(By: Chad Bennett)

“What is a Christian?” asks J.I. Packer in Knowing God (200); he answers, “The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father. But cannot this be said of every person, Christian or not? Emphatically no! The idea that all are children of God is not found in the Bible anywhere.”

John 1:12-13 reads, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Christians receive this great blessing not through a natural birth but through the sovereign act of adoption.

Adoption, for the Christian, is a change of status from slave to son, in which there is also a legal and forensic change of status. We become children of God by faith and by the new birth. Our adoption is related to predestination and election and is the result of God’s love for us. Adoption brings a number of privileges to those whom God adopts.

As children, we have the privilege of calling God “Abba, father,” and relating to Him as a father. We have Him as a perfect father who does not have the failings resulting from sin that are inherent in our earthly fathers. As a Father, we have the privilege of trusting that God will protect us and preserve us as a good father would protect his children.

Through adoption we have the privilege of God providing for us as is stated in Romans 8:32. 1 John 2 shows that God teaches us as his children. We have assurance of salvation as children. God has pity and compassion for us because we are His children.

The Holy Spirit is given only to children of God, which is a great benefit and blessing for believers. There is the brotherhood of all believers and with Christ as well, being heirs and co-heirs with Christ. Our adoption frees us and brings the love and concern of our brothers (Romans 14).

As Packer states, truly adoption “is the highest privilege that the gospel offers … because of the richer relationship with God that it involves” (Ibid. 206-7). We who were once enemies of God now have the privilege of relating to Him as Father.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God” 1 John 3:1

(By David Giarrizzo)

God’s Word is clear:
“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:17

Seeking the will of the Lord does not have to be a mystical part of the journey of life. In fact, the mystery of God’s decretive will is revealed when God opens our eyes to His written Word which he has given us to teach us and guide us within His will. Too many well-intentioned people are looking for answers to life’s biggest questions in all the wrong places (visions and dreams, signs and wonders, open and closed doors, feelings of the heart, false teachers, self-help books, random Bible verses, etc.). And too many poor-intentioned preachers are leading others astray through these and other means. But I appreciate how straight-forward Kevin DeYoung  is when he writes, “Apart from the Spirit working through Scripture, God does not promise to use any other means to guide us, nor should we expect Him to” (Just Do Something, p 68). This principle (sola scriptura) is important for Christians to uphold and remember, not just for theological conversations and apologetic debates, but also for answers to the questions and challenges of life, large or small.

Important Reminders

• Live a Christ-centered life. The focus in a Christian’s life must never be taken off of Jesus Christ. It’s been said, “Keep the main thing the main thing.” Well, folks, Jesus Christ is the “main thing” in a believer’s life. There is nothing more important than to follow this Savior in humble obedience that stems from a grateful love of God. Remember the first and second greatest commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Keep Christ at the forefront of your life, and everything else will fall into place.
• Be rooted in the Word. In order to know God’s will, we must know God; and in order to know God, we must know His Word. Read it. Dig in deep. Mine the divine wisdom that is contained between Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 22:21. Know God’s Word in order to know God, and as you get to know God, you will learn more of God’s will for His people.
• Chase after wisdom. Don’t spin your wheels seeking answers anywhere other than Scripture. Solomon compares true wisdom to the most precious of jewels, as important as life itself.
  “My son, do not lose sight of these—keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. …For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” (Proverbs 3:21-23, 26)
• Maintain an attitude of trust in God. Trusting God should not merely be an action that a Christian engages in on occasion. Trusting God should be a natural, basic part of the Christian’s thoughts and attitude. Kevin DeYoung writes about maintaining a daily trust in God: “We don’t have to say ‘If the Lord wills’ after every sentence, but it must be in our heads and hearts. We must live our lives believing that all of our plans and strategies are subject to the immutable will of God. Therefore, we should be humble in looking to the future because we don’t control it; God does” (p 47).
  
  Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

Recommended Resources*

1. God’s Word

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” 1 Thessalonians 4:3

“Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13

“I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.” Proverbs 3:5-7

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9-10

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Hebrews 1:1-2

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will…” Ephesians 1:11

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:28-29

2. The Church

God has given us the blessing of the church to point us back to our dependence upon Him for all things. This is what our brothers and sisters do for us—they point us to that which is most important: Jesus Christ. As we strive to become more like our Savior, we should be interacting with the beloved saints of God. The church with its members exists, in part, to sanctify God’s elect. If it is God’s will that we be sanctified, shouldn’t we seek to do God’s will and utilize the means of grace through the blessing of the local church? Of course! Additionally, a healthy church has healthy leadership who give sound, biblical advice to believers who are genuinely seeking God’s will. Go to your elders, seek their counsel, and learn from them.

