A Definition of Sin

What is sin?

The glory of God not honored.
The holiness of God not reverenced.
The greatness of God not admired.
The power of God not praised.
The truth of God not sought.
The wisdom of God not esteemed.
The beauty of God not treasured.
The goodness of God not savored.
The faithfulness of God not trusted.
The commandments of God not obeyed.
The justice of God not respected.
The wrath of God not feared.
The grace of God not cherished.
The presence of God not prized.
The person of God not loved.

This statement was taken from a sermon by John Piper in Romans 7, titled "The Greatest Thing in the World."

Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament

This past Sunday I preached from Mark 14:32-42 (morning) and Psalm 3 (evening). It was remarkable, to me at least, how similar the context and prayer of David are with Jesus' episode in the Garden and his further Passion. These are some of the thoughts that ran across my mind as I progressed through each verse:

Psalm 3:1, "O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;"
--Judas has already put into action the plans for betrayal.
--Judas quickly arrives with a "crowd" who are armed and are seeking to take custody of Jesus.
--Many gave false testimony against Jesus (Mark 14:56)
--The crowd of Jews wanted Barabbas rather than Jesus released (Mark 15)

Psalm 3:2, "many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God."
--Matthew 27:43 records the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocking Jesus saying, "He trusts in God, let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, I am the Son of God."

Psalm 3:3, "But you, O LORD are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."
--See John 8:54

Psalm 3:4, "I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill."
--As David cried to Yahweh, Jesus likewise cried out to Abba Father. And just as God answered David's prayer, Jesus' prayer was answered as well.

Psalm 3:5-6, "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around."
--The fact that David's prayer was answered is found in verse 5. Though thousands were seeking to take his life, he was able to sleep, and his fear was alleviated. Jesus' prayer is answered as well. The Father willed for Jesus to go to the cross, and Jesus was obedient. And though Jesus was sorrowful, even to death, he was strengthened through prayer for his mission.

Psalm 3:7, "Arise O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked."
--David calls on Yahweh to be the deliverer and judge.
--Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Psalm 3:8, "Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people."
--The very thing which Jesus was accomplishing.

Neglect of the Trinity?

The Trinity is one of the most distinguishing doctrines Christianity possesses. It sets us apart from every other religion, and it especially differentiates us from Islam and Judaism. So my question is: Do we neglect this great doctrine in our churches?

Nobody would argue that we emphasize what Christ has accomplished:

The Son of God redeems us from the curse of the law and becomes a curse for us (Gal 3:13).
The Son of God absorbs the wrath of God for those who believe by faith (Rom 5:9; 1 John 4:10).
The Son of God is our ransom (Mark 10:45).
The Son of God is our righteousness (2 Cor 5:21).
The Son of God provides forgiveness for our sins (Eph 1:7).

We could go on, but I think you get the point. I might add, pastors rightly emphasize these blessings in Christ, however our salvation is brought about by our Trinitarian God. How often do we preach on:

How the Father chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4)?
How the Father predestined us to adoption through Christ (Eph 1:5)?
How the Father draws us to Christ (John 6:44)?

How often do we preach on the Holy Spirit's work in Regeneration and Sanctification?

A recovery of the entire gospel will do our churches well. This also will help the church to understand why the Bible talks about salvation in past, present, and future tenses.

Edom and Judas

In Obadiah, God forecasted his judgment by way of prophetic oracle upon the nation of Edom. Edom was guilty of many sins. Edom was full of pride. Instead of depending upon God, Edom trusted in its alliances with other nations. One particular accusation against Edom made by Obadiah is Edom's violence against its kinsmen. Edom is guilty of violence against the Israelites.

Obadiah 10, "Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever."

The Edomites were the descendants of Esau the elder twin and brother to Jacob. When Judah was judged by God for her own disobedience by way of the Babylonians, Edom capitalized upon Judah's defeat. Edom did not help Judah. In fact, Edom was complicit in its defeat (v6, v11). Edom gloated over Judah's downfall (v13). Edom even captured those who managed to escape from the initial attack (v14).

The potency of God's anger is seen in his words of condemnation for Edom in verse 18, "...they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken," and in verse 10, "...you shall be cut off forever."

