Category: Gospel

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Church Clint Gospel Ministry Theology

What Does Pragmatism Look Like in Ministry?

Churches will be tempted to give in to a survival instinct and do whatever it takes to increase attendance. They’ll work hard to “just get ‘em in the door’. The result is many different methods of attracting religious ‘consumers’ that might seem contradictory to the message being broadcast. The contradiction is justified because of the possibility of souls being saved. 

Understood in this way, the end— the greatest end– justifies the means to that end. And that is what is called pragmatism in the church.

Pragmatism since the 1900’s

The two largest and most influential of the pragmatic approaches to ministry are these: 

  1. “Decisionistic Regeneration”, i.e. creating psychological distress or emotional euphoria in order to cause someone to make an instantaneous decision in favour of Christ. 
  2. “Seeker-Sensitive” Ministry, i.e. orienting a church’s ministry toward a demographic subset of the community and addressing all of that group’s ‘felt needs’ or preferences as religious consumers. 

Now in both instances of pragmatic ministry, there is a desire to see sinners come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, there is a failure to understand what saving faith really is, as well as a naivete about the danger that giving false assurance to the person who is only temporarily interested in religious things. 

Of course, ministry among real human beings will require wisdom about adiaphora, the things indifferent. This comes into play as we see changes across cultures and centuries. However, we can’t let the wisdom of contextualization give way to pragmatism which pursues results at the expense of fundamental misunderstandings about truth.

What is Faith?

In the examples of decisionistic regeneration and seeker-sensitive ministry, both types of pragmatism had thin understandings of saving faith. They thought that saving faith was merely a mental assent to certain facts about Jesus Christ. Even if repentance was mentioned (which it rarely was), it had more of the character of a momentary emotional regret, than a settled turning away from an old life, to new life in Christ. 

The seeker-sensitive model of ministry misunderstood faith as well. They thought that through the benefits of proximity to Christians, the appeal of Christian community would provide sufficient enough grounds for a person to give assent to the facts about Christ and identify as a Christian. In terms of the classic threefold understanding of saving faith, they would only be asking for knowledge and assent, without trust (notitia, assensus, without fiducia).

Nominalism

What is interesting to observe is that even leaders in the seeker sensitive movement have acknowledged that there should have been more emphasis on discipleship. The result of this neglect was that some of the largest churches in the world were filled with people who had only marginal understandings of the gospel. It became an embarrassment to the Evangelical movement that some of its largest churches were producing ‘nominal’ Christians, the very charge which Evangelicals had put to liberal mainline Protestants. 

As the 21st century enters its second decade, Christians will have to retrieve the lessons of the past, even the recent past of the last century. Pragmatism threatened to ruin the renewal movement of gospel-centred Evangelicals. 

Let us be watchful and careful that we don’t let pragmatism ruin the renewal today. 

Photo Credit: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. George Bellows, Billy Sunday. Retrieved from http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dc-8e43-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99


Categories
Church Fathers Clint Gospel Puritans Theology

Robert Haldane on the Sonship of the Son

In his commentary on Romans, the Scottish theologian Robert Haldane (1764-1842), attempted to unpack what the sonship of the Son entailed. Commenting on the third verse of the first chapter, Haldane wrote:

The gospel of God concerns his Son. The whole of it is comprised in the knowledge of Jesus Christ; so that whoever departs one step from him departs from the gospel. For as Jesus Christ is the Divine image of the Father, he is set before us as the real object of our faith.

Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans, 19.

So the sonship of the Son relates to his image-bearing of the invisible God (Col 1:15). His sonship is unique in this way, even if it has been revealed to us in the relational language of Father and Son.

Intelligible, but Unique

The qualities of paternity and filiation, are technical descriptions of the Father and the Son, respectively. As high as these unique descriptions are, they still tell us something intelligible. The persons of the Trinity are not called God 1, 2 and 3, but Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Son’s uniqueness doesn’t mean his sonship is unintelligible. But in our limited comprehension, we must be humble and accept that he is a Son like no other.

On the basis of the uniqueness of the Son in all respects, Haldane argues that he has the same nature as the Father, and differentiates the Son from all other types of sons. He wrote:

“He is the Son of God, his own Son, the only begotten of the Father; which proves, that he is truly and exclusively his Son, of the same nature, and equal with the Father, and not figuratively, or in a secondary sense, as angels or men, as Israel or believers”

Ibid, 20.

