Tithing: Do You Know What the BIBLE Says?
The vast majority of New Testament Christians, like me, were raised in homes and churches that taught a 10% minimum tithe was required by God. We were taught this by God-fearing parents, Sunday School teachers, and pastors.
As evidence for a New Testament tithe, these God-fearing mentors cited the Old Testament tithe prescribed by God to the Hebrews. Furthermore, using Malachi 3 as a proof text, they even warned us that failing to give 10% was robbing God and would thwart His blessings toward us personally, as well as our home, and the local church we attended.
As New Testament Christians, we should be eager to establish the Bible as our ultimate and sole authority in life – and that includes how and what New Testament Christians are commanded to give in accordance with the new covenant of grace that Jesus Christ ushered in thru his life, death, and resurrection.
Dr. Andreas Kostenberger, Director of Ph.D Studies and Professor of New Testament & Biblical Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has written extensively on the issue of Old Testament vs New Testament giving. Dr. Kostenberger is one the most prominent and well-respected Bible scholars inside and outside of the Southern Baptist Convention. We would be well served to sit under his outstanding scholarship.
The following blog post by Dr. Kostenberger provides a “cliff notes” assessment of what the Bible actually teaches about New Testament giving. I would encourage every Christian to not only read Dr. Kostenberger’s important post, but to also read his more detailed study, which can be found in the following link.
I have both benefited and been significantly influenced by Dr. Kostenberger’s scholarship on this important matter of Christian living. I believe you will be too.
Will Man Rob God? A Study of Tithing in the Old & New Testaments
Another respected voice inside conservative evangelicalism is Dr. John MacArthur. For those of you who respect and enjoy Dr. MacArthur’s writing and teaching ministry, you will find his position on this matter insightful as well. Click here to read what Dr. MacArthur believes the Bible teaches about New Testament giving.
PS I’m grateful to Matt Capps for recently reminding me of Dr. Kostenberger’s excellent work on this issue, which I first discovered a few years ago thru personal study.
Quote of the Day
“Trying to correct moral failure with moralism is like trying to heal cancer with more cancer.”
Scotty Smith, Pastor @ Christ Community Church, Franklin, TN
Follow Scotty on Twitter @ScottyWardSmith
Choosing to Put Away the Dagger
Dear Church Family,
Whether we like it or not, as Christians, we have to endure many stereotypes – some of which are warranted and others which are not.
Take for example our Presbyterian brothers and sisters. Because of their strong theological convictions on the doctrine of predestination and election, they are referred to by those inside and outside of Christianity as – “The Frozen Chosen.” These spiritual family members are stereotyped as Christians who embrace a determinism that renders them cold and indifferent to evangelism and missions. Yet, maybe the most popular evangelism strategy of the last forty years was written by Dr. D. James Kennedy (Evangelism Explosion), the renowned and beloved former pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in West Palm Beach, FL.
Take for example my own background as a Southern Baptist. Southern Baptists have for many years been stereotyped by our culture as a convention of churches whose members reject Disney World, oppress women, and hate gay people.
Take for example Christ Community Church. Because we are a nondenominational church existing in a relatively small community inside the southern Bible Belt, we have been referred to by other Christians in Sumter as “Christ Community Cult.” If this wasn’t so sad and untrue, it would be downright hilarious. (OK, I admit, I’ve laughed at this numerous times.)
Each of these examples are terribly unfortunate for obvious reasons.
I’ve never met a single Christian, or even a Bible-believing Presbyterian for that matter, who adheres to the doctrines of predestination and election, who isn’t committed to evangelizing lost people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every Christian Calvinist and evangelical Presbyterian I know is passionate about evangelism and missions.
Of all the Southern Baptist friends I have, peers I went to seminary with, and pastors I still network with, not a single one of them rejects Disney World, wants to oppress women, or hates gay people. If anything, it’s the complete opposite. These friends and peers of mine take their families to Disney World, celebrate the unique design and calling of women in life, ministry and home, as well as love, pray for, and minister to men and women wrestling with homosexuality.
And, in regards to Christ Community Church, well, what can I say?
- We unapologetically stand upon the inerrant and sufficient Word of God as the sole authority (Sola Scriptura) for the Church.
- We believe and preach the Virgin Birth, sinless life, penal substitutionary atonement, physical resurrection, ascension, and physical return of Jesus Christ.
