An Excellent Statement on Christology

I'm not generally a big fan of statements of faith. Although they assist with clarity of belief, far too often they are used to separate Christian brothers and sisters instead of uniting them. However, statements can be helpful if they force us to think about not only what we believe but also why we believe it.

Blogger Tim Challies recently pointed out an excellent statement on Christology by Ligonier Ministries. I encourage you to read it.

Linking: Is the Reformation Over?

Does justification by faith alone matter anymore? Is the Reformation over?

R.C. Sproul provides excellent answers to these questions as he deals with the critical topic of justification. Sproul is correct in saying that justification by faith alone is a core attribute of the biblical gospel. He points out how the Roman Catholic Church has steadfastly rejected the notion that faith is enough for salvation. Please read the post. It is relatively short and worth your time.


(HT: Arthur)

Why Does Christ's Resurrection Even Matter?

Within Christianity we talk a lot about Jesus Christ's crucifixion. This is a good thing. We ought to continually honor him for it. It is through Christ's substitutionary atoning work that we are saved.

We tend to talk somewhat less about Jesus' resurrection. I'm not sure why this is. After all, it is a stunning miracle. Maybe the reason is that we aren't exactly sure what the significance of the resurrection is. While we embrace the crucifixion because it paid for our sins, we might not know why we should cherish the resurrection equally as much.

Simply put, why does the resurrection even matter?

I've been thinking about this quite a bit over the last couple of days. The reason is somewhat self-centered; I wanted to make sure that I know why Christ's being raised from the dead really matters. After looking up a variety of bible passages and consulting with my favorite systematic theology text, I now feel comfortable that I know why the resurrection is significant.

Being a blogger, I feel compelled to share my findings with you. What I'm writing here is nothing new theologically. You may find it fairly basic. That's fine. My hope is that it will assist you in thinking just a little bit more clearly about why Jesus' coming back to life is something that we as his people ought to adore.

I found six different reasons, although all are ultimately connected:

1. Most importantly, Christ's resurrection brings glory to the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11 tells us, "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Although this passage does not specifically mention the resurrection, it is clear that through the resurrection all will eventually (at one time or another) submit to Christ, bringing glory to the Father.

2. Christ's resurrection shows that he has supreme authority.

"...and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all" Ephesians 1:19-22. Paul makes it abundantly clear that Jesus is in charge of all things.

3. Christ's resurrection is directly connected to our regeneration.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" I Peter 1:3. The apostle Peter informs us that we are born again through the resurrection.

4. Christ's resurrection is directly connected to our justification.

In Romans 4:22-25 Paul writes the following, "That is why his faith was 'counted to him as righteousness.' But the words 'it was counted to him' were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." This passage indicates that the acts of crucifixion and resurrection were both necessary to bring about our salvation. Also implied is that the resurrection is evidence that the Father accepted the Son's sacrifice as both valid and sufficient.

5. Christ's resurrection gives us reason to have faith in Christ and hope in our future resurrection.

According the Paul, "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain...but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" I Corinthians 15:13-14, 20. Without the resurrection, it is all pointless.

In a similar way Peter says, "He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God" I Peter 1:20-21. Our faith in Christ as Lord and Savior is directly related to his being raised.

6. Christ's resurrection provides us with post-salvation marching orders.

Jesus did not leave us here to remain as we were prior to knowing him. At the conclusion of I Corinthians 15 Paul writes, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" I Corinthians 15:58. The apostle's use of the word therefore to begin this verse points back to the first fifty-seven verses of the chapter that focus almost exclusively on Christ's and our resurrections. God expects us, in light of the resurrection of the body, to stand for him and work for him.


The bible gives us ample evidence that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is extremely significant. Let's cherish this stunning event just as much as we do the crucifixion. The two go hand-in-hand.

We Are Free in Christ!

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2

We are free from Adam's curse.

We are free from the wages of sin.

We are free from the Old Testament law.

We are free from Old Testament ceremonial requirements.

