Holding Hands Holding Hearts

Holding Hands Holding Hearts (H4) by Richard and Sharon Phillips is perhaps the best book on dating I have read.

The basic gist of the book
The Phillips say, “Our challenge is to think biblically about an activity that isn’t in the Bible” (12).  The biblical approach that they present–dating is an opportunity to honor God and grow in grace–stands in stark contrast to that which, even, many Christians hold–dating is the pursuit of romance and meeting emotional needs.  Too often, the Christian’s understanding of dating is shaped more by the world than Scripture.  The beauty of the approach found in Holding Hands Holding Hearts is its simplicity.  Dating is more that holding hands, and more than seeking to manipulate situations into mere self-gratification.  Dating involves holding hearts, and taking responsibility for the present and future spiritual condition of the individual. The main point of this book is that Christians need to freshly apply the gospel to relationships between men and women.  The Phillips flesh this out in two parts.

Part 1: A Biblical view of dating and relationships
In the first part, the authors explore the three-act-drama: God’s design in creation, the relationship fallen through sin, and the relationship redeemed by God’s grace.  Instead of beginning with dating and trying to work towards marriage, this book begins with the biblical principles of a healthy marriage (as seen in the primordial garden of Genesis 2) and works backwards to describe a healthy biblical dating relationship, because the foundations for a healthy, godly marriage begin while dating (cf. 13).  They list three dynamics in particular.

Three dynamics bind couples together. H4 draws three dynamics that bind couples together from Genesis 2: commitment, intimacy, and interdependence.  These helpfully display the trajectory of a relationship that seeks to be faithful to the Lordship of Christ and to love your neighbor as yourself.  These three should increase with codependency as the relationship evolves.

Commitment “involves an increasing exclusivity in terms of relationships with others; it means giving time to the relationship; and it involves a growing attention to the needs of each other” (32).  Commitment begins low and so should expectations for time and exclusivity.  In other words, “their obligation is little higher than that toward any other brother or sister in Christ” (33).  This progresses and increases steadily until the two are married.  If commitment doesn’t grow, neither will the relationship.

Concerning intimacy, they say, “Men and women are made to fit together for the most intimate ministry one to another–spiritually, emotionally, and physically” (34).  This is both beautiful and profound.  But, it is for this reason that H4 claims, “the breaking of these bonds does so much damage” (34).  The connection between intimacy and commitment is as follows: “one is foolish to expose the secrets of his or her heart to someone who has not made a tangible commitment to faithfulness” (35).  So, intimacy should follow commitment.

Interdependence is the final dynamic.  This involves the fact the idea that they man and woman are not “just two people doing their own thing” (35).  This means that marriage is about more that cohabitation.  Couples must be able to work together for the glory of God.  As relationships grow, all three dynamics should grow.  With this foundation laid they move on to offering some practical guidance.

Page 85 offers a list of 7 suggestions as to what submission and respect look like for a woman in a dating relationship.  This can be quite dicey given that dating is not marriage.  The Philips helpfully council a woman as to what that progression of intimacy commitment, and interdependence looks like before moving on to considerations of practice in part 2.

Part 2: Biblical Wisdom for Dating and Relationships
This second part considers the practical topics of attraction, first dates, commitment, and growing from dating to marriage, and struggling with contentment as a single person.  Chapter 5 challenges men to reevaluate what kind of beauty they are looking for.  They should seek the kind of beauty that God values.  Interestingly, this book doesn’t get to the first date until chapter 6.  From this point on, wisdom flows freely on the practicalities of dating in light of the gospel.  Some helpful examples include:
•    Page 115 considers the ideal situation in which the man would approach her father for consent, advice, and oversight.  On 116, a number of ideas are given to protect the woman’s heart.  Given a fallen world, they suggest that, if the father is absent physically (or otherwise), the woman should seek counsel from a pastor or a trustworthy friend.
•    Chapter 6 addresses issues like where to go on a first date, how to dress, and even when to call the girl back after the first date.
•    Page 155 provides 5 questions a couple should ask before engagement.
•    Page 160 contains a list of 5 essential matters a couple should talk about, pray about, and strive together for if they are hoping to be happily married.
•    H4 clearly articulates the dangers of dating a non-Christian, the particular sinful proclivities of men and women that result from the fall, how a man should lead the relationship in light of God’s intended purposes for marriage and how a woman is to faithfully live our her God-intended purposes.
•    Chapter 9 addresses how not to be dating.  In other words, they acknowledge that thinking through dating naturally leads some to be discouraged over not being in a relationship, and that dating isn’t a gift for everyone.  Instead, for many, it is a great trial.  The Phillips’s gentle counsel to those who hate being single carries the gospel specifically to their situation and challenges them to fight sinful desires that exist outside of relationships.

