Is It the Mission of the Church to “Redeem” the Culture?

Posted by Dan C. on

That’s a big question, and one for which the phrase, “redeem the culture” needs to be defined before we try to provide an answer. Based on my limited research, there seem to be, at least in the U.S., several distinct “camps”:

  1. Two Kingdom Proponents—God is working through the church and we should not be engaging too heavily with worldly, dying culture.
  2. Transformationist Proponents—The church should be active in seeking to redeem the culture as we move toward the end times.
  3. Counterculturalist Proponents—The church stands as a clear model of God’s kingdom and, as such, is a prophetic voice against the prevailing worldly culture.
  4. Cultural Relevance Proponents—Christians should be looking for where God is active in culture and affirm that.

If you are reading this, you might want to see where you fit, I know I did. All four describe ways in which Christians, and the church in general can engage culture. Listed below, in no particular order, are some of my findings from online research, with links to their respective Web sites.

Chuck Colson has been quoted as saying, “Redeeming culture is the never-ending mission of the church.”

A blog article at the Culture Redeemed site states:

“As Christians, we were not just created to glorify and enjoy God, but to be His emissaries to the world, redeeming culture.”

“According to Google, the definition of the word ‘redeem’ is to “compensate for the faults or bad aspects of (something)” or to “gain or regain possession of (something).” Ultimately, redemption can only be accomplished through the work of Jesus; He came to make right what was broken (Col. 1:19-20). But the Lord has chosen to use ordinary people to bring His message of hope and love to a world in need of Him (Matt. 28:19-20). For believers, redemption is an on-going process. We ourselves are being redeemed, but Christians are also envoys sent to assist in redeeming the culture around us.”

A few years ago, FOCUS on the Family aired a broadcast called Teaching Your Child to Redeem the Culture that stressed teaching our children about culture, saying:

“Jesus uses a lot of those “re” words – renew, restore, redeem, repent, resurrect. God must really love ‘re’ words, right? Because they’re all over the Bible. And “re” means to fix something that was broken, to go back to what it was intended to be.”

Dr. Jams Anderson, Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) Charlotte, in an article titled “How should Christians engage with the culture?” reminds us that:

“We are affected by the culture around us, and we also affect the culture around us. We need to recognize that we ourselves as Christians are part of the culture. So we can’t separate ourselves from culture, we can’t isolate ourselves from culture. We are affected by the culture around us, and we also affect the culture around us, for better or for worse.

Lastly, we need to view culture through the lens of the Great Commission. There are many things that we are called to do as Christians to serve God in this world. But the Great Commission, that great calling to take the good news of Christ to the nations, to make disciples of the nations, to bring the teaching of Christ to the nations and to build up the church, that has to be a priority for us.”

An article at Proclaim & Defend tells us:

“Jesus will redeem the culture.

The tenor of scriptural prophecy that tells us that God’s people will take the gospel effectively to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), does not indicate that there will be gradual warming to God’s people as we move forward toward the Kingdom. Attempts of human to Christianize the world’s culture will ultimately fail according to scripture. However, Jesus will return and He will do it. All the Old Testament passages regarding the Kingdom will be fulfilled (literally) and Jesus is the One who will make that happen (Revelation 19-20).

People must be redeemed; the culture is incidental.

The Great Commission, which is the mission of the church, is about bringing people to redemption and transformation.  The souls of individuals must be redeemed.  Only then can the works of their hands be pleasing to God.”

An article in the Christian Post reported that author Andy Crouch told the audience at a higher education conference a few years ago in Orlando, FL that “If the Gospel is to be relevant for a rapidly changing society Christians must re-examine their doctrine that functions like culture is too soiled to redeem”.

An article by Ken Ham at Answers in Genesis, in answer to the question, “Are Christians Commanded to Change the Culture?” tells us that it’s the Gospel that can change culture:

“The Lord Jesus Christ gives God’s people two commands:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . . teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19–20)

We need to understand that the gospel changes people—changes their hearts and minds. And it’s hearts and minds that change a culture.”

In order to bring a measure of clarity to our question, let’s look at some dictionary definitions of the term “redeem”:

Merriam-Webster: 1) To buy back, to get or win back, 2) To free from what distresses or harms, such as a) To free from captivity by payment of a ransom, b) To extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental, c) To release from blame or debt, d) To free from the consequence of sin

Cambridge English Dictionary: 1) To buy back something, or to exchange something for money or for goods or services, 2) To make up for something 3) To buy, get, or win back something. 4) To make good or fulfill a promise. 5) To exchange something for something of value.

Oxford American Dictionary: 1) To make someone or something seem less bad, 2) To get back a valuable object from somebody by paying them back the money you borrowed from them in exchange for the object, 3) To save from the power of evil.

The application of this term to Christ’s death on the cross is quite telling. If we are “redeemed,” then our prior condition was one of slavery. God has purchased our freedom, and we are no longer in bondage to sin or to the Old Testament law. This metaphorical use of “redemption” is the teaching of Galatians 3:13 and 4:5.

