Overview of I Corinthians 2:6-16

vs. 6-7] Paul is stating that the “wisdom” he preaches is extremely different from the philosophers in Corinth. This wisdom, I believe, relates to God’s sovereign work in history – particularly, in the work of Christ. Paul already mentioned in 2:2 that he “decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Even more so, Paul declared that God had orchestrated all of history, that these plans were progressively revealed over time. “Our glory” probably is similar to the idea portrayed in 2 Corinthians 4:17, that despite earthly opposition and struggle, we will one day have a glorified body while dwelling in the presence of the King of Glory. [vs. 8] Just three decades prior to the writing of First Corinthians, Paul mentions how the people who were responsible in putting Jesus to death were ignorant to who Jesus claimed to be. They mocked him, calling him “King of the Jews” while nailing him to the cross. In chapter 1, Paul had just mentioned that the message of the Gospel is foolishness to the world. They did so, not because they lacked intelligence, but because they are dead in their sins and blind to the truth. [vs. 9] This verse sums up Paul’s point here is that what the world looks at as “foolishness” is actually the most magnificent wisdom ever revealed – we find this in the Scriptures. The Corinthian philosophers could not even come close to obtaining the wisdom of the one true God. [vs. 10-11] Paul is building his argument for he is about to state in verse 12. You see, verses 10-11 are simply clarifying that God has not revealed everything about Himself; in that every human being cannot know God based on their own intellect and thoughts. Philosophy teaches that we can know God (gods) based on study and observation. However, the Bible teaches that without the Holy Spirit we are completely lost. In fact, the only way to God is through the Son, by the Holy Spirit. [vs. 12-13] In these few verses we approach what is called the doctrine of “illumination. [vs. 14] You and I cannot argue, coerce, or trick someone into accepting the Gospel – it is…IMPOSSIBLE. [vs. 15-16] “Spiritual person” is someone who has the Holy Spirit within him; clearly, this is a Christian. Some of the wording here is difficult but is easier to understand with the example of the Church Father, Polycarp. In case you haven’t heard of him, Polycarp lived in the late 1^st/early 2^nd century under the Roman Empire. He would have escaped martyrdom if he professed, “Caesar is Lord.” Instead, he said, “Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” Polycarp was a “spiritual person.” (“but is himself to be judged by no one”) The Romans were not able to judge (advise) his beliefs; the Romans government simply thought he was crazy. (“For…instruct him?”) That is a reference to Isaiah 40:13 – no one is able to advise or “counsel” the Lord into making a decision.

 

• 3 encouraging truths about illumination:
  • 1) When we share the Gospel with others and they don’t accept, our text today reminds us why: our message is foolish in the eyes of the unsaved man. We cannot manipulate them with a message that is foolish to them.
  • 2) The Holy Spirit is the only one who can open the eyes of the unsaved to truly grasp the message of the Gospel. People do not become Christians because we’re tremendous communicators – (READ 1:27-29)
  • 3) The Holy Spirit works in the lives of Christians who open up the Word. When we study the Bible in class, in Sunday School, at our church services, in our homes, we should be open to have the Holy Spirit take these 66 books of the Bible so that we might be conformed more to the image of Christ. That’s should be encouraging! God didn’t leave us on earth and say, “here’s a Bible, have at it.” No, we have the power and the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

A Comparison of Hard-Copy Books, Audiobooks, and eBooks: A Bible College Student’s Perspective

I considered titling this article, “Don’t Waste Your Books,” but I think John Piper has had enough people borrow his “Don’t Waste Your…” slogan.

eBooks can be really helpful for sure, but some like an old-fashioned hard-copy book. It’s hard to beat the versatility and ease of audiobooks, but  there remains the problem of not having a “written” documentation in a book. Surely there are pro’s and con’s of each category, but should we stick to one type of book? Or, shall we utilize a combination of all three for premium learning and enjoyment. My proposition is the latter, and after observing each type of book, you just might agree with my findings. [*NOTE: this is written from the perspective of a Bible College/Seminary student, so you will find some reasoning that relates to my desired profession and field of study]

- Hard-Copy Books

I’ve heard plenty of people say, “there’s just no substitute for a hard-copy book…audiobooks and eBooks are nice, but there won’t ever be a substitute.” That’s a fair assessment, but that might not be for everybody. Since this is with a “Bible College Student’s Perspective” I will provide some helpful information that relates to all of the in-training “theologians” in Bible colleges and seminaries. With hard-copy books, the source information is almost always available such as author, publishing company, date of writing, page numbers, etc. I rarely have trouble citing hard-copy books, thus there is little stress when you find a fantastic quote and whether or not it is something that can be cited. An additional benefit of hard-copies is just the fact that all of the information is available and can’t be taken away with an electrical outage, a computer crash, or some other frustrating electronic “hiccup.” Two negative responses exist for hard-copy books, however. (1) After collecting a while, they take up a lot of space. Think about the amount of time spent for moving a thousand books and 3-4 book-shelves when the time comes to move into another home/apartment [missionaries, church planters, etc. should also keep this in mind when collecting books]. (2) There aren’t any back-ups. Once that favorite copy of, say, C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” with all of your underlinings and highlights is about to bite the dust, it’s gone. Not able to be used. Not so with your Amazon kindle books (or whatever you use). Just something to consider…

- Audiobooks

Though this might sound strange, I absolutely love driving to work. In fact, I take the route that takes about 2 minutes longer just so I can take some extra time to listen to my audiobooks. As those in college/seminary/ministry (or those that are just flat-out busy) can attest, we have barely any time for reading books that we choose. Well, I have an alternative: audiobooks. This Spring alone I’ve read several books and have learned a lot about various topics in history, leadership, ministry, apologetics, and more. I want to give three reasons why adding audiobooks to your life can benefit you. First, this allows you to continue learning during with great versatility. Going to work, walking, eating lunch (unless you’re married, I suggest you talk to your spouse then); these are all times that adding audiobooks to your life would be very enjoyable. Second, audiobooks can contribute to those who are “audible” learners. Third, audiobooks are a little “lighter” on the brain. Rather than focusing line-by-line, it can be relaxing and easier to hear someone else tell the story/information for a change. However, there are three main cons as well. (1) There is no citation information for formal research (i.e. it isn’t easily quotable by itself). I listened to “Essential Church?” by Thom and Sam Rainer recently, and absolutely loved it. Great book!…but I can’t use it for a research paper. For the wanna-be theological writer, this is a major difficulty. (2) It is not like a book or eBook where you can very quickly search through chapters and particular sections. That’s frustrating at times when you want to listen to a particular part of the book for whatever your purpose might be. (3) They are not as cheap as eBooks and even hard-copies. For reasons of recording the spoken-word, along with multiple CD’s being incorporated, prices run a little high unfortunately.

- eBooks

Some have wondered if eBooks’ impact would render the usage of hard-copy books obsolete. So far, I don’t think it has happened, and I’m skeptical as to if it will ever happen. However, eBooks are very useful and helpful. Thus, an overview is needed for these also. eBooks appear on different formats. I will be discussing Kindle books particularly. There are pros and cons for these. (1) Searching eBooks is VERY easy to do. (2) They are usually cheaper than even purchasing a used copy [when taking into account shipping charges]. (3) They are incredibly easy to get. I would say it literally takes about 15, maybe 20, seconds to search for the book you want, click to purchase, and to have it loaded up and ready to read [at least for the Kindle Fire]. (4) They are tremendously versatile on eReaders, tablets, and computers. More could be said about the positives of eBooks, but I’d like to remind you of the negatives. First, some eBooks do not have page numbers, as I know Kindle books do NOT. Although I really enjoy my Kindle Fire, the lacking of page numbers is by far, for me, the worst negative. Secondly, there are sometimes some “glitches” in eBooks that would not appear in hard-copies. For example, I was considering to purchase Daniel Wallace’s textbook on Kindle, “Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics,” but all of the Greek words were incredibly tiny – the kindle book would not have been very useful, even if the font setting was high. Thirdly, there IS something about the feel of those paper pages that are distinct and perhaps missed in the grasp of a piece of hardware.

