In Pursuit of Heat: We Worship What We Know

Thus far in our series we have battled against an understanding that is critical of theology in general, an ideology that is an ignorant, anti-intellectual emotionalism. However, there is another contemporary enemy of the opposite extreme. More popular in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, yet prevalent today especially as a reaction against feelings-driven theology, this ideology stops theology short of its goal by conceiving of it as a merely intellectual exercise.

We must return to our previously stated, working definition of theology, especially the second half: it is “the comprehensive, holistic interpretation of Scripture for the purpose of intimately knowing and rightly worshiping God.” To stop short of this purpose clause is to abort the God-given purpose for engaging in theology: to become worshipers of God in spirit and truth. If our theologizing does not affect us—if it does not change the way we think, feel, and act—we fail the task of doing theology.

No one has been a greater help to me in assimilating this truth into the depth of my soul than Jonathan Edwards. In his Miscellanies, he writes with staggering insight:

God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart. God made the world that He might communicate, and the creature receive, His glory; and that it might be received both by the mind and the heart. He that testifies his idea of God’s glory [does not] glorify God so much as he that testifies also his approbation of it and his delight in it. (Miscellanies, No. 448)

That is a life-shaping, worldview-shattering paragraph.

If nothing else, it certainly provides the vision of the proper goal of the theological process. We must not only endeavor to know about God, studying to tantalize our intellect and amass theoretical knowledge. Rather, our labors in theology are a means to the end of knowing God Himself—in relationship. And then, knowing such a magnificently glorious God, necessarily loving and enjoying Him for the fullness of His goodness.

And it is impossible to have one without the other. What I mean is, God is not the kind of Being who can be known to a greater degree without being enjoyed to that same degree. To know God is to enjoy Him. Biographer George Marsden summarizes Edwards’s thinking in this regard:

“Beauty”…is not just an object of passive contemplation, but rather a transforming power. If one sees a beautiful person, said Edwards, one cannot help but be drawn to that person. One’s heart is drawn to that beauty, and one’s actions will follow one’s heart. So it is with the surpassing beauty of God as revealed in Christ.…If one glimpses the perfect beauty of such love, one cannot help but be drawn to it. (A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards, 141)

There is no room -- not even in a theology classroom, and especially not a Sunday school classroom -- for a passive contemplation of the glories of God in Christ. To study Him dispassionately, entirely unmoved by the stunning beauty that we behold in the face of Christ would be woefully dishonoring to God.

If we are to glorify God, we must not only see His glory (light), but rejoice in it (heat). We must cultivate that vision of who He is and what He has done so well that, as Vanhoozer says, "when we perceive it, it stops us in our tracks and elicits our praise."

Series Outline

Light and Heat: Introduction

1.1 - In Pursuit of Light: We Worship What We Know
1.2 - Systematics and Doctrine Matter
1.3 - Loving God with All Your Mind

2. In Pursuit of Heat: We Worship What We Know

3. Conclusion: Light and Heat, Spirit and Truth

The Abrahamic Covenant in the Book of Joshua

Don't forget to mouse over the verse references.

The Abrahamic Covenant enters as a theme in the book of Joshua early in chapter 1, when Yahweh encourages Joshua by reminding them that he is going to lead God’s people into the land that He swore He would give to their fathers (Josh 1:6). Also, before the sons of Israel go into battle against Jericho, Yahweh commands that they be circumcised (Josh 5:2-3); that is, that they be given the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 17:10-14). In the book of Joshua, we see the prospect of the fulfillment of the long-awaited promise to Abraham: “To your descendants I will give this land” (Gen 12:7).

And in Joshua, the Israelites do go into the land that Yahweh promised to give them in covenant with Abraham. It even seems to suggest that they conquered all of the land (Josh 10:40; 11:16). Indeed, “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes, Thus the land had rest from war” (Josh 11:23).

