous missionary Jim Elliot, "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."  If you missed this sermon, I strongly encourage you to listen to it.

Evidence from Gen 1-5 for Complementarianism

Below are nine evidences from Gen 1-5 that man’s leadership is an order of creation, not a result of the Fall (taken from the Piper video series "What's the Difference" session 4).

1.      The creation of man and woman equally in God’s image but with a representative leadership function implied for man (Gen. 1:26-27). The word “man” in the text is “adam” in Hebrew.  Both man and woman are created in God’s image (v. 27c), yet “man” seems to be given as the representative for both male and female (v. 26, 27a).
 
2.      Man is created first and then woman (Gen 2:7, 18, 22; 1 Tim. 2:13). God could have created Adam and Eve simultaneously or made woman first.  Yet, he creates man first, and this order indicates something of man going first as leader.
 
3.      Man is given the moral teaching to pass on to woman (Gen 2:15-17).The command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is given to man, before the creation of woman.  It is not repeated by God to the woman, and it is implied that Adam has the responsibility to pass it on to Eve.
 
4.      Woman was created from man and is presented as a helper suitable for him (Gen 2:18-23; 1 Cor. 11:9-10). The idea of helper is one who comes alongside to provide assistance in accomplishing God given tasks, and not that she is stronger or superior to man (as when God is referred to as a helper to his people).
 
5.      Man names woman (Gen 2:23).This is a significant leadership function.  This shows he has authority and leadership.
 
6.      The serpent undermines the roles ordained by God and draws Adam and Eve into a deadly role reversal with God and each other (Gen 3:1-6). Satan approaches Eve, not Adam who is “with her.”  Adam listened to her instead of leading her (Gen 3:17).  He listened to her interact with the Serpent and did not intervene (nothing indicates he listened to her persuade him to take of the fruit).  Satan is seeking to undermine Adam’s God given role as leader and Adam and Eve’s role as creatures under God.
 
7.      God calls the man to account first, not the woman (Gen 3:7-9).Woman is the initial spokesman to Satan, yet God calls Adam to account first.  He is called to account for eating of the fruit and listening to his wife (Gen 3:17).
 
8.      The curse of “desire” and “rule” show the futility of role corruption, [and not that different roles are a bad result of the fall] (Gen 3:16, 4:6-7). Her “desire” is a sinful impulse to control her husband (just as sin desired to rule over Cain).  Her husband shall “rule” over her and dominate her as Cain was supposed to do to the sin that was crouching at his door.  Neither of these are good things in the male/female relationship.  The fall brings in role corruption and twists God’s good created order.
 
9.      God named man and woman “man” (Gen 5:1-3). God named them “Man” which signifies man is the leader.

More Resources on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

The CBMW (Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood) contains a ton of helpful information.  Check it out sometime.  The two links below come from the CBMW website.

Here is a link to the "Danvers Statement."  This is a helpful summary of the complementarian position (which I believe is biblical).

Here is a link to the book Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Piper's definitions of masculinity and femininity are in the chapter entitled, "A Vision of Biblical Complementarity."

Reflecting on the Sermon: 1/16/11

Rod continued preaching from Romans 8:28-30.  He laid out several passages that show God's sovereignty and human responsibility/culpability held together (Is. 10:5-18, Acts. 2:22-37, John 3, John 6: 36-44, 65).  To me, the most encouraging part was to reflect on how God's sovereignty in calling us for the purpose of conforming us to the image of Christ guarantees that God will accomplish what he began in us.  When I struggle in my battle with sin or feel as though I'm loosing my grip on God, I am comforted by the doctrine of election.  It is the bases for the fact that God is working all things for my good and fulfilling what he began when he called me- making me into the image of Christ!  God never lets go of those he calls and elects.

Q&A: Election, Manhood & Womanhood, Church Government

As we are studying (and will be studying) some complex doctrines in our church (Election- in the sermons from Romans, Manhood and Womanhood- at Thursday night Bible Study, and Church government in Titus and Rod will be preaching on it in the next few months), you may have thought of some questions that never crossed your mind before.  It is good to think deeply about what the Bible teaches and to seek to properly understand it and apply it.  Sometimes as we seek to understand the Bible we come up with questions that we want some help thinking through.

Rod, Doug, and I want to provide that help.  You can submit questions by using the Question Box I set up last year.  We will respond to the questions we receive on this blog.  We will do our best to answer every question, but realize that it may take time for us to respond.

Perseverance: Objections Part 6

Continuing our look at passages that seem difficult to reconcile to the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, we will look at Galatians 5:4.


Galatians 5:4 

You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

Fallen away from grace sounds pretty serious.  And, in fact, it is.  However, it does not mean that a person who is a Christian can lose his salvation.  This passage is not discussing whether a believer can lose his salvation or not.  It is, instead, talking about those who would seek to be justified by the law instead of by grace.  If a person is truly trying to be justified by the law, instead of grace, he never was truly a Christian. He has fallen away from the grace that was offered to him in the gospel message and has chosen to cling to works of the law for his right standing before God.  It is not a matter of losing salvation, but a matter of the method of salvation, namely grace or law.  To choose law is to fall away from the only hope you have of salvation (ie. God's grace).