Haldane believed that the Son shared the same essence as the Father because he is the only begotten of the Father. So an unpartitioned divine nature was the Son’s. He is equal with Father, which his Sonship proves.

Chalcedonian logic

Rather than viewing the description of “Son” as a lesser title than Father, Haldane noted what the orthodox have always known, that the Sonship of the Son, speaks to his shared, co-equal, divine essence. The Son, is “consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead”, according to the creed of Chalcedon. Yet with this divine nature is added his human nature. As the Chalcedonian creed summarized the relationship:

one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ

Fourth Ecumenical Council, Chalcedon, 451AD.

This Chalcedonian way of speaking was certainly what Haldane confessed. And following Paul, Haldane understood the significance of the title, “Son of God”:

That the Lord Jesus Christ, in his eternal equality with the Father and not merely as God manifested in the flesh, is called the Son of God, flows directly from the fact, that wherever the first person of the adorable Trinity is personally distinguished in Scripture, it is under the title, the co-relative title of the Father.

Ibid, 20.

In the early nineteenth century, it was necessary for Haldane to make these points. He needed to affirm that the Sonship of the Son vindicated his deity.

Haldane’s Caution

Following a century of rationalism, Haldane constantly re-affirmed a high and historic view of the divine Trinity. He cautioned against the temptation to speculate when discussing the doctrine of God. The easiest temptation which Christian’s face is to suppose that the Sonship of the Son is somehow a lesser ‘derivation’. Haldane dealt with this objection saying:

And what is the objection to this doctrine of our Lord’s eternal Sonship? It is simply, that it differs from all our ordinary notions of the filial relation to represent the Son as co-eternal with the Father; or that begotten must necessarily mean “derived,” and that to grant derivation is to surrender Deity.

Exposition, 20.

Haldane wanted to hedge against the temptation to restrain the Sonship of the Son to our human ideas of sonship alone. This ‘derived personality’ was a way for the rationalists to deny the deity of the Son but affirming the language of sonship.

Haldane expressed the objections to sound doctrine and the wrong thinking from which it came from:

To demand that the distinction of persons in the undivided essence of the Godhead, and the mode of their eternal substance shall be made plain to us; or to repugn against the doctrine of the eternal filiation of the Son of God, because it overpasses the boundaries of our notions of Sonship, what is this but the very summit of unthinking arrogance?

Ibid, 20.

As we consider the Sonship of the Son, we need to be careful about our tendencies to be elevated to a “summit of unthinking arrogance”. At the same time, like Haldane, we need to look at Scripture and explore the significance of the ways that God has described himself, all of the predicates and titles.

unsplash-logoPriscilla Du Preez

Categories
Church Clint Gospel Ministry Pastors Spiritual Growth Theology

Are You Making Progress?

“Do you feel like you’re spinning your wheels?” That’s the question I asked my elders last night. I was asking to see if they felt stuck, and not making progress in their ministry, marriages, families, and vocations.

As devotional meditation at the beginning of our elders’ meeting (we always start with prayer and the Word of God), I looked at the issue of “making progress” in Paul’s letters.

For Your Progress and Joy

My first question was to get at what was our reason for being in ministry at all. I asked the men, “Why do we remain and continue in this ministry?” That question is prompted by Philippians 1:25. Paul gave the answer in that verse when he said: 

“for your progress and joy in the faith” 

Phil 1:25

The Greek word for progress is prokopen (προκοπὴν). The idea likely had an early sense of cutting or slashing forward, but the word gained wide usage to mean simply ‘advance’ or ‘progress’.

So like Paul, the pastors can consider that their purpose for being in ministry at this time is for the progress and joy in the faith of others. 

Progress in Sanctification

Another way of putting it is to think that pastors serve the church to promote their progressive sanctification. As pastors shepherd people, they will make progress:

  • from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). 
  • from immaturity to presenting “everyone mature in Christ” (Col 1:28)

So the pastors’ ministry is to serve in this Pauline way for people’s personal, joyous, progressive sanctification in the Christian faith.

