Joseph's Fearing

I read this concerning Joseph's bringing his family back into Israel, “But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.” Matt. 2:22

Joseph was afraid to return to Israel. Now, keep in mind Joseph and Mary had seen much grace from God up to this point in protecting them from danger. God had led them and kept them, even speaking to them (and those involved with them) miraculously through dreams and angels, and now God had spoken again. He told them to flee to Egypt and that when the time was right, God would speak again and give them further instructions (v13). Well, here God spoke again, but we see that Joseph was afraid. Was this sinful?

You might say, “Joseph come on! Just go back! God has spoken and you know he can take care of you! Don't be so fearful! After all, God has not given us a spirit of fear...” etc.

I don't think it would be right to talk to Joseph like that. This passage doesn't throw guilt on Joseph for fearing, in fact, it says that after that (assuming some kind of time sequence here) God warned him in a dream. It's not clear how long it was before God confirmed the validity of his fears by sending him another dream and telling him where to go. What is clear, however, is that Joseph is marked out by Matthew as fearing, not because of the dream (as if it came first), but because he heard about Archelaus, Herod's son.

So was he right to fear? I think so. And this is what I'm getting at; Christians have to be reasonable. Joseph had to take danger seriously and so do we. Yes God is for us, but we must use the means of God given discernment and apprehension that God has given us. Part of God's leading, it would seem, is through reasonable concerns and even “fear.”

Examples of being led by fear and concern of danger:

- - - Jesus departing with his disciples when he heard Herod had put John in prison (Matt. 4:12, 14:13)

- - - Paul fleeing persecution when he hears people are plotting his death (Acts 9:25, 17:14)

- - - Paul sending Timothy to check up on the Thessalonians because he knew the devil was trying to tempt them to give up on God (1 Thess. 3:5)

- - - Paul said in Macedonia he had “conflicts without, fears within.” (2 Cor. 7:5)

I guess what struck me was that not all fear is bad for the Christian. Some fear is sin, and some is actually healthy and helpful. It's not that we aren't ever to be concerned about anything. We can be reasonable and say “Father, this is a real problem and concern of mine.” Where fear becomes sin is when we doubt the goodness of God, just because there is a threat of danger. We should always believe God and look to God's good hand and faithful provision. And even if he doesn't provide in the way that we might hope and we have to suffer and die, God is still good; and we shouldn't be despairing and downcast.

You don't have to pretend like everything is ok. God doesn't want that. Let your fears stir you up to action: to flee, to reason, to investigate, to rebuke, and to pray. Don't let you fears stir you up to sin: to despair, to be intimidated, to compromise, to whine, to curse. There's a difference and I think Joseph had the godly, reasonable kind of fear.

Baptism in the Spirit (pt 4) Sermon 1

The following are my notes from Charles Leiter's first message on "Baptism in the Spirit". If you would like a copy of Charles’ message on cd, please email me here (on the left of the page). Send your name and address. I will be happy to send you a copy free of charge.

mv

BAPTISM IN THE SPIRIT

Joel 2:28-32 (cf Acts 2:17-21)

Some principles we learn about baptism in the Spirit from Joel 2:28-32
1 – This is activity on God’s part.
“I will pour out My Spirit on” –Baptism in the Spirit is governed by God’s sovereignty. This is not, as some suggest, something that can be “taken by faith.” This is clearly seen in the fact that the disciples had to tarry in Jerusalem until they received this baptism.

2 – Objectivity.
“I will pour out My Spirit on” –This does not come from within a person. This is something that comes from the outside. In Acts 2, they heard the sound of a violent rushing wind coming toward them.

3 – Profusion.
“I will pour out My Spirit on”– This is indicative of overwhelming liberality. This pertains to two areas. 1) Overwhelming liberality of the Spirit. This person is immersed in the Spirit. 2) Profusion concerning both the numbers and types of people. “That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…Young men...old men…My bondslaves, both men and women.” This is not for one particular class or culture!

4 – Phenomena.
“and” – The outpouring of the Spirit always leads to Christ-exalting action. Therefore, the word “and” is always directly present or implied. It is interesting to note that nothing that happened in Acts 2 was exactly as it was prophesied in Joel 2. Nevertheless, the “and” is apparent. In 17-18, notice the order: God pours out His Spirit and they prophesy. God pours out His Spirit and they see visions. God pours out His Spirit and they dream dreams.

We will now establish these principles through other sections in Scripture. In this section, we will simply be establishing the terminology as seen in Scripture.

The Old Testament
Zechariah 12:10
We find activity on God’s part (“I will”). We see profusion (overwhelming liberality of the Spirit - “pour out” and widespread - “the land will mourn, every family…family of the house of David…their wives…the house of Nathan…their wives…house of Levi…their wives…family of the Shimeites…their wives…all the families…their wives”). We see objectivity (“on”). We also see phenomena (“and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. This was illustrated in Acts 2:37. “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

Isaiah 32:15-18
There is activity on God’s part (“…until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high”) There is profusion (“…the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high”) There is objectivity (“…the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high” – i.e. it comes from outside). There is phenomena (“…the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is considered as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness will abide in the fertile field” cf 33:5)

Ezekiel 11:5-13
This is an interesting case. This is an individual outpouring. Notice all of the previous elements are here.
“…the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, ‘Say, ‘Thus says the Lord”…Now it came about as I prophesied, that Pelatiah son of Benaiah died.”

Numbers 11:25
“Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.”

1 Samuel 10:6
“Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man.”

1 Samuel 16:13
“…the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” We see the results in the rest of his life.

2 Chronicles 20:14-15
“Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah…and he said…”

There are many examples in the book of Judges. We will list a few. Notice the "coming upon" and the "and" associated with the outpourings.
Judges 3:10
Judges 6:34
Judges 15:14-15

The New Testament
Luke 3:21-22; 4:1, 14, 16-17
“…while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove...Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit (filling is the result of the outpouring – mv), returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit...and Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit…and He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, "the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me (notice the implied “and” here – mv) to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Christ was always a son. Christ was always perfectly submitted to the Father’s will. However, He has this outpouring of the Spirit before beginning His public ministry.

John 1:33
“...I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 10:38
“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

Luke 24:49
“And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 1:4-8
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

Acts 2:16-17, 32-33
“…but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: AND IT SHALL BE IN the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

Acts 2:1-4
The word “filled” is used here. This, however, is clearly the result of the outpouring. Someone may be filled with the Spirit without being baptized in the Spirit. Nevertheless, you cannot be baptized in the Spirit without it causing you to be filled with the Spirit.

Acts 8:12-17
Notice these believers had “received the word of God” but the Spirit had “not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Acts 10:44-46
“...the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening...the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God.”

It is interesting to note that in Acts 11:16 Peter states he “remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” We can learn two things from this.
1 - It seems Christ would remind the disciples of this doctrine often.
2 – This establishes that the term “baptism in the Spirit” applies outpourings other than the one that happened at Pentecost.