I have reflected upon this righteous anger towards Edom, which was fulfilled for the Lord says in Malachi 1:3, "Esau have I hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert." In my reflection, my Sunday morning text came to mind, which is Mark 14:12-26. If God's anger toward Edom is severe for its treatment of its kinsmen, then imagine God's anger towards the man who betrays his beloved Son leading to his death. There should be no wonder why there are comments like that found verse 21, "...but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."

The Alcohol question continues...

Baptist Press has published another editorial on alcohol consumption. This time the article is authored by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President, Paige Patterson. You can find his editorial arguing for complete abstinence here. In keeping with a past post, here is a link to some posts critiquing Patterson's article. Read both and see what you think.

(HT) Tom Ascol

A word of caution to readers

Any posts that I (Jason) place on this blog are my views alone. They are not Seth's views. They are not Brent's views. Seth's posts are his own. Brent's posts are his own. Both Seth and Brent are more than adequate to articulate their own positions with regards to Christian theology and practice (and for any other matter).

Also, to any readers, please do not lump me with any movement of thought or group of people. My thoughts are my own. Please do not try to associate me with other individuals for I am only one man. And please do not try to understand my complete theology based on one common view I have with another brother or sister in Christ.

I seek to be informed by Scripture, and I try to read widely from many different theological perspectives from individuals whom I think do the same thing. So while I desire the fortitude and passion of Martin Luther in his bold stand for justification by faith alone, I do not share his views regarding communion. While I desire and admire the evangelistic zeal of John Wesley, I do not share his views of church polity. While much of what I have learned about the Old Testament is due to the influence of Daniel Block (current professor at Wheaton, formerly of the SBTS), I do not share his view on the Sabbath.

Please do not evaluate Brent by a post which I make. Please do not evaluate Seth by a post which I make. Please only evaluate me by the words I say, I think this is the biblical approach.

Romans 14:12, "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."

We are praying for you Brent and Elizabeth!

Brent and Elizabeth,
I wanted to let you know that you have been in our prayers daily, and I am sure the Lord will be with you sufficiently tomorrow as you preach. I am looking forward to hearing about it, give me a call when you can.

(For those not in the know, Brent, currently a youth pastor in NC is preaching tomorrow before a pulpit committee, as he has determined the Lord would have him now shepherd a church, as a senior pastor)

The Olivet Discourse

I am currently preaching through the Gospel of Mark. Last Sunday, my text was chapter 13, which is commonly called the Olivet Discourse. I found it difficult to break down the chapter into multiple sermons so I tackled the entire text in one sermon. Further reflecting has led me to believe I could have broke the text possibly into two sermons having vv 32-37 as a stand alone, but this would entirely depend upon one's interpretation of these verses.

Anyone who has examined this text as it is written in Mark knows the great difficulties it possesses for interpretation. The question which guides the speech of Jesus concerns the destruction of the Temple Complex. Jesus says to the Disciples, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." To which the disciples respond, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?"

It is held by many that Jesus is talking about two separate events. First he is addressing the coming destruction of the Temple. In addition to this, many believe he addresses the signs preceding his 2nd coming, no doubt in part because in the Gospel of Matthew the disciples ask Jesus both questions (Matt. 23:3). Yet, when examining Mark's version, we must first seek to understand it as he has written it, not as Matthew has written the exchange.

I have settled (may change with time) on the position that Jesus' words contained in verses 5-31 are addressed with the destruction of the Temple in view, not his 2nd coming. I have uneasily settled on verses 32-37 referring to the 2nd coming of Christ Jesus, but am tempted to see these as addressing the Temple as well.

These are the difficult verses for my view found in the context of chapter 13:
1. Mark 13:10, "And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations."
2. Mark 13:19, "For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be."

For those who see most of this speech referencing the signs and events which precede the 2nd coming of Christ, the huge problem verse is Mark 13:30, which says, "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."

Needless to say, there are no easy answers for both positions. Even in Matthew's version, you still have to differentiate where Jesus is addressing the Temple and where he is addressing the 2nd return in addition to a comparable statement to Mark 13:30 (Matt 24:34).

Any comments...and does anyone know of a good sermon preached from Mark chapter 13?

