C
MPASS
Magazine of Theology
“All
Scripture is
God-breathed and
teaching,
rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness,
so that the man of God
may be thoroughly
equipped for every
good work” – 2 Tim. 3:16-17
is useful for
03
Dimensions of the Cross – Suffering & Humanism
08
Unintelligible Intelligibility
22
The Great Vision of Christian Education
2016
Vol. 1
Editor’s Welcome
Dear Reader
Welcome to Compass Magazine of Theology.
This is a quarterly publication for the
evangelical
fellowship
of
Bible
Colleges and churches that recognize
the
value
share
a
of
biblical
passion
for
theology
the
and
proper
interpretation of the Bible as it relates
to
academics,
ministry
and
practical
Christian living.
Articles are written by evangelical
lecturers and ministers of the Gospel
for purposes of healthy discussion and
the
benefit
audience.
of
the
wider
Christian
However, their work remains
their intellectual property and must be
cited as their views.
Our prayer is that each publication will
serve to inspire a deeper thinking of
Scripture,
a
greater
hunger
for
knowing Jesus and a stronger desire to
witness about Him.
For the glory of Christ
EDITOR
Rev Viv Naidoo
[email protected]
Compass Magazine of Theology is a
publication of Compass Bible
College.
www.compassbiblecollege.co.za
1
Contents of this issue
BIBLICAL SUFFERING
3
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
6
BIBLICAL ORIGINS
8
NOTEWORTHY BOOKS
12
BIBLICAL WORSHIP
14
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN
UNITY?
18
NOTEWORTHY CULTS
21
THE GREAT VISION OF
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
22
NOTEWORTHY FACTS
25
NOTEWORTHY DEFINITIONS
26
No part of this publication, except when quoting writers, may be reproduced in any
form without written permission from the editor. Scripture taken from THE HOLY
BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by
the International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
2
Biblical Suffering
Dimensions of the Cross – Suffering and Humanism
James F. Wright
Academic Dean
John Wycliffe Theological College
"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you
should not only believe in him but also to suffer for his sake,
engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear
that I still have" - Philippians 129-30
How out-of-place these words of encouragement are to our 21st
century ears. We live in a pleasure-loving age. We are all affected in
some way or other. It seems to me that if Paul had not written so boldly,
his words would be denied as an over-radical heresy! We will do well to
consider what Paul taught the Philippian Church.
In many places the New Testament teaches the several-fold
benefit of being united to Christ our Lord: there is more to the gospel
than gaining entry to heaven!1 In this text, Paul presents the privilege of
entering into suffering for Christ's sake. Most Christians are more than
happy to be forgiven because Christ suffered for us to bring us to God.
However, we are not nearly so ready to enter into the full dimensions of
suffering for Christ’s sake. It is our terrible loss if we do not. This article
has one strategic purpose. Much more might be said, but I trust this
one thought will encourage the reader to many more:
God's gift to us, namely suffering for Christ, is
the most potent antidote to what is probably the
greatest danger facing professing evangelical
Christians today.
The danger is most potent in that it is hardly
ever seen. Very few professing Christians seem to
agree that it is a danger at all. Not many seem to see
it, and if they do it is brushed aside as mostly
inconsequential. What then is it?: a debased and
humanised form of Christianity. It has affected us all.
Due to the humanist influences of our day,
Christians mostly dismiss suffering as somehow outof-place and foreign to the will of God for our lives.
Most evangelicals that I encounter feel very safe to
pursue their own lives, vaguely mindful of God's
promised blessings. They are content to believe that
they should be happy.
1
For example, Paul gives a
catalogue of blessings that come to
believers 'in Christ' in 1 Corinthians
14-10, 30ff, and the rich theology of
God's manifold blessing in Christ in
Ephesians 11-13 is both vivid and
astonishing. One might see these as
post-Pentecost commentaries on our
Saviour's words of assured blessing
to his true followers in Matthew 1929ff,
cf. 633. However, our present text
focuses on the privilege of suffering
for Christ's sake and echoes his
words in Matthew 511-12.
Paul
develops
something
of
an
experiential catalogue of suffering 'for
Christ's sake' in 2 Corinthians 1210ff.
3
However, most are blissfully unaware of the
Lord's appointed path to true happiness. The way to
blessing, the way to heaven is by a path of suffering,
sometimes terrible suffering, for genuine Christians.
What is 'Humanised Christianity'?
Syncretism has always been the deadliest
danger the Lord's people have faced.2 Syncretism is
the mixing together of religious beliefs. When
Christianity is married to some other religion or worldview the result is syncretism. Much of our Christian
thinking has been subtly invaded by humanist ideas.
Humanism is easy to define, and it is very close to
home. It is not so easy to root it out of our hearts.
The second chapter of the South African
Constitution enshrines the principles of the Humanist
Manifesto. This is termed the 'Bill of Rights' which is
the cornerstone of our democracy. It guarantees the
rights of all people in our country and affirms the
ultimate values of human dignity, equality and
freedom. As a result you as a human have the right to
have your freedom and dignity respected and
protected.3 Nothing in the foundation of our State is
more ultimate than this. Human dignity (and that
alone) produces human rights and is the foundation of
all justice and righteousness. In short: "Man is the
measure of all things."
Humanism has profound implications. However,
for our purposes we note that it is absolutely opposed
by biblical Christianity. Biblical religion teaches that
only God is the measure of all things. All things exist
by his will and solely for his glory (see Romans 1133-36
and Revelation 411). Humanism teaches that human
dignity is inherent in us; the Scripture says: No, it is by
virtue of God's creative will (see Genesis 96).
Humanism claims that freedom is found in permitting
human desires free expression; the Bible says it is
only found only in the conquest of our sinful desires
by God's redeeming power. Nowhere is this more
apparent than in Galatians 517-22 where human desire
(described as our flesh or sinful nature) is irrevocably
opposed by God's redemptive grace (the fruit of the
Spirit.)
Notwithstanding the claims to the contrary,
Humanism is a religion.4 Humanism presents answers
to human maladies just as every major religion does.