Related to the Christian concept of redemption is the word ransom. Jesus paid the price for our release from sin and its punishment (Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:6). His death was in exchange for our life. In fact, Scripture is quite clear that redemption is only possible “through His blood,” that is, by His death (Colossians 1:14)

In the Bible, the word redeem literally means “to buy out,” and was used specifically in reference to the purchase of a slave’s freedom. It includes the ideas of loosing from a bond, setting free from captivity or slavery, buying back something lost or sold, exchanging something in one’s possession for something possessed by another, and ransoming. This is similar to the secular meaning but it has far weightier implications. According to the Essential Bible Dictionary, redemption refers to God’s merciful and costly action on behalf of his people. For example, God delivered Israel from Egypt.

In Exodus 6:6, God said to the people through Moses, “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.’”

Later, Christ’s death on the cross served as redemption — payment of our sin-debt — to ensure our salvation (Mark 10:45).

The Bible does not explicitly mention society as a beneficiary of redemption. However, it is possible to interpret redemption as having a broader impact on society. We could also say that redemption is also part of God’s plan for society.

In Leviticus 25:47-49, we’re told that If an Israelite becomes poor and must sell themselves to a foreigner, they retain the right of redemption after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives may redeem them, or if they prosper, they may redeem themselves. (See the Book of Ruth.)

Conclusion:

When I consider of the redemption of God’s people my thoughts always return to the glorious scene in Heaven recorded in the Book of Revelation:

“And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” 6And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.’”  (Rev 5:1-9, NKJV)

“Is It the Mission of the Church to “Redeem” the Culture?” In the form of a statement, my answer is a resounding NO! To claim that it IS cheapens what God did for His people through the life, death and resurrection of  His beloved Son. In the form of a question, my answer is another question, “What did the Angel of the Lord say to Joseph prior to His Birth?”

“And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, NKJV)

As one of the referenced articles summarized it:

Jesus gave his disciples two commands:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15, NKJV)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV)

What we need to understand is that the gospel changes people and it’s people with changed hearts and minds that can change a culture. Only Jesus can “redeem” our culture, and one day He will!

Be Blessed!

____________

List of online resources used in this post:

Are Christians Commanded to Change the Culture?

How should Christians engage with the culture?

Should We be Focused on Redeeming the Culture?

What is the meaning of Christian redemption?

Should the Church Seek to ‘Redeem’ the Culture?

What Does It Mean to Be Redeemed?

The Global Transformation of Redeeming Cultures

Redeeming the Culture (Part 1) Proclaim & Defend

Redeeming the Culture (Part 2) Proclaim & Defend

FOCUS on the Family Podcast Transcript

“Does God love us just the way we are?”

Posted by Dan C. on

clip_image002Have you ever listened to a popular Christian song and wondered about something in the lyrics? I have, and it happened again yesterday when we (the DanDee couple) were headed for Baskin & Robbins after dropping off our daughter Bekah and new baby Mary Ruth at the Colorado Springs airport for their flight back to North Dakota.

I didn’t mention it to Dee because we both know that I have a tendency to overthink things now and then. When I listened song lyrics, in my mind I asked the “Is that really true?” question. Now that you are all in suspense and wanting to know “Which lyrics?”, here it is, in the chorus of a Big Daddy Weave song that was being played on one of the SiriusXM Christian channels:

You love me, You love me
You love me just the way I am
You love me, You love me
You love me just the way
Just the way I am

I admit that I had an immediate mental reaction upon hearing that chorus, but I’ll get to that later. What I decided to do after my mental knee-jerk reaction was to ask the question “Is that really true?” in a couple of internet search engines. I found a range of articles from theologians, pastors, Bible teachers and ordinary folks with opinions. The results were interesting, to say the least. Here are a few of the responses I found online.

One article, by Brandon Medina, focused on articles praising some Christian artists for coming out of the closet and professing they are now homosexuals.

One Christian worship song writer and singer, on coming out as a lesbian, said,

“What Jesus taught was a radical message of welcome and inclusion and love, I feel certain God loves me just the way I am.”

Another Christian singer and songwriter came out as a lesbian and discussed her experience and views on homosexuality in a popular publication, saying,

“I don’t think homosexual orientation, whether you’re lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, I don’t think sexual identity in any way is a sin. I understand where the teaching [that says] homosexuality’s a sin comes from. However, in understanding that teaching, it’s not one that I feel is one that I could back.”

Finally, the former lead singer of a Christian rock band came out as gay saying,

“I know I have a long way to go. But if this honesty with myself about who I am, and who I was made by God to be, doesn’t constitute as the peace that passes all understanding, then I don’t know what does. It is like this weight I have been carrying my whole life has been lifted from me, and I have never felt such freedom.“

Brandon’s response:

“Does God love us just the way we are? Perhaps, a more accurate statement might be the following: “God loves us despite the way we are.””

“Our revised statement in bold above leads to the conclusion, that clearly there is room for change, yet God loves us anyway.  I think C. S. Lewis summed it up nicely when he wrote,

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us” and also “we are bidden to ‘put on Christ’, to become like God. That is, whether we like it or not, God intends to give us what we need, not what we now think we want.“

“C.S Lewis’ point is that, yes, in fact, God does love us, but because of this love, He wants to change us into His image.”

I am not picking on members of the LGBTQ+++ community, however it does seem like the “God loves me just the way I am,” might be a favorite excuse for condoning homosexuality.

