The Cross of Christ
John Stott
Inter-Varsity Press 1986
I first read this book on many aspects of the Cross of Jesus Christ by John Stott about 20 years ago, not that long after he wrote it in the mid-1980s. It was in the first handful of serious Christian books I read as an earnest young Christian in my late teens and as such it had a big impact on my views then. Re-reading it now with a lot more theological and biblical reading under my belt, I still felt this is one of the best books on the meaning and implications of the Cross available and it well-deserves the epithet "classic".
The book teaches the penal substitutionary view of the atonement though there are chapters that deal with the truths in the Christus Victor and Moral Influence theories as well. One of the strengths of the book is that as well as the theoretical side of things, Stott devotes a section to "life under the cross" and this section is really excellent.
Stott is brilliant in his expositions of Scripture and how careful he is when outlining the fact that Christ's death is both substitutionary and a satisfaction. It struck me how close some of what Stott writes is similar to what Steve Chalke got into so much trouble for saying in his book The Lost Message of Jesus. Stott equally will have no truck with crude versions of penal substitution that envisage a cruel father venting his anger on his innocent son. He points out that the atonement starts not with an angry God but with a God who so loved the world. He points out that on the cross God the Father suffered and the atonement involved God substituting himself on the cross and in a sense punishing himself in Christ.
This book deserves a place on the bookshelf of every Christian and can be read with much profit wherever you are on your Christian pilgrimage.
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Thursday, 26 May 2011
The Free Church on Marriage and Divorce
Here's an interesting report from the Free Church of Scotland on marriage and divorce: http://ow.ly/53twO
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Christian Giving According to Paul
Adapted from a Bible Study on 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Background and Reasons for the Collection in Corinth
At the beginning of chapter 8 it is clear that Paul changes subject from what he’s been talking about before and now begins to talk about one of the main reasons for writing 2 Corinthians. It has to do with a collection of money the Corinthians were supposed to gather for the relief of poor Christians in Judea, especially the city of Jerusalem. We know this because the collection is mentioned in Paul’s earlier correspondence in 1 Corinthians 16:1-3.
This collection that Paul was involved in organising seems to have been designed with three purposes in mind.
Firstly, it was to help relieve the suffering of fellow Christians. And that’s a worthy end in itself. It doesn’t need any other reason than that. As God’s people we need to show love and care for each other, not just in words, but in actions, including how we use our money, and even how we give our money directly or indirectly to one another.
But secondly, it was also in Paul’s mind an example of how all barriers of race and class are broken down when people enter into union with Jesus Christ. Those in need were the Jewish Christians in and around Jerusalem. The home church of the whole Christian movement – the church in Jerusalem where it all started was a poor and a persecuted church at this time. And Paul’s collection was being gathered from the predominantly Gentile churches of Asia Minor and Europe. For Paul the collection was a practical manifestation of the fact that the enmity between Jew and Gentile had been destroyed in Christ as he discusses fully in Ephesians 2.
Thirdly, for Paul it is clear that how the churches use their money is a kind of spiritual barometer for where they are at in their walk with God. Paul uses the Corinthian attitude to the collection as a way of seeing where the Corinthian church is at spiritually.
Eight Principles of Christian Giving
The problem that has prompted Paul to write 2 Corinthians 8-9 is that although the Corinthians were keen at the beginning to get involved in this collection, they have since reneged on their promises and seem to have stopped collecting money. As Paul writes to remind them about it and encourage them to carry on and complete the collection, he touches on a number of principles for Christian giving that remain very relevant for Christians today. In fact, I think I’ve found eight principles of Christian giving in this passage. Our time is short here tonight so we’ll speed through these principles quite quickly, but to get a rounded picture of Paul’s teaching on Christian giving, we need to keep all of these principles together and in some cases in balance with each other.
The first principle we find is the passage is that Christian giving is Generous Giving. In verses 1 to 3, it is obvious that Paul commends the giving of the Macedonian churches to the Corinthians. Being generous is a good thing. That much is very clear. Just in passing, if you’re wondering who these Macedonian churches were that Paul mentions, they would include Thessalonian and Philippian congregations that three of Paul’s other New Testament letters were addressed to. But Paul is clear that the Macedonians were very generous in their giving and Paul holds this generosity up as an example and an encouragement to the much wealthier Corinthians. He says of the Macedonians that their joy and their extreme poverty “welled up in rich generosity”. One commentator calls this strange mix of joy and poverty producing generosity as being like an acid and an alkali being mixed – two opposites – coming together in a chemical reaction to produce a new thing – salt. So our giving should be generous.
The second principle we find is that Christian giving is Sacrificial Giving. Again this is covered in the first four or five verses in the passage. Paul commends not only the generous spirit of the Macedonians, but a generosity that was sacrificial in nature. “Out of the most severe trial” they gave Paul says. Out of not just poverty, but out of “extreme poverty” they gave. They gave as much as they were able and beyond their ability. The Macedonians didn’t put what was easy money into the collection, they put money in that cost them a lot. They couldn’t afford it, but they did it anyway. That’s the kind of sacrificial giving Paul commends here.
How can Christians give in this generous and sacrificial way? The third principle begins to fill in the full-orbed picture Paul is painting here. Christian giving is Faithful Giving – it flows out of living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The kind of giving that the Macedonian churches had achieved was only possible because of their relationship with Christ. Paul’s clear about that in verse 5. “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us” Paul writes. They had their priorities right. They were dedicated to the Lord’s service. And the fruit of this was their amazing giving to the Lord’s work.
