Quotes from "God is the Gospel" by John Piper - Part 2

The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—
is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the
friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and
all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties
you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no
human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with
heaven, if Christ were not there?

And the question for Christian leaders is: Do we preach and
teach and lead in such a way that people are prepared to hear that
question and answer with a resounding No?

- John Piper, God is the Gospel, Crossway, 2005; p.15

Quotes from "God is the Gospel" by John Piper - Part 1

Have you ever had the experience where you thought you understood a thing until something happened that caused clarity to burst on the scene like never before? It's like you were sitting there trying to read by the dim light of the moon in the middle of the night and all of a sudden the sun is at full noon.

Well, that is the experience I've had with just about every John Piper book I've picked up, and God is the Gospel is no exception. I like the book so much, I'd like to post some quotes from it for your edification. The main thrust of the book will come out in the quotes, and the complete book is available to read for free online here and can be downloaded as a pdf. You can of course purchase a hardcopy there as well.

The gospel is the good news of our final and full enjoyment of the glory of God in the face of Christ. That this enjoyment had to be purchased for sinners at the cost of Christ’s life makes his glory shine all the more brightly. And that this enjoyment is a free and unmerited gift makes it shine more brightly still. But the price Jesus paid for the gift and the unmerited freedom of the gift are not the gift. The gift is Christ himself as the glorious image of God—seen and savored with everlasting joy. [John Piper, God is the Gospel, Crossway, 2005; p.14]

More to follow...

"Brands" of the Gospel?

Oohh... for those with weak stomachs - BEWARE!

I read an article on Joel Osteen and how his prosperity message is fairing in an economic downturn. Surprising really.

So, here is a brief excerpt, the part you may not want to read...

"... there is no denying that his message, and his marketing of that message, is getting out to the world while so many other pastors are preaching to empty pews. Osteen dismisses the notion that he has watered down the Scriptures to win over worshippers. “It’s who we are,” he says. “The accessibility of my message doesn’t bother me a bit. Look, we deal with people who are fighting cancer, fighting to save their marriages, dealing with the death of loved ones. I don’t think they need to be beaten down. And I think the success of the message in the marketplace is because we are optimistic, encouraging.” Phil Cooke, a longtime colleague and the author of Branding Faith, says, “Oprah has a brand, Nike has a brand, and Joel Osteen has a brand. Joel has made his brand the inspiration brand.”

Pardon me, but since when did we get to own the gospel of Jesus Christ and profit from our "brand?" "But didn't Paul call it his own gospel" you say. Let's see it in context:

Romans 16:25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

2 Timothy 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

So, in both occurances of "my gospel" (the closest thing I can find to a "brand" of the gospel), Paul mentions preaching. This is significant because what it shows us is that Paul is describing what he personally preached - the good news (gospel). Never is it used in such a way as to be distinct from other (true) gospels (as if there were any other gospel, Gal 1).

Further, Paul was in fact one of the first to carry the gospel message to the non-Jews. Ephesians 3 talks about how the good news was entrusted by God to Paul to take to the Gentiles - a fairly novel idea at the time. So in a sense, he did have something unique, but unique in who he delivered it to, not in content.

Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant [2] of Christ.

Why do some "Christians" feel the need to follow another gospel? Maybe they've never heard the true gospel - that Jesus emptied himself of all of His glory as God to take on humble human flesh, that He died a horrible death on the Cross to be a substitute in our place because of the idolatry we do, and that He is going to fully restore all things in this creation to a glorious state.

Or, maybe they just don't like that Gospel.

Your thoughts? Any Rev. Feel Good fans want to chime in?

Can the "End" Justify the "Means?"

I've had this thought lingering in my head for probably a year now, so it's time to air it out.

If someone were to ask me to define "God," my answer might include this (among other things): "He is the only Being in all of what exists who justifies the means He uses by the end which He designs." In other words, it seems to me that God, in pursuing His own glory and in seeking to make His people happy in Him by making His glory known to them, can do anything He pleases to that end because He is the only wise and Sovereign. He had the Son murdered (God designed the means) and gets glory for it (the means serves the ultimate end). With respect to the cross, He is just (His end - His glorious character being known) and the justifier of the ungodly (the means for obtaining praise was the unthinkable - the ungodly treated by holy God as though godly).

This puts gladness in my heart toward Him! He is so far above me, yet so kind toward me. My means could never be justified by the end they serve - I think the reason for this lies in the fact that I do not know God's hidden will; I only know His revealed will.

How wonderful it is to rest in the arms of the One ruling over the universe, governing exactly what happens to me, suprised by nothing.

Patriotic Sundays

Is there a place for the church to hold a "worship service" commemorating those who put their lives on the line for our national freedom? Is it appropriate to celebrate the blessings God has given us through this country as a part of the "worship service?"

Find out my brother's thoughts at Wipe the Sleep from My Eyes.

