Challenges: The Gospel is for Christians

*This post is part of a series on challenges I’ve faced while in seminary.START AT THE BEGINNING or check out the PREVIOUS POST

In my previous post, I talked about the joyless seriousness that often characterized my heart in the mid-2000s. Somewhere along the way, I also picked up the belief that any imperfection in me could be dealt with by means of even greater seriousness and determination. This, however, only led to further frustration and failure.

But – praise God! – during my first two years in seminary, the Holy Spirit began to use professors, fellow students, and brothers and sisters at my church to help me more clearly understand the gospel of grace.

I still remember the moment when I heard for the first time that the gospel is not just what gets us in to Heaven but also what gives us the power to live the Christian life. I thought the gospel was for justification, and hard work (Sure…dependence on God in some undefinable way…but mostly hard work!) was for sanctification, but the chapel preacher I heard on September 27, 2011 told me that I needed the gospel for both. I needed to keep “preaching the gospel to myself” if I had any hope of becoming more like Jesus. I needed to continually…daily…multiple times a day…fall upon the mercies of Christ to overwhelm my heart with a greater happiness than my sin could offer.

This started a revolution in my life.

Not only did passages like John 15:1-17 (“…apart from me, you can do nothing,” ESV) and Romans 12:1-2 (“I appeal to you…by the mercies of God…,” ESV) make more sense than ever, but I began to see how Paul aimed at heart change by continually preaching the gospel…TO CHRISTIANS! What was the content of the first half of most of Paul’s letters to Christian churches? The gospel. He reminded Christians of the gospel before giving them practical commands; and, even in the practical commands, gospel truths were embedded.

Before this realization, I was one of those Christians who was bothered by Reformed people always talking about, “Gospel, gospel, gospel.” Now I understand, as Jeff Vanderstelt puts it, “Paul knows that if people are going to grow up into Christ in every way, they need to hear the truths of Jesus (the gospel) and learn to speak them into everything,” (Gospel Fluency, 28; cf. Eph. 4:11-16; 1:10; Col. 1:20).

So, if there was only one thing I could pass along to you through this Challenges series, it would be Paul’s message in the letter to the Galatians. We don’t leave the gospel behind after being regenerated in order to grow in the Christian life (Gal. 3:3). We continue deeper and deeper into –  turning over new, beautiful, and exciting facets of – the significance of a God who loved us so much that He took on human flesh, humbled himself to the point of death on a cross, and rose again to give us eternal life. This gospel sets us free from daily temptation and sin; and this gospel motivates us toward happiness in holiness! 

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Challenges: God is Good and Wants Me to Be Happy

*This post is part of a series on challenges I’ve faced while in seminary. START AT THE BEGINNING.

No, I didn’t turn prosperity preacher during seminary. But I am convinced that the two most important truths I’ve learned during this time are two of the most important truths anyone can learn in life: God is good and wants me to be happy.

In some sense, most of the posts in this series will be devoted to why I am convinced that God is good. I probably won’t get too much push back on this claim. But some may think, “How can he claim that God wants him to be happy? That just sounds so self-centered and shallow.”

My answer begins and ends with the ministry of John Piper. Passion OneDay 2000 was a watershed moment for many believers in my generation. I wasn’t there in person, but it didn’t take long for me to hear about Piper’s sermon, “Boasting Only in the Cross.” (If you’ve never heard it, take a listen, and see why it impacted so many.) In this sermon, I heard loud and clear, “Don’t waste your life on trivialities! Pour it out in service to the kingdom!” I heard the hard sayings of Jesus and, like so many, became determined to do hard things for Jesus. A year later, I even found myself in China teaching English for half a summer in response to this call.

But in being introduced to Piper so late in his ministry, I missed some of the foundational writing which provided context for that OneDay sermon. I missed concepts like, “The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God” (Let the Nations Be Glad, 35, emphasis mine) and “God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him” (Desiring God, 10, emphasis mine). Yes, Piper said these kinds of things in the OneDay sermon, but I don’t think I heard them.

