The problem with strict fundamentalism.

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:20

The more I have studied the world of the New Testament, the more troubled I have become by this statement by Jesus. The scribes and the Pharisees were sticklers for the letter of the law. They not only held to the keeping of the Law as detailed in the Pentateuch by the "book" but to ensure compliance they added roughly 600 additional prohibitions and commandments just to make sure they got the details right! They were the original legalists and though their view of scripture was doctrinally "fundamentalist", their application of it became sterile and one-dimensional.

That is the danger of strict fundamentalism. It might exalt conformity to an external standard against true transformation of the heart. This is what Jesus would fight against with the religious elite of His day. He knew that God wanted hearts, not conformity to a rigid standard. And Jesus preached as much with the Sermon on the Mount.

Joni and I sat down to watch Fireproof this weekend. I was touched by the strong gospel presentation in the movie. There is a point where the young fire captain is confronted by his dad with the reality that even though he might be a "hero" or a "good man" in terms of saving people's lives in his job as fireman, he was inwardly not meeting Jesus' standards for holiness. Of course in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that hate is as bad in the heart as murder is in life, and adultery is the same root issue as lust. That is where the gospel gets to the heart of the "hero" in Fireproof. He realizes his heart issues are what separate him from God.

That is where our righteousness is to exceed that of the external commitments of the Pharisees. God wants to get to the heart. And the heart is changed by the renewing work of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures. We are transformed by the renewing of the mind.

Sin is pervasive. I think of total depravity in these terms: I could have done any of the worst sins externally, even if I have not. And I know that the roots of all the worst sins exist from time to time in my lusting, wanting, sinful heart so that in Jesus' terms I probably I have done them. So when it comes to sin I "could have and probably did"! But salvation changes that. I am a new creation. I now have a new heart that will allow me to follow a new and living way. Now my righteousness, because it is the righteousness of Christ graciously applied to my account as a new creation in Christ, can exceed mere external conformance.

Technorati Tags: Jesus,Sermon on the Mount,Transformation,legalism,Fundamentalism

Personal Reflections of Discipleship.

And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."  Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:19-20

These fishermen immediately left their nets to answer the call of Jesus to follow Him. What kind of faith was this? They were not learned men. In fact, the rest of the gospel narratives paint all too human portraits of the disciples, especially these fishermen. But somehow they were willing to leave their livelihoods and the only lives they knew to learn more from Jesus. He was compelling them with His message, His miracles, and His personal invitation.

What have I left behind? I look at my life and it has been marked by little else than Christian commitment. I do remember what it was like to be lost in a non-Christian home, but at age 7 that changed for me. Since that time, I have gone to Christian schools (from second grade through high school graduation), attended Bible Colleges (nothing worldly there!) and seminary. I have worked in secular environments (everywhere from warehouses, to construction, to banks and printing companies), but hardly have I set foot in daily contact with unbelievers or a worldly vocational concern in the past 15 years. What have I left behind to follow Christ?

I have reached the point in my life where I cannot say that I feel the sacrifice like I used to. And I don't believe that is a bad thing. In fact, I think it is very rewarding. Oh, I do have my struggles with the things of this world. You can't live and work in Johnson County, Kansas without seeing the excesses and sometimes wishing for more. That is what big box stores are for. If it isn't that latest gadget or car or flat screen television, it is something else new yet to hit the market. And we have it all here, in complete excess and extreme. But frankly, I have no desire to be motivated by materialism, so when that temptation comes, I can dismiss it. Materialism is not what I have left behind.

What I left behind was the option to direct my life to my own chosen end. When I came to Christ as Lord and began to follow Him, I gave Him all the options. And the result is now all my vocation. And I believe that as a minister of the gospel, I have the best job in the world. And what I don't have, I don't miss for two real reasons: 1) I never really had it to begin with & 2) Following Jesus yields me so much joy even in the hardest parts of the journey!

Technorati Tags: Jesus,Discipleship

Trinitarian theology is not hard to come by in the Bible.

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Matthew 3:16-17

Trinitarian theology is not hard to come by in scripture. This is one of the clearest supports for it. At the baptism of Jesus by John, God the Father announces His relationship with the Son as the Spirit descends to rest upon Him. All three persons of the Godhead are present in one event very clearly and without any need for explanation by Matthew. It is clear that the early church expected the reader of the gospel to understand the significance of what occurred at the baptism of Jesus. God the Son was affirmed by God the Father and empowered by God the Spirit.