The Alcohol Debate Continues

As I have stated earlier in a previous post, I was disappointed to see a resolution on complete abstinence from alcohol brought to the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention and adopted. Here are just a couple of reasons why I think it was a poor decision:

1. Southern Baptists have brought many like resolutions on alcohol before the Convention and have been adopted already by the Southern Baptists. Why do we need a new one?
2. There are many more issues which needed more time and discussion. What ends up in the press reports is the debate on alcohol consumption, when the gospel should be our focus.

Dr. Daniel Akin has continued this debate with a recent article published in Baptist Press news. It can be found here. He argues for complete abstinence when it comes to alcohol consumption. Since we are not likely to see an article from the opposite perspective published in Baptist Press, check this one out, written by Joe Thorn, Pastor, and graduate from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Thorn's article is written as a critique of Akin's.

Both articles make good points. What do you think? Is one more faithful to the Bible than the other?

Update #2

My grandmother continues to recover in the hospital. She is progressing nicely, but is both mentally and physically exhausted. We will receive the pathology results tomorrow (06/26) to learn if the cancer was confined to one area of her colon. We are praying for a good report. Brent, thank you for your prayers. How did your interview go?

Naomi and I explained to Lydia (our newly turned 3 year old daughter) that my Grandma was sick. Tonight as we prayed with her before bedtime, she said she would lead the prayer, and without any encouragement, she began by saying, God help Dadda's grandma who is sick. It was a sweet moment, which I hope to relay to my Grandmother tomorrow.

Update #1

My grandmother made it through the surgery fine. The surgeon successfully removed the tumor. They also took out a portion of her colon. He did not think any cancer has spread. My grandmother will remain in Intensive Care for 48 hours and will probably remain in the hospital a total of 8 days. Please continue to be in prayer for her.

Prayer Request

I just found out that my Grandma (Ruth) has a tumor in her colon. A surgeon told her today that he believed with almost certainty that it was cancerous. The surgery will be scheduled sometime between Wednesday-Friday. Brent and Seth, if you read this before church service tomorrow, put her on your church prayer lists. If either of you want to visit her, give me a call and I'll give you the details. My Mom and sister are going down Wednesday or Thursday.

Articles of Faith

I have been recently working on the development and adoption of a statement of faith for our church. I was not aware that we already had one, but when the church was established, Articles of Faith were adopted (in 1791). Some of our more interesting articles are as follows:

Point 12
We believe that none but regularly baptized members have the right to commune at the Lord's Table.

Many years ago the practice here was informally changed by the Pastor, but there has been no formal change. Since I became the Pastor we have practiced a form of close communion in violation of the Articles of Faith. This is evidence of the little value people today commonly place on statements of faith. Needless to say, we will shortly revise our Articles of Faith to coincide with our current practice. We do not wish to speak from both sides of our mouth.

Point 11
We believe that no minister has the right to administration of the ordinances, only such as are regularly baptized, called and come under the imposition of hands by the presbytery.

I am not even sure if I qualify to administer the ordinances under this existing article even as the Pastor. I was ordained by my home church. I was examined by elders and deacons. And the ordained men of the church placed hands on me and prayed for me during the service. But I am not sure this qualifies as "the presbytery." Needless to say, we will have to address this issue as well.

In my meetings with the pulpit committee, I was asked if I endorsed the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 (which I do), so my assumption was this statement of faith was established already in the church. I will take the blame though; I should have pressed the issue since I favor the active use of Statements of Faith in the local church.

Seth and Brent, do you local churches have and use statements of faith? Which ones?

Reflections from my 1st Convention

One of the more important events at the Convention is the election of the President because of his appointment powers. Going into the Convention I was unsure whether I would cast my vote for either Frank Page or Jerry Sutton. In fact I had not made up my mind until after the nomination speeches were finished. I voted for Frank Page, and to my surprise (as well as many others) he won on the first ballot. While I have theological differences with him, in the spirit of cooperation I felt he best demonstrated in the events leading up to the convention the kind of spirit I wanted for representing the Convention. Only time will tell, but I urge Southern Baptists to pray for him, as I believe this may be a difficult and busy year for him.

I was hoping to see during this convention a spirit of cooperation around the gospel. I believe, after reading many summaries of the talk by Patterson and Mohler, there was demonstrated the basic kind of spirit needed for cooperation between parties who disagree on the intricacies of the gospel. However, it was evident to me that tension was in the air. Even when platform speakers were trying to focus us on the essentials, they spoke carelessly. One speaker spoke of Calvinism and Plurality of Elders as being distractions. One need not think long on how this would make Calvinists feel. And to say to those Southern Baptists who care passionately about how a local church should be properly ordered that debating "the elder issue" is distracting certainly disheartens many Southern Baptists.

