Mobilized for Evangelism

"On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.… Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went" (Acts 8:1, 4).

Early on in my ministry, I was hired to be an “education.” Since I was a better teacher than an evangelist, I went to an evangelistic training seminar.

At the seminar, the leader trained us in the outline we were to memorize, the questions we were to ask, and the steps we were to follow. The word that came to my mind was 'canned'. To me, the truth was something profound and deep, and the idea of canning it and packaging it and using it the way a salesman uses his spiel was offensive to me. The more I heard about this, the more opposed I became.

Of course, I had to put into practice what I had learned with the people of this church. I saw normal laypersons sharing Christ and people responding to the Gospel. The more I watched, the more amazed I became. People from the church were going into the community and changing it. And I began to change my mind.

I remembered that when you study the sermons in the book of Acts, you find that every sermon has the same pattern. Moreover, you find that it was a “simple Gospel” that was proclaimed, with detailed instruction coming after conversion to the faith.

I also realized what the New Testament means when it says that the ascended Christ has given “some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:11–12). As in Acts 8, it is supposed to be the people of God who are mobilized for evangelism.

Have you ever learned an evangelism presentation, or memorized an evangelistic outline? If not, think about the value of being trained in using this skill. Talk with your minister about opportunities to become better equipped to present the Gospel. Investigate the many books, film series, and seminars designed for this purpose.

Energized for Evangelism

"But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens" (Exodus 18:21).

When Israel came out of Egypt, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, came out to meet them. When he saw that Moses was sitting all day long to teach the people and to judge disputes, he told him that what he was doing was unwise. Jethro’s advice was to organize the nation with elders over tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands, and to leave only the toughest cases for appeal to Moses himself.

The importance of this kind of organization can be seen from the history of World War II. A tiny and impoverished nation, already defeated in World War I, took on virtually the entire world. Germany challenged France, Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union—and almost won. One reason Germany was so successful was because of its strong military organization, an organization that resembled what Jethro set up for Moses.

Being organized, however, is not enough. Just as an organized army needs armaments as well, so the church also needs power. We see this in Numbers 11, where the people complained about the manna. Moses responded by complaining to God that he was unable to bear the burden of carrying the people alone. God responded by distributing to 70 of the elders of Israel the Spirit which had formerly been exclusively with Moses. Some of Moses’ loyal supporters were upset when they saw others prophesying, but Moses said, “I wish that all the LORD’S people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29). Moses’ wish becomes a prophecy in Joel 2, where that prophet predicts that in the new covenant all people would be given the Spirit. In Acts 2, on the Day of Pentecost, the empowering of God’s army became a reality.

Evangelism is a worldwide effort on the part of God’s Spirit-empowered army, the Church. God gives wisdom to organize and strength to perform in response to prayer. Take some time today to pray for worldwide evangelism, and pray specifically for missionaries you know. If you do not have a list of missionaries to pray for, take steps to make one.

The Gift of Evangelism

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

In our popular language, we often equate witnessing with evangelism, but there is a distinction in the way the New Testament uses these two different words. Basically, the difference is this: Witnessing calls attention to Jesus Christ in many ways, and is very supportive of evangelism. Evangelism is the proclamation, either orally or in writing, of the message of the person and work of Christ.

We are called to righteous living, and sometimes people say, “I do my evangelism by how I live.” In the biblical sense, however, this is a form of witnessing but not of evangelism. After all, how many times have you seen someone go up to a Christian and say, “I’m amazed at how you live! Tell me your secret!” That does happen from time to time, but not very often.

Giving personal testimonies is not evangelism either. It is witnessing. It is telling people something true about what Jesus has done for me, but it is not the same thing as proclaiming the work of God in the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ. My personal experience may or may not be relevant to you, but the “personal experience” of Jesus Christ is always relevant to everyone.

Don’t misunderstand me. Personal testimony is very important, and we see it in the New Testament in many places. One such account is when the man born blind told people Jesus had healed him. In the strict sense, however, this is not evangelism. Similarly, inviting people to church is very important, but it is not evangelism.

Finally, I don’t believe every Christian is called to be an evangelist. The church is a body with various gifts in it, but not everyone has the gift of evangelism. Every Christian is called to bear witness, but not every Christian is gifted to proclaim the message of the Gospel to men.

While not every Christian is an evangelist, it is every Christian’s responsibility to help see to it that the evangelistic task is carried out. Clearly, the New Testament biblical model encourages each believer to be a participant, not a spectator in the work of the Gospel. What specific things are you doing to help? Make a list of ways in which you do, or should, help carry out the evangelistic mission.

The Gospel of the King

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God" (Romans 1:1).

The word 'gospel' is the English translation of the Greek term euangellion, which means “good news.” When Jesus first appeared, He announced the Gospel of the kingdom: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near’ ” (Matthew 4:17). After Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, the apostles proclaimed the Gospel not only of the kingdom, but of the King. Thus, Paul said, “I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:19).

In Romans 1:1, however, Paul speaks of the Gospel of God. When Paul speaks of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he means the Gospel about Jesus; but when he speaks of the Gospel of God, he means the Gospel that comes to us from God. God proclaims the Gospel about Jesus to us.

Thus, the whole task of evangelism is simply that of repeating to the world what God Himself has first declared. God was the original Messenger. In fact, the Messenger sent the message incarnate, because Jesus is called the Logos, the Word of God, who lived among us and made a living proclamation of Himself (John 1:1ff.).

As we begin a study of the Gospel, we need to take up one problem. During the 19th century, skeptics began to deny the supernatural element in the Gospel. They formulated the “social gospel”—the idea that the true Christianity dealt with people learning to get along with people. From the New Testament perspective, however, there is no such thing. The Gospel is the message about a Person, and what He accomplished redemptively and cosmically.

Since the Gospel is true, the social implications are staggering. Because the church embraces the Gospel, she must have a conscience about the needs of men. Our social consciousness flows out of the Gospel, but never replaces the Gospel. Is your faith too privatized, with no impact or outreach to the community or individual needs? Consider today what the appropriate balance should be.

Preaching ("Faith There is a Moral Lawgiver" Romans 2:12-16)

Bible Teaching (Esther 5:1-14)

Overcoming Spiritual Information Overload

Sometimes it’s called infobesity. Constantly force-fed hundreds of messages through all kinds of media, we are unable to digest information. Even if we could digest it, would it nourish our life and soul? We are drowning in information but starved for wisdom. Information overload paralyzes our ability to think, make decisions and identify priorities. It’s a spiritual issue of course. What if all the information we consume makes us less able to “receive with meekness the engrafted word”? 

