Ravi Zacharias Against Atheistic Feminism

One speaker I have enjoyed much these last several months is Christian Philosopher Ravi Zacharias. Here at Penn State University in a Q&A he answers a young woman's question about the Bible's approach to women. Ravi responds with a concise picture of God's view of women in the Bible and confronts atheistic feminism.

Tonight my Cousin came Home

Tonight my cousin came home. Now, for the first time in 8 years he's home.

His characteristic ear to ear smile was on full display this evening and it was matched and mingled with the smiles and laughs of friends and family.

Again, I laugh in the home of my Aunt and Uncle, but this time the laugh is complete because my cousin is laughing with us. The joy is complete because this time he is there.

Tonight I had the pleasure of introducing my wife to him for the first time. I experienced the joy of watching him laugh with my nieces whom he, aside from pictures, has never seen. I watched old friends and family just look at him, amazed and thankful that it actually, really was him in the living room. Tonight I'm thankful to God that my cousin came home.

I am also reminded that my joy should be full each and every day because I am free from the prison of sin. There is so much to be thankful for. So much grace and freedom in my life. I'm free because of Jesus. There is no greater joy than this. I don't always experience it because I don't really acknowledge what I've been set free from, if I really knew the state of my previous confinement my heart would consistently overflow with joy for my Deliverer.

God thank you for the mercy of bringing my cousin home, and thank you for showing me the mercy of Jesus my Deliverer from sin each and every day.

The Identity of the Christian

"We have already seen that 'the old person' whom we are in Adam has been crucified with the second Adam, Jesus Christ (Rom 6:6). Hence, Paul urges believers to live on the basis of the indicative. Similarly, in Colossians 3:8-9 believers are exhorted to put off evil attitudes and actions, such as anger and evil speech. The basis for this exhortation is that they 'have put off the old person with its practices and have put on the new person who is being renewed to knowledge according to the image of the one who created him" (Col 3:9-10). Here the imperative does not take precedence over the indicative but vice versa. Believers are to remove evil from their lives precisely because they have already shed themselves of the old Adam and have clothed themselves with the new Adam....At conversion believers have stripped off the old Adam and put on the new. And since they are in the new Adam, they should live as members of the new humanity. The indicative is the basis and foundation for the imperative, and yet carrying out the imperative is not automatic. Believers face the danger of living under the dominion of the old Adam, so they must aggressively resist evil and passionately pursue righteousness." (Thomas Schreiner, Paul Apostle of God's Glory in Christ, p. 259-260)

This is a great quote from a great book by Thomas Schreiner, but more importantly it is a great truth that is easy to forget. As Christians, we are to become who we are. We are to pursue holiness because of our identity not to gain our identity. The reversal of this is living from a false Gospel even if we say we believe in the true Gospel.

What a wonderful fact to know every morning when I wake up that I wake up as a new creation because I am now in Jesus, who by his life, death, and resurrection, launched new creation. The sad thing is I often identify more with my sins then with the Savior. Holiness will not increase in my life when I self-identify myself mainly with the fact that I am a sinner. I believe the New Testament argument is that by identifying oneself as "new creation", as "saint", as "alien", as "chosen" is the way one goes about walking by the Spirit. The commands to be holy and kill sin and do righteousness are often in the New Testament not derived from the indicatives of "sinner", "creature", and "child of wrath" but from the Christians identity as a new man. The Christian life is lived by living from what the Gospel has accomplished not by living life from one's state before the Gospel. What encouragement this is!

However, make no mistake, Paul and the rest of the New Testament authors are not afraid to call the attention of their readers to there past state and former identity as "old man" and "child of wrath" and "dead in trespasses and sins". In fact, the argument of Ephesians 2 shows that Paul intentionally calls the Ephesians to remember there former way of life, but he does so in order to show the greatness of what God in Christ has accomplished by making former children of wrath into the very "dwelling place for God" by the Spirit. Nor were the apostle's naive thinking that the Christian would not sin or not acknowledge it when they had sinned. The apostle's called them to do this very thing, and then to repent and turn from their sins. The apostle's teach the inner warfare and the already and not yet in the Christian life and in all of life. But they did not call Christians to holiness by identifying Christians as unholy--they did it by calling them holy.