We are free from Old Testament models for community life.

We are free from the clergy-laity divide.

We are free to live as the priests to God that we are.

We are free to live joyfully for Jesus Christ.

We are free to live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are free to be the New Covenant church God wants us to be.

We Do Not Have to Follow the 10 Commandments

This post may seem a bit redundant to some of you. For that I apologize. However, I believe it needs to be stressed that as followers of Jesus Christ we do not have to follow the 10 Commandments.

This statement sounds like heresy to some. How can we call into question what God provided in stone to Moses? How can we ignore these basic biblical truths?

My answer is that I'm not calling them into question or ignoring them. Rather, what I'm saying is that they do not apply to those of the New Covenant.

The New Testament is clear that salvation comes through faith, not through law keeping. Jesus Christ fulfilled the law; we do not have to. The NT writers are united in their call to repent and believe, not repent and keep the law.

The 10 Commandments are part of the OT law. In fact, they are right at the heart of it. God's covenant with the nation of Israel at Sinai has the 10 Commandments at the center. When Jesus came and ushered in the New Covenant, the law no longer had any hold upon his followers. This logically includes the 10 Commandments.

The interesting thing in all this is that if we follow Jesus' teachings, we will end up keeping nine of the ten commandments. It is only the command to keep the Sabbath that we no longer have to follow (we actually keep a different kind of Sabbath - 24/7 rest in Jesus who is our Sabbath). The difference is that we do not obey Jesus' teachings in order to gain his approval. We already have his approval through faith. Rather, we keep them out of hearts full of joy in Christ. We keep them because we want to.

Jesus came to earth for numerous reasons, all of which were part of his mission of salvation. One aspect of this was perfectly fulfilling the OT law. This Christ did - the entire law. Because of this, none of the law's requirements rest upon us. This includes the 10 Commandments.

Our Lord has freed us to live by faith!

No Mention of Sinai in Hebrews 11

Hebrews chapter 11 is sometimes referred to as the "Faith Hall of Fame." It provides us with a list of many Old Testament heroes along with their exploits. These saints likely make up the "so great a cloud of witnesses" recorded in Hebrews 12:1-2.

Abraham, the man of faith, is mentioned more than anyone else in Hebrews 11. Much of Abraham's life is contained in this chapter. Moses, the lawgiver, is also spoken of in Hebrews 11. What is fascinating is what aspects of Moses' life are recorded in chapter 11 and what are not.

Hebrews 11:23-29 focuses on the life of Moses. These verses tell us:

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. 29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

The author of Hebrews focuses on acts of faith in the life of Moses. Notice where the verses conclude: at the crossing of the Red Sea. This is before the Sinai account, which by all measures is one of the most significant passages in the entire Old Testament. Surely we must hear some mention of Sinai. But no, we do not. Rather, Hebrews 11:30 says, "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days." The writer skips all the way from the crossing of the Red Sea to the fall of Jericho. In his focus on faith, the writer jumps completely past the events of Mt. Sinai.

Why would the writer do this? The answer is both simple and profound. The Sinai account focuses on the giving of the law. It has nothing to do with faith, which is what Hebrews 11 is all about.

Law keeping and living by faith do not mix. They are completely different things.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we live by faith. The law, which we see ignored in Hebrews 11, has no hold upon us. Since that is the case, we need pay the law no heed as we consider how to live today. Many church problems stem directly from trying to look to the OT law for direction. This is fruitless. Rather, let us look to New Covenant passages to inform how we live life together now.

Abraham vs. Moses

I have no doubt that both Abraham and Moses are in heaven with God right now. Despite their faults, they both showed themselves to be faithful followers of the Lord.

When we read through the Old Testament, we see an interesting contrast between Abraham and Moses. While Abraham is portrayed as a sort of ideal man of faith, Moses is described as the lawgiver. Faith versus law.

