Pastor's Blog

Thursday, August 31, 2006

And now for something completely different

This is a public service announcement. I'm going to be switching blog software this weekend. I've been testing DasBlog and I like it quite a bit. It will make my blogging life much easier. There are a couple minor drawbacks (no HTML allowed in comments), but the benefits (email notification, searching, categories, trackback/pingback support, etc.) outweigh them by far. I was able to move the current blog history and comments over to DasBlog, so we shouldn't lose anything.

I'm announcing this now because if you read my blog via an RSS feed, the URL of the feed will be changing. Check back after the changeover to find out exactly what it will be.

Housekeeping

Thursday, August 31, 2006 - 06:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Comments [1]

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

A note to those leaving comments

My series on the will of God has been generating more comments (finally!), which is nice. I want to warn those commenting, however, that I'm using REALLY low-end blog software. It doesn't notify me when there are new comments. I do the best I can to review old posts to look for comments, but I may not always catch them. If I haven't responded to your comment, I'm not ignoring you intentionally. If I've missed your comment and you're waiting for a response...email me.

I'm planning to upgrade to more powerful blog software (probably WordPress) when I have time. As the Bard said, however, "Aye, there's the rub."

Housekeeping

Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 10:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Comments [4]

Thursday, August 24, 2006

The Will of God: Explaining the Unexplainable

I know I promised to begin discussing a framework for Godly decision-making, but I need to take a brief side-trip first. If you’ve been following this series, you’re probably at a frustrating point right now. “What happened to the wonderful plan?” you may ask. “If there’s no wonderful plan for my life, what’s the point?” Well, I’m not trying to say that God doesn’t have a wonderful plan for your life. What I’m trying to say is that He generally does not reveal it to us ahead of time. The “wonderful plan” is His Sovereign Will for creation. Therein lies the difficulty; understanding the sovereignty of God has been one of the great challenges for Christian thinkers across the centuries. A disagreement over the nature of the sovereignty of God is at the heart of the primary doctrinal division within Protestantism, that being the division between Calvinists and Arminians.

I do not presume to resolve that centuries-old debate with my feeble efforts, nor do I intend to address the issue of predestination and divine election in this series. If you are interested in those questions, I encourage you to click through to The Schooley Files. Keith is in the midst of a wonderful series on that topic that I highly recommend. That being said, there is no way to discuss the will of God without addressing the topic of God’s sovereignty. Suffice it to say that I consider myself a moderate Arminian; I believe wholeheartedly in the sovereignty of God, and I believe that God has created man with a free will. In this blog entry, I will attempt to explain how I believe these two facts interact with each other.

God’s sovereignty is an undeniable assertion of scripture. That is, He is the controlling, sustaining power over all creation. How God exercises His sovereignty is the question that vexes us. Scripture is not explicit, so it is clearly not necessary for us to fully understand it. We are, however, allowed to wonder and make assumptions. Clearly, scripture tells us we have the ability and responsibility to make decisions. Therefore we are free to make decisions. How is that possible if God is sovereign? The answer is, God has created mankind with the ability to make choices. Is it possible for God to control or pre-program every decision we make? Certainly. Does He choose to do so? I don’t believe so. Some would say I’m putting limits on God’s sovereignty, I don’t see it that way. In fact, I believe it gives MORE glory to God to imagine that He can accomplish His sovereign plan through and in spite of our choices, rather than by controlling them.

I don’t believe that God exercises His Sovereign Will over every decision we make. Crest or Close-Up? Paper or plastic? Chocolate or vanilla? I don’t know of anyone who prays seeking “God’s will” for such decisions, or even expects God to care. Even if you believe in a Personal Will of God for your life, you live your life making decisions about what it does and does not cover. Generally, those decisions are based on how worried we are about the impact of our decision. We want God to relieve us of any responsibility if things don’t work out the way we hope. That very idea is contrary to God’s character. He wants us to make decisions, both good and bad, and learn from them. No matter what decision we make, His Sovereign Will is accomplished in our lives. I love the way A.W. Tozer expresses this:

Except for those things that are specifically commanded or forbidden, it is God's will that we be free to exercise our own intelligent choice. The shepherd will lead the sheep but he does not wish to decide which tuft of grass the sheep shall nibble each moment of the day. In almost everything touching our common life on earth God is pleased when we are pleased. He wills that we be as free as birds to soar and sing our Maker's praise without anxiety. God's choice for us may not be one but any one of a score of possible choices. The man or woman who is wholly and joyously surrendered to Christ cannot make a wrong choice. Any choice will be the right one.