I found this parallel interesting today: Just as Paul calls the unbeliever who walks in disobedience and sin a "son of disobedience", Peter calls the believer a son of obedience and then calls him to obey. "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance..." (1 Pe. 1:14). The imperatives flow from the indicative, and in the New Testament the imperatives of living the Christian life flow from the indicative of the Christians new identity in Christ. The old Adam is no longer the identity of the one who is in the new Adam. The Gospel life is lived by keeping the Gospel at the center which means Christ is the center of the Christians identity not sin. Would not the opposite be the oxymoron of Gospel-centeredness?

Therefore the Christian is to walk as a new man, as who he truly is in Christ. All the while, remembering who he once was and putting off all that came before Christ. No, the old is never to be forgotten and in fact actively remembered, but the new is always to be the Christians controlling view of himself because of the great work of God in Christ.

Who is Terry Virgo?

Wikipedia gives the following bio for Terry Virgo:

“Terry Virgo is the leader of the Newfrontiers Charismatic Evangelical Christian movement. Born and raised in Brighton on the English South Coast Virgo started a small church movement which has grown into an international group of churches in 29 nations. He is well known for his teaching on the doctrine of grace and is a leading Reformed Charismatic. He teaches a complementarian view of gender relationships. Many charismatics who believe in modern day apostolic ministry recognize him as an apostle.”

Yes, a surprising combination: a reformed apostle and a charismatic complementarian. Maybe even more surprising are the following connections:

Terry Virgo likes Mark Driscoll. In his words:

“Though his unconventional style is mildly shocking to the ears of this particular English preacher, who can no longer claim to be in his middle years, Mark Driscoll, coming clearly through my iPod in this last week, has been a huge blessing.

As I walked to my office, in hopefully not a vain attempt to lose a few pounds, my spirit was soaring as I heard his outstanding commitment to preaching Christ. His Biblical perspective was magnificent. Verse after verse insisted first on Christ’s humanity and then on His deity. How wonderful to hear preaching so centred in Christ albeit with fascinating contemporary asides. How rarely one hears sermons so exclusively about Jesus and simply talking about Him, focusing on Him, glorying in Him and feeding my soul.”

He has reviewed Bill Johnson's book When Heaven Invades Earth and gives the following qualified endorsement:

“In spite of some very serious theological howlers (e.g. Jesus ‘laid his divinity aside’) and some questionable interpretations of Scripture, this is nevertheless a provocative book that will stir all who want to be constantly provoked to be channels of the Holy Spirit’s miraculous power.

His robust faith and remarkable reports of healings and miracles are inspirational and genuinely motivational.”

He has had his own book, God's Lavish Grace, endorsed by Sovereign Grace Ministries CJ Mahaney:

"For anyone struggling to understand and enjoy God's grace, this book will prove to be immediately and immensely helpful."

This next year, Terry Virgo will preach with pastor and author John Piper and New Testament scholar D.A. Carson in Wales at New Word Alive 2008.

I personally recommend his excellent 4 part series on Romans. My wife and I listened to it on our way to her parents for Thanksgiving and it is powerful. It is liberating and saturated with the identity of the Christian in Christ. You can listen to it and more at his personal website.

False Teachers are Nice

The Idol Factory

Taking my cue from Nate Downey, we all have idols in our hearts and we need to seek them out and crush them. Not only does, as Mr. Downey mentioned, Mr. Patrick and Mr. Driscoll go after issues of idolatry in the human heart, but Mr. CJ Mahaney hits it well in a 3 part series called "The Idol Factory" (scroll down for individual downloads). I can remember listening to these years ago and being quite affected, but like anything after time I easily forget and become unaffected by my idolatry. How I often forget the apostle of love's poignant reminder "Keep yourself from idols." These sermons by all 3 gentlemen should be a means of following apostle John's reminder.

You should make time to listen to these, but if you don't here is the handout CJ provides.

