Friday, November 20, 2009

Thanksgiving and the Providence of God

The first paragraph of George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation says,

“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

In this proclamation he and the government clearly acknowledge the providence of God both in the use of the word and in the reasoning for the proclamation. Therefore as we approach Thanksgiving I thought a reminder or an introduction to the doctrine of God’s providence would be helpful. The reading below comes from Concise Theology written by J.I. Packer. This is his chapter on Providence.

"The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD" (Pro. 16:33).

"God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions" (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.11). If Creation was a unique exercise of divine energy causing the world to be, providence is a continued exercise of that same energy whereby the Creator, according to his own will, (a) keeps all creatures in being, (b) involves himself in all events, and (c) directs all things to their appointed end. The model is of purposive personal management with total "hands-on" control: God is completely in charge of his world. His hand may be hidden, but his rule is absolute.

Some have restricted God's providence to foreknowledge without control, or upholding without intervention, or general oversight without concern for details, but the testimony to providence as formulated above is overwhelming.

The Bible clearly teaches God's providential control (1) over the universe at large, Ps. 103:19; Dan. 4:35; Eph. 1:11; (2) over the physical world, Job 37; Pss. 104:14; 135:6; Matt. 5:45; (3) over the brute creation, Ps. 104:21, 28; Matt. 6:26; 10:29; (4) over the affairs of nations, Job 12:23; Pss. 22:28; 66:7; Acts 17:26; (5) over man's birth and lot in life, 1 Sam. 16:1; Ps. 139:16; Isa. 45:5; Gal. 1:15-16; (6) over the outward successes and failures of men's lives, Ps. 75:6, 7; Luke 1:52; (7) over things seemingly accidental or insignificant, Prov. 16:33; Matt. 10:30; (8) in the protection of the righteous, Pss. 4:8; 5:12; 63:8; 121:3; Rom. 8:28; (9) in supplying the wants of God's people, Gen. 22:8, 14; Deut. 8:3; Phil. 4:19; (10) in giving answers to prayer, 1 Sam. 1:19; Isa. 20:5, 6; 2 Chron. 33:13; Ps. 65:2; Matt. 7:7; Luke 18:7, 8; and (11) in the exposure and punishment of the wicked, Pss. 7:12-13; 11:6. (L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 4th ed.)

Clear thinking about God's involvement in the world-process and in the acts of rational creatures requires complementary sets of statements, thus: a person takes action, or an event is triggered by natural causes, or Satan shows his hand - yet God overrules. This is the message of the book of Esther, where God's name nowhere appears. Again: things that are done contravene God's will of command - yet they fulfill his will of events (Eph. 1:11). Again: humans mean what they do for evil - yet God who overrules uses their actions for good (Gen. 50:20; Acts 2:23). Again: humans, under God's overruling, sin - yet God is not the author of sin (James 1:13-17); rather, he is its judge.

The nature of God's "concurrent" or "confluent" involvement in all that occurs in his world, as - without violating the nature of things, the ongoing causal processes, or human free agency - he makes his will of events come to pass, is mystery to us, but the consistent biblical teaching about God's involvement is as stated above.

Of the evils that infect God's world (moral and spiritual perversity, waste of good, and the physical disorders and disruptions of a spoiled cosmos), it can summarily be said: God permits evil (Acts 14:16); he punishes evil with evil (Ps. 81:11-12; Rom. 1:26-32); he brings good out of evil (Gen. 50:20; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; 13:27; 1 Cor. 2:7-8); he uses evil to test and discipline those he loves (Matt. 4:1-11; Heb. 12:4-14); and one day he will redeem his people from the power and presence of evil altogether (Rev. 21:27; 22:14-15).

The doctrine of providence teaches Christians that they are never in the grip of blind forces (fortune, chance, luck, fate); all that happens to them is divinely planned, and each event comes as a new summons to trust, obey, and rejoice, knowing that all is for one's spiritual and eternal good (Rom. 8:28).