Ligon Duncan:

“God loves us no less than he loves his own Son, and he loves us in spite of the deepest sin and shame that we bear. God loves us no less than he loves his own Son, and he loves us in spite of the deepest sin and shame that we bear.”

JB Cachila, Christianity Today:

“God loved us so much that He sent His one and only begotten Son to save us from sin and death, undo the works of Satan in our lives, and make us conform to the image of His Son.” (Read John 3:16-17; 1 John 3:8; Romans 8:29)

“If Christ came to save us from the sorry state we are in, who are we to say that God loves us just as we are? God loves us alright, but He doesn’t want us remaining in the same sinful and unrepentant state that He found us in! “

Gail Burton Purath:

“God accepts us into His Kingdom just the way we are. But He expects us to change.”

In summary, here are some thoughts from R. C. Sproul:

“The kingdom of God is not Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. There are few things more dangerous than preachers preaching that God loves everybody unconditionally, because the message people hear is: “There are no conditions. I can continue to live just as I’m living, in full rebellion against God, and I have nothing to worry about because there aren’t any conditions that I have to meet. God loves me unconditionally. I don’t have to repent. I don’t have to come to Jesus. I don’t have to leave my life of sin. There are no conditions and no strings attached; God loves me just the way I am. He’s glad that I turned out so nicely.”

“I’ve written a book on the love of God in which I talk about three ways that theologians speak about the love of God. First, there is God’s love of benevolence, wherein God has a good will towards everybody, both believers and non-believers. Second, there is the beneficent love of God, or that love by which God gives benefits to people whether they’re believers or not believers: “The rain falls on the just as well as on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). The third and most important consideration is the love of complacency. The love of complacency is not the love of smugness, but rather the filial love that God has for the redeemed. That love is directed first to Christ and then to all who are in Christ, our Elder Brother.”

BTW, Big Daddy Weave clarified what was meant by the line in the chorus “You love me just the way I am“, in the song’s second verse:

“Ever patiently accepting me
Lord, You love in spite of everything I do
But oh so faithfully
You’re committed to the process that makes me like You
And I feel like I can dance
Oh You make me want to dance”

Whoops, I almost forgot to tell you what my first thought was when I heard the song on the radio. When I heard the words “You love me just the way I am,” my silent answer was “Not true, You love me in spite of the way I am.” Since that was the general consensus of the articles I read, I guess I might be in good company.

Be Blessed!

Online Resources:

God Loves Me Just the Way I Am

Does God Love Me Just As I Am?

Why ‘God loves you just the way you are’ might not actually be true

Does God love me just the way I am?

Think About These Things

Posted by Dan C. on

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Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi can be characterized as a very positive book. There are a few personal rebukes and hints that the Philippian church could appear to be more unified (what church doesn’t need lessons in unity?). Most of the book is a positive statement and encouragement of what the church should do rather than a rebuke of what they are failing to do or an exhortation to stop doing something.

In the final chapter, Paul admonishes and encourages Philippian believers to stand firm in the Lord, rejoice in the Lord always, let their gentleness be evident to all, to not be anxious about anything, but pray about everything, and finally what their thought life should look like:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

This does not mean that our thought lives will always reflect Paul’s list of “whatever’s”, however it does mean that believers can control their thoughts and that their thought life should be characterized by what is good and uplifting. We suggest to you that thinking about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise applies to every area of life.

Dear friends, we are living in a world whose god is Satan, and while living and working in this world, we are surrounded daily by unbelievers whose minds have been blinded by this world’s god (2 Cor 4:4). We are constantly bombarded with this world’s (and American culture’s) values and priorities, many of which have been legislated into law, although they represent that which is evil and even called “abomination” in the sight of God. The same man who, as a Senator, signed the “Defense of Marriage Act” in 1996 defining marriage as between a man and a woman, has signed (as the nation’s President) woefully named “Respect for Marriage Act” legalizing same-sex marriage on a national level.

Popular media is filled with the “apostles” of our culture’s moral insanity. Whether we are talking about music, TV, movies, literature, or social media, we are constantly bombarded with information and material that utterly fails the Philippians 4:8 test concerning what should characterize our thought lives. This does not mean that everything we watch, read, or listen to must be overtly Christian in nature, but it does mean that while we can never tune out all media consumption, we can exert a level of control. We can also apply the Philippians 4:8 rule to whatever we are being fed by the media in our TMI world.

I also have to confess that applying the Phil 4:8 rule is easier said than done. It makes me angry, even furious sometimes to see our government legalizing and even celebrating that which God calls abomination, especially when that same government also wants me to celebrate what God hates. I am reminded of a passage in the book of Romans:

“Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” Romans 1:32

For an even more detailed picture of what’s going on in our world, read Romans 1:18-32 in its entirety.

As someone who served his nation in uniform for 28 years, and as a government defense contractor for another 15+ years, I hate to see this once great nation being torn to pieces, all the while knowing that God is sovereign over every nation on Earth.

I don’t much care for much for the ‘professing’ Christian church being an adventure in missing the gospel by ignoring/minimizing sin and feeding us a steady diet of ‘our best lives now’, in its many forms. I’d rather listen to classic hymns of the faith in their original forms, both lyrical and musical. Maybe that’s just because I’m old. I remember when Sunday morning worship was all about God, not me and my feelings. I’m not riding the snivel train, just trying to be honest. I’m sure others might agree with me.