The Progress of the Gospel

The personal progress which pastors promote for individual Christians doesn’t remain alone. That individual progress is part of the wider progress of the gospel. Paul outlined in the first chapter of Philippians, that various circumstances in his life were actually designed for the gospel’s progress. The ESV translates this same Greek word (prokope/ προκοπὴν) not with ‘progress’ but ‘advance’ in Philippians 1:12.

As much as we may care for the sanctification of the individual Christian, we can never lose sight of the fact that God is advancing the gospel, and pastors must shepherd people to carry that gospel forward. So as we “equip the saints” (Eph 4:12), we will see the gospel progressively advanced in the ever expanse reaches which Jesus commanded (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

Pastors Must Make Progress

In order to serve the progress of others, we need to make progress. Paul exhorted Timothy to undertake a plan of personal development in gospel-born teaching and living. He commanded Timothy saying:

Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. (προκοπὴν)

1 Tim 4:15

As pastors, we aren’t aiming to display our learning, or show off our preaching, or parade our piety. Nevertheless, people should be able to see our progress.  They should see that we are changing and growing. They should see that as our lives change, the church changes, and the entire ministry landscape changes, we are making progress.

Some of the areas we should make progress in are:

  • persevering through trials old and new. 
  • theological knowledge leading to worship, or courage, or humility
  • skill in handling ministry, preaching, relationships, the brevity of time

Progress in Life and Teaching

There are many areas that Paul outlines in his pastoral epistles, which pastors ought to make progress in by God’s grace. A great summary of them all is stated by Paul in the following verse when he concludes:

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

1Ti 4:16 

These are wide categories. When Paul warns to keep watch on “yourself” it is all of life, inside and out. When he focusses on “the teaching” he intends both the expansive content of the faith as well as the growing ability to communicate it better. 

As we ended this meditation on pastors making progress, for the progressive sanctification of Christians and the progress of the gospel, I asked two application questions. Consider them in your own life:

  1. In what area would you like to make some progress this coming year?
  2. In what area do you feel you’ve made progress in this last year.

unsplash-logoEmma Francis


Categories
Clint Gospel Puritans Spiritual Growth Theology

Different Views of One Object: The Gospel

The theologian Robert Haldane (1764-1842) wrote in his commentary on Romans that Paul always connects his teaching on Christian living to the mystery of redemption in Christ. This is how Paul can make multifaceted applications of the gospel. Haldane summarizes Paul’s approach in what follows. I have broken up this extended quotation by highlighting Haldane’s break in thought with various headings and numbering. Haldane writes the following:

1. On whatever subject Paul treats, he constantly introduces the mystery of Christ.

  • In writing to the Corinthians, he says, “I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” This is a declaration, that the doctrine concerning Christ is the whole of religion, in which all besides is comprehended.
  • In delivering his instructions to the saints at Corinth, respecting the incestuous person, he points out to them. Jesus Christ as the Lamb that was sacrificed.
  • If his subject respects the promises he has made, or the engagements he has entered into, he draws our attention to the promises of God, which are all yea and amen in Christ Jesus.
  • When he treats of the precepts to be obeyed, he regards them as connected with the knowledge of Christ;
  • all duties are considered in relation to him, as the only Saviour from whom we can derive power to fulfil them,
  • the only altar on which they can be accepted,
  • that model according to which they are to be performed,
  • and the motive by which those who perform them are to be actuated.
  • He is the head that gives life to the members,
  • the root which renders the branches fruitful.
  • Believers are the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
  • Jesus Christ is the end and object of their obedience, in order that the name of the Father may be glorified in the Son, and that the name of the Son may be glorified in them.

2. Accordingly, the Scriptures speak of the commencement and the continuation of the life of believers as being derived from Christ;

  • of their being planted together with him;
  • buried and risen with him;
  • walking in him;
  • living and dying with him.

The principal motives to holiness, in general, or to any particular duty, are drawn from some special view of the work of redemption, fitted to excite to the fulfilment of such obligations.

3. The love of God in Christ is set before us in a multitude of passages, as the most powerful motive we can have to love him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind.