Though God spoke in this way, we also see that He says, “…very much of the land remains to be possessed” (Josh 13:1). Further, Israel’s failure to conquer all of the land does not remain morally neutral. In fact, an emphasis in Joshua – which will become an even greater emphasis in the book of Judges (cf. Jdg 1-2) – is that failure to conquer the land is disobedience to Yahweh. For though He commanded Israel to utterly destroy the nations that they might completely possess the land (cf. Josh 6:17-24; 7:11-15; 8:8, 26-28; 10:28-40; 11:8-15, 21-22), we are told repeatedly that they do not do so (Josh 15:63; 16:10; 17:12-13). Exasperated, Joshua chastises Israel in 18:3: “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you?” So, notwithstanding Joshua 11:23, Israel did not take possession of the whole land.

And yet, in 21:43-45, it seems to suggest that the Abrahamic promise is fulfilled: "So Yahweh gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And Yahweh gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; Yahweh gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which Yahweh had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass."

Joshua says that Yahweh gave the land to Israel as He had sworn to their fathers (thus emphasizing the covenant promise), gave them rest, and not one of the promises failed but came to pass. However, after that declaration, in 23:4-5, as Joshua is addressing Israel before his death he says, “Yahweh your God, He will thrust [these nations] out from before you and drive them from before you; and you will possess their land, just as Yahweh your God promised you.” After saying that Yahweh gave them all the land and rest of every side according to the promise to the fathers, Joshua then speaks of the complete possession of the land according to the promise of Yahweh as an event that is yet future.

So what are we to conclude from this? Well, what we see in Joshua does indeed relate to the Abrahamic Covenant. Yahweh’s covenant faithfulness is put on display in how He constantly works and fights for Israel (Josh 1:9; 6:16; 8:7; 10:10-14; 11:20; 23:3; 24:1-13, 17-18) to fulfill His promise to give them the land (cf. Gen 12:7; 15:7, 18). However, the disobedience of Israel (cf. Deut 19:8-10) despite even the steadfast faithfulness of Yahweh also is the theme of the Sinaitic/Mosaic Covenant, the administration of which is also present in Joshua (Josh 1:7-8; 8:31-35; 22:2-5; 23:6, 11, 15-16; 24:26).

Therefore, we should understand that Yahweh gave Israel the land, demonstrating His unwavering faithfulness to His word. But Israel failed to completely possess the land, demonstrating their typical disobedience. The Abrahamic promise that His descendants would be given the land as an everlasting possession (Gen 17:8; cf. Gen 13:14) is not fulfilled in Joshua. As promised (cf. Num 33:55-56), this disobedience brought further disobedience until finally Israel and Judah were themselves dispossessed from the land in acts of Yahweh’s judgment (2Ki 17:6; 25:8-11).

Thus the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant remains a future event when Israel will be restored from captivity, gathered from where they are scattered, and brought back to the land with circumcised hearts (cf. Deut 30:1-6; Jer 30-33; Ezek 20:33-44; 36:22-38), where they will possess it as an everlasting possession (Gen 17:8; cf. Gen 13:14).

"As for you, O house of Israel," thus says the Lord Yahweh,
"Go, serve everyone his idols; but later you will surely listen to Me,
and My holy name you will profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols.
For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel," declares the Lord Yahweh,
"there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land;
there I will accept them
and there I will seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts,
with all your holy things.

As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out from the peoples
and gather you from the lands where you are scattered;
and I will prove Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations.

And you will know that I am Yahweh, when I bring you into the land of Israel,
into the land which I swore to give to your forefathers.
There you will remember your ways and all your deeds
with which you have defiled yourselves;
and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight
for all the evil things that you have done.

Then you will know that I am Yahweh
when I have dealt with you for My name's sake,
not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds,
O house of Israel," declares the Lord Yahweh.'"

- Ezekiel 20:39-44 -

Grounding our Experience of Fellowship in Objective Reality

I wonder what comes into your mind when you hear the word "fellowship." Some may think of friends. Others think of having interesting and inspiring conversations. Others think of sharing a meal or having a snack. Still others think of the time of a church service or Bible study where the teaching is officially over and everyone gets to just "hang out."

