God's Order, Satan's Disorder

In the first two chapters of Genesis, we have a record of a perfectly ordered world. God's perfect order is described from the very first verse. It is evident in the text of Scripture that we could describe God's created order as binary. There are dual opposite distinctives that work in functional complementarity in the ordered operation of creation. God created heavens and earth. God is the Creator and not part of the creation. God separates land from sea, darkness from light, night from day, waters above from waters below, lights for the day and lights for the night. He also creates man and woman, male and female. By the end of the creation week, we see the difference between work and rest. In Genesis two Adam is created physically from the dust with a soul from the breath of God (physical and spiritual). The image of God and the breath of soulish life, makes distinction between mankind and animals. We also see God making covenant with Adam that will result in obedience or disobedience and ultimately life or death. The forbidden fruit in the garden depicted the difference between good and evil. We could continue, but I hope you get the picture that God's binary order in creation is comprehensive in the entire creation.

Unfortunately, our society has reduced the term, "binary," to gender discussions alone. The Christian has a comprehensive answer to those proposing non-binary gender classifications. It is not that Genesis teaches a binary worldview of gender alone, but that the bible teaches a binary worldview of everything. This is God's created order.

When it comes to gender roles, Genesis 1 and 2 are indeed specific. In Genesis 2 we are given a concentrated look at the creation of humanity, and it starts with Adam and then moves to Eve. Adam is to be a leader and Eve a helper (another binary order). Adam is made first (noted by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:13). Adam is given responsibility for God's direction not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He is given authority to name the kinds of animals. He is told to work and keep (serve and protect) the garden. And when Eve is finally made from Adam (again noted by Paul 1 Corinthians 11:8), Adam names her woman because she came from man. Naming is clear evidence of leadership/authority under the direction of God.

Genesis 2 also explicitly builds anticipation of a coming helper who will be fit for Adam. Eve is the perfect partner in complimentary union. She's given to her husband to carry out God's purpose for humanity to spread his glory across the earth through fruitful multiplication and dominion. In their binary order, Adam and Eve are complimentary in physicality, complimentary in roles, and complimentary in masculinity and femininity. They were to be a one-flesh, complimentary union for God's glory.

Once we see the glory of God's binary, complimentary order for the entire creation, we can see the truly wicked nature of Satan's tactic to deceive them. Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" After thinking through the comprehensive binary order of creation, I wonder if you can pick the immediate undermining of God from Satan. Look at these words carefully - He said to the woman... Satan spoke to Eve rather than Adam as representatives of humanity in the garden.

I wonder if we see that the first deception was to undermine God's order by essentially putting Eve in a position for Adam to follow her lead. This is not to say that Adam had no responsibility to speak up and stop what was happening. It appears from the text that Adam was right there. It simply shows that sinful temptations begin when God's created order is defied.

When God first approaches Adam and Eve in their sin, notice God's application of his own created order. Eve was the first to be deceived and sin, but God first speaks to Adam, the leader. Genesis 3:9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"

In 1 Timothy 2, Paul is instructing Timothy about the order for the church. In our relational difficulties we ought to realize that the church lives in a Genesis 3 world. Sin has caused men to harshly dominate those we are to love, protect and lead, and women to seek dominance in places God had never ordained for them. Paul says that men need to come to the church gathering with prayerful, gentle, and humble hearts before the Lord. (1 Tim 2:8). There is no room for harsh dominance in the church. Women are to come in quietness, modesty, self-control, not putting themselves in first place or as a spectacle, but for submission to the teaching of God's word. (1 Tim 2:9-12).

Paul goes on to say that the authoritative teaching/leading role in the church is for qualified men, not women. The reason he gives is because Eve was deceived (not Adam) and sinned (1 Tim 2:12-14). He is not saying that Adam was not deceived at all, and that Adam did not sin. He is saying that Genesis 3 shows that God's order was violated when Satan pursued Eve rather than Adam. The reason we have male only eldership and the reason that families in the church follow God's order of leader (husband) and helper (wife), is because the church reflects that we have been redeemed to live out God's created order as originally intended. We have complimentary unions that work in partnership for God's greater glory.

The church is a picture of God's beautiful order and should be places where we are self-sacrificing for each other in leading and helping whether in the church family or our own physical families. Our concern is not just for order for the working of gender relationships, but God's entire created order displayed in all that we think, say and do. Because of the cross, we have been able to deny our sinful selves, and follow Jesus in redemptive, transformative glory. It's a glory that shines light to a clueless and dark world.

The church is God's picture of God's order that shines his glory to a world full of satanic disorder.

Encouragement for My Sisters in Christ

Ok... Men can read this too.

Dear Ladies of GTCC,

I know you've done it many times, but just have a read through Genesis 2 again this week. There are a couple of significant features in the way Moses wrote this chapter that should be immensely encouraging to ladies.

One is to simply note that from verse 18 to 25 our attention is focused on Eve. Sure, Adam is right there and the whole context of marriage is in play. But look intently at the space attributed to the anticipation of the first woman. She's no afterthought. We see it in the incompleteness of Adam without Eve. It was not good that he was alone.  

From the moment we realize Adam's solitude in the presence of every creature in the creation, we are guided to excitement and wonder in how God will complete the picture. It is completed in the most intimate of ways. By the hand of God, from the side of man, from the one lump of clay, God fashions a woman, and Adam responds in wonder and thankful rejoicing.

If you read through this wonderful section of Scripture, you should also know the uniqueness of the text. For the original Israelite readers in the wilderness, it would not be lost on them that the creation accounts of the ancient near eastern world around them were absent of any discussion about women being created. Women were not even a thought, but for God's people it was different. Sure, the God of the universe made man as a complete human being, but initially there was a vacancy in his life that was not good. Eve doesn't just complete the picture, the thrust of the text shows that she is a much-anticipated gift from God.

So often critics of the bible point their fingers at Scriptures and accuse Christians of holding to a book that is somehow oppressive toward women. This is far from the truth. It is certainly true that the bible does describe real historical situations where women are unjustly treated. Even some of the heroes of the bible were not immune to mistreating women. The entire kingdom of Israel was split under God's judgment because Solomon was willing to have hundreds of concubines and wives and was led into idolatry with them. This is one tragedy honestly reported among many. None of that means that God undervalues the importance of women. In fact, in our text in Genesis 2, oppressing women seems far from the truth.

Eve is longingly anticipated and joyfully celebrated. She has an elevated role above all creatures. She's in union with Adam and as image bearers with him in dominion over all of creation. She is in an intimate partnership helping Adam to uphold and bear his responsibilities. Eve is essential, beautiful, and needed. She completes the picture of husband and wife. But most gloriously, later on we find that her union with Adam is only a taste compared to how it is most gloriously pictured in Christ and the church. Christ's role as a groom is most wonderfully completed in him suffering and dying and saving the bride he loves - the church.

Ladies, I am so thankful you are a part of our church. If you are in Christ, along with every other Christian, you have the ultimate groom. We all do.

We are so thankful you are our sisters in Christ.