In light of all of this, to say that baptism in the Spirit is non-experiential is an unscriptural claim. It is interesting to think of the scene of John the Baptist immersing believers in water. They come out of the water soaking wet. Water baptism is very experiential! Yet, John is essentially saying, “If you think this is phenomenal, wait until the One comes who will baptize with the Spirit!”

Illustrations of this happening in modern times.
In South Africa*, under the ministry of Andrew Murray, the Spirit came at a prayer meeting during the prayer of a 15-year-old African girl.

The revival Helen Roseveare saw in the Congo*. This was during the 1950’s.

*I hope to write a synopsis of some of these accounts in later posts – mv.

On Rising Early by George Muller

Let me put a disclaimer on this. Some have come under bondage with the practice of rising early. We must keep in mind the cultural setting of Muller's time. People went to bed much earlier during those times. Therefore, rising early was not as taxing. However, here in America, we often stay up later. Nevertheless, McCheyne's principle of "never see the face of man before you've seen the face of God" is good. This does not necessarily mean you have to wake at 4 a.m. I have found that if I "walk in the Spirit" throughout the day and spend time in secret communion with God in the evening, it takes less to cultivate His presence in the morning.

mv

"I want to encourage all believers to get into the habit of rising early to meet with God. How much time should be allowed for rest? No rule of universal application can be given because all persons do not require the same amount of sleep. Also the same persons, at different times, according to the strength or weakness of their body, may require more or less. Most doctors agree that healthy men do not require more than between six or seven hours of sleep, and females need no more than seven or eight hours.

Children of God should be careful not to allow themselves too little sleep since few men can do with less than six hours of sleep and still be well in body and mind. As a young man, before I went to the university, I went to bed regularly at ten and rose at four, studied hard, and was in good health. Since I have allowed myself only about seven hours, I have been much better in body and in nerves than when I spent eight or eight and a half hours in bed.

Someone may ask, "But why should I rise early?" To remain too long in bed is a waste of time. Wasting time is unbecoming a saint who is bought by the precious blood of Jesus. His time and all he has is to be used for the Lord. If we sleep more than is necessary for the refreshment of the body, it is wasting the time the Lord has entrusted us to be used for His glory, for our own benefit, and for the benefit of the saints and unbe­lievers around us.

Just as too much food injures the body, the same is true regarding sleep. Medical persons would readily agree that lying longer in bed than is nec­essary to strengthen the body actually weakens it.

It also injures the soul. Lying too long in bed not merely keeps us from giving the most precious part of the day to prayer and meditation, but this sloth leads also to many other evils. Anyone who spends one, two, or three hours in prayer and meditation before breakfast will soon discover the beneficial effect early rising has on the outward and inward man.

It may be said, "But how shall I set about rising early?" My advice is: Do not delay. Begin tomorrow. But do not depend on your own strength. You may have begun to rise early in the past but have given it up. If you depend on your own strength in this matter, it will come to nothing. In every good work, we must depend on the Lord. If anyone rises so that he may give the time which he takes from sleep to prayer and meditation, let him be sure that Satan will try to put obstacles in the way.

Trust in the Lord for help. You will honor Him if you expect help from Him in this matter. Pray for help, expect help, and you will have it. In addition to this, go to bed early. If you stay up late, you cannot rise early. Let no pressure of engagements keep you from going habitually early to bed. If you fail in this, you neither can nor should get up early because your body requires rest.

Rise at once when you are awake. Remain not a minute longer in bed or else you are likely to fall asleep again. Do not be discouraged by feeling drowsy and tired from rising early. This will soon wear off. After a few days you will feel stronger and fresher than when you used to lie an hour or two longer than you needed. Always allow yourself the same hours for sleep. Make no change except on account of sickness."

Baptism in the Spirit (pt 3)

This is an article written by Bro. Charles Leiter as a short study on the subject. We will be posting a more detailed account of the position using Scripture in the days to come. However, I thought it would be helpful for those who would like to "search the Scriptures." Bro. Leiter has taken great pains to be biblically faithful, as even a cursory review of the article will reveal. This article can also be found here on the Granted Ministries site. On a side note, we highly recommend taking time to benefit from the other resources found at Granted Ministries.

mv

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

KEY WORDS: “POUR OUT”, “UPON”, “ANOINTED”, “FALL ON”, “PROMISE”, “BAPTISM”, “FILLED”, “RECEIVE”, “GIFT”, “GIVEN”, “SEAL”, “PLEDGE”, “AND”

BASIC PASSAGES: Joel 2:28-32, Lk 3:15-17, Acts 1:4-8, Acts 2:1-42, Acts 11:15-18 *Note: Acts 11:15-18 (referring back to Acts 10:44-48) shows that the term, “baptized in the Holy Spirit,” applies not only to a once-for-all event at Pentecost, but also to subsequent outpourings of the Spirit upon later individuals.


I. CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED WITH THE NEW BIRTH OR REGENERATION.

1. Even in the O.T., all true saints were regenerate (i.e. the Holy Spirit was within them). Rom 4:1-25 (esp. v.1-8, 11-12, 18-24); Heb 11:1-40 (cf. 12:1f); 1 Pet 3:1-6; Eph 5:18-19 (cf. Psa 119:47-48, 97 with Rom 8:7-8); Jn 3:10 (cf. v.3-9); Jn 1:47 (cf. Psa 32:1-2); 1 Pet 1:11

2. Our Lord was always a Son, yet needed to receive the anointing of the Spirit prior to His public ministry. Lk 3:21-22; 4:1-2,14,18-19

3. The disciples were regenerate before Pentecost. Mt 16:13-18; Jn 13:10-11 (15:3); Jn 17:6-8

4. The Samaritans were regenerate, yet the Spirit had not yet “fallen on” them. Acts 8:4- 8,12,14-17

5. The Ephesian disciples had believed and were baptized (i.e. were regenerate) before Paul laid his hands on them and the Holy Spirit “came on” them. Acts 19:1-7


II. ALWAYS KNOWN, WONDROUS, SUPERNATUAL, “EXPERIENTIAL”: “AND. . .”

1. Old Testament: Num 11:17, 25-29; Num 24:2-3; Num 27:18-20 (w/ Dt 34:9); Judges 3:10, 6:34, 11:29, 13:25, 14:6, 14:19, 15:14; 1 Sam 10:6f, 19:20-24; 1 Chr 12:18; 2 Chr 15:1-8; 2 Chr 20:14-15; 2 Chr 24:20-22; Isa 11:1-5; Joel 2:28-32; Micah 3:8

2. New Testament: a) Examples—Mk 1:9-12; Lk 1:41-45,67f; Lk 2:25-32; Acts 2:1f, 4:31, 8:14-19, 10:44-48, 19:2-6; I Ths 1:4-6; Heb 2:4 b) Questions asked and statements made in the N.T. imply that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was something known. Acts 19:2; Gal 3:2-5; 1 Jn 3:24, 4:13 c) The whole concept of the Holy Spirit as a “seal” (Eph 1:13; Acts 15:8; Rom 5:5; Rom 8:15-16; Jn 6:27 w/1:33 and Mk 1:9-11), a “pledge” (Eph 1:14; 2 Cor 1:21-22, 5:5), and “firstfruits” (Rom 8:23) implies something known.


