Debt

As our country experiences the pain and brokenness of being in debt where are the “gifts” to soothe the pain and mend the brokenness? There was a time when we took the stairs into the basement to take few mason jars off the shelf or something carefully packed away in the freezer to add to the sale priced meat that adorned our plates. But the basement together with its dampness, mold and the sound of the de-humidifier represents not the diligence and forethought to provide for a lean day, but the darkness and noise of greedy spending and the noise of modernity attempting to drown it out.

Bi-partisan politics and all night meetings are not the scenes of an emergency but the scenes of a reality. They are the scenes of men and women in plenty worshiping the creation and the creature rather than the Creator. They are the scenes of an adulterous people who turn their ears away from the wise and good words of their husband to listen to that which tickles but goes away into emptiness. Where is the wise man and woman in these days of emergency and crisis? They are at both ends of the table and on both sides of the aisle crying with convincing words to apply band-aids of all shapes and sizes. Is there a cry for swallowing our pride in repentance and faith? No, the cries are, “Do something quick before I loose my house, 401k or retirement.” The scenes are temporal because the desires of our hearts and the passions of our flesh are satisfied and filled by the creation. They are the cries at George Bailey’s ole building and loan teller window, “I’ll take my $242, now my accounts closed!” And they are the cries that it is the George Bailey’s of the world that have gotten us into this mess.

It is in such times that the brokenness of living in a fallen world as fallen people screams the loudest. These are the time historians live for because when they tell the stories of civilizations and their imaginative religions they can point to such crises as those that made the peoples look heavenward or earthward, depending on your version of god and sexual preference. But what about the church, are these the times she lives for? She is the redeemed bride of Christ, the jewel bought at a great price, those living in the kingdom of the beloved Son, those broken by the fall yet graced with the gift of redemption and restoration, those who can tell the story clearly in the midst of the brokenness that will give hope to those who have not money to buy bread and wine. The church are those who know the healing balm of Gilead that has lead them to repent from worshiping the creation and the creature to find joy in the beauty of God’s glory revealed in Christ. The church is a debtor to mercy alone with nothing to repay, those who have been bought with a great price. The church knows the darkness of the pit of despair where their bones wasted away where there is groaning all day long, and yet have found the blessedness of being those against whom the Lord counts no iniquity. The church knows what it is to acknowledge sin and lay their souls before the gracious Creator and Redeemer and find him to be faithful and true to forgive. The church knows what it is to envy those who with ease, but who have been brought into the sanctuary where there is true understanding and where they have found the Lord to be their best portion forever unrivaled by anything in all creation. The church may not have all the answers to the financial crises and in fact may find herself right in the midst of it, but she can speak clearly in this scene of brokenness that the Lord delights in those who look not to man but whose eyes are upon Him who creates, sustains and redeems.

All of Grace

I am enjoying my study of Ruth for preaching on Sunday evenings. In the second chapter Ruth begs a very important question before Boaz, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" (2:10). Boaz answers her and it seems that he is setting her up as an employee of God who has gotten her due, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The LORD repay you for what you have done,” (2:11-12a). However, at the end of his answer grace comes pouring out to explain why she has done what she has and why she has found favor, “ and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!" (2:12b). The gods of Moab are not like the true and living God. God has stretched out his wings to this woman whom he has called so that she can find grace as one who is humble and in need (1:16). And because by grace He is her refuge and strength she not only experiences grace she can be a conduit of grace to others in need. God does not repay anyone for anything they have done, but only makes it known that grace begins the relationship and grace extends the relationship and grace makes for God glorifying relationships. A God glorifying relationship with Him in love is by His grace, and a God glorifying extension of that love toward our neighbors is by His grace.

But it does not matter how beautiful and true this picture is of God’s grace is there will always be those who offer themselves to God and expect to get their due. Tracy Altman recently led me to an article in First Things that makes this point clear. In the article the question is asked, "Is Mormonism Christian?". A Mormon and a Christian respond with opposite answers to the question. The Mormon spends most of his time trying to ward off the charge that Mormons believe in salvation by works, not grace, and then he says this,

"Nonetheless, salvation in our view is not obtained without effort on the part of the sinner. 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven' (Matt. 7:21). Grace requires a price to be paid and that price is the heart of the sinner."

It does not seem to matter what cloak works righteousness dresses in it cannot admit the obvious, grace, all of grace. Whether the cloak is red with a gold RC, a black cloak bearing the white P from later 19th century revivalism that gave rise to the white cloak worn under the black tie with the letter M, the cloak will always seek to exalt itself over the towel that bears the muddied letter G and that gets hung on a cross each night.

“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. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:8-10

God’s Authoritative and Profitable Word

“Put that down. We do not need that in this situation.” These words were spoken to me by a gentleman in my living room recently when I reached for some authority on the matter with which we were discussing. I was reaching for the Bible.

This gentleman was a confessing evangelical worshiping each week in an evangelical church in our community. In his view the Bible has authority when it comes to certain subjects, but it is actually a human book not a divine revelation. It is a guide to a religious experience but on this occasion its authority was displaced by an opposing authority, his opinion that the matter we were discussing was not in the realm of the Bible’s authority. His view is not only in contradiction to his confessing evangelicalism but it is leading him and others away from the good and true beauty of God.