  • When we are exhorted to look not to our own things only, but also to those of others, it is because we ought to have the same mind in us that was in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, humbled himself to do such wonderful things for us.
  • The duty of almsgiving is enforced by the consideration, that he who was rich, for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.
  • Forbearance to weak brethren has for its motive the death of Christ for them.
  • If we are exhorted to forgive the offences of others, it is because God, for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven us.
  • The reciprocal duties of husband and wife are enforced by the consideration of the love of Christ, and the relation in which he stands to his church.
  • The motive to chastity is, that we are members of Christ’s body, and temples of the Holy Ghost.

In one word, the various exhortations to the particular duties of a holy life, and the motives which correspond to each of them, are all taken from different views of one grand and important object, the mystery of redemption.

— Robert Haldane, Exposition of Romans, 1858. pp 20-21

Categories
Canada Clint Global Gospel Society Theology

Why Seeking Truth is So Important Today

The word of the year in 2016 was “post-truth”. The Oxford Dictionary defined it as, “Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” In subsequent years, “post-truth” has become a true description of our society’s bent.

Yet the Christian cannot succumb to the spirit of the age. We cannot permit ourselves to operate on a post-truth basis. We must be seekers of the truth, because we belong to Jesus who said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Lead Me In Your Truth

From David’s Psalms, we learn to ask God to actually lead us in God’s truth (Psa 25:5), since he sends out his light and truth to do the leading (Psa 43:3). God is viewed as a conquering defender for “the cause of truth” (Psa 45:4) because truth is his delight (Psa 51:6). The one who follows God wishes to be taught to walk in God’s truth (Psa86:11), for hope resides in God’s “word of truth”, which would be devastating to lose (Psa 119:43).

Speaking Truth in Love

We know Jesus Christ through the true testimony of the Evangelists. Truth is valued by Jesus and his witnesses. All it takes is to survey the adjective, “true” used by Jesus himself throughout the Gospel of John. At the end of John’s Gospel he has a declaratory statement about the whole saying:

This is the disciple  who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and  we know   that his testimony is true.

John 21:24

It is no wonder then, that the disciples of Jesus would be commanded to “put away falsehood” (Eph 4:25a). In fact, there is a positive command given to believers which requires them to be not only seekers of truth, but speakers of truth. Paul says, “let each one of you  speak the truth with his neighbour, for   we are members one of another” (Eph 4:25b).

This is the pattern of life of the Christian. This style of living and speaking is called “speaking the truth in love” (Eph 4:15). It is (super)natural for the Christian to do this because the Spirit of truth guides the believer into all the truth (John 16:13). In so far as a Christian is being led by the Spirit, they will be a truth-teller, speaking the truth in love.

Truth Seeking and Saying

Personally, we need to speak the truth, but also “practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). John makes the point that if our speech claims are inconsistent with our behaviour, then we are in fact lying. The distortion of lies requires truth to be exchanged. It is the conscious and subconscious exchange of truth, in preference for lies. Paul made this point explicit in his letter to the Romans when he said:

they exchanged the truth about God for   a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,  who is blessed forever! Amen.

Romans 1:25

Christians, must confess the truth, from God himself, through the true evaluation of God’s universe. Christians will even risk being misunderstood because they love others enough to speak the truth. Paul warned the Galatian church, “Have I then become your enemy by  telling you the truth? (Gal 4:16).

Gentleness in Service to the Truth

What is ironic in our post-truth age is that people are prone to advance “their truth” (not true truth), by demonstrations of power. This can be the power of words on social media. Or it can be the power of legislation from governments.

By contrast, Christians have their truth-telling enveloped by gentleness. This means that they make careful movements in the conversation. It does not require striking a blow when a sensitive, but firm stance will do. This is the counsel that Paul gave to Timothy, namely to correct “with gentleness”, with the hope that “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Ti 2:25).

In a post-truth society, when Christians speak the truth in this gentle, but firm way, it will stand out. By rejecting every play for power, Christians can humbly return to their role as truth-tellers without the tribal agendas of our day. The only agenda that we broadcast is the rule and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. That truth needs to be heralded far and wide until all post-truth claims fall helplessly to the ground.

unsplash-logoEvangeline Shaw

Categories
Canada Christel Family Gospel Spiritual Growth

How To Choose Books for Children

Gone are the days of nursery rhymes and picture books. My children now gravitate toward young adult fiction. They aren’t content with predictable plot lines or childlike themes. They want complex, intriguing plot lines with older, and therefore, more interesting characters. And while I’m glad their tastes are maturing, it felt like we were stepping out of the splash pool of preschool literacy into a vast ocean of divergent worldviews.

