Veiled to the Perishing

My least favorite rules when working with youth are the reactionary ones, rules like, “Don’t put full soda cans in the leaky trash bag in the shuttle.” Or, “Keep water games away from expensive electronics.” And especially, “Don’t cut down trees while someone is standing in them.”

These may sound funny, but the reason they are reactionary rules is because who would have ever thought they needed to be rules until someone did exactly what the rule now forbids after the fact. Similarly, my least favorite theological clarifications happen after some heresy has become engrained in the church. Currently, as I see it, there are two great heresies operating within Christianity, the first is the unholy relevatism of the semi-emergent church; I have no lack of blog posts addressing this driscollism, mysticism, and humanism.

The other great heresy facing Christianity today, in my opinion, is the call for ecumenicalism within the sovereignty debate. One of us is obviously wrong, yet for over a century the church has tolerated unbiblical preachers like Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and Luis Pilau who preach an impotent Christ and the sovereignty of man. This blog post was conceived under one such ecumenical call, “Our differences in doctrines only convolute God’s message to non-believers.”

I have to wonder if this person has ever read Second Corinthians 4? He’s almost quoted it, though Paul was on the exact opposite side of the ecumenical call than him,

We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord… - 2 Corinthians 4:2-5

Jesus said it better even than Paul, “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. Because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.” (John 8:43,45)

Wow! What has convoluted the message? Is it the Calvinist/Arminian argument, or the Cessasionist/Mystic debate, or Eschatology discussions? No, it is the very truth of God, for if the message is convoluted, it is convoluted ONLY to those who are perishing. This is exacerbated in that the god of this city (whom Christian radio frequently sings songs to and about) has blinded their eyes so that as Paul said earlier, “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

The call to ecumenicalism and tolerance may seem noble at first, but we see that it is tampering with God’s word, editing our statement of truth, proclaiming our own opinions instead of Jesus Christ as Lord. Phil Johnson, over at Pyromaniacs, said it best with,

We live in a culture that has lowered the tolerance for phony gentleness. “Let’s just agree to disagree”. The refusal to fight for truth has done much damage. Lets agree to argue until one of us refutes the others and we come to the correct conclusion.

If the gospel is convoluted, it is convoluted to those who are perishing. We must not substitute a phony call for gentleness, an editing of God’s harshness, under the guise that our theological disagreements may keep someone out of Heaven. And let me add a very very minor caveat, we must not seek to install inappropriate stumbling blocks, but those that stumble over the truth of Christ do so because God has doubly predestinated them to (1 Peter 2:8). If they will stumble and fall, then let them stumble and fall over the absolute truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, not perishing because we failed to shine the full light of the gospel; Christ in us.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Personal Responsibility versus Divine Grace

Within the argument over who is Sovereign in this universe, either the King or the sinner, inevitably the question of divine decree versus personal responsibility comes to the forefront.

The Responsibility of Man

The sinner is, of course, totally responsible for their actions and is utterly commanded to obey God. These responsibilities include loving him with the fullness of the soul (Deuteronomy 6:5), a full repentance from sin to righteousness (Acts 17:30), a full trust in Christ for salvation (Ephesians 2:8), and attributing to Christ all of the glory for salvation (Ephesians 2:9). These are the four main responsibilities which the sinner has towards Heaven; there are several hundred more.

And these are only matters of commission, of positive command, the sinner is responsible for rejecting evil (Romans 3:8), for keeping his heart pure (Psalm 24:3-4), for avoiding unrighteousness (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), for living an exemplary life (Matthew 5:3-11), for outperforming his pastors in religious knowledge and action (Matthew 5:20), for judging a person only on action and not on superficialities (Matthew 5:21-22), for committing to one person for the full intimacy of the marriage covenant (Matthew 5:27-28), for being utterly truthful (Matthew 5:33), for being totally faithful (Matthew 5:37), for being charitable beyond measure (Matthew 5:44), and above all, the sinner has the responsibility of attaining and maintaining perfection (Matthew 5:48).