The fourth principle is that Christian giving is Committed Giving. In verse 6, Paul is really only reminding the Corinthians to be committed to what they had already promised they were going to do. He points out to them that a year previously they were the first to get involved. And so calls on them to continue in that commitment. You’ve started well so “Now finish the work” he exhorts them in verse 11. It’s no accident that many charities encourage us to give a small amount every month rather than one-off donations. That’s because regular, committed giving that the charities can plan ahead with is more useful than not knowing if there’s going to funds there tomorrow or not, depending on ad hoc donations. Commitment in our giving to the Lord’s work is a sign of our commitment to the Lord.
The fifth principle is that Christian giving is Enthusiastic Giving. God wants everything we do for him to be done enthusiastically. As Paul writes in the next chapter – “God loves a cheerful giver”. Look at the attitude of the Macedonians that Paul mentions. In verse 4, their enthusiasm is evident. They “urgently pleaded” to get involved in giving to the collection. They counted giving not as a duty but as a privilege! They regarded it as a grace and not a burden to help their fellow Christians. When we give enthusiastically, not only does this give us a lift knowing we’re helping others, but it must give the recipients a lift too, knowing that what they received is not begrudged or given half-heartedly, but is a genuine love token.
The sixth principle is that Christian giving is to be Free and Loving Giving. Paul makes it very clear that he is not ordering the Corinthians to give, although he had apostolic authority to do that if he had felt that was the right thing to do. But he doesn’t do that. He says it plainly in verse 8 – “I am not commanding you.” Christian giving is not a new law that we have to obey out of fear of punishment. How could it be? There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, as Romans 8:1 says. We are not saved by our good works. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, but as Ephesians 2:10 says we are saved for good works. Our works, including our acts of generous giving, flow out of the solid salvation we have in Christ. So instead Paul encourages them to give freely, because they want to, not because they have to. There is no “must” but there should be a thankful “want to”. He encourages them to act not out of duty but out of love. In his great chapter on love in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wrote: “Love is patient, love is kind...Love never fails.” Now here in verse 8 Paul regards giving as an obvious manifestation of love: “I want to test the sincerity of your love,” Paul says. Of course that doesn’t mean Paul won’t point out that they should want to do the right thing as Christians, but he leaves it up to them to make the right choice freely and in love.
The seventh principle is that Christian giving is Thankful and Christ-like Giving. Some of the other principles are about the attitude we might seek to have in our giving but this one is about the motivation for our giving. According to Paul we are to give to Christ and to others out of gratitude for what Christ has done for us. In verse 9, Paul says “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Christ gave up everything for our benefit, by coming to earth and accepting his mission as God’s Messiah to save the world, a mission of obedience all the way to death on the cross for sinners. Paul’s saying to the Corinthians, since Christ has done so much for us, this should spur us on to do what by comparison is so little for our brothers and sisters in need. It’s also worth mentioning in passing here that this verse is a clear statement – among the clearest in Paul’s letters – that Paul regarded Jesus Christ as no less than God become a human being, God incarnate. There’s no other meaning for the phrase that Christ “became poor” that makes sense. When did Christ become poor in this life? He was born in a stable and lived as an ordinary working man his whole life. He was never rich from Bethlehem to Calvary. So Paul’s statement must mean that Christ has pre-existence before his birth. It must mean Christ is God. As the Christmas carol puts it: “He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all.”
The eighth and final principle is that Christian giving is to be Practical and Fair Giving. Paul makes it clear in verse 13 to 15 that he doesn’t expect the Corinthians to do the impossible or to act unwisely. And so although our giving is to be generous, sacrificial and enthusiastic, it is not to cross over the line and become foolish giving. It is not to be at the expense of being wise, realistic and proportionate giving. Our giving is to be proportionate, in line with what we have, but also with awareness of what others can also give. In verse 12, they are to give according to what they have and not according to what they don’t have. And in verse 13 Paul makes the point that the idea is not that the Corinthians give so much that they end up themselves in need from other people, or even that those they are helping end up better off than them. Instead, the ideal is equality between churches. They have to be wise about their giving in other words, so that everyone’s needs are met by each other.
Application
This passage surely challenges all of us. Each of us can look at his or her own attitude to giving and the principles shown in this passage and see where we stand in comparison to Paul’s picture of Christian giving. Ask yourself: Am I giving generously, sacrificially, out of my faith in Christ? Am I giving with commitment and enthusiasm, freely because I want to, and out of love for those my giving will help? Am I giving out of a thankful spirit for what Christ has done for me? And am I being practical and wise in my giving? Am I making sure that I’m not being so generous that I’m putting myself in debt or putting my family in need? Only each of us can answer these questions for ourselves. If the answer to each of these questions is “yes” then our giving will be a powerful witness and a useful tool as we work to advance God’s kingdom. And we will be able to say in the words of the hymn:
Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use
every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.
May it be so. Amen.
Background and Reasons for the Collection in Corinth
At the beginning of chapter 8 it is clear that Paul changes subject from what he’s been talking about before and now begins to talk about one of the main reasons for writing 2 Corinthians. It has to do with a collection of money the Corinthians were supposed to gather for the relief of poor Christians in Judea, especially the city of Jerusalem. We know this because the collection is mentioned in Paul’s earlier correspondence in 1 Corinthians 16:1-3.
This collection that Paul was involved in organising seems to have been designed with three purposes in mind.
Firstly, it was to help relieve the suffering of fellow Christians. And that’s a worthy end in itself. It doesn’t need any other reason than that. As God’s people we need to show love and care for each other, not just in words, but in actions, including how we use our money, and even how we give our money directly or indirectly to one another.
