Category: Reflections

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Talk to the Faculty at Trinitas Christian School in Pensacola, Fl

foggy lake

Title: Self-Control: Living in the Realm of Strength

Thanks for the opportunity to address the faculty in this new season of Trinitas. From my own perspective, we had a marvelous year last year and I am praying for the rivers of Eden to overflow even more to the classrooms this year.

By the time they called me, it was almost too late. This young lady (16-17 years of age) sat in my office. She looked at her cell phone as if it were a god. Her father was beside himself; angry; no, furious; no, like Jonah, he was angry enough to die. He wanted her out of the house and she wanted him out of her life. The feeling was mutual. When they looked at each other, their eyes rebound like a hockey puck. There were frustration tattoos all over their faces. I spoke to the daughter first and you could tell that there was no longer any energy for reconciliation. I then spoke with the dad, and he looked like he was done long ago. He offered a plethora of accusations, and by the end, I realized this was indeed hopeless. How could the Gospel transform this father and daughter who drifted apart so long ago? Fruits of the Spirit? Not even one. They had convinced themselves that this was not worth it. And then it dawned on me as I read through my notes: neither father nor daughter desired to be an instrument of rescue for the other. They don’t want to speak redemption; they wish to speak condemnation. They were both operating in the works of the flesh. Love, patience? Not a chance. This was about aiming as accurately as possible at the other and hoping it does the most amount of damage.

I want to focus on the last feature/theme of the fruits of the Spirit, which is self-control or sometimes translated temperance. And I want to begin by actually doing a word study. The Greek Word is egkrateia comes from two roots: en which means “in” or “in the realm of” and kratos which means “strength” or “dominion.” Perhaps a more literal translation of self-control, then, is being in the realm of strength.

What does this mean?

Interestingly, both Paul and Peter write a lot about self-control, about being in the realm of strength. There is a unity of mind about the centrality of self-control in the New Testament. I contend that Paul’s ninth fruit of the Spirit is an intentional way Paul concludes his list. It’s as if he were saying, “These eight fruits only make sense if you are in the realm of strength.” So, self-control is the way Paul ties all these virtues together. But it seems that we interpret “self-control” in the English language by talking about restraint. We often use the word “self-control” to talk ourselves out of eating the fourth piece of cake or to cool down from a temper tantrum. Of course, these things are all true, but there is something more important going on for Paul, and it’s the idea that the Christian needs to be in a place of strength to exercise the fruits of the Spirit.

So, let’s flesh this fruit out a bit more until we get to the core.

When Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, he ascended in an earthly body, a glorified one, but the same body. Jesus was always in the realm of strength. He didn’t allow pettiness and emotionalism to guide his steps as we are so prone to doing. But Jesus, in his perfect state, told us to follow in his footsteps and Paul commands us to walk in step with the Spirit. So, the fruits that we have heard need to be practiced in the realm of strength, which means in the presence of God. When our habits are not formed by godly things, we generally fall away from that road of virtue. It’s precisely why Paul calls us to put ourselves in a position of strength and dominion; seek the right environment. You and one bad friend jump from one realm to another; early exposure to a cell phone and suddenly that strong child becomes weak in every conceivable way.

It’s often said that the sin we most enjoy is the one we most condemn. That’s because we don’t like the idea of others indulging in our favorite sins. “That’s my sin! How dare you mess with it!” Paul would say you need to see sin as sin and be angry at all expressions, including your favorite flavor of sin. You must be in the Spirit, in step with the Triune God; living with the ascended Messiah all the time.

Now, I know that we violate this list so frequently, but we need to keep our eyes on the prize; toward the tree of life. If we lack love for one another, let’s not move on to plan B. Let’s stay on track to loving one another. If we don’t show patience with the students, let’s not move on to another plan. I suspect that the lack of self-control is the root of all sorts of evil in the classrooms. There is an interconnectedness to all these virtues, but Paul ties them all up in a beautiful bow called self-control. For Paul, the only way you will ever live a life of faithfulness where these virtues are clearly seen is if you decide to live in the realm of strength. Students need to see self-control as a way of strength. Anger, jealousy, bitterness, and gossip are the vices of weak men and women. That’s why the Apostle says that to be in the realm of strength requires belief, trust, and acknowledgment that there is one that has been in the realm of strength since his virgin birth and who is even now in the realm of strength at the right hand of the Father.