If these were not enough responsibility, the prophet James introduces the idea of a sin of omission: he writes that whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17), and that a single sin utterly condemns a person (James 2:10-12). If you have not committed adultery but have committed murder, your condemnation is just. If you have not murdered but have lied, you have stored up an infinite amount of wrath to be poured out on you on the day of wrath. If you have not lied but have failed to help a person in need, you might as well have made it a practice to break every commandment completely and repeatedly.

There is certainly no lack of responsibility for the sinner to be saved should he break any of these laws, for if we judge ourself rightly, we won't be judged (1 Corinthians 11:31). In order to be saved the sinner has the responsibility of being born again (John 3:3-7), he has the responsibility to take up his cross (to forsake his life and give it for God) and follow Christ (Matthew 10:38), he has the responsibility to sell everything he has and give it to the poor (Luke 18:22), he must confess every last one of his sins perfectly, not missing a single one (1 John 1:9), he must repent and be immersed in Christ (Acts 2:38), he must repent and believe (Mark 1:15), and he must confess his full allegiance to Christ’s saving work (Romans 10:9,13). If he does this, God will reward his diligence and welcome him into Heaven.

These are a few of the responsibilities the sinner has. If you are not convicted of your utter incapability to accomplish even a single one of your responsibilities, then I ask you to pause here and reread this first section, including the proof-texts, for Jesus tells us that it would be easier to get a one-thousand-pound seven-foot tall dromedary through a one-millimeter hole than to get you through the gates of Heaven (Mark 10:25). But, if you want to be worthy of Christ, all you have to do is perform each of these perfectly (Matthew 10:38).

The Grace of God

If it sounds impossible for the responsibility of man to lead to anything short of condemnation, then you are getting the point. Christ’s immanent followers asked him, “Who then can be saved!?” and he responded, “what is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Mark 10:26-27)

The exceeding impossibility of man’s responsibility is meant for two major purposes, first to humiliate man, and second to exalt the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, who kept every ordinance perfectly. When baptized he was fulfilling all righteousness (Matthew 3:13-15), so that those who have never been baptized (including those wetted as infants) will not be turned away from Heaven’s gates for failing to be perfect. He asked from the cross, “What I did not steal, must I now restore?” (Psalm 69:5) He will never forsake himself, indeed he cannot (2 Timothy 2:13). He maintained for his entire life a pure heart and clean hands, never lifting up his soul to idols nor swearing deceitfully (Psalm 24:3-4). The responsibility of full obedience to God was demonstrated in his obedience even to death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-11).

Mankind has a full responsibility to repent towards Heaven, and also an utter inability to do so. In the grace of Christ though, we are not without hope, for he grants to us repentance leading to the knowledge of God (2 Timothy 2:25, et al)! We have a call to faith in the Risen Son, but we are faithless and twisted generation; but our faithful God and Saviour has given to us a saving measure of faith (2 Peter 1:1, Ephesians 2:8-9).

Mankind has a full responsibility to respond towards Heaven, but as a slave to sin, dead spiritually and incapable of goodness, this responsibility is shirked and becomes yet another sin which will seal his condemnation. But thanks be to God who made him who knew no sin to be sin for our sake, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Those who are saved are not saved by the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but by the will of God (John 1:13).

Conclusion

It is the sin of mankind to want to attribute his greatness to his own works. The Bible speaks over and over again of God doing everything good in men (Zechariah 4:6, John 3:27, Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Romans 8:28), of him being the absolute proprietor of everything that happens (Isaiah 45:5-7, Zechariah 5:4). Mankind is totally responsible for his own actions, being condemned under sin. Mankind is given opportunity to earn his salvation, but he is incapable of avoiding sin and performing righteousness. In both cases his personal responsibility has not provided for his salvation, but has multiplied his condemnation.

But thanks be to God who gives the victory through Jesus Christ. It is only by God’s grace that anyone is saved, that any saint reaches repentance, and that any people receives mercy (Mark 13:20, 1 Peter 2:10, 2 Peter 3:9). God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." (Exodus 33:19) So then it depends not on human will or exertion, rather it is in spite of human will and exertion, and it depends wholly on God, who has mercy (Romans 9:16).