But secondly, it was also in Paul’s mind an example of how all barriers of race and class are broken down when people enter into union with Jesus Christ. Those in need were the Jewish Christians in and around Jerusalem. The home church of the whole Christian movement – the church in Jerusalem where it all started was a poor and a persecuted church at this time. And Paul’s collection was being gathered from the predominantly Gentile churches of Asia Minor and Europe. For Paul the collection was a practical manifestation of the fact that the enmity between Jew and Gentile had been destroyed in Christ as he discusses fully in Ephesians 2.
Thirdly, for Paul it is clear that how the churches use their money is a kind of spiritual barometer for where they are at in their walk with God. Paul uses the Corinthian attitude to the collection as a way of seeing where the Corinthian church is at spiritually.
Eight Principles of Christian Giving
The problem that has prompted Paul to write 2 Corinthians 8-9 is that although the Corinthians were keen at the beginning to get involved in this collection, they have since reneged on their promises and seem to have stopped collecting money. As Paul writes to remind them about it and encourage them to carry on and complete the collection, he touches on a number of principles for Christian giving that remain very relevant for Christians today. In fact, I think I’ve found eight principles of Christian giving in this passage. Our time is short here tonight so we’ll speed through these principles quite quickly, but to get a rounded picture of Paul’s teaching on Christian giving, we need to keep all of these principles together and in some cases in balance with each other.
The first principle we find is the passage is that Christian giving is Generous Giving. In verses 1 to 3, it is obvious that Paul commends the giving of the Macedonian churches to the Corinthians. Being generous is a good thing. That much is very clear. Just in passing, if you’re wondering who these Macedonian churches were that Paul mentions, they would include Thessalonian and Philippian congregations that three of Paul’s other New Testament letters were addressed to. But Paul is clear that the Macedonians were very generous in their giving and Paul holds this generosity up as an example and an encouragement to the much wealthier Corinthians. He says of the Macedonians that their joy and their extreme poverty “welled up in rich generosity”. One commentator calls this strange mix of joy and poverty producing generosity as being like an acid and an alkali being mixed – two opposites – coming together in a chemical reaction to produce a new thing – salt. So our giving should be generous.
The second principle we find is that Christian giving is Sacrificial Giving. Again this is covered in the first four or five verses in the passage. Paul commends not only the generous spirit of the Macedonians, but a generosity that was sacrificial in nature. “Out of the most severe trial” they gave Paul says. Out of not just poverty, but out of “extreme poverty” they gave. They gave as much as they were able and beyond their ability. The Macedonians didn’t put what was easy money into the collection, they put money in that cost them a lot. They couldn’t afford it, but they did it anyway. That’s the kind of sacrificial giving Paul commends here.
How can Christians give in this generous and sacrificial way? The third principle begins to fill in the full-orbed picture Paul is painting here. Christian giving is Faithful Giving – it flows out of living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The kind of giving that the Macedonian churches had achieved was only possible because of their relationship with Christ. Paul’s clear about that in verse 5. “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us” Paul writes. They had their priorities right. They were dedicated to the Lord’s service. And the fruit of this was their amazing giving to the Lord’s work.
The fourth principle is that Christian giving is Committed Giving. In verse 6, Paul is really only reminding the Corinthians to be committed to what they had already promised they were going to do. He points out to them that a year previously they were the first to get involved. And so calls on them to continue in that commitment. You’ve started well so “Now finish the work” he exhorts them in verse 11. It’s no accident that many charities encourage us to give a small amount every month rather than one-off donations. That’s because regular, committed giving that the charities can plan ahead with is more useful than not knowing if there’s going to funds there tomorrow or not, depending on ad hoc donations. Commitment in our giving to the Lord’s work is a sign of our commitment to the Lord.
The fifth principle is that Christian giving is Enthusiastic Giving. God wants everything we do for him to be done enthusiastically. As Paul writes in the next chapter – “God loves a cheerful giver”. Look at the attitude of the Macedonians that Paul mentions. In verse 4, their enthusiasm is evident. They “urgently pleaded” to get involved in giving to the collection. They counted giving not as a duty but as a privilege! They regarded it as a grace and not a burden to help their fellow Christians. When we give enthusiastically, not only does this give us a lift knowing we’re helping others, but it must give the recipients a lift too, knowing that what they received is not begrudged or given half-heartedly, but is a genuine love token.
The sixth principle is that Christian giving is to be Free and Loving Giving. Paul makes it very clear that he is not ordering the Corinthians to give, although he had apostolic authority to do that if he had felt that was the right thing to do. But he doesn’t do that. He says it plainly in verse 8 – “I am not commanding you.” Christian giving is not a new law that we have to obey out of fear of punishment. How could it be? There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, as Romans 8:1 says. We are not saved by our good works. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, but as Ephesians 2:10 says we are saved for good works. Our works, including our acts of generous giving, flow out of the solid salvation we have in Christ. So instead Paul encourages them to give freely, because they want to, not because they have to. There is no “must” but there should be a thankful “want to”. He encourages them to act not out of duty but out of love. In his great chapter on love in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wrote: “Love is patient, love is kind...Love never fails.” Now here in verse 8 Paul regards giving as an obvious manifestation of love: “I want to test the sincerity of your love,” Paul says. Of course that doesn’t mean Paul won’t point out that they should want to do the right thing as Christians, but he leaves it up to them to make the right choice freely and in love.
