Two lesson here: 1) Understanding takes time.  A flash of lightning convinced Luther that he should enter the laity – Over five years of Bible study brought him to the revelation that salvation is by faith alone.  2) People can change.  How often do we denounce someone because of what they said at one time in the past?  If John MacArthur wrote the 95 Theses – there would be Christians who would never forgive him for it.  Food for thought eh?

On to the reading:

• Point 40 – Sole Fide anyone?  (Also Point 69)
• Point 48 -50– Luther visited Rome seven years before he wrote the 95 Theses.  I wonder if he was thinking back to this visit when he wrote point 48.
• Point 56-57 – Christian relics were very common in this period.  A merchant would product a piece of the cross or some other icon with power to grant relief for the dead.  At this point in the narrative, Luther questions the quantity and the authenticity more than the concept itself.  (Also Point 82)
• Point 62 – I love this statement: “The true treasure of the church is the Holy gospel of the glory and the grace of God.”
•  Point 92 – Great use of Scripture: “Away, then, with those prophets who say to Christ’s people, “Peace, peace,” where in there is no peace.”

~ JK

Having a fire insurance salvation will cause us to live clinically.   Placing a ‘tick box’ next to salvation, puts Jesus as a completed item on our To Do List.  Continuing to view our salvation through only this dimension is quite sad, as it is means we have only discovered one aspect of the greater mystery that is our new life in the gospel.  Fire insurance salvation is designed to as the first step on a journey of ‘getting to know’ this incredible -self-sacrificing Saviour who voluntarily gave His life in our place.   As we do this, the foundation of our faith transforms from fire insurance to a love story for the greatest Giver of all.

Having a Love Story salvation will cause us to live generously.  It transforms our behaviour and thinking.   It creates a deeper appreciation and desire for Jesus and others.   A Love Story salvation fosters a stronger satisfaction with life and a greater longing for life beyond the grave.

The older I get, the more my faith grows towards a Love Story salvation.   The reality of fire insurance salvation is still true, but it fades into the background in the face of our loving Jesus.

Blessings

- JC

Loud protests notwithstanding, people need enemies. It is fundamental to modern politics. The left has the right. The right has the left. The people have the politicians. And the politicians have the people. We all have enemies. And we have them because we need them.

Every sports team has its opponents. Every nation has foes. Every city has its critics. Every ideology has its counter. Every thesis has its antithesis.

When we go for a relaxing fish, we make ourselves the enemy our prey. When we play a game, we make ourselves the enemy of the opponent. It is as natural as can be. And it is so because God made it so.

The greatest leader has his critics. The most irenic monk hates and is hated. The peacenik hippie is often found protesting. And if all else fails, you’ll find in fundamentalism an enemy for the most inclusive of pluralists.

The great leaders of history knew this. They united their peoples by giving them a common enemy. They kept the attention and focus of the people on these common enemies so that the people would not turn on each other and on them.

And it is no different in the local church. People will have enemies.

These may be internal enemies—the elders, the deacons, other church members—or the attention may be directed externally. Common external enemies might be other churches within the same denomination or movement. Or perhaps, in more moderate circles the enemies might be churches, denominations, and movements outside of their circles. Many a church is consumed by this sort of enmity with others Evangelical churches. Or our focus may be shifted to other religions. This apologetic emphasis can easily turn non-Christians into the common enemy.

May I suggest that the true enemy of the local church is threefold and familiar. The true enemies of the local church and of every single believer are the world, the flesh, and the Devil. And even among these, many err in over-emphasising the two which are easiest to emphasise: the world and the Devil.

The horrible truth is that of these three true enemies of the church and the believer, the one that is most insidious and hardest to fight is us.

If your church is made up of people, they will have enemies. Your challenge as a leader is to direct the combative energies of your people, not internally within the church, and not merely externally toward the plethora of potential enemies, but inward, to the resident evil in our own hearts.

¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

                                                                                 —Romans 7

May we keep our focus on the real enemies, and may we fight them courageously with a sincere heart.

Grace to you.

