Fleshy Exegesis

The newest issue of Cradenda Agenda is out here. There is good reason that someone who has paid any attention to my blog should check out this issue, lest you think that I am just trying to promote Wilson's devious scheme of world conquest. The issue is entitled Stinkers in the Church and the first article is The Genesis of Church Split. Starting from James 4 Wilson discusses the causes of quarrels in churches.

I know most of you are thinking, "How could he handle the text any better than Isaac did (yeah right)?" What I found painfully clear when I preached at Concord at the beginning of the Summer is that there is a big difference between following an argument in a text and actually knowing what the real life manifestation of such things looks like. It's a difference between theory and flesh, between knowledge and wisdom, between Torah and incarnation. I feel disapointed whenever I hear a teacher who can follow the text's argument, but then they flesh it out in a way that is like hammering a square peg into a round hole. As I have learned over the years, if all else fails tell the congregation that they can fulfill the text by evangelizing more.

I found that when I preached from James 3 all my pontificating was worth very little until I had an example of the type of men who were violated James' commands. Wilson's experience and study have given him a very concrete understanding of the types of people who cause quarrels in the church. Recently in studying with Shawna we came across this chilling verse, "As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him (Titus 3:10)" It was clear to us that churches do not take divisive people seriously enough, and accept them as a healthy part of the church rather than a cancerous limb. "Well, that's just old lady Jenckins; she pretty much runs the church. She was the one to alert everyone that the last pastor's wife wanted to paint the women's lounge. It was good that we got rid of him."

I hope that everyone will read Wilson's article and take head. I found myself very convicted by what it says. I realized while reading it the secret motive of a sin that I had already sought forgiveness for. You too might find that this article knows you better than you know yourself.

I am Like a Rock, Steady and Unchanging

-----While driving home I was thinking upon the last five years since I began putting effort toward understanding God's Word. My theology must have gone through several thousand permutations during the last few years. I went from saying I was a Calvinist (but really not knowing what that meant and actually being very Arminian) to actually being one. I went from viewing this life from somewhat of a charismatic mindset (that is what happens when an immature Christian reads a book from the used book store because it is recommended by a member of the Newsboys) to being completely anti-charismatic to being a little softer in my stand. I went through various stages of legalism to having an appreciation for Christian freedom. I went from having a futurist eschatology to prescribing to partial-preterism. The list could go on and on, but my theology isn't really the point.

-----I realized that there were two things about me that managed to stay the same through all this. First, I have always been right (no matter what my position) and willing to think others were clueless for not thinking what I think. Second, I have always been awesome for being so smart (at least in my own mind). This was a disgusting realization. It would be nice to say any of this has changed, but it has not. I still cannot believe that people are dumb enough to hold views that I held two years ago. What a wretched man am I. “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance... I hate (Proverbs 8:13).”

I Been Lookin' A Lot Like Baal These Days

Time is a talent, or something like that, according to the quote by Jonathan Edwards (or was it Martin Luther?) that someone taped to the inside of the bathroom door earlier this semester. Whoever it was and whatever they said, their point was clear: time is something that we are given stewardship over. I for one am a wicked steward of this precious gift. God has given me, at this time in my life, enough time to comfortably do all I need to do in any given day. Despite this, however, I find myself often staying up late nights, which often leads to getting up early in the morning and pushing Bible reading and prayer to the evening.

None of this would happen if I was not continually wasting time on the Internet. (The Internet is such an amazing blessing. I cannot believe how media and information have become so streamlined and customizable and readily available these days. Have you seen Photosynth?) I cannot blame the Internet for my poor use of time, however. I am keenly aware that my attention span for work is disgustingly low. I simply do not want to work. I want to put it off just ten more minutes, and, once I have finally started, I feel like I have earned a break after ten minutes of work.

I think all of this is a sign that I need to be more satisfied in what God has given me to do. I should not look at work as an unfortunate thing, but as the grace of God. Imagine that I should be allowed to be creative and productive like my Father in heaven! I remember that He had a ration of 6 to 1 of work to rest. I definitely don't shine forth that character. Perhaps I worship Baal, the one who gets so distracted in his musings and content in his rest that, no matter how much I cut myself, he won't get off his lazy butt.