Everyone has an opinion to share online and they multiply exponentially. Even in the best things, this can become spiritual information overload as we seek to stay afloat in the torrent of new material.

This is not a new problem. Ecclesiastes 12:12 warns “of making many books there is no end”. The technologies may have increased but the problem is the same: words being endlessly multiplied. When we understand these words in their context we can see that he is contrasting these things with “the words of the wise” (v11). We are to be “admonished,” he says, and instructed by the words of the wise. The word “admonished” means enlightened or informed.  The key truth to grasp is that it is possible to go astray in seeking wisdom (as we see in the earliest chapters of Ecclesiastes). We need to be careful and cautious so that we do not mistake the true way to true happiness.

The danger of inertia due to information overload is a spiritual problem. Bewilderment and distraction concerning all the opinions swirling around us are also spiritually damaging. Many opinions only muddy the waters as opposed to creating clarity. We need the discernment to identify “the words of the wise” that agree with Scripture and those that do not. If we are looking for “words of the wise” that will feed our souls it is helpful to mine the riches of the spiritual wisdom of the past. If we turn to writers saturated in Scripture we will find that they draw us closer to the book of books, the Scriptures.

Alexander Nisbet comments on these words from Ecclesiastes. He identifies the words of the wise with every message of any sent minister of Christ. They come from “one Shepherd” (v11). There is a  key warning to be drawn about many books being endlessly made. If we are not satisfied with the admonitions of this book (and the rest of Scripture) we will become vain in our imaginations. Everyone will imagine a new and nearer way to happiness. Out of their boundless desire for vainglory, they will make no end of their inquiries. Rather, they will spend the best of their time and strength to vent their own ideas. They will devote themselves to commending their vain imaginations about the way to true happiness and refuting others.  Many of the most intelligent have done this in many written volumes.

Thus, it is clear that this verse does not condemn writing or studying other books besides the Scriptures as long as they agree with it. It is a warning against those books that oppose Scripture, in so far as they pretend to point out a way to happiness contrary to what the Bible teaches. Our souls can never have true rest or quietness until we embrace the truths declared in this book. These truths are like nails fastened by the masters of assemblies. They fix and establish the hearts of those that receive them concerning this main question: where their true happiness can be found.

When the verse goes on to say that “much study is a weariness to the flesh” it is speaking of every study opposed to the study of the truth commended in this book. Anyone who applies themselves to any other study to attain true happiness may well weary his flesh. They will do no more good to themselves than this, weary the body. They will bring no true profit or satisfaction to their soul. Every child of wisdom must apply themselves to make use of these truths.

Nisbet applies this verse by showing how we must isolate the Bible and biblical teaching from everything else and approach them in a unique way. This helps us to avoid spiritual information overload.

1. We need to Value Scripture as Enough in Itself

Scripture is perfect compared with all other writings in the world. Every part of Scripture contains a perfect rule of faith and practice. No other writings besides or contrary to it are necessary to supply any deficiency. Solomon here assumes that though only a small part of Holy Scripture had been delivered to the Church at that time, it was still enough. What he and others before him had written was enough to admonish about duty and warn of dangers in attaining true happiness. This is why he says “by these, my son, be admonished”.

2. We need to be Admonished by Scripture

In studying Scripture we should not only aim at our comfort. Our main concern should be to receive clear information and warning about our sin and peril, the only true remedy to deal with this and how to attain it. This is one main use to be made of this book, and thus, the rest of Scripture, “by these…be admonished”.

3. We need to Approach Scripture as Children

Some of those who hear the gospel may be strong men compared to others who are but babes (1 John 2:13-14). All should come to Scripture as children to hear the Lord’s mind with meekness. They must come in submission to the reproofs and warnings of the Word. They must also come with love to their teachers in Scripture, desiring the sincere milk of the Word from them. Ministers should also exercise tender fatherly affection toward the people with whom they deal. Solomon, therefore, speaks to every hearer as a son, “by these, my son, be admonished”.

4. We need to be Warned About False Wisdom

There are those who will never make an end of seeking out many inventions to attain their imaginary happiness. They are so carried away with their desire for vainglory ( Job 11:12) that while they have time or strength they will begin one book after they have written another. They seek to show themselves wise in discovering the way to happiness. Yet it is so empty that until they take the new and living way to happiness which the Scripture reveals, they will meet with nothing but endless labor and continual disappointment. They will never have any true rest or quietness in their minds. Thus, Solomon says concerning such writings that ignore the Scripture’s way to happiness. “of making many books there is no end”.

5. We will Find Rest and Sweetness in Studying the Truth

Studying saving knowledge may prove wearisome to the flesh. This is due to our being slow to understand, lacking confidence of being successful and acquaintance with the basis for receiving comfort. It is also partly because the Lord intends the flesh to be wearied in that study in order to divert the heart from sinful delights. Such study is in fact, sweet in itself. It is the very rest and refreshment of the soul, it is health to the spirit and marrow to the bones. In comparison to this,  all other studies are wearisome to the flesh. This study must be rest and sweetness, it is only concerning other studies that Solomon says, “much study is a weariness to the flesh”.

Conclusion

Spiritual information overload leaves us with inertia, indigestion, frustration, and confusion. When we submit to Scripture and the words of the wise, we will have clarity about how God wants us to glorify Him. We will also be warned about our urgent priorities and find true spiritual rest and sweetness in the truth. May the Lord help us draw such benefit from Scripture that we are able to discern the words of the wise that will only increase our understanding of and love for God’s Word.

The Lord of All Beauty

"Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us” (Psalm 90:17 NKJV).

Our Creator is an artist, and we are made in His image. God rejoiced in His creation: trees to delight the eyes, life that swims and flies, gold in Havillah awaiting the craftman’s hand. After the Fall, the descendants of Cain smelted bronze to make swords, but also tuned pipes for music.

Our Redeemer is the source of beauty as well as goodness and truth. Moses saw the beauty of the Lord in the wilderness. The generation that died there left no monuments, but Moses prayed that God would give meaning to the work of their hands and bless them with His own beauty.

