What a Difference a Word Makes

I'm uncovering more interesting things as I make my way through 5 Minutes in Church History.

In chapter 19, the author points out how pivotal accurate translations of the Bible are. As Luther studied the Bible, he also studied translations; specifically, he poured over the differences between the Latin and Greek translations:

In the first thesis [of the 95], he wrote, "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent,' He intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance." Now, it's fascinating that Luther would say that. In 1516, Desiderius Erasmus published his critical Greek New Testament with the Greek text on one side and the Latin text on the other side. A copy made its way to Wittenberg, and Luther read it. He poured himself into this Greek text, and he realized early on that the Latin text mistranslated Christ's first sermon, in which He says, "Repent." The Latin has poenitentiam agite, which translates to "do penance." Luther knew enough Greek to know that's not a good translation. In fact, he goes on to tell us in his second thesis, "The word 'repentance' cannot be understood to mean the sacrament of penance or the act of confession and satisfaction administered by priests."

We have to engage with the Word of God with great honor and care. Careless translations can lead people astray and can - as in this case - enslave them to obligations which do not draw them nearer to God, but create distance. Remember, there is nothing we can do to earn God's favor or salvation. It is a gift given freely by him to his people. With that gracious gift in mind, act in your life not to gain his favor, but in gratitude, acknowledging the favor already given. In this, you will find peace and rest.

Clinging to Christ

I'm continuing to make my way through a book by Stephen J. Nichols, 5 Minutes in Church History. The lastest chapter was on "Mrs. Luther," Martin Luther's wife. Katie. Her life is inspiring. Here is a brief account of how she had to lean on Christ after her husband died in 1546.

Katie was an early riser; Luther called her the "morning star of Wittenberg." She would be up at 4 a.m., and she had plenty of things to keep her busy. She ran the family farm. At one point, she ran a brewery. Martin and Katie had six children, one of whom died in infancy. And there were a few more orphaned relatives whom the Luthers took in and raised. The house was always full of students and travelers.

When Martin died in 1546, Katie's life was difficult. War and the plague had racked Wittenberg. This affected their lands and their home. At one point, Katie had to flee the city, and she came back only to find that their farm was in utter ruin. Without her husband's income as a professor or pastor, she was in dire financial stress. She once wrote to a friend, "I find myself clinging to Christ like a burr to a dress."

Perhaps there we learn a singular insight from the life and legacy of Luther. We see in Katie this emphasis on Christ, this clinging to Christ when all else is lost. We see there the essence of Luther's theology and the essence of the Reformation.

If we all really understood how much we need Christ, we would cling to him like Katie did..."like a burr to a dress."

Prayer for Missions

Romans 10:10-15

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Prayer (from 1906 Presbyterian Book of Common Worship)

Heavenly Father

Revive the spirit of missions in the church, that all your people may earnestly desire the conversion of mankind; and so quicken our hearts, that there may be a larger outpouring of prayer and gifts and personal service, to advance the worldwide triumph of your kingdom. Protect the messengers of the gospel amid all perils: guide them through all perplexities; give them wisdom, strength, and courage to make known by word and life the grace of our Lord Jesus; prosper all that they do, in his blessed name, to serve the bodies and the souls of men; and hasten, we ask you, the promised day, when at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God's Grace in Your Suffering - Part 2

This is a second post related to the final chapter in David Powlison's book, God's Grace in Your Suffering.

Why you? The question generates a heartfelt response. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget any of the good things he does, who pardons all your iniquities and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassions, who satisfies you with good things as your adornment, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Thank you, my Father." You are able to give true voice to a thank you amid all that is truly wrong, because all sins and all sufferings have now come under his loving-kindness.

Finally, you are prepared to pose - and to mean - an almost unimaginable question: "Why not me? Why not this? Why not now?" If in some way, your faith might serve as a three-watt night light in a very dark world, why not me? If your suffering shows forth the Savior of the world, why not me? If you have the privilege of filling up the sufferings of Christ? If he sanctifies to you your deepest distress? If you fear no evil? If he bears you in his arms? If your weakness demonstrates the power of God to save us from all that is wrong? If your honest struggle shows other strugglers how to land on their feet? If your life becomes a source of hope for others? Why not me?

Of course, you don't want to suffer, but you've become willing - like your Savior, who said, "If it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but as You will" (Matt. 26:39 NASB). Like him, your loud cries and tears will in fact be heard by the One who saves from death. Like him, you will learn obedience through what you suffer. Like him, you will sympathize with the weaknesses of others. Like him, you will deal gently with the ignorant and wayward. Like him, you will display faith to a faithless world, hope to a hopeless world, love to a loveless world, life to a dying world. If all that God promises only comes true, then why not me?

This post is a little longer than usual, but I wanted you to read all of it together. I hope it was a blessing to you.