What then shall we say, that we ought to sin all the more so that God’s goodness shines forth contrasted against our darkness? Heaven forbid, we have the total responsibility to seek the Lord while he may be found (John 6:44), we must repent, we must believe, we must cease from sin. But, in our complete inability to do this the Spirit will give us contrition for our sin, convict us of impending judgment, and convince us of Christ’s righteousness, so that we see we are saved by grace, not of ourselves, that we receive grace through faith given from above, not of ourselves, that it is a gift of God, not of ourselves, so that we will not boast, but attribute all of the honor and glory to the Risen and Righteous and Responsible Jesus Christ.

Human responsibility has led many a soul to Hell, but never a soul to Heaven. It is only by the grace of God that we may be saved.

Memorization Verses for Young Preachers

In this post are 45 of my 31,102 favorite verses, these were compiled for our Young Preacher's Society to memorize. These students are learning to preach the gospel in a variety of settings. These verses were selected for the purpose of giving a rounded understanding of how to preach the gospel and the goal of preaching: for the glory of God.

While it is good to memorize the verse verbatim, it is more important to understand what it is teaching. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 could be effectively paraphrased, "When you stand in Heaven and someone asks, 'Why are you here?' You won't have the faintest inclination to say, 'Because I'm so awesome!' No, you'll be forced to say, 'Because Jesus Christ is awesome, and he sought me and bought me, and to him belongs all of the honor, power, and glory, forever and ever.'"

The following verses are from the English Standard Version of the Bible mostly, with a few King James-isms thrown in.

Most Important Verse for Memorization:
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Law:
Romans 3:19-20 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Gospel:
Colossians 1:21-22 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…

Galatians 1:3-5 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree."

Resurrection:
1 Corinthians 15:17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 4:25 [Jesus] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Christ’s Deity:
Hebrews 1:8-9 Of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions."

Salvation:
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

John 1:12-13 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Works Righteousness:
Galatians 2:21 If righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Matthew 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

James 2:10 Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

Romans 4:4-5 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness…

Invitation:
2 Corinthians 5:20 We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Matthew 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

Acts 20:21 …repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christian Service:
Acts 20:35 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The Church:
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.

2 Corinthians 11:28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

3 John 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Ministerial Verses:
James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Romans 12:9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Hebrews 1:1-2 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Philemon 4-6 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

4th Grade Boys Lesson - Play the Man

Today we are going to look at some marks of manhood versus marks of boyhood. Because none of us really wants to be a boy forever, right? Toys-Я-Us tries to tell us that we don't want to grow up, but they are just one secular group among many who hate Jesus and want us to be forever infants.

Marks of Boyhood......Marks of Manhood
Plays games.....................Lives in Reality
Loves Self........................Loves Others
Goes with the crowd........Stands up for right
Fights back......................Turns the other cheek
Ignores others in peril.....Defends the meek
Rebels..............................Recognizes authority
Whines.............................Works Hard
Loves appearances..........Cares about what's on the inside

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Boys play games like basketball, football, and baseball. This is good because it improves your hand eye coordination and teaches you to operate in a team. But sports at best are just a lesson in life on how to grow into a man. Little boys who never grow up watch these sports and make them their gods. The parallels between the idol worship in the Bible with people painting their faces and making loud noises like war and loving things in the form of animals and forsaking the Sabbath is played out completely in modern college football idolatry. Not to mention the time wasted.

Ephesians 5:15-16 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

We need to be making sure we are not wasting time, not watching boys games that have no purpose and no effect on eternity. This also includes devoting massive amounts of time to anything, like video games, hunting, fishing, watching racing, or whatever.

Isaiah 3:4-5 And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable.

Little boys care for their own interests and don't care who they have to trample or offend to get their way. This is hugely selfish and the main source of sin. What are some ways that you can be selfish that hurt others?

Let's look at what men do:

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

What are some ways you can count others as worth more than yourself?

Boys go along with the popular belief and the pleasures of sin,

Proverbs 5:22-23 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.

What are some things in this country that men should be standing up to, but because we're a nation of boys we don't? Tolerance, Abortion, Violence, Islam, Euthanasia...

When the Nazis came for the communists, I said nothing; I was, of course, no communist.
When they locked up the Socialists, I said nothing; I was, of course, no Socialist.
When they came for the trade unionists, I said nothing; I was, of course, no trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews, I said nothing; I was, of course, no Jew.
When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me. – Martin Niemoller

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.