III. YET, NOT A “SECOND WORK”. (i.e. Not something meant only for advanced Christians, or a guarantee of instant spiritual maturity, but an integral part of the gospel, the privilege of a new convert.)

1. New Christians, babes in Christ: Acts 8:14-15, 9:17, 10:44-48, 19:2-6; Eph 1:13-14; 1 Th 1:4-6; etc.

2. An integral part of the initial gospel message and offer: Acts 2:38-39, 8:16—“yet”, 19:2; 2 Cor 11:4; Tit 3:5-6; Jn 7:37-39; Gal 3:2,5; etc.

3. Not “Christian perfection” or “crucified life”—those who have experienced may yet have much immaturity or fall into sin. 1 Cor 3:1f (cf. 1:4-7, 12:1—14:40); Gal 3:1f


IV. ESPECIALLY RELATES TO ASSURANCE OF SALVATION.

1. General verses—Jn 14:20; Rom 5:5; Rom 8:15-16; Gal 4:6

2. The concept of the “seal” implies this—i.e. a “seal” shows approval, ownership, identification, authentication, security. (Compare Jn 6:27 with Jn 1:33 and Mk 1:9-11. Compare Eph 1:13-14 with Acts 15:8.)


V. RESULTS IN “POWER”, ESPECIALLY TO SPEAK THE THINGS OF GOD (i.e. “WITNESS” OR “PROPHESY”).

1. General verses—Lk 4:14-18, 24:48-49; Jn 15:26-27; Acts 1:8, 2:4-12, 2:14, 2:17-18, 4:31-33, 5:32, 6:5-10, 9:17-20, 10:45-46, 13:9-10, 19:6; 1 Ths 1:4-8; etc. (cf. O.T. also!)

2. Not “raw” power, but a glory and radiance resulting from a revelation of Christ, of God, and of His truth and works. Jn 14:15-24, 16:12-16; Acts 2:11, 10:46, 19:6


VI. “TONGUES” NOT AN ESSENTIAL ASPECT.

1. Acts 8:14-19, 9:17-18 Tongues not mentioned or necessarily implied. (See Lk 1:41-42, 1:67, 2:25-27.)

2. Acts 2:9-11 Some were from “Judea”, implying that not all spoke in a foreign language (“tongue”).

3. Acts 2:16-20 Peter recognizes Pentecost as a fulfillment of Joel 2, where “prophecy, dreams, visions, wonders, and signs” are the keynote, not “tongues”.

4. All O.T. examples of Spirit-outpouring prove that there is no necessary connection of any kind with tongues. (See verses in II. 1. above.)

5. Tongues were significant and prominent in Acts because: a) The phenomena of Pentecost demonstrated clearly that God was empowering the church to go to “all nations.” (Acts 1:8, Lk 24:47-49, Mt 28:18-20, Gen 11:`1-9) b) The identical phenomenon in the case of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-48) was necessary in order to persuade skeptical Jews that God had truly received the Gentiles. (Acts 11:1-18, esp. v.15-18) c) Tongues were given as a judgmental “sign” to the unbelieving Jews, leading to their hardening. 1 Cor 14:20-23; Acts 2:13; Isa 28:9-13

6. All tongues in the Bible are languages of some sort, including those at Corinth. Acts 2:4-12, 10:46, 19:6; 1 Cor 12:10,28; 13:1; 14:2, 10-11, 13, 17, 19, 21, 26-28; Isa 28:9-13. This implies syntax and content.


VII. NO EXTREME “CONDITIONS”, ONLY TRUE CONVERSION. (i.e. All-out abandonment to the Lord.)

1. General verses—Jn 7:37-39; Acts 2:38-39; Prov 1:23

2. Verses such as Jn 14:21 (cf. v.23-24) and Acts 5:32 (cf. Heb 5:9) refer to the general “obedience” of the Christian versus the non-Christian, not some special “conditions” for receiving the Spirit.

3. There are no examples of “agonizing” for the Spirit in Scripture, other than the agonizing involved in true repentance and conversion. “Tarry” means “wait”, not “agonize”, and was commanded with reference to the coming historical outpouring of the Spirit upon the church on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2, 4, 8, 10, 19; Gal 3:2-5; cf. all of O.T.

4. Ask! Persist! Jn 4:10; Lk 11:5-13

5. In three of the four relevant cases in Acts, older Christians prayed for new believers via laying on of hands. Acts 8, 9:17-18, 10, 19


VIII. REPEATED SOVEREIGNLY IN TIMES OF NEED, ACCORDING TO GOD’S GOOD PLEASURE. (Sometimes in response to prayer.)

1. General verses—Acts 4:8, 4:31, 13:9, 7:55?

2. Some “crisis experiences” of older Christians fit under this category.


IX. CANNOT “TAKE” BY FAITH.

1. Lk 3:15-17 “He Himself will baptize you.” The baptizer is active , (“baptizes”), and the candidate for baptism is passive, (presents himself, “asks”, “receives”).

2. In every example from Scripture, God is active and man is passive in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There are no examples of “believing” or “taking” baptism in the Holy Spirit by an act of the human will. See all O.T. examples; Lk 1&2; Acts 2, 4, 8, 10, 19; etc.


X. DIFFERENT THAN THE COMMAND TO “BE FILLED” (EPH 5:15-21).

1. Have been told in Eph 1:13-14 and 4:30 that these people have already experientially “received” the Spirit.

2. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a definite experience at a particular point in time, but this is a continuous condition (“be being filled”).

3. In baptism in the Spirit, man is passive, but here man is active (a command—something we’re to do).

4. “Be filled” means “be controlled by completely.” Col 1:9; Lk 4:28 Same as the command to “walk in the Spirit.” (Gal 5:16-26) Those baptized are, at least for the time being, “filled”; those filled have not necessarily just been “baptized.”

Charles Leiter
Pastor—Lake Road Chapel
Kirksville, MO. 63501

Baptism in the Spirit (pt 2)

I thought it may be helpful to include a few quotes from Robert Reymond and Martyn Lloyd-Jones concerning baptism in the Spirit. This may be helpful in understanding the issue as understood by both sides.