Settled in Sound Doctrine

Thomas Watson, one of the most readable Puritans, in his Body of Divinity notes the importance of being settled in the sound doctrine:

"It is the duty of Christians to be settled in the doctrine of faith. It is the apostle’s prayer, I Pet 5:50, ’The God of all grace stablish, strengthen, settle you.’ That is, that they might not be meteors in the air, but fixed stars. The apostle Jude speaks of ‘wandering stars, in verse 13. They are called wandering stars, because, as Aristotle says, ‘They do leap up and down, and wander into several parts of the heaven; and being but dry exhalations, not made of that pure celestial matter as the fixed stars are, they often fall to the earth.’ Now, such as are not settled in religion, will, at one time or other, prove wandering stars; they will lose their former steadfastness, and wander from one opinion to another. Such as are unsettled are of the tribe of Reuben, ‘unstable as water,’ Gen 49:9; like a ship without ballast, overturned with every wind of doctrine. Beza writes of one Belfectius, that his religion changed as the moon. The Arians had every year a new faith. These are not pillars in the temple of God, but reeds shaken every way. The apostle calls them ‘damnable heresies.’ 2 Pet 2:2. A man may go to hell as well for heresy as adultery. To be unsettled in religion, argues want of judgement. If their heads were not giddy, men would not reel so fast from one opinion to another. It argues lightness. As feathers will be blown every way, so will feathery Christians. Triticum non rapit ventus inanes palae jactantur. Cyprian. Therefore such are compared to children. Eph 4:44. ‘That we be no more children, tossed to and fro.’ Children are fickle sometimes of one mind sometimes of another, nothing pleases them long; so unsettled Christians are childish; the truths they embrace at one time, they reject at another...

It is the great end of the word preached, to bring us to a settlement in religion. Eph 4:41, 12, 14. ‘And he gave some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the edifying of the body of Christ; that we henceforth be no more children.’ The word is called a hammer. Jer 23:39. Every blow of the hammer is to fasten the nails of the building; so the preacher’s words are to fasten you the more to Christ; they weaken themselves to strengthen and settle you. This is the grand design of preaching, not only for the enlightening, but for the establishing of souls; not only to guide them in the right way, but to keep them in it. Now, if you be not settled, you do not answer God’s end in giving you the ministry...

Such as are not settled in the faith can never suffer for it. Sceptics in religion hardly ever prove martyrs. They that are not settled hang in suspense; when they think of the joys of heaven they will espouse the gospel, but when they think of persecution they desert it. Unsettled Christians do not consult what is best, but what is safest..."

(Source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library)

Mark Driscoll's Confession

Mark Driscoll wrote an influential book for young church planters called Confessions of a Reformission Rev, but in my view his most influential moment is his latest public confession of pride in his life just last week. Justin Taylor has posted his confession, here's the post:

"I believe that humility is the great omission and failure in my eleven years of preaching. I believe that this is my greatest oversight both in my example and in my instruction.

I therefore do not claim to be humble. I do not claim to have been humble. I am convicted of my pride, and I am a man who is by God’s grace pursuing humility.

So in many ways this is a sermon that I’m preaching at myself, this is a sermon you are welcomed to listen in on as I preach to myself.

But I truly believe that were there one thing I could do over in the history of Mars Hill it would be in my attitude and in my actions and in my words to not only emphasize sound doctrine, encourage in strength and commitment and conviction but, to add in addition to that, humility as a virtue.

And so I’ll start by asking your forgiveness and sincerely acknowledging that this has been a great failure.

And I believe that it is showing up in our church in the lives of men and women who have sound doctrine but not sound attitude. They may contend for good things but their motives are bad and their methods are bad and their tone is bad and their tactics are bad and their actions are bad because their attitudes are bad even though their objective is sometimes good. I see this in particular with the men. I see this with men young and old, men who have known Jesus for a long time and should know better, and men who are new to Jesus and are learning sometimes the hard way.

I will take some responsibility for this. Luke 6:40 says that when fully trained, disciples are like their teacher, and I am primary teaching pastor of this church and I can’t simply look at the pride in some of our people and say that I am in no way responsible or complicit.

I’m a guy who is pretty busted up over this personally and it really came to my attention last December just in time for Christmas. The critics really brought me a lot of kind gifts of opposition and hatred and animosity. Merry Christmas. And some of those most vocal and nasty critics were Christians – some of them prominent Christians. So I was getting ready to fire back (my usual tactics). They hit you, you hit them twice and then blog about your victory. Which I don’t have any verses for and don’t say it was a good idea. But it had been a pattern in my life until a man named C.J. Mahaney called.

