Romans 5:1-5

5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

Theology for Paul is about life, and not obtaining some abstract system. That is why in the middle of explaining concepts so theologically lofty that they give you a nose bleed thinking about them, Paul can effortlessly flow into daily life experience. Paul isn’t just a theologian for the academicians; he’s a practitioner for the street.

The Practicality of Pain. What is more practical than pain? Some say that love is the universal language. I think you could the say the same about pain. Our lives are so saturated with physical, emotional, and psychological suffering that it is sheer folly to live without the what and why answers for pain. If you don’t have those answers, sadly at some point in your life you will find yourself searching for them, for pain is inevitable.

Strategies for Pain. Those of us who have experienced a great amount of pain tend to see two alternatives: 1) face it and be destroyed by hopelessness, or 2) flee from it and survive as long as possible. Paul amazingly provides a third option: face it and find hope. That strategy is so astounding most of us don’t believe it is possible.

From Pain to Glory. Pain generally communicates two things about God to us; either he is angry with me or he cares little about me. Paul says the gospel points to another option. Jesus has taken our punishment for our moral failures and through faith in his work we then have total peace with God. No punishment is left for us, but instead we anticipate the experience of the glory and love of the infinitely beautiful God. Thus, through Jesus we get a treasure so brilliant that it outshines the horror of our suffering. This is the key to finding hope in pain. If your hope can only be found in comfort, then you have no hope. But if your hope is found in experiencing the full glory of God, then pain can actually help you in that process.

Pain Produces Hope. Paul’s logic is pretty simple. Pain drives us to endurance. As the army puts it, “pain is weakness leaving the body.” Pain toughens you. It turns a flabby, weak spirit into a toned, strong one. Endurance in turn leads to finer character. You are no longer so dependent on fragile circumstances. You can withstand the ebb and flow of suffering. Character in turn leads to hope. And the hope is not just that your pain will end very soon, but hope that you will one day experience and know God and see all death and pain give way to life and joy. Thus, the more pain, the greater endurance, the finer the character, and the deeper the hope. Thus, pain is no longer a senseless evil, but part of God’s good plan to give us what we need in this life, hope.

Nightline Faceoff

This is a very interesting debate that aired on national TV about the existence of Satan. Panelists included Mark Driscoll and Deepak Chopra. The event was hosted by Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I really think this is must viewing for those interested in engaging the culture for Christ. You can watch the whole debate here. A pastor at Mars Hill also offered these comments. I have a ton of thoughts about the debate and think there is a lot to learn here, but I'll save my comments for now. However, I am most interested in what you all think.

Romans 4:13-25

"For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:13-25)

Most people tend to buy into the belief that their significance is based upon their performance. That performance may be being successful, traditional, cutting edge, moral, sexy, athletic, intelligent, popular, influential, and so on. It is almost inconceivable to most of us that you could be an ugly, unsuccessful, awkward, failing, social outcast, and still be extremely significant. Even those among us who want to believe that the useless of society have importance, nevertheless, struggle immensely when we find ourselves in the useless category.

Doggone it, people like me. American has never been more saturated with messages of self-esteem then it is today. Before his senatorial ambitions, Al Franken mimicked and mocked this somewhat absurd movement as Stuart Smalley in his SNL acts, and Christ Farley did the same with his “I lived in a van down by the river” motivational speeches. I still remember the absurdity of watching my favorite athlete Michael Jordan (I’m from Illinois, so I have a claim to him) looking into a mirror with Franken saying “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” Ironically, despite the onslaught of positive reinforcement, most Americans feel that they simply are not good enough, smart enough, and well liked. So Paul’s claim in this passage sounds as unrealistic today as it did when he wrought Romans.

Hope against hope. The claim is simple. Significance doesn’t come through personal performance but purely by grace. God didn’t keep his promise that he would save the world through Abraham’s offspring because Abe was a stud or because Abe kept God’s law. In fact, Abraham was the epitome of a late-bloomer. A hundred years old and he hadn’t even got started on the “promised” offspring. Of course, Abraham tried, but all his efforts were totally unsuccessful, if not destructive. The way Abe received the promise was “in hope believing against hope”(4:18). In hope, Abraham believed that all that was against hope (his hundred year old body, his wife’s ninety year old body, and the fact that she was about as fertile as pavement) was not enough to thwart the promise of God. In other words, Abraham believed that he had no hope left but God. It was when Abe believed he was useless that God used him and his wife to start the process of saving the world.

Pure grace. The bottom line is that ultimate significance and acceptance comes not when you perform well, but when you realize that you have no hope of performing well. Hope is found when all is “against hope.” When we come to this point, we are ready to see that we are accepted because of what Jesus has done on our behalf. His death and resurrection form the basis of our significance. Thus, whether I’m good enough, smart enough, or whether people like me, I am treasured and loved by the Creator of the universe and will be for all of eternity.