Three concepts of beauty are linked with the Lord in the Old Testament. One is the beauty of majesty, like God’s pillar of cloud soaring above the tabernacle (Psalm 96:6). Another is the beauty of design, like the needlework on the garments of the priest (Exodus 28:2). The third is the beauty of loveliness: of a woman, of spring meadows, of a handsome man. Loveliness in which we delight is ascribed to God (Psalm 27:4), the beauty of God’s grace (Psalm 90:17).

God’s threefold beauty appears in Jesus. The beauty of His glory transformed Him on the mount and shines now at God’s right hand (John 1:14). In the beauty of holy array, Christ walks among the lampstands (Revelation 1:13–17). Above all, at the Cross we see the beauty of His grace. Hideously disfigured in His suffering. He was altogether lovely, the fairest of ten thousand. “Your eyes will see the King in His beauty” (Isaiah 33:17).

In the rich harmony of God’s revelation, there is always more than one level of understanding. Aesthetic experience is attuned to overtones, to the extra dimensions. For one who has eyes to see, the leap of a deer is much more than efficient propulsion. Beyond the glory of the galaxies and the soft green of the grass is the marvel of God’s redeeming love. The ultimate experience of God’s “extra” fullness is the knowledge of His glory, wisdom, and grace in Jesus Christ. It is that joy that sets us singing, gives beauty to our lives, and adds this incredible wonder: That the Lord delights in us!

Beauty and Holiness

There is a triad of Christian ideals: the good, the true, and the beautiful. God is the fountainhead of these three, the source from which they flow, and the standard by which they are judged.

Like Ahab in Melville’s Moby Dick, we all have a tendency toward monomania. Imprisoned by a fetish for reductionism, we tend to make the complex simplistic, and the multifaceted one-dimensional. It is a matter of emphasis, at times even preoccupation.

Church history bears witness to our monomial predilections. We have seen the impact of intellectualism, which so stresses the importance of doctrinal truth that it has little concern for ethics and aesthetics. We have seen moralism that reduces Christianity to right conduct without a view toward theological truth and often coupled with a contempt for art. We have seen aestheticism which has equated beauty with God and rested in liturgy at the expense of truth and conduct.

Indeed the true, the good, and the beautiful may be distinguished, but to separate them or isolate one from the others is to have a distortion of the character of God. Authentic beauty is wed to truth and goodness as authentic goodness is both true and beautiful.

In this issue we are concerned with one aspect of the triad, the beautiful; but not in isolation from or contradiction of the good and the true. We are also concerned with the relationship between the beautiful and the holy.

The Bible speaks of the “beauty of holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29). We now ask if this phrase is in any way tautological; that is, we ask if it can be reversed and still hold true. We’ve seen what happens when we take the phrase “God is love” and make it a symmetrical equation, a copula that translates into “love is God.” Then romance becomes an idol worshiped in the place of the living God.

All that God is, is beautiful. But not all that is beautiful is God. It may come from God and bear witness to God, but it is not God. Nature is beautiful, but nature is not God.

The Enlightenment of the 18th century saw a rise in aestheticism, whereby the arts were assigned the function of shaping human thought and behavior. The chief epistemology of enlightenment thought was the analytical method, which involved a search for “the logic of facts”—it was an attempt to apply the scientific method that gave weight both to induction and deduction. Art was seen as a bridge between science and life. The chief span of the bridge was found in mathematics. Art involves a grasp of mathematical balance, proportion, harmony, and symmetry. As music was said to “charm the savage beast” (a la David’s music for Saul) the arts could be useful to instruct the human mind and shape the human spirit toward a good, proportional, balanced life.

The aestheticism of the Enlightenment, however, sought to find the relationship between the beautiful and the good without dependence upon biblical truth. It was a naturalistic form of aestheticism.

The chief opponent of Enlightenment thought in this area was Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach’s view of beauty was specifically Christian. For him, beauty was demonic if it was not subordinated to the Word of God.

Jaroslav Pelikan summarized the key points of Bach’s view in his book, Fools for Christ. The following propositions capture Bach’s Christian aesthetic:

Proposition #1. The highest activity of the human spirit is the praise of God. Such praise involves the total activity of the Spirit. Any object of the uplifted heart short of the Lord Himself is unworthy of human aspirations. Bach strove to honor the holiness of God even in his “secular” compositions.

Proposition #2. As the praise of the eternal God, Christian art is an expression of boundless freedom; but as the praise of God who became incarnate, it bends itself to form.

Proposition #3. As the medium of a historical faith. Christian art has to be cast in terms of historical tradition; yet as an expression of faith in the living God, it has to be relevant and contemporary. (Bach’s setting of the Nicene Creed in a contemporary style reflects this blend.) There is a marriage of the classic and the fresh; of the orthodox and the contemporary. Orthodox itself does not change, but its expression is contemporary.

Proposition #4. Christian art illumines or even transcends the content of the words with which it is joined. Art is never to be set in competition with the Word of God. Rather it is a response to the Word and reinforces the Word. Bach saw art as a kind of quasi-sacramental medium of communication. That is, it is dependent for its validation upon the Word yet aids in the communication of the Word.

Beauty then, for Bach, was a channel by which the holiness of God was communicated to the human spirit. Pelikan summarizes Bach’s view:

The Holy is not, first of all, a highest Good, a sublimely True, an ultimately Beautiful. Yet that Holy which men have vainly tried to grasp with their systems of thought, their categories of ethics, and their depictions of beauty; that Holy which has eluded every human attempt to take it captive and to tame it; that Holy has been made flesh and has dwelt among us in Jesus Christ.

"Superconquerors in Christ"

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us..." (Romans 8:37).

Friedrich Nietzsche, the German nihilist philosopher of the late 19th century, wrote that the true man is a conqueror. He despised the “meek and mild” ethics of Christianity and called on men to live as conquerors, even though life was meaningless (according to him) and being a conqueror was also meaningless.

Nietzsche should have paid more attention to Romans 8:37. Paul stated that Christians are “more than conquerors.” This phrase actually translates a single Greek term, the verb hupernikao. It comes from huper (superabundant) and nikao (conquer, be victorious). Paul is saying that Christians are “hyperconquerors.” The Latin for hyper is “super,” and so Paul is also saying that Christians are “superconquerors.” How are we superconquerors? It is in Christ that we have this ability. It is Christ who is the incarnation of the all-controlling sovereign God. It is Christ who raised Himself from the dead. We who are in Christ have access to this superconquering power.