Robert Reymond
"The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the work of the glorified Christ and is tantamount to the Spirit's regenerating work...Luke records four "Spirit-baptisms" or "comings" of the Spirit in Acts – Acts 2, Jews; Acts 8, Samaritans; Acts 10, Gentiles; Acts 19, followers of John – marking by them the strategic steps in the extension of the church and teaching thereby that there is but one church into which all converts are baptized by the same Spirit – whether Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles, or followers of John. In other words, the four "Pentecosts" in Acts as events had revelatory import in the nonrepeatable heilsgeschichtlich. They were intended to teach that there is only "one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Eph. 4:4-6), regardless of the human mix within it. Therefore, the "Spirit-baptisms" as events in Acts are not to be viewed as continuing and normative occurrences in the history of the church. The glorified Christ made clear from these heilsgeschichtlich "Spirit-baptisms" that people of all races and social backgrounds are "heirs together, members together, and sharers together" in one church (Eph. 3:6). This being so, there is no further need for the continuance of such revelatory events. But while Luke witnesses to the great truth of the oneness of the people of God by recording these "Spirit-comings," he nowhere expounds their soteriological significance. This exposition is provided by Paul, who does it in one sentence: "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink" (1 Cor. 12:13). What Paul means here is that this "Spirit-baptism" - which is the joint act of both the glorified Christ and the Holy Spirit which every Christian has experienced…" (Robert Reymond A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, 764-65)

Martyn Lloyd-Jones
"I take it that is therefore abundantly clear—you cannot be a Christian without having the Holy Spirit in you. But—and here is the point—I am asserting at the same time that you can be a believer, that you can have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, and still not be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Now this is the crucial issue." (Martyn Lloyd-Jones Joy Unspeakable: The Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, 23)

"All I have been describing (the indwelling of the Spirit –mv) is the work of the Holy Spirit in us, the work of convicting, the work of enlightening, the work of regenerating and so on. That is what the Holy Spirit does in us. But as you notice in the teaching in the first chapter of John's Gospel and which we see so clearly in the preaching of John the Baptist, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is something that is done by the Lord Jesus Christ not by the Holy Spirit. "I indeed baptize you with water…he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." This is not primarily some work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Lord Jesus Christ's act. … I am suggesting that this is something which is therefore obviously distinct from and separate from becoming a Christian, being regenerate, having the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. I am putting it like this—you can be a child of God and yet not be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Martyn Lloyd-Jones Joy Unspeakable: The Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, 23-24)

"What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Now there are some, as we have seen, who say that there is really no difficulty about this at all. They say it is simply a reference to regeneration and nothing else. It is what happens to people when they are regenerated and incorporated into Christ, as Paul teaching is 1 Corinthians 12:13: ‘By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body’…Therefore, they say, this baptism of the Holy Spirit is simply regeneration. But for myself, I simply cannot accept that explanation, and this is where we come directly to grips with the difficulty. I cannot accept that because if I were to believe that, I should have to believe that the disciples and the apostles were not regenerate until the Day of Pentecost---a supposition which seems to me to be quite untenable. In the same way, of courses, you would have to say that not a single Old Testament saint had eternal life or was a child of God.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones Great Doctrines of the Bible, chapter 22). This last quote was taken from here.

Later this evening I will be posting a short article Bro. Charles Leiter wrote titled "Baptism in the Spirit". This article is very helpful because he summarizes the position using Scripture. The article is only three pages but it took me a whole afternoon and evening to look up all the Scripture!

Baptism in the Spirit (pt 1)

Pastor Charles Leiter began a series a few weeks ago on "baptism in the Spirit". This series is a sub-series within the book of Romans. However, before I begin posting my notes from the messages, I thought it best to clarify our position as contrasted with other movements within Christendom.

There are several issues within the context of this discussion. However, for the sake of study, we will focus on the two main theological camps. Although the theological disagreement is broader than the scope of our study, we will stick to the issue of baptism in the Spirit as understood by both camps. The first position states that baptism in the Spirit happens at the inception of the Christian life and is completely non-experiential. The second position states that baptism in the Spirit can (but not necessarily) happen at the inception of the Christian life and is experiential. Robert Reymond would be an example of a theologian who holds to the first position. Martyn Lloyd-Jones would be an example of a theologian who holds to the second position.

I would quickly add that there is diversity among those who hold to the second position concerning the terminology for second experiences. If the discussion were broadened to second experiences in general, Sam Storms, John Piper, and Wayne Grudem would be added to those that hold the second position. Though we consider the Scriptural terminology to be of vital importance, it may be helpful to view the two camps as follows: the second position, broadly speaking, affirms the possibility of an experiential, objective, coming-upon work of the Spirit whereby the believer is given a heightened sense of assurance and power to preach the Word (i.e. the experiences recorded in Acts 2, 4, 8, 10, and 19 are repeatable today). Those who hold to the first position would deny the possibility of such an event (i.e. the experiences recorded in Acts 2, 4, 8, 10, and 19 belong to the historical-redemptive framework and are therefore not repeatable today). Before we end, a word needs to be said about some groups within the second camp.

Church historians generally agree that Pentecostalism, as a movement, began around the turn of the 20th century with the Azusa Street Revival. While Pentecostalism formed itself within denominational boundaries, the Charismatics emerged in the 1960's and 1970's within the context of other denominations. In other words, this latter group arose within the context of the Methodists, Episcopalians, Catholics, etc. The emphasis of both of these groups was the experiential workings of the Spirit. However, both movements are laden with doctrinal and practical error. For instance, the "Word of Faith" movement and the so-called "Toronto Blessing" would be considered Pentecostal or Charismatic in nature. Therefore, it is vital to keep in mind that the above mentioned theologians that hold to the second position (along with Bro. Charles Leiter) have joined the attack against the grievous errors of Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement.

Nevertheless, truth is not protected nor advanced by fences or reaction. Our questions and answers must revolve around the teaching of Scripture, not the avoidance of excesses within Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement. In view of the theological baggage many readers would bring to the issue, we will define the second position in more detail using Scripture through the various posts. I want to encourage you to ask questions where clarity is needed. We, as usual, welcome any correspondence.

Exceedingly Precious Promises and Fear

During one of my times in Romania, I ran into a situation with a dear, older sister that I have not forgotten. Her village was saturated in Voodoo. These demonic superstitions had made entrance into her home through her daughter-in-law, a VooDoo witch. I don't think any profit would come from giving the details of some of what she was experiencing. Suffice it to say that our visit consisted mostly of her uncontrollable crying and pleading with us to never leave her alone. Though her frame was frail, she clung to us with all her might. Her life was one of craven fear.

I can remember situations, before and after becoming a Christian, in which fear seemed to control me. I don't want to make uninformed generalizations that many people live their lives in fear. On the other hand, I've had countless conversations with countless Christians who, in one way or another, experience frequent fear. In light of this, I thought I would list some of the New Covenant promises pertaining to fear as it relates to spiritual warfare.

Ezekiel 34:23-28
I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods...they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid.

Isaiah 35:8-10
A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Hosea 2:18
In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, And will make them lie down in safety.

Zeph 3:14-19
Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more. In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: "Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy....Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame and gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth.

Luke 1:68-74
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant—As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US...to grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

Luke 4:18
And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."