Some books are an obvious “no” and others are certified place-keepers on Christian bookshelves everywhere. But the vast majority of books fall somewhere in between. After some research, soul-searching and advice-seeking from smarter and better parents than me, I’ve found a way forward. If you are struggling to pick out good books for your children, here are 8 questions you may want to consider.

Is It a Good, Well-written Story?

As a parent, it’s tempting to choose a “safe” story over an excellent one, but children instinctively reject books that come across as preachy and condescending (not unlike adults!). By contrast a really good book immerses the child into the story. They feel the exhilaration of adventure and experience the camaraderie of overcoming with unexpected heroes. New combinations of words begin to form in their mind and they learn to express themselves in new and articulate ways.

Does This Book Help My Child to Empathize with Someone They Would Have Otherwise Felt no Affinity with?

In Canada, many cities are diverse and multicultural. Toronto is said to have half of its population born outside of Canada, and yet stories of ostracism, racism and bullying still abound. Story can be a powerful means of helping children understand and value other cultures.

God’s kingdom is not limited by nationality, class or gender (Gal. 3:28). It transcends all boundaries and so should our love and compassion. A good book allows children to identify with others through shared experience.

Does This Book Spark My Child’s Interest in History, Culture Or Science?

Famous children’s educator, Charlotte Mason, wrote, “The question is not, — how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education — but how much does he care?”

Quality literature can teach in a way that a dry textbook never can. Facts memorized for a test tend to be forgotten, but the things we learn from story come alive and stay with us long after the last page is read.

Will My Child Learn about Moral Courage?

We must explicitly “train up a child in the way he should go” (Prov. 22:6), but like so many things, integrity is often caught, not taught.

Children learn quickly that doing the right thing will cost them something–whether it be social status, comfort, or other privileges. Good stories allow children to experience these moral crisis points vicariously through the characters in their story. It’s almost like practise for real-life or learning moral courage by osmosis. A compelling protagonist inspires children in ways that simple explanations sometimes fail to do.

Will They Learn through Story That Sin Has Consequences?

It’s no secret that certain stories glamourize sin. The cool kids are slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, etc. (Rom. 1:30), but the bible clearly teaches that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Stories that propagate a superficial understanding of sin do not serve our children, but a story that exposes sin’s consequences may do a world of good, especially if it is followed by themes of redemption and forgiveness that mirror God’s grace in the gospel (1 John 1:9).

Does This Book Teach My Child That Authority Is Valuable in Its Proper Context?

Many children’s books teach children to be suspicious of authority. Teachers, parents and other authority figures are evil, egomaniacs or just plain dumb. While we don’t want our children to blindly follow authority, especially when it is corrupt, we do want them to understand that authority is God’s idea and therefore good (Romans 13:1-7). For example, obedience to parents will (in principle) result in a better quality of life (Ephes. 6:1-4). Government and police will restrain the depravity, disorder and injustice that happens when everyone does “what is right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25) And for the sake of their eternal soul they must understand the importance of submitting to God’s authority and humbling themselves under His mighty hand (1 Pet. 5:6).

Will This Book Cause This Particular Child to Stumble?

On questionable “grey issue” books, wiser parents have advised me to know my child’s propensities. Will this book encourage my particular child to sin in areas where they are weak, or is this an issue of low concern when it comes to temptation? While a book may be appropriate for one child to read at 10, another child may need to wait until they are 12.

Does This Expand My Child’s Ability to Comprehend the Incomprehensible?

Myth and fairy-tales can be helpful here. C.S. Lewis writes that when a child reads about a “fairy land” it “arouses a longing for he knows not what. It stirs and troubles him (to his life-long enrichment) with the dim sense of something beyond his reach and, far from dulling or emptying the actual world, gives it a new dimension of depth. He does not despise real woods because he has read of enchanted woods: the reading makes all real woods a little enchanted. This is a special kind of longing.”

When we consider the supernatural nature of God’s world, fairytales begin to look more realistic. That is to say, they expand our imagination so that we can begin to grasp the wonder of a God who supernaturally breaks into our world to save those who are lost.