However, because it claims not to be a religion per sé,
it is harder to deal with than other false religions. Many
professing Christians, who have no difficulty in seeing
the error of the other world religions which all deny
that Jesus Christ is the Supreme and only Saviour, are
4
2
The New Testament is replete with
warnings against compromising our
faith in the one living and true God.
See, for example, Romans 121-3, 2
Corinthians 1113, Galatians 24,
Colossians 218-23, 2 Peter 21ff, etc. So
too is the Old Testament. One very
striking example of the prohibition is
the command in the Law of Moses
not to set up an Asherah pole beside
the
LORD's
altar,
found
in
Deuteronomy 1621. It is the perfect of
example of what syncretism tries to
do. If the worship of the LORD was
the path to blessing and fruitfulness,
what harm could there be in covering
the bases and worshiping the
Canaanite deities as well? The net
effect is that the Israelites treated the
living God as if he were a mere idol
to be manipulated in order to get
ahead in life. Syncretism always
reduces God to a lesser-god and
hence a non-god. Humanism reduces
the Lord of Heaven to a pathetic
servant of human ambitions.
3
Constitution of the Republic of
South Africa, 1996, Chapter 2: “The
Bill of Rights”, 7.1 and 10. This can
easily be accessed via the web. It is
important to read it in its entirety;
abortion, homosexual marriage, and
more recently the recent alarming
changes to the recently tabled
Amendment to South African Sexual
Offences Bill are all the consistent
result of the application of the
principles. My point here is simply
that our permissive laws which
defend murder in the womb, and call
gross sexual evils a freedom are not
'unfortunate misunderstandings' by
our legislature. Better laws that reject
these evils are going to be
unconstitutional. The foundation of
our
democracy
is
religious
humanism, which demands them.
4
Typically humanists will claim to be
free of the influence of superstition
and religion. They state they are
applying rational solutions to moral
and other problems. However, they
possess a powerful set of beliefs,
grounded on the assumption of the
goodness of humanity which is easily
discerned in their literature.
showing mere ambivalent attitudes to issues such as
homosexual marriage and abortion. Humanism has
crept up on us. The humanist agenda is relentless. It is
in my view a much greater threat to Christianity than
radical Islam or any other contemporary opposition.
However, in many ways, suffering is the definitive testcase for the validity of any religion or philosophy. The
truth is humanism cannot cope with suffering, it simply
has no answer or explanation. If we compromise our
faith with this philosophy we will suffer accordingly.
So, summing up, there is surely no greater
'issue' than humanised-Christianity and I suggest there
is no ruder awakening to its pathetic inability to save
us when the chips are down than the matter of
suffering.
Idols for Destruction
The first idol of Humanised Christianity says we
are not to suffer, at least we are not to suffer much. In
this age of trivialised experience we all tend to
describe mere inconveniences in terms of suffering.5
So, when Christians really suffer, we are aghast and
dismayed if we have imbibed this fallacy. We cannot
comprehend the 'Why?' of it all. Unable to cope all too
often the result is bitterness and further loss. This
attitude is fostered and nurtured in us in our
humanised age. "We are not on earth for anything less
than happiness," the media tell us in a million ways.
The happiness is almost always mis-defined in terms
of pleasure in some form or other. They have a
powerful foundation for the message – it is inscribed in
the Constitution, just read it for yourself! It establishes
the first idol of Humanised Christianity: we are not to
suffer. Why? Because I am so 'great'. Man is after all
the measure of all things.
The thirst for pleasure and self-fulfilment is a
powerful and seductive force. It is nothing new, it was
present in the garden in Genesis 3, it was thrust upon
our Lord in his temptation and it presses on us every
day. The striving for happiness and pleasure is
radically opposed to the kingdom of God. They cannot
preside at the same time in our hearts – we are either
lovers of pleasure or lovers of God (2 Tim 34). We
cannot be both – at least not at the same time!
5
Just think for a few moments about
recent responses to electrical and
water load-shedding, not of course
for emergency or health services, but
in comfortable homes!
The second idol is the pressure to treat
suffering with Stoical disdain. This is an older form of
humanism, and perhaps more subtle. This wrong
thinking views the matter of suffering as mostly
inexplicable. Hence, its pain and distress are to be
borne in uncomplaining silence, as much as that can
be managed.
Continued on Page 7…
5
NOTEWORTHY
QUOTES
"The happiness promised us in Christ does not
consist in outward advantages--such as leading
a joyous and peaceful life, having rich
possessions, being safe from all harm, and
abounding with delights such as the flesh
commonly longs after. No, our happiness
belongs to the heavenly life!"
– John Calvin
Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2, 15, 4
“Unless I understand
the Cross, I cannot
understand why my
commitment to what is
right must be
precedence over what I
prefer.”
– Ravi Zacharias
I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah
“Missions is not the
ultimate goal of the
church. Worship is.
Missions exists because
worship doesn't.”
– John Piper
Let The Nations Be Glad
"If we do not preach about sin and God's judgment on it, we
cannot present Christ as Saviour from sin and the wrath of
God. And if we are silent about these things… we are not
preaching the Christ of the Bible . . . it will help nobody; for a
Christ who is not seen and sought as a Saviour from sin will
not be found to save from self or from anything else"
– J.I. Packer
A Quest For Godliness
6
If man is the measure of all things, what he
cannot understand cannot be understood. Christians,
too often, are crippled under this illusion. If suffering
cannot be avoided, just grin and bear it as best as you
can. This is not just wrongheaded, it blasphemes the
Lord and the love and care that he has for his people.
We must consider the sufferings of our Saviour, the
afflictions of the cross predicted in the Scriptures and
the prophets. Nowhere is his soul more exposed to us
in all the Scriptures than in the Servant Songs of
Isaiah and in Psalm 22. Not only was he suffering in
our place, taking the punishment we deserve, but he
also has suffered as an example for us. These two
matters can never be separated (see 2 Peter 221-24).
The truth is: we do know why we suffer, at
least, we know more than enough of God's great and
eternal reasons to bring sweet comfort to us.6 And, in
turn, that comfort is to be the basis for our comforting
others. To ignore this brings crippling weakness!
