The Law

"I shall give thanks to Thee with uprightness of heart, When I learn Thy righteous judgments."
"I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, As much as in all riches."
"My soul is crushed with longing After Thine ordinances at all times."
"Even though princes sit and talk against me, Thy servant meditates on Thy statutes."
"Thy testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors."
"Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Thy law."
"Behold, I long for Thy precepts; Revive me through Thy righteousness."
"And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Thy precepts."

Ps. 119:7, 14, 20, 23-24, 29, 40, 45

By the first fifty verses of the 119th Psalm King David has already expressed a love for the Law that far exceeds anything I've been capable of in my twenty-eight years of life. When I read this particular Psalm, my heart aches to have the passion of, reverence for, faith in, and the blessings of God's Law that David demonstrates. Alongside that desire however, comes a barrage of questions; a tsunami of embittered inquiry. In all my years of dedicated Church attendance, why haven't I been taught to have a similar love like this for the Law? Why do modern-day Christians seem so happy to be divorced from such an obviously powerful source of blessing and joy? How exactly do I even relate to the Law? What blessings come from the Law? How am I supposed to obey a law my desires seem so strongly opposed to? David's love for and understanding of the Law, as well as his evident blessedness through it, should have the Christian begging to be in David's position.

Compare David to the Pharisees. There is a use and understanding of God's law that brings vibrant, passion-filled, joyous life and an abusive, joy-killing, passionless use that made the Pharisees, with their proselytes, "sons of hell" (Matt.23). I'll give a hearty "Amen!!" to anyone who cries out against the Pharisaical use and understanding of the Law that, like the wolf in sheep's clothing, bites and devours all who ignorantly subject themselves to it. But we throw the baby out with the bathwater when we consider God's law a thing of the past, as though it is of no use to the modern-day Christian's vibrant, joy-filled life, because of its past abuse or perceived irrelevance.

The Christian today is in such an incredible position. We have God's law, we have an already perfected position in Christ, and the Spirit indwelling us to give the ability to live a life that practically mirrors our spiritual position. Knowing that we have an alien righteousness that guarantees our final destination and glorification, and the empowering Spirit to live the Law, should bring a love and desire for the blessedness of God's law similar to (or perhaps beyond) David's. Yet there seems to be a permeating distaste among modern day Christianity for the Law.

Living the Law is living love. The Law is little more than love practically defined. Consider Galatians 5:13-15,

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another."

If you live the Law, you live out the love that makes this life pleasurable. The Christian, unlike every other person on earth, is empowered by God himself to live according to this law after completely erasing the Law's condemnation against them. If the Law and its blessedness is understood this way, and the believer reads David's psalm within this context, he or she may comprehend David's exaltation of God's law. It's no longer weird to hear a man praise God for rules and regulations. We get to live the temporal and eternal blessedness of love applied, without the eternal consequences of love denied. How praise-worthy is Christ for that? Christian, we need to learn to love God's law like David did. We need to have a passion for understanding God's law, and our relationship to it. We need to commit ourselves to learning, loving, and living it without inhibition. Then, and only then, will we be able to sing the praises of David.

Small Distinctions Matter.

Read Matt. 5:17-20

"While the smallest items of the law are significant for the kingdom of God and its righteousness, the righteousness of the scribes is said to have absolutely no affinity whatsoever with the kingdom (v.20). This is an important distinction to make. The mistake of the Pharisees was not concern for detail; it was externalism, humanistic traditionalism, and hypocrisy. Their kind of concern for detail led them to miss the whole genius of kingdom righteousness; hence they made God's law void by their own traditions."
-Greg Bahnsen in "Theonomy in Christian Ethics"

Deceit: Legitimate Christian Armament?

