In a recent message on Acts 13:44-52, verse 48 took our church family into some deep theological waters, so I decided to follow up and clarify a few things.
First, imagine an iceberg: God and his ways are, to some extent, beyond us (so too, much of an iceberg is out of view). After all, since God is the eternal, all-wise, infinitely glorious maker and master of all things, and since we are finite, fallible, sinful creatures, we should expect the Lord and his designs to exceed our grasp: how could it be otherwise? Still, the iceberg is no excuse for failing to study Scripture vigorously and thus love the Lord with our minds (Matt 22:37). But it’s just a fact: we don’t and won’t comprehend all God’s ways.
Acts 13:48 says about Gentiles at Antioch, “and all who were appointed for eternal life believed” (NIV). All the standard English translations render the verse much the same (some say “ordained” or “destined”). I noted that the Greek verb behind “were appointed” is passive—that means the subject is acted upon by another. So those “appointed for eternal life” were recipients of the impact of that deed; God’s action, not theirs, is in view.
Also, I noted that the Greek verb is in the perfect tense (that means it conveys past action that has present effects). In 13:48, then, the appointing precedes the believing. Thus we can’t construe the act of appointing / ordaining by God as something done after the fact in response to human initiative. The text weighs against this view. The Lord is pictured as the initiator.
Widening our Bible study lens a bit, we recall how Christ’s adversaries “… did what your [God’s] power and will had decided beforehand should happen” (4:28). And looking ahead, in 16:14 we’ll see how “The Lord opened her [Lydia’s] heart to respond to Paul's message.” Our sermons in Ephesians put a spotlight on 1:4-5, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
At the same time, as I mentioned last Sunday, Acts 13 and the rest of the Bible treat human will and choice seriously. God’s initiative in salvation does not undermine human responsibility. In Acts 13:46 Paul confronts obstinate listeners—they were judging themselves unworthy of eternal life (note: Paul does not say they were simply non-elect and so their choices don’t matter). Or looking ahead, in 14:1-2, Paul and Barnabas speak “effectively” in Iconium (their witness matters), and many believe. Others refuse to believe, and the text does not say this is because they’re just robots programmed to reject Christ. Unbelievers are accountable for refusing the Gospel. Stepping back, Paul pours his heart and soul into mission, knowing that it matters that people hear and respond to the Gospel (cf. Acts 11:14). In other words, he does not take God’s initiative in salvation as a reason to stay home and put his feet up.
Here are a few other Bible passages that speak to these issues:
Human choice and will, necessity of a personal response to God…
· Deut 30:19 (now choose life, so that you and your children may live)
· Josh 24:15 (choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve)
· Matt 11:28 (come to me … and I will give you rest)
· Mark 1:15 (repent and believe the good news)
· Acts 2:38 (repent and be baptized, every one of you)
· Acts 16:31 (believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved)
· Rom 10:9 (if you confess and believe, you will be saved)
· And so, too, countless other commands of Scripture
Divine initiative and intervention to save, human inability…
· John 1:13 (new birth not based on human will but God’s working)
· John 6:44, 65 (no one comes to Jesus unless drawn by the Father)
· John 10:26 (you don’t believe because you’re not of my sheep)
· Rom 8:29-30 (God predestined those whom he foreknew)
· Rom 9:16 (what ultimately matters is God’s mercy, not human will)
· 2 Cor 4:4-6 (unbelievers are blind to the light of the gospel)
· Eph 2:1-10 (vv 1, 5 dead in sin; v 8 salvation thru faith a gift)
· 2 Tim 2:25 (God may grant that non-believers repent)
How do these two groups of texts fit together? There is mystery here. But that is no reason to dismiss either of these major biblical themes.
What do we do with the Bible’s portrayal of divine saving intervention? Embrace it—the Bible teaches it. And more, celebrate the fact that God is able to break into rebellious souls and breathe life into spiritually dead hearts: this gives us hope in outreach and boldness for prayer.