Applying a Straightforward Biblical Remedy
Dear reader, there is no mystery in Philippians
1 . Suffering is our Saviour's gift to us. It is his
appointed way to our eternal inheritance. We have no
say in the matter – he is the Judge and King. The
kingdom of God is not a democracy. In this sense,
biblical Christianity is radical. We might not know all
the why's of our suffering, but we always know this: it
is God's good gift, as precious as our faith in Christ.
But why??!! Well, I have good news for the serious
enquirer. God is not a humanist! Instead, he redeems
human sinners! Christians suffer and the suffering he
brings to them produces in them an exceeding and
eternal weight of glory (see 2 Corinthians 417). That
glory will one day explode on our sight (see Romans
818)!
29
The whole matter can be resolved here:
Suffering is God's good gift to me. When suffering is
treated as alien, we have reduced and debased God .
If it is embraced – not for itself but for the sake of the
Giver – it is precious beyond estimation. This is not all
that can or must be said. There are several more, very
compelling biblical reasons for the Christian to bless
God for our sufferings which are his gift to us. In
subsequent articles I wish to explore the best
explanation of Christian suffering that I have ever
read, from the perspective of the reformation of the
sixteenth century. The Lord has much to teach us all,
and by his grace our fathers have much to teach us as
well.
6
I do not wish to minimise the mysteries
in our sufferings, God's ways are not
equal in his dealings with his children
and we are not to lose the profundities of
the Lord's empathy with us in the
suffering he brings.
Dear brethren, we do not
have to be crippled by the
humanist distortions that afflict the
Churches. It is bad enough that
worldly views of sex, money,
pleasure and cheap grace have all
but overwhelmed us. We are
badly afflicted by an inability to
see our sufferings as God would
have us to. But, praise be to God,
this is the good news for us all:
Christ, who is a patient and kind
but an all-powerful and intolerant
King, won’t allow humanism to
triumph. He is not a humanist. Our
suffering, our stark suffering, is
often his cure to all the subtle
idolatries that creep in.
7
Biblical
Origins
Biblical Origins
Unintelligible Intelligibility
Martin Duboisée de Ricquebourg / Academic Dean / Harare Theological College
Is evolution an intelligent idea? It goes without saying that if evolution cannot at
least make sense of intelligence itself, to ask the question is tantamount to
begging the question. Yet Daniel Dennett writes, “To put it bluntly but fairly,
anyone today who doubts that the variety of life on this planet was produced by a
process of evolution is simply ignorant—inexcusably ignorant, in a world where
three out of four people have learned to read and write.”1
So by way of reminder, here’s what you need to believe in order to avoid
“inexcusable ignorance”: Billions of years ago, nothing2 exploded into
everything for no apparent reason thereby defying every known physical (and
metaphysical) law in the universe. Solar-systems, galaxies, and nebulae replete
with at least 70 billion trillion stars,3 in their various constellations and orbits, all
assembled and distributed themselves across space without cause, design, or by
any other conceivable means.
Furthermore we are supposed to believe that inanimate matter, without any
mental deliberation or intelligible intervention, chose for its own destiny a future of
bumblebees, bottle-nosed dolphins, butterflies, baboons and blue skies. Rocks
decided to live, so that they could one day fight over who would not die. And
amidst this chaos, all the laws which describe how this universe works: laws of
logic, gravitation, thermodynamics, electro-magnetism, photonics, quantum
mechanics, the laws of chemistry and geophysics fell out of space like pigeon
droppings from the sky: laws which inconveniently defy the scientific credibility of
the story itself (e.g. first and second laws of thermodynamics, law of causality,
etc.).
But exceptions are what evolution thrives on. Evolution defies logic, it defies
common sense, and it continues to defy real science because it was contrived in
its entirety to defy God himself.4 Those who have never witnessed the creation of
a universe nor ever been involved in the design of one of their own, continue to
confidently assert that an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, eternal and infinite
God could never have done it.
8
Yet we are called stupid and ignorant for not seeing the so-called logic behind a
universe creating itself out of nothing.5 And so we are asked to believe that
intelligence cannot be the cause of intelligence. In an ironic twist, the same
intellect which owes its intelligibility to the God of ages, makes war on the
necessary preconditions for intelligence. Even as the anti-Christian philosopher
Voltaire once admitted, “We are intelligent beings: intelligent beings cannot have
been formed by a crude, blind, insensible being: there is certainly some difference
between the ideas of Newton and the dung of a mule. Newton's intelligence,
therefore, came from another intelligence.6
Without a mind behind the world, the scientific study of reality is reduced to futility:
like meditating on the purpose and design of a rubbish heap. We might try to find
relationships and patterns between its various parts, measuring the angles and
distances between discarded toothbrushes, tin cans, bottles and tires – but the
fact remains that none of these were placed there with any intention or organising
principle. The evolutionary story reduces our universe to a cosmic rubbish dump,
and thus science itself to complete futility. For if science is not the careful
investigation into the intentionality and intelligence of the mind behind all things; if
it is not an exercise in trying to think God’s thoughts after him as we examine his
handiwork – then science is completely meaningless, and consequently,
unintelligible.
Yet, we are told that death itself provides us with one of the best incentives for
evolution; that information can be added by being subtracted (through natural
selection); that living things can improve themselves by being broken: that the
mutations which continue to ravage our planet and drive us closer to extinction
supply the fairy dust to turn us all into gods and goddesses... given enough time.
Should we find it surprising therefore, that of all the living creatures on this planet,
only humans have been blessed with the intelligence to realise the unintelligible
origins of our intellect?
With all of man’s desires to see further, run faster, swim for longer, fly, reproduce
and survive we find ourselves surpassed in every category by other creatures.
Evolution fails to explain why it ever produced us. We can’t climb like monkeys or
squirrels. We can’t run on water. We can’t see further than the average bird. We
can’t stay awake for more than 12 days.7 We have no wings to fly. We don’t
have razor-sharp talons or huge fangs. We can’t run particularly fast – even our
pet dogs can outrun us. We hold no poison in our fangs or skin, nor stings in our
tails. We don’t have camouflage to blend into our surroundings and we can’t
change colour to hide ourselves. We can’t grow our own coats to keep warm.