Hot thoughts to consider
This book flows steady with wisdom on dating in light of revelation in such a way that purifies a Christians vision of dating like fire purifies metal.

H4 applies the gospel to dating. “It is only as a man and woman come in faith before the cross of Jesus and find themselves restored to God that their own relationship can be redeemed from the guilt and the power of sin.  We find the ability to love one another rather than using one another to meet our needs and desires…In Christ, the Christian finds the ability to leave selfish manipulative relationships for a relationship that is empowered by the love that flows from the cross” (55).  H4 intends to say that just because the Bible doesn’t use the word “dating” doesn’t mean that it is a realm that stands outside of the Lordship of Christ.  In fact, Scripture actually has a lot to say about the relationship between a man and woman.  It is a theme that is central to the storyline of redemptive history.  H4 shows that the Bible has an answer for why relationships, including dating, are so messed up; sin!  The first part is actually a reflection on the effects of the gospel—God, man, Christ, Response—on marriage and dating.  The authors spend much of this book showing how the gospel can be applied as a redemptive tool for relationships. First, marriage is looked at prior to the fall.  Next, the effects of the fall on marriage are considered.  Finally, the work of Christ and its meaning for marriage and, thus dating, are considered.  So, it applies what the main message of the Bible has to say to this timely topic.  They say, “This is the glory of Christianity: that we are saved not just from our sin but also to the blessings for which God first created us and now has redeemed us through the blood of his only Son” (53).  This means that we can share in the blessings intended for man and woman by and through the power of the gospel!

H4 is incarnational in its approach. Far from being so heavenly minded they are no earthly good, the Phillips provide a model that considers the cultural context in which our younger people find themselves.  For example, they say, “Dating is essentially a twentieth-century invention” (12).  But, instead of jettisoning the whole project and hiding under a rock, they say, “it is nonetheless something that most of us can’t simply kiss goodbye” (12)—which could be a bit of joshing.  They conclude, “Under anything like typical circumstances, an adult man ought to be married. Given the way things are today, he probably needs to date someone.  And it also means that when he dates, it should be with an eye toward marriage” (21).  So, they focus not so much on what you call dating, but how you think about dating and the practical outworking of those thoughts in light of the gospel.  An example from above is the need of counsel in a woman’s life when considering a relationship with a man.  Ideally, that would be her father.  Given this fallen world, the Philips suggest thinking outside the box for wise counselors who can speak truth into the girls life and provide protection.

How the best could be better
I have already said that this is the best book on dating I have read.  The only potential drawback I see with this book concerns a vision for what dating looks like for those younger than college.  To be fair, the authors prepare you for this in the second line of the “Preface” saying, “It is geared especially toward single adults rather than to teenagers” (p. 9).  This book makes an assumption at the onset that “readers possess the maturity to enter into marriage” and that it is thus inappropriate for teenagers.  Given the detailed and helpful thoughts of this work, a chapter on the implications would be an asset to the numerous parents and ministers seeking to help teenagers consider relationships with the opposite sex in a more biblical way.  Then again, maybe its silence regarding the subject says something all together more powerful than words could communicate.