Words as Symbols

-----We must depend on God's revelation in scripture to know ultimate truth for two reasons. First, we must rely on what God has given because He demands that His creatures glorify Him by relying on Him fully. This is not something that has developed as a result of the fall, but the fall occurred precisely because of self-reliance.
-----Secondly, we must rely on the scriptures because this is the means by which God has chosen to most glorify His Son. While we may not know all the reasons why He chose written words, it is significant that the Son is called “the Word.” He is not called “the Word” because God searched high and low to find an appropriate symbol. Rather, God has made a world full of words in order to symbolize the nature of His Son as the Word that bears witness to Himself. God exalts His son in the very use of words, and anyone who rejects what God has revealed through words in the scriptures is demonstrating that they reject Christ as the Word.

Welcome to the Overflow

My P.O.E.

"I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place their child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the word of God must become corrupt." Martin Luther, A.D. 1537

The Profitable Summer

For most of us summer means income.  Many of us will
come back having played through a couple new video
games, with a couple new outfits, or with a fuller
bank account.  We will have spent the summer pursuing
leisure and fun with friends that we have not seen
because of distance or busyness.
What happens when summer is over?  Videogames will
have been completed and will grow tiresome, clothes
will be thrown in the closet with the onset of cooler
weather, or the bank account will sit waiting for
robbers and moths.  We spend so much time pursuing
things that will have very, very little meaning come
August.  I am writing to encourage all you BCM’ers out
there to abandon meaninglessness.

Money:  By the fact that we are all enrolled in
college I am going to argue that we are all rich.
Every one of us.  I don’t want any arguments.  Maybe
you got financial assistance for school last semester,
but just the fact that you live in a culture that can
pay for you to go to school makes your rich by
association.  None of us are pitiable.
1 Timothy 6:6–10 Now there is great gain in godliness
with contentment, for we brought nothing into the
world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
But if we have food and clothing, with these we will
be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into
temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and
harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all
kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some
have wandered away from the faith and pierced
themselves with many pangs.
Now, you can spend this summer seeking to make
yourself richer.  You are probably richer than 90% of
the entire world already.  In your whole life you will
only be able to move up 10%.  You are on top already.
Getting rich is a silly, selfish goal.  Not only that
but it will not make you happy.  “Those who desire to
be rich fall… into many senseless and harmful desires
that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”  If you
seek wealth you are not going to be happy.  Look at
the Apprentice.  Does Trump really look happy?
America has been lying to you: money won’t make you
happy.

Jesus offers an alternative…
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and
where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and
steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.”
Jesus has let us know that it is Okay to pursue
treasure!  He encourages it.  He wants you to make the
smartest of all investments.  You can invest a dollar
on earthly things and get back a few minutes of
pleasure, or you can invest a dollar on heavenly
riches and you will get back an eternity of pleasure.
It is only smart not to try to accumulate fleeting
possessions this summer.  Here is an illustration from
Randy Alcorn:
Imagine that you are alive at the end of the Civil
War. You are living in the South and have accumulated
a lot of Confederate money. Now, suppose you know for
a fact that the North is going to win the war and the
end is imminent. What will you do with your
Confederate money? If you are smart, there is only one
answer. You immediately cash in your Confederate money
for something that will have value once the war is
over – gold, or U.S. currency, or jewels, or property.
You keep only enough Confederate money to meet your
short-term needs.

“Isaac,” you say, “I have always been told that it is
wrong to pursue wealth.”  It isn’t wrong to pursue
wealth!  It is wrong to pursue wealth to the hurt of
others and at the expense of God’s glory.  It is your
duty to pursue wealth to the glory of God and to the
benefit of others!
So, this summer, “if [you] have food and clothing,
with these [you] will be content.”  If you try to hold
on to the money you get beyond that it will grow wings
and fly away.  If you send it on ahead you will enjoy
it forever more.  So give money to a Christ centered
church and Christ-centered ministries that will spread
the gospel and clothe the needy.  If you would like to
read the books (they are small ones) that have
influenced my opinion on this then read John Piper’s
Dangerous Duty of Delight, or Randy Alcorn’s The
Treasure Principle.