- Conclusion

After having the evidence and personal observations presented, some of you might cling on solely to the hard-copy books. While others, would like to embrace the audiobooks and eBooks. Though it is reasonable if some would only desire to stick with one type of book to avoid confusion (or maybe  for OCD purposes), I would personally like to provide this final observation for categorizing the genre of book with the type (or format) for, in my opinion, the best usage of books.

• Academic – [Hard copy, Bible software books] I would personally advise that you don’t throw away or lose interest in all forms of hard-copy books. If you have Logos Bible Software (or a VERY high-end Bible program) then you could also group your Logos books together with hard-copy books for an academic study – I do that a lot and it’s a pretty efficient way of studying. These are the types of books that are to be mostly used for scholastic as well as sermonic research. I would group commentaries, systematic theology volumes, books on doctrines, Bible atlases, Bible dictionaries, language resources, etc. In other words, these are the books you use for careful and precise exegesis for primarily the purpose of teaching and preaching. I would not recommend eBooks or audiobooks for these kind of books.
• Educational – [audiobooks, eBooks, and "some" hard-copies] This could sound a little vague, but these are the types of books that I’m describing: books on communication, leadership (i.e. John Maxwell), apologetics, comparative religious material, church growth, counseling, preaching, etc. Though these are certainly valuable to have as hard copies, and from time-to-time there “might” be a moment when you could support an argument from one of these sources, by and large, these are educational insights into developing your understanding and information for a variety of topics. To give a more concrete example, some audiobooks/eBooks that I own which I would place in this category would be (1) Matt Chandler’s “The Explicit Gospel” (2) John Maxwell’s “Leadership 101″ (3) Jonathan Morrow’s “Think Christianly” (4) Josh & Sean McDowell’s “The Unshakable Truth.”
• Spiritual Growth – [audiobooks, eBooks] These are the books that are great to have when taking a break from parsing Greek verbs, but still are tremendously valuable. Here are the types of books that I’m describing: books on prayer, evangelism, fasting, missions, devotionals, and various others that relate to the Christian life. While I’m certainly not saying that “spiritual growth” books are devoid of “education,” I’m simply trying to bring out different types of books and how we can best use them. While the former are more geared towards Christianity as a whole (less individually), the latter – spiritual growth- I would suggest relates more to personal matters, though I wouldn’t be dogmatic on drawing lines. My personal library includes David Platt’s “Radical,” Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love,” and A.W. Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God.”
• Biographies – [eBooks, "some" audiobooks too] I’ve only listened to one audiobook of a biography and I did enjoy it – John Piper’s “John Calvin and his passion for the majesty of God.” However, I would say that unless the author writes on a somewhat low reading level, it just might be better on eBook. Piper is fairly academic and thus it was a little tough to stick with everything that was going on in the audiobook. Overall, though, biographies are extremely helpful for not only personal enjoyment, but also sermon illustrations. Therefore, I would not find the need to have these on hard-copies since most of the material does not need intricate citation.
• Novels/Fiction – [audiobooks, eBooks] I just started my first ever novel on audiobook, and so far, I’ve got to say, it’s really interesting. I was skeptical as to how I would be able to enjoy an audiobook novel, but so far, so good. However, there are some really dry and boring voice actors on audiobooks, so I would say proceed with a little caution. Everyone is different, so really this could be a point of preference in that novels are only able to be read privately for some individuals
• Leisure – [audiobooks, eBooks] This is an extremely vague way to categorize book genres. However, everybody enjoys some leisure reading every once in a while. (1) Newspapers, particularly on the Kindle Fire, are actually quite nice. (2) Magazines are available as well in eBook form. Though I’m not that into magazines, I’ve observed some of them on the Kindle Fire and look very good. (3) Whatever else is out there that doesn’t fall into any of the previous categories you would most likely be pretty safe to get on audiobook/eBook.

I hope this overview and comparison of your options for books was beneficial. While these contained personal preferences and observations, there’s no way that these suggestions are comprehensive and relate to everybody. Still, I would suggest you take into consideration what has been said and see if expanding your book library will have a future that contains hard-copies, audiobooks, and eBooks. And remember, DON’T WASTE YOUR BOOKS!

Church Discipline: A Necessary Action of Corrective Discipleship

There are many areas in the ministries and responsibilities of local churches that people find appealing and generally are easy to fulfill. Church discipline is not one of these areas. According to the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, “Perhaps the discipline most neglected by Christians of the 21st century is church discipline” (427). Undoubtedly, there are many misconceptions to this ecclesiastical mandate, as manifested throughout church history, modern scholasticism, and practice. Furthermore, Scripture does give abundant support for instituting this practice in the way that God intends. Therefore, it is vital that local churches would adhere to the guidelines and instructions, as well as intellectually comprehending the reasoning and goals for church discipline. As it will be noted, church discipline is also an important topic of teaching for each member of the congregation to appropriately understand, not simply the staff members and church leaders. Upon properly analyzing the crucial practice of church discipline, local churches will be able to receive the benefits of pursuing God’s will, will see the differences made in a restored member to the congregation by God’s grace, and therefore will edify the members as a whole.

Ken Blue and John White offer this definition: “Church discipline is the training of the of the church by the church” (18). Gerry Breshears and Mark Driscoll state the two major kinds of biblical discipline: formative and restorative. “Formative discipline is primarily positive, instructive, and encouraging. Restorative discipline has a corrective purpose” (171). The topic at hand is referring to restorative discipline. Contrary to much of contemporary thought, discipline is in fact a good thing. Proverbs 12:1 says, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.” Not only is the idea or practice of discipline valuable, but God Himself takes part in this corrective action. Proverbs 3:11-12 confirms this by saying, “Do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” Therefore, God demonstrates that discipline is both beneficial and even loving. On the contrary, to forsake discipline shows absolutely no love whatsoever. Unfortunately, “what most people think of when they hear ‘church discipline’ is excommunication, the final stage of the biblical process” (Breshears and Driscoll 171). Church discipline is much more than kicking people out of the congregation. It is a loving, God-honoring, and necessary action within a local church that is utilized to correct a lack of repentance in a person’s life. Furthermore, “Authentic biblical discipline is not an elective, but a necessary and integral mark of authentic Christianity” (Mohler). Church discipline, when instituted correctly, is very important for churches to utilize and will allow them to reap the rewards of obeying God’s commands towards an unrepentant believer continuing in sin.

The best starting point for researching church discipline would have to be Matthew 18. In this passage, we find the comprehensive, four-step process to handle church discipline. Verse fifteen says, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” This is the first step, and if repentance is achieved, then the process is finalized. However, verse sixteen continues with the second step for matters that are extended to this point. Jesus says, “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (Matthew 18:16). This second step follows a very similar principle regarding confrontation of sin as found in Deuteronomy 19:15. However, if the second step still does not produce a spirit of repentance, then continuing on to the third and, if necessary, fourth step will be needed. Matthew 18:17 says, “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” The third step requires believers to take this matter to the church, which, in the Greek, is ἐκκλησία. This can be translated three ways: congregation, church, or assembly (Louw and Nida 77-78). Taking into consideration that this is prior to Acts 2, as well as simply examining the context, conclusions will probably be geared towards what Walvoord and Zuck say, “The disciples probably would have understood Jesus to mean the matter should be brought before the Jewish assembly” (62). However, it is relevant to keep in mind that the Christ’s church was already prophesied in Matthew 16:18. Thus, this commandment would not fall under Jewish law and unimportant for the church to adhere to. On the contrary, this is tremendously precise and necessary for the church to obey. Finally, if the unrepentant believer persists without change, then excommunication from the fellowship of the local church will be necessary. Following these four steps is what God truly intends for restorative church discipline.