Conclusion
If you are single, read this book!  A flood of helpful thoughts contained in this book will help you make the decisions that will effect the rest you life, especially the one that will shape the rest of your life more than almost any other—marriage.  If you are currently dating someone, make reading this book a priority for you and your boyfriend or girlfriend.  Use it to educate and transform your relationship.  It is almost sinful for you not to read this book.  If you are the parent of a youth, encourage him, or her, as much as possible to read this work.  It may not be geared for them, but it certainly will prepare them for where they are going.  If you are a married person, it is valuable as well.  Because it begins with a model of marriage and then displays dating in light of working towards a healthy marriage, it offers a great deal of counsel for those who are married.  I just read the book for a second time and was freshly reminded of my own shortcomings and need to repent.  So, in short please read this book!  I am confident that it will reveal fresh venues for you to experience the grace and peace of God in your life.

Gloucester 17 on children and sex

This past week the Associated Press reported that “17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four time sthe number of preganancies the 1,200-student school had last year…All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. “we found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless,” the principal says, shaking his head.”

I find this sobering article provocative on a number of different levels as an evangelical Christian and a somewhat thoughtful individual (which are not necessarily mutually exclusive descriptions).

What a difference eleven years makes!

Do you remember Melissa Drexler?  I do.  As a senior in highschool, I remember the CNN story line of a highschool girl giving birth to a baby in the bathroom during prom and then sufficating the baby and leaving his lifeless new born body in the trashcan.  The contrast between the Gloucester 17 and Melissa shows a shift in cultural understandings of our children towards children and sex.  Sex and its fruit–even outside of marriage–are far from frowned upon by much of our culture.

The shift isn’t all bad, and neither is this story…

To be honest, it is a delightful thing, on one level, to know that the story line does not read, “17 girls under 16 had abortions this past week.”  I praise God that these girls are not seeking to take the lives of these children.  So, even this story, which clearly is filled with sorrow, contains the undeniable marks of God’s grace.

but much of it is.

A number of facts surrounding the events are troubling: all of the girls are under 16, the girls agreed together to get pregnant, one of the girls carries the child of a 24-year-old homeless man, etc.  One stands out.  The girls are far from feeling the necessity of stitching a scarlet letter A to their garments as Hester Prynne did in the Scarlet Letter.  In fact, the public, corporate display was the point.  These girls developed a sub-community in which they developed truth for themselves.  Together, they made a covenant to develop a community with values, which they themselves would define, even though, their values stand in contrast to those held by the larger community in which they find themselves.  These girls created their own culture with its own values.  The media’s shock displays that this is appauling.  Time magazine describes the responses as “soul-searching” and “finger pointing.”  So, at least the media is upset.  But, again, I ask, “What are they upset about?”  I would suggest two things.

They are upset because of their image

First, they are upset, because all have been created in God’s image.  Though all of us are fallen, God’s grace causes hints and echoes of his image to continue in all of humanity.  So, I hope, their is something deeply rooted in people, that says it is wrong for a woman to seek to have children outside of marriage.  God intends children to be the fruit of marriage.

They are upset because of their freedom

A second reason they are upset is probably a little less idealistic on my part.  It has to do with humanity’s sinful lust for autonomy.  They look at these young women as having given up all of their potential value for the sake of children.  Many are thinking to themselves, what a waste!  But, is this the reason that we should be upset?  Far from it! Children are a blessing.  They aren’t meant to line the bottom of trashcans.  They aren’t meant to be treated as impediments to joy.  In fact, God blessed humans with the ability to give birth to children created in his image.  Every child that is born is born in the image of God.  So, just as it is wrong to treat children as trash, it is also sinful to see children as an incumbrance to happiness.  As Christians, we need to be prepared to fight thoughts that marriage and children are hinderances to joy with a call to seek our joy in the ways that God has created us to.