- We believe and preach salvation by grace alone (Sola Gratia), thru faith alone (Sola Fide), in Jesus Christ alone (Sola Christus), for the glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria).
- We believe in one God in three persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
- We believe the Triune God is eternally equal in essence, nature, and being, yet willingly and submissively functions in unique roles within the meta-narrative of the Gospel story – creation, fall, redemption, consummation.
I guess it’s possible I could be off my theological rocker, but if I know Christian theology, what I’ve just professed is anything but cultish.
So, as you can see, stereotypes can be dangerous. Furthermore, they can also, whether true or false, hinder the advancement of the Gospel in a lost culture and world.
With all that said, there is one stereotype plaguing the Christian Church (across denominational lines) that I believe is sadly accurate.
In large part, our western culture perceives evangelical Christians as bickering, mean-spirited, ungracious people – especially when it comes to theological differences.
Our lost culture hears our dogmatic, and oftentimes belligerent and ungracious, arguments over issues like Calvinism and Arminianism, the activity or cessation of certain spiritual gifts, the millennial reign of Christ (not to mention the rapture), and church governance models, and they think to themselves – “These are some of the meanest and most ungracious people I have ever seen or listened to!”
Honestly, many evangelical churches and denominations have given our lost culture ample reason to think we are dagger-wielding pugilists who are far more interested in winning fights then seeing lost souls redeemed for the glory of God. They see far too much arrogance and dogmatism and not near enough Christlike humility, gentleness, patience, and love.
Was it not the Apostle Paul who exhorted Christians in Ephesus to…
“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you were called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:1-3)
In my post yesterday on the polarizing issue of Calvinism and Arminianism, I included a dialogue between Charles Simeon and John Wesley – Simeon being the convinced Calvinist and Wesley being the convinced Arminian. If you haven’t done so, take a minute and read the dialogue between these two giants of the Christian faith. Listen carefully to the spirit and tone.
Listen carefully, Church!
When it comes to secondary doctrinal issues like the gift of tongues, end times chronology, and whether or not churches should be led by a congregation, a plurality of elders, a combination of both, or a presbytery, we should quickly embrace the attitude of Charles Simeon. On secondary matters of doctrine, we should look for every opportunity to put away our daggers and seek common ground.
Now, this is in no way a call for individual Christians, churches, or denominations to abandon distinctive and doctrinal convictions. In no way am I encouraging such a position. Presbyterians, Methodists, and Baptists should remain true to their “core” distinctives, as well as their “core” theological convictions.
However, I am encouraging evangelical Christians, churches, and denominations to seek every opportunity to put away their daggers and display humility, gentleness, patience, love, and a desire for unity when discussing secondary doctrinal issues. We can (and must) choose to graciously disagree on these matters without our disagreement fracturing Christian fellowship – not to mention friendships, churches, and denominations.
So, how about it? When our culture hears you discuss secondary theological issues you are passionate about, what do they see and hear?
For my charismatic friends passionate for the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, how do you present your convictions to brothers and sisters who believe those gifts have ceased?
For my dispensational friends, how do you present your convictions to brothers and sisters who embrace historical premillennialism – or even amillennialism?
For my Christian friends who believe Christians should completely abstain from alcohol, how do you present your convictions to brothers and sister who believe alcohol consumption in moderation can and does glorify God?
For my Calvinist and Arminian friends, how do you represent the opposite position? Do you malign it? Do you ridicule it? Do you arrogantly declare it heretical?
Let me be clear, I’m not advocating ecumenicalism. No sir!
Evangelical Christians and denominations must courageously defend and fight for orthodox Christianity. We just need to exercise greater wisdom when choosing the battles that must be fought for the glory of Christ and Gospel. There are definitely battles worth fighting. However, there are also battles where the mature response is keep your dagger in its sheath.
- Should we fight for the inerrancy of Scripture? Absolutely!
- Should we fight for the Trinity? Absolutely!
- Should we fight for the Virgin Birth? Absolutely!
- Should we fight for the penal substitutionary atonement of Christ? Absolutely!
- Should we fight for the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ? Absolutely!
- Should we fight for salvation by grace alone, thru faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, for the glory of God alone? Absolutely!
- Should we fight for the literal return of Christ for His Bride? Absolutely!
- Should we fight for the sanctity of life and marriage? Absolutely!
