Adopted, Redeemed, and Sealed!

My favorite section of Ephesians is 1:3-14. In these twelve verses, which are actually one sentence in Greek, Paul describes for us a vast array of spiritual blessings that God has bestowed upon us. It is truly amazing.

The three blessings that jump off the page at me are adoption, redemption, and sealing. Because of God's grace and that alone, we are made His children, we are bought back from our sin debt, and we are secured for eternity. This is accomplished through the perfect working together of the Trinity. God the Father adopts, God the Son redeems, and God the Holy Spirit seals.

God's grace is stunning. Let's never cease being awestruck by the gift of salvation.

Keeping the Gospel of Grace Front and Center

It's easy to get sidetracked from what is most important. Not only is our society an extremely busy one, but so is the church. Amidst this busyness, it is quite easy to take our eyes off what is most critical. When it comes to Christianity, the most critical thing is the Gospel itself.

The Gospel at its heart is based in the grace of God. We must never forget this. In our man-centered culture, the tendency is to elevate humanity to the position of most importance. This can and does seep slowly into the church. This in turn even impacts what Christians believe about the Gospel. In particular, I'm concerned about two growing segments within the church as they relate to the Gospel. Albeit in different ways, both groups stress man's work as being important to the Gospel. Both groups are wrong.

The first group I'm referring to is those Christians who act as if man's response of faith is something that he himself instigates (some call this group "Arminian," but I'm going to avoid that term because it simply leads to arguments). These folks believe that God bestows a certain amount of grace upon every human, but that it is up to said human to respond in faith of his own doing. They believe faith precedes regeneration. What this does is turn the faith response into a work. In essence, these believers are saying that a spiritually dead man can repent and believe while still spiritually dead. Not only does it make no sense theologically, but it also is patently false. Worst, it denies that grace is enough for salvation.

The second group is even more problematic. These folks, who may or may not actually be Christ-followers, deny that the atoning work of Christ is necessary for salvation. Rather, they say that Jesus' work on the cross was an act on his part to set an example of living sacrificially for others. While it is undoubtedly that, it is so much more. What Christ did on the cross caused the great transaction to occur: my sin for his perfection. This great exchange is absolutely necessary for salvation. If it is not, then salvation once again becomes a work of mankind as he wills himself to God. In order to deny that the atonement is necessary, you have to reject a great portion of the bible. In fact, the entire sacrificial system of the Old Testament makes no sense when you hold this position.

The above two beliefs are just two of many variants that deny that God's grace is sufficient. As Christ's body, we must reject any and all of these positions. God's grace is not only what makes Christianity unique, it also makes salvation possible. If knowing God through Christ depended on our works, then no one would ever come to salvation. It is God's amazing grace, and it alone, that both makes salvation possible and causes it to occur.

Let's keep this issue front and center. God is honored when we emphasize his grace.

Twenty-One

On this date in 1991 Alice and I were married. Today marks twenty-one years of wedded bliss.

Other than Himself, Alice is God's greatest gift to me. She truly is a marvelous woman who loves the Lord (which is understandable) and loves me (less understandable). Since I was only twenty when we wed, quick math tells that I've been married longer than I've not. The married part has been better.

Most of my co-workers are not married. Several of them live with other folks. Some are divorced. Almost all of them have a negative view of marriage. The things they say indicate that they generally think of marriage as unnecessary, confining, and/or pointless. How sad this is.

Marriage is a sweet gift of God to His creation. Not only does it give us a deep relationship on earth like no other, but it also grants us a peek into the wonder of the intimacy within the Trinity.

God's design for things is always best. Marriage is one of the supreme examples of this.

Hymns: A Gift from God to His People

What a wonderful gift from God that we can sing. God did not have to make it this way. Singing did not have to be part of His creation at all. However, God is a God of beauty. I believe He created music because it reflects His infinite splendor and majesty. It provides insignificant us with a means (among others) to voice His praises.

Hymns are by no means the only type of songs. Like you - I'm guessing - I enjoy a variety. What I enjoy best about hymns in particular is the deep theology. The wording of the best hymns is simply wonderful. Most of the hymns on my top ten list are stunning in their depth and grandeur.