And what do we do with the biblical doctrine of human will and choice? Embrace it—the Bible teaches it. And more, trumpet the call to turn to God and obey his Word, and encourage each other to be faithful to the Lord in this life’s venture, choosing wisely, stepping out in faith, as we follow Christ!
Remember, my job, as a pastor, is to preach and teach in a way that conveys “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), not dodging the tough issues. We must look these texts and topics in the eye, even if they’re controversial.
Maybe all this is confusing or unsettling for you. Or maybe it’s just uncharted territory in your experience. Believers through the centuries have wrestled tenaciously with these texts and themes—it’s not easy, that’s for sure. But be assured that the Lord will guide us as we attend carefully and humbly to the study of his Word. And be assured that our Lord, who is all-wise and perfectly holy and completely good, sees how all truth coheres: he can be trusted with these things.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Itching Ears
As the shadow of his martyrdom looms ahead, Paul the Apostle warns young Pastor Timothy: “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
Itching ears...
In a recent meeting with a study group, we read 2 Timothy 4:1-8 and asked, “What do our ears itch to hear?” We had a wide-ranging and sobering discussion that helped reveal our deep vulnerability to messages that “scratch where we itch.” Our ears long for:
FLATTERY. We want people to make much of us. Our ego yearns to be fed and pampered. Pride makes us susceptible to self-exalting, human-centered messages. We want to feel special and heroic and beautiful and important… And yet, this itch results in ignoring or forgetting about God—very dangerous!
ENTERTAINMENT. We long to be wowed, amazed, impressed; we want that “ooh-and-aah” and the emotional impact from top talent and great performers. There is a certain vicarious “high” we get from being in the audience of great entertainers. The problem is that many facets of the Bible’s message are not entertaining. Do we filter those out?
SILENCE ON SIN. We want to dodge the blunt confrontations of Scripture that shed light on our wickedness and rebellion against the Lord. Our devious hearts long to hear messages that make our sin seem small and our righteousness appear large. Warm-fuzzies scratch where we itch, but penetrating spiritual surgery with the ruthless-yet-redeeming Word of God’s love scares us.
GOSSIP. We want to hear how others have messed up—how foolish or careless or nasty or hypocritical or ignorant or geeky or ugly or incompetent those around us are. Them—not us (of course). Gossip’s twisted satisfaction takes joy in other’s flaws and failures—we get a warped ego boost from the feeling of superiority gossip generates.
Churches need to be on guard. The pressure on pastors to deliver messages that "scratch where people itch" is strong! Lay leaders need to stand with their pastors to call for and support faithful, balanced, honest biblical teaching and preaching. And we must all have the courage to deliver the truth without doctoring it or maneuvering it to please human listeners.
For this cause we need the Lord's help! Join me in praying that our desire in the church would be for God’s Word (4:2), and that this longing would overpower the itch for sinful messages. Pray as well that we’d embrace the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) and not just favorite verses. Pray for “ears to hear” God’s truth!
Itching ears...
In a recent meeting with a study group, we read 2 Timothy 4:1-8 and asked, “What do our ears itch to hear?” We had a wide-ranging and sobering discussion that helped reveal our deep vulnerability to messages that “scratch where we itch.” Our ears long for:
FLATTERY. We want people to make much of us. Our ego yearns to be fed and pampered. Pride makes us susceptible to self-exalting, human-centered messages. We want to feel special and heroic and beautiful and important… And yet, this itch results in ignoring or forgetting about God—very dangerous!
ENTERTAINMENT. We long to be wowed, amazed, impressed; we want that “ooh-and-aah” and the emotional impact from top talent and great performers. There is a certain vicarious “high” we get from being in the audience of great entertainers. The problem is that many facets of the Bible’s message are not entertaining. Do we filter those out?
SILENCE ON SIN. We want to dodge the blunt confrontations of Scripture that shed light on our wickedness and rebellion against the Lord. Our devious hearts long to hear messages that make our sin seem small and our righteousness appear large. Warm-fuzzies scratch where we itch, but penetrating spiritual surgery with the ruthless-yet-redeeming Word of God’s love scares us.