On the reverse side of the coin…
- Does tongue speaking warrant a fight?
- Does dispensationalism warrant a fight?
- Does a plurality of elders governance structure warrant a fight?
- Does alcohol consumption (not to be confused with drunkenness) warrant a fight?
- Does the Calvinism/Arminian issue warrant a fight?
Personally, I believe each of these issues warrant gracious dialogue and debate, all the while as our doctrinal daggers lie firmly secured in our sheaths.
On these matters, I believe evangelical Christians can choose to lovingly (even passionately) disagree without fracturing fellowship, friendships, churches, and denominations. On these matters, I believe Christians should put away their daggers for the greater good of the Gospel.
Until evangelical Christians begin differentiating between the two sides of the doctrinal coin, our lost culture will continue to stereotype us as people, churches, and denominations who model our Enemy far more than our Savior and King.
Now that, friends, is truly a tragic stereotype.
Calvinism vs Arminianism: A Timely Lesson from Church History
As an evangelical Christian pastor, I’m not sure there is a more polemical issue within evangelicalism than the soteriological debate between Calvinists and Arminians.
This should not surprise us. The debate, which first began not with John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius, but with St. Augustine and Pelagius, has been raging for 1,500 years.
Personally, I reconciled this theological conundrum many years ago as a seminary student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Yet, I have recently been reminded that many Christians, churches, and even entire denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention, still have genuine questions and concerns regarding the matter. So, when I stumbled across the following discourse (which I’d read before) during some leisurely reading, a discourse between two giants of the Christian faith, I thought those struggling to reconcile the issue might be blessed and instructed by the sharing of it.
Furthermore, I have never encountered a better example of how Christians should engage this potentially divisive issue. So, without further ado, listen carefully to Charles Simeon (Anglican Calvinist) and John Wesley (Methodist Arminian):
Simeon: “Sir, I understand that you are called an Arminian; and I have been sometimes called a Calvinist; and therefore I suppose we are to draw daggers. But before I consent to begin the combat, with your permission I will ask you a few questions. Pray, Sir, do you feel yourself a depraved creature, so depraved that you would never have thought of turning to God, if God had not first put it into your heart?”
Wesley: “Yes! I do indeed.”
Simeon: “And do you utterly despair of recommending yourself to God by anything you can do; and look for salvation solely through the blood and righteousness of Christ?”
Wesley: “Yes, solely through Christ.”
Simeon: But, Sir, supposing you were at first saved by Christ, are you not somehow or other to save yourself afterwards by your own works?”
Wesley: “No, I must be saved by Christ from first to last.”
Simeon: “Allowing, then, that you first turned by the grace of God, are you not in some way or other to keep yourself by your own power?”
Wesley: “No!”
Simeon: “What, then, are you to be upheld every hour and every moment by God, as much as an infant in its mother’s womb?”
Wesley: “Yes, altogether!”
Simeon: “And is all your hope in the grace and mercy of God to preserve you unto His heavenly kingdom?”
Wesley: “Yes, I have no hope but in Him.”
Simeon: “Then, Sir, with your leave I will put up my dagger again; for this is all my Calvinism; this is my election, my justification by faith, my final perseverance: it is in substance all that I hold, and as I hold it; and therefore, if you please, instead of searching out terms and phrases to be a ground of contention between us, we will cordially unite in those things wherein we agree.”
What a God-glorifying example of Christian love and Gospel grace from these two men.
Individual Christians, churches, as well as entire denominations would do well to note the civility displayed by both men.
Furthermore, both Calvinists and Arminians would be well served to note how proactive Simeon was in seeking common ground with Wesley. Like Simeon, Christians on both sides of the debate should display an eagerness to put their doctrinal daggers away in preference for establishing common ground and seeking peace.
As church history proves, both Simeon and Wesley were brilliant theologians, pastors, and anointed preachers whom God used to bring countless lost souls to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, that’s right. God can and does use Arminians and Calvinists to advance the Gospel, His Church, and His Kingdom.
There is little doubt that Simeon and Wesley held strong convictions regarding the doctrine of salvation. However, in the end, both seemed to recognize they were Christian brothers who had far more they could agree on than disagree on.
I believe it would behoove many Christians, especially those who tend to be dogmatic and abrasive when debating this issue, to follow the example of Simeon and Wesley.