Isn’t it interesting that Paul’s contrast with the fruits of the Spirit is not the fruits of the flesh, but rather “the works of the flesh.” We are not adorning our lives with the things we do and produce solely based on our works, for Paul, the fruit is something we receive. After all, these are called the fruits of the Spirit. To be truly free is to be indwelt by God’s Spirit. God provides the growth and the increase in our classrooms and in the hallways and the in the grand hall.

To be in the realm of strength is to acknowledge that you are completely lost without the Spirit’s aid. We need to be “sustained by the Spirit, challenged by the Spirit, strengthened by the Spirit. If we have the idea that self-control means we garner all the strength we can muster from our own flesh, we are mistaken. If we think self-control is a pep-talk, a self-motivation speech; if you think this is about pumping yourself up to love, joy, peace, etc., you will be devastated when at the end of the school day, you realize that what you did was not so much change a habit, but made those students more subtle in their deception and anger.

To be in the realm of strength is actually to depend, trust, appreciate, and give over our lives, behavior, and moods to the Holy Spirit. It is something we need to keep renewing when you have succumbed to the realm of weakness when a whole week has been in the kingdom of weakness.

Paul has already said this in Galatians 2: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” Or in his sermon to the Athenians in Acts: “In him we move, and live and have our being.” So, the fruits of the Spirit are never disconnected from the power and work of the Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit.

So, in what realm do we live? If we were to inventory our habits and speech, what domain do we live in? In the domain of strength and dominion, or in the domain of selfishness and anger? The students will need a healthy dose of reminders to get back to the baptism of life and strength.

Are your dispositions towards these fruits, or are you indifferent to them? I have said this many times, but the problem is not primarily morality; it’s the apathy that leads to ungodly things; among students and teachers. Being at Trinitas is not just one calling among many; it’s a distinct call to instruct all these little and tall humans that if their education is not used for the realm of strength, it will be used to manipulate others, which means they are ripe to be manipulated themselves.

Keep your eyes on the indifferent and apathetic children, those who view Jesus as a convenient answer. If Christian education is only a matter of convenience or “only when it serves me,” or “only when I feel like it,” then you are not in the realm of strength; in fact, you are open to an avalanche of attacks; you are opening the door for poor decisions in your life; decisions which will shape you for a long time.

My encouragement to you is to keep each other in check.

“Today, I am in that realm of weakness. There is a student that simply doesn’t seem to get it. There is tension with a parent, or whatever it may be.” But what you can’t do is fight weakness with weakness. You can’t respond in kind. Yes, we are human, but we are Spirit-indwelt humans.

In the beginning, the father and daughter I spoke to, who were in a desperate state, were content to live far from the domain and realm of strength and dominion. They wanted no self-control; they wanted total control over one another. They wanted the other to submit to his or her demands. They tried to make the other after his/her image.

You see, the fruits of the Spirit are not a take one and leave the others behind. They come together because they are really a part of the same fruit tree. Once you pursue one, the others begin to be equally attractive. If you do not pursue them, they will seem like spoiled fruits.

As teachers, you will need to develop an appetite for this tree, and to do so, we need to open our lives to the work of the Spirit within us; to call the Spirit to give you strength when all you have left is the need for one more cup of coffee.

Paul concludes by saying that against this list, there is no law which is his short way of saying, “Against the fruits of the Spirit being evident in your life, against living in the realm of strength, there is no more appetizing human law; there are no regulations and rules that have dominion over you.”

The good news is that Trinitas begins this new year with a Messiah that knows our weakness and knows how often we are prone to wonder, which is why he gives us his flesh and blood to draw us to the realm of strength. For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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The Ease of False gods

Dear friend,

The epidemic is too great not to talk about it. We, men, cannot act as if we don’t struggle. We cannot hide behind the mask of normalcy. Sex, drugs, gambling are only the symptoms of our deeper disease. We are idolaters. We love false gods because they entice us with goodies: quick pleasure and quick fixes. We take them and don’t even ask for the dealer’s name. In fact, we are too scared to ask because their names would condemn us.