Why do we need this power? Because of the “these things” Paul refers to in the beginning of the verse. Paul is referring back to the tribulation and distress of verse 35, the persecution that threatens to separate us from Christ. Paul is referring back to the entire theme of suffering in Romans 8. It is in the face of these things that we are superconquerors in Christ.

For this reason. Paul is convinced “that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).

Do you ever feel threatened by the world? Do you experience fear? Do you struggle with anxiety? Certainly such feelings are common to us all. While our faith doesn’t necessarily keep us from worldly harm, nothing can threaten our eternal security with Christ. Dwell on this thought today. Ask God to make you more conscious of your position and security in Him.

Sermon: "Faith that Life was Created" (Genesis 1:11-12, 24-25)

Bible Teaching (Esther 4:1-17)

6 Reasons to Delight in God

Mostly, we are well aware that we get our life in focus by concentrating on the most important things. But do we live our lives in such a way that the things most important to us are obvious to those who observe us? The most important thing is to glorify God and enjoy Him. We can only glorify Him by grace and we can only enjoy Him by glorifying Him. Delighting in God is what makes seeking to glorify Him a pleasure. When we have discovered this, we will know that there is no satisfaction to be found in seeking other things in place of God. True pleasure from created things comes through delighting in God. Even affliction and adversity are sweetened for the soul that seeks its delights in God. Since we are to glorify and enjoy God forever, delighting in God gets our life in eternal focus and prepares us for that unending activity. These are some reasons for delighting in God but there are many more. We also need to know what we mean by making God our delight.

Andrew Gray has a sermon on delighting in God that expounds Psalm 37:4.  It something enters into the deepest parts of the heart mastered by gospel grace. The following is an updated extract from the sermon.

What is Delighting in God?

Delighting in God consists of the following things:

(a) Loving God

A soul should be much taken up in exercising the grace of love. To delight in God is to have love smoking in a Christian’s heart towards God. Love is only a bruised reed, but delight is love coming up to perfection.

(b) Esteeming Christ

A soul delighting in God has a high esteem and account of Christ. One whose delight is in God will have a matchless estimation and high considerations of Him.

(c) Thinking on God

The soul that delights in God has all its thoughts running towards God and exercised on Him. His thoughts are only terminated on Him; He is the object of them all. Now, Christians, on what are your thoughts fixed? Is it not certain that they are all confined within this rivulet and span-length of time? Does the world not have your first thoughts in the morning and your last thoughts at night? Then certainly, your delight is not in God.

(d) Desiring Fellowship

One who delights in God is consumed with desire for communion and fellowship with God. Then try yourselves by this test. If your main desire is not fellowship with God, your delight is not in Him. If God is the object of your delight you will strongly desire communion with Him and it will be refreshing to you.

(e) Mourning for the Absence of Christ

Such a soul will often lament and grieve the absence of Christ. Certainly, if your delight is in God, His absence will be your greatest affliction and His presence your main joy and pleasure.

(f) Striving to Please God

The person who delights in God will strive and endeavor in all things to please and give satisfaction to God. If we delight in any person, certainly we will attempt to please Him in all things. We can test whether we delight in God; our main design and endeavor will be to please Him in all things.

1. Delighting in God is a Foretaste of Heaven

Dear Christians, do you desire to have the noble activities of those that are above around the throne? Then delight yourselves in God. To delight in God is the only activity of the saints above. I will point out three differences between the saints in heaven and the saints that are below on earth.

(a) The saints above are in the higher room, and we are in the lower room.

(b) The souls of the saints above are in a higher degree of love than we are; their praise is higher than ours. They are delighting themselves in and praising Him through all eternity.

(c) Those above are enjoying Christ by sight and fruition, we on earth enjoy Him through the veil of faith. They have the immediate sight of God and behold Him face to face. But we behold Him through a glass darkly. Oh, Christians, if you desire to delight yourselves in God, you would bring down heaven upon earth. What is heaven, but a soul’s delighting itself in God, and God delighting Himself in the soul?

2. Delighting in God is Incomparable

Be persuaded to delight yourselves in God for it is an exceedingly commendable pursuit. I would commend delight in God in four ways.

(a) It unites us with Christ

What is it to delight in God? It is the soul of a Christian embracing the soul of Christ by the two arms of love and desire. Is not that an excellent thing which may commend it unto you?

(b) It lifts us above ourselves

The soul of a Christian that delights in God is more where it loves than where it lives. It is more where its object is than where its own abode is.

(c) It brings us to adore Christ

By delighting in God, a Christian achieves three acts of admiration.

First, Christian, you will say, “Oh, how far is Christ above the report that I have heard of Him!” You will be constrained to say, “The half was never heard of Him that now I see.”

Second, you will then experience and remark, “Oh, how far is Christ above the love that I have had to Him! He is far above it.”

Third, you will be forced to say, “Oh, how far is Christ above the admiration and amazement that I have had of Him!” Now, if your delight is in God, you will be compelled to such admiration and astonishment.

(d) It helps the soul towards a more spiritual and holy life.  

3. Delighting in God Makes Duty Pleasant

Delight in God makes all duties pleasant and heart-warming. Without delight in God, all the duties of religion will be most unpleasant and burdensome (Job 22:26-27). There are four advantages in the exercise of duty that waits on delighting in God. These four advantages are as follows:

(a) Increased Boldness in Prayer

He that has his delight fixed on God has boldness to speak to Him (Job 22:26).

(b) Increased Prayer

Delight in God will help a Christian to multiply his prayers (Job 22:27).

(c) Increased Fervency in Prayer

Delight in God will help with great fervency in prayer. The word rendered prayer may also be rendered as “many strong prayers.”

(d) Increased Freedom in Prayer

Delighting in God will help a Christian to tell all his mind to Him (Job 22:27).

4. Delighting in God Helps us Bear Affliction

Delighting in God will bring a Christian to bear patiently any cross or affliction that he encounters. This is clear from the scope of the text. It will be an excellent help and guard against fretting at the prosperity of ungodly men.

5. Delighting in God is the Most Excellent Delight

Consider the excellence of the object of the Christian’s delight – the Lord. He is the most excellent object of delight. He is the fountain from which all our streams come. Oh, then delight in Him who is excellent and majestic!

6. Delighting in God Gives us the Desires of our Hearts

If you delight yourself in God, surely He will give you the desires of your heart. I say, they will lack nothing that is for their own welfare and God’s glory. If you delight yourself in God, you will lack nothing that is fitting for you.