Calvinists and Arminians do not have to compromise Christian orthodoxy in order to establish and celebrate common theological ground. In the case of Calvinism vs Arminianism, I believe proactively seeking core Gospel truths we all hold in common serves the Gospel, local churches, and denominations far better than attacking ones differences with belligerence and dogmatism.
I’m surely not calling on Christians to abdicate their doctrinal conviction on this matter. In fact, I humbly confess – I have no plans of abandoning my theological convictions on this issue.
Every Spirit-led, born again, Bible-believing Christian should be granted the freedom to be faithful and true to the doctrinal convictions planted within their heart and mind by the Spirit of Truth without fear of being vilified and ostracized by those on the other side of the debate.
Along with the Calvinism vs Arminian debate, certain issues within the doctrines of Eschatology, Ecclesiology, and Pneumatology come to mind. Of course, all of this is predicated on the necessity that ones convictions in no way compromise the inerrancy of Scripture and historical Christian orthodoxy adhered to for the last 1,500 years.
Just as importantly, as Christians honor the Holy Spirit by remaining true to their doctrinal convictions, they must be equally committed to honoring the Holy Spirit by “walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:1-3)
This is exactly what we see from Simeon and Wesley. And, quite frankly, this is exactly what the world needs to see within the evangelical Church today.
This is no cop-out. This is Christianity.
Christians must recognize that there are doctrinal issues that will always demand healthy tension as long as we live this side of heaven’s glory. Tension is not a bad thing. Tension keeps us learning. Tension keeps us humble. Tension increases our love for God’s Word as well as our desire for heaven.
Listen carefully!
Until we exit this life and enter the glory of heaven, even the most astute theological minds, as has been proven throughout church history, will not fully reconcile divine sovereignty and the human will. This is NOT a bad thing.
If Charles Simeon and John Wesley can operate within such doctrinal tension, surely 21st Century Calvinists and Arminians can.
Remember, if we don’t learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.
To my Calvinist friends I ask – “Will you learn from Charles Simeon?”
To my Arminian friends I ask – “Will you learn from John Wesley?”
Quote of the Day
In their book titled Still Sovereign, Dr. Thomas Schreiner and Dr. Bruce Ware write…
“Ours is a culture in which the tendency is to exalt what is human and diminish what is divine. Even in evangelical circles, we find increasingly attractive a view of God in which God is one of us, as it were, a partner in the unfolding drama of life. But lost in much of this contemporary evangelical theology is the full omniscience, omnipotence, splendor, greatness, supremacy, rulership, and unqualified lordship of God.
In contrast, the vision of God [should be] of One who reigns supreme over all, whose purposes are accomplished without fail, and who directs the course of human affairs, including the central drama of saving people for the honor of His name, all with perfect holiness and matchless grace.”
Quote of the Day
In addressing the problem of worldliness in the evangelical Church, the Cambridge Declaration states…
“As evangelical faith has become secularized, its interests have been blurred with those of the culture. The result is a loss of absolute values, permissive individualism, and a substitution of wholeness for holiness, recovery for repentance, intuition for truth, feeling for belief, chance for providence, and immediate gratification for enduring hope. Christ and his cross have moved from the center of our vision.”
When this happens within the evangelical Church, the authors offer the following consequences…
“…false confidence now fills the evangelical world – from self-esteem gospel to the health and wealth gospel, from those who have transformed the gospel into a product to be sold and sinners into consumers who want to buy, to others who treat Christian faith as being true simply because it works.”
The 40th Anniversary of Roe vs Wade: Some Personal Thoughts
This Sunday, January 22, 2012, will be a bittersweet day for me.
The sweetness of the day arrives in the 5th birthday of my youngest daughter, Elizabeth Blythe Toburen. I call her “Boo”!
Blythe is my one child who loves to cuddle. She’ll crawl in my lap and watch professional golf and even Wake Forest football, which in itself proves her unconditional love for me. She is a precious life, fearfully and wonderfully made in the Imago Dei. I love her pigtails, blue eyes, wet kisses, and tender hugs. She is her mother made over, living each day with an unquenchable spark in her eye and kindness in her spirit. My life is better with Blythe in it. Happy Birthday sweet girl!