Are you traversing the road that offers breathtaking views of the glory and majesty of God, the road that provides the richest delights from his table of goodness, and the road that bends and winds its way through truth and righteousness? Those who hold to the Bible as authoritative believe that God is its author and that he has given it to direct the belief and behavior of his people. And it is these who will traverse through this world to behold his beauty, goodness and truth and their voices will resound in shouts of praise and their lives will reflect his glory as they trust and obey by his grace. We all long for this truth, goodness and beauty, but how do we know that God can provide it, and how do we know it will really benefit us in this life?

We all live in the midst of revelation. Everyday we see and hear the world around us and its inhabitants. We long for this revelation to shed some truth, goodness and beauty upon us, and in this theater of the natural revelation of God it does. However, we do not clearly see it. We see it in a distorted way like a middle aged man trying to read tiny print under a dim light. Therefore God expired his special revelation to us in the Scriptures. As Paul tells Timothy, All Scripture is breathed out by God.(2Tim.3:16). God is the source, the ultimate author of the Bible. He used human authors to write, but he is the authoritative source. Therefore the Bible is distinguished from all other writings as authoritative. It is true in all its parts. It is sufficient to lead us to God’s goodness in salvation and eternal life. It is clear so that anyone can be lead to the beauty of God in all of life. God has provided for us his authoritative word to lead us into truth, goodness and beauty. But is not the Bible outdated and unable to really benefit us in this life?

God’s word is profitable (2Tim.3:16). I often hear that as Presbyterians we are to ‘theological’ or ‘doctrinal’. It is interesting to note what God’s expired word is first of all profitable for in Paul’s list to Timothy. He says, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching…that is doctrine. It is profitable because it teaches us what to believe about God, man and this world in which we live. But what profit is that doctrine? It reproves, corrects and trains us for life in a Godward direction. In the reformed church there have been three main focuses, doctrine, piety and culture. When God’s people profit from the Word of God it affects what they believe (doctrine) and when they have a true apprehension of that beauty it affects their hearts (piety), and when they have tasted and seen that God is good it affects what they do toward their neighbor (culture). But where the Word is not treasured as profitable the church is dysfunctional and does not benefit itself or others in this life.

Are you reaching for God’s authoritative profitable word and discovering Him who reveals himself so that you can know and enjoy him in all his truth, goodness and beauty. Reach and read it, reach and meditate on it, reach and memorize it, reach and pray it, reach and sing it, reach and worship around it, reach and speak it to others for his glory, your good and the good of those around you.

In Praise of God Through the Liberal Arts

There is a popular phrase in public education today which states, “Math + Science = Success”. Success is the god of our culture that promises wealth, ease, comfort, popularity and the attainment of all that the “American Dream” typifies, so we bow down and worship. And when we practice our worship, because we are pragmatic worshipers, we believe that formulas are necessary to success. Therefore we apply our formulas and then we stand next to one another (people, nations, churches, businesses, families, etc.) and measure our success by what we have gained for ourselves or our organizations. Therefore to train our children in math and science is the wisdom of the age that leads to the benefits the god of success bestows. But Godly people should ask if success is our aim, and is the end of learning math and science success?

The true and living God reveals himself in creation and providence, and man is wise who spends his entire life seeking to know him truly. He also gives us the Scriptures to know him and his salvation truly, but for this moment let’s think about the natural revelation of God in creation and providence. Math and Science are two disciplines within the modern liberal arts that reveal the nature of the living and true God. “Liberal Arts” is a term that describes a study with the purpose of imparting knowledge and increasing intellectual capacities. In the ancient world it was the free man and not the slave who was able to embark upon a study of the liberal arts. It was a discipline of seven studies, three in the Trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) and four in the Quadrivium (geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and music). In the modern world the liberal arts include art, literature, philosophy, history, languages, mathematics and science and are available to all. Man is not limited from seeing God’s workmanship in creation and providence if he does not study the liberal arts. But those who will study them will “penetrate with their aid far more deeply into the secrets of the divine wisdom.” (John Calvin, Institutes I.V.2). All men everywhere are able to see the glory of God’s invisible attributes, namely his divine power and divine nature (Rom.1:20) as God thrusts them upon him in what he has made, sustains and governs. And those who will give themselves to learning and increasing intellectual capacities in the liberal arts will have even more thrust upon them for the knowledge and enjoyment of the true and living God.

The aim in the study of the liberal arts, which math and science are a part, is not success but wisdom. John Calvin says in the opening sentence of his “Institutes of the Christian Religion”, “Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and ourselves.”. The study of the Liberal Arts cannot supplant our study of God’s Word. However, the church must recognize that God has given us a general revelation of himself, and through a study of the liberal arts he can impart to us knowledge and increase our intellectual capacities that we might see more truth, goodness and beauty, and in seeing them see him who fills the earth.

The true and living God is infinite and eternal and beyond tracing out. Therefore he offers all who seek the knowledge and wisdom of him an infinite supply of truth, goodness and beauty. All men, but especially the godly, have a wonderful privilege and a tremendous responsibility to see and savor the glory of God in all that he has made and sustains for his glory. Sit down and read a “Great Book”, study history, study the vastness of the heavens, enjoy music and art, learn to do equations, learn a language, or enjoy Pascal as he reasons with the philosophers of his day. The aim is not “success”. It is to know more of him who has made, sustains and governs the heavens and the earth and all that they contain.