We can’t excrete silk to trap our food. We can’t dismember ourselves when
trapped and regrow the body part later. We can’t look in several different
directions at the same time. We have no hard outer-shell or body-armour. When
we are born, we can’t sit, crawl, speak, wash or go to the toilet without help.8
9
From an evolutionary perspective, it seems that the only thing that sets us apart is
our intelligence. But how has that intelligence helped us? As the story goes,
evolution only has two games in town: the struggle for survival9, and the
competition to pass on our genes.10
So has our intelligence made us better survivors? As it turns out, even the
Antarctic sponge outlives us by more than a millennium. Has our intelligence
enabled to us reproduce any faster? Again, on these grounds, we might as well
deduce that the world is ruled by ants and flies. And consider that a bacterium
like E. coli has a doubling time of about 20 min – in comparison to humans who
double, only when pressed, over approximately a 2 year period. The human
population weighs in at around 7.3 billion, but there are approximately 5 thousand
billion billion billion prokaryotes on our planet.11 Perhaps human intelligence
should also be shelved along with the infamous Darwinian list of vestigial organs.
So, contrary to what we might expect, our intelligence has not made us better at
reproduction or survival. It seems to be the case that evolution has provided us
with something which has not advanced the human cause at all. If anything,
human intelligence is currently engineering the destruction of our environment
along with the inevitable extinction of our race, thereby providing a meaningless
conclusion to our meaningless origins. And whilst this mindless process
continues to miraculously produce minds, evolutionists are left thinking how and
why it became possible to think. Or as G.K. Chesterton famously put it,
“Evolution is a good example of that modern intelligence which, if it destroys
anything, destroys itself… it is an attack upon thought itself.”12
Our conclusion is unavoidable: evolution makes intelligence unintelligible. Of all
the proposed candidates, the only thing which has managed to evolve over the
years is the idea of evolution itself. But if we are honest enough to follow the
evidence where it leads, it doesn't take us anywhere closer to the proverbial
primordial soup. It takes us instead to an infinitely intelligent Creator who made
the whole show as He told us in the opening pages of our Bibles: Genesis 1:1, “…
1 | Dennett, D., Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: evolution and the meanings of life, Penguin books, London, 1995, p. 46.
2 | Hawking, S., Questioning the universe, 2008, TED talk, available at
http://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_hawking_asks_big_questions_about_the_universe?language=en, accessed 6 August 2015.
3 | Temming, M., How many stars are there in the universe? 2014, available at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomyresources/how-many-stars-are-there/, accessed 30 July 2015.
4 | See http://creation.com/charles-lyell-free-science-from-moses and http://creation.com/darwins-arguments-against-god
5 | Ref. 2.
6 | Voltaire, Voltaire’s philosophical dictionary, 2008, NuVision Publications, South Dakota, p. 26.
7 | Wikipedia, Tony Wright (sleep deprivation), 2015, available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Wright_(sleep_deprivation), accessed
6 August 2015.
8 | I’m grateful to Grant Wilson for providing me with many of the examples in this paragraph.
9 | Coyne, J., Why evolution is true, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2009, p. 3.
10 | Dawkins, R., The selfish gene, Oxford University Press, New York, 2006, pp. 62, 391, 400.
11 | Whitman, W.B., First-ever estimate of total bacteria on earth, 1998, available at http://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0998/et0998s8.html,
accessed 11 July 2015.
12 | Chesterton, G.K., Orthodoxy, 1957, Bradford and Dickens, London, p. 46.
10
Place Your College Article
Here
NOTEWORTHY
BOOKS
An Infinite Journey: Growing toward Christlikeness
by Andrew M. Davis
You would be hard pressed to find a better book on the
subject of sanctification than ‘An Infinite Journey’ by Andrew
Davis. Davis introduces his subject by explaining that God has
set before the church two simultaneous journeys, the external
journey of advancing the gospel and the internal journey of
sanctification. Davis then goes on to give us a map, or a
pathway to Christian maturity under four headings: Knowledge,
Faith, Character and Action. The author explains that knowledge
increases faith, increasing faith transforms character,
transformed character produces action, and action feeds
knowledge.
The strength of this book is that it is both theologically rich
and extremely practical. Don't be put off by the size of the book
(480 pages), as Davis writes in a clear, winsome and pastoral
manner.
Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices
by Thomas Brooks
C.S. Lewis wrote that ‘It is a good rule after reading a new
book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read
an old one in between’. Lewis believed that old books help us
to see and correct the blind spots or ‘characteristic mistakes of
our own period’.
Over the past couple of decades there has been a
resurgence of Puritan books released by various Christian
publishers. Many people are intimidated when it comes to
reading the Puritans, believing that the old English language
and style of writing would be too difficult to grasp and
understand. While I agree that reading the Puritans does take
more effort than modern books, I believe the benefits far out
weigh the effort. The Puritans saw themselves as the
‘physicians of the soul’ and had an excellent understanding of
both God’s Word, as well as the human heart and could apply
Scripture with skill and precision.
12
For those who have never read any of the Puritans and would
like a good place to start, I would highly recommend Thomas
Brooks’ most famous work, ‘Precious Remedies Against
Satan’s Devices’. Brooks shows us the many snares, traps and
temptations Satan has in his armoury as he attempts to destroy
the Christian’s faith and witness. Brooks then applies the
remedies or practical solutions to keep us on the narrow path.
As with most of the Puritan writings, this is book is ‘meaty’ and
needs to be digested slowly, but it is sure to build spiritual
muscles.
DVD: The God Who Is There
by D.A. Carson
In a post-Christian world, an age of biblical illiteracy, it
can no longer be assumed that people have even a basic
understanding of what the Bible and its storyline is. With the
plethora of popular level anti-Christian literature available, many
people are getting their information, or more accurately their
misinformation, from authors who are openly antagonistic
towards the Christian faith. What is needed is a return to the
Bible as the primary source of knowing what the Word of God
actually teaches.