Hymns connect us with church history since so many of the best ones were written over 100 years ago. I admit to having a sort of "love-hate" relationship with church history. However, my relationship with the great hymns is simply love. They stir my soul like no other form of music. They often voice what I'm feeling but cannot adequately put into words.

As for the music itself, some hymns are great, some are adequate, and others are stinkers. I suppose this is true of any type of music. It is the great ones that contain both deep theology and wonderful music. I'm saddened that so much of the church in this country is abandoning hymns. Many folks my age and younger have little to no knowledge of hymns. I'd like to see all churches embrace both high quality hymns and high quality modern choruses. My opinion is that churches miss out when their music is lop-sided in any one direction (including those that sing only hymns).

When we look in scripture, we see singing throughout. God has implanted in His people a desire to praise Him in song. He has provided us with gifted song writers to help with this. Amazingly, God enjoys listening to His church sing. His gift brings joy to us and praise to Him. I thank Him for it.

I'm Not Saved Because...

The passing of another year makes me think back on my life. The most important person in my life is Jesus Christ. What matters most is the gospel.

I'm saved because of Jesus alone.

I'm not saved because I was born into a "Christian home."

I'm not saved because most everyone in my extended family is saved.

I'm not saved because I've been "in church" for as long as I can remember.

I'm not saved because my dad taught at a Christian college.

I'm not saved because I was raised in a town where most everyone goes to church.

I'm not saved because I can't remember when I gave my life to Christ.

I'm not saved because several of my family members are foreign missionaries.

I'm not saved because I won a memory verse competition in Sunday School in first grade.

I'm not saved because I was a Boy Scout (never made it to Eagle).

I'm not saved because I went to youth group some of the time (and survived).

I'm not saved because I went to Christian camps in the summer.

I'm not saved because I went to a Christian high school.

I'm not saved because I didn't get kicked out of my Christian high school.

I'm not saved because I attended a Christian college.

I'm not saved because I married a Christian woman who was an MK (missionary kid).

I'm not saved because we have more than two kids.

I'm not saved because we were Southern Baptists.

I'm not saved because I attended seminary.

I'm not saved because I'm ordained (or if I wasn't).

I'm not saved because we went to South Asia as missionaries.

I'm not saved because God healed our son from Lymphoma.

I'm not saved because I was a pastor.

I'm not saved because I resigned from being a pastor.

I'm not saved because I'm now part of a simple church.

I'm not saved because we reside in the "Bible Belt."

I'm not saved because I now work a regular job.

I'm not saved because of this blog.

I'm not saved because of any good works I've done.

I'm not saved because of anything I've done.

I'm not saved because of me.


I am saved because of the grace of God alone through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross alone. 


Praise the Lord!


My guess is that you have a list something like this. What's yours look like?

Discussing the Dreaded "Exception Clause" Within the Context of Church Family

When our church family gathers as a large group, one of the things we usually do is study through a section of scripture. We are currently working our way through the book of Matthew. This past Sunday we began discussing Matthew chapter 19.

Studying through Matthew 19 means dealing with the dreaded "exception clause." I'm referring to Matthew 19:9 were Jesus says, "And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." (exception clause emphasized)

The meaning of the exception clause has been argued by Christians for many years. You've likely had the discussion yourself. Although I personally hold to the betrothal view, my point in this post is not to go down that path. Instead, I simply want to talk about the discussion we had.

As we gathered, we had about twenty people in the room. At least one-half have been directly or indirectly involved in and/or impacted by divorce. Therefore, this was not some sort of theoretical talk. It was real.

The body-life context of the discussion was critical. We all know one another well. We have solid, deep relationships. We trust one another. It's not perfect, but we are a family. Therefore, as we began to talk the entire atmosphere was one of grace and love. At the same time, we desired to seek God's truth and avoid falling into some sort of postmodern interpretive pit "just to make everyone happy."

We talked for quite a while about various aspects of marriage, divorce, God's desire for marriage, God's thoughts on divorce, what Moses meant and did not mean, what the exception clause may mean, what Christians should do now who have been divorced, what Christians should do now who have remarried after divorce, and what Christians should do now who are struggling in their marriages.