Obstinate.
Apollyon.
Mr. Worldly Wiseman.
Mr. Legality.

“No, please don’t tell me your name,” we say.

We find refuge in the embrace of addiction because those habits demand very little of us. We binge watch shows night after night because it requires little of us. We spend all our time at work because it is more pleasurable than the noises of children. We truly choose the easy route as often as possible.

We love non-demanding gods. The God of Israel is too hard.

So, where do we go, men? Do we want to do the harder things? Do we want to produce the long-term blessings or will we settle for the quick fixes? To whom shall we go? To whom will we seek when the promises of false gods fail again and again? When our lives begin to crumble before us? Where shall we go? Where can we flee from the Spirit?

I beg you to talk. Life is too short to be lived in secret.

Yours truly,
Pastor Uriesou Brito

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Corporate Charismatics

While we generally associate charismatic with a movement, the word “charisma” simply means “gifts”; something freely given. The Spirit of God gives charismas to us as a church. And the gifts of the Spirit are almost always gifts expressed in the church by the church. In short, if it does not benefit the body, it is of no use.

How strange it is then that some take the gifts of the Spirit and act as if it’s a prized individual possession to be administered like a bank account. No, the gifts are to be given to the church and then outwardly expressed by the church. True charisma, that is, true gifts edify the body and glorify God; they are not spontaneous expressions, they are orderly acts that are embodied by the congregation when she meets each time.

If we individually decide to respond when we feel appropriate, the service would be utter chaos. But where the Spirit’s gifts are given there is unity. The Church ought not to be subject to outward expressions as one sees fit, but as the body sees fit jointly.

In this sense, we are corporate charismatics. We respond, hear, and sing jointly with one voice by the power of One Spirit.

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Membership in the Local Church

Our congregation was enriched yesterday with a whole lot of faces who made vows before God and man to join our local church. In my exhortation to the new members I noted:

“To be joined to a local church is one of the most counter-cultural decisions you will ever make and I am sure glad you have not allowed modernity’s individualism to shape your view of the Church.”

Over the years I have heard stories and met individuals who refused to join a church for a host of reasons. Some had been attending a particular church for over ten years and yet, refused to become a member.

In some cases, they have some fear of submitting to anything; some are said to be waiting for the right time; others are still hurting from some past church experience and are now forever fearful of a repetitive cycle; still, some are just naive of what membership means altogether.

My encouragement to those engaged in a local church, committed to a local body, a regular attender of a local congregation, fed by a local pastor, enriched by local fellowship, is to walk up to the pastor as soon as possible and say: “How can I formally join this body?”

It is entirely possible that after such commitment to membership occasions might arise where you will have to leave to another church and memberships will be transferred. This is all possible. But what you cannot do is act as if you can benefit from a local body, enjoy the blessings of family life and yet refuse to formally join such a body.

You cannot claim the universal church by despising its expression in the local church.

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What can we learn from the Josh Duggar scandal?

By now the entire Christian community is aware of the Duggar debacle. Josh Duggar, son to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, has not only been found out for his despicable acts of molesting five girls in 2002, but also his name turned up when hackers released stolen customer data from cheating site AshleyMadison.com earlier in the week. So far social media celebrity, Matt Walsh, has apologized for giving Josh a pass after the molestation revelations. Walsh used his gigantic platform to treat Josh as a victim of leftist propaganda. If I could summarize Walsh’s first reaction, it would be like this: “Yes, he sinned, but don’t you see why the left is making such a big deal out of this? This is a selective political sniper kill.” The good news is that Walsh’s most recent statement has been very clear in his criticism. Here is a lengthy quote:

So I was wrong about Josh Duggar being a repentant man. Clearly, he isn’t. Or at least he wasn’t. Maybe now he’ll finally begin the process, but it’s certainly impossible to believe that someone could be truly sorry for past sexual sin while currently in the process of fishing for affairs and “experimental” one night stands.