~A.W. Tozer, The Set of the Sail, chapter 21

That brings us back to the question at hand: How do we make “our own intelligent choice?” Has God left us completely on our own without any guidance at all? Absolutely not! His Word gives us guidelines for godly decision-making and that’s what I’ll begin to outline next. I promise.

The rest of the series:

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Defining our Terms
Part 3: A Wonderful Plan?
Part 4: The Decision-making of the Apostles

God's Will

Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 10:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Comments [7]

Monday, August 21, 2006

God’s Will: The Decision-making of the Apostles

In my last entry, I discussed the idea of God’s Personal Will and found no explicit biblical support for it. In this entry, I’ll look at the decision-making process of the apostles to see if there is any implicit scriptural support for the idea of God’s Personal Will. The first such example of the apostle’s decision-making is found in the first chapter of Acts.

So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs." Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Acts 1:23-26 (NIV)

Some have argued that this was a bad decision all around, that God actually intended Paul to be the 12th apostle to replace Judas. For the purposes of this discussion, however, we will set aside this argument and focus on the decision itself. What we see here is that the apostles found two men that fit their criteria (specified in verses 21-22), but found it difficult to choose between the two of them. The primary decision of choosing Barsabbas and Matthias was made using human criteria and judgment. The final choice between the two was made by casting lots (a first century version of flipping a coin) only after they had chosen these two, apparently without relying on direct divine revelation to select the two candidates. While the phrase “show us” may seem to imply otherwise, the apostles did not ask God to reveal His will to them as much as they simply left the “tie breaker” in His hands. I’ll discuss “casting lots” further in a future post.

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
Acts 6:1-6 (NIV)

Here we find the church at one of its first major crisis points. Yet again, we do not see the apostles appealing to divine revelation to determine what should be done. They made a reasoned, wise decision to delegate authority and responsibility over the distribution of food. They specified important criteria, but allowed the church to choose the men they desired to serve in this capacity. Surprisingly enough, we don’t even see the church being instructed to “go pray about it.” Apparently, the apostles trusted the God-given wisdom within the church to make a good decision regarding the first-ever deacons. Only Stephen and Philip are described further in scripture, but based solely on those two men I think we can agree they made a good decision.

We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul—men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
Acts 15:24-29 (NIV)

Again we find the church in the midst of a major crisis and in need to a decision, and again we see primarily democratic decision-making employed. Both in verse 22 and in verse 25 we see corporate decision-making by the church without an appeal to divine revelation. Only in verse 28 we see the addition of the Holy Spirit to the phrase, but even here the phrase “it seemed good” (emphasis mine) seems to soften the intent. Certainly the apostles considered the Holy Spirit a part of their decision-making process. The question, however, is what form that involvement took. Acts is not explicit, but verse 28 does not necessarily imply direct divine revelation.

So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
1 Thessalonians 3:1-2 (NIV)

Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.
1 Corinthians 16:3-4 (NIV)

In both these passages Paul clearly expresses that his decisions were based on his own judgment. There’s no hint of direct divine revelation at all. That’s not to say that God isn’t involved in Paul’s decision-making. God’s sovereignty was central to Paul’s theology and he recognized God’s involvement in his decisions (see 1 Thessalonians 3:11), but Paul didn’t seem to ask or expect God to reveal His sovereign will before he made a decision.

So when we look to scripture for a definition of God’s will, we see two distinct concepts. God’s Moral Will which consists of His commands revealed in scripture and His Sovereign Will, His redemptive plan for creation that is generally not revealed before it comes to pass. The idea of a Personal Will, a “wonderful plan for our lives” that God reveals to us so we can make decisions has no clear support in scripture. But that leaves us with the $64,000 question: If there is no “Magic 8 Ball” to help us, how should we make decisions? Are we completely on our own? Not at all. God has given us everything we need to live a life pleasing to Him. In the next installment, we’ll begin to build a framework for Godly decision-making.

The rest of the series:

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Defining our Terms
Part 3: A Wonderful Plan?

God's Will

Monday, August 21, 2006 - 10:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Comments [1]

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

The Will of God: A Wonderful Plan?