The bitterness of the day actually arrived forty years ago this Sunday when the Supreme Court of the United States of America, the one country known throughout the world as a fierce defender of the innocent, decided it was constitutionally right for American women to have the free choice to murder innocent life in the womb.
It’s bitter because forty years after the landmark decision, abortion has become the most common surgical procedure performed on American adults.
It’s bitter because forty years later, our great nation has murdered 50 million babies in the name of constitutional liberty.
If I may, allow me to put this staggering figure into perspective.
- Adolph Hitler, via sinister concentration camps, murdered 6 million Jews during the Nazi Holocaust.
- Joseph Stalin, via starvation, murdered 14.5 million Russians.
- Pol Pot murdered 2 million Cambodians – one-third of the total Cambodian population at the time.
- And more recently, Saddam Hussein murdered 2 million people (340,000 of his own Iraqi people).
The sum total of these horrific crimes against humanity does not equal half the number of in utero life America has murdered in the name of convenience – or inconvenience.
With a loud collective voice, Americans have decried the heinous acts of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Hussein as inhumane and have condemned these men for the evil and ruthless atrocities they committed against innocent and vulnerable human beings. In fact, we waged war against some of these men and their evil regimes.
America ran into battle against Hitler and Hussein, willingly sacrificing the lives of some of our best and brightest young men, in order to protect and liberate those who could not protect and defend themselves. Yet, these atrocities pale in comparison to what America has done for the last forty years – murder innocent and vulnerable babies while in the safe harbor of their mother’s womb. And, if this isn’t bad enough, a majority of Americans applaud and celebrate this mass genocide in the name of liberty and freedom.
Moving on…
It’s bitter because for the last forty years, 3,000 babies have been murdered every day. Ponder that fact for a minute. Today, 3,000 lives being fashioned by our sovereign Creator will be murdered.
It’s bitter because abortion is inseparably linked to irresponsible, immoral, and cowardly men who lead women into sexual sin and then either a) abandon them when learning of their pregnancy, or b) drive them to the abortion clinic and encourage and finance the murder of innocent life.
Honestly, the greatest indictment our national abortion epidemic levies is against the men of this country. Abortion is proof positive that for the last forty years, the morality, integrity, and character of American men has plummeted to lows our WWII great grandfathers, grandfathers, and heroes could not have fathomed – nor tolerated.
And finally, and we most not neglect this point, it’s bitter because our culture is full with women who chose abortion at vulnerable and desperate seasons of life, only to discover the post-abortive life to be one not of liberty and peace but one of shame, guilt, and depression.
Just as my heart breaks for the 50 million babies our nation has lost, my heart also breaks for the millions of girlfriends, wives, mistresses, and even some grandmothers who live lives that are daily shackled to the guilt and shame of abortion. Women who have regular nightmares. Women who secretly weep when the house is empty. Women whose sacred womb was irreversibly damaged. Women who lost their joy. Women who committed suicide rather than face the shame.
This Sunday, I will celebrate the sweet life of my “Boo.”
At the same time, I will weep in my spirit for our country, the men of our generation, and the women and teenage girls who continue to be profoundly scarred by this horrific act against innocent life.
Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, presidential leadership is NOT America’s primary problem. America’s primary problem is she has abandoned her first love. America has abandoned God and no longer stands in reverential awe of Him, His holiness, and inspired truthfulness of His Word. Of course, all this in the name of “enlightenment.”
Yet, when a nation abandons God like America has in the last century, the men of that country lose their sense of morality, integrity, character, and Divine design. The male moral, spiritual, and ethical compass resembles the one used by drunkard pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow – broken.
The results? A large majority of American men become irreverent, immoral, unethical, and irresponsible. And when that happens…
- 50 million innocent babies are murdered.
- Homosexuality and gay marriage are accepted and applauded.
- Divorce rates skyrocket.
- The greatest institution in our country, the nuclear family, crumbles into dysfunction.
Christian men should weep for the men of this country. Morally and spiritually, our nation continues its downward spiral. The men of America need to stop blaming politicians, military leaders, corporate executives, and Hollywood elites for the moral, spiritual, ethical, and financial melting pot we find ourselves in. Rather, we must stand upright, look squarely in our own mirrors, and honestly examine the reflection staring back at us.