Then I started thinking about all of the famous texts that have been used to spark debate and discussion in the church.  These are texts that often get referenced in passing but are rarely discussed in detail.  So I thought you might enjoy reading through important documents in church history with me and having an excuse to start a discussion.  What i’m looking for are your first impressions – not a wrestle through the source material.

Have you ever read the 95 Theses by Martin Luther?  Let’s start here with Theses 1-40.

• Luther on the purpose of the 95 Theses: “He [Luther] requests that whoever cannot be present personally to debate the matter orally will do so in absence in writing.”  This sounds like a blog post.
• 1-7 contrast Biblical repentance to the church practice of penance and the role of the Pope in the remitting of sin.  Point 1 is beautiful: When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said “Repent”, He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”  Point 7 hints at the idea that he still considers himself a Catholic.
• Point 14 is an interesting observation on human nature: “Defective piety or love in a dying person is necessarily accompanied by great fear, which is greatest where the piety or love is least.”
• The discussion on purgatory and indulgences gives us a window into how Luther is debating the issue in his own mind.  In Point 17 he appears to validate purgatory.  In Points 24 and 27 he attacks the idea that souls can be delivered from purgatory by indulgence.  In Point 29 he even uses the writings of saints to posit the idea that there are souls in purgatory that choose to minister to those who are suffering.
• Point 36 and 37 sharpen the argument against purgatory and indulgences.  “Any true Christian whatsoever, living or dead, participates in all the benefits of Christ and the Church; and this participation is granted to him by God without letters of indulgence.”

Next post I will cover Theses 41-95.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this section of text.

~ Jeremy

Here is the list of every series I’ve written on InFocus since 2005.

Grace to you.

Insecurity | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Podcast series

Epistemology | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Self image | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

KJV 400th anniversary | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Conspiracy theories | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

F. W. Boreham | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Great theological themes of the gospel | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Church programmes | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Deliberate living | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Revival in Australia | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Printed music vs. projection | Part 1 | Part 2

A call to serious reading | Part 1 | Part 2

The segment starts Monday week.

Top ten posts

Here are the posts that got the most direct hits in 2011.

1. Religion in Australia: Statistics
2. The Mesmerising Lionel Messi
3. The Norway Massacre and Christian Fundamentalism
4. The Ministry of the Penguin
5. Abortion in Australia
6. A Brief Review of BeDuhn’s “Truth in Translation”
7. Hands up if you don’t read your Bible…
8. Two Ways to Live
9. The perfect church
10. KJV: No honour in error

Interestingly, only three of these posts were actually published in 2011. Four were published in 2010 and the remaining three were published in 2009.

Grace to you.

I wish we did not have to talk about this. However, in the last 5 years, I have fellowshiped with resurging evangelicals who find their identity in their reformed interpretation.  This movement has become increasingly vocal and marginalising. I refuse to support or be part of a church or movement which makes either a reformed or non-reformed position a dividing plank of their platform. Allow me to share with you 3 reasons why I will not join the neo-reformed crusade.

1. Jesus was not ‘reformed’

A leading reformed church planter recently preached and tweeted “I am a Calvinist just like Jesus and the Apostle Paul”.** For me, this brings back bad memories of the ‘Jesus was a Baptist’ movement. Well, to be accurate, Jesus lived 1500 years before Calvin. Christians followed Jesus before reformed theology was even invented. In my experience, some of the adoration of Calvin seems akin to mormonism – to the point where Jesus and Paul are interpreted through the golden lenses of Calvin’s institutes. Or to put it another way, the logic is similar to the 1611 KJV re-inspiration theory. (i.e. full understanding was not complete until around 1500-1600). If reformed theology is Biblical, then it should be able to be fully defended and justified from Scripture without the need for Calvin.