I heard that I needed to work hard for God. I heard that I needed give and live sacrificially. I heard that I needed to “deny myself.” (And I still believe these things!) Yet, even if subconsciously, I began to believe that these truths meant I needed to deny myself of happiness. Why? Because seriousness and sternness are innately godly…right?

Long story (for another time) short, I returned from China disappointed…disillusioned…and unhappy. For various reasons, I found myself questioning both God’s goodness and His desire for my good. And unfortunately I wasn’t able to shake these for a long time.

But what I’ve discovered during my time in seminary is that happiness in Christ is the fuel of the Christian life. Sure, there is a time and place for doing our duty when we don’t feel like it; but even in this, we know there is greater joy on the other side. It is our delight in God and His ways which ultimately make our obedience pleasing in His sight (cf. Ps. 27:4; Ps. 119:47).

The promise of the New Covenant is the gift of a new heart, which, by the power of the Spirit, is compelled to walk in God’s ways (Ezek. 36:26-27). This heart is a heart of joy, for the fruit of His Spirit is joy (Gal. 5:22).  As the psalmist says, “…in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11 ESV), and “I delight to do your will, O my God…” (Ps. 40:8 ESV). And, in the words of Jesus, “Happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6).

Why do I use “joy” and “happiness” interchangeably? Because for so many I think the word “joy” has come to mean merely a sort of contended peace. And that’s not bad! But I do wonder if, in only using “joy” to describe the Christian life, such believers miss the command to “Delight yourself in the LORD…” (Ps. 37:4). Yes, we are content. Yes, we have peace. But our faces also light up and our hearts leap at the blessing it is to know and be known by – to love and be loved by – God! 

In this, my final semester of seminary, I finally read Let the Nations Be Glad and am almost halfway through Desiring God. I wish I’d read them two decades ago. Still, I am grateful for the help they have been in overcoming this emotional challenge.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I now believe that the most important thing I can do each morning, as I start my day, is find happiness in Christ. This helps me rightly delight in God’s good gifts without allowing them to become idols. Of course, I don’t live in a constant state of happiness. I have to fight for joy just like everyone else. But I’m grateful for the realization that this is something I can…no, I am commanded to…fight for.

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Why Daily Time with God?

My parents instilled in me the habit of daily time in God’s word and prayer at an early age. In my teen years, I struggled to maintain the habit, but these days I wrestle more with the why. Why am I doing this? What’s in my heart? What do I hope to gain from this time?

I think there are several good reasons to spend daily time with God.

1. Increased knowledge about God. Faithfully walking through a daily Bible reading plan increases your overall familiarity with the things of God.

Paul prayed that God would give the Ephesian believers “the Spirit…of revelation in the knowledge of him” (Eph. 1:17 ESV). Don’t minimize the importance of the foundational activity of increasing your knowledge about God. This is necessary for an experience of God. If your experience of God is not informed by the scriptures, it may not be God you are experiencing.

As we seek to know God through memorizing and mediating on the biblical stories and instructions, we are shaped in our thinking and character. We begin to think like the Bible thinks, and the result is that we begin to live as the Bible directs. This leads to the next benefit of daily time with God.

2. Increased wisdom for life. Paul also prayed that God would give the Ephesian Christians, “the Spirit of wisdom” (Eph. 1:17). When we think of gaining wisdom from God’s Word, our minds probably go to the book of Proverbs. But, all of Scripture is intended to teach us how to live faithfully before God (2 Tim. 3:16). Don’t downplay the dos and don’ts of passages like Colossians 3:5-17 and 1 Corinthians 5-14 (most of the book!).

We might call point 1 “the foundation.” We need to grow in our knowledge about God.

And we might call point 2 “the result.” Daily time with God should affect the way we live.