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

The decorations are up, the flyers, mailings and advertisements proclaim it. “It’s Christmas Time!” It is time for covetous hearts to make merry and misery in idolatry. Those who covet your spending are shouting and those who covet in spending and being spent in spending are listening. I am sorry for getting you started in the season with such boorish and Scrooge like thoughts, but ‘tis the season to be jolly’!

But jolly and blessed are two different things. I appreciate what Webster said about Jolly. He says, it is “Merry; gay; lively; full of life and mirth; jovial. It expresses more life and noise than cheerful; It is seldom applied in colloquial usage to respectable company. We rarely say of respectable persons, they are jolly. It is applied to the young and the vulgar.” (Webster’s Dictionary 1828). It is in these last days that we would be ungrateful so that we can be jolly. And it is because we are not blessed that we can leave off Thanksgiving to be jolly in Christmas time.

Blessed describes one who is highly favored by the Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer in the knowledge and enjoyment of him. It describes an enduring joy in the midst of pressing circumstances. This is why the Scriptures can say, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord” (Jer.17:7) or “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked , or stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers (all of whom may be jolly); but his delight is in the law of the Lord,” (Ps.1:1-2) or “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.” (Mt.5:3-10). The blessed are the joyful who have the knowledge that they have received everything from God and that their joy is in the continual knowledge and enjoyment of his glory in all things. The blessed long for Thanksgiving where they can celebrate a thanksgiving to God for all his beneficence to them as residents and members of a free state under his kind hand of providence and rule of law, and where they can unite with others to confess our personal and national sins against him who has made us and takes care of us and to plead with him to have mercy on the nation and to pour out an undeserved blessing upon us. Thanksgiving is the opposite of idolatry. Thanksgiving is the solemn and joyful expression of an engaged mind and an affectionate heart that everything has been done for you by one true and living God. Blessed are those who can give thanks to the only wise God.

Tis the season to exchange the worship of the creature and the creation for the Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer, to put off jolly for being blessed by Almighty God who is the Savior of sinners. Tis the season to give thanks and to look with joyful anticipation for the return of the glorious Savior Jesus Christ who will glorify all who confess their sins and put their faith in him and long for his appearing in thanksgiving, trust, and obedience to his will.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Zealous for Sound Doctrine

8The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.

These words from Titus 3 were examined last week as we considered being zealous for good works. But it is here I would like to focus on what is the fuel of those good works, namely sound doctrine. Paul is teaching the young pastor Titus to insist on” these things”, which begs the question, “What are these things?” We can identify what these things are in the text by what is here in verse 8 and what precedes this verse. Here we read that Paul wants Titus to insist on these things “so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.” Therefore it is necessary to believe in God to do the works of God. This leads us then to the doctrine about God and his salvation in the verses that precede verse 8. In verses 3-7 Paul says, 3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. These verses are the teaching or doctrine about God, ourselves, and his salvation for us in Christ, and Paul says it is this doctrine that leads to belief in God and the good works of God. Therefore, we may say that where there is no sound doctrine in the church then there will be no good works. The doctrine of God from his word is the fuel that God uses to ignite our minds and hearts for being zealous in doing the works of him.

Paul says something similar to the young pastor Timothy in 2 Timothy 3. He is preparing him for the kinds of people there will be in the church who do not do the works that God is pleased with, then he instructs him how to handle this. He is to handle it with the preaching of God’s Word (4:1-2). The Word of God which was able to make him wise unto salvation (3:15) and “is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” (3:16). Here Paul says the Scriptures are first of all profitable for teaching or doctrine then they are profitable good works in righteousness. Therefore in the church the horse of doctrine must come before the cart of good works but they must both come together lest the church be full of runaway horses or broken down carts.

In a culture of spiritual relativism where doctrine is sidelined as a persons particular view of truth or reality and spiritual experience and moralism is highlighted on the playing field as “true Christianity” the church must consider the ancient paths of sound doctrine.