In the DVD series The God Who Is There, D.A. Carson
takes his audience on a journey through the Bible in fourteen
lectures concentrating on the main themes of the biblical
narrative. Each lecture focuses on one aspect of God’s
character as the story of redemption is played out in human
history. From the God who creates everything in Genesis, to the
God who is victorious in the book of Revelation, we gain insight
into how God relates to people in a fallen world.
Carson is an excellent communicator who captivates the
viewer with his passion for the God he is teaching about. He
presents the gospel clearly and uncompromisingly. One of the
many highlights of the series is the way Carson unpacks and
explains justification from Romans 3.
*Also available as a book
BY
Brad Flood
13
Biblical Worship
l
Raising The Issues
VIV NAIDOOPRINCIPALCOMPASS BIBLE COLLEGE
When we discuss Christian worship
today, the unavoidable question we need
to ask ourselves is, “Has worship of God
descended to a rudimentary desire for
entertainment or to mere intellectual
satisfaction?” The reason for asking such
a question, in recent decades, is
reflected by two very common attitudes
that exist amongst some churches today:
-
-
“We have got worship right, unlike
those stiff, frozen-chosen, boring
reformed churches.”
“We have got worship right, unlike
those ‘happy-clappy’, over-enthused
charismatic churches.”
Of course, there is also a third
common attitude of neutrality, one that
avoids the practical concerns altogether,
that says, “Every Christian worships God
in their own way.” In my opinion, this is a
dangerous mindset for any Christfollower to adopt as this philosophy
propels a very unhealthy “anything goes”
mentality that goes beyond contextual
worship, with a tendency to infringe upon
the prescriptions of Scripture on the
subject. Even if believers claim to be
non-judgmental, there is a certain degree
of biasness that shows itself in practice
and/or personal preference.
14
In
many
churches
and
denominations all over the world,
especially in recent decades, the subject
of worship has become a much-heated
debate rather than a joyous pleasure of
glorifying the God of the Bible!
Christians argue over many details
such as the style of music, the theology
of worship and music, hymns versus
choruses, the kinds of instruments used,
having jazz concerts in church, clapping
and raising your hands or keeping still,
speaking in tongues, worship bubbles,
quenching the Holy Spirit, etc. And many
Christians who strongly argue about
such details generally claim that their
views are right, and that others have it
wrong! However, if we think about it
deeply enough, we make two obvious
observations:
-
Firstly, if each church/Christian
claims that their philosophy and
approach to worship is the way to go,
having contradictory views from that
of others, how then, can all views be
right
simultaneously,
or
more
specifically, how do believers know
which is the right way to worship?
Contemporary churches usually
think of worship as something we
experience, and often takes precedence
over the sermon (first we have ‘worship’
as long as we want to, and then we have
a short sermon); while traditional
churches usually think of worship as
something
to
be
intellectually
acknowledged in an ordered program of
no more than one hour (where we sing
only 2 or 3 songs and then have long
sermons). However, both approaches to
modern worship are narrow conceptions
of biblical worship, as Jesus warns of the
real danger of tradition in Matthew 15:8
quoting Isaiah, “These people honour me
with their lips, but their hearts are far
from me. They worship me in vain; their
teachings are but rules taught by men.”
Worship does not equate to just singing,
nor is worship confined to a 1-hour, 2hour or even a 5-hour Sunday service.
So, what is the way forward for
Christian brothers and sisters from
different denominations on the subject of
the place of music and worship in
church? I’m sure that all, if not most,
Christians would agree that the best
solution would, of course, be to search
the Bible to see what God’s Word has to
say about it! I know of friends of mine
who have visited differing churches and
left straight after to go to their own
churches, which were still running, on the
basis that the “worship” was not
satisfying enough. This says much about
the ‘receiving’ aspect of people’s
expectation of worship. To be fair, no
one church or denomination has a claim
on worship that is superior to that of
others! Diversity within Christianity is
good, but not when we are divided on the
Word of God! For, to pick and choose
only a few parts of the Bible that we want
to focus on is dangerous, because it is
possible that we can end up inventing
our own theology on a subject. For
example, we cannot agree to form a
puzzle, but we throw away half the
pieces and force the remaining pieces to
fit, as the picture will not be complete or
accurate!
The Apostle Paul clearly urges
believers in Romans 12:1-2 to “offer your
bodies as living sacrifices, holy and
pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act
of worship,” and verse 2 tells us how,
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern
of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what God’s will
is – His good, pleasing and perfect will”;
and this does not only happen on
Sundays! Worship encompasses all of
life on a daily basis!
So, for an accurate picture of true
worship, we must search the whole of
Scripture in order to see how God
defines worship for His people. Because
if we don’t get worship right, we will
never get the music right! However, in
the Bible, you won’t find a clear theology
of music, but you will find a clear
theology of worship from Genesis to
Revelation, in this life and the next.
Scripture is the ultimate worship manual
for the Christian, for it is always reliable
and always sufficient!
-
Secondly, our divisions on worship
sets a pattern, whether intentionally
or
unintentionally,
and
says
something about our theology, thus
impacting our witness of the Lord
Jesus to non-believers who visit our
churches!
15
“…The construction of a theology of
worship will not be possible unless
we come to reasonable agreement
about what we mean by worship”
– (D.A. Carson (ed.), Worship by the
Book, Zondervan, 2002, pg 19)
Preferably, our views on worship
should be shaped and corrected by
God’s Word, but what sometimes
happens is that we unintentionally read
our own views and experiences on
worship into God’s Word, so that the
result of what ‘we say’ Scripture teaches
may not be taught by Scripture at all.
And this is easy to do, especially when
we are excited about something – we
don’t take the time to read the verse or
passage carefully to get the proper
intended meaning of the writer – this is
what we call taking a verse out of
context, by making a verse say what you
‘think’ it says or what you ‘want’ it to say,
other than what it really is saying! We
also do this by insisting on the teaching
of one verse and ignoring all the other
verses on that teaching that are found in
other books of the Bible. In either case,
we risk a misinterpretation of Scripture,
as there is no such thing as, “You have
your view and I have my view on the
same scriptural passages.” There is only
one Bible and therefore only one
interpretation, which is why, as
Christians, we must make sure that when
we study God’s Word, we must get the
right interpretation!