God's Grace in Suffering - Part 1

I finished reading David Powlison's, God' Grace in Suffering. It is essentially a workbook for those who are experiencing suffering. Powlison asks pointed questions and leads the reader through ways to see God in his or her suffering. I've used this book for a couple of posts already and I thought I was done, but the last chapter ("CODA") is very good and I want to post it in its entirety over the next two posts. Powlison's counsel is wise and full of grace.

So often the initial reaction to painful suffering is "Why me? Why this? Why now? Why?" You've now heard God speaking with you through the truths of "How Firm a Foundation." The real God says all these wonderful things and does everything he says. He does not offer advice and perspective from afar; he steps into your significant suffering. He will see you through and work with you the whole way. He will carry you even in the most difficult situations. This reality changes the questions that rise up from you heart. That inward-turning "Why me?" quiets down, lifts its eyes, and begins to look around.

You turn outward and a new and wonderful question forms. "Why you? Why you, Lord of life? Why would you go through loss, weakness, hardship, sorrow, and death? Why would you do this for me, of all people? But you did. You did this for the joy set before you. You did this for love. You did this showing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

As that deeper question sinks home, you become joyously sane. The universe is no longer supremely about you. Yet you are not irrelevant. God's story makes you just the right size - neither too big nor too small. Everything counts and everyone matters, but the scale changes to something that makes much more sense. You face hard things. But you have already received something better, which can never be taken away. And that better something will continue to work out the whole journey long.

I'll continue in the next post.

The Beauty of the Human Voice

Without words, music is abstract, like math. The way physics brings palpability to math, words bring coherence to music. Together they can express the most perfect love, bury us in the deepest despair, and elevate us to the throne room of the Lord Most High. It is all there, in the composer's pen, the conductor's baton, the instrumentalist's skill, and the angelic beauty of the human voice. - Lee Dise

Small Victories Matter

Getting stuck in any sin is so discouraging. For men, the one that get us most is usually sexual sin. With all of that testosterone floating around in us along with the temptations of our less-than-modest culture, almost everyday is a perfect storm. The following is a transcript from a video talk by Alasdair Groves from CCEF.

You know, the experience of being stuck in a pattern of sin is one of the most discouraging things a human being can experience. And I don’t know that this is fair to say, but in my experience, I would say that people struggling with sexual sin, in particular, maybe even more so than drugs or alcohol or Facebook, or whatever the other addictions there might be, there’s something just unbelievably discouraging about the sheer willfulness of it. The sense of, “I am doing something “I know to be wrong, I don’t want to be doing it, “and I am just–I’m in it.” And if that’s where you’re at, if that’s where you’re feeling, there’s a demoralizing sense of, “Sometimes I get a little bit up, and I abstain for a period “and then I crash back down,” in a way that feels like there is no hope. And I appreciate even the wording of this question, the sense of being back at square one. And I think that’s actually where I’d like to start by offering something a bit different.

That idea of being stuck and back at square one I think is a very intuitive approach to what you’re feeling, but it’s not the right framework. There is no such thing as being back at square one. God’s redemptive purposes for our lives does not operate with a, “How long have you gone without?” He’s not looking for a certain level and standard of, “You have to hit this and then you’re okay,”and “If you never do this again, “that’s the only real success.” The Spirit of the living God is delighting in every single battle won, every five second period in which a momentary fantasy comes into your head and you say, “No, I don’t want that. “Lord, help me.”

That is radically different than a five second period in which you just sort of let run and then it sort of evaporates and goes away. There’s something right about winning battles because the Spirit has laid on your heart a conviction that this is wrong and that you want to live in a different way. I remember just reading, recently, in a book by David Powlison on redemption from sexual sin and it was talking about the simple fact that your heart is grieved by your sin, rather than saying, “Yes, giddy up to the horse and let’s go,” is a wonderful fruit of the spirit. So there’s no such thing as being back at square one. Every day, every battle, every fight, every victory, every little tiny fruit of the spirit that you are tasting is not square one. That is an advance in the kingdom of sanctification, of glory to God, of your heart learning to worship and hate what is evil and cling to what is good. And the more you see it that way, the less you’re gonna end up in this despairing mindset of, “Oh no, I did it again; all past growth is now undone.” Instead, you realize, “God has given me grace daily. “I’m actually tasting His graces,” and ironically, that is one of the most inspiring, powerful, motivating factors to help you move away from sin and actually live with purity that is deeper, longer, more profound.

The battle line’s moving in a better place where you are now advancing toward the enemy and your struggle is in a different place than it used to be. We’ll all be tempted until the Lord comes. We will all have sins of pride, greed, selfishness, lust, until the Lord comes. But we eagerly desire that those battle lines keep being pushed further and further, and further away from action, further away from our willful patterns into moments of slipping, rather than moments of racing the other direction, and guiltless indulgence. Those little victories are the things to zoom in on and recognize if the Lord is present, and if you are learning to grieve your sin more, then there is no square one reset.