I’d always considered humility to be cowardice and a compromise. In the name of humility you give up biblical conviction and passion and the willingness to contend for the faith (Jude 3) and to fight false teaching. What he was describing was orthodoxy in belief and humility in attitude and that those two together are really what God desires. And so it got me thinking and studying and praying through pride and humility and repenting and learning and growing. So I would start by saying that I thank my dear friend C.J. Mahaney for his ongoing friendship and the kindness he has extended to me and the things I’ve been able to learn through his instruction.

Furthermore, I apologize and repent publicly to you, the church for whom I am responsible, for much pride in the history of my ministry that some of you have poorly imitated and for that I am deeply sorry.

And thirdly, to say that I’m not a humble man but as result of study I’m a man who is acknowledging his pride and pursuing humility by God’s grace."

Process of Becoming a Pharisee

Eugene Peterson on the process of becoming a Pharisee:

"[Phariseeism is the] slow change from an interior passion to an exterior performance and the shift of attention from the majesty of God to house cleaning for God." (p. 212, The Jesus Way)

Controversy over Second-Tier Doctrines?

Should controversy and debate ever occur over second-tier doctrines in the church? John Piper makes an excellent case for the importance of preserving secondary doctrines:

“For the sake of unity and peace, therefore, Paul labors to set the churches straight on numerous issues—including quite a few that do not in themselves involve heresy. He does not exclude controversy from his pastoral writing. And he does not limit his engagement in contro­versy to first-order doctrines, where heresy threatens. He is like a par­ent to his churches. Parents do not correct and discipline their children only for felonies. Good parents long for their children to grow up into all the kindness and courtesy of mature adulthood. And since the fabric of truth is seamless, Paul knows that letting minor strands continue to unravel can eventually rend the whole garment.” (p. 31, The Future of Justification)

John Piper "On Controversy"

This is a wonderful section on controversy by John Piper in his latest book:

“Faithful Christians do not love controversy; they love peace. They love their brothers and sisters who disagree with them. They long for a common mind for the cause of Christ. But for this very reason they are bound by their conscience and by the Word of God to try to persuade the church concerning the fullness of the truth and beauty of God’s word.

We live in a day of politicized discourse that puts no premium on clear assertions. Some use language to conceal where they stand rather than to make clear where they stand. One reason this happens is that clear and open statements usually result in more criticism than ambigu­ous statements do. Vagueness will win more approval in a hostile atmosphere than forthrightness will.

But we want nothing to do with that attitude. Jesus refused to con­verse with religious leaders who crafted their answers so as to conceal what they thought (Mark 11:33). Our aim (if not our achievement) is always to be like Paul when he said, ‘But we have renounced disgrace­ful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God’ (2 Cor. 4:2).” (p. 31-32, The Future of Justification)

John Piper's New Book--Free!

...but it is online.

For those of you who are interested John Piper's response to NT Wright's version of the New Perspective on Paul can be read online for free (HT: DG Blog).

Or you can buy it at Westminster Books (HT: JT)

Here is a quote from the book regarding John Piper's view of NT Wright and Wright's views:

"My conviction concerning N. T. Wright is not that he is under the curse of Galatians 1:8–9, but that his portrayal of the gospel—and of the doctrine of justification in particular—is so disfigured that it becomes difficult to recognize as biblically faithful. It may be that in his own mind and heart Wright has a clear and firm grasp on the gospel of Christ and the biblical meaning of justification. But in my judgment, what he has written will lead to a kind of preaching that will not announce clearly what makes the lordship of Christ good news for guilty sinners or show those who are overwhelmed with sin how they may stand righteous in the presence of God." (p. 15)

Running down the score?

Did the New England Patriots intentionally only score 10 points 51 minutes into the game so they could quickly score 14 in 6 minutes? Probably. After all, I mean, Tom Brady is putting Warner's Ram-like numbers up and I think he wanted to look more like Tom Brady at least a bit this season. He needed a cool, calm come-from-behind victory. Plus, I think the Patriot defense wanted to give Patriot fans the pleasure of watching a costly Peyton Manning turnover so they had to make it appear that Indy could score for the first 3.5 quarters.

Were the Patriots running the score down today? It sure seems like it.

Bad guys defeat the good guys.