The seventh principle is that Christian giving is Thankful and Christ-like Giving. Some of the other principles are about the attitude we might seek to have in our giving but this one is about the motivation for our giving. According to Paul we are to give to Christ and to others out of gratitude for what Christ has done for us. In verse 9, Paul says “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Christ gave up everything for our benefit, by coming to earth and accepting his mission as God’s Messiah to save the world, a mission of obedience all the way to death on the cross for sinners. Paul’s saying to the Corinthians, since Christ has done so much for us, this should spur us on to do what by comparison is so little for our brothers and sisters in need. It’s also worth mentioning in passing here that this verse is a clear statement – among the clearest in Paul’s letters – that Paul regarded Jesus Christ as no less than God become a human being, God incarnate. There’s no other meaning for the phrase that Christ “became poor” that makes sense. When did Christ become poor in this life? He was born in a stable and lived as an ordinary working man his whole life. He was never rich from Bethlehem to Calvary. So Paul’s statement must mean that Christ has pre-existence before his birth. It must mean Christ is God. As the Christmas carol puts it: “He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all.”
The eighth and final principle is that Christian giving is to be Practical and Fair Giving. Paul makes it clear in verse 13 to 15 that he doesn’t expect the Corinthians to do the impossible or to act unwisely. And so although our giving is to be generous, sacrificial and enthusiastic, it is not to cross over the line and become foolish giving. It is not to be at the expense of being wise, realistic and proportionate giving. Our giving is to be proportionate, in line with what we have, but also with awareness of what others can also give. In verse 12, they are to give according to what they have and not according to what they don’t have. And in verse 13 Paul makes the point that the idea is not that the Corinthians give so much that they end up themselves in need from other people, or even that those they are helping end up better off than them. Instead, the ideal is equality between churches. They have to be wise about their giving in other words, so that everyone’s needs are met by each other.
Application
This passage surely challenges all of us. Each of us can look at his or her own attitude to giving and the principles shown in this passage and see where we stand in comparison to Paul’s picture of Christian giving. Ask yourself: Am I giving generously, sacrificially, out of my faith in Christ? Am I giving with commitment and enthusiasm, freely because I want to, and out of love for those my giving will help? Am I giving out of a thankful spirit for what Christ has done for me? And am I being practical and wise in my giving? Am I making sure that I’m not being so generous that I’m putting myself in debt or putting my family in need? Only each of us can answer these questions for ourselves. If the answer to each of these questions is “yes” then our giving will be a powerful witness and a useful tool as we work to advance God’s kingdom. And we will be able to say in the words of the hymn:
Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use
every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.
May it be so. Amen.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
The Principles and Prejudices of Christian Worship
I recently been reading three very different books about Christian worship that have in their own way been beneficial and challenging to me. To two of them I am happy to give very positive reviews; the third has some good material, but is also problematic. The three books in question are the following:
Worship by the Book
Edited by D. A. Carson
Zondervan 2002
Worship Matters
By Bob Kauflin
Crossway 2008
The Lord's Service
By Jeffrey J. Meyers
Canon Press 2003
Worship by the Book is a collection of four essays on worship, each one is of some value. They are 'Worship Under the Word' by Carson himself, 'Following in Cranmer's Footsteps' by Mark Ashton, 'Free Church Worship: The Challenge of Freedom' by R. Kent Hughes and 'Reformed Worship in the Global City' by Timothy Keller.
Carson's essay is a masterful overview of a theology of worship and is worth the price of the book by itself. Ashton's essay is basically a call to pay heed to the liturgical tradition handed down from Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer in particular and will appeal to those of a traditional bent in worship matters. Hughes's essay says much that is helpful for all forms of Christian worship. Keller's essay attempts to deal with the tension between Reformed worship and dealing with today's postmodern people in big cities like New York.
The book is also useful because it contains a number of liturgies or orders of service for actual services in the congregations of each of these pastors (except Carson I think). Overall, it is a very useful book on worship with a balance between the theoretical and the practical.
Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Ministries is an excellent book. In some respects it is a more specialist book as it is aimed at 'worship leaders' or music leaders, yet it is actually an excellent primer on worship and even theology generally. Kauflin offers a working definition of what a good worship leader is and does:
A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skilfully combining God's Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God's presence,
and to live for God's glory.
He then spends a chapter dealing with each line of this definition. The second half of the book is a series of practical chapters of guidance to worship leaders in the churches. This book is thoroughly recommended.
The Lord's Service by Jeffrey J. Meyers is a call to a very traditional, high church form of worship, which the author calls 'covenant renewal worship'. While Meyers makes some good points about the importance of not disregarding tradition - I liked his quoting of Chesterton that tradition is 'the democracy of the dead' - ultimately the book failed to convince. There are countless times where Meyers pleads that high church worship should not be rejected just because it resembles Rome or Canterbury. This may be fair enough, but he largely fails to show why it should be accepted either. Time and again he appeals to Old Testament passages to do with Temple worship to support his case. However, as the likes of Carson would point out, we are not under that covenant. Meyers also thinks that only the ordained pastor should lead worship or preach (and certainly administer the sacraments). He keeps saying that the minister represents Christ or God to the congregation, but he fails to give any solid exegetical evidence for this, and this seems to set up an 'us and them' of clergy and laity or 'priest and people' that the New Testament, it seems to me, knows little of.
In the end, Meyers sounds more like a Roman Catholic or High Anglican than he does a Presbyterian. It would certainly be useful for many churches to take some of the more traditional liturgy elements into modern worship services without throwing out the strengths of modern worship (which Meyers simply cannot see).
It should also be pointed out that Meyers is part of the Federal Vision movement and it seems to me this fits with his worship views, which are to be frank, very unusual for a Presbyterian minister, and much closer to Canterbury than they are to Edinburgh or Geneva.