Driscoll interviews Chandler

Matt Chandler and Mark Driscoll are two of the youngest high profile evangelical pastors in America. Both are biblical and orthodox in their theology while cutting edge in their cultural engagement. Here is an interview Driscoll did with Chandler at the last Acts 29 Boot Camp.

Gospel in Radical Action

The NY Times reports that a pastor in New Hampshire is allowing an ex-con and murderer to live in his home for a couple of months. The pastor's love for this man is radical and beautiful. But what is most stunning is the community's outpour of disapproval. The way of redemption and grace is often popular in theory but rarely in action. My friend, Jonathan Dodson, is a friend of the pastor, and he writes his take on it here.

10 Ideas Changing the World

Time Magazine's new cover story is 10 ideas changing the world. Check out number three. I do not think this is a time for Christian triumphalism, but it is certainly a time to give thanks to God for what he is doing in his church, and to give voice in earnest petition that his redemptive grace would multiple a thousand fold. Read it here.

Gospel Contextualizing

For anybody interested in reviewing Sunday night's presentation on contextualizing the gospel, here is a pdf of the presentation. You can also listen to the audio here.

U2 Magnificent

This is from U2's latest album "New Line On the Horizon." I can't get over how blatantly worshipful this song is.



Here are the lyrics

Magnificent
Oh, magnificent

I was born
I was born to be with you 

In this space and time

After that and ever after
I haven't had a clue


Only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart
Black and blue



Only love
Only love can leave such a mark

But only love
Only love can heal such a scar


I was born
I was born to sing for you 

I didn’t have a choice
But to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry
It was a joyful noise
Oh, oh

Only love
Only love can leave such a mark

But only love
Only love can heal such a scar


Justified till we die
You and I will magnify

Oh, the magnificent

Magnificent

Only love
Only love can leave such a mark

But only love
Only love unites our hearts



Justified till we die
You and I will magnify
Oh, the magnificent

Magnificent

Magnificent

"Only love, Only love cane leave such a mark. But only love, Only love can heal such a scar." That's the gospel, and the meaning of the entire cosmos.

Romans 4:1-12

4:1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.(Romans 4:1-12)

Everybody has a standard. There are certain lines that you won’t cross, certain people that you won’t hang around. And I’m not just referring to the more “prickish” standards of our little tribes. For most of us hanging around a violent, wife-beating brute is not really optional, except maybe to protect others from him. Such standards are not at all considered intolerant and narrow. They are wise and informed standards. Paul in this text informs us of exactly how God draws the line. How He forms his standards. I gave the little intro to try and head off the possible objection that a God who has standards of who He will “hang out” with sounds, well, “prickish.” But standards are hardly wrong in themselves. In fact, they can be very wise and good. So how does God form his standards?

No boasting allowed. Paul comes up with a rather surprising answer. He makes his move toward the answer discussing a quality that we naturally despise, i.e. boasting. The sound of boasting is about as enjoyable as getting a cavity filled. So bragging before God is clearly off limits. But Paul says that if God sets his standard because of some good I do, then I have grounds to boast. I can brag about my goodness before the God who made me. Now Paul is using the “father” of the Jews, Abraham, as his example, because it was first through Abraham that God marked Israel for special blessing. Salvation, God said, would come to the world through Abe and his kin. And, of course, “marked” literally means marked, for the sign of this blessing was circumcision. Whatever you want to say about foreskin removal, you have to admit it demonstrates serious commitment to God. Nevertheless, Paul points out that Abraham is not considered to pass God’s standard (i.e.”righteous”) after undergoing the operation but before. His righteousness was not determined by the goodness of his act, albeit a radically devout act, and if it was then Abe could boast about his limp.

Getting the Funds. So how does God form his standards? Faith, says Paul, makes the standard. God counts a person righteous (i.e.meeting his standard) through faith. In defense of his point, Paul appeals to an Old Testament verse that says Abe’s faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” So you have a bank account in which you are totally and hopelessly in the red. How do you get the funds to get the account back in the black? And Paul’s answer is faith.

Faith is not the Funds. Let me say that again, faith is not the funds. It is only the way to the funds. If faith were the funds, then Paul would just be replacing one act of devotion (circumcision) with another (faith). So where do the funds come from? The answer is back in Romans 3:22 where Paul says that the righteousness of God (i.e. the necessary funds) are available to us through Jesus. Jesus accumulated the wealth through his life, death, and resurrection, and we can have his wealth deposited in our account by trusting in him. Therefore, the way to meet God’s standards like Abraham is not through radically devout acts of worship, but through the righteousness of Jesus that is credited to us through faith.

Hello, I'm Johnny Cash

I've never been a huge fan of Johnny Cash's music, but his story is compelling. This clip tells a bit of it.



Here is Johnny's last music video. It's one of the few songs that I really liked.