In Adam or Christ

Today is just a simple thought but one everyone needs to consider with profound honesty. There are only two possible identities for humans in the world. In our world of identity politics, it's hard to consider that there are simply two identities. The bible gives us a simplicity that moves directly to the heart of the human problem. Christians should never primarily be asking ourselves whether someone is republican, democrat, or anything else. We are always focused foremost on whether someone is in Adam or Christ. We all live and breathe according to one of these two identities.

In Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15, Paul gives explanation about what it is to be in Adam or Christ.

Romans 5:

       In Adam                                                          In Christ

       Enemies of God                                              Reconciled and saved

       All sinners                                                       The free gift of grace

       All subject to death                                         Justified before God

       Under God's judgment                                   Given life

       Condemned in sin                                           Made righteous

       Law breakers                                                   Grace abounding

       Ruled by sin and death                                   Eternal life

1 Corinthians 15:

       In Adam                                                          In Christ

       Of physical life                                                 Of spiritual life

       Of the dust                                                      Of heaven

       In the image of Adam                                     In the image of Christ

And at the return of Jesus...

       Perishable                                                       Imperishable

       Mortal body                                                    Immortal body

So, when we look around us and hear our world talk about a million different identities, let's all think about the only two that ever matter.

Are you in Adam or Christ?

The Biblical Elevation of Body and Soul

The description of the creation of humanity in Genesis 1 and 2 is foundational to the assessment of human problems and solutions. Compared to the naturalistic view from the culture around us, the biblical description and value of humanity is profoundly elevated. Humans are not merely products of physical development over vast ages of time. Genesis 1 describes us as image bearers of the eternal Creator. Genesis 2 describes that the Creator breathed the breath of life into us. We are not simply a body with a brain acting based on chemical reactions. We are interconnected body and soul endowed with capacity to reflect the glory of our Creator as creatures in his world.

We are created with a soul.

There are several words used in the Scriptures to reflect the reality of the soul.

Soul: When Rachel was dying in giving birth, we find that death separates our body and soul. Gen 35:18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.

Spirit: When Jesus was drawing his final breath, he similarly knew his soul was to leave his body. Luke 23:46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.

Hidden Person: Wives are instructed not to define themselves by outward beauty but the inward beauty of their soul. 1 Peter 3:4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

Inner Person: We also learn that the body in this sin cursed world will wither and die but the soul longs for eternity. 2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

In a more comprehensive statement, the author of Hebrews tells us that the Scriptures impact our being to the very center of our soul. The divide and discern us to the core. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Here we see that the soul is described with both words, "soul and spirit," but we also see aspects of mind and heart and core of being. The bible is penetrating the human soul at the deepest level.

We are created with a body.

While the soul is the very being of humanity as life breathed by God, the body is in no way unimportant. The body makes us creaturely. The body is how we express the direction of the soul. While the body and soul will be separated by death, the Scriptures make it clear that we are longing for the new everlasting resurrection body to enjoy the new creation.

There is one passage in Scripture that elevates the importance of the body in explicit terms. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul says that we should look after our bodies, keep our bodies pure, not sin against our bodies and that our bodies will be raised new just like Jesus' body. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"--and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Body and soul are interconnected.

The interconnection of body and soul for humanity means that we cannot fully operate as human beings without both. It means that our bodies mediate the direction of the soul. It means that our bodies also affect the state of the soul, and our soul can affect the state of the body.

Our souls dictate the actions of life mediated by the body:

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Our bodies have creaturely needs that the soul directs.

Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

The disciples had real physical hunger and a real decision was made to pluck some grain on the sabbath for the sustenance of the body. This was a spirit guided decision for the needs of the body.

In 2 Corinthians 4:16 (as quoted above), Paul tells us that the hardship of this world on our body can affect us in aging and death, but our soul can be encouraged that there is greater benefit yet to come when all Christians will be forever renewed both physically and spiritually.

Humans always need both physical and spiritual care.

What we can know from this is that the most important aspect of our physical and spiritual human existence is based on union with Christ. Jesus who came into this world in a physical human body, died on a cross and gave up his spirit to also rise physically on the third day. Jesus overcame every physical and spiritual consequence of sin for all humanity so that we too will one day have a physical and spiritual resurrection in everlasting life.

We also know that in this world, our problems are never simply physical or simply spiritual. In our physical sickness we need spiritual care. In our spiritual woes we can expect it will have physical impact. Christians will always look at humanity as a whole being, both physical and spiritual. We will come together with the Scriptures to help each other as doctors of the soul and send people to medical doctors for the needs of the body.

Most of all, we will know that the elevated value of humanity found in the bible means our greatest concern is eternal.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Is Sunday the New Sabbath?

No...and yes.

 Let's start at the beginning. Genesis 2:3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. There is something amazing about the seventh day of creation. Perhaps this is the foundation of why the number seven is so significant in the Scriptures. It is fitting that this number is seen as a number of fullness and completion because that is exactly what God is resting in at the end of the creation week. In various places throughout Scripture we find explicit reference to Genesis 2 as the foundational understanding for the whole concept of shabbat - REST.

The ten commandments given in the law to Israel would require everyone to rest on the seventh day every week (Exodus 20:8-11). The reason that this would happen every seventh day (every sabbath) was because God had created in six days and rested on the seventh. Every seventh day was a testimony to the fact that this people were a people called to rest in God as he dwelt with them.

As you read through the first five books of the bible, you will find Israel called to rest their land every seven years. After working the land for six years, it needs rest. This is a time to trust in the Lord's provision.  Leviticus 26:34 "Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. The land that they were to possess was to be a picture of rest. Once the enemies of God's holiness were removed, the people of God in the land of God were to be a picture of resting in their God and King.

When Solomon was building the temple, it was called a place of rest for God's dwelling presence with his people. David was not able to build the temple because he was depicted as a man of war. When victories had been won and peace was obtained, God gave this responsibility to his son Solomon. 1 Chronicles 28:2 Then King David rose to his feet and said: "Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building." It took Solomon seven years to build the temple (1 Kings 6:38), and when Solomon was dedicating the temple he made seven petitions to God (1 Kings 8).

As you read through the history of Israel we gain insight into the significance of the temple. The temple was the dwelling place of God. God rested in the temple. The temple was where the worship of the people would be directed as a kingdom under God's ultimate Kingship (they were a theocracy). The temple is the central importance of the kingdom, and Solomon's kingdom would be established forever IF he continued in strength by keeping God's commands and rules (1 Chronicles 28:4-7). Because Solomon fails in this, we are always looking for one who will truly obey God and be the ultimate fulfillment of all that the temple represents. We continue to look for a kingdom of rest that truly rests in God as he dwells with his people.

While Israel were to continue to keep the sabbath every seventh day, they would be a continual testimony of the fact that God has created us to rest in him. They would also be a continual testimony of the fact that every week this looked forward to One who would ultimately bring forever rest. The penalty for not keeping the sabbath was death (Exodus 31:14). Everyone who lived as an unbeliever, unwilling to reflect God's promise of rest, would die.