But neither of these are the heart – the true why – of daily time with God.  In fact, just before Paul’s prayer for wisdom and knowledge for the Ephesians, he spent 12 verses, Ephesians 1:3-14, rejoicing in the gospel!

In Christ, God the Father has “blessed us…with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…,” chosen and adopted us, redeemed and forgiven us, lavished grace upon us, given us an eternal inheritance (Himself!), and given us the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of that inheritance. These truths cause Paul to burst forth in praise!

The purpose of daily time with God is happiness in God.

3. Increased happiness in Christ. Above all, I hope to get up from my kitchen table and my time with the Lord each day delighting in what Christ has done for me. Like you, I don’t always reach this goal, but I think that just knowing what the goal is helps me reach it more often.

Church Music: Content, Unity, & Style

“Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
-Col. 3:16, ESV

My pastor is preaching through Colossians this summer; and he covered chapter 3, verses 12-17 this past Sunday. This triggered some new thoughts in my mind about how we should select songs for our worship services.

My priorities, in order, are: content, unity, and style. 

1. Content
First and foremost, the content of a song needs to be true. The words need to communicate something and that something needs to be biblically accurate. I also believe that that communication needs to balance theological depth with clarity. In other words, I’m still glad to sing “A mighty fortress is our God,” even though no one knows what a bulwark is in anymore; but we need to be careful with overusing songs like this that need translation.

If we’re honest, there is a tendency in the human heart to view archaic things (even archaic language) as sacred simply because it’s archaic (think the KJV-only mindset). We need to resist this urge. Theological depth doesn’t mean we have to talk like Puritans. Every language in every time period has the capacity to communicate clearly and robustly.

[And just so I’m being fair: some also tend to consider me-centered, self-help psychology language in our worship songs to be sacred too.]

Why do I place content first in my priorities?

Because here in Colossians 3:16 the Apostle Paul makes a direct connection between “The word of Christ” and singing. One of the ways in which the word is to dwell richly among us is in our singing.

For this reason, I think one of the best practices in song writing is to paraphrase or summarize specific passages of Scripture. Also, one of the great features of many hymns is the movement from addressing sin or struggle to proclaiming the gospel and future glory (e.g. “It is Well,” “O Great God”).

 

2. Unity.
In the context of Colossians 3, and other similar passages in the New Testament, unity in local church worship is of the utmost importance.

Col. 3:12-14 says, “Put on then…compassionate hearts…bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other…And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Ephesians 5:21 says, “…submitting to one another out of reverence for God.”
And 1 Corinthians 14:26 says, “Let all things be done for building up.”

Unity under content and over style means that each church member exhibits passionate devotion to the truths of God’s word and deference toward the others’ preferences. In a context of obvious diversity, one should find themselves regularly and joyfully thinking: “This song isn’t really ‘my thing,’ but I’m so glad that it ministers to the mind and heart of my brother or sister.” This is what Paul means in Philippians 2 when he says, “…in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (vv. 3-4).

 

3. Style
Every culture in the world has its own unique expressions of worship; and this, so long as it is biblical, is beautiful. It is a picture of the diversity of the kingdom of God, and we should celebrate this diversity.

I don’t think that this means that every church must become as culturally diverse as possible; but, let’s be honest, at this point there seems to be little danger of that. As Lecrae pointed out, “Most segregated time of day is Sunday service / Now what you think that say about the God you worship?”

Truth is, just like we tend to consider archaic or emotional language sacred, we all tend to think of our favorite worship style as sacred. And that’s where the southern American church went wrong 20+ years ago. “Traditional” and “Contemporary” church members alike used their tongues to “bless our Lord and Father, and…curse people who are made in the likeness of God” (Jas. 3:9). They sacrificed unity on the altar of preference.