He’s a traitor to his family. I feel awful for them, and I pray that Josh really does come to Christ. Beyond that, I pray his wife and kids somehow recover from all of the shame Josh has brought upon them. Because, let’s be clear, if you sign up for an adultery website and then your information gets hacked and your family ends up embarrassed and devastated — that is YOUR fault. You are the one who victimized them. The hackers acted illegally, but this all happened because of your choices. Don’t want your information stolen from an adultery website? Don’t sign up for an adultery website. Pretty simple formula.

I must also admit that the more I think about this, I realized I was too easy on the the Duggar parents as well. Jim Bob and Michelle knew that their oldest son was struggling with severe sexual sin, they knew their daughters had been abused, they knew their family was in the midst of moral and spiritual turmoil, yet they STILL decided to put themselves and their children on TV for ten years.

I hope others will take the same path and recognize that no matter what royal family one is born into and no matter the influential position he may have in the culture war, no man should be exempt from the lawful discipline of the Church or state, or both.

I concur. Josh Duggar is guilty. Repentance bears fruit (Lk. 3:8). There is a long continuous pattern of sexual misconduct  by Josh Duggar. At this point we should stop and think why are we so comfortable giving a pass to these Christian celebrities? And then we should consider very carefully how we can begin fighting passionately to protect the many victims in our culture who suffer at the hands of such men, but yet are trivialized into a category of “wrong place and wrong time.” Where is the safest environment for them to be restored and emotionally healed from such torments? Who will care for their trauma? The difference is vast.

I am deeply saddened for Josh’s wife and children who will have to live and re-live these awful events due to hyped media attention. As for Josh, words of contrition only go so far. His next few years will prove whether his repentance is genuine or not. I have learned long ago that not all sin is created equal. Repentance can be easily couched in evangelical lingo. Those who defended Josh Duggar without second thought or who assumed his initial incoherent words of confession made everything just fine or who treated repentance like some nebulous concept divorced from the reality of the pain caused to victims will hopefuly have learned a significant lesson: God is not mocked. Sins are not inconsequential. This is not a left vs. right issue. This is an issue of morality  and God has made clear that his justice will not be in vain. Josh Duggar affirmed that, “He is the biggest hyprocrite ever.” But hypocrisy can only be dealt with by understanding what God hates and what he loves.

Paul spoke of temptations that are stunningly difficult to face. When he says “flee from temptation” he is not simply using a 1st century  bumper sticker. This is more profound. Paul’s context is an ecclesiastical one where confession and collective sorrow manifests themselves continually in a community of grace. But even then sin is subtle. You must flee temptation, but you must first understand what temptation looks like. Yahweh speaks about the seven sins that he hates and provides this list as a step-by-step calculation made by those who embrace evil:

16 There are six things which Jehovah hateth; Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:

17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood;

18 A heart that deviseth wicked purposes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief,

19 A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

Duggar’s long history of sexual perversions was not born after a particularly miserable day. There is a pattern of thought and action. There is an anatomy of evil involved. There is a whole-body determination to follow these sins from the eyes to the feet. There is a calculated narrative that culminated in sexual abuse and adultery. For those who do evil the feast of the wicked is incredibly appetizing. One drink leads to another and only increases the hunger.

Where do we begin then? If situations like this do not cause us (particularly men) to be ever cautious then we will not have learned from it. Every person’s crime is a reason to re-consider our strategies to fighting sin and living righteously. If I had five minutes to counsel Josh I would tell him to look at this list and begin to detail where his narrative went awry. Where and when did his eyes become arrogant and haughty? At what point did he think he was invincible? At what point did he rationalize the presence of God away from his actions in secret? Then, when did he begin to put into words his pride by lying about his reality? I would be sure to point him to Jesus; not the Jesus that dismisses sins, but rather takes them with utmost seriousness and urges him to put on Christ and put off the deeds of darkness.