One final thought

As Christians, we need to make sure that we view life rightly, in light of revelation.  In The Reason for God by Tim Keller, he noted the silliness of the philosophy that says that laws can be rightly conceived in a theological vacuum.  Notice, these girls created a community with their own laws.  How can anyone say that these girls have less significance in making their own laws than anyone else.  Why can they not have freedom to choose their own way of life?  By what standard can we judge their actions?  John Frame was correct in asserting that ethics and morality are simply subsets of theology.  The more we seek to create laws apart from the one true and living God, the more difficult it will be to speak to situations like that of Gloucester.  Only special revelation carries the force necessary to determine right from wrong and truth from error.  Only the gospel provides the light necessary to help girls like Melissa and the Gloucester 17 see.

Southern Baptist Convention 2008

Two words describe the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention: honest and encouraging.  Six things in particular struck me as provocative.

1. The Convention chose to pass a resolution repenting of gross error in membership numbers–a decision that was mocked just 2 years ago in Greensboro, North Carolina.
2. Frank Page was the model of humble leadership during the convention.
3. Danny Aiken, president of Southeastern Seminary, pointed out ten points of agreement all Southern Baptists shared and then demanded that Arminians and Calvinists quit disagreeing in such an ungodly way that it is inhibiting the missional purposes of the Convention.
4. Al Gilbert stood in front of the messengers of the SBC and challenged them to rethink how churches give to the Cooperative Program and state conventions.  I am not sure what kind of practical outworkings he has in mind.  He clearly wasn’t seeking fame in the convention.  More than that, his heart wrenching plea for parents to pray for their own children to become missionaries coupled with his own testimony of struggling to desire after that for his own children (three of which are now involved in missions) left me just short of tears.
5. Eric Redmond 2nd Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention preached an edifying message at the Founder’s breakfast preceding the Convention at 6:30 am on Tuesday challenging pastors not to loose the book of the law like those of Josiah’s day had.
6. Southern Baptist elected the first American Indian, Johnny Hunt, (from the Lumbee tribe) as their president.

Dance Regression

Here is a much needed response to the evolution of dance–the regression of dance.

Patches the Horse

It seems Mr. Ed has competition. Check out this video of Patches the horse.

What a 400-year-old Pastor Knows about Children!

One of my duties at FBCC is thinking through how to better disciple children.  I recently found a sermon series by Arthur Hilderson from Psalms 51:7 titled “Dealing with Sin in our Children” delivered May 22, May 29, and June 12, 1627.  While I am of the Baptist persuasion and may not agree with all that is in this sermon series, I found much of it helpful.  And, though it was written almost four hundred years ago, the material is amazingly relevant–our emerging friends can appreciate that!  I found the “Means” of dealing with sin in our children particularly helpful and challenging.  Hilderson says, “If we desire to save our children and heal their natures, we must be careful to maintain that authority and preeminence that God has given us over them.”  From this, he offers two telling reasons why children lack reverence for their parents.

Parents Must Fear God
The first is that their parents do not honor and fear God.  Therefore, he says, the children do not fear their parents.  In other words, healthy families are a gift of God to his people.  A fear of God is the ground for children respecting their parents.  Have you ever considered that the reason your children lack respect for you is because they do not see you respect God?  This surely is not always the case, but I think that it is a pervasive problem that you have been exposed to directly or indirectly.  Why would a child respect a parent who is rebellious towards God?  Rebellion breeds rebellion.

Parents Must Discipline Early
A second reason that children don’t respect their parents is “because they neglected to keep their children in awe when they were young.”  One of the main duties of a parent is to discipline their children, to teach them the difference between right and wrong from an early age.  This is a difficult tight rope to walk with neglect one side and abuse on the other; discipline is an ongoing learning process for the parent.  I am sure thousands of books have been written on child rearing with almost as many varying opinions on raising children.  Add to that, the unique personality of each child, and you have quite the trial on your hands.  Many of you have probably discovered that the successful methods of raising one child may not be so effective on another.  Subtract a father or mother from the every day family dynamic of that home and the problems are multiplied further.  I have a couple quick thoughts that I have found helpful.  For most, perhaps all of these, I am tapping into the deep wisdom of godly men and women that have walked before me.