So you see, sometimes it’s hard to shift gears from the bad news that constantly bombards us the things Paul tells should most occupy our minds and characterize our thought lives. While I can avoid a lot of what today’s media and culture sends my way, I can’t block it all out. While I cannot personally fix everything that is broken, I can support those who are trying in meaningful ways to restore the “old paths” (see Jeremiah 6:16).

But I still ask myself “Self, what can you do, not only to maintain a Godly thought life, as Paul advises us, but to fix that which is broken, whether it’s in the church, in our society and culture, in my neighborhood, my family, or wherever I have the ability to effect change?

In answer to that, I am reminded of something Martyn Lloyd Jones once said:

“There can be no doubt whatsoever that all the troubles in the Church today, and most of the troubles in the world, are due to a departure from the authority of the Bible.”

While I agree with the Doctor, that statement presents me with the monumental task of trying to restore the world in which I live to the authority of the Bible. Maybe I should break that down to developing and applying a Biblical worldview to everything in my life. Perhaps when I behave differently than others around me, and when I am asked why I seem to react differently than most to the cultural and political insanity, I can refer to Scripture and how it affects my life, and perhaps even share some of the Biblical truths that fuel my spirit.

But most importantly, above anything else, I can share the story of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that when believed and received, is THE starting point that leads to lasting change in ourselves, in our society and culture, and indeed in the larger world around us.

“Everyone Will Be Salted with Fire”: Making Sense of Mark 9:49

Posted by Dan C. on

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Many have described Christ’s words in Mark 9:49–50 as being among the New Testament’s most challenging passages. They read,

Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.

These verses reinforce a familiar biblical theme: following Jesus is a serious business. Anybody who views Christianity as some kind of esoteric philosophical journey—a sort of crutch for the inept—must reckon with Jesus’ own claims. The call to following Him involves self-denial and suffering (Mark 8:34).

Jesus further clarifies the seriousness of discipleship in the verses immediately preceding the text in view (Mark 9:42–48). Warning against sin’s dangers, He doesn’t suggest that we negotiate with sin, trying to reconcile our sinful propensities with discipleship’s demands. Rather, He calls for its total eradication. We don’t toy with sin; we put it to death (Col. 3:5).

It’s clear that Jesus deals here with weighty truths. And it’s against the backdrop of verse 48 (in which He describes hell as a place where the “worm does not die and the fire is not quenched”) that His puzzling teaching on salt appears. With the costliness of discipleship and the picture of fire fixed in His disciples’ minds, Jesus asserts, “Everyone will be salted with fire.” How should we understand this peculiar phrase?

The Old Testament Background

The sacrificial system in the Old Testament is a good place to begin. It would’ve been familiar territory for Jesus and His audience. Establishing the design for grain offerings in Israel, God had made the following provision: “You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt” (Lev. 2:13).

Further, these seasoned offerings were burnt offerings; they were consumed on the altar. In this sense, these Old Testament sacrifices were complete and irrevocable. Jesus appears to be reaching back to this practice, collating the pictures of fire and salt, to remind His followers that discipleship will involve a process whereby they’re “salted.” When they offer themselves to Christ’s cause, they will undergo a refining process, their allegiance to Him being complete and irrevocable.

Other places in the New Testament affirm this idea. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul describes a similar refining process:

No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. (1 Cor. 3:11–13)

James also, when he writes, says, “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:12).

In other words, we’re moving toward a day, and that day will reveal whether we are among those who have taken seriously Jesus’ call to discipleship—whether we’ve responded in a correct fashion to the seasoning, refining process meant for all who follow Him.

What Good Is Unsalty Salt?

“Salt is good,” Jesus continues. “But if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again?” It’s a good question. Salt was vital in that day, regarded as a necessity. It was “good” in the sense that it was multipurpose, used for preserving, purifying, and seasoning.

When Jesus speaks of salt losing its salty quality, He’s referring to the method of mining salt unique to that period and region. People would harvest salt from either the Dead Sea or from the salt pans, and in those salt pans the water evaporated. In that process, the pure salt would leech out, leaving a residue of other minerals and causing the salt to “lose” its saltiness. So, Jesus poses the question to His disciples, “What good will you be if you lose your saltiness—if you succumb to the things that leech the salt out of your lives?”

In our own lives, there are certain things that threaten to dissipate the very qualities which make us distinct. They’re tendencies like running toward sin rather than fleeing from it, embracing personal comfort over costly discipleship, etc. (See Mark 8:35; 9:43–47.) In a word, Jesus warns us against losing the properties that make us useful.

The picture suggests that as disciples, we’re meant to make an impact on society, preserving it in some measure, exercising a purifying influence, and adding flavor—unless, of course, the purity of the Gospel is lost in our own lives. When this happens, we become like salt that has lost its saltiness: ineffectual, unable to fulfill our duty as Christians. It’s a tragic thing when a believer loses his way, his influence dissipating because he’s failed to take seriously Christ’s warnings concerning sin’s dangers.