If you have been paying attention you might see how all of this finds fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus came and in his finished work fulfilled all that the temple represented. He IS the dwelling presence of God. He IS the mediating sacrifice for all humanity as the Great High Priest. He did finish this work on the cross and then was raised and seated in rule and reign at the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:20-23). Jesus has finished the work of bringing the fulfillment of God's rest in dying and rising to reconcile creation. And when was Jesus raised to this new life securing a new creation for all in him? Not the seventh day of the week, but the first. The fulfillment has been accomplished and now the new has come.

There is no doubt that rest conveys the finished work of God who takes his place to dwell with humanity in rule and reign over his creation. This is exactly what the law pointed to in Christ and exactly what Christ has completed in fulfilling that law.

Is Sunday the new sabbath rest? Well, from a perspective of law and keeping days, no. It has been fulfilled. From the perspective of Jesus having finished his work to rule and reign in his kingdom - yes. We gather on the first day of the week, resurrection day, because it is a day of fulfillment, not because it is a day of replacement of legal requirements. We testify as we meet as the church that we have rest in Christ who IS our rest, and we point to the consummated rest that we are yet to enjoy. I am not a Sabbatarian in the the normal use of the sense of the word and I think it is an unhelpful term. I am, however, a big believer that every Lord's day, on a Sunday, the church displays our rest in the fulfillment of rest in Jesus Christ; our risen and resting King. We display that we rest in our Creator who created all things in six days and rested on the seventh in completion of his work- a work fully and finally completed in Christ.

Paul Against a Christendom

Sometimes the term "Christendom" is unhelpful because many people refer to it in varied ways. Predominantly, a "Christendom" has been understood in terms of a type of rule of the church within a national identity in the world. The Roman church from the time of Constantine was a building "Christendom." Often Christendom would involve a blend of church and state rather than a separation of church and state. Today, some people use the term "Christendom" simply to suggest the countries where the prominent religion is Christianity. Either way, the notion of a Christendom has extended beyond the bounds of those who are regenerate believers to a cultural rule or predominate influence of "Christian" values. The problem is, often Christendom blends Christianity with culture and breeds compromise. A Christians' desire for prominence in the world often leads to worldliness.

When it comes to the idea of dominion, rule, or kingship, it seems to me that the Apostle Paul never had a "Christendom" in mind. Paul was very careful to identify the church as those who rule in the way they represent the saving power of Christ in eternal salvation. Any kingship in the church was not to be blended with the world but to be seen in contrast to it.

Take for instance Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. The Corinthian church was obviously full of problems, but those problems seemed to stem from worldliness and pride. They had to be reminded in the very first chapter that the pride and arrogance of worldliness is not the way of Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. The power of God over this world is seen through what this world despises. The cross is God's dominion over the power of sin and death. Through suffering, Christ brings the restoration of creation and the salvation of his church.

Later in his letter, Paul revisits the pride of Corinth who so easily sit in judgment of his own ministry. 1 Corinthians 4:1-4 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Is Paul being effective? Is he ministering in a way that promotes Christianity in the world with real potency? These are the same questions asked about ministries today. So often criticism is leveled at ministers who will not take arguments to the streets (or social media) for the sake of standing up for Christian values. Why is the church not more politically motivated? Why is the church not more culturally charged? Why is the church not willing to fight in the public sphere on explicitly moral issues? Why is the church not in a better place of prominence? Paul's answer for the Corinthians is that his stewardship of ministry will be judged by God. His ministry is clearly the folly of the cross.

After rebuking the Corinthians for their worldly arrogance (vs. 6-7), Paul describes where their arrogance has taken them in a worldly sense. 1 Corinthians 4:8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! Paul is actually saying that the Corinthians have become worldly in seeking power, prestige or even prominence in the world. Their idea of being kings is that Christians should have prominent place in the world. Paul says, if they really were kings in the world, he might join them. The reality is that this is not the Christian calling.

Instead, Paul shows them the ministry and calling God has for his servants in the ministry of the gospel. It's far from the Corinthian idea of kingship. 1 Corinthians 4:9-14 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. 14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

If the church has a place of prominence in the world, it's more likely something to be concerned about. Paul is quite sarcastic about their strength and honor and wisdom in the world's measures. It is the gospel that offends. We are not called for cultural dominance; we are called into what is seen as foolishness to the world. We are called to minister the gospel and be willing to suffer because of it. It is the cross that will always be despised by those who are perishing. Rather than seeking to be kings, the Corinthians should seek a ministry that might end up in the very opposite circumstance. The response to the world's criticisms is not to fight for better position or ascendancy, but to bless, endure, entreat. All of this for the sake of Christ and his gospel.

 In contrast to a Christendom, we are called to a humble ministry of the gospel. Yes, it may put us at odds with our culture, but not to fight for moral reform and political rule but because we simply live and preach Christ crucified.

 Paul doesn't want you to be worldly kings, he wants you to be faithful servants of the gospel for the King of kings.

Overcoming the Election Rhetoric

In the 2024 election year, surely you have heard the reverberations of caustic speech. There has been a heavy load of name calling and uncharitable dialogue from both sides of the fence. More unfortunately, it is not just coming from the candidates and party faithful, it's coming from our neighbors, friends, families, and the church is sadly not immune. I am thankful to serve as a pastor/elder in a church family that seems to go against the trend. Our church is certainly not perfect, but I cannot recall one instance of concern about how anyone in our church family is facing the tense environment of this election in an unhelpful way for others. Thank you, Grace and Truth Cincy! My ongoing concern is how we continue in this way. I believe our text for this week is a big start in the right direction. God created man in his image!

When James was writing to the church, he had reason to talk about how we must be careful to treat each other with an equal sense of value.  James 2:1-4 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Why can James be so confident in saying that we can value and love the poor man as equally as the rich? He goes on to remind us that the poor in this world in Christ are rich in faith and equal heirs in God's promise and inheritance. Jesus has caused us to see that we are all level at the foot of the cross.

James doesn't stop there. Partiality is not just a problem that concerns seating arrangements in the church (and certainly James also meant his example for broader application). We seem to have problems in valuing our neighbors even by the way we use our speech. Because we have hearts that are so focused on self, we seem to be immediately outraged at any perceived evil that comes against us. Our speech is our first weapon in war. At these moments of opposition and disagreement, our evil hearts are identified through our tongues.

James 3:7-12 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Let's think carefully about what James is saying. He is firstly saying that we should beware of our speech. It seems to be harder to protect holiness in our speech than it is to train your dog to get the morning paper. The problem is that a Christian can be sitting in church on Sunday and singing praises and then walk out of the service spewing out sinful anger at the first thing that steps on our toes. How easy is that to do in an election year the moment we see the first YouTube video from a candidate threatening the world you want to live in?

I'm willing to agree that there is a lot at stake for this country. I'm willing to agree that I have also seen a lot of ideas that I have to be vehemently opposed to. What Christians all need to be better at is shining the light of Christ by the way we talk about it. James reminds us that the people we curse are created in the likeness of God. No matter how wrong another human being is, nobody can ever take away the fact that God made them in his image. It's absolutely true that our sin has corrupted the image of God, but it hasn't changed the fact that every human being is of equal value before the Lord because all of humanity is created in His image. 

Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Kamala Harris, and Tim Waltz are all created in the image of God whether they are conscious of that or not. They all have huge responsibility before God in that respect and will all answer to God one day. Like every other human, they all need Jesus who is the only ever uncorrupted image bearer.

Every Christian needs to take the lead in our speech. We agree that if God created all humanity in his image, it is not our prerogative to denigrate the value he has placed on a fellow human being. As hard as it is to tame our tongues, Christians should be known for how we talk - about everyone. If we disagree with another human, let's do it by honoring the value God has upon them by his very act of creating. Let's realize that they don't have a value problem, but we all have a sin problem.

So how do we overcome the ugly election rhetoric in 2024? Let your speech reflect that every single human being on the planet is created in the image of God. Remind yourself before you say a word - or type a word.

A Letter to Our Church on Life

Dear Family,

This week we come to the verses in Genesis 1 that describe God’s creation of living, breathing, life. We will look at the text and consider the importance of God’s blessing upon life and what it means for us to fill and multiply on the earth. It’s a precious subject and we will be considering the big foundational truths of the image of God and dominion and blessing over the next few weeks.

There is one consideration I am simply asking us to value this week - LIFE. Life is precious. Life is a blessing. And…life reflects the glory of God.

As we consider the value of physical life and particularly human life, I am going to ask us to consider that true life was lost in the Garden of Eden. I am going to uphold the dignity and value of life for the next three weeks. I am going to ask us to value marriage and family as God’s means of human fruitfulness in multiplication. I am going to ask us to acknowledge that physical life, every physical life, is precious. And …I am going to say, that in our Genesis 3 world, that simply is not enough.

As we look at life in Genesis 1, please don’t lose the important reality that we were never created in this world for a temporal existence. When sin entered the world, so did death, physical and spiritual. Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Human beings need restoration of life, not just temporal physical life but eternal and abundant life. We need to live for that which is truly life.

As we consider the importance of life, please never lose the biggest truth in life we all must grasp. True life is only restored through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ. In every discussion we have about life, I pray that we never let it pass without saying that Jesus is our life. In so many ways, Christians have generally been consistently vocal in our world about the sanctity of life. I’m thankful for that. Let’s keep upholding the precious nature of life. What I am asking, however, is that we never lose importance of helping the world to understand that there is also a sense in which we all must die to know true life. Those who become dead to the world will find Christ as their life. Those who only seek life in this world, will only know eternal death.

Colossians 3:3-4 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

The Glory of Stars

So much can be said by so little. In the inspiration of God, Moses wrote about the creation of the countless number of stars and galaxies and celestial bodies in the unmeasurably vast universe. "And the stars." Why such a little phrase about such an enormous universe? Perhaps it is to emphasize the bigness of God. The glory of the stars does not belong to the stars themselves but to the God who simply spoke to create them. The universe of celestial wonders is huge. God is bigger.

Moses also gave further explanation about all the lights that God created on day four. Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth. If we believe what this verse is stating (and I do), it means that the stars are in their specific places because God placed them there. He set (placed) them in the heavens. If we carefully read the words of Genesis, we cannot go past the intentionality of every act of creation. There is simply no room for randomness. God creates, God sets in place, God gives purposes and God declares what is good. When we look in the sky on a dark clear night and see the wonder of the stars, we should be amazed at more than the innumerable lights. We must be amazed at God lest we worship what is lesser. Deuteronomy 4:19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

The Psalmist took it a step further. Psalm 147:4-5 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. God not only created them, but he also numbered and named them. He knows every single one. The difference then is not as much measured by our smallness compared to the universe, but our smallness compared to God. Genesis 15:5 And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Imagine being Abraham. He cannot possibly do what God can do. He cannot possibly name and number the stars. Imagine the wonder he then experiences when God tells him that his offspring will be an uncountable number like this. From one man chosen by God would come offspring measured by looking up to the heavens and considering the number of stars. How on earth (or in the heavens) could that be possible?

Paul gives us a key in Galatians when he describes Abraham's offspring. Galatians 3:7-9 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. We know Abraham's offspring are the children of Israel, but this tells us that what God was promising was a wider population than mere national identity. It was the true Israel. It was Abraham's children by faith that included believers from every nation. When you think about those sharing the faith of Abraham in the promise of the Messiah, the number you might think about starts to look like stars in the sky. An innumerable host of those saved by faith in the promise and fulfillment of Christ.

We are not only numbered like stars, but we share something common in purpose. They shine on the earth. Like the stars in number, we can be like the stars in shedding light, except our light is the direct witness of Christ in a world darkened by sin. Philippians 2:14-16 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

One last humbling factor is that the light we shine is not our own light. It comes from the great light that has been given to the whole world. This light is Christ. It is entirely fitting that Christ is finally called The Bright Morning Star. Revelation 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

The brightest star of all is Christ. The darker the world seems the brighter his light shines in his saints who live in contrast to an evil and wicked generation. Our light shines Christ who shines forever in glory and wonder through his work of redemption and reconciliation of all creation.

The glory of stars is not found in simply looking into the sky and seeing the wonder of lights and the vastness of the expanse of the universe. It is found in realizing that the God who created these stars shines brighter in the redemption of his saints. His light is the eternal wonder of his glory shared by all who believe.

The glory of stars is so much more glorious in Who they point to. They remind us of the glory of Jesus.

Handling Genres and Genesis

Our church has recently experienced significant contrast in biblical genres. What do I mean by that? Well, within just a few weeks we have finished a series in the letters of Paul to the Thessalonian church, we have been coming to our final weeks in the apocalyptic writing from John in the book of Revelation, and we have commenced the historical narrative in Genesis. Earlier this year our church also preached a series in the poetic songs - The Psalms. With every genre of literature in the bible comes an understanding that the reader will only understand what the author is conveying if we do so within the interpretative grid of the style of his writing. We don't read poetry like we read history. Everyone knows that.

Probably the greatest contrast our church has experienced is what it has meant to walk through the last book of the bible in Sunday School while we have started the first book of the bible in our church service. We should be careful to note that the Scriptures themselves help us to understand what we are reading and how we should read it. For example, In Revelation 1, John begins this book by giving us an interpretive grid.  Revelation 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.

The original word translated as "made it known," is the Greek word sēmainō. This word means to signify or to sign (symbolize). It is the revelation that comes from Jesus and is about Jesus. It was delivered to John by an angel, and as we read through the book of Revelation, we find that it came through visions and dreams. The cataclysmic language in the book helps us to understand we are not reading a normal historical narrative with a normal chronological sense of history. It is not the genre of history but an apocalyptic letter. The first verse is instrumental in helping us know that the truth comes by way of signals or symbols via a heavenly being from Christ. The truth is seen in understanding what these signals reflect, and the vast usage of Old Testament texts help us to see why the signals are necessary. The temporal events and life of the people of Israel in the Old Testament texts are often alluded to in the symbolism of Revelation. In the apocalyptic style of Revelation, John often universalizes the Old Testament allusions as he helps us to understand God's mission in a sin cursed world as we await the return of Christ on the global stage.