Four Suggestions on Discipline
1. Take joy in your child. Your child needs to know that you have deep affections for them, and that you are grateful that God has blessed you with such a treasure.  Sometimes this can be really difficult.  Children disobey and make foolish decisions.  As Hilderson says, we must discipline and teach them about God, but we cannot normally let our children think that our joy in them is robbed because they have disobeyed us and thus sinned against God.  In other words, we image God in they way that we love our children.  We shouldn’t teach them that we will withhold our joy and love from them like blackmail if they don’t do what we want when we want.  We should discipline them even with the rod if necessary, but always reassuring the child that we are grateful for them.
2. Let children be children. This too can be difficult at times.  When is Benjamin jumping in the pool being disobedient and when is it just being a little boy?  We have to be careful not to let our emotions predominate in these situations.  The tendency for me is to let fear jade the distinction between Benjamin being a boy and Benjamin being disobedient and disciplining too quickly.  So, I try to approach the situation objectively.  The main thing that Cari and I look for at this point (Benjamin is almost 2 yrs old) is direct disobedience.  If we see clear defiance of authority, then we spank.
3. Don’t neglect your children–spank them. You have been given the clear charge by God to discipline your children.  Let joy and love reign in how you discipline your children, but be careful not to neglect spanking your children.  It is best for your children to heed your words without spanking.  In fact, you may be that one parent in a million that other parents hate because your child almost always simply obeys your words.  I have known kids like this.  I think it’s great, but even those children occasionally need a good spanking too.  Neglecting to spank your child is equivalent to neglect, which is abuse.
4. Don’t neglect your children–deal with their hearts. The most important discipline that needs to be done is that which is most often ignored.  Many parents are too tired or lazy to get up off of the couch and deal with their children’s hearts.  I know what it is like to be tired at the end of the day, when you would rather spank your child and get it over with than to address the heart issues that caused the bad behavior.  Ultimately, disobedience stems from a misunderstanding of the implications of the gospel.  The gospel claims that Jesus is King and that all must submit themselves to his authority.  For children, the main way this manifests itself is in their submission to the authority of their parents.  Children are commanded to obey their parents (Eph 6:1; Col 3:20).  Neglecting this will result in even more severe consequences than not spanking.

Conclusion
I think the way that God has developed the family is beautiful.  Parents are constantly charged to help their children fight sin.  In doing so, they are reminded of their own sin before God and should be moved to repent.  Rightly ordered, a family unit can be a great source of encouragement in the gospel. I pray that our church will be full of healthy fruitful families.

T4G Afterglow

Much could be said about TG4. I am still coming down off of the mountain. If I had one word to describe it, it would be refreshing. If I had a another it would be soul-satisfying. Obviously one word doesn’t capture it. It truly is a joyful thing to sit and listen to competent men open up God’s word and proclaim. I am sure that I am not alone in feeling that the strong words of this conference were a timely ointment. Some of the things that stick out include:

“Race like unicorns doesn’t exist. To assume race is to rely on completely unbiblical assumptions.”–Thabiti

He went on to say that race posits that thire is an essential biological difference between various races. Instead, Thabiti affirms the use of the term “ethnicity” because it is a more fluid idea that includes, language, citizenship, etc. and is not rooted in biology. His main contention is that the Bible claims that we all go back to Adam. The implications are that we all share Adam’s sin nature (original sin) and Christ died for the son’s of Adam (substitutionary atonement). So, to buy into the ideological assumptions underpinning the term “race” is to deny the essence of the gospel. I have never heard this, but found it humbling, freeing, and exciting. The consequence is that the church is a mixture of people from various ethnicities that in essence become a new ethnicity in Christ. We are no longer defined as a racially distinct people gathered together to worship one God but we are all redeemed son’s of God who join to form an ethnicity that is grounded in Christ, and characterized by being a member of his Kingdom.