Gospel Parenting

A conviction of mine is that I should not be raising my children to be the best little moralists they can be. I think we very well may be born with the tendancy to think that we earn the approval of those in authority over us (parents, God, etc.) by being "good." Further, I think this is at odds with the way we truly find favor with God according to the Bible.



My question is, "How do I raise my children so that their mind is not bent on being moral in order to earn my favor and God's favor, but they know of my favor and God's favor that is simply given to them? How do I help them have a gospel mindset? Can I help them base their behavior on the relationship God has granted (or hopefully will grant) to them rather than behave thinking they are earning a relationship with Him?"



I can do any number of things in order to reinforce the "religious" mindset that makes them little moralists trying to make me love them. For instance, I could act as if I didn't love them when they misbehave. I could let my 3 year old's responsibility chart get filled up without any comments and probing questions which make sure he knows this does not make me love him more but that I already love him really big.



So, the question I try to put before myself each day in parenting for the glory of God, in trying to raise gospel embracing children is, "What can I do to properly convey the good news of the grace of God to my children?" Here are a few things:



1. Embrace the gospel myself. I need to probe the depths of the gospel myself, each day, to fight my own religious tendencies (I mean those propensities I have to think of myself as meriting God's gifts or my faith).



2. Being sensitive to situations/circumstances that could lead my children to think they are earning love, and explaining why it is not so.



3. Intentionally reinforce the truth that God's love can never be any greater for us, and nothing we do can every make us purer and more loveable than what we have already through Jesus' righteousness given freely to us. I find that asking a question like, "Do you think I will love you more if you are obedient?" is a good way to find out what my children are thinking in a situation. I also try to pray with them when they sin, helping them ask God for forgiveness and thanking Him for it. This would be a good opportunity to ask, "do you think God stopped loving you when you sinned?"



4. Spurgeon urged parents to teach their children first to trust in God, and secondarily to love Him. The reason being that loving him carries with it the idea of "doing something" to earn God's love, whereas trusting God (having faith in God) makes Christ the center and Giver to the undeserving.



I'm no expert on parenting, but I find guidance in the Word. I don't think I've ever come to a parenting situation needing some help and found no answer when I ask, "Is there a parallel parenting situation between our Heavenly Father and his children in the Bible, and how does He handle the situation?"



What are your thoughts? Have you found other ways to parent by the gospel? Soon I hope to write some on missional parenting (parenting to give our children the mindset of a missionary).

An Objection to Exclusivity: Response Part 4

Objection four was as follows...

"Could the people of God during the times recorded in the Old Testament (B.C) have even believed in Jesus? They could not even be saved if Jesus is the only way, but the New Testament itself says they are in heaven."

This is a good question also. After all, since Christians push so strongly that Jesus is the only way to be reconciled to God (i.e. to be saved from God's eternal wrath), why didn't he make himself known way before he did so that all the people before his time could believe in him?

Let's start the response by looking again at what the book of Hebrews has to say about this matter of faith.

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation."

Romans 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.'”

Romans 4:20 [Still speaking of Abraham] "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."

Clearly, these Scriptures say that it is faith that enabled salvation for the people of the Old Testament, and Romans 4:3 makes it clear that the faith is in God. Further, Romans 4:20 makes it evident that Abraham's faith in God was in the promise of God - that God "was able to do what he had promised".

Now, we might ask, "What has God promised to us in these days since Jesus' incarnation?" Simply what has been revealed to us in Scripture, namely that He has promised forgiveness of sins to all who believe in the work Jesus did on the cross - that Jesus' death alone is the means of forgiveness.

But, apparently, God required faith during Old Testament times too, and the required faith was in the promises he had given. Did they say the name Jesus or an equivalent in another language? Not exactly, but we now know that Jesus and Yahweh (one of God's names throughout the Old Testament) are one and the same God, so technically they did have faith in Jesus, but without all the details of what would happen on the cross. As history continued, more and more began to be known about what the Christ would do, and thus mankind became more accountable for believing each revelation.

One other thing I feel is important to mention is that Jesus' death was absolutely necessary for the people of the Old Testament to be saved. I won't go too deep into this, but the Old Testament saints had to wait for Jesus' resurrection to be in the presence of God (Ephesians 4:8-11, Luke 23:39-43). Observe the following:

Hebrews 9:24 "For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 10:1 "For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."

To sum up then, Jesus took away the possibility of condemnation from the faithful people in the Old Testament times - a condemnation they deserved as a result of their sin. By "faithful people" I mean those that believed the promises coming from the one true God, who we now know is Jesus himself. Some people who lived prior to Jesus indeed had faith in Jesus, but did not have the complete revelation as we now do. We are now responsible for believing very specific things about Jesus, his work on the cross, his subsequent resurrection, and his bodily ascension to the right hand of the God the Father.