This passage could have led to one of two negative outcomes. First, we could have simply glossed it over, avoiding it to "keep the peace." Second, we could have argued over it in a nasty way. I'm happy to say that neither happened.

Instead, in the context of church family, we were able to talk about this hard passage in love, grace, and mercy. There was no judgment from any of us. We desired to see the truth and apply it from here forward.

It was beautiful to watch the body in motion. With various people adding to the conversation, different points of view and concerns came to the surface. Each person who spoke added a little bit to what we were all learning. We all gained in Christ from one another.

One example of this comes to mind. After I talked about why I hold to the betrothal view, a good friend of mine cross-referenced to Matthew 1:18-25. This is the passage where Joseph is betrothed to Mary and finds out that she is pregnant. The beauty was that this brother of mine added to the conversation in a way that I didn't. I hadn't even thought of that passage.

We as a group were also able to help some within the family deal with tough questions related to marriage and divorce. Many Christians struggle with their pasts related to this. Within the context of love and acceptance, we were able to ask hard questions and try to help these folks apply these.

I would not want to discuss this passage in any other setting. I was reminded again how we all need each other. We need one another not just for encouragement, but also to help one another determine the meaning of scripture. Our church family context enabled us to delve into this tough passage, dig for truth, dare to apply it, and lovingly encourage one another in the process.

My hope for you is that you have this sort of opportunity to share body life in a way that everyone is built up in Christ.

The Cross Covers Church Life

A big part of the purpose of this blog is the discussion of church life. No surprise there. In doing this, my hope is that we will all be stretched by scriptural truths to be the church that God desires. This can be painful and difficult at times, but well worth it in the end.

That said, none of us is ever going to either perfectly figure out what the church should be or live out what we have discovered. Despite our attempts, we will still fall short of the ideal. Sin has a nasty way of distorting even our best intentions.

In light of these failings, I'm thrilled to remember that Jesus' work on the cross covers church life. In His grace, God forgives our mistakes, failures, and disasters in church life.  His showers His great mercy down upon all Christians as we sort of take "two steps forward and one step back" in the church.  We all desperately need this grace.

No matter if we are a part of a denomination or not, a house fellowship or not, a mega church or not, a missions team or not, etc., we need God's grace to cover our church practices.  Even if we try as best we can to selflessly serve others as Christ did, we will still fall short of Jesus' perfect example.  Even if we strive to carry out the "one-anothers of the bible" as we read them, we won't be perfect (or even close).

Thank the Lord for His great grace! I need it in all areas of my life - including the church. The more I study the church in scripture, the more I see how much I still don't understand and how much more I fail to live out. This is not a blog post based in false humility. This is reality.

As we live today and every day as the church, let's bask in the grace of God. We should certainly try to be as biblical as we can regarding the church (and we will certainly have differences of opinion about what some of this will mean). At the same time, let's take tremendous comfort in God's gracious attitudes towards our failings.

His grace is greater than our sin!  He is indeed worthy of our praise.

How Does a False Teacher Live?

We are too swift these days in calling people "false teachers." Since this term carries such strong meaning, we must be very careful in how we define and apply it.

The bible tells us how to spot false teachers in two ways: by what they teach and by how they live.

A few days ago, I blogged about what false teachers actually teach. They teach against the gospel. False teachers deny Christ in one way or another. On a related note, those who simply teach secondary doctrines in a way we do not like are not false teachers.

The bible instructs us that false teachers live out their false teachings. Because they teach against Christ, false teachers are not in Christ. They are not redeemed, adopted, reconciled, justified, saved, etc. False teachers are in the flesh. Because of this, false teachers will live out their lostness in worldly ways. They do not live holy lives.

Here are three scriptural examples:

Matthew 7:15-20 - "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."

II Peter 2:12-17 - "But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions,while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved."

Jude 4, 8, 16, 18-19 - "For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ...Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones...These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage...They said to you, 'In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.' It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit."

When we think of false teachers, we mainly think about the content of what they say. However, these passages make it clear that we should also be looking at their behavior. We can spot them through their fleshly, sensual, worldly actions. They cannot help but live this way because they do not know Christ. While claiming to teach for God and about God, they instead remain dead in their sins and under God's wrath.