It's funny how certain words -- Biblical words -- come to be co-opted and used by our own circles of the Evangelical subculture. It's also kind of scary. We can be using the exact same language as the Bible, and thus suppose we are being Biblical, and yet mean something entirely different than the Bible means by it. We have refused to read such words in their Biblical contexts, and instead have ripped them from their contexts and then invest and infuse them with our own meanings. (For an example of how we've done that with the word 'love,' click here.)

The Lord Jesus recently blessed me with a wonderful opportunity to regularly teach and shepherd a terrific group of saints in a Bible study setting as a ministry of Grace Church. As I thought and prayed about what I'd wanted to teach on to begin my time with them, my heart was inclined to do something on fellowship. A home Bible study -- whether at a church with 70 members or 7,000 -- is a place where life is lived out together in community, a place where we can spur one another on to love and good deeds (Heb 10:24-25), and to encourage one another as long as it is called "Today," so that none will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:12).

And so I looked up the instances of the word koinonia in the New Testament. And I found that in an overwhelming number of instances, koinonia has very little to do with what mainstream American Christians call fellowship. Here's a breakdown of its use in the New Testament:

Fellowship with Each Other

• Acts 2:42 – They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
• 1 John 1:3, 7 – …what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. … but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
  

Contributing Resources

• Romans 15:26 – For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
• 2 Corinthians 8:4 – …begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints…
• 2 Corinthians 9:13 – Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all…
• Hebrews 13:16 – And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
  

Fellowship with The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

• 1 Corinthians 1:9 – God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
• 1 Corinthians 10:16 – Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
• 1 John 1:3, 6 – …what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. … If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
• 2 Corinthians 13:14 – The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
• Philippians 2:1 – Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion…
  

Participation and Partnership

• 2 Corinthians 6:14 – Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
• Galatians 2:9 – …and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
• Philippians 1:5 – in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
• Philemon 1:6 – and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.
• Philippians 3:10 – that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
  

Objective Reality

What I come away with as I read these uses of koinonia is the notion that fellowship is an objective reality. As noted above, it is an objective state of relationship with each of the Members of the Trinity. It is a sharing in the Good News of the Gospel (Phil 1:5), in faith in Christ (Phm 1:6), and even in sufferings (Phil 3:10). One is said to have fellowship in something when one gives his money and resources (Rom 15:24; 2Cor 8:6; 9:13; Heb 13:16). And even the fellowship that we have with each other is spoken of as an objective reality based upon the work of God in Christ, and not merely a subjective enjoyment of one another (1Jn 1:3, 7).

And even where the word koinonia is not used to describe this concept based on the objective work of Christ, the reality of it is apparent elsewhere in the Scriptures. In Romans 6, Paul speaks about our baptism into Christ (i.e., our salvation) in terms of union, or fellowship, with Him.

• Romans 6:3-7 - Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.

Then in 1 Corinthians 12, he speaks of this same baptism in terms of our union with Christ's body. As we are united to the Head, we are also united to all those who are united to the Head.

• 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 - For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.

And so, Biblically speaking, our fellowship is an objective reality that was accomplished by the atoning work of Christ.

Consider what James Montgomery Boice says about contemporary vs. Biblical concepts of fellowship (from his commentary on Philippians, p. 31):

“The word fellowship has been so watered down in contemporary speech that it conveys only a faint suggestion of what it meant in earlier times. When we speak of fellowship today, we generally mean no more than comradeship, the sharing of good times. But fellowship originally meant much more than a sharing of something, like the fellowship of bank robbers dividing their loot. It meant a sharing in something, participating in something greater than the people involved and more lasting than the activity of any given moment. When the Bible uses the word, it means being caught up into a communion created by God. […]

“This is the way the Bible regards fellowship, and it was this for which Paul was so thankful in the case of the young church at Philippi [1:5]. They may have had things in common. But Paul is not speaking of these. He is thankful for their share in the gospel of God. They had been taken up into a divine fellowship. They were united, not upon a social level, but by their commitment to the truths of the gospel.”