In many ways, what this convention will be remembered by besides the Page victory will be the spirited debate on the resolution pertaining to alcohol consumption. It seems to me to be a sad day when alcohol consumption gets so much attention when so many people in our Southern Baptist churches cannot articulate the gospel. Personally, I think there are always better options for most of us to choose some other choice of beverage than one which contains alcohol, but biblically for one Christian to say to another Christian, "You must abstain," is close to legalism. There are many issues which the Convention needed to address, and alcohol consumption was not one of them.

Meanwhile, a resolution on Integrity in Church Membership was declined both by the committee and by the convention as a whole. As I pointed out on a recent post, it continues to be grievous point when we are referred to as the 16,000,000 plus Protestant denomination, when we are only this on paper. If membership meant anything besides some card we sign, then our membership would be more accurately reported somewhere around 6,000,000.

Definite high points of the trip were spending time with family and friends. I spent around three hours with my Grandmother, aunt and two cousins. I stayed with Seth and his wife for two nights (thanks again). I enjoyed watching Brent play golf. And one of the highs had to be the time spent talking theology with pastors.

One of the major issues to be addressed was recent IMB developments. However, not much came of it; accept that it will be referred back to the IMB trustees for study. Hopefully when we gather in San Antonio next year, the Baptism policy will be rescinded or revised.

Brent and Seth, what say you?

Off to Greensboro

Well, really I will be heading through Greensboro Sunday afternoon on my way to Raleigh to visit with my fellow (non)-bloggers Seth and Brent. Instead of heading over to the breakout sessions of the Pastor's conference (which can be purchased later) we will be spending some time together. In addition to this, I'll visit with some of my family from that area. Early Tuesday morning we will drive up to Greensboro for the Southern Baptist Convention.

My mom grew up Southern Baptist, she even worked at Southeastern Seminary for a short season. My father grew up Methodist, so I spent time in both a Southern Baptist and Methodist church growing up. Eventually, as a teenager I repented of my sins and received Christ through faith for the forgiveness of my sins. After my conversion, I joined Towering Oaks Baptist Church. My family did also join around this time as well.

As a teenager, I was not really interested in the SBC. When I was in seminary, I did not have the money or time to attend, so this will be my first annual convention. If I am not mistaken this will also be the first convention for Seth as well. I have read as many as 15,000-20,000 messengers may attend this year, which would far exceed the previous years' attendance. Personally I hope to see the new IMB policies addressed, especially regarding Baptism. As it stands, if any potential missionary desires to be sent through the International Mission Board (the primary international missionary agency of Southern Baptist Churches), and was baptized in a church which did not endorse the doctrine of eternal security, they will be disqualified unless they are willing to be re-baptized (I know there is no such thing) in a church which does endorse the eternal security of the believer.

I would estimate a significant number of present day Southern Baptists were baptized in Free Will Baptist Churches or other churches where the doctrine of eternal security is not endorsed. Many of these members now believe in the doctrine of eternal security (I call this doctrine, The Perseverance of the Saints) and would endorse the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, but would still be disqualified from serving as a missionary from the very agency they likely support through the Cooperative Program.

I hope to see this addressed somehow. I will post on the convention when I return later next week.

Final Words

I have almost completed Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography by Iain H. Murray. I think these parting words of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards are warming to the heart. They also serve as a reminder as to the real importance of one's family on the measuring of one's legacy.

Edwards received an innoculation against smallpox, and developed the virus. He knew he was dying and gave these parting words for his wife (who was not present) to one of his daughters, "Dear Lucy, it seems to me to be the will of God, that I must shortly leave you; therefore give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her, that the uncommon union, which has so long subsisted between us, has been of such a nature, as I trust is spiritual, and therefore will continue for ever. And I hope she will be supported under so great a trial and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my children, you are now like to be left fatherless, which I hope will be an inducement to you all, to seek a Father who will never fail you (p 441)."

Upon receiving the news of her husband's death, Sarah Edwards writes to Esther (another daughter), "What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands on our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be (p 442)."