Though obedience to God’s Word is important enough, there is sufficient, Biblical reasoning behind this whole process that God has revealed. Rolland McCune offers three specific purposes within church discipline, “To remove the offender and thus restrain the evil,” “To restore the offender and heal the offense,” and “To uphold the purity and good name of the church” (290-292). These are all definitely included in the facets of church discipline, yet Breshears and Driscoll state the purpose in a more succinct, simple, and perhaps better fashion: “One goal of all church discipline is reconciliation” (173). This inference leads back to the word “discipline” itself, in that the root of discipline is also used for the word “disciple” (171). In other words, church discipline is a corrective form of discipleship. Understanding this prerequisite is important for two reasons. First, it defines that discipline is meant for believers of a local church, not unsaved people. It is not possible, after all, to disciple someone who is unconverted. Secondly, understanding church discipline as a corrective form of discipleship helps better define the purpose or desired result of discipline. The foundational goal of church discipline should really be for reconciliation, and thus spiritual growth and maturity of the disciplined believer.  Likewise, this also helps the church determine that the discipline is not necessarily about cleansing sin within the congregation. Chapter one of first John is very clear that believers will indeed sin (1 John 1:7-10). Therefore, if a Christian within a local church commits a sin, but repents, the church is not called upon to invoke some form of discipline. The Christian at fault will certainly reap the moral or legal consequences of his sin, but there is no need to discipline since the goal of repentance has already been achieved. Such moral or legal consequences that would still exist could include marital affair aftermath, theft, drunkenness violations, etc. Gerry Breshears and Mark Driscoll define this as the fourth step of “restitution,” which places the responsibility on the offender to seek forgiveness (169). A great example from Scripture would include Zacchaeus in Luke 19. On the other side of responsibility, the church then has the duty of forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32). Driscoll and Breshears define this conclusion as “reconciliation” (170). Thus, the desired purpose of church discipline is for the Christian at fault to repent and for the church to be reconciled with him or her.

In order to have a more visible understanding of church discipline and to see how reconciliation is desired within the church, it is important to see examples found in Scripture. While Matthew 18 is probably the core passage on the process of church discipline, it has already been mentioned, and thus seeing the practical example mentioned in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians will be beneficial. The unrepentant sin involved in this situation would be as Rolland McCune defines, “Gross sins among professing Christians” (292). Paul exclaims, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife” (I Corinthians 5:1). The verb for has is “ἔχειν,” a present, active infinitive. The NET Bible translates this phrase, “so that someone is cohabiting with his father’s wife.” What this all means is that a man is continuously, without repentance, committing acts of sexual immorality with his step-mother. Paul’s admonishment to the Corinthians is to “Let him who has done this be removed from among you” (I Corinthians 5:2). Excommunication is the final step in church discipline, so this passage is somewhat difficult in displaying every step. However, the fact of the matter is that this is both dealing with a corrective form of discipleship towards a professing Christ and there is also the goal of reconciliation. In verse five, Paul says, “You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” It does not appear that Paul simply wants the church to be without sin altogether, but that he is disciplining continual, unrepentant sin. The person involved is not hated by Paul, but rather he has the goal that “his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” Though there are several speculative interpretations of this passage, John MacArthur says, “This is equal to excommunicating the professed believer. It amounts to putting that person out of the blessing of Christian worship and fellowship by thrusting him into Satan’s realm, the world system…The unrepentant person may suffer greatly under God’s judgment, but will not be an evil influence in the church; and he will more likely be saved under that judgment than if tolerated and accepted in the church.” Furthermore, Paul says in verses 12-13, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside.” Likewise, it can be determined that the responsibility of the church is to discipline those who profess the name of Christ and when in the midst of church discipline, desire to have reconciliation as Paul mentioned, “So that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” While commentators differ on different aspects of this passage, Paul does seem to make it clear that church discipline is for the benefit of the church’s spiritual well-being, but especially for the disciplinary correction of the unrepentant, professing Christian.

Another passage that Paul writes about church discipline is found in chapter five of First Timothy. While the previous passage related to church discipline of sexual immorality, here Paul instructs Timothy concerning church discipline of elders. Though the four steps are not overwhelmingly visible in First Timothy chapter five, it still does give enough evidence as to patterning Matthew chapter eighteen. Paul first says, “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (I Timothy 5:19). Verse nineteen alone covers the first two steps: going individually to the person and then taking along one or two witnesses. If this small meeting causes repentance, then there is no need for any further step to take place; unless, of course, the sin involves something that would disqualify the elder from a pastoral role. However, Paul says in verse twenty, “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.” Paul’s instruction perfectly matches what Jesus said in Matthew 18:17, “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.” The part that Paul does not mention in First Timothy five is the final, excommunication step. However, Paul has already mentioned the qualifications for the leadership of the church in chapter three and gave instructions about false teachers in chapter one. Additionally, Paul mentioned his actions of church discipline to the false teachers, Hymenaeus and Alexander, in I Timothy 1:20. Furthermore, Paul makes it explicitly clear that leadership responsibilities in the local church are important decisions. First Timothy 5:22 says, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands.” Therefore, while Paul does not include all of the steps of church discipline that Matthew 18 records, this does not nullify the importance of incorporating all of the steps. In all actuality, this passage gives us very good reason to continue in all four steps since a lot of the material is, in fact, repeated from Matthew 18 and absolutely none of it is in opposition to other Biblical accounts of the church discipline procedure.

In addition to the foundational church discipline passage of Matthew 18 and the instructions found in First Timothy five, it is also helpful to see the example displayed in Titus chapter three. Titus 3:9-11 says, “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” Since this is a Pastoral Epistle, this is very wise counsel for Titus. Clearly, men and women who cause divisions is not just a twenty-first century phenomenon, but has been a threat that pastors have been much aware of for two centuries. The Bible Knowledge Commentary remarks, “Paul’s thought here is similar to the Lord’s instructions (Matt. 18:15-17), when He taught that after giving an offender three chances to repent, he is then to be cut off.” While it is certainly true that the goal is kept in mind about desiring to restore the person and to refute false and disruptive teaching, what makes this passage a little more difficult is the numerical amount of confrontations. While Matthew eighteen speaks of the four steps, Titus three speaks of only “once” or “twice” warning. Therefore, it would be helpful to note that Paul is writing to a pastor and specific ministry responsibilities that would be possible, such as bad teaching, would be addressed. Truly, the events described in this text would most likely constitute as unrepentant sin, and thus should be dealt with church discipline. However, this is a public sin, while the context in Matthew 18 seems to be more of a private situation. After all, Jesus said in Matthew 18:15, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.” On the other hand, a Titus 3:9-11 type of situation could skip the first step since this is a serious and public issue. Paul does not really give more information about what the process includes in these one or two warnings. Though Paul is not explicit on this interjection, it is possible that steps two and three of Matthew eighteen could be instituted for repentance. That way, a small group of godly men, two or three witnesses, can confront the sinning individual first. If that is not successful in bearing repentance, then taking the issue to the church would certainly be necessary. All in all, skipping the first step in Matthew 18 for a public ordeal but still incorporating the next steps does seem to match up with Titus three. Without a doubt, much prayer should precede a difficult situation of church discipline like this one. However, the Bible is unequivocally clear that false teaching must be combatted. Paul says in Galatians 1:8-9, “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. 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.”

An additional difficult topic to tackle within the discussion of church discipline is how to administer within and outside a member’s local church. While Christians are members of the universal Body of Christ, the Congregational view of autonomy gives authority to each local church. Cross and Livingstone say this belief  “professes to represent the principle of democracy in Church government, a polity which is held to follow from its fundamental belief in Christ as the sole head of His Church. All the members of the Church, being Christians, are ‘priests unto God.’ When examining Matthew eighteen in unison with the Baptist distinctive in mind, the two certainly seem to go together. Jesus said in Matthew 18:17, “If he refuses to listen to them [the two or three witnesses], tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Upon observing this verse, it is clear to see two important points. First, enforcing church discipline beyond step one on someone must be done within the limits of a local church. After all, it is impossible to tell a matter to every single Christian within the universal Body of Christ. Secondly, if church discipline is not done within the limits of a local church, there is nowhere to excommunicate someone. The disciplinary measure taken against an unrepentant, professing believer leads up to a loss of fellowship. From a simple observation, the text certainly indicates a localized congregation even though the Church Age had not begun until Acts 2. Hypothetically, if two people are involved in a situation that is not resolvable after a personal confrontation, the Bible would seem to indicate that the next steps taken would involve the offender’s local church: two or three witnesses first, and then congregational activity if necessary. That way, unrepentant sin can be dealt with, local churches can avoid potential threats of sin and error, and by God’s grace, a positive outcome might occur in the middle of a difficult situation. Overall, this argument not only supports the necessity of a proper ecclesiology for local church governance, but also gives reasoning for disciplining within the limits of a local church.