2. Neo-Reformed is different to Historical Reformed.

The Reformation was a necessary response to middle ages Roman Catholic Church doctrine and practice. Started by Martin Luther in Germany, subsequent European leaders (including John Calvin) moulded the reformation movement to their political and theological understandings. The Reformation was a precursor to great spiritual awakenings. Today, Roman Catholic doctrine no longer has the same political/spiritual monopoly over the western masses. However the neo-reformed movement is resurging by creating a new enemy – psycho-Christianity. I am certainly not defending the bad doctrine of some ‘feel-good TV preachers’, but let’s be clear – this is not the same beast as the historical reformation.

3. The ‘Reformed Label’ is used as an egalitarian weapon

“They are not reformed” has been used as code for ‘Christians who are not in our clique and are probably heretical’. Rather than deal with the doctrines of foreknowledge, election and predestination, this slur plays the man and not the ball. In practice, modern use of the reformed label seems to be creating an exclusive new form of fundamentalism. As someone who emerged from fundamentalism, I find the personal attacks, the pride, and the lack of love particularly repulsive. For that reason alone, I choose not to be known by the reformed label. Godly evangelicals don’t need to constantly tell people how reformed they are – and how non-reformed you are. Having said that, Ben Kwok recently posted about biases he has witness from non-reformed Christians. So problem behaviours can cut both ways.

Reformed theology use to be known by the TULIP acronym. Today, the reformed label has evolved in some circles to mean different things depending on who is using it. So it is hard to pin down.   TULIP is helpful in that it explains some soteriological truth regarding God’s sovereignty, however it does not give the complete love picture of salvation that only the Scriptures can bring.   So for the sake of dealing with the issues, let me expand on TULIP’s points.

• T – Total Depravity of man:   The heart of man is inherently evil.  Salvation requires the intervening of the Holy Spirit to move us from spiritual death to spiritual life. - Ephesians 1   YET, while unregenerate man is depraved, he still retains the image of God with the free will to choose to do right (e.g. obey government by paying taxes).   In comparison to God, these acts of righteousness are still filthy rags.
• U – Unconditional election: Election to salvation requires repentance.   God provides the command and the power to repent both mentally (saving faith) and physically (visible faith).    YET, the command to repent does not negate our free-will actions to choose to ‘seek first God’s Kingdom’.  Our acts of faith are not works that earns us favour or standing with God but we choose them as a response because He first loved us.
• L – Limited Atonement:    Atonement is only applied to the elect.   YET, God died and shed his blood for the sins of the whole world. The price is paid for everyone.  That is why God can honestly say that He wants everyone to be saved.
• I – Irresistible Grace:   For those of us who ave received God’s grace, we understand why grace seems so irresistible.   YET the Bible is full of stories of people who resisted the grace that God offered to them (e.g. the rich young ruler, Pharoah, etc)
• P – Preservation of the Saints:  God gives man the power to repent (John 1:12) and the power to stay following Christ.  YET Christians don’t become preserved toy puppets.   Rather God gives His followers the power to persevere.   There is no earned merit in a Christian’s faithfulness, and some will chose to walk away from the faith (this is not hypothetical).  In His eternal foreknowledge, this is not a surprise to God. – Hebrews 6:4-6

If you meet an ugly calvinist or ugly non-calvinist, resist the temptation to throw the baby out with the bath water. God does foreknow and pre-destine his elect. (Romans 8:29) He also created man with a free will. Let’s conclude that the ugly person is just not expressing it well.

As I said before, the truth often lies in the middle of man-made debates and positions. I do not consider myself a follower of John Calvin or Joseph Aminius. I am simply a follower of The Way. So the next time, someone asks if you are reformed – don’t buy into the artificial game. Simply smile and say that you follow Jesus.

Blessings

-JC

*EDIT – My responses to TULIP were updated on Jan 16th to provide more clarity.  My position on TULIP remains the same.

** I have been told this was originally preached jest.   Here is a link to the sermon.     However, the comment was subsequently tweet by the Geneva Push and retweeted by other, hence I remain concerned. 

This book supplied for review through BookSneeze®.

263 pages plus appendices.

 ★★★★½ 

A renowned critic suggested that only Shakespeare’s prose “is capable of surviving comparison with Tyndale’s.” Yet Tyndale lived his life—and performed his art—in exile.