Yep. For me, this subject always seems to come back around to the regret I feel for what was and what could have been. Instead of gently integrating new styles of music into the church, the young started talking against “the old people;” and instead of being excited about and accepting of new cultural expressions of worship, it was said that we were letting the world’s (or the Devil’s!) music in. And the result looked more like Darwin’s rapid and catastrophic evolution of species than the advancement of the kingdom of God.

I truly believe that if the southern American church had prioritized depth and clarity of content (particularly on the contemporary side) and unity (on both sides) over style in the 90s and early 2000s, our churches would be healthier today and our witness to the world would be much more convincing.

Unfortunately, we can’t go back.
But we can move forward.
And I pray we will, with theologically rich, edifying singing.

That Doesn’t Make Sense!

On the one hand, there are a lot of religious people in the world who are out of touch with reality. I get that. On the other hand, one cannot get around the very clear biblical idea that God sometimes places His children in situations where trust in Him is required well beyond what makes sense. Sometimes we’re called to believe what God says when it doesn’t make sense, and other times we’re called to obey God’s commands when they don’t make sense.

– Hebrews 11:3 tells us, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” All that exists was created out of nothing. This is illogical to many in our day.

– Genesis 6-9 and 2 Peter 3:5-6 explain that the whole earth was destroyed by water during Noah’s day.

– Genesis 17 and 21 tell us that Isaac was born to 100-year-old Abraham and 90-year-old Sarah.

– Genesis 22 recounts the testing of Abraham’s faith through the near-sacrifice of Isaac.

– Exodus 3 describes God speaking from a perpetually burning bush, and in chapters 7-12 extraordinary plagues in Egypt are God’s chosen means to release His people from slavery.

– Bread falls out of the sky in Exodus 16, and enough water for perhaps millions gushes out of a rock in chapter 17.

– Joshua is asked to walk around a city instead of besieging it (chapter 6).

– The sun stands still (Joshua 10).

– And righteous Job loses everything but his own life (Job 1-2).

Very little, if any, of this is makes sense to the modern mind; and for this reason, many seek to dismiss the Old Testament as an exaggerated fiction. Yet some of these very same people would claim Christ as Lord. But things do not get any easier to explain in the New Testament: water is turned into wine; the blind, lame, deaf, and mute are healed; water is walked on; and storms are stilled. Most significantly, Jesus dies on a cross and rises again bodily! How can any of this be sufficiently explained?

So the question at hand must be this straightforward: “Is there a God who created and controls all things or not?”

If He wrote the laws of physics and He invented time and space, then He is not subject these laws or constraints. He is not bound by “what makes sense” to us. He created “what makes sense,” and He has every right to go outside of it whenever He so chooses. 

And when He does chose to go outside of what makes sense to us, the question becomes: “Will we trust Him?”

Back to the religiously out-of-touch. The question is not: “If I have enough so-called faith, will God give me everything I think I need and want?” Nor is it: “No matter how foolish I am, He’s gonna keep making my life comfortable, prosperous, and easy, right?”

No. I think we go wrong when try to “have faith” in ways and in areas where the Bible speaks clearly in the opposite direction. If we are foolish with our money, God may exhibit grace to miraculously get us out of the mess we made; but most likely, He’s going to try and teach us by letting us stay in the mess. If we are unloving or unkind in our relationships with others, we should not expect to miraculously have deep friendships after a magic prayer.

Keep a budget. Say your sorry. Read and obey God’s Word. Live wisely. This is living by faith!

And when God chooses to act in extraordinary ways in your life, that habit of trusting Him in ordinary situations will carry over into the realm of what doesn’t make sense. 

“And without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (11:6).

The Moment of Total Victory

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
– 1 Jo 3:2-3 ESV

In church yesterday morning, the Holy Spirit’s work among us was obvious as we sang these words from the hymn “It Is Well”:

And Lord haste the day 
When my faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound
And the Lord shall descend
Even so it is well with my soul.