I hope this is a source of encouragement and light in the darker times, and not just for recurring sexual sin, but all of them. A victory is a victory, big or small, you're headed in the right direction. And that's the key. As believers, we are looking to the cross, not away from it. It may look far away sometimes, but you're looking at it! A non-believer is facing in the opposite direction, sinning and looking for redemption in everything except the God of the Universe. Be encouraged; you belong to Him.

A Lesson From an Old Car

Last year, I bought a 1987 Thunderbird Sport. I found it in central North Carolina owned by the proverbial "little old lady." I had owned a Thunderbird 25 years earlier and, remembering it fondly, had been looking for another one for many years. My new find had only 85,000 on the odometer and looked to be in very good shape. Of course, blinded by the desire to have the car, I didn't notice some issues that would come back to haunt me.

In the past year, I've replaced the tires, part of the exhaust system, several sensors, front and rear brakes, rear bearings and sundries. There are few leaks here and there, and, most significantly, the transmission is starting to slip. The price tag on the latter is $3000, so instead of having it rebuilt, I just turn up the radio (there's just a radio, no cassette or CD player) and pretend I don't hear the noise. As my father said to me the other day on the phone with wisdom not heard since King Solomon: "Well son, it seems that you stepped in a pile of shit with that car." Thanks, Pop.

Two nights ago, I was driving home and the oil pressure dropped to zero. If we can compare car oil to human blood in the body, then an oil pressure of zero is the equivalent of a dead person. Warning bells went off in the car, and I was thinking, "What the...?" Almost immediately, the pressure went back to normal. Then it dropped again. I decided to pull over: with zero oil pressure, you have about 30 seconds to shut off the car before the engine blows. I checked the oil, looked around, everything seemed to be fine. I started it up and the pressure held. I prayed that I would just make it home and I did. I pulled the car into the garage, shut it off and just walked away. In the prior 15 minutes, I had experienced extreme panic, fear, frustration, relief, gratitude, and hatred. Have you driven a Ford, lately?

But with dinner in me and after watching a soothing round of 'Jeopardy' I considered the night's events more soberly. I reflected mostly on my frustration with the car over the past year...and my anger at it. Or maybe my anger was really directed at God. As a Calvinist, I believe that God is sovereign and all events - I mean ALL of them - have been orchestrated by God. If he has ordained these things to happen, then they must ultimately be for my good, to mold my heart to love him more, to shape me into the image of his Son. If that is the case - and I believe it is - then when life's events elicit anger from me, then I'm really angry at God. And in that anger, I don't learn; I take two steps back in my faith, not one step forward. Anger is an expression of wanting my will over His. Something I've known intellectually, but often forget in the heat of the moment.

And while I don't want to over spiritualize this, I'm better off if I see my car as a reflection of me and my relationship with God. How often do I breakdown, malfunction, not do what my owner expects of me. All the time. Yet, God does not get angry or frustrated or want to dump me at the human junkyard. He expresses patience and grace with me. He fixes me...in theological terms, he redeems me from my moments of weakness, malfunction, and sin; he is sanctifying me. My car can't sin (although it sure feels like it sometimes), but it has weaknesses and it breaks down. My job is to fix it and make it work again. As human beings, we are to reflect God in all that we do. We should act like redeeming agents. I think that instead of getting angry at my car, it will help my spiritual state if I consider it like myself: something that needs fixing, something that needs patience, something that needs care.

If I can keep this perspective, I may be able to express more gratitude to my God who does the same for me.

How Firm a Foundation

In the two previous posts, I borrowed content from David Powlison's book, God's Grace in Your Suffering. The entire book is organized around the hymn, "How Firm a Foundation." I have sung that hymn probably a hundred times over the years, but I never really listed to the words. Take a moment and mediate on these lyrics. I added a few notes, but you can skip them if you find them distracting. It is a beautiful hymn about how God meets us in our suffering:

How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

[What more can he say to us that the scriptures already offer? Everything has been given to us to find comfort in him.]

"Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed;
for I am your God, and will still give you aid;
I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

[God will give us strength in suffering, and not just any help: Help from a righteous and all-powerful hand, a hand that cannot and will not be moved away from us.]

"When through the deep waters I call you to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be with you, your troubles to bless,
and sanctify to you your deepest distress.

[God brings us to troubles so that by wading through them, he can bless us and sanctify us, so that we may become more like his son. Those troubles will be just enough to accomplish his purposes, but will never be too much.]

"When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
my grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply;
the flame shall not hurt you; I only design
your dross to consume and your gold to refine.

[He will be sufficient in those times of trouble. His only purpose is to purify us. Note that in this stanza, we are already gold; we already have tremendous value. The fire helps to purify us into finer gold.]

"E'en down to old age all my people shall prove
my sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
and when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.

[Throughout our lives, into old age, God will be there to comfort us. He will treat us as gentle as babies, as gentle as lambs.]

"The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake."

[God will never, ever leave us. Satan will pursue us, but against God, he is doomed to failure. God will not give us up to our enemies...ever.]