In Genesis chapter fifteen, Abraham was declared righteous by God due to his faith: "And he brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness" (Gen. 15:5-6). Take note that Abraham's faith, not his works, led to God declaring him righteous. Abraham's greatest act of obedience (his willingness to sacrifice Isaac) came long after Genesis fifteen.

Meanwhile, Moses the lawgiver is not allowed into the promised land because of his lack of faith. In Numbers chapter twenty, the children of Israel again complain about not having water. God instructs Moses to tell the rock to yield its water (20:8). However, in 20:11 Moses does not tell the rock but rather strikes it. In response to this God says, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them" (Num. 20:12). God did not block Moses' entrance into the promised land due to his disobedience; rather, it was because "you did not believe in me." It showed a lack of faith on Moses' part.

Turning to the New Testament, Paul spells out for us that Abraham was righteous because of his faith. In Romans 4:1-5 we read the following:

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

It is the faith of Abraham that God desires in us. In contrast, it is not the lawkeeping of Moses.

In light of this, why do so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ turn back to the OT law for church life? It is the Spirit who gives life, not the law. For those of us in the New Covenant, the law no longer has any power. To turn back to it makes no sense.

As the New Covenant is significantly different from the Old, church life is far different from the life of the nation of Israel. The life of the church is a life of faith. Let's live for Jesus in the freedom our Lord provides.

Vader Theology

This is one of my all-time favorite quotes, regardless of source.

Why We Do and Don't Have a Statement of Faith

I know it sounds confusing, but our church family both does and does not have a statement of faith. While that sounds like it breaks the law of non-contradiction, it really doesn't.

Although we've never written it down, it's safe to conclude that our church family's statement of faith is a simple yet profound one: Jesus is Lord!

What we do not have is a lengthy statement of our beliefs. The reason for this is that we don't all agree on many of what we might call secondary doctrines. For example, I'm sure that we see differently on the doctrine of predestination. Our views of eschatology don't all line up. Our views of women's roles do not all fully correspond. If we had a statement of faith that demanded agreement, it would automatically force a wedge between us. It would create division.

That said, I wouldn't mind a statement of faith that focuses on core truths. If I had to select one, it would likely be The Nicene Creed. Core doctrines, by definition, are things that all Christians should agree upon. Therefore, a statement with only these should not be a problem.

The real difficulty becomes the secondary doctrines. This is what has led to the multitude of denominations we have today. Many of these newer (post-Reformation) statements of faith are solid documents; however, if adherence to one of them acts as a separator between Christians, then "Houston, we have a problem!"

As individuals, it is important for us to know what we believe. However, we may be in a place where we honestly do not know what we believe on certain issues. For example, I'm currently working through what I believe about women speaking during church gatherings. I'm in flux, and that is acceptable.

My encouragement to all believers is to know what you believe, but don't use this as a force to divide. Especially on secondary doctrines, it is fine to believe differently from other Christians. This is no reason for division.

Regarding statements of faith, focus on the essentials.

If you'd like to read through some statements, try this link.

What do you think about statements of faith? Do you have one? How does this affect your unity with those in your church family? What about other believers?

And So It Begins

Most of you know by now that I resigned from a salaried pastoral position at the end of October. The church where I pastored, Chevis Oaks Baptist Church, was gracious enough to continue supporting us financially through the end of December. Well, we all know that the new year has come. As of today my only employment is some part-time janitorial work. That's not going to pay the bills by itself.

So this is where it begins. By that, I mean the test of our faith. So far it hasn't really been that tough. But now I have no idea how we will make our mortgage payment in February, etc. I know I should be thanking God for this trial, but I'll admit that I haven't been too appreciative so far. My prayer is that my attitude will change.

God has made clear that He will provide. The test is to believe and not be anxious.

Matthew 6:25-34 says, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Alice and I have chosen to believe that God will provide. We are not able to do this on our own power; even this faith is a gift. We are deeply thankful that God is gracious and merciful because our faith seemingly wavers from day-to-day.

When will this test/trial end? I have no idea. Employers aren't exactly knocking down my front door to get my job application.