As I sang, my mind joyfully turned to this phrase from 1 John 3: “When he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” In fact, I can’t get that phrase out of my mind this summer. It’s about the moment when “My faith shall be sight.” The moment of glorification. The moment when believers will finally and completely cease all rebellion against God’s best for us (sin), and the moment when all of the brokenness which results from our sin will also cease. It is the moment of total victory.

It is as if that moment will be a flash of refining fire from which no one will be able to hide. Those who, by God’s grace through faith, have come to despise their sin and its effects will receive what they’ve been longing for: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6). But those who reject the knowledge of God and His offer of eternal life will, sadly, also be given what they desire – separation from Him.

Our youth group went to camp a few weeks ago, and during one of the services, we were singing songs of worship. At that same moment, though, I couldn’t get my mind off of my own sinfulness. It felt like a dark cloud hovering over my soul. I was tempted to feel defeated, but then we began to sing Hillsong’s “O Praise the Name”:

I cast my mind to Calvary
Where Jesus bled and died for me
I see His wounds, His hands, His feet
My Savior on that cursed tree

Then on the third at break of dawn
The Son of Heaven rose again
O trampled death, where is your sting?
The angels roar for Christ the King

And I can hardly type the words of the final verse without hope, victory, and joy welling up in my heart:

He shall return in robes of white
The blazing sun shall pierce the night
And I will rise among the saints
My gaze transfixed on Jesus’ face

My gaze transfixed on Jesus face. Oh how my soul aches for that moment. I imagine it even now; and it’s amazing how, even in reflecting on that future total victory, I receive a power over sin that no amount of outward religious practice or self-righteous deeds could ever hope to provide. In fact, I think that this is at least part of what the Apostle Paul means when He says, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,” (Col. 3:3) and “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Rom. 12:2).

We can have victory over sin now as we set our minds on our final, total victory. 

And what should be the result of this aching to see Jesus face-to-face? What should come from our longing for that future day of glorification? John says, “Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” 

Purifying ourselves today will undoubtedly be more difficult than simply thinking about the gospel; yet it is certain that if we do not first find joy in reflecting on Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return, defeat is all the more likely. Again, overcoming sin today is going to take a lot of (formative and corrective) discipline and self-denial (see Heb. 12), but we dare not attempt it without first “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).

Finally, don’t forget that “We are God’s children NOW.” And we have not received “the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear…but the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!'” (Rom. 8:15). Romans 8 tells us that the aching in our heart for the moment of Christ’s appearing has been put there by the Holy Spirit, and it is the direct result of having been adopted as a son and daughters of God. Incredible!

So in your struggle against sin today…
look to the past – to the glorious gospel which has set you free,
look to the present – to the reality that you are a child of God, and
look to the future – to the total victory that awaits you when you see Him, for

“When he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Praise His name!

Good Devotional Books

Faith is a community project. Christians are called to learn and grow in the community of believers. We are to do this most frequently and faithfully in the context of a commitment to a particular local church – through listening to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, singing God’s Word corporately, and engaging in relationships with people whom we allow to truly know us and to whom we give permission to correct us and challenge us.

Another amazing thing about the Christian faith, however, is that we can engage in this community project not only with those in our local church but also with believers from all over the world and throughout church history. The perspective of a southeast Asian believer can sometimes shed new light on God’s Word for a southern American like me; and the perspectives of believers like John Wesley and St. Augustine can also open up new worlds of understanding.

The above reason is why I appreciate (some) devotional books. Devotional books attempt to briefly and simply teach and apply God’s Word, and I believe there is a lot of value in this.

Unfortunately, there is also a lot of junk out there. I won’t go on a rant, and I won’t name specific books, but I will encourage you to choose your devos wisely. Don’t pick devos that only intend to “encourage,” being akin to self-help psychotherapy. One of the greatest encouragements a believer can receive is a rebuke from the Word of God. Just like the growth of a child depends on the discipline of her parents, our spiritual growth depends on the discipline of our Heavenly Father. (see Heb. 12:5-11; 2 Tim. 3:14-17).