16
Worship in the heart must be
‘married’ with doing biblical theology, for
only then can believers from different
denominations
avoid
stereotypical
attitudes that cause division and be
sufficiently
equipped
to
address
questions such as, “What does a weekly
worship service look like?” “What should
worship look like in the lives of God’s
people?” To conclude, I would like to
stress that any worship which is not
Christ-centered or biblically-based is
questionable worship! For, if we, as the
body
of
Christ,
practice
good
hermeneutical habits on the subject of
biblical worship, all Christians (whatever
the denomination) should come to the
same conclusion: namely that, worship is
certainly not about me at all! It’s all about
God, who He is and what He has done
through Christ! This is what we sing, this
is what we preach, this is what we live!
“Let the message of Christ
dwell among you richly
as you
teach
and admonish one another
with all wisdom through psalms,
hymns, and songs
from the Spirit, singing to God
with gratitude in your hearts.
And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed,
do it all
in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God the Father through Him”
– Colossians 3:16-17
John Piper
Chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary
What Is Christian Unity?
Unity among two or more people gets its virtue entirely from something else. Unity itself
is neutral until it is given goodness or badness by something else. So if Herod and Pilate
are unified by their common scorn for Jesus (Luke 23:12), this is not a good unity. But if
Paul and Silas sing together in prison for Christ’s sake (Acts 16:25), this is a good unity.
Therefore, it is never enough to call Christians to have unity. That may be good or bad.
The unified vote fifty years ago in my home church in South Carolina to forbid blacks
from attending services was not a good unity. The unified vote of a mainline Protestant
denomination to bless forbidden sexual acts is not a good unity.
What Makes Unity Christian?
Christian unity in the New Testament gets its goodness from a combination of its source,
its views, its affections, and its aims.
Source: Paul tells us to “be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace” (Ephesians 4:3). I take that to mean that the Holy Spirit is the great giver of unity.
“In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free —
and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).
Views: Paul says that pastors and teachers are to equip the saints “until we all attain to
the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:13). In other
words, the unity we pursue is unity in the truth. Of course, Christian unity is more than
shared truth, but not less. Paul piles up the words for common-mindedness in
Philippians 2:2, “Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love,
being in full accord and of one mind” (see also Philippians 4:2). Everything is to “accord
with Christ.” “May God . . . grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accord with
Christ Jesus” (Romans 15:5).
Affections: To be sure, unifying love in the body of Christ includes a rugged
commitment to do good for the family of God whether you feel like it or not (Galatians
6:10). But, as difficult as it is for diverse people, the experience of Christian unity is more
than that. It includes affectionate love, not just sacrifice for those you don’t like.
18
It is a feeling of endearment. We are to have affection for those who are our family in
Christ. “Love one another with brotherly affection” (Romans 12:10). “Having purified your
souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another
earnestly from a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22). “All of you, have . . . sympathy, brotherly
love, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (1 Peter 3:8).
Aims:
Spirit-rooted,
Christ-manifesting,
truthcherishing, humbly-loving unity is designed by God to
have at least two aims: a witness to the world, and an
acclamation of the glory of God. The apostle John
makes the first of these most clear. “A new
commandment I give to you, that you love one
another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love
one another. By this all people will know that you are
my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John
13:34–35).
Piper: “Christian unity
includes affectionate love,
not just sacrifice for those
you don’t like.”
Jesus’ famous statements in John 17 are rooted in the profound spiritual unity between
the Father and the Son, and with those whom God has chosen out of the world (John
17:6). “I ask that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that
they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John
17:21). Note the witness to the world is that the disciples are in the Father and the Son
so that the world might believe. This is vastly more — deeply more — than being related
through a common organization. The oneness that shines with self-authenticating glory
for the world to see is union with the Father and the Son so that the glory of the Father
and the Son is part of our lives. “The glory that you have given me I have given to them,
that they may be one even as we are one” (John 17:22). That glory is owing to this: “I in
them and you [Father] in me” (John 17:23).
From this union with God, and the glory it gives, shines something
the world may see, if God gives them eyes to see. God’s aim for this
vertically-rooted, horizontal, glory-displaying unity is that he might
“gather into one the children of God scattered abroad” (John 11:52).
The ultimate aim of such Christian unity is the glory of God.
Hence Paul prays, “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in
such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with
one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one
another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:5–7).
What Implications Follow for Us?
1. Seek the fullness of the unity-creating Holy Spirit
“Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit”
(Ephesians 5:18). Seek to be led by the Spirit and to bear the fruits of the Spirit
(Galatians 5:18, 22–23) for these are the cogs in the wheels of love. If you are a stranger
to the Holy Spirit, you will care little for the unity he builds.
19
2. Strive to know and spread true views of Christ and His ways
Seek to “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God”
(Ephesians 4:13). “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Share, by every means you can, what you see of Christ. “Let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom”
(Colossians 3:16).