In contrast to this, Genesis has all the hallmarks of a historical narrative but the uniqueness of being the very first book of the bible. History is not always what we want it to be. Some Christians who have bought into the worldly ideals of our day have not been comfortable with the historical perspective of the origins of the universe presented as history in Genesis 1. Sometimes the truth value of a historical narrative has been dismissed by attempts to label it as mythological or tendentious (intending to propose a particular point of view). In contrast to this, the text itself will not let you choose the genre you want it to be.

Genesis 1 has all the hallmarks of what is found in normal Hebrew historical narrative. One (the most prominent) feature is the use of the Hebrew vav (waw) which is translated into our English word, "and" (sometimes now, then, so...). It is a construction in Hebrew that shows a chronological sequence of historical events - one after the other. (And this, then this, and so, and then...)

Historical context in Hebrew narrative most often includes editorial comments and contextual comments to help us understand what it is about. The very first verse of the bible meets this beautifully. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Often in Hebrew narrative, emphasis also comes through repetition. There is no doubt that the author of Genesis wanted us to know that there is a sequence of days, and each day was good, and within each day God powerfully created everything by his sovereign will. There are many more clues within the text, but it is helpful to know that studies comparing the literary conventions of Genesis 1 with undisputed historical narratives such as 1 and 2 Kings have shown them to be similarity to a statistical figure of 99.5%.

If you wonder why we are being very "literal" when it comes to Genesis and "symbolic" when it comes to Revelation, our answer is simple. It's because God's truth is respected by understanding both the genre in which he speaks and the truth he is conveying from it. He is the author, not us. I can't change his meaning by making the historical, symbolic. I can't change his meaning by making the symbolic, historical. What is most important is that Jesus himself has told us that every book and every genre points to him as the full and final revelation of God to man.

When you approach the bible, approach it knowing that this is God's word. And when you see the different genres of the bible (poetry, history, wisdom, prophecy, apocalyptic, letters, and more), I also hope you see the glorious creativity of God who not only gives us his word but gives it to us in beauty.

The Scriptures reflect our most basic understanding of who God is. He is true, beautiful, and good. Genesis 1 reflects the truth, beauty, and goodness of God in historic narrative. Revelation reflects the truth, beauty and goodness of God in apocalyptic language. In this way, from the very first verse to the very last verse of the bible, the Scriptures show the truth, beauty and goodness of God. And... they show it in the central exaltation of Christ.

The Apostolic Witness of God

1 John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

The Apostle John wrote about the Apostolic witness of Jesus. The Apostle's witnessed Jesus as he spoke to the crowds who gathered before him. They witnessed him heal. They were witnesses of the death and resurrection of their Master. What they witnessed in Jesus confirmed that they were witnessing something beyond his physical presence with them in their time. They were witnessing a timeless wisdom, power and purpose. What Jesus proved on earth was something greater than earthly comprehension. Jesus spoke and healed and conquered death with the power, wisdom and purpose beyond this world.

John testifies of Jesus in the only way that could possibly explain the reality of Jesus. He uses the term, "That Which." John does not say, "Jesus, who was from the beginning." He does not say, "He, who was from the beginning." It seems awkward and confusing for John to say, "That Which was from the beginning." It is an awkward statement that makes complete sense when we read the gospels and see the reality of who Jesus is. He is God. He is the one who is the I AM (John 8:56). He has the power to make the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear. He could heal with the power of one who created in the first place. He could command the wind and the waves. He had persuasion over the elements as if the one who created them. He had wisdom beyond human reason to stump his greatest opponents. He could forgive sins. He was born of a virgin and rose from the grave.

When John describes Jesus as "That Which," he is appealing to the reader to know that Jesus is beyond any normal human. He is greater and beyond comprehension. He is the eternal, self-existent God. He is "That Which was from the beginning."

What makes this even more amazing for John is the fact that John rubbed shoulders with this one who is "That Which." John saw him with his eyes and heard him with his ears and touched him with his hands. In fact, at one time John was reclining at a table simply leaning- physically - on Jesus (John 13:23).

When John wrote the first sentences of his first letter, he wanted the readers to know that he had not witnessed any man. He had witnessed God, the Creator, the self-existent One, in the flesh. His witness, and that of the other Apostles, was of the only One in human existence who has authority and power to save. When you believe in the Jesus that the Apostles witnessed, you are believing in "That Which was from the beginning."  

No Trouble Asking for Money!

As we come into our last Sunday in our series about the identification of the local church, we come to the subject of giving. The local church is identified - in part - in the way that we participate financially in the spread of the gospel. Some people (particularly pastors) have difficulty in approaching this subject because we live in a culture that seems to hold some aspects of life more privately than others. In our culture, our wallets have sometimes become the sacred ground whereby no other person should dare to tread. It seems that the Apostle Paul didn't have that problem. He seemed to have no hesitation when it came to asking for churches to financially give. Why? Paul's letter to Corinth sheds lights on two areas.

1 Corinthian 16:1-4 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.

1. We should have no concern in asking the church to financially support ministry because it's a normality in our gathering.

We should note that Paul had established a habitual practice for the church. When Paul mentions the first day of the week, he is talking about the day that the church has traditionally chosen to gather. For two thousand years the church has gathered on resurrection day (first day of the week) to meet together, hear the preaching of God's word, fellowship, break bread, pray and serve each other in various ways. As part of this gathering, Paul seems to widely encourage churches to use the time to collect funds for ministry.

Paul also suggests something about the amount that should be given - "as he may prosper." Prospering individually varies and the Apostle is suggesting that each person will give generously according to capacity. Some are able to be more generous than others. Prosperity is a gift of God and should be displayed in a generous heart. Note that Paul does not say the reverse statement that if you give, you will financially prosper. The prosperous are expected to be generous according to means for giving, not getting.

We should see our gathering together as a normal opportunity to give generously to ministry according to what the Lord has given us. The church is a place for gospel generosity and our gathering is a normal collecting ground.

2. We should have no concern in asking the church to financial support ministry because we all want the gospel of the kingdom to spread.

The way Paul speaks is if he is partly a delivery man for the financial support of gospel ministry. The church in Corinth were going to store up a collection for the good of the church in Jerusalem. Sometimes we give because of the hardships others are going through, and this could well have been the motivation for collecting for the Jerusalem church. At other times we are giving for the sake of the expansion of ministry as the gospel spreads around our church and across the world. Either way, the assistance Paul is requesting is for the church, not just anyone. He is concerned with the gospel mission of the church as it seeks to fulfill the great commission of Christ. If Christians are at all concerned with the great commission and the health of the church across the world, we will be generous toward gospel ministry as our church collects, stores, uses and sends the money God has given us.