Worship by the Book
Edited by D. A. Carson
Zondervan 2002
Worship Matters
By Bob Kauflin
Crossway 2008
The Lord's Service
By Jeffrey J. Meyers
Canon Press 2003
Worship by the Book is a collection of four essays on worship, each one is of some value. They are 'Worship Under the Word' by Carson himself, 'Following in Cranmer's Footsteps' by Mark Ashton, 'Free Church Worship: The Challenge of Freedom' by R. Kent Hughes and 'Reformed Worship in the Global City' by Timothy Keller.
Carson's essay is a masterful overview of a theology of worship and is worth the price of the book by itself. Ashton's essay is basically a call to pay heed to the liturgical tradition handed down from Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer in particular and will appeal to those of a traditional bent in worship matters. Hughes's essay says much that is helpful for all forms of Christian worship. Keller's essay attempts to deal with the tension between Reformed worship and dealing with today's postmodern people in big cities like New York.
The book is also useful because it contains a number of liturgies or orders of service for actual services in the congregations of each of these pastors (except Carson I think). Overall, it is a very useful book on worship with a balance between the theoretical and the practical.
Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Ministries is an excellent book. In some respects it is a more specialist book as it is aimed at 'worship leaders' or music leaders, yet it is actually an excellent primer on worship and even theology generally. Kauflin offers a working definition of what a good worship leader is and does:
A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skilfully combining God's Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God's presence,
and to live for God's glory.
He then spends a chapter dealing with each line of this definition. The second half of the book is a series of practical chapters of guidance to worship leaders in the churches. This book is thoroughly recommended.
The Lord's Service by Jeffrey J. Meyers is a call to a very traditional, high church form of worship, which the author calls 'covenant renewal worship'. While Meyers makes some good points about the importance of not disregarding tradition - I liked his quoting of Chesterton that tradition is 'the democracy of the dead' - ultimately the book failed to convince. There are countless times where Meyers pleads that high church worship should not be rejected just because it resembles Rome or Canterbury. This may be fair enough, but he largely fails to show why it should be accepted either. Time and again he appeals to Old Testament passages to do with Temple worship to support his case. However, as the likes of Carson would point out, we are not under that covenant. Meyers also thinks that only the ordained pastor should lead worship or preach (and certainly administer the sacraments). He keeps saying that the minister represents Christ or God to the congregation, but he fails to give any solid exegetical evidence for this, and this seems to set up an 'us and them' of clergy and laity or 'priest and people' that the New Testament, it seems to me, knows little of.
In the end, Meyers sounds more like a Roman Catholic or High Anglican than he does a Presbyterian. It would certainly be useful for many churches to take some of the more traditional liturgy elements into modern worship services without throwing out the strengths of modern worship (which Meyers simply cannot see).
It should also be pointed out that Meyers is part of the Federal Vision movement and it seems to me this fits with his worship views, which are to be frank, very unusual for a Presbyterian minister, and much closer to Canterbury than they are to Edinburgh or Geneva.
Monday, 16 May 2011
The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse
The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse
David Johnson & Jeff VanVonderen
Bethany House Publishers 1991
I found this profoundly pastoral and thought-provoking book a very useful and emotional read. It is a book filled with the spirit of grace - true New Testament grace - and though I have never experienced the kind of spiritual abuse outlined in the book by many people, I found it of benefit in many ways. Reading it, I was saddened and angered that some so-called Christian leaders could act towards those in their care in such ways and justify the abuse through some kind of warped view that because they are in church leadership they are somehow above criticism for their actions.
In the course of the book, the authors deal with a number of problems that are all too real in many churches. Some of these are things like pressure to obey the leadership, not because it is biblical teaching, but because it is what the leaders say is to be done. Or the subtle message that to be a "good Christian" you must do A, B and C (which might be good things but not necessarily biblical commandments) or avoid doing X, Y and Z (which are nowhere forbidden in the Bible), thereby going beyond the Bible's requirements and ending up like clumsy pharisees. Or that to question the leadership is to question God. Such things rob the people of God who live under such leadership of their joy and turn Christian service into guilt-ridden chores. Let us not pretend that any church can face such dangers unless the leadership is on its guard and open to the correction of God's Word and the Holy Spirit themselves.
As I said, I have not experienced the kinds of excesses described in the book from my own pastors and elders, who have often been models of good leadership, but there must be few churches where some of the things described here exist from time to time at some kind of low grade level. Mostly it occurs as unintentional and well-meaning behaviour that is thoughtless, but no less difficult to deal with for those on the receiving end. It is when such behaviour becomes a pattern that it becomes serious enough to be called abuse that must be rooted out of the body of Christ like a cancer.
This book is highly recommended for Christians and ex-Christians who have left the church because of how they have been treated. It would also be read with profit by anyone in a leadership role within the church.
David Johnson & Jeff VanVonderen
Bethany House Publishers 1991
I found this profoundly pastoral and thought-provoking book a very useful and emotional read. It is a book filled with the spirit of grace - true New Testament grace - and though I have never experienced the kind of spiritual abuse outlined in the book by many people, I found it of benefit in many ways. Reading it, I was saddened and angered that some so-called Christian leaders could act towards those in their care in such ways and justify the abuse through some kind of warped view that because they are in church leadership they are somehow above criticism for their actions.
In the course of the book, the authors deal with a number of problems that are all too real in many churches. Some of these are things like pressure to obey the leadership, not because it is biblical teaching, but because it is what the leaders say is to be done. Or the subtle message that to be a "good Christian" you must do A, B and C (which might be good things but not necessarily biblical commandments) or avoid doing X, Y and Z (which are nowhere forbidden in the Bible), thereby going beyond the Bible's requirements and ending up like clumsy pharisees. Or that to question the leadership is to question God. Such things rob the people of God who live under such leadership of their joy and turn Christian service into guilt-ridden chores. Let us not pretend that any church can face such dangers unless the leadership is on its guard and open to the correction of God's Word and the Holy Spirit themselves.
