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On February 3, 2021 By In Church

Government’s Salvation by Works

Our current government system loves Pelagianism. Its currency is one of salvation by works. It thrives in demanding that we go out and find our straws to make more bricks to build their kingdom. One mask is not enough, so two, but if three, then you can rightly earn your redemption. Now, I understand that such demands are outrageously obtuse, but when an entire system is built upon the thesis of works righteousness, then no demand is too great if it serves a greater purpose.

The reason many of us have been talking for these last 12 months about granting the church freedom to make decisions is precisely that we reject the premise of government that seeks to overrule our theology of grace and works The Church functions as the headquarters of grace and our works are fruits of a redeeming corpus that works as a means to bring glory to her full-time Savior. Our system of works takes heavy burdens off the weak and encourages them to come weary and heavy-laden to find rest. But the governmental structures today function to add more burdens to the weary.

Peter Leithart said recently that many people feared death–necrophobia–during this season and therefore abandoned all things that bring life. As a result, many have embraced necrophilia, a love of death. It’s not that people love death in itself, but by choosing to forsake the things that bring life, they embrace the habits of death.

The reason this can be easily adopted is that for many Americans it is easier to live in a system of works–thou shalt not–rather than a system of beneficence–He has done for us. Obviously, we do not accept the old pietistic tendency–Let go and let God–but we do look to the sovereignty of God as a tangible theological paradigm that grabs hold of our hearts and minds and calls us to trust in his definition of true help and health. The body they may kill, the truth abideth still; his kingdom is forever because it is a kingdom secured by the captain of our faith.

Almost 365 days later, we have an opportunity to take a definitively Augustinian view of life: to accept grace as a natural outpouring of life to us, even amidst dangers; to accept the overflow of God’s chalice to bless our beards and banquets.

Vaccines or not, many will continue to accept the higher authority of a system of works that will happily pile more and more works on you, because like Pharaoh they understand that if they can keep you busy with straw-searching, they can keep you motivated to serve their purposes. It’s already clear that the Pharisees of medicine are eager to demand more masking after vaccines world without end, amen.

I am not asking that you have a big mask burner party and I am certainly not asking that you be the annoyer in chief at the local coffee shop making the sweet little college student tense every time she sees you coming in; don’t be an idiot. Choose your battles well. What I am asking however is that you see that we have competing systems of salvation seeking your approval. As we move on in this phase of American history, we need to dissect very carefully which works bear good fruits and which ones perpetuate spoiled ones. 

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On January 25, 2021 By In Church, Politics

What Have the Last Four Years Accomplished? And What Have They Revealed?

Guest Post by Rich Lusk

“The old alliances are dead.”

 – Theoden

“The world is changed…
I feel it in the water…
I feel it in the Earth…
I smell it in the air….

Much that once was is lost. For none now live who remember it.”

                                        — Galadriel

“Our list of allies grows thin.”

                                        — Elrond

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

                                        — Gandalf

“The West has failed.”

— Denethor

Now that the Trump era is over, at least as far as his Presidency is concerned, it’s worth taking a look back at what happened in the 4+ years that he dominated the political and cultural landscape. I am convinced that Trump himself is nowhere near the most important thing that has happened. Rather, Trump exposed and accelerated trends that were already in motion. The Trump era brought to the surface and revealed many things that had been hidden from view. This has been an apocalyptic moment in American history.

I am most interested in what has happened to the evangelical and Reformed church context in which I am a pastor, but that cannot be considered apart from the political trends that have generated so much discussion and division.