While the Bible has clearly taught the principles and proper actions taken in church discipline, not everyone has heeded this instruction. The history of the Roman Catholic Church is one example of combining false doctrine with an assumed church discipline. Three levels of church discipline arose in times past for this establishment: excommunication, anathema, and interdict (Peterson). While forcing a member out of the church as well as warning the excommunicate about a loss of eternal life, within the first, the second was more of a threat to the individual being kicked out of a certain state. However, the interdict was an even broader influence, as “whole towns, districts, or countries including both the guilty and the innocent were affected” (Peterson). Clearly, the Roman Catholic Church’s history has revealed that they have not taken the principles for church discipline to be corrective discipleship, nor did they bear any resemblance of the proper steps mentioned in Scripture. Therefore, while a lack of church discipline can be dangerous, a misunderstanding of too much “discipline” can also amount to a disastrous result.

If a church does not participate in church discipline, it is either blessed with a congregation free of unrepentant sin or it is simply disobedient to God’s design for corrective discipleship. As it has been visibly manifested, for a church to forsake disciplining unrepentant sin it is not functioning in a Biblical and loving fashion. Contemporary culture might respond to the word “discipline” with a cringe or an unsettled feeling within themselves. However, God has spoken and He is quite clear about the importance of church discipline, even though it might not always be easy. John Leadley Dagg once remarked with some intriguing words of wisdom, ““It has been remarked, that when discipline leaves a church, Christ goes with it” (274). While that statement might not be without flaw or inaccuracy, it certainly goes to show that church discipline is neither an optional nor a minor issue. Rather, church leaders should embrace this responsibility as a way to correct unrepentant sin, to be obedient to God’s Word, to promote purity within the congregation, and to ultimately bring glory to God.

Works Cited

Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible.

Biblical Studies Press, 2006.

Blue, Ken and John White. Healing the Wounded: The Costly Love of Church Discipline.

Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1985. Print.

Breshears, Gerry and Mark Driscoll. Vintage Church. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008. Print.

Cross, F. L. and Elizabeth A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd

ed. rev. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Dagg, J.L. A Treatise on Church Order. Charleston: The Southern Baptist Publication Society,

1858. Print.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Ed. Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England, Steve

Bond, E. Ray Clendenen, Trent C. Butler and Bill Latta. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001.

Louw, Johannes P. and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament:

Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.

MacArthur, John F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Nashville,

TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006.

Mohler, R. Albert. The Compromised Church. Wheaton: Crossway, 1998. Print.

Peterson, Roger L. “Discipline in the Local Church.” Central Bible Quarterly 2.3 (1959). Print.

Walvoord, John F., Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge

Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

“Communicating the Scriptures” – Nehemiah 8 Sermon

• Introduction:
  • Attention Step: “French author Victor Hugo said over a century ago, ‘England has two books, the Bible and Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare but the Bible made England’” (Wiersbe). My wife went to England almost four years ago and she would certainly attest that England is primarily a spiritually “dead” country that has forsaken the Bible. What happened? Was it a shift in morality? Was it merely a change in political leaders? Some of those things may have contributed; but most importantly, England has simply dismissed the Bible, and that in itself is tragic. I sincerely hope that America goes through a nationwide revival in my own lifetime. However, true revival, that is, lives being changed by a work of God, will not happen with catchy songs. It will not happen with charismatic public speaking. If the example in our text today, Nehemiah 8, serves as our example, revival can only occur by God’s grace through the preaching and receiving of His Scriptures.
  • Interest Step: Today we’re going to look at the great “revivalist” preacher, Ezra.
  • Subject Step: At this point of the book, Babylon had taken Judah into captivity for 70 years, but in 538 B.C. the Jewish people were permitted to return to their homelands. In history, we find that there were three “waves” of Jews that returned from captivity. First under Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple, second under Ezra for spiritual revival, and third under Nehemiah for rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. Since we’re in chapter 8 of Nehemiah, the main character is Ezra. He was sort of the “George Whitefield” of Israel. When Ezra and his fellow returning Jews arrived, to their dismay, they found their people to have already fallen into rebellion by intermarrying with pagan women, adopting their practices, and therefore turning away from God. As we come to our passage today, we will find that Ezra is fulfilling his ministry was his “teaching ministry” (BKC). In this passage, we will see how critical it is to communicate God’s Word.
• Topic/Theme [Inductive]: The question we must ask ourselves is “do we trust God’s Word for changing lives?”

1.  (1-8) The Importance of Understanding the Scriptures
   1. Explanation: (vs. 1-3) There was certainly a desire for the teaching of the Word, as well as “understanding.” When we gather for worship, people need to hear the Word taught. Notice how the “ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law” – in contrast to having “itching ears.” Look at that carefully, what they were attentive to – Scripture – that’s a good sign. According to Keil-Delitzsch, this time of exposition and instruction took about 6 hours. (vs. 4) They people even took the time to design a platform [Heb. = “tower of wood”] for Ezra – another good sign that the people were eager for the Word to be taught. [Mattithiah…Meshullam] Not exactly sure who these men were, BKC proposes the possibility of them being priests. (vs. 5-6) Ezra preached the word and the people responded in worship. Additionally, there was a reverence for God’s Word shown in the action of standing [MacArthur]. They took God’s Word VERY seriously. (vs. 7-8) There were helpers with Ezra to understand the Law which was a great help. [Jeshua…Pelaiah, the Levites] *Illustration* How many of you know of a man named “Bob Merson?” Probably none of you, he was a man who served in the church I grew up in. Mr. Merson was a greeter, a deacon, preached at the Baltimore Rescue Mission periodically, and was a tremendous influence in our church – he fulfilled his ministry. Contrast him with C.J. Mahaney – another Christian man from Maryland. A good amount of you have probably heard of him. He’s a pretty well-known pastor, author, and leader of Sovereign Grace Ministries. Both men serve God and fulfill their given ministries. C.J. Mahaney is often put in the position like Ezra to hear him preach in front of large congregations. However, Mr. Merson would be like these “unknown” men. This whole passage describes the “understanding” of the Scriptures being taught and here we can see that Ezra needed these other men to be successful in preaching the Law. Whatever ministry you are given, God calls you to be faithful – whether you are an “Ezra” or a “Jozabad.” We need good Bible teachers, whether they are pastors or not, to communicate God’s Word effectively.
   2. Argumentation: Acts 17:11
   3.  (9-18) The Response to Biblical Preaching
      1. Explanation: (vs. 9-11) The leaders are reminding the people that they should move on from grieving over their sin. Conviction from the Scriptures can be a good thing, but we cannot just live in a state of mourning over our sin and conviction. Rather, since the Day of Atonement had been observed, and the Feast of Tabernacles was about to take place – this would bring great joy! They had just heard from the Law so it was basically a review of the things they were observing (Feast of Tabernacles). As Christians, we should be convicted and grieve over our sin. BUT, we need to rejoice in Christ, who atoned for our sins – not just for another year, but once and for all. That means when we sin, we confess it, we might even grieve over it, but we have an Advocate with the Father, so therefore, we can still rejoice in the LORD. (vs. 12-17) After hearing the exhortations by Nehemiah, the people listened and acted upon the things instructed. The spiritual leaders had gathered together and discovered that it was laid out in God’s Law to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. What is interesting is that these people were so compelled to follow the teachings of the law. This is a good sign that a “congregation” is listening to the message being taught- they are actively pursuing ministries without being “forced” into ministering. Following the OT Law was not legalism; it was a pleasure for these people. “Tabernacles had been celebrated since Joshua (2 Chron. 7:8–10; Ezra 3:4), but not with such joy” (MacArthur). (vs. 18) To conclude this passage, it is helpful to note that Ezra read from the Law “daily.” It reminds us of the importance of a daily intake of hearing from God.