3. Good Books

There have been many great books written on the topics of God’s will and decision-making. But here are a few on similar topics that have proven beneficial to me in my life:

• Just Do Something (Kevin DeYoung)
• Don’t Waste Your Life (John Piper)
• Do Hard Things (Alex and Brett Harris)
• Business for the Glory of God (Wayne Grudem)
• A Guide to Christian Ambition (Hugh Hewitt)
• Boy Meets Girl (Joshua Harris)
• Manly Dominion (Mark Chanski)
• The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment (Tim Challies)

*Please add any other good resources in the comment section.

I pray that as we walk through this world we will keep our feet planted in the Word and our eyes fixed on the Hope that is to come (Matthew 6:33); then we will find comfort and confidence and joy in the fact that our Shepherd guides us wherever we may walk. And when we come to those metaphorical forks in the road of life, I pray that we be not paralyzed but press on towards the goal.

…At least do something!

(By: Eddie Goodwin)

I have the privilege this weekend of traveling with Dr. Sam Waldron to The Reformed Pastor conference in Durham, NC.  This is an annual event hosted by Springs of Life Church in Durham.  This year’s speakers are Andy Davies, Sam Waldron and Nathan Finn.  Here is a wonderful quote from the conference web page to whet your appetite!

 

When many a modern day pastor has become an entertainer, comedian, esteem builder and/or CEO, it is time to call on the church to go back to the Scriptures and be reminded of the qualifications and roles God has established for the high office of pastor.

 

In his book “Working the Angles”, Eugene Peterson writes: “American pastors are abandoning their posts, left and right, and at an alarming rate. They are not leaving their churches and getting other jobs. Congregations still pay their salaries. Their names remain on the church stationary and they continue to appear in pulpits on Sundays. But they are abandoning their posts, their calling. They have gone whoring after other gods. They talk of images and statistics. They drop names. They discuss influence and status. Matters of God and the soul and Scripture are not grist for their mills. The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches. They are preoccupied with shopkeeper’s concerns—how to keep the customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street, how to package the goods so that the customers will lay out more money. The strategies of the fast-food franchise occupy the waking minds of these entrepreneurs; while asleep they dream of the kind of success that will get the attention of journalists…What they do with their time under the guise of pastoral ministry hasn’t the remotest connection with what the church’s pastors have done for most of twenty centuries.”

 

When we speak of the term “Reformed” pastor we speak of a pastor whose life, teaching and ministry conforms to the Word of God alone as the only standard for faith and practice. In this conference we will plumb God’s Word and church history to discover what a “Reformed” pastor looks like and his vital importance to the local church today.

(By David Giarrizzo)

Last week I began a short discussion on the topic of God’s will and decision-making flowing from Kevin DeYoung’s book, Just Do Something. In that post I addressed four categories of Christians: planners, plodders, players, and the paralyzed. While local churches should be full of discerning planners and faithful plodders, far too often church pews are filled with playing and paralyzed people who are not making Gospel strides. While some of these paralyzed believers probably have intentions that are morally upright, they are nonetheless incapacitated by worry and fear of the future. As DeYoung puts it, “Passivity is a plague among Christians. It’s not that we just don’t do anything; it’s that we feel spiritual for not doing anything” (p 51). Therefore, these individuals accomplish little for the cause of the Gospel.

But the message is this: Do Something!

As the back cover of DeYoung’s book points out, “God doesn’t need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He’s already revealed His plan for our lives: to love Him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like.” How important this is for us to understand, especially those brothers and sisters who are paralyzed by fear of the future. This theme of the book comes from Christ’s words in Matthew 6:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? . . . Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? …So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25, 27, 31-34)

Having been involved with our church’s college and career group, I can understand why much of what is written in Just Do Something is especially applicable to young adults. Young adults, especially those who are single and still in college, have many “closed doors” and “question marks” before them when they think about their futures: career, home, spouse, children, etc. But answering all of the question marks doesn’t require a person to become paralyzed as they try to strategize before entering into the unknown.

Undoubtedly, the time in a person’s life from one’s late teens through the early thirties is an important period. Many important life choices are made during these years—where to go to school, who to date, when to marry, where to live, where to go to church, etc. But the focus in all of these things shouldn’t be on the questions themselves, but on Jesus.  This is why the point of Matthew 6—and the rest of Scripture’s teaching on the subject—seems to be, “Don’t worry about all of those earthly ‘things.’ But by faith, seek after the unseen things such as the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Then everything else will fall into place according to God’s will.”

Still, even though we recognize the truth of passages like Matthew 6:33 and Romans 8:28, there can be a natural hesitation or fear amidst major choices of life. I admire the way DeYoung writes about how believers can experience peace in the face of life-changing decisions: “[W]hen it comes to most of our daily decisions, and even a lot of life’s ‘big’ decisions, God expects and encourages us to make choices, confident that He’s already determined how to fit our choices into His sovereign will” (p 51). There’s the point: Don’t worry because God is sovereign.

In the realm of church life, when it comes to “discovering God’s will for your life” or “finding your spiritual gift,” I think the best advice for anyone is this: Stop wondering, stop worrying, and get to work. This is something that we try to encourage through the Building Tomorrow’s Church conference for young adults. Young people—late teens and college-aged Christians— don’t have to wait around until they are their parents’ ages to fulfill the roles of responsible church members; they don’t have to wait until they are married to get involved in the core ministries of their churches. All believers are called to minister to and encourage one another (Hebrews 10:24-25).