So this idea we have of fellowship as being the time in the worship service or Bible study where we all talk and have food is a misunderstanding of what the Bible says fellowship is. Of course it involves our interaction, conversation, and enjoyment of one another. But all of that – let's call it – subjective stuff is rooted in something objective: the fellowship we have with the Father and with each other by virtue of the saving work of Christ on the cross (Rom 6:3-7; 1Cor 12:12-14).

And one thing that can make our subjective experience of fellowship with each other seem awkward, or forced, is forgetting that our fellowship is grounded in this objective reality. We base our conversations and interactions with each other more on superficial things than on the fellowship we have as beneficiaries of the Gospel and as children of God. We base our "fellowship" with each other on shared interests, mutual hobbies, common experiences, being in similar "life stages," and so on, and so we exclude those who don't fit that mold – even though we may not intend to or even know that we're doing it.

Improving our Fellowship by Improving our Conversation

So what can we do to remedy this problem? How can we better ground our subjective fellowship in the reality of our objective fellowship?

Well, the primary way I believe we fail in this is in our conversation – the things we talk to each other about. And so I think that's the place to start improving. The big take-away application point from all of this talk about subjective and objective fellowship is that we must improve our everyday, relaxed, natural conversation, especially with other believers. We devote so much time to talking to each other about our families, our jobs, sports events, movies we’ve seen, TV shows we watch, aspirations we have and so on. And these are good things. But the things of Christ, spiritual things, the things of the Scriptures are so much more worthy of our attention and conversation than those other things. And comparatively, they often don't occupy enough of our interaction with each other.

In Deuteronomy 6, just after God gives Israel the Greatest Commandment to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, the very next thing He says is, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Dt 6:6-9).

He commands them to be talking about His Word all the time. I think that it's significant that this command comes directly after the Greatest Commandment in all the Law (Mt 22:36-38). I take that to mean that there is no surer way to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, than to be constantly meditating and musing over and speaking about His truth. And you’ll remember that keeping the first commandment is how you will keep the second greatest commandment (cf. 1Jn 5:2), which is: to love your neighbor as yourself.

Love for each other – the cornerstone of our fellowship – is based on our love for God. And our love for God is greatly affected by how great a place His Word and His truth occupies in our hearts and in our mouths.

So, after a sermon in church or a Bible lesson at a mid-week Bible study, don’t just immediately start talking about the weather. Talk with each other about the sermon or the lesson. Talk about the main Scripture text in the message, about significant things that stood out to you. Talk about how you were affected by God's Word.

Let the subjective experience of your fellowship with each other be rooted in the real, objective basis for that fellowship: the fellowship that we have as fellow-partakers of the grace of Christ.

Therefore, laying aside falsehood,
speak truth each one of you with his neighbor,
for we are members of one another.
- Ephesians 4:25 -

Biblical Repentance: Introduction

Few doctrines of the historic Christian faith lie closer to the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the course of the Christian life than the doctrine of repentance. Indeed, when our Lord was said to first preach the Gospel of forgiveness of sins in His name, the first command He uttered was, “Repent” (Mk 1:15). Yet within Christendom – and even within Evangelicalism – there is widespread confusion and disagreement about the precise nature of repentance.

What does it mean to repent? What is the place of our feelings in repentance? Should we feel like we haven't repented unless we've felt sorry enough? Or should we confess and move on and trust that our feelings will catch up with us later? What about our works? Do we have to offer some sort of satisfaction for our sin beyond what Christ has accomplished, like feeling sorry enough or confessing to others? Or does the requirement of "obedience in keeping with repentance" undermine justification by faith alone? What is it, exactly, that God wants from us when we confess our sin and seek forgiveness? How should our walk with Christ look if we have a Biblical understanding of repentance?