• Argumentation: II Timothy 3:16-17
• Proposition: We must rest assured that God’s Word changes people’s lives – (1) through preaching God’s Word and (2) man’s response
• Illustration/Application
  • Illustration: Back in high school, I had just started my sophomore year, and I simultaneously began learning two instruments: guitar and piano. I was pretty excited; I had finally gotten a nice, Yamaha, classical guitar from my cousin, though it originally was my mom’s. Now, I couldn’t really afford lessons, so I bought the DVD, “Learning Guitar for Dummies.” You might laugh, but that is really helpful. However, if you’ve never been in any kind of music training before, learning how to tune instruments doesn’t come too naturally. So I was listening to the DVD and trying to match up with my guitar, but it honestly wasn’t working too well. Eventually, I just gave up on the DVD and started messing around with the tuning and my strings until I…broke one of my strings. Talk about a rough start to a music career! So I took it to a guitar shop to get it tuned, paid an insane amount of money too. However, when I was picking up my guitar at the shop, a really helpful worker carefully instructed me how to tune it, step-by-step. That’s all I really needed, was someone to explain right beside me how to do that. It wasn’t that I was just not smart enough – it takes just a minute to tune now.
  • Application: It’s similar with teaching Scripture. People don’t need instruction because they lack intelligence; it’s that they need someone to come alongside of them to carefully explain the precious Word of God to them. That makes a huge difference! For all of us, we’re going to have a fairly large influence in explaining the Scriptures. That means, we have to be students of the Scriptures like Ezra (see Ezra 7:10) even before we teach them to others. And when we get the opportunities to teach, let’s keep the focus on the Scriptures. Particularly, we need to understand the impact of preaching the Gospel. The people responded in Nehemiah with heartache to their conviction of sin, but were transformed after understanding the implications of Scripture. However, week-long they celebrated with the Feast of Tabernacles. Now that Christ has come, the message of the Gospel is even better than what the people heard – for Christ’s sacrifice was an even greater sacrifice! Therefore, preach the Gospel to the saved and unsaved – this is life-changing news for everyone to hear.
• Conclusion:
  • I was helping at a youth event a couple of years ago, which was a night of music and then a message. I still remember all of the leaders in the group giving the “game plan” of what would happen that night. What was “supposed” to happen was that the music would emotionally stir up the youth to where they would then be “receptive” to the message; finally, at the end of the night they would pounce on the youth with a message to be saved. The question I want to ask is, are we so naïve to think that God’s Word isn’t powerful enough to lead people to Christ? That we HAVE to cause their emotions to run high in order for them to be saved? I’m all for having music that is emotional. But what irks me is the philosophy that God NEEDS us to give Him an extra hand in getting people saved, when all we’re told to do is deliver the message! A lot of times we can worry so much about the response of people that we forget that we have the “God-breathed” book and we can rest assured that the “Holy Spirit” will work in the lives of the listeners (John 16). That’s a seriously powerful combination! When we have the God of the Universe’s perfectly written book along with the Spirit of God who works in the hearts of people, something incredible is bound to happen.
• Restate Proposition: We must rest assured that God’s Word changes people’s lives – (1) through preaching God’s Word and (2) man’s response

• Sources:
  • Bible Knowledge Commentary
  • MacArthur Bible Studies: Nehemiah by John MacArthur
  • Be Determined by Warren Wiersbe
  • Ryrie Study Bible Notes
  • ESV Study Bible Notes
  • “Learning Guitar for Dummies” DVD by Jon Chappell. (2001)
  • Barnes Notes on the Bible
  • Keil-Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
  • Wesley’s Notes on the Bible
  • Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
  • “The Pattern of Biblical Preaching: An Expository Study of Ezra 7:10 And Nehemiah 8:1-18” by Steven Lawson in Bibliotecha Sacra (Oct-Dec 2001)
  • “Air War and Ground War” sermon by Mark Driscoll (June 3, 2007)
  • “Lord, Send a Re-Bible” sermon by Stephen Davey
  • Spiritual Leadership by Henry Blackaby
  • Scofield Study Bible Notes

An Evaluation and Critique of the Emergent Church

1. Introduction

According to Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, “Defining the emerging church is like nailing Jell-O to the wall” (16-17). Perhaps the most difficult aspect about this topic is the vast amount of differences existing among those who have at one point called themselves part of the Emergent Church but no longer do, those who currently call themselves Emergent Church, and those who shy away from the term Emergent Church, though are quite similar in theology and practice to those professing to be in this movement. Some have tried to divide the terms “Emerging” and “Emergent” Church to separate orthodox from the unorthodox; however, this is also a big problem because men like Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt have adopted both terms and have essentially used them interchangeably. After observing the different members involved in this discussion, it is certainly clear that there are both evangelicals and liberals who are labeled as Emerging or Emergent. Therefore, since this overview is relative to the Emergent Church, it is important to properly clarify how this movement differs from the Emerging Church, what these members primarily hold to doctrinally, what are some commendable characteristics, and then certainly a critical analysis. Upon clarifying and critiquing this church movement, it will be overwhelming clear to see that the Emergent Church is indeed an unorthodox church movement, different from the Emerging Church, and should be properly understood in light of modern-day ecclesiology and church movements.

2. History of the Emergent Church

In the process of sorting through the Emergent versus the Emerging Church movement(s), a brief tracing of history will most likely clear up the foggy air of distinguishing one from the other. Back in 1997, a group of church leaders joined a networking ministry for reaching postmodern culture called the “Leadership Network” (Driscoll). After speaking at multiple conferences within the Leadership Network, eventually Mark Driscoll decided to leave the network based on two reasons. First, Driscoll reasoned that he should spend more time in Seattle where his recent church plant had been established. Secondly, and more significant, he left because he had “serious theological differences with some men on the team and was concerned about their drift from biblical truth” (Driscoll). Eventually, these “men on the team” that Driscoll alludes to, such as Doug Pagitt, Brian McLaren, and Dan Kimball left the “Leadership Network” and established what is called the “Emergent Village.” Therefore, it seems fairly reasonable as to why confusion exists between distinguishing an Emerging Church leader from the Emergent Church. Especially, when unorthodox men like Brian McLaren try to label themselves still as “Emerging” when he does not belong with pastors like Mark Driscoll and Matt Chandler who unwaveringly preach the Gospel as stated in First Corinthians 15. Overall, while there is probably some overlap of the two movements, some really helpful research has been made to more easily distinguish a church leader who is either Emerging or Emergent.

3. Clarification of Church Movements – Emerging vs. Emergent

Of all available charts, articles, and books, both Ed Stetzer and Mark Driscoll each have made helpful contributions for identifying both movements. Stetzer, a Baptist missiologist, categorizes this rather large movement into three areas: Relevants, Reconstructionists, and Revisionists. Relevants are “deeply committed to biblical preaching, male pastoral leadership and other values common in conservative evangelical churches” (Stetzer). Reconstructionists “think that the current form of church is frequently irrelevant and the structure is unhelpful. Yet, they typically hold to a more orthodox view of the Gospel and Scripture” (Stetzer). Revisionists are the liberals in the Emerging/Emergent Church movement, according to Stetzer. He says, “Revisionists are questioning (and in some cases denying) issues like the nature of the substitutionary atonement, the reality of hell, the complementarian nature of gender, and the nature of the Gospel itself.” Similar to Stetzer, though a little more distinct, Driscoll organizes this movement into four categories: Emerging Evangelicals, House Church Evangelicals, Emerging Reformers, and Emergent Liberals. As Driscoll mentions in his article, “What the first three lanes have in common is theological orthodoxy.” Furthermore, as each description signifies, there are differences related mostly to practice and less significant doctrines. For example, the Emerging Evangelicals are not making as much as an impact as the others. Mark Driscoll says this movement is often “doing little more than cool church for hip young Christians.” A considerable difference from among the other two orthodox lanes is that Emerging Evangelicals are neither significantly involved with house churches nor are they specifically Reformed in theology. Secondly, House Church Evangelicals, as the name suggests, propose changes in methods of reaching the culture by utilizing “more informal, incarnational, and organic church forms such as that of house churches” (Driscoll). Some of the most well-known and respected members of this “lane” would be George Barna, Frank Viola, Neil Cole, and Shane Claiborne. One common problem in this movement, though it may not exist in a lot of the leaders and advocates of the House Church Evangelicals, is that a lot of the “disciples” can be internet terrors of arrogancy against popular leaders who pastor large, institutional churches. Mark Driscoll specifies that the common critique of House Church Evangelicals is their “disgruntled” attitude toward institutional or mega-churches, yet their methods for reaching people can also be hindered due to a lack of size. Thus, this can be counter-reacting to their original goals of reaching the culture in the first place. Ben Witherington further discusses this issue in his blog when critiquing the book, Pagan Christianity?, written by George Barna and Frank Viola. Certainly, house churches can be effective, and in some areas of the world, a necessity. However, the belief that churches can “only” be planted and utilized in homes can simply be a hindrance to reaching people with the Gospel when setting limits according to these extra-biblical boundaries. The third lane of churches, Emerging Reformers, is perhaps the strongest and strictest on doctrinal issues and has been successful in church planting. Many Emerging Reformers draw their theology from present-day Reformed theologians and pastors such as Wayne Grudem, D.A. Carson, Timothy Keller, Matt Chandler, John Piper, and plenty of others (Driscoll). There is no question that the Emerging Reformers are balancing conservative, theological beliefs while utilizing creative ways in reaching out to the unsaved in the most Biblical fashion among all three orthodox lanes. Finally, the dividing line between the first three lanes and the fourth lane, Emergent Liberals, is clearly manifested in their theologically unorthodox teachings. As seen, though there might be some overlap in “methods” of reaching people among all four lanes, the “message” of the Gospel is quite different in the fourth lane alone. Thus, it is important to take into consideration the doctrines and characteristics of the Emergent Liberals.