Josh needs to re-consider this list. He needs to see grace as redeeming the mind and abolishing calculated plans for evil. God has plans of his own. His plans involve demolishing our plans and replacing them with plans that are good, true, and beautiful. The task is great. Josh is only a clear example due to his high profile status. There are many Joshes out there currently afraid that they may be found out; afraid that their secret adventures will come out in Duggar fashion. The good news is God has already found you out. The bad news is that God has already found you out. In the end of the day to be found out by God is the best news. His throne is justice. He makes no mistake. His discipline will hurt, but it will not damn you. Accept it. Receive it. Confess it. Find refuge in Him.

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The End of the Serpent’s Sting

There is a venomous snake in the garden. While the great Messiah and his disciples enter the garden, a certain snake-like figure named Judas knows precisely where the faithful are. He enters the garden knowing that this was a place of constant fellowship and peace. But Judas is not a man of peace and his fellowship with the Messiah has been broken. He is now a man at war and his loyalty is with the darkness.

In the Garden of Eden, the Great Serpent entered the garden to bring about chaos; to tempt the first Adam. Indeed he was successful. The first Adam failed in his loyalty to Yahweh, being deceived by the serpent in the garden, and thus, thrusting all mankind into a state of sin and misery. Now in John 18, the New Serpent enters the garden. He is possessed by the same devil that possessed the serpent in Genesis. It is this precise battle that is unfolding before us in this text. The question is: “Who owns the garden?”

Does Judas with his new found commitment to darkness and evil own the garden or does Jesus own the garden? As the text reveals to us we see that Judas, the son of perdition, seems to have the upper hand in this sacred dispute. In verse 12 we read:

So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.

Jesus is arrested and bound. They take him out of the garden bound like a defeated enemy. Now, in every conceivable scenario, this would be the historical determination that Jesus has lost. But if the Messiah is to bring this unshakable and unmovable kingdom with his coming, then how does this binding, this apparent defeat in the garden connect with this glorious kingdom? The answer to this question is: paradoxically. The coming of the kingdom is paradoxical. The kingdom does not come in the way and in the expression that many expected.

Now if the kingdom of God comes paradoxically, in a way unknown to the first century, then there may be a different way of understanding this garden scene. In this text, Jesus is not being bound because of defeat; he is being bound because of victory. Jesus’ arrest is his release. His arrest is not his binding, it may appear to be, but it is ultimately the binding of the evil one, the father of lies, Satan himself. This is why the gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus is the One who bound the strong man. He is the One who arrested the Serpent and dragged him out of the garden. Jesus owns the garden, not Judas or His master, Satan.

This arrest and this binding of Jesus in the garden is not a plan gone awry, it is exactly what has been planned. In one sense, this arrest is the cosmic Trinitarian conspiracy against the kingdoms of this world. When evil leaders and governments think they have the Son of Man trapped, he fools them. As Psalm 2 says, “God laughs at their plans.” The conspiracy of the cross is that the cross is Christ’s sword to defeat evil. But the serpent does not know this. He is virtually blinded to the Messianic plan and nothing will stop Jesus from conquering evil and bringing in a new world, a new creation. The garden belongs to him, because the garden is where his people gather, and eat, and fellowship. The garden is the sacred space, the place of peace. Make no mistake, we are a warring people, but we war against the enemies of Messiah. In the garden, the King, Master, and Messiah says, “the gates of hell shall not prevail. Death dies once and for all and victory will come and we will celebrate it this Sunday. Today, though we fast, it is only a prelude to our coming feast. Jesus’ death marks the end of the serpent’s sting of death.

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Heaven is not a perfect place

Note: It’s not very common to post writings from others on my own blog, but I have done it a few times in the past as a way of revealing my joy in exposing the profound observations of others. Tom is a dear friend, parishioner, and a capable student of the Bible. He took a single thought from a sermon of mine and developed it to something much better than I could have written.