We must be careful to protect the church from false teachers. We must be on guard against false teachers from both outside and inside the church. Acts 20:29-30, "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them."

What do we do when we spot false teaching? Our duty is to humbly speak the truth in love. Although somewhat out of context, I believe we must follow Ephesians 4:15, "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ."

The goal in confronting a false teacher should not be victory in an argument. Rather, the goal should be the salvation of that false teacher.

What Does a False Teacher Teach?

Words have consequences.

The reason for this is that words convey powerful meaning.

The term "false teacher" carries extremely strong meaning. I'm concerned because I hear this term being used fairly frequently to describe other people - usually those in teaching positions.

Sometimes this term is used for those who are teaching religions other than Christianity. Sometimes it is used to describe those who are teaching various forms of the gospel. Sometimes people use this term to describe others who teach differently from what they believe about church, family, eschatology, etc. Sometimes it is even used for people who simply do not use a preferred version of the bible.

The term "false teacher" is such an inflammatory one that we must be very careful in how we both define and apply it. We must look to the scriptures to find out what a false teacher actually is.

In the bible, false teachers are usually described in two ways: 1) by what they teach, and 2) by how they live.

In this post, I want to look at what the scriptures say about what false teachers actually teach. In the next post I'll look at how they live (these two things should not be separated in how we think about false teachers, but for the sake of post length, I've divided them here.)

So, what do false teachers actually teach? (Note: this is not an exhaustive list.)

Galatians 1:8-9 - But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

I Timothy 1:8-11 - Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

II Peter 2:1 - But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

I John 2:22-23 - Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

Jude 3-4 - Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Also important to remember is this: Matthew 24:24 - For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

The above verses tell us very clearly what false teachers teach: they teach against the gospel of Jesus Christ. They deny the basics of the faith. What it comes down to is that they, in one way or another, deny Christ himself. False teaching is a gospel issue.

It is important to recognize that the term "false teacher" is not applied to issues that are not gospel-centered. For example, "false teacher" is not applied to people who teach differently about issues such as baptism, the Lord's supper, the church, the family, etc. While those are important issues to be sure, the term "false teacher" is not used for people who are discussing them.

Also important is the fact that false teachers may, as we see predicted in Matthew 24:24, perform signs and wonders. We must be careful not to automatically believe someone just because of the signs they perform. Their message must be consistent with the gospel as taught in the bible.

So, what does a false teacher teach? He teaches against the gospel of Jesus Christ. He denies Christ as either fully-God or fully-man. He denies that Jesus is the only way of salvation. He denies the realities of heaven and hell. He may teach some doctrines (such as baptism, the Lord's supper, church , family, etc.) in such a warped way that it denies Christ Himself.

Anyone who denies Christ is a false teacher. Anyone who denies His gospel is a false teacher.

Anyone who teaches Christ correctly, but teaches a secondary doctrine in a manner we do not like, is not a false teacher. That teacher may need loving instruction/correction/rebuke, but he is not a false teacher.

My Son is 11 Today

My son Bobby is eleven years old today.

That would not be particularly significant except that we didn't know if he would ever make it this far. In early 2007 Bobby was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma. We were living in India at the time and had no idea what turns our lives would take over the next few years.

God faithfully carried us through it all. God brought us through a quick move back home, through chemotherapy, through recovery and into remission, through forms of homelessness and joblessness (it wasn't quite as bad as that sounds), and through trying to determine what to do next.

We praise the Lord for His faithfulness!

But for the Grace of God...

When we read an article like this one, it is easy to (in our flesh) begin to feel good about ourselves. We may think, "I would never do something as terrible as that!" When we feel that way, it is pride speaking. Instead, our reaction ought to be one of praise and thanks to God for saving us from our own wretched sinfulness. Additionally, instead of hating the people we read about in this story, we should love them sacrificially and hope for their salvation.

G.R.A.C.E. for Whom?

I very much enjoyed this tongue-in-cheek post about grace and how different religious groups view it.

