Prolific blogger Tim Challies hosted here a very interesting interview with author/pastor Bill Farley on the power of the gospel in parenting our children. Farley's book Gospel-Powered Parenting looks like one I will be sure to try to read as it hits on topics I have been burdened with of late having two kids now in high school. Here's a sample from the somewhat provocative interview which can be found here:
1. Why the gospel? Why is the gospel the key to empowering parenting? What is the connection between the words "gospel" and "powered?"
Paul tells us that "the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). We hear this verse and think the pulpit or witnessing, but parents should hear this and think family devotions. Parents convinced that God's power is latent in the gospel center their families around the gospel. They are convinced that it provokes new birth, that it will knit their children's hearts to God, and motivate godly behavior. Our children receive the "imperishable seed" of new birth through the message of the gospel (1 Pet. 1:23). Often parents don't center their parenting in the gospel because either they don't really understand the gospel, or they don't believe that God's power is latent in the gospel.
The gospel also protects parents from "moralism," the idea that well-behaved children are the main thing. New Birth is the main thing. The morality of Christ imputed to your children is the main thing. It is not what our children do for Christ but what Christ has done for our children that is the main thing. Ironically, without aiming at it, gospel centered parents get godly behavior from their children.
In addition, the fear of God is the key to attracting God's favor upon our parenting. Many think that the fear of God is an Old Testament concept. But the main place we get the fear of God is at the cross of Christ--the heart of the gospel.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Keller on Idolatry
Tim Keller has been one of the most significant influences on my walk with the Lord over the past several years. Dr. Keller has a unique, fresh way of talking about the Gospel as it contrasts not only to life lived apart from God but also with legalistic religious practice. Dr. Keller is also most compelling when he discusses the idea of the idolatry that is at the root of the sin in our lives. Tim has put these ideas into what looks like a fantastic new book, Counterfeit Gods, due out in October. I came across these excerpts from the book's introduction online. Already in reading them I am being challenged to identify idols in my heart. I hope this is helpful to you as well. This might be a great topic to explore in our class!
"Each one has its shrines—whether office towers, spas and gyms, studios, or stadiums—where sacrifices must be made in order to procure the blessings of the good life and ward off disaster. What are the gods of beauty, power, money, and achievement but these same things that have assumed mythic proportions in our individual lives and in our society? We may not physically kneel before the statue of Aphrodite, but many young women today are driven into depression and eating disorders by an obsessive concern over their body image. We may not actually burn incense to Artemis, but when money and career are raised to cosmic proportions, we perform a kind of child sacrifice, neglecting family and community to achieve a higher place in business and gain more wealth and prestige."
"In ancient times, the deities were bloodthirsty and hard to appease. They still are."
"In Ezekiel 14:3, God says about elders of Israel, “These men have set up their idols in their hearts.” Like us, the elders must have responded to this charge, “Idols? What idols? I don’t see any idols.” God was saying that the human heart takes good things like a successful career, love, material possessions, even family, and turns them into ultimate things. Our hearts deify them as the center of our lives, because, we think, they can give us significance and security, safety and fulfillment, if we attain them."
"An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship."
"The Bible uses three basic metaphors to describe how people relate to the idols of their hearts. They love idols, trust idols, and obey idols."
"The way forward, out of despair, is to discern the idols of our hearts and our culture. But that will not be enough. The only way to free ourselves from the destructive influence of counterfeit gods is to turn back to the true one. The living God, who revealed himself both at Mount Sinai and on the Cross, is the only Lord who, if you find him, can truly fulfill you, and, if you fail him, can truly forgive you."
HT: Alex Chediak
"Each one has its shrines—whether office towers, spas and gyms, studios, or stadiums—where sacrifices must be made in order to procure the blessings of the good life and ward off disaster. What are the gods of beauty, power, money, and achievement but these same things that have assumed mythic proportions in our individual lives and in our society? We may not physically kneel before the statue of Aphrodite, but many young women today are driven into depression and eating disorders by an obsessive concern over their body image. We may not actually burn incense to Artemis, but when money and career are raised to cosmic proportions, we perform a kind of child sacrifice, neglecting family and community to achieve a higher place in business and gain more wealth and prestige."
"In ancient times, the deities were bloodthirsty and hard to appease. They still are."