Guest post by Tom Robertson

“…as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” –The Apostle Paul

“Heaven is the blueprint; earth the raw material.” Uri Brito

Uri Brito is the pastor (my pastor) at Providence Church in Pensacola. The quotation above comes from a sermon he preached a few Sundays ago. The Apostle Paul is familiar to you all. His words were written nearly 2000 years ago from an Ephesian prison. I believe Uri’s illustration may be a little unsettling to the average Christian, especially when compared with Paul’s description of Heaven as “gain” and “far better.” Now, no one believes Pastor Brito is talking about mere drawings and measurements. However, he is at a minimum suggesting that Heaven is a kind of starting point and not the finished product. After all, a blueprint is the plan, not the dwelling place. If this is true, then it follows that Heaven is imperfect. And this sounds a bit alarming.

A Place Where No Storm Clouds Rise?

Most of us – at least most of us in “the South” – grew up singing songs that promised we’d leave this world and fly to a place of eternal and undiminished joy. Our understanding was that Earth is toilsome, a place where we must spend “just a few more weary days.” We all thought Heaven to be a place where “no storm clouds rise”, where “joy shall never end”, “no tears ever come again.” Heaven was not a mere temporary lodging. Yet, scripture teaches that Christians will live in a new heavens and a new earth forever and ever. In fact, all things will be made new (Rev 21:5). We ourselves will be made new; our resurrected and glorified bodies will be fit to enjoy a renewed cosmos (Phil 3:21).

So, we will not live forever in Heaven. In fact, Heaven and Earth were never intended to exist forever as separate places. The plan was always for a unity (See Gen 1 and 2, Acts 4:21, Phil 3:20-21, Col 1:20, Rev 21 and 22). At the moment, however, we are in the midst of a cosmos which has undergone what C.S. Lewis described as The Great Divorce. When Adam sinned creation “fell”; Heaven and earth were “torn asunder” with all the resulting pain and consequences of a divorce.

The Coming Unity

It was Ephesians 1:9-10 – “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth” – which occasioned Pastor Brito’s comment “Heaven is the blueprint; earth is the raw materials.” God’s plan, said my Pastor – said the Apostle Paul, no less – is to unite all things in Christ, both in heaven and on earth. It has always been the plan, which is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Neither Heaven nor Earth is meant to be alone.

Heaven is Imperfect

Does this mean that heaven is not a pleasant place? Certainly not! Paul’s confession, that to “die is” not only “gain”, but “far better” (Phil 1:21-23), settles that. To be sure, the comfortable accommodations of heaven are preferable to a sin-ravaged world. Yet, Heaven separated from Earth is imperfect – imperfect, but not defective. Neither was Adam defective. Yet, He was not perfect until joined to Eve. Just as it was not good for Adam to be alone, it is not good for Heaven or Earth to be alone. The ink pen resting on the desk is not defective, but when taken in hand, put to paper and employed by a master poet it becomes perfect. Similarly, Heaven will become perfect when it is intertwined with a gloriously liberated Earth.

So, until then, we are to do what we can to “heavenify” earth, so says my Pastor – “Heaven is the blueprint; earth the raw materials.” And if we happen to leave this Earth before Christ speaks into existence a new cosmos, we’ve been told by a reliable source that our temporary accommodations will be quite comfortable. For to depart and be with Christ is “far better” says Paul – far better, but not perfect.

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Should Reformed People Read N.T. Wright?

It doesn’t happen quite often, but once in a while when I recommend a book or a quote by N.T. Wright on facebook, I will receive a question that goes something like this:

“Do you approve of N.T. Wright? Do you think it’s fruitful to endorse N.T. Wright? Or don’t you know that N.T. denies Justification by faith alone?”

I addressed the first question on facebook and I thought I’d make it available here. My response goes like this:

I think the question ought to be more nuanced. In other words, humans and their ideas, especially new humans recreated by God, ought to be analyzed more carefully and charitably. As a pastor I recommend Wright to my parishioners with the same enthusiasm I would recommend C.S. Lewis, Schmemann, and Martin Luther. I have disagreements with all of them, but charity allows me to communicate with these great thinkers and gain from what they offer, while expressing sometimes strong disagreements on some of their contributions.