“Doctrine is for delight.”–Lig

I have to give props to Mississippi’s finest. Ligon Duncan showed that if you kill doctrine you kill joy. Talk about giving doctrine a face lift. I know many grown at thoughts of doctrinal systems. But, he assaulted such notions from God’s word clearly showing the significance of doctrine to the people of God (John 17:13, 28:18-20, 1 Tim 1:3-5, 1 Tim 6:2-4, Titus1:1).

“Try to make the gospel kinder and you will lose it” and “We might be tacking fruit on trees.”–Mark Dever

Much more could be said of this talk. Few men have influenced and invested in me so much, but I think his points capture the essence of his full on assault against the heavy hitters compromising the gospel today, which is an excellent example of charging others not to teach a false gospel. He lists 5 attempts to “improve” the gospel. 1. Make the gospel public-the gospel is not aimed chiefly at changing societal structures. 2. Make the gospel larger-the implications of the gospel aren’t part of the gospel. 3. Make the gospel relevant. 4. Make the gospel personal-does the word normally bring me into fellowship in the local church? 5. Make the gospel utilitarian-don’t try to justify God before unbelievers.

“Hard preaching makes soft hearts.” John M

“My prayer for you is that your life and ministry would have a radical flavor, a saltiness, and brightness about your life.” “Jesus is the ticket. When the show starts your throw away your ticket.” “All will suffer for the gospel. So, don’t feel as thought something strange is happening to you when you suffer.”–John P

C.J. challenged us with “Create a culture of gratefulness in church.” “Have a joy in ministry characterized by a grateful heart as evidenced by Paul.”

In light of this I am profoundly grateful to my church for allowing me to go to this conference. I pray it produces much fruit.

The Unity of the Bible: Bound with the Blood of the Lamb

I think we would all agree that the Bible is chock full of diversity.  Some examples come to mind immediately.
1.    The Bible is divided into two different testaments (the Old and the New).
2.    The Bible is written in different languages.  The Old is written in Hebrew and Aramaic, while the New is written in Koine Greek.
3.    40 different authors contributed to the Bible.
4.    A number of different genres are used in the composition of the Bible—narrative, poetry, apocalyptic literature, wisdom literature, letter, prophecy, etc.
Some might ask—and believe me many do—“How can there be any sense of unity to the Bible with so much diversity?”  The Bible offers at least two truths that help address this question.

Scripture’s Authorship is not Merely Mortal
As is with so much of Christianity, we hold to a worldview that the world scoffs at—that God has spoken to man.  The world says that Scripture is merely a work of men.  The world’s wisdom doesn’t have an advantage over the Christian though.  Actually, the world scoffs at what it does not know—man has sinned against his good, creator God and needs a Savior.  The world lacks ears to hear the Word of God as a message delivered to men through men.  Two years ago, my wife could not hear me.  She began to go deaf.  When we went to the doctor, he informed us that she had a disease that was affecting the stapes bone in her middle ear that would eventually leave her completely deaf.  This doctor took this bone out of her ear, and replaced it with a prosthesis stapes made of titanium.  Now, she can hear things even I can’t hear and occasionally has to ask me to quiet down.  When she could not hear, her problem wasn’t that she didn’t believe I could speak.  Her problem was that she couldn’t hear my voice.  Sin, like the disease in my wife’s ear, leaves us all in need of an ear surgery so that we can hear God speak.  God gives the Christian ears to hear at conversion.  Converted people look to the Bible and hear it to be the voice of God.  God’s sheep both hear and recognize His voice.  Scripture itself attests to the fact that it was written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit.  Weeks ago, Brian preached on the Authority of the Word of God.  The Bible’s authority comes from its divine author.  In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul tells us “all of Scripture is breathed out by God.”  For this reason, the Bible’s self-attestation as the Word of God is the ultimate argument for trusting it as carrying God’s authority.  Because, if it is the Word of God—and it is—then there can be no greater authority to appeal to.  So, the person that rejects to Word of God as being Authoritative suffers a greater problem—they are dead in their sins, and unable to hear and believe and trust God at His word.