I do know that I was supposed to resign from salaried ministry. I don't know where God's provision will come from.

I greatly appreciate your prayers at this time for faith, patience, and guidance.

Thank you!

Justification by Faith Alone - What About James?

We have seen that in both Galatians and Romans the Apostle Paul makes the case that we are justified (declared both not guilty and righteous) based on faith alone in Christ. He explicitly discounts works as a basis for justification.

As we look at this issue, we must also stare hard at what James has to say. Some people say that James contradicts Paul. Is that what's going on? Let's see.

This passage is critical so I'm going to quote all of James 2:14-26 below:

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe- and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness' - and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."

What is going on here? Do James and Paul disagree? I don't think so.

Paul and James seem to be speaking of justification in different ways. While Paul makes the case that faith alone is the basis for justification, James is saying that good works act as evidence that justification has, in fact, taken place. Another way of famously saying it is, "Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone."

We must remember that one of the main themes of the book of James is that true Christians live godly, sacrificial lives. In other words, followers of Christ live changed lives. They do not live like the world. There is evidence in the life of the Christian that he is, in fact, saved.

In the above passage, James is anticipating the argument from some that faith is all that is needed for salvation and that works don't matter at all. James smashes this idea by saying that faith alone is not saving faith. It is instead dead. Justifying faith is always accompanied by works.

We can also say that faith is the root of justification while works are the fruit. If there's no fruit, the tree is dead.

But what about James 2:24? It says, "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." This verse, taken by itself, seems to say that works are required for justification.

So what do we do with this? More important, what did James mean by it? That is the key.

Again, we must remember James' primary theme: true Christianity evidences itself in godliness. While Paul spends much time (especially in Romans) discussing the actual process, means, and basis of salvation, James does not do this. Rather, James assumes that his readers understand all this. He is writing to exhort them to live out the faith they say saves them.

Paul's explanation focuses on the basis of justification. James' explanation focuses on evidence for justification.

Another way to say it is that while Paul looks at the necessary cause of justification, James looks at the necessary effect.

In the end, we see that Paul and James agree. They are simply looking at the issue of justification from two different angles.

Piper on Justification

Justification by faith alone is a critical doctrine in Christianity. However, there seems to be growing confusion in our culture about what this means. In this short video, John Piper provides a clear and straightforward explanation of this great truth.

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism - and Unity

In Ephesians 4:1-6 Paul writes, "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (emphasis mine).

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, the apostle (to be simplistic about it) writes three chapters telling us what God has done for us, and then writes three chapters telling us how to live out our lives in Christ.

The above passage comes from the beginning of chapter four. Thus, this is the first thing Paul had to say to the Ephesians about how they were to live together after being saved. Interestingly, Paul chooses to emphasize the importance of unity. In the above passage he uses the word "one" eight different times. He also writes that they are to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit.

As there is one God, as we have one hope, as we have one faith, we also should be part of one body.

As the Trinity is united, we should be united (see John 17 for more on that).

Paul is clear: the church is to be united. There is no room for disharmony and division.

Interesting Info on Faith and Size of Church

The Barna Group has posted some interesting information on the relationship between people's faith and the size of church they are a part of. Below are the three statements that I found most intriguing (especially the final one):

"On all 9 of the belief statements tested, attenders of large churches were more likely than those engaged in a small or mid-sized congregation to give an orthodox biblical response – e.g., the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches, Satan is not merely symbolic but exists, Jesus led a sinless life, God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe, etc."

"The point at which congregational belief profiles were mostly likely to diverge was when churches reached the 200-adult range. Those who attend churches of 1000 or more adults are significantly different from the congregations of those attending churches of as many as 200 adults in relation to six out of the 10 belief statements explored."

"The religious beliefs and behaviors of people who attend house churches, which average about 20 adults in attendance, are more similar to the results for large conventional churches (i.e., more than 500 adults) than they are to the outcomes among those who attend small conventional churches (i.e., less than 50 adults)."

To read the entire Barna article, click here.