This is no mere biography. It is, rather, a scholarly exposition, an historical work. Drawing on the writings of Tyndale and those around him, Teems presents Tyndale in a way that leaves you less confident of the things you thought you knew about him, but more familiar with the substance of William Tyndale as a person.

Chapters are devoted to the various stages of Tyndale’s life as well as to his translation work and his other writings. Significant space is given to providing the historical context of Tyndale’s work and to introducing the men—both friend and foe—who impacted Tyndale most.

The ups

First, this book is a rich source of historical information on the Reformation era. Significant portions are devoted to men such as Martin Luther, Sir Thomas More, Oliver Cromwell, Anne Boleyn, Desiderius Erasmus, Henry VIII, Thomas Wolsey, and many other figures whose lives intersected with the translator’s. The reader will gain rich insights from these encounters.

Second, the reader will come away from this book having read first hand excerpts from many of the letters and documents that shaped the world in which we live.

Third, Teems devotes much space to Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament and the impact it had. There is a helpful discussion on Tyndale’s philosophy of translation and a wealth of information about the history of our English Bible stemming from Wycliffe’s work and progressing through Tyndale’s work to that of his companion, Myles Coverdale, and others.

Fourth, Teems digs into Tyndale’s writings to catch a glimpse of Tyndale that is deeper than the normal focus on his translation work. He seeks to understand his thinking, his philosophy, his theology, and his passion. One highlight for me was learning that even though Tyndale’s translation was considered no little crime, it was for his crime of defending the “heresy” of sola fide (justification by faith alone) that he was condemned to die.

The downs

First, though Teems’ subtle humour provided me with many a good chuckle, his thoroughness borders at times on tedium. Still, it is some of the more pleasurable tedium you’re likely to encounter.

Second, this work is more academic than devotional. At times it is obtuse.

Third, The relationship between the author as a Christian and the author as a scholar is awkward at times. The author is ambiguous about where he stands regarding the Roman Catholic Church and the Reformers. On a few occasions, theologically liberal views are hinted at such as denial of the supernatural.

Fourth, though there are some helpful appendices, there is no subject index. This is disappointingly inconvenient for a work of this nature.

Conclusion

An excellent work. Well worth the read. Enjoyable. Enriching. Edifying.

Grace to you.

“Socrates describe a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall.  The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. According to Plato’s Socrates, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality.”    – extract from ’ Plato’s Cave‘ wikipedia entry.

The latter stages of the allegory go on the describe how the philosopher is like one who has been freed from the chains and has seen life in its full reality and colour.  When the philosopher returns to the cave to convince the prisoners of reality, they refuse to believe him.

In my experience, there are two clear applications of this story for us as Christians today:

1: As followers of Christ, we know that those who do not know Jesus are ignorant to the freedom and marvelous future that is outside the cave.   We may even be accused by the shadow dwellers of being arrogant with our ‘strange message’.   The temptation can be to not even return to the cave and to leave the cave dwellers to their own fate.   As believers in the great commission, we cannot and must not do this.  Without trying to fulfil Einstien’s definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result), we should pragmatically try new methods of evangelism and en-lighting the shadow dwellers without changing the message of reality.   Underlying all of this is the need to pray that the Holy Spirit will remove the shackles from their eyes.

2: As we continue to follow Christ, we often inadvertently create new caves.    Our churches become insular and form the boundaries of our social construct.   Often a ‘Man of God’ will be the one who projects images of reality on the new walls of our minds.   Catholics who look to papal decrees are often guilt of this.   However, non-catholics, can also suffer from shadow interpretation when they only receive their spiritual food from the preacher.   To maintain a view of life in its full reality, we must develop our philosophy directly from Jesus.   It is also healthy read books from various authors and to listen to multiple preachers from different circles of influence.   If we are confident in the inerrancy of God’s Word, then we can and should critically engage and evalute ‘Christianity’ without the need of narrow cave walls to protect us.   As we are aware of our tendencies to develop new shadows, we can more fully focus on the Christian life in all its colours.