Bottom line, the church is identified by the way we believe in and live in and support the ongoing mission of the gospel. The church's giving should reflect our very identity and calling. Every week it should identify what and Who is most important to us. If we are all on the same page when it comes to the gospel, we should have no trouble asking each other for gospel purposed money.  

Serving as a Sign of Assurance

Think with me for a moment about all the ways you have been lovingly served by your brothers and sisters in Christ. I am sure that I can only think of some of the many ways I have been blessed by the service of other believers in my life. I have enjoyed encouragement, admonition, comfort and so much more. On some occasions I have received what I most needed through words. On other occasions I have been blessed by the physical and material support that matched my need at the time. To truly describe the way I have been served in my local church would require a long list I could add to every week.

There is a special love that can be identified in God's family and the author of Hebrews says that it's a love that flows from God's saving work in our lives. When we see people serving each other in the church, we see them reflecting their Savior and showing their love for Christ.

For many, Hebrews 6 is a difficult passage of Scripture to understand. The early verses of Hebrews 6 contain a very strong warning. The author makes the point that saving faith in Jesus is a persevering faith that grows into the likeness of our Savior. Those who walk away from this cannot be restored. They would inevitably show that they were not saved to begin with. The warning is for all Christians, and it is a sincere warning that is made to help keep us on track. We stay on track in the Christian life by heeding the warnings and holding the promises. After the strong warning in the beginning of Hebrews 6, we then read this...

Hebrews 6:9-11 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things--things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end 

On the other side of the warning about apostasy is the promise of assurance. As saints persevere in faith in Christ, one of the ways we can see our love for Christ working out in our lives is through the way we serve each other. Our love for Christ is epitomized in our love for his church. The author of Hebrews says..."the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints." He then connects this to assurance of hope until the end.

It's easy to under-rate the importance of serving each other in the church. Often when churches speak of serving, our minds can jump to the list of duties we all need to help with on Sunday mornings or the maintenance jobs around the building. As we gather as the church each week there is a reality to the duties we need to fulfill. If this is all serving is, it can too easily be reduced to a list of activities for Sunday. Serving each other happens both in the way we volunteer for the tangible needs of our gatherings and in the everyday way we come along side each other with the words and love of Christ. If you want to know what that is, just read all the one-another statements of the New Testament. They're not hard to find.

When we care about the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are giving of ourselves for the sake of those for whom Christ died. When we love the church, we are saying we love Jesus.

Serving is so much more than a Sunday morning duty. It is the everyday assurance that Christ has given you a heart for his people because that heart reflects our love for Jesus. When Christ loves the church, so do we. There is an assurance in that.

The author of Hebrews warns us about leaving the church, but he promises us assurance in loving each other as we show our love for Jesus. That's beautiful! That makes me want to serve my church family all the more.

The Great Commission Demands a Structured Church

When Jesus gave his disciples the great commission, he made a very clear statement about what they were to do. Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." This commission has defined the mission of the church for 2000 years. The church is made up of disciples of Christ, who make disciples of Christ, who baptize disciples of Christ, and bring every disciple of Christ under the discipleship of the teaching of Christ.

If we were to break down the responsibility of the great commission, we would find that the church needs to be very clear about who we are as Christ's disciples and what are the essential truths of the Christian faith that we must commit to for the growth and maturity of God's family.

As you read into the book of Acts and the New Testament letters, you very quickly find a church being organized to fulfill this commission. We find a council of leaders meeting to discuss the importance of how the gospel flourishes in a gentile world. We find churches being established with elders and then deacons for the spiritual oversight and administration of the church. We find the church coming together in consensus to send missionaries. We find letters instructing the church for living in holiness and protecting doctrine. Clear guidelines are given for communities living out their faith in Christ together. In every way, the church is organized and structured for the purpose of making Christ known and exalted in the world. It is structured for making disciples and growing disciples. The great commission demands a structured church.

When we think about the structure of the church, there are many ideas that come to mind. Elders and deacons are instituted for leadership and organization of ministry. Church gatherings normally have a structure (liturgy) for corporate worship in an orderly and edifying way. Membership has been the word historically used in the church for the process of recognizing disciples of Christ. In the local setting the church can maintain a defining category for identifying ourselves as believers in Christ. We can know who disciples are so we can work together to make and mature other disciples.

If the church is not structured, the church loses recognition of its identity. If we are not structured, we lose protection of our witness to the world. If we are not structured, we lose clarity on purity and any clear direction for maintaining it. If we are not structured, we muddy the waters of truth for maturing each other in Christ. If we are not structured, we deny the importance of unified commitment in the one saving truth in one saving Lord. If we lose this structure, we will soon lose the definition of a disciple and along with it, the mission of the gospel.

The great commission demands structure.

Evidence of Infant Baptism in the New Testament?

As our church thinks about baptism this week, I chose not to use the sermon to directly share my concerns (at least not in a comprehensive way) about infant (paedo) vs. believer's (credo) baptism. The sermon this week will show various reasons as to why only believer's baptism is consistent with the new covenant and teaching of Scripture. As an aside to that, it may be helpful to also show in this blog why I am not convinced I see any evidence of infant baptism in the New Testament.

Often, advocates for infant baptism will point to the statements in Scripture that say that whole "households" (Greek word oikos) were baptized. It may help to look at some of these statements carefully. 

Cornelius - Acts 10.

Acts 10:44-48 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 "Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Peter came and preached to Cornelius and his household. In Acts 10:2, Luke tells us that Cornelius was a devout man who feared God with all his household. The household (probably included family members and even servants) feared God. While an infant might be a part of a household, it would be difficult to suggest that the infant feared God. In vs. 44-48 we are told that as a response to the gospel preaching of Peter, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. This indicates there were believers who received the Holy Spirit in the hearing and believing of the word. I do not believe Luke would have us believe that the word fell on those who would find it incomprehensible. The household who then heard the word were then commanded to be baptized.

Further in Acts 11:14, Peter recounting this event said that Cornelius sent for him (via the prompt of an angel) to come and declare to you a message by which you will all be saved, you and your household. The people who were baptized were people who heard a message of the gospel and were saved.

The Philippian Jailer: Acts 16.

Acts 16:30-33 Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.

The Philippian jailer and all his house first heard the word of the Lord and were saved. The important word to notice is that they were saved. While advocates for infant baptism believe that infants are "in the covenant and under promises of God," they will not declare them to be saved (at least not those who are responsible with the gospel). The household of the jailer were first saved and then baptized at once.

(you may notice I skipped Lydia from the beginning of Acts 16 - Keep reading).

Crispus: Acts 18

Acts 18:8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

This is again straight forward. Crispus and his entire household (every person in it), believed. This report caused also many of the Corinthians to hear Paul and they also believed. They were baptized. So far, we have only heard of believers being baptized.

Stephanas: 1 Corinthians 1 and 16

1Co 1:16-17 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1Co 16:15 Now I urge you, brothers--you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints.

Paul first makes the point in chapter 1, that though he baptized Stephanas, his priority was not baptism but the preaching of the gospel. Paul makes a good point that he does not baptize for any other reason that someone has responded to the preaching of the gospel which is his priority ministry.