"In Ezekiel 14:3, God says about elders of Israel, “These men have set up their idols in their hearts.” Like us, the elders must have responded to this charge, “Idols? What idols? I don’t see any idols.” God was saying that the human heart takes good things like a successful career, love, material possessions, even family, and turns them into ultimate things. Our hearts deify them as the center of our lives, because, we think, they can give us significance and security, safety and fulfillment, if we attain them."
"An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship."
"The Bible uses three basic metaphors to describe how people relate to the idols of their hearts. They love idols, trust idols, and obey idols."
"The way forward, out of despair, is to discern the idols of our hearts and our culture. But that will not be enough. The only way to free ourselves from the destructive influence of counterfeit gods is to turn back to the true one. The living God, who revealed himself both at Mount Sinai and on the Cross, is the only Lord who, if you find him, can truly fulfill you, and, if you fail him, can truly forgive you."
HT: Alex Chediak
Monday, September 21, 2009
The Edwards Story Through a Biblical Lens
Russ Moore gives us a "pure gold" illustration of how to think Christianly in response to a sad spectacle in the news, and not simply pile on in line with the cable TV political talk show hosts. Read the whole thing here.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Mistakes and the Gospel
I make mistakes. I realize we all do, but I am one of those with perfectionist tendencies where too much of how I view myself and my worth is tied up in trying to be perfect in everything. When I fail I feel as if I am somehow less worthy. This perhaps also reveals an unhealthy fear of man so when I make a mistake I sense a burden of letting others down - too much of my sense of being approved by myself and others (and God?) is dependent on my having to perform without error. So I found this post by Michael Kelly very encouraging as he helps us connect the truth of the gospel to our everyday mistakes. He writes:
I made a mistake at work this week. And by mistake, I don’t mean “Oops. I accidentally embezzled thousands of dollars.” Nothing sinful, just a mistake. But whenever you make a mistake, there are consequences.
Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody fails. But I spent alot of time thinking today about how you respond to mistakes from a perspective of faith. Here are a few reflections on how the gospel can influence your perspective the next time you find yourself trying to recover from a mistake.
1. When you make a mistake, you make an error in judgment or a moment of forgetfulness. The gospel reminds you that your self-worth is not tied to your ability to perform perfectly.
2. When you make a mistake, you are tempted to hide, blame, or ignore. The gospel gives you the confidence you need to own up to it and accept responsibility.
3. When you make a mistake, you start to focus on yourself, thinking that the whole world is looking at you. The gospel reminds you that you are not the center of the universe – Jesus Christ is.
4. When you make a mistake, you find yourself wanting to do anything you can to avoid the potential of failure. The gospel encourages you to take risks instead of burying your talents in the dirt.
5. When you are around someone who has made a mistake, you can easily slip into judgment in order to make yourself feel better. The gospel reminds you that you have the responsibility to fulfill the law of Christ by bearing another’s burden.
6. When you make a mistake, you look for ways to redeem yourself in the eyes of your bosses and peers. The gospel reminds you that you have nothing to prove to anyone since Christ has proven Himself on your behalf.
7. When you make a mistake, you become afraid. Afraid of what people think, afraid of doing something wrong, afraid of the consequences. The gospel drives out fear with perfect love.
I made a mistake at work this week. And by mistake, I don’t mean “Oops. I accidentally embezzled thousands of dollars.” Nothing sinful, just a mistake. But whenever you make a mistake, there are consequences.
Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody fails. But I spent alot of time thinking today about how you respond to mistakes from a perspective of faith. Here are a few reflections on how the gospel can influence your perspective the next time you find yourself trying to recover from a mistake.
1. When you make a mistake, you make an error in judgment or a moment of forgetfulness. The gospel reminds you that your self-worth is not tied to your ability to perform perfectly.
2. When you make a mistake, you are tempted to hide, blame, or ignore. The gospel gives you the confidence you need to own up to it and accept responsibility.
3. When you make a mistake, you start to focus on yourself, thinking that the whole world is looking at you. The gospel reminds you that you are not the center of the universe – Jesus Christ is.
4. When you make a mistake, you find yourself wanting to do anything you can to avoid the potential of failure. The gospel encourages you to take risks instead of burying your talents in the dirt.
5. When you are around someone who has made a mistake, you can easily slip into judgment in order to make yourself feel better. The gospel reminds you that you have the responsibility to fulfill the law of Christ by bearing another’s burden.
6. When you make a mistake, you look for ways to redeem yourself in the eyes of your bosses and peers. The gospel reminds you that you have nothing to prove to anyone since Christ has proven Himself on your behalf.
