A Stingy Orthodoxy

The best way to stifle the worshipping heart is to be fuzzy about the abilities of man and God. In an age where its cool to be generous in our orthodoxy to include value and appreciation of man's contribution to God and His salvation and to remove the particulars of doctrine, I would like to advocate a stingy orthodoxy. One that wont give us anything. Listen to Martin Luther from Freedom of the Will...

Therefore, it is not irreligious, curious, or superfluous, but essentially wholesome and necessary, for a Christian to know, whether or not the will does any thing in those things which pertain unto Salvation. For our object is this: to inquire what Free Will can do, in what it is passive, and how it stands with reference to the grace of God. If we know nothing of these things, we shall know nothing whatever of Christian matters, and shall be far behind all People upon the earth. He that does not feel this, let him confess that he is no Christian. And he that despises and laughs at it, let him know that he is the Christian's greatest enemy. For, if I know not how much I can do myself, how far my ability extends, and what I can do God-wards; I shall be equally uncertain and ignorant how much God is to do, how far His ability is to extend, and what He is to do toward me: whereas it is God that worketh all in all. (1 Cor. xii. 6.) But if I know not the distinction between our working and the power of God, I know not God Himself. And if I know not God, I cannot worship Him, praise Him, give Him thanks, nor serve Him; for I shall not know how much I ought to ascribe unto myself, and how much unto God. It is necessary, therefore, to hold the most certain distinction, between the power of God and our power, the working of God and our working, if we would live in His fear.

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Contemporary efforts to encourage people with talk about their inherent goodness and potential are really achieving the opposite effect. If we do not define with ferocious veracity the impossibility of man's "free will" to do anything "God-wards", we will remove from the church the only source of worship. In the case of ascribing ability to ourselves, "less" yields more worship and "none" will yield true praise, thanks and service. So lets embrace an orthodoxy thats stingy and the God that is generous.

Words Matter

Have you ever heard these phrases being used to communicate the gospel?

"You must accept Jesus as your Savior..."
"To be saved, you must give your heart and life to Jesus..."
"You must receive Christ into your heart..."
"Christ must be enthroned in your heart..."

These are all words used by well meaning people trying to communicate the Gospel. However. I am writing tonight to say that these words are not used in the Bible. Yes, I know. Shocking.
Now I can hear someone saying, "yes, but are not you being too picky? Certainly the above phrases give the general idea of what the gospel is." Well, I would have to say that you would be hard pressed to find them, even in the most loose translation. (More on this at the end.)

So Chris, if these phrases are so wrong. What should we say? Well, I am glad you asked. Here's a start:

The gospel is not...

Man accepting Jesus as his savior...but God accepting Jesus as the perfect and only Savior 2000 years ago.

Man giving his heart and life to Jesus...but Jesus gave his heart and life in the place of sinners

Man recieving Christ into His heart...but that God received the Lord Jesus into heaven as the mediator for sinners

Christ enthroned in the human heart...but that God enthroned the Lord Jesus at His right hand in heaven.

Can you see the difference? The good news is, first of all, about what Jesus has done for God on the cross because redemption is first and foremost God's idea. Jesus was obeying and acting out of obedience to God and then we as God's beloved children and Jesus' beloved brothers receive the wonderful benefit.

Now there is a place in God's plan for a response to the gospel. And this is where SOME of the phrases above MIGHT have some merit. However, do not get these responses confused with the cause of these responses. To do so is to take the heart of the gospel and say that redemption is dependant upon something that we do.

So, even if the words or the ideas of "accepting Jesus", and "giving your hear to Jesus" and "receiving Jesus into your heart" were biblical, they could not be considered the good news, but our only rightful response to the good news.

And now you might say "see Chris, even you say that we respond to the gospel. So we do have a part." Well, let me clarify.

In college I drove a car. When my friends would ask "Whose 1983 white Volkswagen Rabbit is that with the felt ceiling drooping down onto the headrests." I would proudly proclaim "mine". Now to what extent was this car mine? I did not pay for the car, I did not pay for my insurance to drive the car. I did not pay for the repairs for this car. I did not even pay for the gas that powered this car. My gracious Dad did all of these things. My ONLY reason for saying the car was "mine" is that I was the only person who would drive it and that my Dad gave it to me and no one else.

Our response to the gospel (repentence, trust, love, obedience...) can only be called "ours" in the sense that I could call my car in college mine. It was mine, but only because it was given. I could not have purchased one myself or pay for the use of it. ALL of it was supplied by my earthly father. And in the same sense and only in this sense can I say my rightousness, my redemption, my repentence, etc... It is still the work of God and him alone.

So. the words we use to explain the gospel and where we put "our" response in the equation is truly a matter of great importance. The truth of the gospel and the redemption of souls depend upon it.

But wait there's more...

Charles Wesley wrote this hymn to com­mem­o­rate his first year of his life with Christ. Its an amazing, beautiful declaration of the gospel. I know some of you are very familiar with this song. However, this version has 19 verses! So keep reading.

My daughters and I just started this book: Hymns for a Kid's Heart. I know it sounds like cheesy "Heaven and Earth" type Christian trinket literature like "The Irish Setter Study Bible", but wait, there's more... Its actually really good with a CD with kids singing hymns. Tonight we read the first chapter and sang to the CD it was a really good time with my 4 girls. So that's 5 tougues. Only 4995 left to go.

enjoy.

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

In Christ your Head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.

On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.

Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.

Then with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!

I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.

Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.

Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Æthiop white.

Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.

Murderers and all ye hellish crew
In holy triumph join!
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.

With me, your chief, ye then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

Insignificance - the fast track to happiness.

Got an hour? Got a notebook? Got a Bible?

Curl up to your computer by yourself or with a date and start the new year off with the right perspective. Listen to Dr. Bruce Ware teach for an hour on a key attribute of God: His self-sufficiency. Its well worth it. Save the 10 bucks for the movie and the 40 bucks for the baby sitter. Put the kids to bed (if you have them) and go to seminary for 60 minutes. Its Isaiah 40:12-17, 27-31 well taught.

Enjoy responsibly by clicking here.