Conclusion

Oh then, be persuaded to give obedience to this most soul-concerning commandment of delighting in God. Christians, it is your everlasting concern. Oh, do it while it is still being offered. Do not neglect this excellent work any longer. Oh, do not delay any longer, for delays are dangerous, especially in the matter of our eternal salvation.

Nothing Can Separate Us

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword" (Romans 8:35)?

Paul continues to reaffirm our security in Christ under the sovereignty of an all-controlling God by arguing that nothing can separate us from Christ. If God is sovereign, and He is on our side, then nothing can stop Him from His determination to keep us secure.

Suffering and distress may make us run away from God when we sense that He, the all-controlling God, has brought these problems upon us. The Christian, however, winds up running to his sovereign God for relief. The Christian is driven back to dependence on God by means of distress. We may be “considered as sheep to be slaughtered” as Paul writes in verse 36, but we know that we are not alone: Jesus went to be slaughtered first, and He is with us all the way.

We might wish that Paul had included sin in his list. After all, what we fear most is that our sin will separate us from the kingdom, from Christ, and from salvation. Sometimes we see people make professions of faith, come into the church, get excited about evangelism and other things, only to later renounce the faith. We wonder: Will this happen to us?

A true Christian is capable of a radical fall, but never of a total and final fall. Consider Peter and Judas. Peter rejected Christ, as did Judas. Peter denied Christ, as did Judas. But Christ was praying for Peter, while Christ said that Judas was a son of perdition from the beginning. Judas was never truly converted, while Peter was. Thus, Peter returned to Christ after his season of sin and apostasy. Judas never did. Because Christ intercedes for us, we can have confidence that we also will never fully depart from Him.

Peter pridefully announced that he would never deny Christ, yet he did. While we should be confident of our position in Christ, we should not be presumptuous. If Christ is our Intercessor, what is He pleading on your behalf even now before the throne of grace?

Our Sovereign God Justifies

"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is He that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us" (Romans 8:33–34)

Satan is the slanderer par excellence. One of the hardest things we face as Christians is false charges brought against us. Even harder to face, sometimes, are the true charges leveled against us. Zechariah 3:1 shows Satan standing at God’s right hand, accusing the saints. But Paul encourages us to look past this to the fact that God has chosen us (cf. Zechariah 3:2). Only God can pass a sentence of condemnation against us, and He has declared us free of condemnation. Thus, there is no one who can bring a charge against us. The sovereign God, who controls all things, is on our side!

God has given all power into the hands of His Son, Christ Jesus. Satan has been banished, and now it is Jesus who stands at God’s right hand. Jesus has the power to condemn us. But will He do so? How can He, since He has already died for us? If He were to condemn us, His death for our sins would be meaningless.

So far from accusing us, the One who stands at God’s right hand is now pleading for us! When Satan, a mere creature, accused us, God dismissed the charges. Now we find the second person of the Holy Trinity, the sovereign, all-controlling God Himself, interceding for us. How can we ever imagine that we can be condemned when this is true? How can we ever dream that our justification is anything other than totally, absolutely, and permanently secure?

Our justification in God’s law court is not only legally secure, it is secured by the omnipotent power of the predestinating sovereignty of God. How amazing this is! Take time today to meditate and marvel at this wonderful reality. Rejoice in God’s sovereign predestination which is your security and glorification.

Dear Struggling Christian: Three Testimonies from Prison

Here are the stories of three men, each of whom had his doubts, his struggles, and his triumphs. The first is John Bunyan, who wrote the immortal The Pilgrim’s Progress in 1670 during one of the two occasions on which he was imprisoned for his faith.

This book has been translated into two hundred languages and has been read by millions, having never gone out of print since its first publication. It traces the journey of the man Christian from the beginning of his search all the way to his goal—the Celestial City. He is told to keep his eye on the light and not allow himself to be distracted or waylaid. Along the way he encounters several interesting characters, who either help him in his journey or try to prevent him from reaching the Celestial City: Evangelist, the Interpreter, the Formalist, Hypocrisy, Timorous, Legality, Worldly Wiseman, Mr. Sagacity, Lord Hate-good, Pliable, and a few more. He stops and learns valuable lessons at the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, Hill Difficult, House Beautiful, Doubting Castle, the Enchanted Grove—you get the picture, even if you haven’t read the book.

Bunyan did not write much in the way of hymns, but the one he did write is “He Who Would Valiant Be,” and each stanza ends with the words “to be a pilgrim.”

Exactly one hundred years after Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Newton was born. He was never imprisoned for his faith, but he imprisoned others because he had no faith. He became part of the slave trade as the captain of a slave ship, even though he had personally experienced the horror of being abused, flogged, and enslaved. Caught in a terrible storm, trying to steer his ship to safety, he cried out to Christ to save him. He then dedicated the rest of his life to two pastorates, and his influence in history is undisputed. He was part of the Evangelical Awakening, and his impact on William Wilberforce to fight the slave trade is a remarkable story.

The best known among the many hymns he wrote is “Amazing Grace.” One of the stanzas begins, “‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear / and grace my fears relieved.” It is the grace of God that prompts the right kind of fear and brings the right kind of peace. The story of Newton is that of a man who cast doubt to the wind and held firm to the precious knowledge of the grace of Jesus Christ.

One of Newton’s parishioners was William Cowper; in fact, Cowper was his music director. Cowper was not imprisoned, nor did he imprison anyone, but he lived as a prisoner of his own mental torment in repeated bouts of depression. His story reads like a roller-coaster ride to the Celestial City, more often in the Slough of Despond than in the Enchanted Grove. Newton touched Cowper’s life, and together they compiled the famed hymnbook Olney Hymns: In Three Parts. Cowper’s best-known hymn is “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” in which one stanza reads, Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.

If you have struggled with some aspect of Christianity and still struggle, don’t think you are alone. Others have traveled the same road and have eventually found their way back to joy in their relationship with God. God has the best GPS system. He will bring you back onto the right road, like Christian in The Pilgrim’s Progress. God’s grace along the way will teach you what to fear and what to embrace as you put your trust in him to one day make it all plain to you. Yes, fellow pilgrim, there are challenges to our belief. Yes, there are dark nights of the soul. Yes, there are questions that may haunt us until we see Jesus face-to-face. But the light of Jesus Christ will carry you through and put your feet on the solid ground of truth and hope. He has done it for others; he will do it for you. And one day you will hear him say to you, “Well done! Well done!”