7. When you make a mistake, you become afraid. Afraid of what people think, afraid of doing something wrong, afraid of the consequences. The gospel drives out fear with perfect love.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Just Paul's Opinion?
A good question was raised in our 9/13 class regarding a common objection to the teaching on the inspired authority of Scripture. In 1 Corinthians 7:12 Paul makes a distinction between his words and the words of the Lord:
"To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her."
In the notes to the ESV Study Bible there is this explanation:
"Paul knows the oral tradition of Jesus' sayings on divorce that were later written down in the Gospels (see note on vv. 10–11), but he is not aware that Jesus ever spoke specifically to a situation in which one spouse becomes a Christian and the other remains unconverted. He carefully distinguishes, therefore, between the written words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels and Paul's own understanding of how Jesus' teaching would apply to this new situation. Paul views his admonition here as authoritative and inspired, not merely as human wisdom (v. 40; cf. 14:37–38). "
So though it seems that Paul did not know of any earthly record that Jesus specifically spoke on this subject, Paul still views his judgements as having the same authority as the actual words of Jesus, as also noted clearly in verse 25 of 1 Corinthians 7: "but I give my judgement as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy". So Paul is not saying here “I really have no idea what Jesus thinks about this issue, but I'll take a shot at it for what its worth.”
Refer also to John 14:26 and 16:13, where Jesus makes the promise of the Holy Spirit's future work in bringing all of his sayings to the disciples remembrance and in continuing to guide them into all of the truth.
"To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her."
In the notes to the ESV Study Bible there is this explanation:
"Paul knows the oral tradition of Jesus' sayings on divorce that were later written down in the Gospels (see note on vv. 10–11), but he is not aware that Jesus ever spoke specifically to a situation in which one spouse becomes a Christian and the other remains unconverted. He carefully distinguishes, therefore, between the written words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels and Paul's own understanding of how Jesus' teaching would apply to this new situation. Paul views his admonition here as authoritative and inspired, not merely as human wisdom (v. 40; cf. 14:37–38). "
So though it seems that Paul did not know of any earthly record that Jesus specifically spoke on this subject, Paul still views his judgements as having the same authority as the actual words of Jesus, as also noted clearly in verse 25 of 1 Corinthians 7: "but I give my judgement as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy". So Paul is not saying here “I really have no idea what Jesus thinks about this issue, but I'll take a shot at it for what its worth.”
Refer also to John 14:26 and 16:13, where Jesus makes the promise of the Holy Spirit's future work in bringing all of his sayings to the disciples remembrance and in continuing to guide them into all of the truth.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
PG New Class Blog
Welcome to the class blog for Pursuing Godliness. This will be a Work-in Progress and I would like suggestions on how to make it more useful.
I have taken the liberty thus far to provide a few useful tools/links down the left hand side of the site: Bible study resources I have personally benefitted from, guides to prayer, a great gospel presentation tool, sites which interact with culture and help us to intelligently defend the faith and engage with others, solid periodicals from a Christian perspective, and links to other blogs that I have found consistently interesting, informative, edgy, provocative, or just entertaining. Some of these blogs are among the most heavily visited sites in the Christian blogosphere and are very respected. Note - for these recommended sites I don't necessarily agree with everything written there, but have found that the writers take engagement with their topics seriously and reading them can promote good Christian thinking about our world and growing in Christ. I hope you enjoy some of them and can profit from them.
I would also like for the site to be a place for the class to interact. For example we plan to post some of the issues and questions that are raised in and by the class and then interact with them. I think this will be beneficial and fun. So please, feel free to respond in the comments sections of the blog posts.
I have taken the liberty thus far to provide a few useful tools/links down the left hand side of the site: Bible study resources I have personally benefitted from, guides to prayer, a great gospel presentation tool, sites which interact with culture and help us to intelligently defend the faith and engage with others, solid periodicals from a Christian perspective, and links to other blogs that I have found consistently interesting, informative, edgy, provocative, or just entertaining. Some of these blogs are among the most heavily visited sites in the Christian blogosphere and are very respected. Note - for these recommended sites I don't necessarily agree with everything written there, but have found that the writers take engagement with their topics seriously and reading them can promote good Christian thinking about our world and growing in Christ. I hope you enjoy some of them and can profit from them.
I would also like for the site to be a place for the class to interact. For example we plan to post some of the issues and questions that are raised in and by the class and then interact with them. I think this will be beneficial and fun. So please, feel free to respond in the comments sections of the blog posts.
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