America needs her men to repent with broken and contrite hearts before the holy God. America needs men to surrender their lives in faith to the King of kings – Jesus Christ the Lord. America needs men guided by the Word of God and the Spirit of Truth. America needs men who love their wives like Jesus sacrificially and selflessly loved His Bride – the Church. America needs men more passionate about holiness than the pursuit of worldliness.
Until then, it will matter little which political party occupies the White House.
The Valley of Spiritual Brokenness
Walk this Christian life long enough and God the Father, thru the ministry of the Holy Spirit, will graciously guide you thru the Valley of Brokenness.
This valley is no easy journey, is it? In fact, it’s one of great paradox. On the one hand, the Valley of Brokenness is painful, humbling, and pride-crushing. One the other hand, this same valley is one of delight.
Let me explain.
The pain springs forth from many things, none more excruciating than being confronted by the wicked and rebellious sin that still inhabits our redeemed but fallen hearts. Was it not the great Apostle Paul who declared to Christians in Rome, “For 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. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Rom. 7:18-19)
Admitting and confessing this reality is never easy for the very reason that we are terribly prideful people. Uprooting pride is one of God’s great aims for our sanctification. God’s crucible of brokenness invariably exposes such pride, which is the root of all sin and the cause of all falls – both kingdom and personal. Of course, the crucible of brokenness also brings pain in the form suffering, both our own and sometimes that of precious others, as we endure God’s gracious discipline.
The delight springs forth from knowing that God disciplines those He loves and uses the painful crucible of brokenness for purposes other than punitive judgment. After all, was it not our most glorious and beautiful Lord Jesus who became our sin and thus endured God’s punitive wrath on the Cross of Calvary? (2 Cor. 5:21)
Is God’s wrath toward our sin punitive? Absolutely!
Yet, the Good News of the Gospel is that God’s wrath has been satisfied thru the penal substitutionary death of His only begotten Son Jesus. Therefore, rather than being punitive, God’s discipline is purposed for “yielding peaceful fruit of righteousness” in the Christian. (Hebrews 12:5-11)
Unfortunately, most Christians have not embraced this Gospel paradox. And, when disciples fail to understand this Gospel paradox – that God’s discipline is not punitive, but sanctifying – they inevitably reject God’s discipline, resist His crucible of brokenness, and increase the wreckage in their lives and the lives of those they claim to love the most.
Pain, discomfort, embarrassment, and shame blind us to the biblical truth that God’s crucible of brokenness and discipline are one of the truest signs of His grace, mercy, and love for us as adopted children. When we choose to believe that God’s discipline, rather than being punitive, is gracious and merciful, we will embrace His crucible of brokenness and know its satisfying delight. For we are being transformed into Christlikeness. Don’t forget Christian, the process of being forged requires heat and sharp tools – both of which are painful, but necessary.
As a pastor, I implore Christians to approach the painful season of brokenness believing that what God is doing is not punitive – it is sanctifying. It is Christ-exalting!
Your sin has been judged, punished, and forgiven once and for all when Christ “who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross and despised the shame.” (Heb. 12:1-2) As Christ hung bruised, beaten, and naked on the cross, He bore your sin with joy all the while enduring the horror of God’s wrath, knowing that only His righteous blood could ever cleanse you of unrighteousness and declare you innocent before the holy God.
Christian, instead of resisting God’s crucible of brokenness, embrace it as a sanctifying measure that will ultimately result in you becoming more Christlike.
God the Father is for you – not against you. You are His beloved child, a royal priest in His heavenly kingdom. You were bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Your sins have been forgiven and your unrighteousness has been cleansed. God-sent brokenness and discipline are to be embraced by the believer, for they are glorious evidences of God’s fatherly love and genuine salvation.
Are you walking thru the Valley of Brokenness? Are you experiencing the disciplining hand of God the Father? Instead of running and resisting – rejoice! God is proving to you that you are His legitimate son or daughter.
This is a Gospel paradigm that should make the heart of every Christian leap with joy and worship with thanksgiving in their heart.
“And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
Stupidity vs Sin: Do You Know the Difference?
The purpose of this article is simple – to draw our attention to the chasm-like difference between stupidity and sin. Do you know the difference?
When we as Christians fall short of the glory of God, we are tempted to chalk such transgressions up to mere stupidity. This is a subtle, albeit deadly trap of our Enemy. It is not uncommon for the Christian to fall only to relegate his or her failure to mere stupidity. I hear this admission quite often in pastoral counseling.