There may be a question that arises from these promises. If peace and safety are set in the context of promise for all of those in the New Covenant, why do we still fear? I think that would be an excellent topic to address in a future post : )

Communion with God

We all know the difficulty that often surrounds our time in secret prayer. I believe we far too often leave before ever gaining an experiential access before the throne. I am not describing some experience to be associated with the Charismatic movement. Every true believer knows the difference between mouthing words to God and real, life-imparting communion with the Prince of Glory. Our immunity to the world’s pleasure will wax thin unless we are having Christ-exalting, Spirit-saturated daily experiences alone with God. On this topic I thought I would give some advice I have received.

Vaylard Zupke has more reality of the things of God than any other man I have ever known. I once asked him if anything over the years has been a help to him in this area. He quoted Psalm 100:

Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise.

He said he will often sing a hymn before starting his time with the Lord. He advised getting a good Hymnal and working straight through it, singing one or two hymns a morning (The Redemption Hymnal is excellent). I must say the times I have done this since receiving this advice have been a blessing.

George Muller, who needs no introduction, has also given some advice in this area. He writes,

“The most important thing I had to do was to read the Word of God and to meditate on it. Thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, and instructed. Formerly, when I rose, I began to pray as soon as possible. But I often spent a quarter of an hour to an hour on my knees struggling to pray while my mind wandered. Now I rarely have this problem. As my heart is nourished by the truth of the Word, I am brought into true fellowship with God. I speak to my Father and to my Friend (although I am unworthy) about the things that He has brought before me in His precious Word. It often astonishes me that I did not see the importance of meditation upon Scripture earlier in my Christian life. As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time unless he eats, so it is with the inner man. What is the food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the Word of God—not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe. No, we must consider what we read, ponder over it, and apply it to our hearts.”

I would add that I have found if I do not keep up communion with the Lord during the day, I find it much harder to gain access when I come before Him for a special time of prayer. A man who stays near the throne from 8 to 5 will not find himself cold when he has a moment to steal away to His Unseen Friend. In the same way, I find if I do not begin the day with my soul glad in the Lord, then it is almost impossible to keep up real communion during the day.

Quote from David Macintyre

"An English scholar has told us that those who have helped him most were not learned divines nor eloquent preachers, but holy men and women who walked with God, and who revealed unconsciously the unadorned goodness which the blessed Spirit had wrought in them." - The Hidden Life of Prayer

Suggestions on Spiritual Warfare from Isaiah 36 & 37

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah. He then sent a large army to take Jerusalem from Hezekiah. I read the conversation that follows a couple of days ago. I found some really helpful principles of spiritual warfare. These principles are not exhaustive. Nevertheless, I thought I would be helpful to stick with what is specifically in this text.

“The nearer the soldier is to the Captain, the harder he will be attacked by the enemy.” – Amy Carmichael.

Realize there is an objective enemy. You will not fight an enemy you do not acknowledge.
Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 36:1

Satan will often try to get you to doubt something before he tries to get you to do something. This is crucial. The war of the Christian exists in the realm of faith. He will try to make you doubt something God has said is true.
Then Rabshakeh said to them, "Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, "What is this confidence that you have?...But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’? 36:4-7

Satan will suggest that you would need great strength to have victory. The weakest Christian clinging to one promise of God is stronger than all the forces of Hell.
Now therefore, come make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. How then can you repulse one official of the least of my master’s servants and rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 36:8-9

He will try to convince you that God is actually against you. He will suggest that the Lord is not going to fight for you until you get a few victories under your belt.
Have I now come up without the LORD’S approval against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.” 36:10

He will appeal to selfishness.
Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice…”Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern”. 36:13, 16

He will make it sound as if this sin is actually good and necessary for you.
Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, “Make your peace with me and come out to me…until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.” 36:16-17

He will slander others to you. This is especially true concerning the person who may have confronted you with a particular sin. This will also happen when you think about going to others for help. You will begin to think that you could never tell them the horrible things you struggle with.
Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” 36:18

He will remind you of past defeats. Any time a record of past defeats comes to mind during a temptation, a red-flag should go up immediately.
Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? And when have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 36:18-19

He will try to convince you that victory is impossible. You will begin to think, “I have struggled with this all my life. I just need to face the fact I am not going to get freedom.”
Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the LORD would deliver Jerusalem from my hand? 36:20

Some practical suggestions taken from the text concerning your response:

Humble yourself. Renounce all hope and strength from within yourself.
And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD. 37:1

Involve godly brothers, especially in prayer. I have found that one of Satan’s main tactics is to isolate a believer.
Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet... 37:2

Remember that the real attack is against God. Satan hates you because he hates God.
Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me…Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. 37:6, 17

Remember that the battle belongs to the Lord. Keep yourself subjected and humbled under His mighty hand. Follow His instructions without compromise.
Thus says the Lord…Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land. 37:6-7

Pray. Tell the Lord the whole truth. Be open and honest.
Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 37:14

Stir yourself up with the attributes of God. Focus all your attention Godward.
O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 37:16

Look for God to deliver for His sake. Believe His promises. Believe the Scriptural truths concerning your relationship to sin (Romans 6). Believe that you don’t have to be defeated.
Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God. 37:20

Word and Wonders

There are many Christians today who have a tendency to look down upon other believers who have a desire to see the Lord work signs and wonders in our midst in the present day. "Isn't the preached word enough?", they say. "Isn't the word of God living and active? Isn't it the preached gospel that is the power of God unto salvation? Isn't the desire for a sign something that Jesus condemned as being perverse and unbelieving? Wouldn't a sign or wonder detract from the centrality of the preached word?"

Like in almost all debates among believers, there is an element of truth in the statements above. But without getting into this too heavily right now I just want to point out that, in the minds of the Biblical writers, there is a false dichotomy at work in the above statements. The Bible knows nothing about a dichotomy between Word and Spirit, or a division between the preached word and signs and wonders. Actually, in several places we see the two coming together to form a balanced picture of what we should hope and pray for as we seek to proclaim the gospel of Christ in our day. Consider the following three examples:

1 Kings 17:18-24
Notice that Elijah had spoken words of truth to the widow before ("the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."), but it was only after Elijah raised her son from the dead that she said that she "knew" that Elijah was a man of God who was speaking the words of God. Here we have on example from the Old Testament of how signs and wonders can help to confirm and convince of the truthfulness of the preached word.

Acts 4:24-31
Here we have an even more explicit example of the early Christians' view of the relationship between signs and wonders and the preached word. Notice these two petitions that come one right after the other:

1.) "grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence"

2.) "while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus"

Far from there being a divorce between signs and wonders, the early Christians specifically prayed that God would grant these things to take place while they were speaking the word! There was no concern that the working of signs and wonders would somehow detract from the proclamation of the gospel message.

Acts 14:1-3
Here is a final passage that is virtually self-explanatory. I would just point out two things:

1.) The working of signs and wonders was taking place in conjunction with the preached word. Again, there is nothing here that would make us think that signs and wonders are a detraction from, or a distraction to, the preached message.