4. Doctrine and Beliefs of the Emergent Church

If distinguishing the lanes between orthodox and unorthodox Emerging/Emergent Church lanes was not confusing enough, then surely attempting to identify the doctrines and beliefs of the Emergent Liberal Church will cause some confusion and difficulty. Upon looking at their doctrinal statements, it can be tough to point out a church that is Emergent Liberal. However, there are commonalities in this lane which can help one decipher this movement as unorthodox. First of all, there is usually an incredibly vague, if any, dividing line between orthodoxy and orthopraxy. When Brian McLaren introduced his book A Generous Orthodoxy, he said that his belief system “sees orthopraxy as the point of orthodoxy” (31). However, McLaren also was quoted in an interview to say that “Orthodoxy itself is practice…So ethics comes first, then doctrine comes second, and witness flows out of that” (www.modernreformation.org). Though McLaren is subtle in this, essentially what he is saying is that doctrine does not significantly matter, but rather how one lives. This form of forsaking doctrine for “spirituality” is simply a modern-day form of what men like Jakob Beohme, George Fox, and Emanuel Swedenborg tried to accomplish in the 17^th-18^th centuries. Like Emergent Liberals’ writings from Brian McLaren and Rob Bell, Jakob Boehme’s writings were not understandable and were “subject to various interpretations” (Gonzalez 198). This leads to the second issue of Emergent Liberalism, which relates to their doctrine of the Scriptures. Without a doubt, Emergent Liberals “like” the Bible (DeYoung and Kluck 69). Doug Pagitt says, however, that the Bible  is “not reduced to a book from which we exact truth, but the Bible is a full, living, and active member of our community that is listened to on all topics of which it speaks” (32). According to this line of thinking, the assumption is “since words are only symbols, the truth in the Bible must be seen as ambiguous and in need of constant reinterpretation” (DeYoung and Kluck 82). Clearly, this postmodern way of thinking puts authority not in the inspired, revealed Word of God, but in the individual. Thus, truth becomes relative to the person, rather than having a sustained belief that, as Jesus Himself proclaimed, God’s Word intrinsically is “truth” (John 17:17). Finally, unlike the vague sayings in certain areas of the Emergent Liberal Church, it is abundantly clear that these men and women have discarded the Gospel. Brian McLaren, for once, does not even make this a hidden fact. He said in Christianity Today, “I don’t think we’ve got the gospel right yet…I don’t think the liberals have it right. But I don’t think we have it right either. None of us has arrived at orthodoxy” (Crouch 37-38). In contrast to this statement, the Bible actually does tell us what the Gospel is in I Corinthians 15:1-4: “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” This is the good news, and it is not about saving the planet, performing good works, or anything else. What postmodernists need is not a mysterious, social Gospel proposed by the Emergent Liberals, but the Gospel proclaimed by the Apostles and the Orthodox believers throughout the centuries.

5. Commendable Characteristics of the Emergent Church

Emergent Liberals make it quite clear that their purpose of existence is to help people. The Emergent Village’s purpose statement reads, “We believe the church exists for the benefit and blessing of the world at large; we seek therefore not to be blessed to the exclusion of everyone else, but rather for the benefit of everyone else” (www.emergentvillage.org). Rob Bell, an Emergent Liberal pastor in Michigan places a strong emphasis on using the church to help others (www.marshill.org). However, as Leonard Sweet has mentioned in an email to Ed Stetzer, the Emergent Liberal Church “has become another form of social gospel. And the problem with every social gospel is that it becomes all social and no gospel. All social justice and no social gospel.”

6. Dangerous Heresies of the Emergent Church

The first dangerous heresy to mention leads back to the previous paragraph’s mention of the Emergent Liberal’s purpose statement. There is something, or specifically Someone, missing in their Ecclesiology: God. He just is not there. This is what happens when a church movement becomes all about people, instead of being about a people gathered for His glory. Though it was already criticized, the second dangerous heresy is the distorted message of the Gospel. Al Mohler questions, “If we cannot know what the Gospel really is — if we cannot know the Gospel on any definite terms — how can we know a false gospel when we see one?” Without question, the Gospel message is indeed clear. Relating to the Gospel message, men like Brian McLaren, Steve Chalke, and Alan Jones regard the doctrine of the substitutionary atonement as a form of “cosmic child abuse” (Driscoll). The Bible teaches a different story, however. According to II Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Additionally, I John 2:2 says, “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” The opinions of the Emergent Church are constantly in disagreement with what the Scriptures teach. Therefore, it is fully suitable to declare that this movement is indeed unorthodox.

7. Conclusions

What started out as a movement among individuals wanting to reach the postmodern culture has turned out to be a confusing but definable movement, including orthodox as well as unorthodox proponents. It is without question that the Emergent Liberal Christians have forsaken the Gospel, given way to postmodern thought on many matters, and are simply more of a hindrance to the Christian faith than a help. Reaching people with the Gospel of Christ should be on the hearts and minds of every orthodox believer. However, sacrificing core doctrines such as the substitutionary atonement and the Gospel message is never a legitimate option, even within a postmodern society. After observing all of the lanes within the Emerging/Emergent movement, it would probably be safest just to step aside from grabbing ahold of labels in a certain lane within the Emerging crowd. Even if one is conservative in doctrine, prefers the method of house-churches, or is confident in Reformed teachings, the confusion already existing in this movement should hinder one’s goals of taking part in one of the Emerging lanes. Thankfully, Jesus Christ is not just a good example for spiritual living, but is the eternal Son of God who has atoned for our sins and is worthy of our worship. Additionally, the Church exists first and foremost to worship God because all things were created for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). It is a wonderful privilege to be a part of the Church that Christ purchased with His blood. In conclusion, then, it should also be of utmost importance that the Church would stand firm in orthodox, Biblical, and clearly-taught doctrines that identifies the true believers apart from the heretical teachers. Church movements come and go, but God’s Word never changes and is firmly trustworthy for all generations.

Works Cited

Crouch, Andy. “The Emergent Mystique.” Christianity Today (2004): 37-38. Print.

DeYoung, Kevin and Ted Kluck. Why We’re Not Emergent. Chicago: Moody, 2008. Print.

Driscoll, Mark. “Navigating the Emerging Church Highway.” Christian Research Journal 31.4

(2008): 1-10. Web.

“Faith A La Carte? The Emergent Church.” Modern Reformation. July-Aug. 2005. Web. 19 Feb.

2012. <http://www.modernreformation.org>.

Gonzalez, Justo. The Story of Christianity: Volume 2. Peabody: Prince Press, 2004. Print.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001.

McLaren, Brian. A Generous Orthodoxy. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. Print.

Mohler, Albert. “AlbertMohler.com.” AlbertMohler.com. 23 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2012.

<http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/03/23/a-theological-conversation-worth-having-a-response-to-brian-mclaren/>

Pagitt, Doug. Reimagining Spiritual Formation. Grand Rapids: Zonderva, 2004. Print.