Blessings

-JC

Be a Learner

Taking interest in a new topic deepens appreciation for people different from yourself.  I have never been interested in what happens inside a fitness centre, but my husband encouraged me to give it a go.  Stepping through the doors and becoming involved inside the gym has increased my willingness to listen and learn more.  How God has made the human body to thrive and how He gives people knowledge to understand it!  If we want to increase in wisdom, let’s be willing to learn things outside of our natural interests.  We will likely discover that God’s handiwork is evident in that subject area too.

A wise man will listen and increase his learning,?and a discerning man will obtain guidance.  Prov.1:5 

Alone We Groan; Together is Better

Going to the gym with a friend sweetens the whole experience for a reluctant exerciser.  In my case, I frequented the gym with my exercise-loving husband Steve.  Those killer workouts with our personal trainer Mary became dates to anticipate with excitement.  Working out with Steve to share the sweat and Mary to encourage us through her torturous routines provided not only motivation but also appreciation of the fellowship of fitness fanatics.  Without the two of them to urge me along, quitting would have been the inevitable outcome.  Not only was it fun to share the workouts, but we also shared the pain of recovering muscles.  It’s not just inside the gym that we need encouragement and fellowship.  Outside the gym too we need others to help us through the tough times of life, sharing our sorrows and joys and keeping us from quitting.

“Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor.”  Ecc. 4:9

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” Heb. 10:24 

Falling is not the End

Falling off the treadmill doesn’t have to end your fitness commitment.  You may fly ungracefully off the end of the treadmill and seriously bruise your dignity (or something more solid).  I did.  But it would have been a far worse consequence for me to give up training after that moment of terror and humiliation.  Ironically, falling off was the very thing I have always feared about that relentless machine.  But I found out that I could face my crushed dignity and my fear and get back on the treadmill the next day and the next, applying what I had learned in my moment of inattention for more successful treadmill experiences.  Failure in life is no different.  It gives us a chance to evaluate our mistakes and our weaknesses and try again by the grace of God.

“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.” Prov. 24:16

 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Heb. 12:12-13 

Sore for More

Soreness is not always bad.  I’ve always been a wimp about sore muscles, but working out with Steve and Mary has taught me to appreciate those mornings when I could hardly lift my arms or pick up the dirty clothes from the floor.  That pain meant I had burned fat and strengthened muscles.  It meant the workouts were changing me.  In a similar way, God uses the aches of our hearts to change us for His glorious purposes.

“For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.”  2 Cor. 4:17

Harder Work Now; Sweeter Rest Later

5. The pleasures of life are better enjoyed when you have worked hard for them.  After the self-torture of a serious workout, I really feel like I’ve earned that smooth protein shake and hot shower.  Sleep is sweeter after decent exercise.  Similarly, the joys of heaven will be brighter for those who have patiently worked hard at the rigours of faith.  They are the ones who will hear their Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

“There remains a sabbath rest for the people of God. . . . Let us therefore strive to enter that rest.” Heb. 4: 9, 11

Simply Does It

Getting fit and strong does not have to involve fancy equipment.  Most of our workouts involved little more than a few weights and a little floor space.  Exercise routines were surprising simple.  Simple but not easy.  Walking on all fours up and down the length of the gym, pausing only for sit-ups or push-ups or jumping jacks, requires only my own body and plenty of determination. It felt like going back to school for PE again, but those workouts turned my arms and legs to jelly and tested the limits of my cardio endurance.  Sometimes we can think that becoming Christlike involves comprehending complex theology and multiple layers of frantic activity.  The truth is that it’s the simple things like having a prayerful heart, hanging out with others who love to talk about Jesus, and soaking myself in God’s Word that are moving me towards a deeper walk with God.  It’s  really that simple.

“As newborn babies want milk, you should want the pure and simple teaching.  By it you can mature in your salvation.”  1 Pet. 2:2

Open your eyes to God’s pointers in the thumbnail images of your life.  What arena of life is God giving you in 2012 in which to grow in your understanding of Him?