Prayer and God's Providence

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1)

When we study the providence of God it is easy for us to get lost in abstract considerations of doctrine, never getting to the place where we ask the question, “What does the providence of God have to do with my daily life?” Yet, since we are living in this world under God’s providence, and His providence includes His daily care for us, we should be very interested in the practical side of this doctrine.

If God knows every detail of our lives, why bother with prayer? Perhaps it is just sheer presumption and arrogance on our part to inform God of our perceived needs since He already knows all about them. Clearly, this is wrong. The Bible teaches us to pray, and so we know we should.

The question still remains though: Why does God want us to pray? John Calvin discusses this question in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, book 3, chapter 20. Is it not superfluous to pray, asks Calvin, since God already knows everything? Calvin answers, “Those who argue in this way attend not to the end or the purpose for which the Lord taught us to pray. It was not so much for God’s good as it was for our good.”

Prayer benefits us, not God. God does not need our praise and adoration. We need to praise and adore Him for our own good. Similarly, God knows our sins better than we do, but for our own good we need to name them as best we can before His throne. How about intercession? The Bible shows that God changes things in response to His people’s prayer. How this works out in the ultimate philosophical scheme of things we do not know, but we do know that God has been pleased to ordain our prayers as one of His means of governing history.

If your prayer life is weak, is it due to a theological problem with God’s providence or to a personal struggle with slothfulness? Do you pray believing? Do you pray confidently? Have your prayers been effective? What answers to prayer have you received lately? Discuss your prayer life today with your spouse, roommate, or friend.

God's Providence in History

"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen" (Romans 11:36).

The Bible teaches that history has meaning and purpose. In philosophy and theology, the study of the goal of history is called “teleology,” from the Greek words telos (end, goal) and logos (science). Christian teleology shows that God’s plan is the alpha and the omega of history.

The Bible opens with the phrase “In the beginning.” In contrast with the pagan civilizations of the ancient world, which held that history is a series of endless repetitions with no beginning and no end, the Bible states that history did have a beginning and that it has a goal. There was a point at which God brought the universe into being. Time and space began there, and from that point on they were under God’s control. God’s control of history has a purpose, and that purpose is to bring glory to His Son, who came into the world to save us. The world was created through and for the Son and was redeemed by the Son. The world is growing and developing under God’s guidance for the glory of the Son.

The entrance into time by Jesus Christ marks the beginning of the end of time. It marks the last chapter of history. It marks the manifestation in world history of the supreme telos, the supreme purpose or end of history. All of God’s providence, His governing power, is orchestrated to bring history to that climactic moment when Christ will be all in all.

When the Christian looks at Providence, he looks at the Father, who has made all history, and who ordains all history for the future exaltation of Christ. We participate in that redemptive plan, a plan that must come to pass. Thus, there is no room in the Christian life for despair. History is not meaningless because God is in control. Nor will history be defeated by human sin because God has already defeated sin at the Cross.

Have you realized that you are a part of a gigantic plan that stretches from the creation to the consummation of the world? Because God loves you, you have an important part to play in His huge strategy of history. Maybe you don’t think your part is all that important, but as a child of the King, you are important. 

Bible Teaching (Esther 3:1-15)

Cowardice vs. Clarity: The Case of Carl Lentz and Dr. John MacArthur

It's a case study involving a false teacher versus a true teacher of the gospel - and the comparison couldn't be more clear. To set the scene, last Monday, around 1:20 p.m. EST, hundreds of babies were being surgically dismembered, decapitated, poisoned, and otherwise violently killed inside abortion clinics around the country. Simultaneously, Hillsong Church NYC mega-pastor Carl Lentz had a platform from which to speak in their defense while a guest on “The View.” He refused to do so. In fact, he took the opportunity to suggest that their deaths can in some cases be justified and that the people killing them should continue living according to their own convictions.

When host Joy Behar asked directly whether abortion is sinful, he responded, “That’s the kind of conversation we would have finding out your story, where you’re from, what you believe. I mean, God’s the judge,” at which point the audience broke into raucous applause. “People have to live to their own convictions,” Lentz continued. “That’s such a broad question, to me, I’m going higher. I want to sit with somebody and say, ‘What do you believe?’”

This position might be received as a moderate stance on the issue or a lack of stance altogether. But in this case, to be on the fence is to be on the side of child sacrifice. “Live to your own convictions” is practically the slogan of the abortion lobby. Lentz might as well have said “My body, my choice,” or “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries.”

“So it’s not an open and shut case to you?” Behar asked. “Some people would say it is,” Lentz responded. “To me, I’m trying to teach people who Jesus is first, and find out their story. Before I start picking and choosing what I think is sin in your life, I’d like to know your name.”

This is a fantastic answer to the question of whether Calvinism or Arminianism is the more accurate interpretation of scripture. In reference to the biblical acceptability of child sacrifice, not so much. Scripture is unanimous and unambiguous in its condemnation of intentionally killing an image-bearer of God. There is no intellectually serious case to be made otherwise.

The abortion industry, with help from complicit institutions such as the mainstream media, academia, medical establishment, and others, is waging a propaganda campaign aimed at dehumanizing their victims. It’s a kingdom tragedy that a pastor of more than 7,000 Christians would join the ranks of those blurring the moral lines regarding the killing of preborn babies.

Check out the video below:

The fact is, with such demure, mealy-mouthed, mish-mash for answers, a "minister" shows themselves to be intellectually and convictionally unequipped to be a pastor and should resign.

Now contrast the obfuscation and imprecision of Carl Lentz with the clarity and conviction of Dr. John MacArthur. Notice how Dr. MacArthur accurately defines the sin of homosexuality, etc. and eagerly points back to the authority of scripture in every case.



Now hear Dr. MacArthur preach clearly on the topic of abortion and be reminded of Paul's injunction:

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1-4)

Elliptical Guilt

The Westminster Catechism defines sin as “Any want of conformity to or transgression of the law of God.” We notice here that sin is defined both in negative and positive terms. The negative aspect is indicated by the words want of conformity. It points to a lack or failure on moral performance. In popular terms it is called a sin of omission. (I once had a theology professor who denoted a sin of omission as the failure of the second baseman to cover the bag in a double play.) A sin of omission occurs when we fail to do what God commands us to do.