Here are some interesting thoughts by Russell Moore.

Johnny Cash is dead, and there will never be another. But all around us there are empires of dirt, and billions of self-styled emperors marching toward judgment. Perhaps if Christian churches modeled themselves more after Johnny Cash, and less after perky Christian celebrities such as Kathy Lee Gifford, we might find ourselves resonating more with the MTV generation. Maybe if we stopped trying to be “cool,” and stopped hiring youth ministers who are little more than goateed game-show hosts, we might find a way to connect with a generation that understands pain and death more than we think.

Perhaps if we paid more attention to the dark side of life, a dark side addressed in divine revelation, we might find ourselves appealing to men and women in black. We might connect with men and women who know what it’s like to feel like fugitives from justice, even if they’ve never been to jail. We might offer them an authentic warning about what will happen when the Man comes around.

And, as we do this, we just might hear somewhere up in the cloud of witnesses a voice that once cried in the wilderness: “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”

Romans 3:21-31

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. (Romans 3:21-31)

This text really portrays the heart of the gospel as well as any text in the Bible. If you are like me, you’ve read over this text, or at least parts of this text, so many times it doesn’t stun you like it should. Take the absurdity of these back to back statements. First “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” which is immediately followed up by “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” You are sinner, and therefore you are redeemed. That’s not the way our logic tends bend, but maybe it should.

Absurdity of Redemption - Redemption is a very vogue word. We love the idea that someone can be redeemed, that there is hope even for the most miserable among us. And well we should love such a notion. Nevertheless, we tend to undermine this beautiful and precious hope. Some of us tend to view the world through a very strict, judgmental lens. God is holy and doesn’t tolerate human perversion even in its mildest forms. Others tend to view the world through a very open, free-spirited lens. God is loving and overlooks our mistakes. Both of these views will undermine redemption. The strict view says that God only accepts those that get it together. But if you got it together, you are hardly in need of redemption. This view then effectively eliminates the need or possibility of redemption. God judges the bad (no redemption for them) and accepts the good (past the need for redemption). The open view is equally destructive of redemption. Our mistakes really don’t require any just response of punishment from God. If God just accepts us as we are, then no change is required. Redemption, by its very definition, is a fundamental change. Thus, in the open view God doesn’t redeem because there is simply no need for it.

Just and Justifier - The only way redemption makes sense is if God is, as Paul says, both “just and the justifier.” That is, God is both terribly strict and holy and at the same time extraordinarily gracious and loving. Both the strict view and the open have the same problem when it comes to redemption. They both look to man and his quality for hope. Paul, however, looks to God and his quality. Men are evil beyond what they could ever dream, and yet God offers them a righteousness beyond what they could ever hope for. It’s not a righteousness that comes from following rules or moral conformity. It is the very righteousness of God (3:22). God hates sin and judges it, but in absolute love and mercy he judges not us but his own Son (3:25).

No Boasting - The path to true redemption is the path of faith. It is not the path of moral competency and individual effort. That is, it is not the path of leaning upon one’s own decisions and strength. Instead, it is the path of trusting God, trusting that he has punished his Son instead of us, and trusting that we are accepted on his behalf and not our own. This path of faith is the only path to true humility. If you are accepted because you’ve reformed, then you take pride in your reformation. If you are accepted because you really aren’t that bad, then you take pride that you really aren’t in need of redemption. It is only when you are worthy of God’s judgment and yet freely receive redemption because Christ took your punishment that you can be free of boasting.

50/50 Gospel

My friend Jonathan Dodson offers good thoughts about the 50/50 gospel of American Christianity, which even finds its way into newer missional, cutting edge, "New Testament" type churches. Here's a blurb.

Each concoction of the 50/50 gospel is actually quite dangerous. They all produce churches that attract people to morality messages, missional activities, and communal experiences. The goal of the church is reduced to converting people to a better way of living, not to a better God to be believing.

Read it here on Resurgence.

Third Brotherism

For all of us reading through Tim Keller's The Prodigal God, Marvin Orlasky offers some application on being the "third brother." Check it out here.

He's Everywhere!

Mark Driscoll is popping up all over the place these days. Here is his . . . uh . . . colorful interview on CNN. Interested in your thoughts.

Obama's New Deputy Attorney General

The pornography industry has a big stake in defending itself against legal challenges and restrictive laws, and it has been stunningly successful in doing so. One of the leading legal defenders of pornography has been David Ogden, a lawyer who can only be described as a First Amendment extremist, who has even argued against laws against child pornography.

President Barack Obama has nominated David Ogden as Deputy Attorney General of the United States. This nomination is both ominous and dangerous. Given David Ogden's high visibility in defense of pornography, this nomination sends a clear and unmistakable message. The pornography business will have a friend in high office in the Department of Justice.

I'm no alarmist, but this nomination is frightening, disappointing, and disgusting. Read the rest here.