3. Love Christians across boundaries
Cultivate affection across differences for those who are truly your brothers and sisters in
Christ. Hate serious blunders, not sincere brothers. Humans have never been good at
this. And the philosophical and emotional climate today makes it even harder — since
truth claims are only seen as a cloak for power-grabbing. But consider what Spurgeon
says and seek to become like him. Notice the intensity of hate and love. “Where the
Spirit of God is there must be love, and if I have once known and recognized any man to
be my brother in Christ Jesus, the love of Christ constraineth me no more to think of him
as a stranger or foreigner, but a fellow citizen with the saints. Now I hate High Churchism
as my soul hates Satan; but I love George Herbert, although George Herbert is a
desperately High Churchman. I hate his High Churchism, but I love George Herbert from
my very soul, and I have a warm corner in my heart for every man who is like him. Let
me find a man who loves my Lord Jesus Christ as George Herbert did and I do not ask
myself whether I shall love him or not; there is no room for question, for I cannot help
myself; unless I can leave off loving Jesus Christ, I cannot cease loving those who love
him.” (The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. XII, 6)
4. Serve Christians across boundaries
For the sake of a witness to the world, seek out ways to show love for brothers and
sisters across boundaries — both the kind of boundaries that should be removed, and
the kind of boundaries which commitment to the truth (and unity in the truth) forbids you
to remove. Do this for the glory of God. Let Francis Schaeffer be your guide. “It is in the
midst of a difference that we have our golden opportunity. When everything is going well
and we are all standing around in a nice little circle, there is not much to be seen by the
world. But when we come to the place where there is a real difference, and we exhibit
uncompromised principles but at the same time observable love, then there is something
that the world can see, something they can use to judge that these really are Christians,
and that Jesus has indeed been sent by the Father.” (Complete Works, vol. 4, 201,
emphasis added)
Ambiguity and Hope
When all is said and done, ambiguities remain.
What kinds of boundaries should define local
churches, schools, denominations, conferences,
para-church ministries, city-wide prayer gathering,
evangelistic efforts? Nevertheless we are not
without anchors. We are not without rudder and
sails. We have the stars above and our trusty
sextant. In reliance on the word and the Spirit, in
humility we will arrive home — together.
Spurgeon: “Unless I can
leave off loving Jesus Christ,
I cannot cease loving those
who love him.”
This article has been supplied with permission:
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-ischristian-unity
20
Growing in Grace International
The satanic cult that looks like an average contemporary church
NOTEWORTHY
CULTS
José Luis de Jesús Miranda was the founder and leader of Growing in Grace International
(Creciendo en Gracia), “Government of God on Earth,” based in Miami, Florida, USA. Born in 1946
in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Miranda served stints in prison as a youth for petty theft and drug addiction
before joining a Baptist church in Ponce. He was promoted to minister after several years of service
there. But his turning point began in 1973, when he claimed that he had a vision, in which a pair of
angels chose him saying that the same spirit that was in Jesus integrated with his spirit, making him
the Messiah. Soon after, Miranda began to preach his own ideals and teachings. Moving with his
family to South Florida, USA, he began preaching on a local radio station and began to assemble a
select number of followers, which led to the founding of Growing in Grace in Miami in 1988. His
movement soon expanded throughout the United States and Latin America (some 35 nations)
through church sermons, 287 radio programs and a 24-hour Spanish and English TV Network.
Despite being banned in several nations due to followers protesting Christian churches by
smashing crosses and statues of Jesus, in 2008 Miranda claimed to have 2 million followers.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Miranda has predominantly opposed the general precepts of traditional Christianity, and in
1988 he claimed to be the reincarnation of the Apostle Paul, moving his teachings from Jesus
in the four gospels to Paul’s letters.
Following his own interpretations of the Bible, Miranda claimed in 2005 to be the actual
returned Jesus Christ on earth in the flesh (known previously as “the Man Jesus-Christ,” el
Jesucristo Hombre). He claimed to be immortal and “better” than Jesus of Nazareth.
In 2006, Miranda also claimed to be the Antichrist because people are no longer to follow the
teachings of Jesus, only his teachings, seeing as he was Jesus himself.
Miranda insisted that all his followers tattoo the 666 numerals on their bodies (as he did),
claiming that this is not the sign of the devil because the devil is already destroyed and is no
more. Rather, this number of the Antichrist was one of wisdom, marking true followers of Jesus
Christ, namely Miranda himself.
Every year, all his followers celebrate Christmas on 22 April, the birthday of Miranda, claiming
this to be the “real” Christmas.
Miranda claimed a “Transformation” to occur in 2012, whereby followers would be able to walk
through walls and go through fire and not get burned because they are fully enlightened and
living with immortal bodies. Miranda predicted the end of the world on 21 Dec 2012.
Miranda claimed that there is no such thing as sin, as he and his followers were incapable of it.
Prayer is a waste of time for there is no hell.
Any faith outside Growing in Grace is false and must be destroyed.
In 2007, Miranda’s wife, Josephina Torres, divorced him because he continually claimed that he
was God. Her attorney provided documents exposing Miranda (and his leaders) using church
funds to maintain his lavish lifestyle, which included beautiful women and gambling debts to
casinos, despite gifts of millions of dollars (in money, businesses, property,
etc.) from followers. In 2013, Miranda died of cirrhosis of the liver, after which
his followers granted him the title of Melchizedek (attaching the meaning ‘king
of justice’ & ‘king of peace’) believing that he has now attained his final name.
For official documentary footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Sj2xwNDs8
BY
Editor
21
The Great Vision
of Christian Education
Justin Taylor
Publisher at Crossway
When
we
hear
“Christian
Christian education is as big as God and
education,” we often think first about
his revelation. It goes beyond parenting
schooling
operate
and teachers and classroom instruction
according to biblical principles. Perhaps
to infuse every aspect of the Christian
we think of Christian private schools or
life. It involves not merely donning
home schooling or Sunday School. We
gospel-centered glasses when we study
think of desks and homework and
“spiritual” subjects, but being filled by the
assignments and teachers. These are
very presence of almighty God as we
important forms of Christian education,
seek by his Spirit to interpret all of reality
but these institutional forms are only the
in light of the glory of God in the face of
tip of the iceberg. Have you ever
Jesus Christ.
that
about
seeks
to
considered, for example, that Jesus’
If we are to practice
an education that is truly
Christian — in both word and
deed — there are at least ten
foundational presuppositions
and principles that should
shape our approach:
Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20)
is a charter for Christian education?
Precisely
because
Jesus
has
been
invested with “all authority in heaven and
on earth,” he can command his followers
to “go and make disciples of all nations.”
We do this, Jesus tells us, by doing two
things: (1) after they repent of their sins
and trust in him, we baptize them in the
name of the Trinity, and then (2) we
teach them to observe all that he
commanded us. We can do this with
confidence because Christ himself will be
with us always, even to the end of the
age.