As I said, I have not experienced the kinds of excesses described in the book from my own pastors and elders, who have often been models of good leadership, but there must be few churches where some of the things described here exist from time to time at some kind of low grade level. Mostly it occurs as unintentional and well-meaning behaviour that is thoughtless, but no less difficult to deal with for those on the receiving end. It is when such behaviour becomes a pattern that it becomes serious enough to be called abuse that must be rooted out of the body of Christ like a cancer.
This book is highly recommended for Christians and ex-Christians who have left the church because of how they have been treated. It would also be read with profit by anyone in a leadership role within the church.
Saturday, 7 May 2011
The Beliefs of Christian Reformed Church
The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) seems to me to be the kind of body in theology and practice that most evangelicals in the Church of Scotland would like our own church to be.
This page is a summary of their beliefs and it sounds about right to me. http://ow.ly/4Ptm0
This page is a summary of their beliefs and it sounds about right to me. http://ow.ly/4Ptm0
Thursday, 21 April 2011
The Cross of Jesus
The Cross of Jesus
Leon Morris
Paternoster Press 1988
In the run up to Easter this year, I've read several books that focus on the cross of Christ, which seems a very suitable area of study and reflection in this season of Lent and the preparation for Easter that comes to a climax this weekend with Good Friday tomorrow and then Easter Day on Sunday. Of the various books I've read, this little gem by the great Australian New Testament scholar, Leon Morris, is one of the best.
It was fascinating to read Morris's book just after Holmes's recent book The Wondrous Cross. I could hardly believe how closely the thoughts of Morris shadow those of Holmes. Perhaps it is because Leon Morris has impeccable evangelical credentials that the thoughts are somehow easier to accept from him, but essentially he says the same thing as Holmes does. He argues that all the main theories of the atonement are aspects of the truth and appeal at different times to more or less people. He argues that no one theory (i.e. neither Christus Victor or Penal Substitution) contains all the truth about the atonement or what Christ's death achieved in terms of salvation.
In fact, in a passage that could have come from Holmes's book, Morris writes:
Along with Morris's two other classic books on the cross and the atonement, namely The Cross in the New Testament and The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, this little book of only 118 pages is well worth acquiring and reading for any Christian. It is not a difficult read, though it is a very thought-provoking one.
Leon Morris
Paternoster Press 1988
In the run up to Easter this year, I've read several books that focus on the cross of Christ, which seems a very suitable area of study and reflection in this season of Lent and the preparation for Easter that comes to a climax this weekend with Good Friday tomorrow and then Easter Day on Sunday. Of the various books I've read, this little gem by the great Australian New Testament scholar, Leon Morris, is one of the best.
It was fascinating to read Morris's book just after Holmes's recent book The Wondrous Cross. I could hardly believe how closely the thoughts of Morris shadow those of Holmes. Perhaps it is because Leon Morris has impeccable evangelical credentials that the thoughts are somehow easier to accept from him, but essentially he says the same thing as Holmes does. He argues that all the main theories of the atonement are aspects of the truth and appeal at different times to more or less people. He argues that no one theory (i.e. neither Christus Victor or Penal Substitution) contains all the truth about the atonement or what Christ's death achieved in terms of salvation.
In fact, in a passage that could have come from Holmes's book, Morris writes:
Despite the centrality of the cross from the earliest days of the church, there has never been agreement on the way the cross saves us. The New Testament has a great deal to say on the subject of salvation through the death of Christ, but it never explains precisely how that death works. [emphasis added]He goes on to say that there are three basic views of the atonement and all three are true. In simple terms, Morris describes them as:
- The Bearing of penalty
- The Demonstration of God's love
- The Victory over evil
Along with Morris's two other classic books on the cross and the atonement, namely The Cross in the New Testament and The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, this little book of only 118 pages is well worth acquiring and reading for any Christian. It is not a difficult read, though it is a very thought-provoking one.
Monday, 18 April 2011
Let's Study Galatians
Let's Study Galatians
Derek Thomas
Banner of Truth Trust 2004
The Let's Study series from Banner of Truth aims to provide a basic exposition/commentary suitable for individuals or groups studying a book of the Bible. It is less detailed than the Bible Speaks Today series from IVP or the Welwyn Commentaries from Evangelical Press, but is broadly aimed at the same readership. It may have more of an application emphasis than the other series, which makes it ideal as a guide for busy house group leaders or Bible study leaders.
The exposition of Galatians is by Derek Thomas and is a useful guide to this important letter of the apostle Paul. Thomas takes the Old Perspective on Paul (as one might expect from a book published by Banner) but does interact with the New Perspective at a basic level. Having read Galatians again with his book as my guide, I failed to see any significant problem with an Old Perspective reading of Paul's letter.
The chapters are short and the Bible passages are printed at the beginning of each chapter in the ESV. This made it ideal to read during the commute to work each day.
The book also benefits from questions at the back designed for group study. The six chapters of Galatians are helpfully divided into 13 studies. Although the book claims that there is enough material for 26 studies, I would question taking the letter at that pace for most groups. Even if someone is studying Galatians as an individual the questions listed at the back would be ideal to ponder to really get to grips with the book. Having now read through the book, I'm going to go back and read Galatians again with the questions in mind.
Definitely recommended, though I would probably go with John Stott's book in the BST series before choosing this book, and I think that comes with a study guide for groups too.