The Salt of Peace and Unity

There’s a logical progression in Jesus’ language. He’s drawing several principles from the one metaphor. “Everyone will be salted with fire”—that’s the refining process through which all disciples will go. And then, in the beginning of verse 50, we’re warned, Don’t lose your distinctiveness as a disciple. You’ll end up like salt that has lost its unique properties. He then concludes with a final application: “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

This final directive almost sounds anticlimactic after so dramatic a chapter—but not if we think about it! If the Gospel is the saltiness of the Christian life, then it is the Gospel which unites one Christian with another. When believers fight with one another, we lose the opportunity to be salt in a community that’s consumed with fighting. We lose the opportunity to be known as Christ’s disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35).

As we love one another, living at peace, a watching world robbed of peace will have occasion to ask us, “How do you live at peace with each other?” And we’ll be able to respond, “It isn’t because we are uniform, one just like another. It’s because the key to peace is to be Gospel-centered.”

What is at the heart of Jesus’ message in these difficult verses? We dare not treat sin casually. Be aware that we must be refined continually. Only then may we make a meaningful impact on those around us, ever growing in our peace and unity with one another.

Online Source: “Everyone Will Be Salted with Fire”: Making Sense of Mark 9:49 (truthforlife.org)

This article was adapted from the sermon “Salted with Fire” by Alistair Begg.

Did Peter and Paul preach different gospels?

Posted by Dan C. on

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That they did is a central tenet of a certain form of dispensationalism sometimes called “ultra”-dispensationalism. Here is an excerpt from a blog post at: Did Paul Preach a Different Gospel? – Escape to Reality

Read the New Testament and you might come away with the idea that there is more than one gospel.

The very first words of the New Testament in the King James Bible are, “The Gospel According to Matthew.” Read on and you will also find the gospels according to Mark, Luke, and John.

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we find Jesus preaching the gospel of the kingdom, while Mark refers to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the gospel of God.

The word gospel does not appear in John’s Gospel, but in Acts and all the letters that follow, the gospel is mentioned plenty of times with different labels:

  • the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1)
  • the gospel of Christ (Rom. 15:19, 1 Cor. 9:12, 2 Cor. 2:12, 9:13, 10:14, Gal. 1:7, Php. 1:27, 1 Th. 3:2)
  • the gospel of God (Mark 1:14, Rom 1:1, 15:16, 2 Cor. 11:7, 1 Th. 2:2, 8, 9, 1 Pet. 4:17)
  • the gospel of the blessed God (1 Tim. 1:11)
  • the gospel of his Son (Rom 1:9)
  • the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23, 9:35, 24:14, Luke 16:16)
  • the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4)
  • the gospel of your salvation (Eph. 1:13)
  • the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15)
  • the glorious gospel of the blessed God (1 Tim 1:11)
  • the eternal gospel (Rev. 14:6)

These are not different gospels but different labels for the one and only gospel, namely the gospel of grace.

You are invited to read the entire article.

There is a detailed response to the topic of ultra-dispensationalism that can be read at: Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth – Table of Contents – Bibleline Ministries

Be Blessed!

Have you “stretched yourself out on Jesus”?

Posted by Dan C. on

In a sermon called “The Gospel of Christ”, from Romans 1:16-17, Dr. John MacArthur tells the following story about a Scottish missionary:

clip_image002“One of my favorite missionaries is John G. Paton.  He went to the New Hebrides filled with cannibals.  And when he arrived in the New Hebrides, he came to an island at the moment when there was a terrible epidemic.  People were dying of disease.  It had utterly decimated the population.  He went into the huts of the sick people and tried to care for them.  He buried the dead.  He tended to the dying.  And when the epidemic had passed, he was received by all, and they loved him, and he stayed with them.

He first thought to learn their language.  And he began to listen to their speech, write down in a notebook all the words and phrases he learned.  The natives got accustomed to him always having a notebook and stopping in the middle of the conversation to write some things down.  There came a time, then, when he decided that he ought to translate some of the gospel into their language.  But they had no word in their vocabulary for “faith” or “trust” or “believe.”  They just didn’t trust anybody.  But you can’t do much translating in the Bible without a word for that.  And so he began to think.

At a time of frustration, he began to go deer hunting.  And they shot a deer-like animal and several smaller game and started to carry the kill back to the house of the missionary.  The weather was at the equatorial point in the globe, oppressive. The hill in which they hunted was trackless, and they finally arrived back absolutely exhausted.  They dropped their heavy burden and all of them just flopped on the grass.

One native said, “Oh, it’s good to stretch yourself out here in the shade.”  John Paton shot off that grass, excitedly he had that companion recite that sentence again and again.  And he wrote it all down in his notebook.  And then he translated John 3:16 this way, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever stretcheth himself out on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” That’s faith, and it activates the righteousness of God in your behalf.”

Several things stood out to me, along with questions I need to ask myself, when I listened to the MacArthur sermon that included this marvelous story.