2.) The text states that it was God Himself who was testifying to His own word, by causing signs and wonders to be done by the hands of Paul and Barnabas! Here we can see that the objection of "Isn't the preached word enough?" just does not deal with the whole picture. At least in this case the preached word by itself was not "enough", or God would not have seen fit to grant signs and wonders for the purpose of testifying to His word!


Brothers and sisters, I put these things before you for your consideration in the hope that you would allow the Bible itself to shape your understanding of the relationship between the word and wonders. If the early Christians needed God to testify to the word of His grace by performing signs and wonders in their midst, how much more do we! May these things cause us to hunger and thirst for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our day, that the church would be built up, and that sinners would be gloriously saved.

The Great Debate?! Hardly...

By now I'm sure many of you have heard about the recently televised debate concerning the existence of God between Ray Comfort/Kirk Cameron, and two members of the so-called Rational Response Squad. I'll admit up front that I have not seen the entire debate. But I did see about two minutes of it, which was more than enough to make me sick to my stomach, and cause me to realize that Ray and Kirk had gotten in way over their heads when they accepted this challenge. I say this not as someone who thinks he could do a better job himself, but as someone who knows for certain that there are several other Christians around who could.

Anyway, my aim in this post is not to belittle Ray and Kirk (In many ways, I admire their boldness and desire to share the truth), but simply to provide my fellow Christians with some resources that I feel are helpful in providing us with a proper foundation for doing Christian apologetics. First though, I wanted to point you to a couple of other blog posts that were written as a "friendly critique" of Ray and Kirk's performance in the debate. Here is Part One and Part Two. I thought these were especially helpful in pointing out the weaknesses in Ray and Kirk's methodology, but at the same time, doing it in a gracious manner. Even if you don't read any of the other resources that I will link to below, I would still recommend reading through those two posts.

Now, here are some further resources that I would recommend for Christians who are wanting to dig deeper when it comes to apologetics. I don't necessarily endorse everything that is stated in these resources. Nevertheless, I do believe that they will help any Christian to gain a better understanding of how to defend Christianity, and to do it in a way that is Biblical and honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

ARTICLES

There are many excellent articles dealing with Biblical apologetics at the following sites. The first two sites contain articles that would be especially good for those Christians who are studying these things for the first time.

Grover Gunn

Frontline Ministries

Monergism

John Frame

Greg Bahnsen

Sola Gratia Ministries

SERMONS

And here are some sermons that deal with Biblical apologetics that I would recommend. The first one especially would be very good for the Christian who is new to these things.

Curt Daniel-Defending the Faith

Cornelius Van Til
His message titled "The Wisdom of the World" is especially worth hearing.

BOOKS

The Justification of Knowledge by Robert Reymond
I feel this is the best single book available on Biblical apologetics. It is difficult to find, but can be ordered from here for only $7.50!!!

A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith by Robert Reymond
This is an excellent systematic theology that contains much of the material from the previous book. In other words, if you can't get the above book, then get this one.

Apologetics to the Glory of God by John Frame

Every Thought Captive by Richard Pratt
I have not yet read this book myself, but I hear it is excellent. It is especially geared towards those who are new to Biblical apologetics.

Always Ready by Greg Bahnsen
Most of the chapters in this book are available as free articles which can be found here.



I realize that there is a LOT of material here to wade through, so if you are wanting more specific recommendations, feel free to email me and I will do my best to help you. If you are new to all of this, I would be happy to point you to specific articles that I feel would be good for you to start with. Or if you are struggling with a particular apologetic issue, I will try to provide resources for you that deal with that particular issue.

In closing, I hope that these resources help other believers to be "always ready" when it comes to defending the faith, and to do so in a way that gives the most honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. But in all of this, we need to keep in mind that no amount of apologetical knowledge can change the heart of the unbelieving man or woman; only God can do that miracle. The unbeliever's problem is NOT that they are just ignorant. The problem is that they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. So above everything, the Christian needs to be a person who knows the Word, and who dwells in the presence of God through communion and prayer. By all means, use the above resources to grow in your understanding of how to Biblically defend the faith! Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort would have been much more prepared had they availed themselves of such things. Nevertheless, it is ultimately by the knowledge of the Word and communion with God that we are made "wiser than our enemies" and through which we become like Stephen, of whom it was said that his enemies "were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking."

Truth and Proclamation

Truth is not protected by fences. Reacting against heretical theology to safeguard against false teaching only complicates the situation. This reaction actually creates more error than it eradicates. Truth will only triumph through proclamation. One preacher submitted wholly and irrevocably to the Scriptures will do more to counteract heresy than all of the devices man can fabricate. We must preach what we find in the way we find it.

With this in view, I have been thinking over some passages that set forth question-demanding truths. It seems certain truths should be so radical that, when taught correctly, our teaching could possibly lead to misunderstanding. Let me give a few examples to show what I mean:

We should preach a salvation so humanly impossible, people wonder if anyone could be converted.
Matthew 19:25-26 "Then who can be saved?"

We should preach justification by faith alone so apart from works, people should wonder if we are antinomian.
Romans 5:20-6:2 Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?

We should preach God's sovereign election so free from human initiation, people should wonder how God remains unjust for sending people to Hell.

Romans 9:10-16 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there?

I purposely left the contextual verses in these passages, and I think we should do the same in our teaching/counsel. For instance, though salvation is humanly impossible, with God all things (including salvation) are possible. In the same vein, though justification is by faith alone apart from the works of the Law, the true believer will not continue in sin because he has died to sin (regeneration). I am not advocating we isolate truths nor make "shock statements" that compromise context. Nevertheless, if our theology is never misunderstood or questioned, we have most certainly lost the pure truth of Scripture. Therefore, we must proclaim truth – the whole truth – unabashedly and without partiality. In doing so we will advance the glory of God and people will be helped.

The Holy Spirit in the Incarnation

I read Matthew 1:18-20 today. I realized again, how much rubbish it is every time I hear something to the effect of the Holy Spirit not having much of a role before Pentecost. It struck me that I usually only think of Jesus' relationship to the Holy Spirit in his sending him to the disciples after his ascension. Here, though, is another aspect. Without the Holy Spirit Jesus never would have shown up on this earth at all. The Holy Spirit was working to effect the incarnation.

I love to see different aspects of the Trinity. It's easy for me to forget about these things. God's Spirit was active in the incarnation, just as he was hovering over the waters at creation. Yet another reason to sing "Spirit, I adore you. I lay my life before you. How I love you."

The "Problem" of Evil-Part One

I received the following email from a dear brother, Mack Tomlinson, a few days ago. I thought it was worth sharing since every Christian, at one time or another, will probably deal with the so-called “problem of evil”. I say “so-called”, not because evil isn’t real, but only because the presence of evil in this world is not a “problem” in the way that most people think it is. I hope these brief thoughts help my fellow brothers and sisters to think biblically about this issue, and I will be posting some further reflections I had in response to this in a few days. But first, here is the initial email:

The Origin and Problem of Evil

I received an email from a solid and faithful Christian this week, with the following question:

"Dear Brother,

I am preparing for an exam which is on Thursday. Among those topics is that of God's relation to evil. I am not satisfied with the results of the "modern" debates that use concepts like "middle knowledge" or other philosophical ideas.