Derek Thomas
Banner of Truth Trust 2004
The Let's Study series from Banner of Truth aims to provide a basic exposition/commentary suitable for individuals or groups studying a book of the Bible. It is less detailed than the Bible Speaks Today series from IVP or the Welwyn Commentaries from Evangelical Press, but is broadly aimed at the same readership. It may have more of an application emphasis than the other series, which makes it ideal as a guide for busy house group leaders or Bible study leaders.
The exposition of Galatians is by Derek Thomas and is a useful guide to this important letter of the apostle Paul. Thomas takes the Old Perspective on Paul (as one might expect from a book published by Banner) but does interact with the New Perspective at a basic level. Having read Galatians again with his book as my guide, I failed to see any significant problem with an Old Perspective reading of Paul's letter.
The chapters are short and the Bible passages are printed at the beginning of each chapter in the ESV. This made it ideal to read during the commute to work each day.
The book also benefits from questions at the back designed for group study. The six chapters of Galatians are helpfully divided into 13 studies. Although the book claims that there is enough material for 26 studies, I would question taking the letter at that pace for most groups. Even if someone is studying Galatians as an individual the questions listed at the back would be ideal to ponder to really get to grips with the book. Having now read through the book, I'm going to go back and read Galatians again with the questions in mind.
Definitely recommended, though I would probably go with John Stott's book in the BST series before choosing this book, and I think that comes with a study guide for groups too.
Thursday, 14 April 2011
The Wondrous Cross
The Wondrous Cross
Stephen R. Holmes
Paternoster 2007
The Wondrous Cross is a short book which tries to steer a middle course between affirming the traditional evangelical doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement (PSA) and modern attacks on this doctrine and the promotion of alternative theologies. Holmes seeks to do this by arguing that the penal substitution model is merely one of many "metaphors" or "stories" that the Church has and still tells to convey the mysterious truth that Christ died to save us.
I enjoyed the reading the book. It is well written. It is clear. It is fair to all sides and has a calm and peaceful spirit. "Irenic to a fault" was how another reviewer accurately summed it up. But then - as that reviewer also said - Holmes can afford to be like this when PSA is just one of many helpful ways of talking about the cross. If, on the other hand, PSA is the objective truth and the foundation for all the other ways of viewing the cross, then it is difficult to be quite so calm when the truth is undermined, especially when done by those within the evangelical camp.
Personally, I find Christus Victor immensely helpful in tying in the cross with the incarnation and Christ's earthly ministry. The Lord was battling the evils of sin, death and the devil from the moment he was born of the Virgin Mary through to when he cried out "It is finished" on the cross and died. But without the objective reality of penal substitution in the cross, we cannot really explain how the cross works. The truth is that Christ defeated evil on the cross by expiating the guilt of sin, satisfying the justice of death and propitiating the wrath of God - and by so doing he liberated us from the hold of the devil. Does that mean all the different facets of the atonement need to be stressed? Does that mean that none are to more privileged than any other? Emphatically not! Here I think Holmes goes too far.
One reviewer praised Holmes for basing his theological conclusions on exegesis. Actually I found his interaction with Scripture one of the weakest parts of the book. I know it is a short volume barely more than a hundred pages, but he really does not do justice to the biblical texts. If he had, I think that in examining the biblical evidence he would find a preponderance of material teaching that Christ died in our place (a substitute) and that Christ's death was a judgment and punishment on sin (penal).
To argue otherwise is like saying that a recipe is just one way of describing what a cake is. Other ways might include the cafe menu, a compliment from a happy diner to the baker, a restaurant review or a nutritional report. True these are other ways of talking about the cake, but without the recipe, there would be no cake to list on the menu, or eat and enjoy, or write about, or analyse for its nutritional content. That's how I feel about PSA and the other ways of looking at the cross. There are many ways to talk about what the cross achieves, but really only one way to talk about how it achieves it. Holmes however seems to think the recipe for the cake is acceptable to talk about, but no more fundamental than any of the other things. But unfortunately for Holmes, as the proverb goes, you can't have your cake and eat it.
Stephen R. Holmes
Paternoster 2007
The Wondrous Cross is a short book which tries to steer a middle course between affirming the traditional evangelical doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement (PSA) and modern attacks on this doctrine and the promotion of alternative theologies. Holmes seeks to do this by arguing that the penal substitution model is merely one of many "metaphors" or "stories" that the Church has and still tells to convey the mysterious truth that Christ died to save us.
I enjoyed the reading the book. It is well written. It is clear. It is fair to all sides and has a calm and peaceful spirit. "Irenic to a fault" was how another reviewer accurately summed it up. But then - as that reviewer also said - Holmes can afford to be like this when PSA is just one of many helpful ways of talking about the cross. If, on the other hand, PSA is the objective truth and the foundation for all the other ways of viewing the cross, then it is difficult to be quite so calm when the truth is undermined, especially when done by those within the evangelical camp.
Personally, I find Christus Victor immensely helpful in tying in the cross with the incarnation and Christ's earthly ministry. The Lord was battling the evils of sin, death and the devil from the moment he was born of the Virgin Mary through to when he cried out "It is finished" on the cross and died. But without the objective reality of penal substitution in the cross, we cannot really explain how the cross works. The truth is that Christ defeated evil on the cross by expiating the guilt of sin, satisfying the justice of death and propitiating the wrath of God - and by so doing he liberated us from the hold of the devil. Does that mean all the different facets of the atonement need to be stressed? Does that mean that none are to more privileged than any other? Emphatically not! Here I think Holmes goes too far.