Story is powerful, and while we must be cautious of the destructive nature of some literature, mining the depths of a good story is worth every effort. While books have no power in and of themselves to save our children, they have great potential to enrich the soul, build character, inspire, expand the imagination and most importantly, provide fertile soil for gospel seeds grow.

A version of this article appeared at The Gospel Coalition Canada

unsplash-logoBen White

Categories
Clint Gospel Theology

You’ll be Suprised to Find Who Has More Supply Than Costco

Where else in the West offers bulk supply in great abundance compared with Costco? When you enter the store, you see rows and rows of towering shelves. Each shelf has things you need and lots of them. And even more so, you find things you didn’t even know you needed— in packs of 10 each.

There are few things in life where we can feel like we are surrounded by a towering supply of resources for all our present and future needs. If only there was a Costco for personal health. Wouldn’t a Costco of practical wisdom be nice? People dream of finding some place that will be their Costco of financial supply and security (hint: its not at a bank, unless you plan to rob it).

Beyond all of the places which hold supplies that might rival Costco, or all of the imagined Costco-like supply centres, there is a surprising claim made which can’t be duplicated by any of them, not even Costco itself.

The claim is found in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, in the first chapter:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

Ephesians 1:3

It is hard to fathom this claim. The world’s religions claim to offer blessings. They will suggest that many blessings can be secured if you perform their rituals. By contrast, it is an astounding claim to say that in one place, “every spiritual blessing in heavenly places” resides. In Christ, there is not only a lot of blessing but every spiritual blessing. Such supply is unfathomable. The limitations of our understanding cannot comprehend that kind of inventory. We have a hard enough time imagining all that is on Costco’s shelves, not to mention the storehouse that is in Christ.

Freely Available

Unlike the inventory of Costco (or Tesco, Aldi, Carrefour, etc), everything in Christ’s inventory is freely available. To the one who believes in Christ, this inventory is theirs for the taking. No charge. No buy now pay later. No debt purchasing. Just take it. Enjoy it. It’s yours.

The freeness of such a supply of inventory can be so stunning that many Christian believers fail to recognize all that is theirs in Christ. They will question whether the spiritual blessings are really inside. They will assume that they will have to shop around to other sources of supply. They can pass by what they have in Christ and search for a supply in their own intelligence and power. Or they’ll look for the intelligence and power of others supply centres like their job, appearance, paycheck, education, or relationships. It’s like driving past the Costco that has all that you need and looking in some back alley dumpsters for food.

Jesus and his Bride (the church) beckon people to enjoy the free supply that is in Christ. There is no price on this offer because the price has been paid:

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Revelation 22:17

Although it might be possible that the living God, the incarnate Son Jesus Christ could have “every spiritual blessing in heavenly places” resident in him. However, it stretches our limited understanding to think that those blessings would be open to the public, offered freely to whoever would believe.

Ignoring the Inventory of “Every Spiritual Blessing”

The tendency of Christians is not to deny that there is some sort of supply of spiritual blessings in Christ. Every Christian knows that. Their problem is that they fail to recognize the inexhaustible scope of “every spiritual blessing in heavenly places”. Christians can slightly apprehend this supply, but can never fully comprehend all that resides in Christ. There is so much more in Christ than anyone can anticipate. They don’t need to go anywhere else. And all of the unforeseen things that they might need in the future, are already “in stock” in Christ.

To ignore the inventory that is in Christ, is to ignore “the riches of his grace” which he has already “lavished upon us” (Eph 1:7,8).

Why go anywhere else?

Further Reading:

Our Sufficiency In Christ, John MacArthur

The Whole Christ, Sinclair Ferguson

Redemption, Accomplished and Applied, John Murray

unsplash-logoRuchindra Gunasekara

photocredit/affiliate links

Categories
Clint Gospel Society Spiritual Growth

Sticking Out As A Christian

Nobody wants to stick out. People may want to lead or be on top, but generally speaking few of us like to stick out from the crowd. We certainly don’t like to stick out when there is no noticeable benefit. This is a proverb that exists in many cultures: The nail that sticks out will be struck down, or, The tall poppy will be cut off.