Stetzer, Ed. “Baptist Press – FIRST-PERSON: Understanding the Emerging Church – News with

a Christian Perspective.” Baptist Press. 6 Jan. 2006. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.

<http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=22406>.

Witherington, Ben. “PAGAN CHRISTIANTY: By George Barna and Frank Viola.” Web log

post. Ben Witherington. 30 June 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.

Eschatology and Evangelism (Gleanings from Isaiah)

What’s perhaps the most commonly asked question in evangelism? Usually, it pertains to eschatology- whether one is assured of going to heaven if they were to die. I’m certainly not saying that this is an invalid or irrelevant question, but what about God’s holiness? Shouldn’t that be a crucial doctrine in relation to the Gospel?

Recently, I’ve begun a phenomenal study in the “Theology of Isaiah” for a class at Piedmont International University with perhaps one of the greatest Bible teachers alive today (I’m not exaggerating). The discussion board question for this week was to post a response about Isaiah’s doctrine of “God’s holiness.” Isaiah 6 is a classic passage about God’s holiness, but that is just touching the surface of Isaiah’s emphasis on His holiness. Read through all 66 chapters within a couple of weeks and see if you would disagree that the book of Isaiah includes an enormous amount of material relating to God’s holiness. In definition, holiness is a reference to God being ”set apart” in the sense that He is ultimately a much greater being than we humans- there is no one and no thing in comparison to Him (my definition is influenced by Dr. Jerry Hullinger).

Here’s the thing that just recently caught my attention. One of the students mentioned that to his opinion (from what I could tell), eschatology is a greater emphasis in Isaiah than the attribute of God’s holiness. That’s a very respectable opinion, and in fact, he may just be correct. However, from my observations, I’d disagree and say that UNDERSTANDING GOD’S HOLINESS IS FOUNDATIONAL TO HAVING THE ESCHATOLOGY IN ISAIAH RELEVANT. This is what I mean, the book of Isaiah is directed mainly toward the nation of Israel. They, as a nation, must repent of their sin, their idolatry, their lack of faith in God (especially since they were in MAJOR trouble with threatening nations such as Assyria nearby). So, what does Isaiah contain? Several prophecies about the Messiah, the coming kingdom, and the judgement of God, BUT a lot of what Isaiah contains is getting Israel to reconsider who God is. And the way to begin, is to have the nation remember God’s holiness (consider the definition above). If we don’t consider who God is, then our entire worldview changes to egocentered beliefs, apathy towards idolatry, and a general disregarding of all of God’s common graces. Therefore, in this book, if Israel is to receive the blessings that God has to offer (see Deut. 30) then they must FIRST have a proper understanding of God’s holiness. That will affect their lives, worship, and worldviews. THEN, the eschatological prophecies about kingdom blessings and such will actually be relevant.

Now, let’s consider this in a Church Age setting. When we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others, should they begin with receiving a Biblical understanding of God’s holiness or eschatology (heaven vs. hell)? Well, what is the Gospel- “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (Christ died for our sins) He was the propitiation for our sins- satisfied the wrath of God. That certainly pertains to God’s holiness. What we share with people about Christ is that through Him we can be reconciled to God. As a result of our restored relationship (Romans 5:1) THEN we receive the promise of heavenly blessings. So then, what comes first in sharing the Gospel? Eschatology THEN God’s holiness, or holiness THEN eschatology?

I know that I’m being pretty precise and picky. BUT, some of these were some thoughts I had on this subject. I’m in no way saying that we should avoid the subject of heaven/hell in relation to evangelism, but I am saying that if we neglect God’s holiness in evangelism then it becomes a problem.

CLARIFICATION: I’m not saying that approaches to evangelism such as Billy Graham’s tract “Steps to Peace with God” or Good News Tracts’ “Are You Going to Heaven” are in any way “wrong,” I just don’t want others to be confused with what we are sharing with people- it should be the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In all reality, I don’t evangelize enough, certainly not as much as others do.

My personal recommendations for tracts are John Piper’s “For Your Joy” from www.desiringgod.org

Thanks for reading!

Book Review: “On The Old Testament” by Mark Driscoll

This past summer I had the opportunity to listen to probably at least 30 sermons while at work, many of which were preached by my favorite preacher, Mark Driscoll. Recently, I had the opportunity to read a short book he authored “On the Old Testament: A Book You’ll Actually Read.” It’s part of a series of concise books about various Biblic al topics, done so in a very easy-to-read style. Here are a few observations of this book…

There were a few reasons why I purchased this book. (1) I go to a non-Reformed Bible college (though moderately Reformed in some doctrine) and desired to have a moderately different perspective on some topics, such as Eschatology, Ecclesiology, and Israelology (I think that’s a word??). I refuse to be spoon-fed doctrinal positions without closely examining topics for myself. Maybe it’s stubborness, maybe it’s carefulness, or maybe it’s a mixture. (2) I enjoy Driscoll’s easy-to-understand, yet doctrinally heavy approach in his books and sermons. (3) I have a lot to learn from the OT.

First of all, Mark Driscoll lays forth a lot of the very basics in this book, and should be seen as a helpful source for for looking at the OT as a whole. But, it is quite short (93 pages) so it probably wouldn’t serve well as an OT Survey textbook at a Bible College/Seminary, though it could be a valuable supplemental book. While it was short, it was still a very beneficial, enjoyable, and thought-provoking book. Driscoll’s personal testimonies that related to this topic were very encouraging and practical. He even includes a reading chart and recommended resources for a theological library. Now, of all things included, the section on “What is the central message of the OT” was most interesting. Driscoll proposes that it’s all about Jesus in contrast to a common view of moralizing every passage. For those that aren’t aware, a lot of Reformed theologians emphasize Christology throughout the Scriptures. Some would even say in every verse (Edmund P. Clowney). Though I will still study this topic, I thought Driscoll made some notable points. On page 42 he says, “God’s intentions for our study of the Old Testament is never demonic pride or hopeless despair, but rather Jesus Christ-who not only shows us how to live but transforms us so that we can.” Overall, I enjoyed his thoughts. Some would slightly differ in opinion but it’s an interesting perspective.

Should you buy this book? I would say so. It doesn’t venture far into the OT books, but will probably benefit the way you approach some of the texts. It isn’t exhaustive by any means, but that wasn’t the intended purpose. For someone who is being discipled, I think this could be a great tool. Also, for theology nerd, this might not “wow” you, but it’s a nice refresher (might I add, a good book to read while sipping on the morning coffee). So, that’s that. Check it out if you get the chance!

Book Review: Radical Together by David Platt

Caution: Don’t read this blog post or Platt’s book “Radical Together” if you want to stay comfortable with the way that you are living as a Christian. Also, especially don’t read this or the book I’m reviewing if you’re a Pastor and are not desiring to start to think differently on how your church uses its money…otherwise, please enjoy it.

David Platt’s book “Radical Together” is certainly a follow up to “Radical,” a New York Times Bestseller. Many Christians will enjoy reading this, but will certainly be convicted and thinking through Platt’s propositions. Overall, “Radical Together” was quite similar to “Radical” but with a little different focus. This book, as its title suggests, was more of a church/congregational focus, though the individual is never forsaken. Also, when you read this book, you will encounter several testimonies of people who either read “Radical” and were greatly influenced, or testimonies to illustrate certain points that Platt tries making. If you’ve read “The Purpose Driven Church” by Rick Warren, I would HIGHLY recommend you read this as well. The reason being is because Platt takes essentially the exact opposite approach in building a church. While Warren is all about organizing a church service to attract the unsaved, Platt says, “we organize our worship ‘environment’ around believers, not unbelievers” (page 59). Also, while Rick Warren is all about targeting a specific people group in Saddleback, California, Platt maintains the goal for the church to reach those all around the world (chapter 5). Keep in mind, though, these are my observations.

All in all, I was tremendously impacted from this book. Platt got my attention in bringing me back to the Great Commission and the importance of making disciples of all nations. Personally, I’m not doing great in this area, and it was a much needed wake-up call. In a nutshell, this book is a call to believers to consider how they are living their lives in light of sharing the Gospel. Sometimes, we as Christians can forsake “things,” not because they are bad, but because of the urgency to share the Gospel. I recommend this book, please enjoy!