Now we arrive at the point of contention. Bill Bright told us that God “offers a wonderful plan” for our lives. Many believe this refers to a specific plan God has for our lives that we must discover and follow. I’ll call this concept the Personal Will of God. Does God’s Word teach the idea of a Personal Will? Let’s look at some verses that are most often used to support the idea of God’s Personal Will.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Colossians 1:9 (NIV)

This verse is clearly referring to God’s Moral Will when you read it together with verse 10. Paul goes on in verse 10 to say the purpose of knowing His will is to “live a life worthy of the Lord,” to “please Him in every way.” The most natural reading of these phrases would point us toward God’s revealed commands.

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.
Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Here Paul is beginning his discourse on the use of spiritual gifts. The verses following are used to explain what God’s “good, pleasing and perfect will” is; that we should use our spiritual gifts for the benefit of the Body of Christ. There’s no mystery to be discovered, there a moral command that is given. Use your gifts.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
Ephesians 5:17 (NIV)

Again, Paul isn’t teaching that we should pray and wait for God to reveal His plan. Paul goes on in verses 18-20 to explicitly state what the Lord’s will is, that we should “not get drunk with wine” and “be filled with the Spirit.” This is another instance of God’s Moral Will being taught.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
Psalms 32:8 (NIV)

Some commentators believe this Psalm was written with Psalm 51 in response to David’s sin with Bathsheba, and that seems to be a reasonable assumption based on its content. Regardless, this Psalm is clearly about sin and forgiveness. Based on that, it is most natural to read this verse as referring to God’s Moral Will.

There are other verses that have been used to support the idea of God’s Personal Will, but in each case the simplest reading reveals a reference to either God’s Moral Will or His Sovereign Will. The explicit teaching of scripture reveals only these two facets of God’s Will. What about the implicit teaching of scripture? How did the Apostles, in the power of the Holy Spirit, make decisions? I’ll look at that next.

The rest of the series:

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Defining our Terms

God's Will

Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 10:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Comments [2]

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

The Will of God: Defining our Terms

When you use the term “the will of God,” what do you mean? More than likely, you’ve used it in a number of different ways. That’s OK, so does scripture, but it is necessary to distinguish how we are using the term. Let’s start by looking at the different ways scripture uses these terms.

I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

Psalms 40:8 (NIV)

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 (NIV)

For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

1 Peter 2:15 (NIV)

What these verses describe is what can be called God’s Moral Will. God’s Moral Will is his revealed commands. According to 2 Peter 1:3, it has been completely revealed to us by God through His Word. None of it is hidden. It doesn’t need to be discovered, but it does need to be learned just as David said in Psalm 119:11. Mankind has a responsibility to obey God’s Moral Will. It is possible to be ignorant of God’s Moral Will, and it is possible (and common) to willfully ignore it. The revelation of God’s Moral Will is a fundamental purpose of scripture. However, that is not the only way scripture uses the term.

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

James 4:14-15 (NIV)

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

Proverbs 16:33 (NIV)

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

Ephesians 1:11 (NIV)

Here we see what is called God’s Sovereign Will. This is clearly a completely different concept than His Moral Will. Unlike God’s Moral Will, His Sovereign Will is hidden from us as Paul tells us in Romans 11:33-34. The only exception to this principle is the prophetic word, where God chooses for His own purposes to reveal His plan to someone. Just like the manifestation of any of God’s miraculous gifts this is an exceptional occurrence, not something to be expected regularly. The second important characteristic of God’s Sovereign Will is that it is unchangeable. It cannot be stopped, altered, or “missed.” As Daniel wrote (Daniel 4:35) “He does as He pleases” and “no one can hold back His hand.”

So where is the “wonderful plan for my life?” Good question. Stay tuned…

The rest of the series:

Part 1: Introduction

God's Will

Tuesday, August 08, 2006 - 10:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Comments [2]

Monday, August 07, 2006

Science proves water is wet

This will echo a previous post but once again the academic world has proven what intelligent people already knew, that explicit song lyrics can encourage early sexual activity. As the father of a pre-teen girl, I've seen what other parents allow their kids to listen to and it makes me want to cry. The general response is usually "they don't understand what it's really about, so it doesn't really matter." My response to that is twofold. First, kids understand A LOT more than we give them credit. Usually, the statement "they don't understand" is made from ignorance, anyway. You don't know what your kids understand unless you talk to them about it, and too many parents don't take the time to do that. Second, once you realize they really DO understand, it's too late. Pandora's Box is open, you've already allowed them to set the pattern.

It's never too early to begin teaching our kids how to guard their hearts. Parents need to control what their kids are listening to / watching / reading. They may give you a hard time now, but in the end they'll be glad you did.

Culture

Monday, August 07, 2006 - 10:06 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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