Christians feel this fear too. They don’t want to be left out and they prefer to fit in, even blend in. But that is where the problem lies. Christians will always stick out unless they are Christians in name only.

Sticking Out in the Right Way

One of the first temptations to deal with is the mistaken pursuit of being obnoxious. Christians can think that they need to be brash in order to be bold. They can mistake the negative responses by others as mini-persecutions when really they are just sick of a Christian’s bad manners. When Paul instructed Titus on the subject he said:

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 

Titus 3:1-2

I have wondered sometimes if pastors (as well as church members) need to take a rudimentary course in manners. To even say it sounds quaint and dated. But the fact is that in any culture the norms of courtesy express honour, respect, care and love.  These expressions are all the more important when you are in disagreement with someone else. Since they are not at home in this world, Christians are always in a state of disagreement with it. So we need to figure out how to stick out in the right way without being needlessly offensive.

Sticking Out for the Right Things

If Christians are meant to stick out, like a lamp on a stand or a city on a hill as Jesus described (Mat 5:14-16), then they must stick out for the right things. It ought to be clear that what Christians say and do expresses the imitation of Jesus Christ and the fruition of Jesus’ work in their lives. The right thing to stick out for is that you have been called “out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Pet 2:9).

Ultimately, Christians will stick out because they are following Jesus “outside the camp” in order to “bear the reproach he endured” (Heb 13:13). By following Jesus, they are sticking out for the right things. Other things, such as what we eat, drink, and wear shouldn’t be things that we are overly concerned about (cf. Matt 6:31). And they aren’t things that we should prioritize being different in. There is a certain self-forgetfulness that should apply to such things. We may fit in or we may not. But the key idea is that we stick out because we are following Jesus. 

Sticking Out and Ready to be Struck Down

In following Jesus, we know we will stick out. So we can expect the hammer. The world, under Satan’s sway, demands conformity (cf “the elementary principles of the world” Gal 4:3, Col 2:20).  When we realize how we are perceived because of our allegiance to Jesus, it will help us to understand what to expect. 

As believers follow Jesus, they will resemble the apostles who are “a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.” (1 Cor 4:9).  Paul’s experience was that “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.” (1 Cor 4:12-13).  This is not a recipe for becoming cultural champions. 

So we need to be prepared to be struck down. Jesus reminds us that the reception of fierce opposition is part of our witness. In the sermon recorded in the fifth chapter of Matthew, Jesus said:

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matt 5:11-12

As we receive the blasts of opposition because we are sticking out in the right way for the right things, we join the gospel’s long line of witnesses or rather the “great cloud” of them (Hebrew 12:1).  Paul could say:

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 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, 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. 

Phil 2:14-16

If we stick out in this way, we bear witness that something is wrong with the world, and only in Christ can it be made right. 

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Agrarian Pastor Clint Global Gospel Theology

Be honest about the wheat and the chaff

As we get further away from the sources of our food, it becomes more difficult to understand the processes involved. For example, who among us has ever handled wheat? Who has actually seen chaff?

One of the key actions which the Messiah would bring, according to John the Baptist, was to separate the wheat from the chaff:

His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

Luke 3:17, cf Mat 3:12

Few people today would know what ‘winnowing’ is. It would be hard to find a threshing floor, except possibly for a remote village in a far off rural place. The process however, is something that the Messiah does, so it is something we should be clear about.

Together and Separated

The fact is that humanity, considered as a whole is like so many stalks of wheat. The pristine fields that stand golden in the sunlight have an apparent beauty to the naked eye. Yet the purpose of the field is to yield wheat. To gather or harvest this yield requires a great separation. The stalk, leaves and outer coverings that are attached together with the wheat must be separated. That which is not wheat is chaff. Although together for a time, and even standing quite proudly the chaff will be separated from the wheat. Separation is the essence of judgement.

The Suddenness of Threshing

If you drive past a farmer’s field on your commute, or you travel out of town by the same route, you may notice a big change. One day you will see the tall crop like a vast brush of velcro, or like a golden carpet stretching to the horizon. Another day, you will see it gone. Sheared off. Cut down and scraped. It is a dramatic change that can be surprisingly sudden.