I used to work with a guy named Eric who was, at that time, working his way through the philosophy program at Talbot. One of our favorite topics of debate (for there were many areas of disagreement between us) was Biblical ethics. Especially, whether or not lying could be used to God's glory.
Our test case was the story of Rahab, the harlot, and her defense of the Israelite spies (Joshua 2:1-14). While Eric asserted that Rahab's deceit, being beneficial to the Israelite spies by preserving their lives, was the morally right thing to do, I asserted that Rahab's protection of the spies was God glorifying, but the means she used in doing so, lying, was still immoral.
Eric attempted to strengthen his case by defining "lying" as an "immoral" use of deceit. So that lying was therefore always wrong, but being deceitful was not necessarily so. I held to a bit more simplistic definition of lying as verbal deceit, or simple, purposeful falsification; which I believe to be the more widely accepted definition. In my case, Rahab obeyed one law, Exodus 20:13, the preservation of innocent life, while breaking another, Exodus 20:16 with Hebrews 6:18, John 8:44, and 1 Corinthians 13:6. I asserted that lying was not her only option, and the laws God has given us will never be set against each other so that we must decide which action in any given situation is the "lesser evil."
Eric, it seems, was working from a love-guided situational ethic. Basically, whatever action serves love is morally right because it serves love. Rahab's lie preserved the lives of the Israelite spies, serving love, and was therefore glorifying to God. I believe, with qualification, in the same love-guided situational ethic. That qualification being this; there exist, in Scripture, God-given maxims that define what love is and does, ie., the Ten Commandments, or 1 Cor. 13:1-8. These maxims do not leave the loving action entirely up to our discretion in any given situation, but guide us in understanding what that loving action will be in a general way. In Eric's situational ethic, love demanded that Rahab preserve life, and since lying was a means to that end, lying was justified. While in my situational ethic, love demanded that Rahab preserve life AND do so through some means other than lying since scripture teaches that love is truthful (1Cor.13:6).
Luke 6:35 in the NASB reads, "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." Here we see Christ teaching that even those we consider enemies are to be loved, and our actions towards them are to be governed by love as well. So, from my side of the argument, Scripture teaches us what love is, and that our actions are to be guided by love, which is to be extended to our enemies as well as everyone else, leaving the easy, convenient option of lying outside the boundaries of God-honoring action.
All of this has been running through my mind lately, and I've begun to think that there was something both Eric and I were missing. Eric's Love-guided ethic leaves too much in the hands of the agent, using the cloak of love to disguise any desired action as justified. My ethic corrects that problem to a significant degree with love-defining maxims found in Scripture that guide our understanding of righteousness, yet even this ethic seems awkward when applied to Rahab’s situation. Maybe you’ve noticed that I have yet to say anything relating to the title of this blog. This is where my recent thoughts come in to play, and where I’d love some feedback on the question I've been pondering.

Is deceit, like a gun, sword, or spear, a legitimate war-time weapon? The sword is a weapon that can be used in a righteous or unrighteous manner. Cutting off my neighbor's head would be murder and an immoral act, worthy of punishment. A man found guilty of multiple murders in a court of law and sentenced to death having his head cut off by the executioner, would be a just act, and therefore righteous. The God-given law of equality, life for life, justifies the use of the sword in this manner, when the man has been found guilty in a court of law. However, in wartime, there is no court of law on the battle field and yet the soldier can be justified in his use of the sword. Is it possible, that, like the sword, lying could be a justified weapon given the specific context of war? In the battle, a man is friend or foe, and worthy of life or death, aid or violence, based on his allegiance. We owe the truth to all whom we owe love. Though we owe love to the enemy, war seems justified by Scripture as long as it is prompted by righteous convictions, and it seems that within this context, the only act of love to be given (and yet not required) would be the chance to repent. So once again, my question to which I have yet to answer satisfactorily in my own mind, is, does the context of war legitimize lying, or deceit, as a weapon?

p.s. I'm not too happy with the way this came out, not sure why, so forgive me if its not worded very well, or unclear. I just needed to get it out, lol.