So my recommendation, for what it’s worth, is to pick devotionals that attempt to unpack and explain and apply the Scriptures. Stay away from devos that attempt to speak for God, and run to devos that acknowledge that God has already spoken for Himself in His Word. And seek to understand His Word with the help of mature and careful believers.

That said, here a few of my recommendations to this end:

1. By God’s Word by Phillip Jensen (2 volumes):
By God's Word (Vol 1)

2. My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers:
Website – http://utmost.org/
Purchase – http://www.amazon.com/Utmost-His-Highest-Oswald-Chambers/dp/1572937378?ie=UTF8&keywords=my%20utmost%20for%20his%20highest&qid=1464689075&ref_=sr_1_6&sr=8-6

3. New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp:
http://www.paultripp.com/new-morning-mercies

4. Solid Joys by John Piper (FREE mobile app and online):
App – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/john-piper-daily-devotional/id553049864?mt=8
Website – http://solidjoys.desiringgod.org/en

5. Daily Growth by Ken Boa (FREE online):
http://www.kenboa.org/daily-prayer/

This is only a brief list of good options. What are some of your recommendations?

Conquering Suffering through Suffering

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us…For we know that the whole creation has been groaning…And not only the creation, but we ourselves…groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for…the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved…Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness…the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words…And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” -Romans 8:18-29 ESV

As I drove from Raleigh to North Georgia yesterday – on my family’s yearly trek to the motherland for Christmas – I had quite a bit of time to think. The events of the past week and my upcoming teaching series on the subject of doubt kept the problem of evil/suffering bouncing around in my head.

There is always great suffering happening around the world, but over the past six months death has been lingering close to my neighborhood. So many of my friends and church family have experienced great pain and loss.

Some argue that if God is all-powerful, then He is capable of stopping evil/suffering; and if God is all-good, then He would stop it. Therefore, they conclude, an all-powerful, all-good God does not exist. Of course, as Christians we believe that God will stop evil and suffering in the New Creation, and He sent His Son Jesus to begin that restoration project.

Yet we are left with the questions: “Why is this restoration not immediate? Why do we suffer now? Why did this spouse or child die? Why did this financial crisis ensue? Why was this terrorist attack allowed to happen?”

Christians would be disingenuous to fail to acknowledge the real pain and difficulty involved in answering these questions. I don’t for one second intend with this post to belittle the complex nature of suffering. At times we must say with Job, “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth” (Job 40:4). In other words, God is God and I am not. It is good to sit humbly under this weighty reality.

Yet I do believe there is more that we can say. In fact, there may even be specific “reasons” for our pain beyond our ability to number. However, I think that the bigger story of the Bible along with Romans 8 in particular point us to one beautiful, over-arching reason, and it may just be the most important one.

Track with the Bible’s logic. Man’s sin in the Garden of Eden broke the creation. Enter suffering and death. God sent Jesus to begin the project of restoring creation, but not just back – and this is important! – to its original state in the Eden. Revelation 22’s Garden is much more glorious than Eden. In it there is no possibility of evil or suffering.

One of the central questions of the Bible then is, “How can human beings be transformed in such a way that, even if they were placed back in Eden and given the same choice as Adam and Eve, they would never again choose sin?”

Some immediately respond, “That’s not the point! Jesus chose rightly for us because we never could or would!” But this is only half of the truth. Jesus did live the life we couldn’t live on our behalf, and He did die the death that we deserve in our place. But He also rose from the grave, victorious over sin and death. He defeated death through death. And He has now given us His Spirit – the means by which He is conforming us to the image and character of His Son.

That’s where Romans 8 comes in.

In short, Paul says that the suffering we are experiencing now can’t compare to the glory that’s coming in the New Creation.

Yes, creation is groaning now. Yes, we are groaning now, but even in the midst of our groaning, even when we don’t know how to pray or what to say to God, the Holy Spirit is praying on our behalf!