Yes, Reformed people, in fact, Christians of all stripes should read Professor Wright. His profound insights, his vision for a renewed humanity in Christ, his invaluable defense of the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and his commitment to the historical, Biblical Jesus make him one of the most gifted teachers and scholars of our time and The Jesus Seminar’s worst nightmare.

But what about justification? Shouldn’t we stand for the principal article of the Church? And by standing shouldn’t we reject anyone who denies it?

First, N.T. Wright has written and clarified many of his statements. He stated again and again that he does not deny justification by faith alone. I take him at his word. “But hasn’t he been unclear?” To those who think so, he will always be. “I and many others find Wright’s overall project to be fruitful, despite having disagreements with him at points.” I find Kevin J. Vanhoozer’s humorous, but yet serious points on the Wright vs. Piper debate to be very helpful, and from what I hear from reliable sources, Wright agrees and finds Vanhoozer’s attempt to bridge the two paradigms extremely beneficial.

Secondly, the Reformation did not settle every issue. There are contemporary issues that still must be handled within our context. The Reformers did not exhaust the fullness of justification. There is indeed a robustly corporate view of justification that the Reformers–rightly preoccupied with Romish theological abuse–simply did not address explicitly in the 16th century. In this sense, Wright needs to be read and listened to attentively.

Thirdly, when one poses the question of whether we should eliminate such an author from our library because he is wrong on an issue, no matter how important the issue may be, he is betraying the charitable nature of the Christian vision and our personal libraries. Of course, he may choose to avoid Wright, and other authors who also had some questionable theological presuppositions (like C.S. Lewis), his theological vision will be narrow, and his ability to articulate a vision of the world will stop at the wardrobe (to borrow from Lewis). Those of us who appreciate Wright prefer to open the wardrobe and see Narnia in all its beauty.”

Finally, the West’s over-emphasis on the individual is tragic. The individual matters, but Adam himself knew that the individual is not alone. Just as the Trinity is not alone, so too man needs to be a part of something greater. “Community” is not just a buzzword no matter how often hipster Christian groups use it. In its biblical sense, community is the essence of the Christian experience. Paul’s vision was highly ecclesiastical. The individual who divorces from the community loses his ability to be truly human. He breathes and eats as a human, but his breathing and eating desecrates God’s intention to incorporate him into  a multitude. N.T. Wright offers immeasurable contributions on this subject.

Naturally, there is the possibility of over-emphasizing community, but that hardly seems to be the problem in our day. The reality is if you stress the community you get the individual, if you stress the individual you don’t get the community.

Should we read N.T. Wright? Yes. Read him often with the eyes of discernment. But again, discernment is the Christian’s best friend in any human activity.

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On Corporate Worship

I was asked recently to provide a simple look at worship and applications to making worship a more worthy endeavor in the Christian life.

My assigned area is worship. My specific focus is corporate worship.

So, what is significant about corporate worship? First, a definition: “Corporate worship is the formal gathering of the people of God on the Lord’s Day where God gives gifts to his children and his children respond in praise.” Corporate worship is to be distinguished from private worship and informal gatherings of the saints throughout the week. The Bible assigns a specific day called the Lord’s Day as a day when the people of God come together and offer themselves to God in truth by the Spirit and where God comes and gives of Himself to His people in Word and Sacrament.

Hebrews picks up this theme and says that we are not to forsake this gathering, because forsaking this gathering may lead to destruction. It may lead to the worship of false things.  Ambrose Bierce, in his class, The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary, says that a heathen is “a benighted creature who has the folly to worship something he can see and feel.”  Essentially, a pagan worships that which can be created.The Christian worships the one who is a consuming fire, whom the Bible refers as Holy, Holy, Holy, Father, Son, and Spirit.

Why is it important? It’s important because corporate worship is the most power Biblical method used by a Christian to wage war against the world. When we gather, there is a general biblical consensus in the Bible, that what we are doing is changing the world. The first response of the Christian in crisis is to worship. This is what we were created to do first and primarily. We are worshipping beings (homo adoranis).

Finally, what practical steps can we take to steward this area of corporate Christian worship?