Sermon: “Benefits From the Death of Christ”

The following is a somewhat comprehensive manuscript from a recent topical/doctrinal sermon on the death of Jesus Christ. This blog post is part of a requirement for my class. Hope you find this sermon to be Biblical and beneficial, thanks!

Title: “The Benefits from the Death of Christ”

Topic: “Christ’s Death”

• Introduction:
  • Attention Step: On average, 150,000 people die every single day- Biblehelp.org
  • Interest Step: Since Adam, there have been a lot of really significant people in this world, though they too have encountered death: George Washington, Elvis Presley, William Shakespeare, Michael Jackson, Albert Einstein, the list goes on and on. However, the deaths of all people who have ever lived cannot benefit us. Yet, there is one exception. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on a wooden cross almost 2,000 years ago. The death of Christ is perhaps the most critical event in history.
• Proposition: As Christians, we should live differently because of the Death of Christ.
• Interrogative Sentence: Why is the death of Christ life-changing?
• Transitional Sentence: Because of these three reasons…
• “Christ’s Death Paints the Clearest Picture of God’s Love” (Romans 5:8)
  • Subject Step: The theme of Romans is the righteousness of God in the Gospel. Chapters 1-3, Paul declares that God has revealed Himself and man has rejected Him- ALL should be condemned. However, at the end of chapter 3 and into chapter 4, Paul talks about Christ’s imputed righteousness and how we as believers are justified by faith. Here in chapter 5, Paul shows how this provided righteousness benefits the believer.
  • Explanation: If we want to find assurance that God loves us, we can look to the cross. This is how “God showed His love toward us.” “We deserve divine punishment, not divine sacrifice” –John Piper.
  • Argumentation: Quite often, our society mixes up what “love” truly is. If we want to go to the source, we look at God. 1 John 4:7 assures that “God is love.” Then, verse 10 says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
  • Illustration: Recently I looked online for some Gospel tracts to buy and I ran into this website that sold these tracts, “One Yard Short.” It introduced the story of Super Bowl XXXIV between the St. Louis Rams and the Tennessee Titans eventually leading up to the last play of the game when Steve McNair connected with Kevin Dyson for a 9 yard completion. Unfortunately for the Titans, Kevin Dyson was one yard short of the end zone. In comparison, this tract began to say that people just fall short of God’s glory. I know I might sound extra critical, but is that a fair comparison of human sinfulness? Do we as God’s created people actively pursue Him and JUST end up a little short? NO. We were once “enemies” with God. We are not in need of Jesus like some of us need a shot of caffeine in the middle of the day just to barely make it through life, we’re dead without Him (Ephesians 2:1)…not just one yard short. And yet, God in His goodness loved us so much, that despite our sin, He sent Jesus to die in our place.
  • Application: Loving others is not always easy or comfortable. I’m sure it was not easy or comfortable for Jesus to die on the cross. From what we can see in Scripture, love is to sacrifice yourself for the well-being of another person. The life-changing love of God compels us to love one another, even if others have wronged us and do not deserve our love. We as Christians must model the love of Christ by following His example of self-sacrifice for the benefit of others, even if it means doing good things for our enemies.
• II. “Christ Died in Our Place” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
  • Subject Step: The central theme of 2 Corinthians is the relationship between suffering and the power of the Spirit in Paul’s apostolic life, ministry, and message (ESV Study Bible Notes). In chapter 5, Paul describes his ministry as a message of reconciliation.
  • Explanation: Martin Luther once commented on this passage as “the Great Exchange.” Jesus died for our sins by “becoming sin,” and in return we receive the righteousness of Christ.
  • Argumentation: Philippians 3:9 says, “Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ.” You see, it’s because of Christ’s death on the cross that we receive his righteousness by faith. We NEEDED to have a perfect sacrifice in our place.
  • Illustration: Recently, I saw a video about an American Airlines pilot named Steve Sheibner. Leading up to September 11, 2001, Sheibner was planning to make a routine flight. On the afternoon of the 10^th and within minutes before the deadline to confirm who gets flight 11 to L.A., Steve Sheibner was erased from the scheduled pilot, and a more senior pilot named Tom McGuiness was penciled in. Flight 11 was the first of two planes to hit the Twin Towers in New York City. Sheibner said he had the distinct privilege of “having someone die in his place…not once, but twice.” Jesus died in our place by “becoming sin for us.” We deserved the wrath of God that He endured on the cross. And in exchange, we receive Christ’s righteousness by placing our faith in Him.
  • Application: Growing up, I essentially thought the Christian life was about “stop doing bad things and start doing good things.” It was as if I Christ’s righteousness wasn’t enough for me…Jesus said “it is finished.” A strong reason why so many Christians, particularly youth, struggle with assurance of salvation is because they don’t grasp 2 Corinthians 5:21. Instead of patterning our lives after Christ, we go into a Baptist Catholicism where on one hand we believe in the death of Christ, but yet day after day we live not for the glory of Christ but for esteeming ourselves as better people- pursuing morality and religious living. It changed my life when I finally realized that Jesus just said to follow Him. No list of religious rules to live by, no debt for my sin needed to be paid. On the contrary, God has called you and me to live in remembrance of the cross, while patterning our lives after Jesus Christ.
• III. “Because Christ died, We Are Given New Life” (Galatians 2:20)
  • Subject Step: Galatians was written to show us that we are not justified by the law, nor do we have to become Jews to be saved. We are justified by faith. Up to this point, Paul has shared his testimony and concludes it with this powerful verse.
  • Explanation: No one survives crucifixion. This passage reminds us of the fact that there is a radical change that occurs in the life of every believer. Paul says he still lives, but now his life is different. Paul is completely convinced that Jesus provides the satisfaction and His sole purpose for living.
  • Argumentation: Here we see a surprising contrast; life comes through death. We as believers are identified with Christ. Romans 6:3-4 says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
  • Illustration: I’ve used a few different evangelism methods for sharing the Gospel: The Wordless Book, Evangelism Explosion, Share Jesus Without Fear, and probably some others. However, none of those methods ever mention that new believers get crucified. We often hear about the additions: being born again, receiving eternal life, and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. Yet, the subtraction of our old way of living is not mentioned. Even though we receive a new and better life made available through Christ.
  • Application: It almost sounds bizarre to call death “good news” or the “Gospel.” But that’s exactly what the death of Christ is, it’s good news. In total contrast to how we formerly lived, we now live by faith. Sometimes things occur in our life that we just don’t understand: 9/11, hurricanes, tornadoes, crime, racism, etc. At first, the cross of Christ might seem like another example of an unfortunate tragedy. However, God knew exactly what He was doing- it was in His plan before the foundations of the world. If we can trust God with what Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross accomplished, then we can certainly trust Him with our difficulties we face daily, even ones that are difficult to understand.
• Conclusion
  • Have you come to the understanding that God loves you?
  • Have you come to the understanding that Jesus died in your place?
  • Have you come to the understanding that a new life is available to you?

How to create your own Systematic Theology on Logos 4

I love Systematic Theology books from authors like Wayne Grudem, Charles Ryrie, Rolland McCune, Mark Driscoll, and many more. However, it would be certainly nice to compile a systematic theology that was developed from personal study. What would be even better if this could be done through a computer for quick accessibility and easy storage…Well, if you own Logos 4, this is very easy to do!

First, develop each major doctrine from the “clippings” section (you can always add more and change the name later). I have 10 different major doctrines such as “Bibliology,” “Christology,” “Pneumatology,” and “Ecclesiology.”

Secondly, when reading through your favorite translation and you discover a verse/passage that would be great (for example) to remember for “Eschatology,” then open up your “clipping” titled “Eschatology.” Now, highlight the passage. Finally, go to your “clipping” page and click on “add clipping” (top left).

Two things that this does. (1) This is compiling a personal Systematic Theology for present application and personal use. (2) You can journal through Logos in your devotional time (in the clipping selected, go to notes and type up a commentary).

That’s it! Now, whenever Thomas Nelson, Crossway, or Zondervan wants you to write your systematic theology series, you at least have a head start.

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