Family Issues

"In November 2005, the Internet strategies department of LifeWay, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, began soliciting participation in an online research project, the 'Top 10 Issues Facing Today’s Family.'" In order the top 10 issues facing American families found in the study are:

1. Anti-Christian culture
2. Divorce
3. Busyness
4. Absent father figure
5. Lack of discipline
6. Financial pressures
7. Lack of communication
8. Negative media influences
9. Balance of work and family
10. Materialism

I will only address what I think are three major problems for families in America. One can debate whether these are the top three, although I think we would all agree as Christians that point one is the major problem for non-Christian families.

1. No saving knowledge of Jesus Christ
In my estimation the #1 problem facing American families is the #1 issue facing the human race. It is the total depravity of the person. By in large American families are not Christian families. Therefore, the needed sanctification of the Holy Spirit to overcome sinful temptations is not present with the overwhelming number of families. So the remaining problems facing American families all stem from their lack of forgiveness in Jesus Christ and indwelling Holy Spirit who conforms our desires to God's and not to the desires of the flesh.

2. Individualism
Satan told Adam and Eve that if they ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they would become like God. Ever since this episode of disobedience, commonly called 'the fall,' men, women, and children have desired to be like God. This desire expresses itself negatively in our rabid pursuit of individualism. Many of the original issues which are listed in this article really come from the desire to fulfill self at all costs.

Divorce is the result of one or both spouses desiring to be fulfilled first rather than seeking first to please each other.

The absent father syndrome is often the product of self-centeredness. The male figure desires the pleasures of sex, but when a baby comes into the picture, he knows this will severely limit the time he has for himself, so he leaves.

Lack of discipline can also be caused by a preoccupation with oneself. Discipline is hard and it takes oversight, repetition, and time. So many parents pass over discipline altogether after a few attempts.

Financial pressures may be the result of individualism when a family has all it needs yet one or both spouses choose to work longer at the expense of the family to get more, which relates this issue with materialism.

Lack of communication often is the result of individualism because we only want to talk after all our other desires have been satisfied.

A balance between work and family can also be an issue related to self-interests when one or both spouses choose to spend time on their hobbies rather than being with their families.

3. Biblical Ignorance
This category is more for Christian families, but we can all see this issue effecting non-Christians as well. Biblical ignorance can be the result of many things. It is always, for the Christian, an issue of priority. Christians often task their lives so that personal Bible reading and reflection are activities which only occur if everything else is finished, when it really should be a "first priority' of the day along with prayer. I am not saying it has to be accomplished first thing in the morning, because if you do it at night, what you have reflected over should be with you in the morning and will be helpful.

All of the "Top 10" issues will influence us more dramatically if our knowledge of Scripture is minimal. And our lust after materialistic things and the pursuit of self-fulfillment through individualism come because we wrongly think they can satisfy, but only the work of the Triune God can fulfill completely the yearnings of the soul.

Church Membership Rolls

An article published by Baptist Press illustrates the problem Southern Baptist Churches have when it comes to the accuracy of church membership rolls. Many churches have memberships which greatly exceed average attendance for the primary worship gathering. Many churches have members on their rolls who have not attended the church at which they are members for years. What does this say about church membership? What does this say about the integrity of the SBC when it reports that it has 16 million plus members? Unfortunately, it says that in many churches, an individual can can join a church one Sunday, and never return for the rest of his life, yet be considered a member.

Currently, I am having to deal with this issue in the church I pastor. Brent, you will probably face this situation in the near future as a Senior Pastor, and Seth you may have the opportunity from both the classroom and perhaps serving in a local church to address this issue. What basic steps would you guys take to correct this problem, and how slowly should a new pastor take on this problem?

Recently, a resolution was sent to the resolution committee of the Southern Baptist Convention regarding this very issue. It can be found here. Do you think this is a good start from a convention standpoint?

Genesis

This blog will be the product of three men who grew up together and have all given their lives to Christian ministry. As the title hints, two of us are current pastors and one is currently working towards a Ph.D. and works for a seminary. Our topics for discussion will be wide ranging, and our examination and reflection upon the topics will be discussed from a Christian perspective. We are hoping this endeavor will help each of us to stay up-to-date on certain happenings, but we also hope to edify and sharpen one another through Christian reflection and discernment.