  • John G. Paton left his home in Scotland to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to tribes of cannibals in the South Pacific. He loved the natives of the New Hebrides, so much so that he remained with them after caring for them and even burying those who died during a terrible plague. How does my concern for the lost around me, especially family, friends, co-workers and acquaintances compare with John Paton’s love for South Sea cannibals?
  • He prioritized learning their language, so much so that he carried around a little notebook in which to write new words and phrases he was learning. If you have ever been the student of a foreign language, I’m sure you understand the value of writing down new words and phrases. I once knew a native-born Polish instructor whose daughter was forever learning new languages, writing down words and phrases on sticky notes and posting them all over the house.
  • He also realized what having portions of the gospel message in their own language could mean to his new friends. If you know anything about the Wycliffe Bible Translators, you probably know that they have translated the Bible into foreign languages in the same manner John Paton did, searching for words and phrases in native languages that carry the clear meaning of familiar English passages.
  • I can only imagine what it must have been like to see the hot and tired hunters dropping their heavy burdens on the ground and “stretching out in the shade”! Every soldier who has trudged through the hot sun with an Then there was the “Eureka!” moment that John experienced when he suddenly realized that had just heard the perfect definition of “faith” needed to translate John 3:16 into the native language of his new friends!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever stretcheth himself out on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

I am reminded that the great burden for those who have yet to “stretch themselves out on Christ” is the weight of the sin to which they are enslaved (John 8:34; Rom 6:17). Unlike the tired native hunters who found shade where they could drop their heavy loads and rest, everyone who has yet to embrace Christ loves darkness rather than light (John 3:19).

If I am to be a light in the darkness and lead others to Christ, it is therefore necessary that I help those living in, and loving their darkness recognize that sin is that issue that the message of the gospel addresses and not the myriad other issues that we sometimes present as reasons to receive Christ.

So how do I do that? How can I get someone I care for to realize that the things he/she loves is a great burden leading to an eternity of pain and torment? Well, I can’t, but God can. I can ask Him to open hearts to receive the gospel message and then share it faithfully (see Acts 16 and the story of Lydia), remembering the words of the Apostle Paul.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16)

“1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Cor 15:1-4, ESV)

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If you want to find out more about John G. Paton, you can find numerous articles online, one of which is located at Ligonier Ministries: Who Was John G. Paton? (ligonier.org).

Should We Reconsider How We Share the Gospel with Gen Z?

Posted by Dan C. on

That question is also the title of an article by Mike Leak, at Christianity.com. We think it’s a good question, but first we need to define “Gen Z”. According to the article, “Generation Z, sometimes known as Zoomers, are those born between the mid-late 1990s and the early 2010s. For simplicity let’s say that it’s anyone born between 1997 and 2012.” Other sources agree. I checked. As a verified septuagenarian, I can be confused more easily that younger folks.

Zoomers are said to be the first generation to have grown up entirely online and can be referred to as “digital natives”. A Pew Research study tells us,

“The iPhone launched in 2007, when the oldest Gen Zers were 10. By the time they were in their teens, the primary means by which young Americans connected with the web was through mobile devices, WiFi and high-bandwidth cellular service. Social media, constant connectivity and on-demand entertainment and communication are innovations Millennials adapted to as they came of age. For those born after 1996, these are largely assumed.”

The article named above also talked about their unique characteristics, and their unique challenges, including challenges to the gospel. This is where I began do disagree with some of the author’s statements.

First of all, the author said that “. . . it’s helpful to remember that regeneration (repentance-faith-salvation, or new birth) is impossible with any generation. On it’s face, that simply is not true. Perhaps it was just a poor choice of words. Maybe he should have said that ‘sharing the gospel’ with any generation has its challenges. He did suggest a set of unique barriers to sharing the gospel with Generation Z, which are probably true.

· The digital noise and a short attention span make it difficult to even gain attention.

· Being constantly bombarded with information makes it difficult to show the exclusivity of Christ.

· There is a good chance they have little to zero church background.

· If they do have a perception of the church, it is likely negative.

· Prevalent secularism and materialism make questions of the afterlife seem foolish.

Then the author gets to the meat of his article:

How Should We Change How We Share the Gospel with Gez Z?

He correctly tells us that we should strive to “share the gospel message to help our receptors hear the good news in their own language.” We need to get away from ‘religious speak’ since the chances are good that they have little or no familiarity with religious concepts. So we change the way talk about the issues at stake. He then talked about an article written by Christian author and blogger Josh Chen, who presents three worldviews and how Jesus provides a solution:

1. Guilt and innocence: “Jesus Christ paid the penalty for my sin, allowing me access to heaven.”

2. Shame and honor: “Jesus Christ freed me from my shame and allows me to be who I was created to be.”

3. Fear and power: “Jesus Christ defeated the principalities of this world, freeing us from demonic oppression.”

Chen believes that we are currently moving out of the first cultural worldview, guilt and innocence, and into the second, shame and honor, which is the Gen Z culture. Therefore, when we talk about what Jesus did for us, we should say something like “Jesus freed me from my shame”, rather than “Jesus paid the penalty for my sin”. While all three cultural worldviews are valid, we need to “learn which conversation we need to have “so that the good news is heard as good news” (Emphasis mine).

Well, there seems to be a lot of that going around these days, going back probably a decade or so, at least. For example, the term sin has all but disappeared from today’s popular Christian worship music. You might hear it, but only occasionally. Just yesterday, on our 45 minute drive back home from a hospital procedure, listening to the SiriusXM “The Message” channel, we did hear the term ‘sin’ once. The song was one of those that contains a lyric from a classic hymn. The lyric, using the original tune from the hymn, and used as sort of a chorus, was:

“Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all my sin.”