My Move

"'...The Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few.'"
-1Sam.14:6

Jonathan, speaking to the young man who was carrying his armor, as they were about to approach a large Philistine camp, has a pretty intense faith in God's power to deliver. It's such a powerful reminder of what God is capable of. When He presses us to move forward in any direction, we must go with the faith Jonathan voices here. It doesn't matter how far we must must go, or the task in front of us, God himself will do what He wants done. So simple, yet incredibly motivating and faith-strengthening. Do yourself a favor; meditate on the story in 1 Sam. 14:1-15 keeping this particular statement in mind.

Fixin' my frisson.

Frisson in grace is not only good, but expected of all Christians who even partially understand the grandeur of God's grace. Mine, however, seem to be backwards. Recently my frissons have come in the relatively small, peripheral graces, but have woefully waned in the monumental, life saving, eternally significant graces.
I hate flying. I'd rather take a few bullets to the chest, or have my face deep fried. Today, I had to fly from Redding in northern California down to Ontario. It was only an hour flight, but I was still dreading it. Once our wheels hit the ground in Ontario, I breathed a deep sigh of relief and immediately started thanking God for the grace of continued physical life, and had a moment of great frisson. Obviously, this is a good thing.
Since then, my mind has been mulling over the greater graces I've been given. I definitely have my moments of frisson when my mind's eye has been focused on our Redeemer's propitiating work, but they are too few and far between for my comfort. True, I may never be satisfied with my emotional reactions to the redemptive work of Christ on this side of heaven, but I think there is still a massive amount of room for improvement. For, all things considered, what is a safe landing compared to eternal bliss? My frissons should reflect the difference.


P.s. I learned a new word today. Can you guess what it is?

I can no longueur see

"...His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him..."
-2 Peter1:3 NASB

One of the things my mental skirmishes with the Dispensational vs. Covenental Theology debate has really exemplified is this very truth.
When you start to understand the progressive nature of God's revelation, and the proper hermeneutics of such a revelation, the continuities and discontinuities that appear through-out are both fascinating and enlightening. They reveal so much about our Lord and Creator, and His dealings with man, and purposes in history, that when the Spirit lays these things upon our hearts and minds, we find ourselves more than adequately prepared to live life in godliness.

So much of Scripture seemed foreign and useless to me in the past. However, the more I apply my mind to the acquisition of "the true knowledge of Him," I find that there is much to be learned about life and godliness outside of purely prescriptive passages. I get how the law and moral teachings fit me for life and godliness, but those alone do not constitute the "true knowledge of Him" through which the "everything" is granted. Christian, the entire word is extremely profitable for you, in the living out of a satisfying, and God-pleasing life this side of heaven.

Deep, complicated, thought provoking theology that requires assiduous study should be the object of even the simplest of Christian minds. This truth is made clear by two simple maxims. First, in Scripture God is presented as incomprehensibly massive and transcendent, and secondly, as stated in our Scripture above, "...His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him."

Prating a lot these days

I would give anything for the title of this entry to be a mere spelling error, and the dispositions of my heart to be corrected at the stroke of a key.

Let me share with you a quote from the book "Gospel Remission" by Jeremiah Burroughs that has sparked a deep fire of conviction in my heart, and opened my eyes to my prating in place of praying:

"'Tis not prayer to mumble over a few words. This is to prate and not to pray."

So often my prayers of forgiveness are just mindless babble. The gravity of what I've done, the great work of God that He has done to make forgiveness possible, and the amazing grace He exercises in allowing me to participate in the results of His saving work, are, for the most part, barely discernible apparitions of truth in my heart. I know I need to ask for forgiveness, so I do, with about as much passion and reverence as I exude eating a ham sandwich.

How pathetic can I be? My prating increases my sin before God. So very often this heart needs to be reminded how to pray, reminded of the magnitude of my sin, and reminded of His infinite holiness. For these very things I am forever indebted to the godly examples we have in Scripture. David was a man after God's own heart, who sinned greatly, and repented greatly. The very next chance you get, read Psalm 51. This is a psalm of repentance, written by David after his sin with Bathsheba. Let God teach you by example how to pray, and put an end to your prate.