Truth be known, it’s far easier to admit stupidity than to confront the exceeding sinfulness of sin – is it not?
You see, demoting sin to mere stupidity leads the Christian into the deadly waters of self-righteousness. Here’s what I mean. Refusing to identify sin as sin tempts us to believe that with increased knowledge, sheer willpower, and renewed resolve we can resist repeating the transgression in the future. Yet, our personal histories prove that such thinking is nothing more than the great Deceiver keeping us from the spiritual brokenness we desperately need but defiantly resist with every ounce of our prideful flesh.
To be clear, sin is stupidity. Not one of us doubts that.
However, when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our prideful, self-righteous hearts beyond the mere stupidity of our transgression and plunge us into the heartbreaking reality of sin, we quickly realize that our hearts are terribly wicked and no amount of knowledge, willpower, or human resolve will ever provide the power we desperately need to overcome our fleshly appetites. As mere humans, we know all to well how utterly void we are of such victorious power.
Realizing our helplessness against sin, we become Christian men and women with broken and contrite hearts who stand in desperate need of God’s merciful, gracious, and longsuffering love – the very love attributed to our heavenly Father throughout the Old Testament. And, furthermore, the very love God put on full display when He nailed His Son Jesus to the old rugged cross.
Consider carefully the words of the Psalmist…
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will He keep His anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love towards those who fear Him; as far as the east is to the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:8-12)
What glorious words from the covenant-keeping God, our heavenly Father.
Because of His merciful, gracious, and longsuffering love, God judged sin by unleashing His punitive wrath against Jesus Christ on the cross. This most unfathomable and gracious act of love God has done for every soul that surrenders thru repentance and faith to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Is this not precisely what God promised He would do thru the prophet Isaiah?
“He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed…Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him; He has put Him to grief.” (Isa. 53:5, 10)
Whatever we do, as God’s justified and adopted children, we must refuse to cheapen the cross of Christ and the gracious love of God the Father by sanitizing sin as mere stupidity. Our iniquities and transgressions are far more than mere stupidity – they are rebellious and hostile acts of sin. The very sin that propelled Jesus Christ to the Roman cross where He was “wounded, crushed, chastised, and brought to grief.”
God’s love conquered the offense of sin when Jesus Christ drank the cup of God’s wrath on the old rugged cross. Listen carefully Christian, brokenness and spiritual healing only come when we acknowledge that our failures are nothing less than sin – and repent. As Christians, we must look beyond the mere stupidity of our transgressions and see them for what they are truly are in the eyes of God – wretchedness, as the Apostle Paul says. (Rom. 7:24)
As long as we Christians dismiss transgression (whatever they may be) as mere stupidity, we will be sorrowful over consequences but remain unrepentant over sin. Christian, this is a most perilous place to be!
Without genuine repentance, there is no spiritual brokenness. And, without spiritual brokenness, our intellect, willpower, and human resolve will inevitably fail us as they’ve always done – leading us right back into the dark pit of sin, guilt, and despair.
What does God the Father desire?
Our Father in heaven desires the same attitude He desired from King David on the heels of adultery and murder – a broken and contrite heart that acknowledges sin as sin as well as what sin cost Christ in order to ransom us from the slavery of sin, unrighteousness, and eternal death.
Sin is far more than mere stupidity. Sin is a direct assault on the holiness of God!
Allow this realization to pierce your heart and serve as a propelling catalyst into the presence of Christ, where you will find the victorious Savior and faithful High Priest who sympathizes with your weaknesses and promises to distribute “mercy and grace in your time of need.” (Heb. 4:14-16)
So, how do you discern whether you’re chalking up sin to mere stupidity?
Well, it’s really quite simple.
- When someone goes no further than defining their transgressions as stupidity, in almost all cases, they are merely sorry for getting caught and for the consequences being suffered. Their perspective is solely a horizontal one. Stupidity views transgressions as nothing more than self-inflicted wounds that can be overcome by self help and the deadly lie of a renewed resolve.
- When someone recognizes their failure for the sin it truly is, which is the gracious work of the Holy Spirit, there are tears of brokenness and repentance. Their perspective is not simply horizontal, but primarily vertical. Sin views sin as a transgression against the very holiness of God – a transgression that can only be overcome by the justifying grace of God and the redemptive blood of the Redeemer.