22
1
True Christian education involves
loving
and
edifying
instruction,
grounded in God’s gracious revelation,
mediated through the work of Christ, and
applied through the ministry of the Holy
Spirit, that labors to honor and glorify the
triune God.
2
Christian education begins with
the reality of God. God the Father,
5
Christian education recognizes
that the recipients of our instruction
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit —
— whether believers or unbelievers —
one God in three persons — create and
are created in the image of God,
sustain
designed
all
things
(Genesis
1:1–2;
to
resemble,
reflect,
and
Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:3). It is from,
represent their Creator (through ruling
through, and to the one true God that all
over creation and relating to one another;
things exist and have their being (Acts
Genesis 1:26–27).
17:28). The glorification of God’s name in
Christ is the goal of the universe
(Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 10:31;
Isaiah 43:7; 48:11).
3
6
Christian education reckons with
the sobering reality of the Fall —
that because of Adam’s rebellion as our
covenantal head, all of us have inherited
Christian education seeks to
a rebellious sin nature and are legally
rightly
correctly
regarded as guilty (Romans 3:10, 23;
convey all aspects of God’s revelation,
Romans 5:12, 15, 17–19), and that the
both his self-disclosure through the
creation itself is fallen and in need of
created
liberation
interpret
world
revelation”)
and
and
(called
his
“general
(Romans
8:19–22).
Our
self-disclosure
disordered desires and the broken world
through the spoken and written word
around us affect every aspect of our
(“special
thoughts, feelings, and actions, such that
revelation”;
Romans
1:20;
Hebrews 1:1–2).
even after regeneration, we must still
battle indwelling sin (Galatians 5:17).
4
Christian education, building on
recognizes the fundamental difference
7
between God’s perfect knowledge of
not
himself (called “archetypal theology”) and
atonement and triumphant resurrection
the limited, though sufficient, knowledge
victory over sin and death — as the
we can have of God through his
central hinge of history (Galatians 4:4–5;
revelation (“ectypal theology”; Romans
1 Corinthians 2:2; 15:1–5).
the
Creator-creature
distinction,
Christian education is built upon
the work of Christ — including, but
limited
to,
his
substitutionary
11:34; 1 Corinthians 2:16).
23
All of our instruction is founded upon this
knowledge
great event that makes it possible for
covenantal (1 Corinthians 13:12), such
sinners to stand by faith in the presence
that our study results in delight (Psalm
of a holy and righteous God through
37:4;
union with our prophet, priest, and king.
obedience (Romans 1:5), and the further
8
111:2),
discipling
Christian education recognizes
must
and
be
relational
practice
teaching
(Ezra
of
and
7:10),
others
(Matthew 9:19–20; 2 Timothy 2:2).
that to reflect the mind of Christ
and to take every thought captive (2
Christian education no longer involves
Corinthians 10:5), we must be born again
physically sitting at the feet of Jesus and
(John 3:3), putting off our old man (in
walking with him down the dusty roads of
Adam) and putting on the new man (in
Galilee. But Jesus himself tells us that it
Christ), renewed in knowledge after the
is to our advantage that he goes away,
image of God (Colossians 3:10).
so that the Helper — the Holy Spirit —
9
can come to be with us (John 16:7).
Christian education insists on
the indispensable work of the Holy
And now, as lifelong learners in Christ,
Spirit, who himself is a teacher (John
we can truly say, “Though [we] have not
14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13), who searches
seen him, [we] love him. Though [we] do
everything (including the depths of God)
not now see him, [we] believe in him and
and alone comprehends the thoughts of
rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and
God (1 Corinthians 2:10–11). He helps
filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8). That is a
us in our weakness, intercedes for us
truly Christian education.
(Romans 8:26–27), and causes us to
bear good fruit (Galatians 5:22–23).
10
Finally, Christian education
recognizes the insufficiency of
merely receiving, retaining, and relaying
notional knowledge (1 Corinthians 8:1;
Matthew 7:21–23), but insists that our
24
This article has been supplied with permission:
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-great-visionof-christian-education
NOTEWORTHY
FACTS
4th Century AD
The Roman emperor Constantine
converted to Christianity. The
Christian religion became legal
and persecution ceased. Allied
with
the
Roman
Empire,
Christianity gradually rose in
power and hierarchy until it
became the "Christendom" that
would encompass the entire
western world in the Middle Ages
and Renaissance.
Emperor
Constantine
hoped
Christianity would be the uniting
force of his empire, so he was
distressed to hear of a dispute
over Arianism, which held that
Christ was more than a man but
less than God himself. In 325 AD,
Constantine called the Council
of Nicea so that the bishops
could work out their differences.
They condemned Arianism and
Arius, the priest who proposed it,
and declared the Son (Christ) to
be of "one substance" with the
Father.
25
Atonement
NOTEWORTHY
DEFINITIONS
“The work of Christ… bringing sinners into right relation
with God.”
Evangelical
“…Evangelical theology affirms that: the Bible is the
truthful revelation of God… It is deeply committed to the
centrality of the Bible, …to its final authority in all
matters of doctrine and life, and to the necessity of
interpreting it as naturally as possible…”
Covenantal
“The standing contract between two partners… To
come into a covenant relationship with the Lord.”
Regeneration
“Describes the inner renewal by the Spirit of God, which
takes place when a person becomes a Christian.”
Revelation
“God Himself has satisfied man’s quest for intelligibility
by revealing Himself, His divine power and His will for
mankind, so that we might come to know Him.”
Substance
“The objective reality of the one being of God.”
Substitutionary
“Christ is said to suffer in our place as a substitutionary
bearer of the judgement which we deserve.”
Trinitarian
Formed from the word Trinity referring to “the Christian
doctrine of God, according to which He is three persons in
one substance or essence.”
DEFINITIONS TAKEN FROM
Ferguson S.B, Wright D.F. & Packer J.I, 1998, NEW DICTIONARY OF
THEOLOGY, Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England
Marshall I.H, Millard A.R, Packer J.I (et al), 2000, NEW BIBLE DICTIONARY,
Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England
26
Some
Theological
terms used
in this
volume
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