"Directions for Hating Sin"

"Direct. VII. Bethink you what a life it is which you must live for ever, if you live in heaven; and what a life the holy ones there now live; and then think whether sin, which is so contrary to it, be not a vile and hateful thing.—Either you would live in heaven, or not. If not, you are not those I speak to. If you would, you know that there is no sinning; no worldly mind, no pride, no passion, no fleshly lust or pleasures there. Oh, did you but see and hear one hour, how those blessed spirits are taken up in loving and magnifying the glorious God in purity and holiness, and how far they are from sin, it would make you loathe sin ever after, and look on sinners as on men in bedlam wallowing naked in their dung. Especially, to think that you hope yourselves to live for ever like those holy spirits; and therefore sin does ill beseem you."

-"Directions for Hating Sin" by Richard Baxter in it's entirety can be found here.

Often Oblivious to the Obvious

“True liberty consists only in the power of doing what we ought to will, and in not being constrained to do what we ought not to will.”
-Jonathan Edwards

Re-read and think on this quote, and then consider:

"... When you were slaves of sin... What benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life."
-Rom.6:20-22

Sin = Death.
Its so simple.
Just in case you were wondering, death is not a benefit.
Death is not something we cherish. Death is not something we wrap up and place under the tree to be given to our loved ones on the morn of our sweet Saviour's birth. Nor is it a tasty little treat we offer guests before a meal to whet their appetites.
Death is not a mere annoyance. Something we can live with, that just gets in the way like a pesky mosquito, bad gas, or the neighbor's yappy dog at 3am.
Death, in its least harmful form, is the physical end of you. In its worst, and most horrific form, is the eternal separation from, while experiencing the infinite wrath of, the one, true, all-powerful, holy God.
Death and sin are natural bedfellows. So why is it that I, a blood-bought child of God, no longer a slave to sin, still choose it, instead of that which brings benefit? This, in reality, is akin to standing on the freeway in front of a speeding semi because "I really like trucks, and this is how I choose to experience them." The sheer stupidity and colossal lack of faith in sound reason is astonishing.

The rebellious, wicked sinner whose eyes have not been opened to the "Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2Cor4:6) are those whom Edwards speaks of as "constrained to do what we ought not to will." They are slaves to sin, and therefore destined to death in it's worst possible form. You, Christian, however, are not so. You, through the death of Christ, have been "enslaved to God" which means instead of death, "you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life." You have the power of doing what you ought to will.

As Christians, we have the Word, we have the Spirit, yet we sin. We have everything we need to keep us healthy and satisfied, yet we choose the poison. May I be so bold as to suggest a very simple, and painfully obvious solution? Consider what the author of Hebrews teaches us about Israel's failure, and whether or not their failure might be your own...

"For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they [Israel] also; but the word they [Israel] heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard."
-Heb.4:2

Can you see the solution? Simply put, believe the Word.

"...the outcome of those things is death."
-Rom6:21




“True liberty consists only in the power of doing what we ought to will, and in not being constrained to do what we ought not to will.”
-Jonathan Edwards

"Jesus is Lord"

Below is a phenomenal sermon by David Forsyth, the preaching pastor for Foothill Bible Church. The Lordship of Christ should permeate every aspect of life.

Sermon:

"Jesus is Lord"

Church website:

Foothill Bible Church

Running Boxers

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air..."
-1 Cor. 9:24-26 NASB

Three things stand out to me here; The nature of the prize, the purposefulness of the running/boxing, and the determination with which one both prepares and performs.

1) The Nature of the Prize.
Paul and the Olympic runner share something in common. They both have a highly valued prize in view, for which they give every last ounce of strength to obtain. The difference between the prizes is made extremely obvious by Paul. The runner runs for the "perishable wreath," while Paul, and his fellow Christian laborers, strive for the wreath "imperishable;" the "crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Tim.4:8). This imperishable wreath, or prize, is something eternal.