A Call to Holy Transformation
Dear CCC Family,
In his letter to Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul wrote…
“I appeal to you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)
While taking Christian Ethics in seminary, I was required to memorize this verse. In part, I believe, because my professor knew that in today’s world there is no greater hindrance to Gospel advancement than worldly Christians and worldly churches. It is for this reason you hear me talk so frequently about the Christian’s calling to be holy.
Each month, our pastoral staff reads at least one book together. During the month of December, we read A.W. Tozer’s God’s Pursuit of Man – the prequel to his most famous book The Pursuit of God. If you haven’t read anything by Tozer, you should. Tozer is profound, simple, and prophetical – especially when he speaks of the Church.
While reading God’s Pursuit of Man, one statement Tozer made struck me like no other. In speaking of the Church (some 60 years ago I might add), Tozer writes…
“The worldly Church is a pitiful hybrid thing, an object of smiling contempt to the world and an abomination to the Lord.”
Strong words, no doubt. But, they are no stronger than Paul’s word to the Romans which is, in fact, God’s Word to us.
Conformity to the world is not the Christian’s calling.
Contrary to the Antinomian heresy(Rom. 6:1-4) many Christians unknowingly embrace today, the redeeming blood of Christ and Gospel grace do not grant us permission to live worldly lives free from the fear of divine recourse or judgment. For a Christian to live like the world is to reveal that he/she knows virtually nothing of the height, breadth, or depth of God’s sacrifical love displayed on Calvary’s Cross.
If I may be so blunt (and polemical), the current fad of looking like, talking like, and living like the world that so many churches and Christians have adopted in the name of pragmatism and relevance does far more harm than good to the cause of the Gospel.
Friends, we are the redeemed of the Lord. We are God’s holy ambassadors of Gospel reconciliation. We have been called to be salt in a tasteless and infected world. How can our lives and churches advance the Gospel and serve as humble instruments of Holy Spirit conviction when the Bride of Christ is clothed in a gown of sin, worldliness, and pragmatic marketing schemes? (Matt. 5:13)
We have been called to be light in a dark world of despair, brokenness, and depravity. How can our lives and churches be light to a dark culture, city, and world when so many of God’s holy lights are living under the basket of worldly conformity? (Matt. 5:14-16)
Yes, we are most definitely called to live in this world. However, we are in no way called to live like the world. When it comes to our lives this side of heaven’s glory, we are called to be “other-worldly.” Our bodies are meant to be living sacrifices for the glory of God. And our lives, in thought, speech, and conduct, are meant to display Christlike holiness that radiates Christ and His Gospel of saving grace.
Lest you think I’ve fallen prey to sensationalism and hyperbole, listen, if you have ears to ear, to the words of James…
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity (hatred) with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
I don’t know about you, but I have absolutely no desire to return to my pre-salvation status as an enemy of God.(Rom. 5:9ff)
With every passing year we walk with Christ and live under His gracious lordship, there should be an increasing display of holy transformation and Christlikeness in every facet of our lives. The Christlike holiness our lives radiate should sting those living in sin like salt stings a fresh wound. Yes, salt stings. But…salt also heals, does it not? Furthermore, the light of our lives, which is Christ living in us, should expose the darkness of sin rather than partner with and conceal it.
Friends, I believe what God’s holy Word says about worldliness. Do you?
I also believe A.W. Tozer’s assessment of the worldly Church is spot-on. Worldliness among God’s people neither contextualizes nor advances the Gospel – it only compromises the Gospel. Worldliness among Christians is pitiful, contemptuous, and abominable in the eyes of God precisely because it cost God nothing less than the righteous blood and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ to save us from sin, unrighteousness, and condemnation – the very essence of worldliness.
As we enter 2012, I want to challenge the Christians of Christ Community Church to reject worldliness and embrace their holy position and calling. If we truly desire for Christ Community Church to be appealing to the lost, we will reject worldly conformity and relentlessly pursue Holy Spirit sanctification.
The greatest evangelistic strategy is the Church of Jesus Christ living out her redeemed calling – Christlike holiness. Holiness, coupled with Christ-centered preaching and Spirit-anointed prayers, is the catalyst for Gospel revival – nothing more and nothing less.
If this article has sparked a renewed interest in your call to be holy, here are a couple of books worth your prayerful attention:
- Holiness by J.C. Ryle
- The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