The positive aspect of the catechetical definition of sin refers to overt, actual stepping over the boundaries of God’s law. It is a sin of commission.

Both sins of omission and sins of commission are real sins. They incur real guilt. When we do what God forbids, we are guilty of a sin of commission; when we fail to do what God commands, we are guilty of a sin of omission. In both cases the law of God is violated.

Sometimes God expresses His laws in negative terms (Do not do …) and sometimes in positive terms (Do …). The Ten Commandments contain both forms (Do not steal; Honor your father and mother).

That God’s commands appear in both positive and negative forms hints at the elliptical character of the law. Calvin stated it this way:

There is always more in the requirements of the Law than is expressed in words.… It is true that, in almost all the commandments, there are elliptical expressions, and that, therefore, any man would make himself ridiculous by attempting to restrict the spirit of the Law to the strict letter of the words (Institutes II/VIII/8).

Calvin’s distinction between the letter and the spirit of the Law follows Augustine, and more importantly, the teaching of Christ. It is not intended to say we are to keep the letter of the Law and ignore the spirit, or keep the spirit of the Law and ignore the letter. The spirit and the letter of the Law may be distinguished but never divorced. God requires that we keep both the letter and the spirit of the Law.

The spirit of the Law is often elliptical to the letter. That is, it is not overtly stated but is left implied or tacitly understood. This is the crucial point the Pharisees missed and which Jesus carefully expounded in the Sermon on the Mount.

It is usually clearly understood that when God positively commands some good, by implication the evil opposed to it is forbidden. For example when God says, “Honor your father and your mother,” we understand that we are not permitted to dishonor our parents.

It is not so clear to us when we work in the opposite direction from vice to virtue. When the Pharisees looked at the prohibitions “Thou shalt not kill” and “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” they assumed they were guilt-free if they merely abstained from the letter of the prohibition. They missed the ellipse that called attention to the whole complex of the commandment. Jesus explained that the prohibition against murder contained implicitly within it the whole complex of inflicting injury against our fellow man. To hate a person or be angry against a person is implicitly forbidden along with the explicit prohibition against murder. Likewise, sexual impurity including lust, is prohibited on the full import of the Law against adultery.

But the Law goes deeper. Just as when good is commanded, its opposite evil is prohibited, so when evil is prohibited its opposite good is commanded. The Law against adultery is a law for sexual purity. The Law against idolatry is a law for true worship. The law against murder is a commandment for the sanctity of life. Again Calvin comments:

When evil is forbidden, its opposite is enjoined.… Censure of vice is commendation of virtue.… Hence the commandment. “Thou shalt not kill,” the generality of men will merely consider as an injunction to abstain from all injury, and all wish to inflict injury. I hold that it moreover means, that we are to aid our neighbor’s life by every means in our power (Institutes II/VIII/9).

If we fully grasped the elliptical character of the Law, I trust, for example, that the argument among Christians over abortion on demand would be ended once and for all.

When we consider the elliptical character of the Law we discover that God’s law is far deeper and broader than we ever imagined. We also discover that our guilt is far deeper and broader than we ever imagined. It is the elliptical guilt we often overlook when we flatter ourselves for our virtue. When we see it and see it clearly, we fly to the Savior and His fountain of grace.

Bible Teaching (1 Peter 4:12-19)

God's Power Within Us

"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Philippians 2:12–13).

Let's consider how God’s providence assists us in our sanctification. How does God’s providence help us grow in grace? Philippians 2:12 almost seems to be advocating righteousness by works. That is, the only way we’re going to be saved is if we work hard day and night with fear and trembling, under the lash of God’s threats. Well, Paul’s statement might be taken that way if we think of salvation as something that only comes at the end of the road. In that case, perhaps it would depend on our efforts.

In reality, salvation happens at the beginning of the road, but it continues all along the road. The Christian life is a walk. There is progression in our salvation, progressions through steps and stages. We grow in our sanctification before God. And God calls on us to strive to put our own effort into that holy walk.

Our efforts would be useless were it not for the fact that God is working with us, undergirding our efforts. How different this is from what we saw yesterday concerning God’s “concurrence” operating in the lives of the wicked! God does not actively stir the wicked to evil, though He may choose to remove some of His own restraints. However, God does actively stir in our hearts to provoke us to righteousness.

Does that make us mere puppets, manipulated by God? Not at all. God does not work in us apart from us; rather, God works in us with us. Our relationship is personal. God regenerates us by a “monergistic” sovereign act, without our prior knowledge or help. God brings growth in us by working with us “synergistically” as we cooperate with His leading.

Have you heard the advice, “Let go and let God”? The error of this teaching is it advocates man’s passivity while God does the work. On the contrary, you’ve been invested with the power of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of actively engaging the Christian life. Where have you been “uncooperative”?

God's Providence and Sin

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20).

How does God’s control of all things relate to man’s sinful actions? Does God reach down and compel innocent people to do evil things’? To ask such a question is to answer it. Obviously, the holy and righteous God never compels men to sin.

Ultimately, the relationship between God’s providence and human freedom is a mystery. In theology, the term concurrence is used to express the idea that God is working in the universe, and at the same time man is also working. God brings His providential government to pass through real human agency.

To see into this mystery somewhat, we can look at the story of Joseph. Joseph’s brothers hated him because they envied his status with their father. They attacked him, intended to kill him, and wound up selling him into slavery in Egypt. God brought Joseph into a position of power in Egypt, however, and a decade or so later the other sons of Jacob had to go to Egypt to buy grain, because of a famine. There they encountered Joseph and were reunited.

After their father died, the brothers were afraid that Joseph might take revenge on them. Joseph assured them, however, that though they were sinning when they attacked him, God was working good through the situation. God was not guilty of causing them to sin, but God was mysteriously working out salvation through their sin.

The Westminster Confession of Faith expresses the mystery of God’s providence this way: “God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures.…” What a comfort it is to realize that God never sins, and never causes men to sin, and yet His purposes are not thwarted by our sins. In fact, God is able to bring good out of our sinful actions. There is nothing evil men can do that will prevent God from fulfilling His good intentions toward us. Remember this truth today when confronted by evil—your own or someone else’s.

God Governs all Things

"Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted”

(Job 42:1–2).

The idea that God governs and controls all things is sometimes questioned by Christians. But let’s consider the alternative. Shall we believe that God is not in control of all things? Is it possible for God to be surprised by something unexpected? If this were possible, what would happen to our security and assurance?