The area of dating and marriage is another major concern for many young, single Christians. But this important arena of life is simply another opportunity to trust the Lord and live life according to His Word. When my wife and I were dating (feel free to call it “courting” if it makes you feel better), she lived in Kansas while I was in Arizona for three (long) years. During this time right after high school, neither of us could exactly foresee God’s plan for us in the future. But Psalm 40:8 became a theme of our relationship: “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.“ With the Word of God constantly before us, we prayerfully continued forward with our relationship until it became evident to us and everyone who knew us that God was pointing us towards marriage.

Sure, there was great risk involved as Paige and I lived 1,200 miles apart in different homes, different schools, [very] different churches, different jobs; but what worth having doesn’t involve some level of risk?! I appreciate what DeYoung mentions about risk and the future: “We must renounce our sinful desire to know the future and to be in control. We are not gods. We walk by faith, not by sight. We risk because God does not risk. We walk into the future in God-glorifying confidence, not because the future is known to us but because it is known to God. And that’s all we need to know” (p 48). As all Christians are commanded to do, Paige and I sought to live each day with eyes fixed on Christ. The rest of life, as God taught us, would be worked out for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

Simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold thee as thou art,
And thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed.
-Jean S. Pig­ott

The most important things in life center around “…who we are, not where we are” (p 60). Who we are in Christ is so much more an important preoccupation for believers to be focused on rather than who to marry or where to live or which job to take or how many kids to have or when to retire. (If only we spent more time on that important question!)

I hope to continue and conclude this topic next week.

Last night as my family and I finished dropping off our friend, Christina S., at the Buffalo airport I had a most unique opportunity to share the gospel… with a Canadian Customs Agent.

 

As we returned over the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge, I was asked what I had to declare. I mentioned that I had about $50 in books that I had ordered online. The guard asked me what kind of books they were and I told him “theological books.” Since there was a long line behind us, I thought that would be the end of the conversation. But, it wasn’t. He asked me if I was a priest and I told him, no, I was a pastor. And I’m not sure if it was boredom, curiosity or if he was trying to tell if I was lying about the books but then he asked me a series of questions. The first was “What’s the difference between a priest and a pastor other than you can get married [looking over at my wife] and that’s obviously a better lifestyle for you?” He then followed up with questions about the worship of Mary and then finally “What’s the major difference between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism?” I tried my best to answer his questions thoughtfully and to bring a gospel element into it, but, it was all too short and we were soon on our way again.

 

Whatever the purpose or ultimate outcome of the encounter, it reminded me of the need for readiness that Peter calls us to in 1 Peter 3:15: “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence…” This readiness is facilitated by a prayerful approach to daily living. This in turn helps us to show the concern and love of Christ to all the border guards, cashiers, police and others that we might interact with in our daily environment. Who knows when you might get a chance to briefly share the Gospel? Are you ready?

(By Chad Bennett)

When I am not listening to class lectures or sermons in my car, I will often listen to the local Christian music stations. More and more this has been a source of frustration in my life. I do not know if I have become more cynical or if the music really has become that bad. The majority of the music, at best, gives nothing substantial and, at worse, presents heresy.

Christians are to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Where is the music in which Christ is shown richly and that teaches and admonishes fellow Christians?

This was brought into sharp contrast when I recently broke out an old Caedmon’s Call disc. While Caedmon’s Call often dealt with Christian living in their lyrics, they also sang of great doctrinal truths. I have included the following as a sampling of their lyrics:

“Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart.
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground
And weep for the praise of the mercy I’ve found…

Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own
In the covenant love of Thy crucified Son.
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine.”

(From “Thy Mercy” written by John Stocker 1776)

How often do you hear a song that deals with the doctrine of election in popular Christian music? The following is from Caedmon’s Call’s song, “Thankful”:

“’Cause no, there is none righteous
Not one who understands
There is none who seek God
No not one, I said no not one…

‘Cause we’re all stillborn and dead in our transgressions
We’re shackled up to the sin we hold so dear
So what part can I play in the work of redemption
I can’t refuse, I cannot add a thing

‘Cause I am just like Lazarus and I can hear your voice
I stand and rub my eyes and walk to You
Because I have no choice

I am thankful that I’m incapable
Of doing any good on my own (repeat)

‘Cause by grace I have been saved
Through faith that’s not my own
It is a gift of God and not by works
Lest anyone should boast”

I present Caedmon’s Call as but one example of groups that present solid Biblical truths in their music, there are, no doubt, others. Unfortunately, it seems that these groups are in the minority. We live in a culture that has made popular Christian music a means of teaching, and many Christians are more influenced by what they hear on the radio than what they hear from the pulpit. Oh, that God’s truth would be proclaimed boldly in every area of our lives!