Then comes the promise that should never become cliche to us: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (8:28). And what is the “good” that Paul promises in the immediate context?

We will become like Jesus.

We will become the kind of human beings who, like Jesus, always choose right.

We will be transformed into the kind of human beings who are fit for a world which has no suffering, the kind of human beings who are no longer capable committing evil or causing suffering in the New Heavens and New Earth.

Ultimately, since we are called and justified by Jesus, we will be glorified just as He is glorified (8:30).

So what’s my point?

What if the only way human beings like us can be changed in our character to this degree is by looking upon the greatness of our God and trusting in Him even (or especially) as we go through the refining furnace of suffering.

Yes, suffering and death in our world are the promised results of Adam and Eve’s sin; but if our Savior was so powerful that He conquered death through death, I don’t think that it’s too far-fetched to suppose that He is, even at this moment, conquering our suffering through our suffering!

If the atheist is right, then Shakespeare’s Macbeth is also right in stating that life is “But a walking shadow, a poor player, / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, / And then is heard no more. / It is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.” And there is no one of whom we may ask, “Why?!” In fact, we shouldn’t even ask why, for suffering is merely the natural way things in this material universe.

But if the gospel is true, then we not only have Someome to whom we can cry out in the midst of our pain but also the promise that He will not allow one ounce of it to be wasted.

Choosing happily ever after

Note: The inspiration for this post came as I was driving in the car when the song “Happily Ever After” by He is We started playing on Spotify. The lyrics go something like this: “Oh happily ever after… Oh, skip to the ending… I’d like to know. I’d like to know… Do I end up happy?” In other words this post was not written as a commentary on anyone in particular. These are simply some of my own general observations.

We all know that classic fairy tales end with, “And they all lived happily ever after.” Everyone wants a happy ending to their story, but Walt Disney neglected to tell us that the battle for a great marriage doesn’t end after the Evil Queen is defeated, and unaffected bliss does not begin after the wedding. So how do we pursue happily ever after?

In marriages among those of past generations I’ve noticed an unwavering commitment to the ever after part of this equation. When they said, “Till death do us part,” they meant it, and such commitment should be admired by younger generations. I’ve also noticed that, unfortunately, in a fair number of such marriages one or both spouses feel “stuck,” and the couple lives far from happily. Of course I’m not intending to stereotype here. There are plenty of happy marriages in every generation, but most of you understand what I mean.

You’ll also know what I mean when I point out that many among more recent generations have jettisoned ever after in search of happily. Since happiness is redefined as a fluctuating emotion, when the emotion fades the relationship fades. This is not new information for most, and perhaps the cycle of falling in love/conflict/breakup/repeat is actually quite familiar (and not just because of the newest Taylor Swift album). I’ve heard a number of counselees say that they, “Just want to feel something,” as if the negative feelings of conflict are better than no feelings at all. It’s as if emotional pain is to be preferred over the emotional void of a stagnant relationship.

Yet I’ve come to believe that both of these generations and, for that matter, many marriages are missing the foundation on which they can build a happily AND an ever after kind of relationship. Many in the older generation understand marriage through the lens of duty, and social or religious pressures ultimately keep these relationships intact. And while I can confidently say that most in the younger generation desperately need to remove “Duty” from their list of four-letter words, merely “hanging in there” for fifty years is far from God’s best for His children.

The reason I’ve written this post is to argue that “Happily Ever After” is a choice which is found at the intersection of commitment and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When Heather and I said, “I do,” our worldview was (and still is) very similar to that of the older generation I’ve been talking about. Leaving is not an option nor will it ever be, but at the same time we both want a happy marriage that only gets better with time. This is where the example of and empowerment from Jesus become so crucial.