Paul's Last Words

It is interesting to look at the final verses that Paul writes in his letters. It is safe to assume that Paul wanted to say something significant at the conclusion of his messages to his friends. The apostle appears to be stressing the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Paul writes "Jesus Christ (or Christ Jesus)" 10 times and "grace" 11 times. Since Paul thinks the grace of Christ is so significant, we should as well. Do we live like it in the way we interact with God and others?

Romans 16:7, "to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen."

I Corinthians 16:24, "My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen."

II Corinthians 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."

Galatians 6:18, "Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen."

Ephesians 6:24, "Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen."

Philippians 4:23, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

Colossians 4:18, "This salutation by my own hand -- Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen."

I Thessalonians 5:28, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."

II Thessalonians 3:18, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

I Timothy 6:21, "by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen."

II Timothy 4:22, "The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen."

Titus 3:15, "All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen."

Philemon 1:25, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen."

Two Years Later - God's Providence in Action

Two years ago at this time we were finding out for certain that our son had cancer. It was an extremely difficult time of uncertainty, doubt, and pain. As I look back, God providentially carried us through it all.

Let me back up a bit. Two years ago we (my wife, our three kids, and I) were serving the Lord in India. We had been in country for about four months, and were dealing with language learning and culture shock. Although it was certainly difficult living in a very different culture, we were hoping to reach a specific people group with the gospel.

That's when we noticed the strange bulge on the side of our son's neck. We were not initially concerned, but over the next few days Bobby's neck swelling grew larger fairly rapidly. The doctors in our city could not give a clear diagnosis, so we had to fly to New Delhi where we could get more accurate tests performed. After a few days there, we received the news we didn't want: Bobby had cancer.

The official diagnosis was Large Diffuse B-cell Lymphoma. That didn't mean much to me at the the time. I could understand that this cancer was in the family of Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas, but for the most part, I just knew my son had cancer.

After flying home to Savannah, GA, we had to quickly transition from culture shock in India to hospital life in the USA. We endured almost three months in and out of the hospital. Toward the end of May, we learned that Bobby was cancer-free. Praise the Lord!

We then began a rather strange odyssey of healing from cancer (emotionally), Bobby gaining physical strength, and us all wondering what the future held for us. We knew God was in control, but we didn't know what that meant.

Through all this time, God provided a free house for us to live in. God graciously used the generosity of Rothwell Baptist Church to provide us with a mission house to be our temporary retreat while all this was going on.

After seven months of this, Bobby was doing well. We believed by then that what God wanted us to do was to resign from the International Mission Board. With very mixed emotions, we resigned in January 2008. Now what were we to do?

In God's providence and sovereignty, He had it all worked out. In February 2008, I was told by a friend that a Southern Baptist church near Savannah was without a pastor. This was Chevis Oaks Baptist. I began preaching here on and off; this lasted for a few months. In June of 2008, the body at Chevis Oaks called me to be pastor.

Since that time, this church has welcomed our family in with open arms. We have been treated with an enormous amount of love and grace. What a great honor it is to be here.

Within the few months, God has seen fit to provide us with a house to call home. I realize this has little significance at a spiritual level. However, it is a great relief for us. We are thrilled to know where home (on earth) is. Our kids in particular are happy to be able to relax in a place that has some permanence to it.

We see now how God controlled all these events. He guided us through all that has happened. He cured Bobby's cancer. He led us home to the USA. He took us to Chevis Oaks. He has even given us a house.

We certainly serve the God of providence.

Simply Blessed

Yesterday as our church family gathered for worship and edification, we were greatly blessed by the Hitch family of Martell, Nebraska. The Hitches are an extremely talented family of musicians who travel the country proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in song.

Jim and Kathy Hitch's family ministry is named Simple Grace. This is an appropriate moniker for this godly family of two parents and eight children. Five of their kids (Avery, Lucas, Sterling, Havilah, and Bristol) still travel with the family.

The aspect of the Hitch ministry that impresses me the most is not the talent (although that is impressive), but is instead this family's humility. Even as they showed us just how good they are musically, their focus was steadfastly on Jesus Christ. They also put their money where their mouth is by trusting in the Lord to provide for their needs.

To visit the Simple Grace Ministries website, click here.

We thank God for the Hitch family's visit to our church, and look forward to it again next year.