The closest analogy most people have for this is the difference between their untamed grass on Friday and their neatly trimmed lawn on Saturday. The contrast with the farmer’s field is the threshing. There is not just a change in the field from being uncut to cut. It is a change from being unthreshed to being separated. But the analogies are the same in seeing that it is sudden. Threshing, mowing and the final judgement are all sudden. For the Day of the Lord, “will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess 5:12).

The World Chaff

It can be hard to think that the lustre of our world is only temporary. Our shiny media and popular heroes can appear eternal, for a time. But all of it changes from being green and growing, to be chaff. David said famously in Psalm 1:

The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1:4-6

The chaff is separated from the wheat, so the analogy points to the reality of unbelievers being separated from believers. This separation is the most offensive part of God’s harvest when viewed by sinful man. All people assume that if there is a harvest, they will all be among the lasting, cherished wheat. In other words, all people are closet universalists.

But the reality is that there will be a separation. And the separation will be all the more dramatic because the chaff had at one point looked so green. God in his common grace permits even the chaff of this world to have a growth, an order and a beauty. Yet even for all of that common grace, the chaff remains chaff. The wicked remain the wicked (Rev 22:11).

The Privilege of the Kept

The flip side of the chaff being threshed and discarded is that the wheat is kept and “gathered into this barn” (Matt 3:12,13:30; Luke 3:17). What a privilege to be kept for the Lord’s use and pleasure. When you look at a wheat field, you cannot actually see the wheat. It is completely obscured by all that will become chaff. So it is with this world. Paul said that “natural” people don’t accept spiritual realities because they are “not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:14). Chaff cannot discern what is wheat. The world cannot discern the true chosen of God, because it is discerned only by spiritual eyes, and it is only revealed ultimately after the harvest of the last day.

When we despair of our apparent hiddenness as Christians in this world. When we think about how small and unseen is our place in the tall towers of society. Then we should remember that everything will be chaff, apart from God’s own precious people. That harvest yield will be all that matters on the last day.

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Categories
Christel Gospel Spiritual Growth

Fixing Our Propriety Radar

My culture tells me that my words are all about myself and that I have a right to express myself. But more is required of a Christian. We need to be aware of the power of our words to affect other people.

Sometimes I wonder if my generation has lost the ability to discern what is appropriate in conversation. We often display a surprising lack of savvy concerning how to speak in a way that “fits the occasion” as it says in Ephesians 4:29.

It’s like our propriety radar got scrambled with the rise of Facebook.  


There are certain words that are private and other words that are public. I cringe to think of the times that I have said inappropriate things to a large number of people. These same things would have been appropriate if I was speaking with only one or two close friends, but they were not helpful or wise in the larger context. Private words in a public context are not modest. They are at best attention-getting and at worst injurious because others are almost always implicated in our personal lives.


Humble Words


I’ve always loved this observation by C.S. Lewis. He describes the demeanour and words of a humble person in his book Mere Christianity:

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call “humble” nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.

Mere Christianity

According to Lewis, humble people are aware of their flaws, but they do not constantly speak of them because they are not constantly thinking about themselves. They are content with their life and eager to take an interest in others. 
Of course, we need people we can talk to when going through struggles and difficulty. People with whom we can be transparent and raw. Intimate friends, a pastor, a spouse or a counsellor can be helpful in these situations. But if the majority of our words are speaking of ourselves, we are missing the point of words. We are missing great opportunities to bless other people.

This can especially be a problem if we need other people to affirm us and approve of our choices. If we find our self-worth in other people’s opinions of us, we will always be self-absorbed in our conversations. 

This craving for approval can only be satisfied in God’s redeeming love for us. When we find our security and worth in Him our words cease to be controlled by other people’s opinions, and we are freed to take a genuine interest in others.

The Responsibility of Words

Words affect other people. They have the power to build up or to tear down. They can burn down a forest or plant new seeds of hope.

I feel like I am still learning how to use my words. It takes time and effort to learn how to bless, strengthen and build others up. Thankfully, we don’t need to be charming and witty for God to use us. For those of us who often feel inadequate and “slow of speech” like Moses, we need to remember what God told him:

 “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

Exodus 4:11

I am so thankful for treasured friends who have been gracious to me when I have spoken selfish and rash words. I am equally thankful for their generous, grace-giving words. I have often been blessed by the God-honouring words of brothers and sisters in Christ.

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