Over the next couple of weeks I want to do a series on Biblical repentance. In the upcoming posts, I'll try to answer some of the questions I asked above in a number of ways. First, I'll examine three of the most common words used in the Bible to signify repentance. We'll study each word in its original Hebrew or Greek from a lexical and semantic perspective. The analysis of these words and their surrounding contexts will give us a theology of the nature of Biblical repentance. We'll see how Scripture uses these terms and look at what the authors of Scripture mean when they talk about repentance.

Once we have an idea about the nature of repentance, we'll look to apply that understanding to repentance both in justification and sanctification. In justification, we'll look at repentance as the sinner's turning from his sin as the ruling principle of his life. This takes place at conversion. Regarding sanctification, we'll look at the believer's habitual, ongoing repentance of specific sins throughout his Christian walk.

After this, I will spend some time contrasting Biblical repentance to the Roman Catholic doctrine of penance. That might seem a bit random, but I assure you that I'm not just going out of my way to pick on Catholics. The reality is, many Evangelical Protestants who would vehemently denounce the Roman Catholic doctrine of penance -- a sort of paying God back for your sins -- unwittingly practice penance while thinking they are practicing Biblical repentance. This is something that so many of us are prone to, because it is a natural human inclination to try to earn one's own righteousness before God. This goes to the heart of the Gospel, and calls into question the sufficiency of Christ's atonement.

Then, after all of those theoretical considerations, I'll do my best to specifically apply these principles to a practical counseling situation in which a church member has confessed to an immoral affair. I'll try to show how a Christian should come along side his brother and lead him to Biblical repentance while leading him away from the dangers of penance. This way, we can see what it would look like for us to practically live out these Biblical principles in the context of the body of Christ. Examining this hypothetical case study will also demonstrate how church leaders might evaluate the genuineness of a sinning member's repentance.

Finally, I'll conclude the series by presenting how my own study of the doctrine of repentance has affected me personally in my walk with Christ, and how I hope it will have affected you who undertake to study it with me. May God grant that this be a fruitful and beneficial endeavor, and that it serve to raise our affections high toward Him as we look into the wonderful things He's revealed in His glorious Word.

Satisfy us with Yourself, O God, as we carefully study the Word you have given us in order to see the beauty of Your manifold perfections with ever-increasing precision and clarity! And as we behold that glory, grant that we would become transformed into the very image of Your Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren and come to have the preeminence in everything, and that You might be honored above all things!

Amen.

Biblical Repentance: Introduction

1. Exegesis
1.1. Nacham: Biblical Repentance Involves the Emotions
1.2. Shuv: The Heart's Obedient Turn from Sin to God
1.3. Metanoeo: A Fundamental Change of the Whole Man

2. Discussion
2.1. Summary and Discussion: Intellectual, Emotional, Volitional
2.2. Repentance for the Christian

3. Application
3.1. Repentance vs. Penance
3.2. Counsel to a Sinning Brother
3.3. Homework for Sinning Brother
3.4. The Effect on My Personal Walk with Christ

In Pursuit of Becoming a Technical-Devotional Reader of Scripture

Daniel Doriani, in his commentary on the book of James, comments on the propensity for ministers of the Word to "professionalize their use of Scripture." That is, it's their job to affect people with the Word of God, and so they study Scripture and prepare to teach and preach it for other people. It's far easier to love preaching the glory of God than to love the glory of God.

Yet Doriani reminds us that we can do the people of God no good if we ourselves do not seek the benefit of Scripture's effect on our hearts and lives. We affect no one with the truth of God if we ourselves are not affected. That's why Ezra set his heart to study the law of Yahweh: first to practice it himself, and only then to teach God's statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

With a striking degree of insight and wisdom, Doriani offers a taxonomy of the ways one grows in reading Scripture. In short, we need both light and heat. We need to know our stuff, and we need to pursue our greatest pleasure in benefiting from what the Scripture says to us first.

Teachers and preachers of the Word must continue to seek the solution to their own struggles in the Word of God. This seems obvious, but pastors and seminarians are prone to professionalize their use of Scripture, to read it to help every soul but their own. Let me offer a typology of the ways pastors can read Scripture.