In Chapter 16, Paul talks about Stephanas' household as being the first converts in the region of Achaia. The baptized household of Stephanas were baptized because they were the first converts.

Lydia: Acts 16

Acts 16:14-15 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

In every other instance apart from this one about Lydia, the "oikos" (household) texts show that believers were baptized after hearing and responding to the gospel preached. This text is less clear in the way that it clearly shows Lydia responding to the gospel and being baptized, but then makes a simple statement that her household as well. So far this is one example among five where there is not an explicit statement about the gospel being preached to the household for them to believe and be baptized. There is also no clarity for infant baptism. What do we do in this case?

Let me quote from the Westminster Confession of Faith 1.9. Speaking about the interpretation of Scripture, the confession states, " The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture, is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it may be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly."

The Westminster Confession is normally held by those who would agree with an infant baptism. This confession says to consider that which is less clear by that which can be searched in other places that speak more clearly. If we apply this standard to Lydia, we have four clear texts out of five that help us to understand that nobody in Lydia's household would have been baptized without responding to the gospel in faith.

There is nowhere else in the New Testament Scriptures where we can find any evidence of a baby/infant being baptized. On the contrary, the texts above are terrific examples of believer's baptism with the text about Lydia being understood by the clear nature of the others. It seems to me that the example of baptism in the New Testament is clearly evidence of believer's baptism is the one baptism of the church.

Reflections on Thessalonians

It's our last week in the book of 2 Thessalonians and I thought I would take the opportunity to share some reflections from our time in these two amazing letters from Paul.

1 Thessalonians 1. Thanksgiving is an essential part of life for a Christian and especially for the way we view the church. It is impossible to avoid that Paul was incredibly thankful for his brothers and sisters in the church of Thessalonica. He was thankful to God for choosing them for salvation. He was thankful that the Holy Spirit had illuminated them to the truth of the gospel. He was thankful for a simple faithfulness of this church in the face of opposition. He was thankful for the transformation in their lives. Our church can be thankful for all these same reasons today. Our God has done a wonderful work in his church in and through Christ. We have every reason to be thankful.

1 Thessalonians 2 The ministry of the gospel can be defended because it is not a human message, and even though it comes via human voices, it is God's message in God's power. The pointed fingers of the world will attempt to bring down the gospel and God's chosen voices, but at the end of the day the gospel goes out not because the church desires its own glory but desires to see the salvation of lost souls to the glory of Christ. We are willing to give all for the sake of the good news of Jesus. May this be a spreading reality.

1 Thessalonians 3 The gospel is a ministry of love. We earnestly seek to know that the church is growing in number and in faith and love. We know that the church is in a world of opposition and that is why we are always prayerful to seek God's continued work through his saints being faithful in trying circumstances. We should be both anxious to know about the work of God's church in the world and encouraged by any reports of steadfast faith and obedience to the call of the gospel. We love God's family 

1 Thessalonians 4 The church is contrary to the world. We don't live like the world lives and we don't grieve like the world grieves. We have a reason to live in hope - our Savior is returning, and he has not forgotten any of us. When Jesus returns, he will bring our brothers and sisters who have died before us because they are with him now. When he returns with them, they will be resurrected bodily, and we also will meet them in the air to forever be with Jesus together. We have a great and glorious day to look forward. We have no reason to grieve in hopelessness.

1 Thessalonians 5 We don't know the day and hour that Jesus will return, but we are called to be ready for him in the totality of our lives. We live to stand before our Savior face to face and have no reason to be complacent about it. We also understand that the day of the Lord will bring devastating judgment upon all those who do not have faith in Jesus. More people need to hear his good news. We live in this life for Christ so that we are never taken by surprise at his coming. Until he returns, let us live diligently and faithfully and in patient love, one for another.

2 Thessalonians 1 The church lives in simple enduring faithfulness even though persecution is always threatening us. Our endurance through persecution shows that we are not living toward judgment, but that Christ has taken the consequence of our sins that we no longer wish to live in. The reality of judgment will come on unbelievers. This reminder is important for the church. We live according to final vindication in Christ, not the threat of a coming judgment. Because of that, we can make our lives a matter of faithful works as we believe in God's faithful word.

2 Thessalonians 2 It is so important for the church to always remember that the coming of our Lord is a future reality in Christ's physical return. Anyone who denies the coming day of the Lord is living a lie. Our life in this world as Christians is one in which we must be careful of the deceit all around us. The only way to be strong together on this is to be committed to the truth of the word of Christ as taught by the Apostles (everything we have in the Scriptures). By standing together on the truth of Scripture we will be best equipped to both notice the deception of men and be established in the work of the ministry of Christ. We will not be caught by the deception of Satan or any other lawlessness or antichrist delusions from men.

2 Thessalonians 3 We are simple ordinary Christians. Don't forget that this means that we faithfully live out our lives in confidence that God will bring us all the way to the end. We can be confident in each other because Christ is in us. We can also be careful not to take advantage of each other or leave any unnecessary barrier or burden for the gospel. Our simple lives of faithful work keep us from idleness and are God's powerful tool for the witness of his church all over the world as we use our lives for the advancement of the gospel. Let's not grow weary in this but keep each other accountable as we serve our Lord until he comes.

These beautiful thoughts from the letters of Paul to the Thessalonians help us to define life as ORDINARY CHRISTIANS!

Grace Motivates Action

1 Corinthians 15:9-11 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Did Paul really work harder than the other apostles? If you read the rest of Paul's writings, you get an indication that you can believe that he did. But why would Paul work so hard? Paul's answer is - GRACE. In the above statement to the church at Corinth, Paul made mention of his former unbelieving life. Paul was the least of the apostles because he was very aware of his persecution of the church. He hated the church and every idea of Jesus until the day Jesus confronted him when he was on his way to Damascus. Paul was confronted by grace and experienced the mercy and forgiveness of God through Christ. He went from persecutor to Apostle.

Not only was it not a waste of the grace of God (it was not in vain - it never is), but Paul's experience of grace turned his entire life around. From the moment of his encounter with the risen Christ, Paul became aware that his work as a pharisee was nothing other than his sinful pride of self-righteousness. He became aware that he did not deserve anything from God, but eternal punishment and he became aware that only the work of Christ would save him. Paul went from working for pharisaical entitlement to a life of slavery to Christ in the glory of grace. The prize of Jesus' work for him became more precious to Paul than anything else in the world.

It's not that the other apostles did not understand this, but it does seem that Paul's unique situation promoted a work ethic in his life that resulted in complete sacrifice for the gospel. In multiple places in his letters, he reminds the churches that his mission to them was self-funded. He never expected payment from those to whom he was ministering the gospel. He never wanted there to be anything to suggest that the gospel was for his benefit. 2 Thessalonians 3:7-8 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.

Paul worked harder, but he does not attribute his work to a sense of ascetic piety. He does not suggest his work would get him a better reward or recognition from God or others. Paul says that his working for the gospel was because of the gospel grace that was working in him.