The modern secular world is committed to the idea that the universe is governed by impersonal natural laws that are simply manifestations of natural forces. Because these forces govern all things, and everything that comes to pass is ultimately caused by them, it follows that everything that happens is pre-determined. This makes life utterly meaningless. Some have objected against this view, which is called “determinism” or “fatalism,” and have offered the alternative of radical “indeterminism.” This view says that there are no laws except those my mind creates and pretends to be true. In reality the universe is sheer chaos. Everything is totally meaningless.

These two options are pretty grim for modern man, aren’t they? Either way, life is completely pointless.

As Christians we don’t believe that blind impersonal forces operate in this universe, having their way with us willy-nilly. Neither do we believe that we live in a universe that is completely open to random chaos. Rather, we believe that we live in a universe under the government of an infinite, personal, righteous, loving God, a God we call Father. There is not one maverick molecule running loose in this universe outside the control of our Father. We are confident that He runs all things well.

Meditate on the alternatives set out in today’s thought. Consider that if God is not in complete control of all things, then there must be something outside of God that could surprise Him. Are there areas in your life where you resist God’s sovereign control? Where in your life would you prefer God not be God? Why?

The God Who Sustains Us

"She [Hagar] gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me” (Genesis 16:13).

Since God’s care for us extends beyond election into every aspect of our life in Christ, it is appropriate to consider the providence of God. One of Paul’s underlying themes in Romans 8 is God’s overarching care for His children. The word providence comes from two Latin words: pro (before) and video (to see). Thus providence means “see before.” God’s providence is intimately connected with the fact that He sees all the events in time from the beginning, because He is the creator of time and of all events in time.

When I was a child, my grandmother told me to be sure and behave myself, because God was watching me at all times. This made me very nervous. I did not want God to look at me all the time. I wanted God to overlook me and what I was doing, at least some of the time. We are all like that. We have things to hide that we don’t want God or anyone else to find out about.

I think that this fact is one of the main reasons why people find the doctrine of God’s providence unnerving. The Bible tells us that God knows us intimately. He is fully conscious of everything that takes place in world history, and in our own lives. We don’t like this. Like Adam and Eve, we hide from God.

The biblical doctrine of the providence of God starts with the idea that God sees all things, but it does not end there. The God who sees all things is not an absent spectator, but is actively involved in His creation. He is not only the God who sees, but also the God who sustains. In the Old Testament, the Hebrews speak of God as the One who creates all things. The Hebrew word used for God’s creating is barah. This word calls attention to God’s awesome power of calling into being the things that are not. But barah also implies God’s sustaining and upholding all things by His power. It implies that God is with us all the time.

Apart from God’s grace, our tendency is to flee from God’s all-seeing gaze. How futile is that flight! Why not sooner, rather than later, realize that they are benevolent, heavenly eyes. Focus your prayer time today upon thanking God for being the One who knows you best and loves you most.

Bible Teaching (Esther 2:1-23)

The Governor of the Universe (by RC Sproul)

The ongoing struggle between naturalism and supernaturalism often revolves around our understanding of the relationship between Divine Providence and natural causes. Insurance companies still have room for “acts of God.” But there seems to be less and less room for acts of God in our expanding knowledge of the inner workings of nature.

As Christians assimilate new discoveries in natural science, it is important that they approach the problem with a sound concept of the providence of God.

There is a crucial linguistic gap between the etymology of the word providence and its theological, functional usage. The word providence comes from a Latin root meaning “to see beforehand.” But the doctrine of God’s providence conveys much more than an insight into God’s vision.

The doctrine of providence has to do with God’s government of the universe. God does more than observe the universe. He must not be relegated in our thinking to the level of a mere cosmic spectator who creates a world and then sits back to observe what will happen. Such a deity would resemble Aristotle’s Unmoved Mover more than Israel’s Yahweh.

At the same time, the biblical God is not a do-everything king who refuses to delegate. He is a ruler who governs the universe through means, via intermediate agents and forces.

In the 17th century, Rene Descartes made an important distinction between primary and secondary causality. This distinction found its way into the Reformation creeds (most notably the Westminster Confession). Primary causality refers to God’s act of creation as well as His ongoing work of sustenance over creation. His sovereignty stands over and above the created order at every moment. This makes Him not only the Creator but the Lord of history as well.

Secondary causality refers to what we commonly call the laws of nature. These “laws” reflect not an independent power of nature but rather the ordinary manner by which God rules His creation. Nature’s laws are God’s laws. To discover them is to think God’s laws after Him.

What we call natural causes may also be called examples of ordinary providence. It is when we conceive of these secondary causes as being independent of God that we commit a form of idolatry.

It is not idolatrous for scientists to seek a more comprehensive understanding of ordinary providence. Indeed it may reflect a very advanced form of reverence.

There are times when scientists overstep their bounds and seek to exalt nature over God. Sadly, sometimes this stems in part from a reaction to a religious community that persecutes and oppresses scientists for pushing back the frontiers of mystery.

The Christian need not be threatened by any bona fide scientific discovery. Of all people we have an enormous investment in truth. Of course not all claims by scientists represent truth. But where truth is found and published, God is honored. The secondary causes bear witness to the primary cause. Nature bears witness to supernature. The heavens are still declaring the glory of God.

Another crucial distinction that closely resembles the distinction between primary and secondary causality is the distinction between the immediate and mediate work of God. The term immediate is not used here with respect to time. It does not so much refer to “suddenness” as to a work directly done without intervening means.

Let us illustrate the difference between immediate and mediate works of God. The parting of the Red Sea was a mediate act of God using an intermediate force. God caused a great wind to blow to separate the waters. Here was a bona fide miracle of timing. But God used the intermediate force of nature to bring about a supernatural event.

In the raising of Lazarus from the dead Jesus brought forth resurrected life immediately. He called Lazarus out of the tomb. No CPR, no mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, no medicine administered. Here the event was wrought by the immediate, primary cause of the power of God.

It is when the distinctions of primary-secondary causality, and immediate-mediate works of God are not observed that conflicts may arise between science and theology. Some want to explain everything in light of secondary causality, excluding God. Some want to explain everything in terms of primary causality, excluding science.

Nature is a book of revelation that is to be studied with no less care than is demanded by the sacred Scriptures. The same God is the Author of both. What He reveals in nature is not contradicted by what He reveals in Scripture. The Lord of providence is also the Lord of truth.