When he is a new Christian, the future pastor's reading is naive and devotional. He devours Scripture, underlining virtually every word in his new Bible, feeling that God speaks directly to him with every word.

After a few years, the budding leader's reading becomes sophisticated and devotional. He still feels that God is speaking to him in the text but he has learned to read texts in their contexts. He reads Bible dictionaries and commentaries. He knows the translation strategies of various Bible versions and begins to use that knowledge to get at the original text.

The future pastor decides to go to seminary, where he becomes a technical reader. He reads Greek and Hebrew; he consults scholarly sources. He respects the distance between his world and that of biblical thought. His zeal to describe biblical history, culture, and language grows. He pursues what the word originally meant and perhaps neglects what it means today.

As ordination comes, our friend remembers that his study has, as its goal, the edification of the church. He continues to read technically, but now he shares his findings with the church. He becomes a technical-functional reader. His reading may be detached, personally speaking, but he stores and organizes his discoveries so he can offer them to others. While this phase may mark a partial improvement, he does not directly profit from his reading of Scripture.

He needs therefore to become a technical, devotional reader. Every technical skill remains, but he reads like a child, letting the Word speak directly to his heart again. He gains what Paul Ricoeur calls a "second naivete." He is both technically astute and meek. He both receives God's Word and expounds it. In this way he finds strength to endure trials and to check the growth of sin.

From Daniel M. Doriani, James, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing), 50-51.

The precepts of Yahweh are right, rejoicing the heart.
- Psalm 19:8 -

I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
I will meditate on Your precepts
And regard Your ways.
I shall delight in Your statutes;
I shall not forget Your word.
- Psalm 119:14-16 -

I have inherited Your testimonies forever,
For they are the joy of my heart.
- Psalm 119:111

Responding to Suffering Righteously

Though the many characters in the story of Job present various views on the reason for suffering and how to respond to it, no one character provides that righteous example. However, from observing Yahweh’s interactions with the various characters, we see that the book of Job teaches that the righteous man should respond to suffering by worshipfully and faithfully submitting to God’s absolute sovereignty in all things.

Though Job’s three friends mean well (Job 2:11), their faulty theology leads them into error and renders them a hindrance rather than a comfort. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar believe they have God figured out: He rewards the righteous and faithful and punishes the wicked and the unfaithful. While correct in a general sense, they erred by applying this paradigm absolutely. In fact, even before Job is afflicted we learn that his suffering will have nothing to do with his sinfulness (Job 1:8-12; 2:3-6). Thus Yahweh’s wrath is kindled against them (Job 42:7-8). And though Yahweh does not respond to Elihu’s comments, it is clear that his analysis falls short as well. Elihu’s main argument is that suffering is a purifying process (Job 33:8-12, 29-30), and while this certainly has some merit, again, in a general sense (cf. 1Pet 1:6-7; Jas 1:3), the opening chapters teach us that Job is not suffering to be purged of sin, but because God willed to make an example of Job to prove a point to Satan.

Job himself is probably the best example of the five characters throughout the narrative. There is much that we can learn from the ways he responded (Job 1:20-22; 2:10). In fact, Yahweh Himself commends Job for speaking rightly of Him (Job 42:7-8). However, Job’s proper responses are also mixed with foolish thoughts. He proclaims His hope in Yahweh regardless of circumstances (Job 13:15a; 14:7-14; 19:25-27), but in the same breath desires to contend with Him (Job 13:3, 15b). As the book progresses, his tendency to find fault with God’s judgment grows. For this he receives perhaps the most contemptuous rebuke in all of Scripture (Job 38-41).

Though not the perfect example of righteousness, we do learn from Job’s interaction with God how we should respond when we suffer. First, we should not seek to console ourselves by attributing our suffering to secondary causes. Job always recognized that God was sovereign in his afflictions (Job 1:21; 2:10; 12:9-10), and he was commended for that (Job 2:3; 42:7). We should not seek to save God from His sovereignty. He means to be glorified in being recognized as the ultimate mover and determiner of all things (cf. Is 45:7; Lam 3:37-38).