The Christian work ethic should reflect this very grace. Grace doesn't motivate apathy, it motivates action. Grace, active in the life of the church, drives the mission of the church. You should try it... Meditate on God's grace to you in Christ. See if your reflection leads you to affirm apathy or action. I am convinced that anyone who understands the nature of grace, will never come up with an answer of apathy.

A Right View of The Church

Ephesians 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Ok, so I know that we all have some negative things to say about the church, but I'm asking us to think seriously about what we are saying. When the Apostle Paul speaks about the church, he is never confused about who is speaking about. In the text above, Paul says that the church is based on Christ and the Apostles and is built as a dwelling place for God - the temple. The church is where the Holy Spirit of God resides even in our imperfect state.

We do see many examples of Paul correcting and rebuking the church and we all know that Corinth were not doing very well. Even then, Paul called them brothers and appealed to them for repentance and obedience in Christ. Paul later talked to them about forgiveness and restoration of the repentant sinner. Why would Paul take such pains in dealing with such a troubled church? Because Paul believed that all those who have come to faith in Christ are part of those who God indwells.

Along with many others, I have the privilege of counseling people who are struggling in varying aspects of life. Why do I bother doing that? Because I know that my brothers and sisters in Christ have the indwelling presence of God in their lives. I know that my every hope is that a Christian have all they need in Christ to obey his word and find his eternal comfort and peace. The church is not just a group of people who meet together. We are the family of God and temple of God in whom our God dwells. That gives us reason to hope for all of us.

I understand that sometimes we see churches doing outrageous things and making heretical statements. I know that there are churches that deny the truth of God's word and pervert his moral character. I know that there are churches that refuse to believe essential doctrines and churches who have all but lost the message of the gospel. It's very possible that they are not God's true churches at all. I'm not speaking about those who use the name of a church only. I'm speaking about the regenerate in Christ all over the world.

Wherever there is a brother or sister in Christ, there is a brick in the temple built on Christ and the Apostles. Wherever Christ is, there is hope. So, let's be careful about the way we refer to Christ's church. We are his temple. We are his family. He loves us. He died for us. He is building his church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The church is the household of God.

If you want to have the right view of the church, don't view it without acknowledging its Savior.  

Thank God for Election

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Of all the reasons Paul must give thanks to God for the Thessalonian church, he thanks God that they are chosen and called by God into salvation. Paul thanks God for the outworking of the sovereign electing grace of God in the lives of the Thessalonian church.

In our modern church it seems so much easier for us to argue about the doctrines of election and predestination than to thank God for them. Why is that? I wonder if it is because we have not meditated on the practical nature these doctrines bring to our lives and how they inspire gratitude.

Of course, we will always have the tension of wondering about the paradoxical quandary of two adjacent truths that cannot be packaged into a tidy answer for our finite minds. We just can't seem to place God's sovereignty and human responsibility together without the acceptance of mystery. Yet, the acceptance of God's sovereign grace in the doctrine of election can bring gratitude into every obedience that every believer takes.

Paul was thanking God for choosing the Thessalonian Christians because he had just warned about the danger of deception in the world. Paul had every confidence that these believers would resist the deceptions and false teachings of this world to remain faithful in Christ. His confidence was not in them as amazing Christians but in their Savior as an amazing God. Because their salvation was attributable to the eternal God of all power and grace, Paul's confidence was in the certainty of God's character and work among them. They were chosen by God, for his glory. There is not a power in the universe that has the strength to undermine that.

What about us? Well, I propose we start looking every day at our own lives before God and recognizing the impossibility of our obedience in Christ if it was not for the electing love for God. It might look like this...

- Every morning you wake and go into your day knowing the only way you should live today is to live for Jesus - Thank God - That's his doing in your life.

- Every time you warn yourself about being apathetic toward loving his truth - Thank God - That's his doing in your life.

- Every step you take toward a more intimate love for your Savior - Thank God - He's doing that in you.

- Every step of righteous obedience you take - Thank God - He caused you to take it.

- Every time you are not do something you know you should not do - Thank God - He kept you from doing it.

- Every aspect of godliness you see growing in your life - Thank God - He's working in you.

Every aspect of your Christian life can be in gratitude toward God who has chosen you from before the foundation of the world. He chose you, called you, and he is working in you until the day he glorifies you in his Son forevermore. There is not a single aspect of your life that you can boast in and claim glory for yourself. Every aspect of your Christian life can be lived in complete gratitude to God - without him, none of it is possible.

Live in gratitude, the doctrine of election is a reality. We need it!

The Judgment that Makes All Things New

When the Apostle Paul talks about the final judgment coming in Christ, he does so with simple language of finality in display of Christ's absolute authority and power.  

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

Paul here also echoes the words of the Prophet Isaiah. As you read through Isaiah's words you realize that the message expands in the way it gives amazing warning and hope to a people under the threat of opposing nations. Let's step through it.

1. The Messianic King will come in the power of the Spirit.

Isaiah 11:1-2 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

In clear reference to Christ (The Messiah), Isaiah renews the expectation that Jesus will be the humble root that comes in the line of David (father, Jesse). Our Messiah is fruitful in all he does and works all things in the power of the Spirit. He is full of wisdom, might and complete devotion to God.

2. His power in righteousness and judgment is unmatched by any other.

Isaiah 11:3-5 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

These verses that Paul later alludes to (as above) show us that Jesus is the very definition of righteousness. His judgment is always right because he judges out of his righteous character. Those he comes to vindicate can know that his judgment will be complete and without answer. The power of his word will destroy the wicked and there will only be one Lord who has the last say.

3. From the judgment of Christ comes complete restoration.

Isaiah 11:6-8 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

Isaiah shows us a picture of the reversal of the fall. The struggle for life and the danger and threat of creation in the groaning curse of sin has been restored to its pre-fall condition. The comprehensive judgment of Christ will bring about the entire reconciliation of creation that our Messiah already won for us on the cross. When Paul quoted from Isaiah about coming judgment, surely he was also aware of this glorious restoration that Isaiah connects to it. The final day of judgment in Christ will abolish all opposition to God and bring about the glory of a new creation. After reading Isaiah, it's hard to believe that Paul doesn't have this in mind too.

4. The judgment of Christ will bring about the glory of God proclaimed throughout the whole earth by every nation.

Isaiah 11:9-10 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples--of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Ever since Genesis 3, all Scripture has built upon an expectation that God's name would be glorified throughout his entire creation through mankind. This is what God's purpose in creation was from the beginning.  Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." In Christ, this has begun to happen with the spread of the gospel throughout the world, but when final judgment arrives on the last day, this will be seen in the consummation glory of the new creation. There will be a day when the nations (those saved out of every nation) will praise him forever on the restored and reconciled earth.

What a glorious truth to hold on to! Both Paul and Isaiah speak of the comprehensive judgment that comes through the all-powerful word of Christ on the last day. But...Don't forget, with final comprehensive judgment of evil comes the eternal comprehensive glory of God enjoyed by his elect all across the world - as the waters cover the sea.