Scripture’s Main Point is not Merely Mortal
God has spoken!  He has spoken over millennia past through choice human authors.  But, what has God said?  What is the main point of what He has said to us?  Just as the Bible is where God speaks through man, Jesus Christ is where God speaks through man.  Jesus was not merely mortal.  Jesus is fully God and fully man.  Surely we could all agree that Jesus is the point of the New Testament, but perhaps there are some naysayers who would be reluctant to support the statement that Jesus is the point of the Old Testament as well.  Where do I get this?  I get this from Jesus.  After God raised Jesus from the dead, Jesus joined two men traveling to Emmaus—who didn’t know they were walking with Jesus.  They lamented the death of Jesus referring to him as a prophet in Lk 24:19.  Jesus responds saying, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses an all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Lk 24:27).  Two things are apparent from this text.  First, Jesus tells us that all of the Old Testament clearly points to himself.  Second, the death of Jesus on the cross was a necessary implication of the teaching of the Old Testament.  Thus, Jesus claims that He is the point of the Bible, and that his life, death, resurrection, and ascension were central to his purpose.  Jesus is indeed the main point of the Bible.

Don’t Live a Life that is Merely Mortal
As Christians, we are actually given the Spirit of God so that we are no longer merely mortal.  Interestingly, the Spirit’s purpose is to point us to Christ.  John 15:26 says, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds form the Father, he will bear witness about me.”  The same spirit that led the prophets and apostles now indwells Christians.  Just as the Spirit pointed them to Christ, He now points us to Christ.  This leads us to an important thought.  There is actually a wrong way to read the Bible.  To read the Bible as a flat set of ethical principles to be followed to make one right with God is a pagan reading of a divinely inspired text.  This type of reading would be tantamount to seeking to please God by doing him a favor.  Maybe this person wouldn’t say this out loud, but his actions communicate the message, “Hey God.  You scratch my back and I will scratch yours.”  God has spoken to us to tell us that the point of Scripture, and all of history for that matter is to reveal the Excellencies of Christ.  This is central to rightly understanding everything in life.  But, how does this play out?  If you are reading your Bible, then it means that to understand how any Scripture applies to you, you must first understand how it applies to Christ.  A good test question is why don’t we still practice animal sacrifices as the people of God.  The answer is that the sacrifices of the Old Testament were actually signs or arrows pointing to a greater sacrifice that was to come.  John 1:29 tells us that Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb who has come into the world to be sacrificed for our sins.  Hebrews tells us that he was offered up once for all.  So, Jesus is the perfect sacrifice that meets the need of his people to be saved from condemnation.  Now, the Christian is called to offer up her body as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1).  Even in our offering up of ourselves, we actually “share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings” (1 Pet 4:13).  The Christian can only understand truly ethical behavior in Christ.  Outside of Christ there is no ethical behavior.  All good deeds are as filthy rags outside of the atoning work of Christ. This is the point of the Spirit and God’s authoritative word, the Bible—to point to Christ.  As a Christian, this means that I need to live all of life in light of Jesus.  I am called to live an intentionally Christ-centered life.  Praise God that I am not left alone to my own devices.  God has given me his Spirit to help me look to and trust in Christ, the one man who could live up to the ethical standards set by God.  Not only this.  He has empowered me to please him, giving me a desire and love for his commandments.  There is unity to the Bible, just as there is unity to all of life.  As a Christian, all of my life—like the Bible I read—is bound by the blood of the Lamb.

C.J. and Company on Early Morning Battles

Read this helpful article by C.J. and Jeff on the struggle of waking up in the morning to fill their hearts with thoughts of God.

Mohler on Sin Survey

Mohler recently posted his thoughts on a recent survey published by Ellison Research. His thoughts are cutting and the statistics are staggering.