Obviously, and understandably, Trump was a very divisive figure. His foibles, real and imaginary, are well known because we have been bombarded with them 24/7 for years now. There is no question he is something of an egomaniac, and could often be his own worst enemy. Policy-wise, he was generally conservative and should be applauded for many things he did (e.g., building a strong economy until COVID hit, gaining energy independence, removing the nation from entangling alliances, taking seriously the China threat,  brokering Middle East peace deals, etc.) as well as things he did not do (e.g., no new wars, respecting states rights in regard to COVID responses, etc.). But I do not think Trump himself is the most important barometer of the church’s health at this point — indeed, far from it. While it is virtually impossible for me to reconcile any kind of support for Biden/Harris with Christian faith, I can certainly understand why many Christians have been reluctant to throw their support behind Trump. Frankly, I can sympathize with many of the criticisms of Trump that came from the “never Trump” camp….until I consider what the alternatives to Trump were. Making a Christian case that Trump has serious issues is not that hard to do. Making a Christian case that he is somehow worse than the alternatives that were available to us is virtually impossible — and “never Trumpers” never seemed to grasp that. Making a case against Trump is not the same as making a case for the Democrat options (or any other available options), which is what “never Trumpers” needed to do. “Never Trumpers” failed to develop any kind of alternative vision to Trump, even at a theoretical level. Nevertheless, they continued to cast aspersions on Christian and conservative Trump supporters. But this was an entirely unhelpful strategy. Caring about the political realm and expressing patriotic convictions are not necessarily signs of idolatry and voting for Trump in ’16 or ’20 does not necessarily mean one has sold his soul to the devil; indeed one can argue it was the best and most prudent course of action. But, again, how Christians feel about Trump is NOT the best litmus test for where we are anyway. So what is?

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On January 21, 2021 By In Church, Culture

Cursed Cursing

Guest Post by John Unger

Everywhere and in almost every conversation that one might hear these days, whether in public discourse or on social media, the F- word appears. A generation ago, this curse was rarely employed, and when used publicly, would not only astonish and appall the hearers but also bring shame and dishonor on the speaker for his brazen vulgarity. In the passing decades, the employment of this curse became more common and in vogue, its use coming to be called “dropping an F-bomb”, which startles the hearers with its bold force and brashness.

In the last several years however, the F-word has become more commonplace, permeating daily life and discourse. Rather than a “shock and awe” megaton shell falling from the sky, it has morphed into constant, random, rapid gunfire, read and heard in social media interaction, public television, and casual discourse. On streets, in stores, restaurants, buses, malls, etc., it matters not the age, sex, region, race, sexual orientation, education, status, title, ad infinitum: the F-word truly is an equal-opportunity curse word. In print, the oft-attempted replacement of letters in the word – #### – fails to mask our cultural comfort level with this once-shunned curse word, and its near-ubiquitous use at present. Even our President in a recent speech employed the F-word, in an overtly macho attempt to communicate the high stakes involved in attacking America.

Historically (in the Christian West at least), the cursing of someone or something usually contained a reference to God and the eternal realm, as in “God damn ***!”, or “Damn ***!”, or someone might pronounce, “Go to hell!” upon another, or simply invoke the name “Jesus Christ!” in expressing their anger at a situation, thing, or person. The employment of “hell”, “God” or “Jesus” in cursing demonstrates that even in our folly and anger, we intuitively know and have sense enough to call upon a heavenly God and Jesus Christ as the Sovereign Lord and Creator, Who owns and judges all men and all things. Even in suppressing our knowledge of God (Rom. 1:18), we invoke Him to vindicate our personal cause and make things right for us – however twisted and wicked our desires might be, in our moments of anger and pride.

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On January 12, 2021 By In Church, Culture, Discipleship, Politics, Theology, Worship

Crossing the Rubicon

(Sermon preached at Providence Church in Caro, MI on January 10th, 2021, Feast of the Baptism of Christ Light modifications have been made.)

On this day, January 10, in 49BC, Julius Caesar set in motion the Roman Civil War. He had been governor over a region of Gaul and, when his term had ended, was to return to Rome. Instead, he lead his army across the shallow Rubicon River, a clear declaration of war on the Roman Senate. “Crossing the Rubicon” has, ever since, meant crossing a point of no return, taking a definitive and clear step of war, whether literal or metaphorical. 