They hymn has been a longtime favorite of mine. I don’t remember the other lyrics of the song that was played.

While CCM does use the Gen Z terms discussed above (shame and honor), talks about Jesus and what he has done for us, including salvation, we very rarely hear that Christ died for our ‘sins’, which is exactly why He died, (shame and guilt). During yesterday’s drive home, we even heard that “Jesus died for who I was”, with zero explanation of what that meant.

I am not saying that, in witnessing to Zoomers (or anyone else) we don’t need to use terms familiar to our gospel audience. What I am saying is that we should use familiar words and terms as a gateway to lovingly steering the conversation to the language of the Bible. That means defining terms that are offensive to the average unbeliever, like ‘sin’ and ‘repentance’.

If we have done our due diligence in prayer and asked God to open the hearts of our listeners, some will hear with their hearts the message of the gospel and turn to Christ, just like Lydia did in Acts 16. Others will be offended.

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Dear friends, be faithful to the message and God will save His people, just as He has in every generation since the dawn of history!

Be Blessed!

“Christian Music Theology: Is It Going Bad to Worse?”

Posted by Dan C. on

It seems that I spend and inordinate amount of time being critical of contemporary Christian Music (CCM), according to some. They might be right. Perhaps I need to be more skilled at politely comparing today’s CCM with the classic hymns I am so find of, with their God-centeredness, deeper theology, roots in sound doctrine, and tendency to address the tougher aspects of our Christian lives we grapple with every day.

The title of this post is also the title of aa article published by the Christian Post that I read just this morning. The article discusses some issues I have also considered on occasion, while not talking about other issues that occupy this old brain.

The Christian Post article can be found at:

Christian Music Theology: Is It Going Bad to Worse?

The article also has a link to the original post that was published on the author’s blog at: The Harder Truths.

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P.S. There was one thing the author stated in his article to which I responded in the blog comment section:


Dan CartwrightAugust 13, 2023 at 6:28 AM

You make excellent observations in this article. You also seemed to say that true Christians can fall/run away and never return. You said “…, while it is true that a prodigal who has “run away” (as the account goes in Luke 15:11-32) can return, there is no provision for one who never returns. The bible warns about falling away (Hebrews 6:4-6) and denying our Lord (Matthew 10:33). We make our own decision whether to believe in and walk with Christ or not. Jesus himself warned His own disciples, “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38).” How do you reconcile that with 1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”

Reply

We Believe What We Want to Believe

Posted by Dan C. on

The title above is this septuagenarian’s (old guy) ‘at the end of the day’ opinion/conclusion. Furthermore, I think it applies to pretty much all of us and that it also applies to a great many issues and topics in our lives. I have also noticed that after many ears of paying attention to the world around me we can go to ridiculous extremes in our thinking and reasoning to justify our personal opinions. While we are quite capable of rational thought, we can toss it aside as we go to great lengths to ‘prove’ our case. Our personal opinions and conclusions trump what appears to be simple common sense and logic.

The current political climate in our nation is probably a great example. Without discussing details, it’s pretty ugly, is it not? Then there are our pet ‘causes’. In our quest for ‘social justice’ we can adopt genuinely discriminatory actions and policies, while we claim to hate discrimination! Prove me wrong, please!

The same principle applies to matters of faith and religion, even Christianity. Just recently, I’ve been involved in a discussion with another Christian concerning, in part, the Kingdom of God; specifically, Mark 1:15 and these words of Jesus:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (KJV)

In a couple of comment exchanges my friend told me that the Kingdom of God had NOT come. When I replied with Jesus very words that it HAD (past tense) come, he explained his reasoning. When Jesus spoke those words the Kingdom of God HAD come, but He put the Kingdom of God on hold, which is nowhere stated in scripture that I can find. After more than one comment exchange, my friend told me that Jesus put the kingdom on hold because, as Paul stated in Acts 13, the religious Jews refused to receive Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. He referenced dispensationalism as his ‘proof’ reasoning, as if dispensationalism is settled doctrine. When I mentioned that the big “D” was developed by men (Darby an others) in the 19th century it didn’t even phase him. Likewise, when I suggested that the Kingdom of God might have both a spiritual meaning in the here and now and a physical meaning in the future, I think it went right past his ‘think box’.

Finally, I tried to present the “agree to disagree” thought and he just kept arguing. Finally, I just told him that I’m probably a covenantal dispensationalist, since I do believe that both covenants and dispensations can be found in Scripture. I added that or little ‘debate’ concerned secondary or maybe tertiary issues and that we did agree with the primary issue of the definition of the gospel is what Paul preached in 1 Cor 15:1-4.

Having said that, allow me to reiterate my firm conviction that ‘at the end of the day’, we tend to believe what we want to believe. What we want to believe can depend on various factors, based on our natural inclinations as well outside sources. Once we (Christians included) are convinced that our opinion or view of an issue is THE right one, we can go to great lengths to ‘prove’ our ‘rightness’ and the ‘wrongness’ of any other opinion or belief.