I suppose you have reflected on this issue. Would you give me some of your thoughts on this issue? How do you think the problem of evil may be best dealt with? As my exam is in about 2 days, I would appreciate if you could give me some tips. Thank you."

My response--

My dear brother,

I am afraid I am poor in some of these areas of thought, but here would be my brief summary response:

If one allows that God is not sovereign over evil-- that He had no control in the origin of evil, then they have created more problems that they can deal with-- true problems, the main one being that God therefore is not truly God-- He is not ruling over all things, etc, and He is therefore not sovereign over all things, and therefore, He has ceased to be the God of Gen 1-3. By definition, God must be absolutely in control of all things at all times OR He is not God.

If one denies the sovereign control of God over evil's origin and existence, you have already re-defined who God is, and it is not the God of Genesis 1, but a God of your own imagination.

This becomes quite important in the application of theology, because if He was not sovereign over the ORIGIN & EXISTENCE of evil at the beginning, then it consistently must be true that He has no control over it at ANY level; therefore:

1. Christians could never draw any comfort at all from a Heavenly Father who is not controlling evil, for they would have to face the sad reality that He can do nothing about it; it is outside of His control.

2. Neither can Christians pray to God to work in and through evil situations, since He already had no power in evil coming about; so why pray if He is not truly sovereign and in control? We surely cannot ask Him to cause ALL things to work for the good, IF He is not in control of it all completely. If He is not in charge when evil occurs, He could not be in charge to bring about good as a result of it. Prayer would be a vain action if God is not ruling over all things, including all evil.

Therefore we come to a foundational reality--

The Bible throughout declares and make very plain that God rules over all things completely; (see Job 1-3), plus many of the speeches in Job directly show that; Satan could not even touch Job without God's direct permission AND it was God who initiated all of Job's situation. If one did a simple perusal of all the verses in a concordance that directs shows all that God is sovereign over, that would settle it forever- for those who truly believe in the God of the Bible.

Biblically, if God CREATED all things by Himself, it is theologically and logically certain that He must still GOVERN all things Himself;

Any sane person who believes in God's existence will acknowledge that God ALLOWS suffering; one has to deny Scripture completely to deny that; BUT, if as Scripture says, He works all things after the counsel of his own will, then ALLOWING something is exactly the same as purposing it to exist.

Evil must be defined in terms of God, not man; what God says is evil, man often says is good and what man says is evil, God often says it is good; man re-defines evil according to only how it affects himself or mankind; so what man often says is evil is only evil because it messes up man's desires, plans, wishes, and his selfish life; but that interruption by something "bad" often is, from the divine perspective, the greatest and best thing that could have happened to that person to bring about God's redemptive purposes for him or her.

So Joni Ereckson Tada's broken neck and paralysis now for over 30 years is evil according to man's definition, but how much glory and good has come from it?

And the ultimate example and proof is the cross. How evil and wicked of men to reject, blaspheme, deny, and crucify the Son of God, yet this was the predetermined plan according to the foreknowledge and purpose of God and was the only perfect act of good since creation. The cross- how evil and how perfectly good.

A main theological truth from Scripture is this: God certainly purposes the existence of evil for the primary purpose of displaying and revealing His glory in the universe. There is no other ultimate and satisfactory explanation for the existence of evil other than ALL things exist for the glory of God Himself and the display of His purposes in redemption.

I would also recommend you read both C. Sam Storms and John Piper on the subject; most helpful.

This is a little scattered in thought, but it is the best I can do at the moment. I surely hope it helps;

Hope you pull an A on the exam, but if you take this position and because of it, your professor gives you a worse grade, then rejoice! the Lord is King!

Your brother and friend,

Mack

The Persecuted Church

We had a day of fasting for the persecuted church. We met collectively this evening to pray specifically about this forgotten reality. The time started with these verses:

Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. – Hebrews 13:3

If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it – 1 Corinthians 12:26

I sensed the verses hit many of us with force for the first time. The Word was alive. A brother read about some of the situations around the world. Some of the persecution is almost unmentionable. Yet, I somehow found myself dull. I tried to pray. I only had reality when confessing my unreality. But I was beginning to feel the weight of the situation and the command.

Remember. We are commanded to remember these brothers and sisters. To what extent? God will allow no speculation in this area: as though in prison with them. Detach yourself from this mind-numbing, Christ-drowning, self-sufficient culture and place yourself within that cold, damp cell. O how exceedingly precious the prayers of the saints would become! One prayer lifted to the Father would be worth more than gold!

So remember your brothers. Remember they sleep in cells, cold and sick. They’ve been beaten and starved. They don’t have their Bibles. They are fed lies and Satanic propaganda. Their families are poor and in danger, maybe without a home. Pray. Pray for the alleviation of their suffering. Pray that God would keep them cleaving. Let us die deeper deaths and suffer with them.

You can find more information on these sites. We do not support all of the theology and missiology on these links. Nevertheless, the information these organizations provide is a wonderful service to the Church.

Release International
www.releaseinternational.org

Voice of the Martyrs
www.persecution.com

Beautifying Doctrine

I was once told by a foreign pastor why the army made him a supervisor in spite of the fact they hated true Christianity. They had to. The non-Christian soldiers were so prone to laziness and bribery that, in order to ensure their tasks would be completed, they needed someone with integrity who had a high work-ethic. Though the Orthodox church maligns these Christians, they have no grounds whereby to accuse them in respect to their secular work. This harmonizes with Scripture. For instance, take Daniel’s ethic:

Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. - Dan. 6:4

The Christian, by definition, is marked for close scrutiny. People examine their lives, looking for the loophole to justify their suppression of righteousness. Few things give them more ground than negligent Christian workers. We are not only to be “the light of the world” but also “the salt of the earth.” In other words, we are called to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:10). You have the chance, every moment from 8 to 5, to make the Gospel beautiful! Let us, therefore, examine ourselves. If we find ourselves lacking we must repent immediately for Christ’s sake.

Then these men said, "We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God." - Dan. 6:5

Let your doctrine offend, not your life. If they accuse you, let it be because of your stand for truth. Which is only to say we should “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” and “strive to do what is right in the sight of men” (Col 1:10; 2 Cor 8:21).

An Interview with Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Below is an excerpt from an interview conducted by Carl Henry for Christianity Today. Lloyd-Jones answer is a rebuke to the pragmatism that has sought to hijack Biblical Christianity.

CH – You and I met in 1966, I believe, to discuss the projected Berlin World Congress on Evangelism. You declined to be either a participant or observer. You were also, I think, the only minister of a major church in London that did not cooperate in the Graham crusades? What kept you on the sidelines?