Those in the church must pray for and prize sound doctrinal teaching and preaching. The church is flock of God that is cared for by undershepherds who must teach her the truth about God and his will lest they be scattered and devoured by wolves in sheeps clothing. Pray for the Word of sound doctrine to be faithfully delivered to the people of God. It must be explained, proved and applied with all faithfulness and earnestness according to God’s Word. Pray for those who deliver it that they may be free from the love of this world and the fear of man to preach and teach sound doctrine. Pray for yourselves that you will be hungry for sound doctrine. Pray that the church will hunger and thirst for the deep things of God, the sound things of God, the glorious things of God revealed in his Word. And then apply yourselves to the learning of sound doctrine. Attend to it preached and taught on Sundays and during the week. Read it for yourselves in the doctrinal works of the Confessions and Catechisms of our Reformed faith. Read it in books provided by those who have gone before us to teach us the ancient paths. Read it in the Scriptures which tell us what we need to know about God and what duty God requires of us.

The doctrine that comes forth from God’s Word is the fuel for the works of God that issue forth from the lives of those who are growing in the knowledge and enjoyment of God. We as the church must be zealous for sound doctrine in the way we pray, read and act, for then we will be zealous for the good works of God.

Zealous for Good Works

Martin Luther once said, “God does not need your good works, your neighbor does.” We in the church often find ourselves thinking we can “serve God” and feeling guilty when we are not “serving God.” But God is not served by his creatures (Acts 17:25), he serves his creatures by his power, wisdom and goodness so that they may be his instruments of his works for his glory in the earth.

In Paul’s letter to the pastor Titus he insists that he teach the people in the church to “be ready for every good work.” (Titus 3:1). Yet this command is couched in the truth that they have been served by God in his salvation for them in Christ, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life”.(3:4-7). The work of God in the salvation of his children is an undeniable work of sovereign mercy to recreate for himself a people for his own glory. Therefore Paul can repeat the command that began this section, “The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.” (3:8). God serves his church with the working of his salvation that he may serve others through the good works of his church. As Paul says elsewhere, “For we are his (God’s) workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works.” (Eph.2:10). Therefore the works that the church is called to is the work that flows out of recreated vessels who live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ so that our neighbors receive the goodness and lovingkindness of God through his church. This truth enabled the apostle Paul to say, “I worked harder than any of them, thought it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1Cor.15:9). And this truth enables us to “serve in the strength that God supplies in order that in everything God may be glorified in Jesus Christ.“ (1Pe.4:11).

If we are to be devoted to good works then we must first be devoted to him in worship through whom we continually receive grace to do those works he gives us to those whom he has called us. We must continually exalt him as worthy of the whole of our lives with a right apprehension of who he is and a right heart response to that revealed knowledge. It is from this informed loving heart that his works will be done for his glory. It will be the reception of his grace in union with Christ through the Spirit that will enable us more and more to put sin to death and live in the paths of righteousness fulfilling the law of love. Therefore, if God will be glorified in the works of his church then his church must be dependent upon his means of communicating grace. He has ordained the preaching of his Word, the faithful observance of his sacraments and the continual care of his body as the marks of his church. And it is in these works of God toward his church that his church will be marked as his maturing body of Christ laying down their lives in service. However, we must also be devoted to those whom the works of God are directed.

When we love God out of a correct apprehension of his revealed glory in Christ then we will rightly love those who are near. This begins among those who are in his church. As the apostle says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Gal.6:10). We must do the good works of God to all but begin within God’s church. Do you know those in the church, do you know their needs, their testimonies, their struggles, their confessions? Do you know whose Shepherding Group you are a part of and those who are in your group? The leadership of the church has organized the body at RPC around Shepherding Groups so that we may carry out our callings as Elders and Deacons faithfully, but also that the body of Christ may minister to one another. But God does not call us only to do good works toward those in the church.

We are called to love our neighbors. Jesus identified our neighbors as those who are near and possibly those who we may have difficulties with (Lk.10:25-37). Are you zealous for letting your neighbors see your good works so that your Father in heaven will be glorified? There are opportunities each Sunday afternoon, Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday night to get involved in being zealous for good works toward our neighbors through RPC. There are opportunities in your home, at school and in workplace everyday. There are also many other ways you can serve the needs of our neighbors in this community from next door to across town. But remember God does not need your good works your neighbor does so that he or she may find her delight in Him.