GOSSIP. We want to hear how others have messed up—how foolish or careless or nasty or hypocritical or ignorant or geeky or ugly or incompetent those around us are. Them—not us (of course). Gossip’s twisted satisfaction takes joy in other’s flaws and failures—we get a warped ego boost from the feeling of superiority gossip generates.
Churches need to be on guard. The pressure on pastors to deliver messages that "scratch where people itch" is strong! Lay leaders need to stand with their pastors to call for and support faithful, balanced, honest biblical teaching and preaching. And we must all have the courage to deliver the truth without doctoring it or maneuvering it to please human listeners.
For this cause we need the Lord's help! Join me in praying that our desire in the church would be for God’s Word (4:2), and that this longing would overpower the itch for sinful messages. Pray as well that we’d embrace the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) and not just favorite verses. Pray for “ears to hear” God’s truth!
The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God is an exciting yet very difficult topic. Difficult because the word “kingdom” has all kinds of distracting connotations for us. First, we tend to think in spatial terms when we hear the word—a kingdom is a place, a territory. Second, the vast majority of today’s kings and queens are relatively impotent. By contrast, the New Testament envisions "kingdom" as dynamic, active kingship; it means the reign of God, the Lord in saving action. And further, the Bible’s conception of kingship involves serious authority (unlike that of figurehead royalty in many modern monarchies): if the king commands it, it is done. Period.
Yet it’s exciting, even exhilarating, when we realize God’s kingship is dynamic and powerful. When Jesus announces in Mark 1:15, “The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news,” it means he’s taking over and we’re invited to join in his bold, life-changing, victorious cause! Caesar can haul out all the spears and chariots he wants to, but the King of Kings is launching a greater, deeper, bigger revolution to transform people’s lives from the inside out. As they say in Narnia, “Aslan is on the move.”
But remember, Jesus also teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come” (Matt 6:10). Even though God’s reign is dawning, the fullness of his royal power is restrained until the Last Day. God’s reign is “now but not yet”; the end of times has been inaugurated in Jesus’ first coming, but it will only be consummated with his second coming.
It’s like we live between D-Day and VE-Day: the decisive blow has been dealt to the Enemy and the outcome of the war is now clear (in WWII it became clear after D-Day that the Allies would win; in spiritual terms, the death and resurrection of Christ confirmed ultimate victory). But battles rage on, and in this age the Enemy fights us fiercely—all the more so as he realizes, with fury, that his doom is sure.
So let’s join together, fighting with weapons of love, resting in our solid hope, and seeking the fullness of God’s reign by going about his business for our times to make disciples among all peoples (see Matt 24:14; 28:18-20; 2 Peter 3:8-9), in the joy and for the glory of the Lord!
Yet it’s exciting, even exhilarating, when we realize God’s kingship is dynamic and powerful. When Jesus announces in Mark 1:15, “The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news,” it means he’s taking over and we’re invited to join in his bold, life-changing, victorious cause! Caesar can haul out all the spears and chariots he wants to, but the King of Kings is launching a greater, deeper, bigger revolution to transform people’s lives from the inside out. As they say in Narnia, “Aslan is on the move.”
But remember, Jesus also teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come” (Matt 6:10). Even though God’s reign is dawning, the fullness of his royal power is restrained until the Last Day. God’s reign is “now but not yet”; the end of times has been inaugurated in Jesus’ first coming, but it will only be consummated with his second coming.
It’s like we live between D-Day and VE-Day: the decisive blow has been dealt to the Enemy and the outcome of the war is now clear (in WWII it became clear after D-Day that the Allies would win; in spiritual terms, the death and resurrection of Christ confirmed ultimate victory). But battles rage on, and in this age the Enemy fights us fiercely—all the more so as he realizes, with fury, that his doom is sure.
So let’s join together, fighting with weapons of love, resting in our solid hope, and seeking the fullness of God’s reign by going about his business for our times to make disciples among all peoples (see Matt 24:14; 28:18-20; 2 Peter 3:8-9), in the joy and for the glory of the Lord!
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