If I stay faithful to my wife simply because I’ve been told to my whole life or because I might be socially outcast in my family or community if I don’t, long-term happiness will suffer; but if I stay faithful to my wife as heart-felt response to God’s “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Heb. 13:5), then my commitment has a foundation. As I reflect on all the times God should have forsaken me and didn’t or all the times I’ve been apathetic while He continued to passionately pursue me, I realize that the wrongs Heather has done to me are actually quite trivial. When I consider the sacrifices that Christ made for me in the gospel (leaving the glories of heaven, dwelling in this dark and broken world, and suffering in my place on the cross), having to wash dishes one night or having to watch a movie I don’t like or not getting my way in a situation are all shown to be laughably insignificant.

I don’t mean to say that Heather and I have it all figured out, and that’s sort of the point.

We understand that there will be days when things are going great, days when things are quite rotten, and days when we feel little to no emotion. But in each and every one of these days, our call is to “Look to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). When I don’t feel love for Heather (Yeah, it happens!), I need to realize God’s unfailing love for her and me. When I get frustrated or angry, I need to remember Jesus’ words, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).

Of course this isn’t a magic potion. My feelings don’t immediately change, but what I have found is that, as I renew my mind with the truth (Rom. 12:1-2; Col. 3:1-2), my emotions eventually follow. In this way my emotions become my servant and cease to be my slave-master.

I also realize that this works best only when both spouses understand these concepts. I do feel great pain for the man or woman whose spouse does not know Jesus or does not submit to His ways; yet even in this situation the Apostle Paul alludes to the great witness a gospel-focused, committed spouse can be to their unbelieving partner (1 Cor. 7).

Choosing to believe and apply the gospel in a committed marriage is choosing happily ever after. This is true primarily because we know that one day our God will make all things new, and the choice to believe and apply the gospel today is a choice to submit to God’s process of forming us to the image of Christ, a process which has a real effect on eternity. This is what we call “Sanctification,” and insofar as believers are formed to the image of Jesus, they will be able to exhibit his unfading and faithful love to others. So, in reality, the moments and years after a wedding, the years that forge a gospel-focused, committed relationship in the crucible of life, are both part of happily ever after and preparation for it.

Boring testimonies

I pray that my kids (and the kids in my youth group) will have a “boring” testimony.

I began thinking about this over a decade ago when my sister, who never “ran far from God” in college, brought up the subject. Whole-heartedly acknowledging the innate sinfulness in her heart, her point was that she felt looked down on because she had not been rescued from alcoholism or a life of promiscuity.

The way this often plays itself out in the church is in the use of the phrase: “He has such a great testimony!” 

What we mean by this is: “He has such an exciting testimony!”

It’s the stuff of good novels or movies.

But maybe we shouldn’t consider “good” and “exciting” to be absolute synonyms in this case. I say this not because the salvation and transformation of a drug addict is not good, but because every single salvation and transformation of a human soul is good… and exciting! 

Unfortunately the story of a child who was raised in the church, discipled by their parents, reborn at an early age, and faithful in their walk with God (as much as any believer ever is) does not register with our fleshly minds as exciting. It’s mundane. It’s every day.

But it’s not! It’s beautiful… and wonderful… and miraculous!

It is a gift that God would be gracious in preventing such a person from suffering the long-term consequences of foolishness and at the same time immediately plunge them into the depths of the front line fight for the affections of their heart, a battle every believer faces daily.

A “boring” testimony is no cause for boasting on the part of the believer, for all are hopeless apart from Christ, but it does seem wholly appropriate to see such Christians as examples to follow. Young Timothy seems to have had just such a testimony and been such an example (see 2 Tim. 1:5ff).

So I pray regularly that my children are drawn to salvation at an early age. This means that I pray that God would reveal to them the depths of their depravity and their desperate need for Jesus Christ. I also pray that God would help my wife and me to be faithful to disciple our children in the ways of Jesus. Finally, I pray that our children would walk faithfully with Christ, confronting their heart sins with the gospel and daily repenting and believing.

I pray that they will have “boring” testimonies.