One reviewer praised Holmes for basing his theological conclusions on exegesis. Actually I found his interaction with Scripture one of the weakest parts of the book. I know it is a short volume barely more than a hundred pages, but he really does not do justice to the biblical texts. If he had, I think that in examining the biblical evidence he would find a preponderance of material teaching that Christ died in our place (a substitute) and that Christ's death was a judgment and punishment on sin (penal).
To argue otherwise is like saying that a recipe is just one way of describing what a cake is. Other ways might include the cafe menu, a compliment from a happy diner to the baker, a restaurant review or a nutritional report. True these are other ways of talking about the cake, but without the recipe, there would be no cake to list on the menu, or eat and enjoy, or write about, or analyse for its nutritional content. That's how I feel about PSA and the other ways of looking at the cross. There are many ways to talk about what the cross achieves, but really only one way to talk about how it achieves it. Holmes however seems to think the recipe for the cake is acceptable to talk about, but no more fundamental than any of the other things. But unfortunately for Holmes, as the proverb goes, you can't have your cake and eat it.
Christus Victor
Christus Victor
Gustaf Aulen
Wipf and Stock Publishers 2003
(Originally published 1931)
I suspect Christus Victor is one of those Christian classics that more people have talked about than actually read. It is often referred to as the classic book on the theory of the atonement that bears the name Christus Victor, which is essentially that the on the cross Christ defeated and triumphed over all principalities and powers including sin, death, hell and Satan.
Aulen was a Swedish historical theologian in the Lutheran tradition. His thesis in this book is that the dominant "Latin" theory of the atonement that finds its key exponents in Anselm and Aquinas has got it wrong. The Latin theory is similar in many respects to the evangelical Protestant view of the atonement known as penal substitution - that Christ was punished in our place on the cross which enables God to forgive us and accept us into this people.
Aulen goes back to an earlier tradition found in the Church Fathers, and which he also believed was taught by Luther, though not by subsequent Lutherans, which he calls the dramatic or classical view of the atonement. This is the view now known as Christus Victor - that Christ is conqueror, fighting and defeating his enemies through his death and resurrection.
It must be said that the Church Fathers did not all have the same view, nor were their views exactly the same as Aulen's. In the early writers, the dominant theory was probably that Christ defeated evil by paying a ransom to the devil. Aulen moves away from this idea. Rightly so. He sees in Luther the best advocate of this point of view. However it remains controversial whether Aulen actually reads Luther correctly or fairly (or at least completely).
The book is not easy reading, but I found it rewarding. There are few evangelicals who would dispute that Christus Victor is a biblical idea and certainly part of what the cross achieved. Some of us would question if this is all the Bible teaches about the cross however. Aulen fails to explain exactly how the cross works to defeat evil and liberate mankind. The strength of penal substitutionary atonement (PSA) is precisely that it focuses on the how question. Perhaps when the two theories are held together - one focusing on the how, the other focusing on the why - we may get a more rounded picture of the New Testament's teaching. For raising the issue at all, and in such a short and relatively accessible book, we are all in Aulen's debt, even though his claims are in the end unproven. I tend to agree with Henri Blocher whose article "Agnus Victor" seems to me to demolish a lot of Aulen's arguement. Blocher argues that though both Christus Victor and PSA ideas are present in Scripture, the primary idea is PSA and only through PSA can Christ's victory be explained.
Gustaf Aulen
Wipf and Stock Publishers 2003
(Originally published 1931)
I suspect Christus Victor is one of those Christian classics that more people have talked about than actually read. It is often referred to as the classic book on the theory of the atonement that bears the name Christus Victor, which is essentially that the on the cross Christ defeated and triumphed over all principalities and powers including sin, death, hell and Satan.
Aulen was a Swedish historical theologian in the Lutheran tradition. His thesis in this book is that the dominant "Latin" theory of the atonement that finds its key exponents in Anselm and Aquinas has got it wrong. The Latin theory is similar in many respects to the evangelical Protestant view of the atonement known as penal substitution - that Christ was punished in our place on the cross which enables God to forgive us and accept us into this people.
Aulen goes back to an earlier tradition found in the Church Fathers, and which he also believed was taught by Luther, though not by subsequent Lutherans, which he calls the dramatic or classical view of the atonement. This is the view now known as Christus Victor - that Christ is conqueror, fighting and defeating his enemies through his death and resurrection.
It must be said that the Church Fathers did not all have the same view, nor were their views exactly the same as Aulen's. In the early writers, the dominant theory was probably that Christ defeated evil by paying a ransom to the devil. Aulen moves away from this idea. Rightly so. He sees in Luther the best advocate of this point of view. However it remains controversial whether Aulen actually reads Luther correctly or fairly (or at least completely).
The book is not easy reading, but I found it rewarding. There are few evangelicals who would dispute that Christus Victor is a biblical idea and certainly part of what the cross achieved. Some of us would question if this is all the Bible teaches about the cross however. Aulen fails to explain exactly how the cross works to defeat evil and liberate mankind. The strength of penal substitutionary atonement (PSA) is precisely that it focuses on the how question. Perhaps when the two theories are held together - one focusing on the how, the other focusing on the why - we may get a more rounded picture of the New Testament's teaching. For raising the issue at all, and in such a short and relatively accessible book, we are all in Aulen's debt, even though his claims are in the end unproven. I tend to agree with Henri Blocher whose article "Agnus Victor" seems to me to demolish a lot of Aulen's arguement. Blocher argues that though both Christus Victor and PSA ideas are present in Scripture, the primary idea is PSA and only through PSA can Christ's victory be explained.
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