We learn, negatively, though, that faith in God’s sovereignty should not cause us to blame Him or accuse Him of unrighteousness. We should recognize that we all deserve suffering as a result of our sinfulness (Rom 3:10ff). It is God’s mercy that we do not suffer continually (Mt 5:44-45; cf. 2Pet 2:4).

Thirdly, we should not seek detailed reasons for our suffering, but trust God’s wisdom. Just as Job never knew about the spiritual battle revealed in the opening chapters, so also our suffering is often greater than ourselves. We should seek to saturate ourselves with the knowledge of God, and be satisfied in His sovereignty and goodness. He has a plan that cannot be thwarted (Job 42:2) which will bring about His greatest glory, which is our greatest good (Rom 8:28). Thus, we should trust God’s goodness even when circumstances seem to contradict that. As Job did, we should accept good and adversity as gifts from Him (Job 2:10) and worship Him for His goodness (Job 1:20-22).

Finally, we should not wait for circumstances to improve before praising God. Instead, we should imitate Job’s example (Job 1:20-22); he was still on the ash heap covered with boils and sores when he was reconciled to Yahweh (Job 42:1-6). We should praise and worship God even in the midst of our sufferings, and thus demonstrate that He Himself is more satisfying to us than pleasant circumstances.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
- Psalm 73:26 -

Solomon: "Don't Waste Your Life"

Perhaps the most memorable -- and potentially confusing -- theme of the book of Ecclesiastes is Solomon's insistence on proclaiming the vanity, or futility, of life. The Hebrew word hevel appears 38 times in the relatively short book, and it denotes at least three things:

1. Transience: the name Abel is a transliteration of this word, and interestingly Abel's life was very transient, as he was murdered at a young age by his brother Cain;
2. An incomprehensibility, referring to frustration over life’s unanswered questions; and
3. A futility described as “striving after the wind” (Eccl 1:14; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 16; 6:9), being of “no advantage” (Eccl 3:19; cf. 1:3; 5:11, 16; 6:8, 11), and of “no profit” (Eccl 2:11; 3:9).

Indeed, his exclamations of the emptiness of the various occupations of man’s life may leave the reader thinking that the book is nothing more than the skeptical-cynical musings and complaints of a jaded pessimist, and anything but godly wisdom from the wisest king in the world (1Ki 4:29-34; 2Chr 9:22).

However, Solomon’s great focus on the futility of life must be considered through the lens which he intended. Besides futility, another oft-repeated phrase throughout the book is “under the sun” (Eccl 1:9; 2:17-20; 3:16; 4:1; 5:18; 6:1; 8:9; 9:11; 10:5). Solomon is referring to the way things appear to be on this side of heaven; that is, from the perspective ‘under the sun’ as opposed to the eternal perspective ‘beyond the sun.’

He is speaking of life from the human perspective, and so his conclusions about the emptiness, futility, and incomprehensibility of life make sense. Because the Word of God tells us specifically that world we live in ‘under the sun’ has itself been subjected to futility. Paul tells us that in Romans 8:20, where he uses the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word, hevel, mentioned above. He goes on to say that this creation which was subjected to futility is in slavery to corruption (Rom 8:21) because it is under the curse of sin (Gen 3:17-19). Therefore, Solomon’s apparent pessimism is actually a wise incredulity, because it is indeed appropriate to be pessimistic about this world. We simply cannot make sense of life from a merely human, or naturalistic, perspective.

So how are we to live in this cursed world, filled with futility and brokenness? The answer is the theme of the book of Ecclesiastes, and is presented most succinctly at the end of all Solomon’s ruminations: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments” (Eccl 12:13). Though life seems incomprehensible while ‘under the sun,’ there is a God in heaven whose perspective is greater than ours. He is the one who makes sense of life and gives it meaning. That which gives this seemingly inscrutable and fleeting life meaning is the fear of God.