In our text this morning (Mark 1:4-11,) we see Jesus, in His Baptism, at a river-crossing event. Jesus is at the Jordan River, not the Rubicon, but the symbolism is just as powerful. And in fact Jesus’ “Rubicon crossing” in the Jordan is no less  a declaration of war.a

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  1. Thanks for Chad Bird for pointing out, in a recent video, the historical and thematic connection of Jesus’ Baptism and the Rubicon Crossing.  (back)

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On January 11, 2021 By In Church

Should Churches Meet During COVID-19?” Part 3

Read Part 1, Part 2

By Joel Nelson, Guest Series

Christian Liberty and Witness to the World

Scripture teaches that even as much as something may be permitted within the context of Christian liberty, it is not always wise or profitable to exercise that liberty. Galatians 5:13-14 teaches, “…Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”  And four times in Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians he writes, “All things are lawful for me, but…” Even though permitted, there are times where it does not build up, edify, or show love to a neighbor by exercising a particular freedom. Is the freedom to conduct civil disobedience in this case, by worshiping as a physical, corporate body (as opposed to scattered individuals and families joined only in a spiritual or technological sense) a situation where it is permissible, but not profitable due to the potential negative witness or “stumbling block” to nonchristian neighbors and passers-by?

To properly address this concern, we must begin with what is clear and then progress to interpreting wisely the unclear. The clear command is not to neglect to meet together, per Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This command was given in the face of war and impending distress. And this is not an isolated, one-off command that is only applicable in this context, but rather the instruction throughout the Old and New Testament to the covenant community.[i]

“Death Has Lost Its Sting”

Can these commands to meet together as a community be set aside for an undefined, but limited time, such as for the plague or a pandemic or even a viral outbreak with an all-ages case fatality rate far under one percent? There are arguably instances where there would be wisdom in considering the option of temporarily doing so— as long as all ministry activities were not suspended. The historical record of the church, including the writings of many of the Protestant Reformers, does give precedent for this. But these measures should be temporary, with a clear end, and reserved for truly dangerous circumstances. It is one thing to consider whether to “go aside” for a time to avoid waves of plague with a death rate of over 30%, but another matter entirely to also do so for recurring seasonal viruses. As previously noted in this essay, during severe plagues many pastors, bishops, deacons, and even Christian laypeople did not go into hiding but rather displayed remarkable courage in the face of death. The basis for such courage is the resurrection of Jesus Christ: because of the resurrection, death has lost its sting (1 Cor. 15:55). As the apostle Paul wrote, if there is no resurrection— if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, our faith is in vain— then we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Cor. 15:14-19). But since Christ has in fact been raised from the dead as the firstfruits, then the eventual destruction of death is certain (1 Cor. 15:20-26). It is this confidence that has given Christians the courage to face lions, hostile kings, persecution, plagues, and more throughout history. Death is not the ultimate end for those who belong to Christ.

As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, Jesus “must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:25-26). The Biblical record is clear that the resurrected Christ has overcome death and will destroy death, and Christians have the confidence that this will happen. But modern societies do not have the confidence that this will happen. Kimbell Kornu has noted that modern medicine is thus attempting to overcome death by the scientific method, by exalting man’s domination over nature until man himself becomes the final object of dominion (Theopolis Conversations, May 2020). Exhibiting this lack of confidence, when reminded of the risk of death, of man’s fragility, even kings and rulers cower and hide. In the face of this fear, many of mankind’s terrified responses end up resembling little more than pagan rituals, technologically-advanced versions of rain dances until rain finally falls, self-flagellation until the pestilence ends, sacrificing the weakest so that victory over an invading tribe may be won, or wearing talisman objects until the harvest is safely brought in. The viral outbreak of 2020 has revealed the primal terrors of an unconverted world, whose technological and scientific advances were supposed to be its lord and savior but whose gods failed. It is as C.S. Lewis warned: each new power won by man is a power over man as well. Like the Midianite army before Gideon’s 300 men, terror incites men to attack the one thing they still have some semblance of power over: other men.

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On January 7, 2021 By In Church, Culture, Worship

Beware of Revolutionaries in the Church

As events were erupting yesterday afternoon, I took a pen and followed a trajectory of rebellion that appears in Jude. I preached 11 sermons on Jude and so much of it is pertinent in times like these. In my series, I argued that Jewish Zealots defending the “cause” of Abraham slithered into churches looking for revolutionaries to take arms. They ate at our church tables and made the case for violence against the current authority structures. They tried to seduce the Church to take their eyes off of Jesus to political causes that were deemed more important than the Church’s cause.