One of my favorite verses is in Romans 3 where it says God will be true, even if every man is a liar. If God is going to be true even if all of the world goes astray, then I'm going to stand with God and stand up for right.

What does a boy do when someone hits him? He hits back.

Matthew 5:38-44 You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...

The man doesn't strike back when he is wronged personally. The reason we do this is to demonstrate the grace of Jesus Christ, that while we should have been squished the first time we sinned and offended God, he still was patient and kind and didn't crush us.

Boys don't come to the aid of others, but men do:

Luke 10:30-37 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise."

If you are wronged, then you turn the other cheek. But if someone is hitting a girl in your class, then you step in and do what you must to make sure she is no longer getting hit. In this we emulate our Saviour who has promised to avenge every wrong done to us. Likewise we need to take care of someone even if they are our enemy; if they are hungry, we feed them, if they are thirsty, we give them drink, and the reason is in First Peter:

1 Peter 2:12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

A boy rebels against authority, loving himself, money, and being disobedient to parents and elders; where-as a man submits to the King of Heaven knowing that he is right and his ways are right.

One of the darkest times in all of Israel was in Judges 21, let's see why:

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

What does a boy do when he has to do a hard chore or a job he doesn't want to do? He whines about it, he grumbles, he doesn't do a good job.

But a man knows that he is representing Jesus Christ when he works, so he does everything without grumbling, knowing that he is ultimately working for Christ himself:

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Now let's look briefly at how a man loves his brothers and sisters: Six words for love are Agape, Storge, Phileo, Thelema, Eros, and Porneia:

Agape – Sacrificial lovingkindness – Better translated as Charity.

This is how God loved the world. You agape somebody when you do something for them without expecting anything in return or because of who they are. If you see a baby carriage rolling down a hill, you’re going to do something regardless of who the baby is. You may be agape loving the next Adolf Hitler, but this sort of love doesn’t discriminate. For example, you can totally hate someone but still give them charity, like a prisoner of war is given food and drink and medical care, even though he is an enemy.

Storge – In terms of God it is Fatherly love, also used for parental love, and pastoral love. Cherish would be a good translation; you cherish things that are valuable.

This word is hard to find in the New Testament, not because it’s not there, but because it gets stuck on the back of other words. In Romans 1:31 it says one of the marks of God’s judgment on a people is they will stop having storge love. It’s used most beautifully in the beginning of Romans 12:10, the HCSB has the best translation,

Romans 12:10 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love.

Phileo – Brotherly love, the word for friend, Philos, comes from this.

This is helping your friend no matter what and not expecting payment in return.

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Thelema – Desire/Enjoyment…aka…I love hamburgers…I love skiing…

In 1 Thessalonians 4:3 it says that God loves your sanctification, he desires it, he enjoys it. What is sanctification? Becoming more and more like Jesus Christ in your actions and attitude.

A husband can also thumos his wife;

Eros – Physical/Committed/Romantic Attraction, the actual word is not in the Bible but the concept is.

This is love between a husband and a wife. It is not purely physical, it’s sort of all of the previous loves combined. It’s almost axiomatic, or self-proving, that the husband loves his wife and therefore finds her pretty and he loves her also because she is pretty. This love should be constrained within the marriage covenant; when it is used wrongly you can use Eros to describe it, but a better word is one of sexual immorality:

Now we get to how boys love women:

Porneia – Physical attraction; lust.

The Greeks would have freaked out if they found out we’re using the same word for Agape and Phileo to translate Porneia, yet we do. This is the love that says I love the outside of you and couldn’t care less about the inside of you.

A man will consider the personality and virtues of a woman based on her character rather than her appearance. The Bible compares us to flowers which become beautiful overnight but fade away quickly. But a beautiful soul saved by Jesus Christ will last forever.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Let me give you some examples of some real men:
Manz, Hubmaier, Sattler
Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer

You are a real man when you commit to following Jesus Christ and his commands, when you place his priorities as your priorities, and when you consider others as more valuable than yourself. I hope you will take this seriously and soon put away childish things and play the man.