That phrase, which in Solomon's mind is the key to all of life, is distributed fairly evenly throughout the book (Eccl 3:14; 5:7; 7:18; 8:12-13; 12:13). It is the unifying thread that ties all of the apparently random discourses together. But what does it mean, exactly, to fear God?

Well, the one who wisely fears the Lord worships Him in all things. He regards God and His Word as supreme in all the occupations of his everyday life, and considers all he does in the light of who God is and what He has revealed of Himself in His Word. And such worship of Yahweh is precisely what He elsewhere in Scripture declares is His ultimate purpose in all He does (Is 42:8; 43:7, 25; 48:11; Ezek 36:22-23; Eph 1:11-12). All of life is to be lived for the glory of God (1Cor 10:31).

It's interesting, then, that Solomon consistently exhorts his readers to enjoy life as a gift of God (Eccl 2:24-26; 3:12-13, 22; 5:18-20; 8:15; 9:7-9; 11:8-9). You can pursue your greatest pleasure apart from the fear of God, but at the end of your pursuit, you, like Solomon, will find that none of those pursuits satisfy your soul. You'll find that your striving after pleasure is like “striving after the wind.”

But the one who pursues his greatest pleasure according to the fear of God – that is, pursuing his pleasure in God Himself – will find that the enjoyments of this life are gifts from a gracious and beneficent Father (Jas 1:17), and will thus give glory and praise to Him as the giver of all good things. In this way he will worship God, because he will be living his life the way the Creator of life intended it to be lived. This way, and only this way, he will not waste this one fleeting life he has under the sun.

Heed Solomon's word to us. Don't waste your life.

One of the Most Important Principles in Reading the Bible

I usually don't re-post so much of what others have posted, especially in close proximity, but John Piper at the Desiring God Blog has posted two gems recently, and I find it hard to resist reiterating this last one, as I did the first.

This one has to do with how we read the Bible, and how we are to understand passages that command human action (i.e., obedience) together with passages that teach that God is absolutely sovereign. It fits nicely with the most recent post in the regeneration series, which has to do with God granting what He requires. Piper's commentary here is extremely helpful, refreshing, and really bursting at the seams with wisdom that I pray all those who read would be able to discern.

A friend of mine who also linked to this post said this of it (which I agree with):

This is the ‘bread and butter’ of Bible reading. Droves of people don’t get this. Not to be too emphatic here, but if this principle were understood by all Christians then it would significantly reduce the number of Arminians out there, and the number of legalists.

Read his post and feel the good news.

Sometimes readers of the Bible see the conditions that God lays down for his blessing and they conclude from these conditions that our action is first and decisive, then God responds to bless us.

That is not right.

There are indeed real conditions that God often commands. We must meet them for the promised blessing to come. But that does not mean that we are left to ourselves to meet the conditions or that our action is first and decisive.

Here is one example to show what I mean.

In Jeremiah 29:13 God says to the exiles in Babylon, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” So there is a condition: When you seek me with all your heart, then you will find me. So we must seek the Lord. That is the condition of finding him.

True.

But does that mean that we are left to ourselves to seek the Lord? Does it mean that our action of seeking him is first and decisive? Does it mean that God only acts after our seeking?

No.

Listen to what God says in Jeremiah 24:7 to those same exiles in Babylon: “I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.”

So the people will meet the condition of returning to God with their whole heart. God will respond by being their God in the fullest blessing. But the reason they returned with their whole heart is that God gave them a heart to know him. His action was first and decisive.

So now connect that with Jeremiah 29:13. The condition there was that they seek the Lord with their whole heart. Then God will be found by them. But now we see that the promise in Jeremiah 24:7 is that God himself will give them such a heart so that they will return to him with their whole heart.

This is one of the most basic things people need to see about the Bible. It is full of conditions we must meet for God’s blessings. But God does not leave us to meet them on our own. The first and decisive work before and in our willing is God’s prior grace. Without this insight, hundreds of conditional statements in the Bible will lead us astray.

Let this be the key to all Biblical conditions and commands: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13). Yes, we work. But our work is not first or decisive. God’s is. “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1Corinthians 15:10).