They attempted to seduce/persuade new believers and others that the greater cause is not the cause that plants seeds and waits generations to see fruit–the covenant view of ordinary faithfulness in parenting, worshipping, Christian education–but the immediate cause of revolution where we see fruit now through whatever means; a kind of over-realized eschatology. The pursuit of these kinds of political revolutions is a childish escape from responsibility. Rushdoony was right when he argued that many people like to believe that somewhere invisible rulers pull the strings which govern all of us … [Actually], the strings that pull us come out of our heart and mind.

In Jude, instead of blessing the peace-makers, the Zealots condemn those who continue to live quiet and peaceful lives chastising them for not meeting at the local chapter of the Jewish Zealot society. They have more zeal for these political revolutionary causes than the Church itself; their eyes are more glued to news cycles about overturning the state than the kingdom of God overturning Herod’s kingdom.

Beware of these Zealots who come wearing all sorts of hats–of the Left and the Right–in the church, espousing all sorts of conspiratorial causes. If the Church cannot condemn and rebuke her members rightly and speedily, they will do what is most natural to them–they will follow the ways of Korah and would rather draw others to their earthly causes than nearer to our blessed Lord.

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On January 5, 2021 By In Church, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must submit to one another

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

The second obligation that assembly-members have toward each other is submission. We must submit to one another.

For many people, the word “submission” triggers unpleasant thoughts. Evil people have used the concept of submission to justify tyranny and oppression. That is a worldly, perverse form of submission.

In the Bible, however, submission is a good thing. It is not tyrannical, it is not oppressive, and most importantly – it is not one-sided. Biblical submission is mutual. This single caveat makes Christian submission entirely unique. As we’ll see, it mirrors the life of the Trinity and it is only possible given a trinitarian worldview.

Paul tells the entire assembly to “submit to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21). That is the general command given to all. Paul then applies that command to various relationships within the assembly: husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants.

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On January 1, 2021 By In Church, Culture

“Should Churches Meet During COVID-19?”, Part 1

By Joel Nelson, Guest Series

Introduction

The one-two punch of the global COVID-19 outbreak will result in the year 2020 being remembered as one of the most divisive and life-changing years in at least two generations. Old customs and established procedures slipped away in a matter of days in March 2020, and only eight months later seem almost entirely forgotten by some. Many seem to welcome these developments, viewing the dismantling of what once existed as a blank slate for construction of a new world order. The use of the word “unprecedented” to justify all manner of societal changes and suspension of long-held legal and sociopolitical traditions in the year 2020, is, for lack of a better word, unprecedented. The response of many churches during the last eight months largely mirrors the rest of society: either a complete shutdown and move to “virtual” meetings reliant on electronic devices and high-speed Internet connections, or implementation of measures such as so-called “social distancing” and mandatory imposition of face coverings (the vast majority of which, aside from some medical-grade N95 respirators, have little ability to filter viral particles which are measured in nanometers). The purpose of this essay is not to critique these changes on political or medical grounds, but rather to address the church’s response to government edicts and orders. Specific consideration will be given to the mission and witness of the church, present and historical, and the challenges imposed by government edicts and orders.

Historical Accounts

This essay will first consider several historical accounts of how Christians have responded to prior plagues and pandemics. The historical record reveals many instances in which, during past plagues (with a death toll much greater than that of COVID-19), the church stood out for its resolve to keep going about her mission even as societies effectively shut down. The church historian Eusebius cited a letter written by Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, regarding the witness of Christians in contrast to pagans during a fifteen-year plague in the third century:

“Many terrible things happened to us also before this. At first we were driven out, persecuted, and killed, but we kept our festival even then… But the brightest festival of all was kept by the fulfilled martyrs, who feasted in heaven… Most of our brethren showed love and loyalty in not sparing themselves while helping one another, tending to the sick with no thought of danger and gladly departing this life with them after becoming infected with their disease… The best of our own brothers lost their lives in this way—some presbyters, deacons, and laymen—a form of death based on strong faith and piety that seems in every way equal to martyrdom. They would also take up the bodies of the saints, close their eyes, shut their mouths, and carry them on their shoulders. They would embrace them, wash and dress them in burial clothes, and soon receive the same services themselves.  The heathen were the exact opposite. They pushed away those with the first signs of the disease and fled from their dearest. They even threw them half dead into the roads and treated unburied corpses like refuse in hopes of avoiding the plague of death, which, for all their efforts, was difficult to escape.”

In the middle and latter part of the sixth century, plague broke out in the Frankish Empire and had an estimated death toll of nearly 1 in 3 cases. It was significant enough to postpone the Festival of the Presentation in the year A.D. 543 by four months. Subsequent outbreaks continued for more than fifty years. Yet historian R. A. Markus observed that in writings preserved from that time, such as those of Evagrius and Gregory of Tours, there is no evidence of deep spiritual crisis among church leaders. Despite panic, famine, rioting, and political upheaval, there is little evidence that the mission of the church was changed or drastically transformed. Ministry went on and opportunities for evangelism increased.

In A.D. 591, the second year of the papacy of Gregory the Great, Gregory urged bishops to use the opportunity afforded by the plague to admonish and exhort pagans to convert, stating that “the closer the last judgment, the more we must fear the strict Judge.” Despite the plague having been present for nearly fifty years, this is a rare mention in Gregory’s writings. The plague did not bring ministry and evangelism to a halt—the shepherds continued shepherding their flocks.

In A.D. 1348, the plague arrived in Europe. Cycles of widespread death from the plague would persist for more than three hundred years. Although understanding of contagion was in its infancy at the time and various local councils did at times attempt separation or isolation methods— whether separating the sick from the healthy or closing city gates— there was no method to gain completely the upper hand over the spread of disease. The shadow of death hung over civilizations for generations upon generations. Europe during this time has been described by Philip McNair as a “death-oriented society.” This would have set a particular context for ministry, but as in Gregory’s time, it did not result in widespread suspension of pastoral duties.

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On December 30, 2020 By In Church, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must love one another

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

My previous article established that the church is an assembly, and that assembling is therefore the church’s most basic duty. We assemble primarily for worship, though many things flow out of worship.

What are some of those things? What are our duties toward our fellow assembly-members? The Bible’s instructions to the assembly can be outlined in five categories. Each of these categories connect to one another and overlap – you can’t have some without the others! – but it is important to consider them individually.

First up: Love one another.

This should be an obvious one. The scriptures frequently command Christians to love one another. This command forms the foundation for all subsequent commands. To be clear, I’m not speaking of love for God, though that is necessary as well. This series deals with how Christians relate to Christians. We are commanded to love the assembly. We are commanded to love our fellow-assembly members. Loving God comes easy for Christians; loving other Christians takes work.

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On December 24, 2020 By In Church, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must assemble

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Ecclesiology is the study of the church. Various aspects of the church and church governance are covered in ecclesiology, usually in abstract terms. This is good and necessary, but I want to take a more practical approach. I want to talk about ecclesiology from a layperson’s perspective: What does it mean to be the church? How do we function together? What are our duties toward one another? In this series, I hope to lay forth an outline of how the church is to be the church. I will not be focusing on outward-facing ministries of the church (e.g. evangelism), but on inward-facing ministries.

Defining terms

First things first: What does it mean to be a part of the church? To answer this question, we must first determine what the word “church” means. Most Christians know that the church isn’t a building, though we sometimes speak that way. “The church is people!” we rightly proclaim (Matthew 18:17, Acts 11:26).

From there, we might say that the church consists of anyone saved by the atoning work of Jesus (Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 1:2). In this usage, any self-professed Christian – anyone who believes in Jesus – is a part of the church.

But more fundamentally, the church is an “assembly” or a “congregation.” The word translated as “church” in our Bibles is the Greek ekklesia, which literally means “to call together” or “to assemble.”

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