Technorati Tags: Trinity,Jesus,Matthew

Gifts for the King

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11

Kingly gifts are offered to the young King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The adoration of the wise men from the East shows us just how significant Jesus is in the world and beyond it. When I combine this episode with Luke's account of the Nativity, we see incredible worship at the time of Jesus' birth. Angels announced and sang glory to God, shepherds came to marvel at the Messiah, and wise sages traveled the globe to see Him and bring him kingly gifts.

And Jesus deserves such worship today. In fact, He is still adored by angels, commoners, and kings. He is Lord and King, God and Savior, worthy of all worship. Why? Not because He stayed a safe baby in the arms of Mary, but because He lived, and died to bring us to God.

Technorati Tags: Jesus,Nativity,Christmas,Worship

ESV Study: Book of the Year

I knew that the ESV Study Bible was going to make a big splash when I began following it in pre-pub over a year ago. Well, it has done very well indeed:
USA Today Article

We need a Savior.

(THIS POST begins a new study in the Gospel of Matthew)

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

There is much more than a Christmas card meaning behind this instruction from the angel to Joseph. The ESV Study Bible notes shed some light on the importance of the name given to Jesus:
"Jesus (Gk. Iesous) was the historical, everyday name, and is Yeshua'/Yehoshua' (Joshua) in Hebrew, meaning "Yahweh saves" (Neh. 7:7; cf. Matt. 1:21). The name Jesus was given to sons as a symbolic hope for the Lord's anticipated sending of salvation through a Messiah who would purify his people and save them from oppression (see note on v. 1). But the angel points to a more important theme: to save his people from their sins. Salvation from sins was a repeated promise in OT prophets (e.g., Isa. 40:2; 53:6; Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:25-27; Dan. 9:24; Zech. 13:1)."

Sometimes liberal criticism of the gospels tends to downplay the name of Jesus. They insist it was such a common name in the day and that we should not be surprised to see it. Yet the gospel of Matthew goes out of the way to let us know that no less than an angel of the Most High God commanded the earthly stepfather of Jesus to give Him that name. Yes, the common name meant "Yahweh saves". And a common hope in the Palestine of the First Century was that a deliverer would come to end the scourge of Roman oppression. Yet the angel has a much broader view of the hope that would come in Jesus: He would save His people from their sins, not from an outside political occupation. This is a greater hope than anyone else in Israel could have possibly had for their little child named Yeshua. Jesus would be different.

So as I spend some time now working through the gospel of Matthew (about the next six weeks or so), I will see if what the angel said is indeed born up in the testimony about Jesus. And I can't help but wonder if that reality of Jesus as a Sin-Savior might be the most important understanding I need of Him. Many evangelicals in America are distressed to see a current political climate that seems to be moving away at faster-than-light speed from solid Judeo-Christian underpinnings. That may be true. And some political oppression may be possible in the years ahead. But even then, we do not need a conservative politician to meet society's greatest of needs. We need a Savior. And Jesus is the One.

Technorati Tags: Jesus,Nativity,Savior,Christology

God paints slowly.

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Genesis 50:20

Theologically, trying to reconcile how evil and good can co-exist with God's sovereignty is called "the problem of evil". I find it interesting that one of the earliest recorded struggles with this problem is recorded for us in the life of Joseph. And he has absolutely no tension over the question. His answer is straightforward to his brothers: what you meant for evil against me, God meant for good to save many. He does not diminish the responsibility of His brothers for their actions which were sinful. He also does not diminish the sovereign rule of God to use even those circumstances for His glory.

We self-centered Americans have a thing or two to learn from the life of Joseph. We expect a cushy life with all the amenities. That is one reason why prosperity theology and IHOP weirdness abounds in the current evangelical climate in America. It is twisted. It has no answer to the problem of evil because it is dualism. Good things can only be under God's control. Bad things can only be under the devil's control. If something difficult comes my way, God cannot be in it.

But that is not the case in scripture. God disciplines the sons He loves. God intervenes and moves beyond even the worst that humans do to each other in order to bring about His purposes. We may feel torn at the moment. I am sure Joseph struggled with his share of unhappiness as a slave, as a prisoner, or as a captive in a foreign land. But God used every one of those experiences to forge a nation and save Israel. God kept His covenant with Abraham's descendents through the trials of one young man.

God will go to great lengths in the course of a human life to show Himself. Providence takes time. It is not an instant photo kind of experience. It develops slowly, painted by the Master Artisan with slow and deliberate strokes, working on a torn canvas at times, but always with a beautiful result that shows the genius of a wise and knowing God.

Technorati Tags: Joseph. Providence. Problem of Evil