So, the big question for me at the moment is “WHY do we who profess Christ and are filled/baptized with the Spirit when we are born again insist that we are ‘right’ and the other believer is ‘wrong’ about spiritual matters/theology/doctrines when the topic(s) at hand are not explicit, but merely implicit in Scripture? And secondarily, why do we sometimes insist that our ‘debate’ partner is trying to ‘prove’ his/her point when he/she is merely trying to have a simple discussion concerning something?

I’m reminded of the first stanza of that timeless hymn ’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus (Louisa M. R. Stead, 1882)

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So What? How do I apply that to my Christian walk?

It’s rather simple, really! I need to focus on Jesus’ simple, clear promises found in the text of scripture, and trust God with all of the details. Yes, “Virginia”, the Kingdom of God is real, and it has multiple meanings in the pages of the Bible.

If, along the way I find out that someone, somewhere, as some point in time “discovered” and started teaching the details only God knows for sure, I can put them in a ‘non-essential but interesting’ file. It’s just sad that the friend I’ve been talking about is so stuck in a form of dispensationalism that he won’t even consider the possibility of the Kingdom of God having more than one meaning. So we can pray for him and others whose minds are similarly ‘rusted shut” by doctrines of human invention. I also thank God for changing what I WANT to believe through the presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells within.

Have a blessed Day!

“You’re Gonna Have to Serve Somebody”–Bob Dylan

Posted by Dan C. on

imageI confess that I have been a Bob Dylan fan throughout his career. He was considered by some to be a prophet of his times, considered by many to be the most acclaimed and influential songwriter of the past half century, receiving a Pulitzer Prize in Literature in 2016, having been cited for his “profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power”, as early as 2008 by Variety Magazine. The album “Slow Train Coming” produced in 1979, was the first of a trilogy of gospel albums Dylan wrote and performed after his conversion to Christianity, which is quite a story in itself. The opening track on that album was Gotta Serve Somebody and actually won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Male in 1980.

Gotta Serve Somebody, for this old timer, is still Dylan’s most memorable song. I first heard it during a period of my life when this prodigal son had returned to his Christian roots. The song contains multiple verses written in the second person describing in an almost light hearted manner the sort of person you might be, with each verse followed by a hard-hitting haunting chorus. Here is the first verse and the chorus:

Verse 1

“You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble; you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls

Chorus

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

As Dylan’s first release during his “gospel” period, “Gotta Serve Somebody” was met with divisive reviews; John Lennon famously criticized the song and wrote a parody titled “Serve Yourself” in response. The popular magazine, Record World said that “Dylan’s fervent vocals, laced with a gospel female chorus, and subdued keyboard/guitar lines make this an important statement.” The song has been covered by over 50 additional artists.

What I found most intriguing about “Gotta Serve Somebody” is the fact that Bob Dylan was might have been absolutely correct in declaring that everyone serves either “the Devil or the Lord”, at least according the Apostle Paul. Please hear me out, especially if you are having problems with Dylan’s declaration. It can be a tough pill to swallow, even for professing Christians.

In his letter to Christians in Rome, as recorded in Romans, chapter 6, Paul spoke of believers being dead to sin and alive to God (vv. 1-14), and then gave thanks to God that those who had once been slaves to sin under the law were now slaves to righteousness and heartfelt obedience leading to sanctification because of God’s grace, having been saved by faith in Christ. (vv. 15-19).

“15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary has this to say about verses 17 & 18:

“This discussion reminded the Apostle Paul of what the grace of God had already accomplished in his readers’ lives and he burst forth in praise. Before they responded to the gospel they had been slaves to sin, but they wholeheartedly (lit., “out from hearts,” thus inwardly and genuinely, not merely externally) obeyed (cf. “obedience” in 1Pet 1:2) the form of teaching to which they were entrusted. Hearing the teaching of God’s Word, they committed themselves to those truths. That commitment was evidenced by their response to the gospel and their being baptized. The result was that they have been set free from sin and have become slaves (past tense in Gr.) to righteousness (cf. Rom 6:22).”

So What?

Assume for a moment that Dylan was right in declaring that we all serve somebody, either the Devil or the Lord?:

What are we, as Christians with the mission of sharing the gospel with a lost world, to do with the knowledge that those who are living apart from saving grace through Christ? We can apply that truth in at least two ways.

First, we should gaze inwardly and remember that every one of us who has embraced the Savior of the world once served sin and the Devil. Call it ‘remembering our natural roots’. In doing so, we won’t lose sight of the enormity of Christs sacrifice on our behalf. It had nothing to do with ‘our best lives now’! Sadly, you won’t hear a sermon about our true condition apart from Christ from many of today’s pulpits or entertainment venues masquerading as churches.

Secondly, the true condition of the lost that are all around us as servants of sin needs to inform our efforts at personal evangelism. While we should see our unsaved loved ones, friends, co-workers and neighbors in the same way Jesus saw the crowds that surrounded Him, both Jews and gentiles compassionately and as “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:36/Mark 6:34). Just as Jesus taught the crowds that surrounded him and followed him, we need to lovingly and truthfully share with others the problem of sin and the solution to its ‘slavery’ through repentance and belief in the message of the gospel.

His Word in Pictures: Romans 6:18