2) The Purposefulness of Paul's Running and Boxing.
Can you image an athlete who, determined to complete the race ahead of his competitors, runs with all his might, without the slightest idea of where the finish line is? In contradistinction, Paul runs, "as not without aim." Paul has the end in sight, finishes, and obtains the prize.

Can you imagine the boxer, whose aim is to beat the opponent into submission, trying to attain victory while hitting nothing but air? Paul replies to this ludicrous display, "I box in such a way as not beating the air." Paul lands his punches, and with monumental effect.

Beloved, each one of us is given a finish line; to each one, a target for our blows. Some of our races are life long marathons, others, quick sprints. Some of our fights are a 12 round, knock-out bout; some a quick skirmish. Our effectiveness depends on our ability to know our aim. Without purpose, we cannot effectively run or box. This reality presses deeply upon us the necessity of time in the Word, and in prayerful communion with God. Some races we will find general to Christianity, others, specific to our personal giftedness. These ends and aims must be made known to us though, by the Spirit, through His means, for us to live out victoriously the purposeful life and ministry Paul speaks of, and escape the poor plight of the ignorant runner and target-less boxer.

3) The Determination.
This comes in a very short, yet powerful statement by Paul at the end of verse 24, "Run in such a way that you may win."
Paul's point here is more than simply finishing. The grace and gifts of God are not to empower for the mere completion of a race, but to fit you with the strength and determination to be that one, the only one, who wins. Paul lays down the reality before us, that there is a race to be run, and we are to have the determination to win, which means we must train. God's graces and gifts do not fall upon us, and fit us for the race in an instant, but rather come through the appointed means, which we must make use of. We will mock and razz that athlete who comes to the Olympic games expecting to compete with seasoned athletes victoriously without any training to speak of. So should we expect failure, great loss, and a good jeering, should we discern our goal and intend to run triumphantly without first being trained.

Do you desire the imperishable wreath God has for the victorious?
What are those goals and opponents God has placed before you? Generally? Specifically?
Are you being fit for the task by taking advantage of the means God has appointed?

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air..."
-1 Cor. 9:24-26 NASB

Disembodied Appendages

I know a few of them.
How long can an arm be healthy when removed from the body? A leg? A head? Not long. Decay is quick and imminent. As graphic and violent as the picture can be, imagine an arm ripping itself from the body that nourishes it. Now imagine this arm, as it bleeds, suffers, and decays, wildly lamenting its present plight. A bit ridiculous, no?

Consider these words by the apostle Paul:
"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.... And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."
-Eph. 4:1-7, 11-16 NASB

Can you see it? Can you see the multi-faceted jewel of blessing and purpose that is the body of Christ? Every single Christian belongs to this body. If you are saved, you are in the body. Allow me to stretch Paul's metaphor here, and say that each of us functions as a body part in a local body. Every last member has a purpose for existing in that body, as well as receiving blessing and nourishment from that body.
If you dare, as a member, a functional and dependent appendage, to rend yourself from the body, what can you expect but suffering and decay!? Dear Christian, look up! Look at the unity, the functionality, the blessedness, the health, the maturity, the strength, the purpose, of the member that remains secured! You cannot survive without being a dependent and active part of this body. If you are a Christian without a Church home, yes you are saved, but, dear brother or sister, expect to suffer. God loves His children. He nourishes, protects, educates, guides, and sustains those whom He has purchased, but accomplishes these ends through the regular means of the local Church.
Cry till there are no tears left, pray till your knees are raw and sore, read till your head spins, but don't expect miraculous help from God for whatever ales you when you repeatedly reject His answer that stands before you here in Scripture, and before your very face in audible form in the exhortations of friends. You belong in the body. You need to be nourished by the body. You need to serve the body. It is your life this side of eternity, as well as your eternity. Come, let us shower you with true agape love (1 Cor.13), and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).