MLJ – This is a very vital and difficult matter. I have always believed that nothing but a revival – a visitation of the Holy Spirit, in distinction from an evangelistic campaign – can deal with the situation of the church and of the world. The Welsh Presbyterian Church had roots in the great eighteenth-century evangelical revival, when the power of the Spirit of God came upon preachers and churches, and large numbers were converted. I have never been happy about organized campaigns. In the 1820s a very subtle and unfortunate change took place, especially in the United States, from Azahel Nettleton’s emphasis on revival to Charles G Finney’s on evangelism. There are two positions. When things were not going well, the old approach was for ministers and deacons to call a day of fasting and prayer and to plead with God to visit them with power. Today’s alternative is an evangelistic campaign: ministers ask, “Whom shall we get as evangelist?” Then they organize and ask God’s blessing on this. I belong to the old school.

Sibbes on Prayer

"It is atheism to pray and not to wait in hope." - Richard Sibbes

The Promises of the New Covenant

I received an email with a question concerning whether or not the believer is secure. There are many ways this issue can be addressed. Nevertheless, I find that many of the hindrances to a right understanding of Biblical Christianity owe their existence to a misunderstanding of the New Covenant. I thought I would post a segment from my initial response to this issue. I tried in this email to simply underline the promises that apply to every Christian.

mv

In dealing with this issue it is important to understand the overarching scheme of Scripture before going to particular passages. In other words, we must have a foundation in order to understand this “great salvation” (Hebrews 2:3). Many errors gain entrance into Christian teaching simply because the Bible is not viewed as a unit. The statement “the Bible is a unit” simply means that the Bible does not contradict itself. What has been written in the Old Testament in no way contradicts what has been written in the New Testament. Therefore, the best interpretation for Scripture is Scripture. This is very important.

One of the most foundational doctrines of Scripture is that of the old and new covenants. We could begin by asking ourselves if there was any need for a “new covenant.” What was wrong with the old one? What does it mean to become a Christian? To this we will now turn.

God made a covenant with Moses and the nation of Israel at Sinai. God gave the nation of Israel the Law saying, “You shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD” (Leviticus 18:5). However, according to Scripture, this covenant had a “fault” (Hebrews 8:6). The fault with this covenant was that no one could keep it! The reason no one could keep the Law and merit life (Matthew 19:16-17) was because all men, in their natural state, are “hostile toward God” and they are unable to submit to the law of God (Romans 8:7). Men are born wicked and God-hating (Romans 3:10-18). The righteousness of all men can be compared to a “filthy rag” (Isaiah 64:6). As Scripture says, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)” So what was the fault with the old covenant? The old Covenant did not address the main problem: man’s heart is bent on sin. However, an incredible thing has happened.

God, through the prophet Jeremiah, announced the solution: a new covenant. This is what God says concerning this covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34),

"Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

Can you see the awesome difference between these two covenants? In the “old” covenant God wrote the Law on tablets of stone (Exodus 24:12). In the “new” covenant God writes the Law on the heart of His people! In the old covenant, each man had to teach his neighbor to know the Lord. However, everyone in the new covenant knows the Lord! In this new covenant, God is going to deal with the wicked heart of man. And, notice the usage of “I will” throughout the passage. This is a promise for all of those that are in the new covenant. God isn’t saying “I hope” to do these things. He says, “I will”. These realities become even clearer in a parallel passage in Ezekiel. Listen to these same truths about what God is going to do in the new covenant (Ezekiel 36:22-27, 29):

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name…"I will vindicate the holiness of My great name…"For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances…."Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness…”

This is incredible! Once again, all of these truths are promises (“I will”) based on the fact that God is acting in order to vindicate the holiness of His great Name. We will simply list these promises so we can understand them more clearly.

- I will vindicate the holiness of My great name
- I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land
- I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean
- I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
- I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you
- I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and (I will) give you a heart of flesh
- and you will be careful to observe My ordinances
- I will save you from all your uncleanness

We learn that God is going to vindicate His great name by gathering a people. Who is this people? Well, who is in the New Covenant? The Church (Hebrews 10:15-17)! These promises belong to every single Christian! Christ said at the Passover with His disciples, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). Dear brother, all of these realities belong to you and me! Looking back to this passage in Ezekiel, we see that God is going to deal with their unrighteous record of breaking His commandments. This is justification. In justification God declares us to be righteous in His sight based on the blood of Christ (Romans 5:9). In this act, we are forgiven and credited with the righteousness of Christ. Also, God is going to deal with their “desperately wicked” heart. This is regeneration. In regeneration God takes out their “heart of stone” and gives them a “heart of flesh”. All Christians have new hearts “created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:24). Christians really are a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17)! Finally, God is going to put His Spirit in all Christians. Why? To ensure that they “will be careful to observe My ordinances”. The main feature of this covenant is the ministry of the Spirit bearing witness to Christ (John 16:14, 2 Corinthians 3:7-8). Praise the Lord! “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). At the blazing center of this new covenant is Christ crucified, now risen and exalted – ruling and reigning at the right hand of the Father. I cannot emphasize this enough.

In summary: When a person becomes a Christian some major things happen.

- Something takes place in Heaven in the courtroom of God: God declares a person to be righteous in His sight. Once again, this is justification.

- Something takes place on earth in the heart of the man: God takes out the old, sinful heart that is hostile to Him and gives the man a new heart that loves Him and wants to follow Him. Once again, this is regeneration.

Salvation is not about bad men becoming good. Salvation is about dead men coming to life! Christianity is not simply a choice that is made to start being a better person. Christianity is God living in and through a person that has been made new!

Let us look at one more section on the new covenant. We will turn to Jeremiah 32:38-41.

"They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. "I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. "I will rejoice over them to do them good and (I) will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.”

Once again, these things are promises God has made to everyone that is in the new covenant. Let’s list out these promises once again.

- They shall be My people, and I will be their God
- I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always
- I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good
- I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me
- I will rejoice over them to do them good
- (I) will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.

This is glorious! God has determined that He will have a people. He is going to give them one heart and one way. For what purpose? “That they may fear (God) always.” In this “everlasting covenant,” God is promising that He will not turn away from His people to do them good. This is why Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” God also promises to “put the fear of Me” in the hearts of His people. For what purpose? “So that they will not turn away from Me.” This is extremely important. I will make a reference to this in my next reply. Finally, God promises to “rejoice over them to do them good” and “will faithfully plant (His people) in this land”. My dear brother, God is not apathetic about His children. At this very moment God is rejoicing over His people!

The things we have been looking at are not the characteristics of radical Christianity. In other words, what we have been looking at is normal Christianity! Anything less than these realities and (though it may be a lot of things) it is not Christianity. As one brother has said, “Christianity is not simply a person getting out of the line that is going to Hell and getting into the line that is going to Heaven.” To become a Christian is nothing short of a supernatural work of the creative powers of God. As it is written, “God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).