First, we can begin to train ourselves and our families to practice worship throughout the week. By practicing worship throughout the week in Scripture reading, prayer, and singing, we will be more equipped to worship corporately on Sunday.

Second, instead of passive creatures on Sundays, instead of merely watching or listening to worship like a passive individual, we are called to participate wholeheartedly in the task of worship. In whatever tradition we may be a part of, we are called to joyfully engage in what is happening in worship. Sing with joy. Pray with fervor. Love one another as you have been called to love.

Finally, and most importantly, be present. As Randy Booth once said, “The decision as to whether I will be in Church on Sunday is a decision made once in a lifetime, not every Saturday night.” Corporate worship is a requirement whether you are on vacation or a home.

When you worship God together as a people, you can begin to see why our forefathers sang so passionately, “ I rejoiced when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.”

 

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Doug Phillips’ Resignation and Questions to Ask Ourselves

Doug Phillips has resigned from Vision Forum. He has cancelled his public speaking engagements as well. Doug has been one of the most influential voices in the home-schooling movement, and what some refer to as the patriarchy movement. One can hardly find a home-schooling family that doesn’t have one or a thousand items produced from Vision Forum. At this stage, the Christian Church has an opportunity to grieve over his sin, and trust that Doug’s elders are taking proper steps to restore the brokenness caused by Phillips’ sin. But we have also to accept his repentance as a genuine expression of a man who is deeply committed to his Lord.

I should add that unlike the half-hearted letters of public apologies we have become accustomed to in this politically-correct age, Phillips’ letter puts those to shame. May God bring daily repentance and restoration to Doug Phillips and special comfort to those whom he has deeply offended and grieved–his wife and children.

I believe that every public sin is reason for self-examination. Here are some questions for us to ponder as men:

How committed are we to our wives? What are we doing to foster a greater relationship with our wives?

How do we relate to other women?

How quickly do we deal with our sins? How often do we repent?

What do we do when we are found out? Self-pity? Self-justification?

What are we doing to prevent a similar situation from happening? What kind of accountability do we have? Do we think we are too strong, and therefore not in need of accountability?

What are we doing to protect ourselves from pornography and other images that defile our minds?

Doug Phillips’ Letter of Resignation:

With thanksgiving to God for His mercy and love, I have stepped down from the office of president at Vision Forum Ministries and have discontinued my speaking responsibilities. There has been serious sin in my life for which God has graciously brought me to repentance. I have confessed my sin to my wife and family, my local church, and the board of Vision Forum Ministries.  I engaged in a lengthy, inappropriate relationship with a woman. While we did not “know” each other in a Biblical sense, it was nevertheless inappropriately romantic and affectionate.

There are no words to describe the magnitude of shame I feel, or grief from the injury I caused my beloved bride and children, both of whom have responded to my repentance with what seems a supernatural love and forgiveness. I thought too highly of myself and behaved without proper accountability. I have acted grievously before the Lord, in a destructive manner hypocritical of life messages I hold dear, inappropriate for a leader, abusive of the trust that I was given, and hurtful to family and friends. My church leadership came alongside me with love and admonition, providing counsel, strong direction and accountability. Where I have directly wronged others, I confessed and repented. I am still in the process of trying to seek reconciliation privately with people I have injured, and to be aware of ways in which my own selfishness has hurt family and friends. I am most sensitive to the fact that my actions have dishonored the living God and been shameful to the name of Jesus Christ, my only hope and Savior.

This is a time when my repentance needs to be proven, and I need to lead a quiet life focusing on my family and serving as a foot soldier, not a ministry leader. Though I am broken over my failures, I am grateful to be able to spend more time with my family, nurturing my wife and children and preparing my older sons and daughters for life. So, for these reasons I want to let my friends know that I have stepped down as a board member and as president of Vision Forum Ministries. The Board will be making provision for the management of the ministry during this time. To the friends of this ministry, I ask for your forgiveness, and hope that you will pray for the Phillips family at this time, and for the men who will be responsible for shepherding the work of Vision Forum Ministries in the future. Doug Phillips