Galatians, pt. 2: There is only One Gospel!

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ & are turning to a different gospel--not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you & want to distort the gospel of Christ." Galatians 1:6-7

Our culture is so infiltrated with this notion: "There are many ways to God." Yet, if we take the authority of the Bible literally, there is no possibility for this to be true. Either we have a gospel that evolves & is subject to enlightening or there is only one gospel & it does not change. 

I recall a time in college when my fear of a teammate's opinion kept me from speaking the truth of the gospel. I can still remember the situation when he approached me & began to inquire of my interest in religion/theology. Although I was typically quite courageous, something about him made me want him to approve my opinion rather than hear the truth (fear of man vs. fear of God). It was not that much different than Peter's behavior in Galatians 2 that was so worthy of rebuke. I will spare you the details, but lets just say that I blew it. Because, there is only one gospel. What is so deceiving is when false teachers pervert the gospel. 

John Stott helps us recognize the true gospel. He offers two tests: its substance (what it is) & its source (where it comes from). 

Test 1: "It is the gospel of grace, of God's free & unmerited favour. To turn from Him who called you in the grace of Christ is to turn from the true gospel. Whenever teachers start exalting man, implying that he can contribute anything to his salvation by his own morality, religion, philosophy or respectability, the gospel of grace is being corrupted. That is the first test. The true gospel magnifies the free grave of God." 

Test 2: " The true gospel is the gospel of the apostles of Jesus Christ, in other words, the New Testament gospel...Any system 'other...than', or 'contrary to', or 'at variance with' this apostolic gospel is to be rejected." 

In closing, Dr. Alan Cole states it best, "The outward person of the messenger does not validate his message; rather, the nature of the message validates the messenger." 

"Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel...

To my dear friends who would give their lives in service to the Lord, I simply offer this blessing on your behalf: 

"The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace." Numbers 6:22-26

Brennan's New Wagon

Brennan got a new Christmas gift from Grandaddy...it is a big red wagon. And, because the temperature in East TN today is +70 degrees, we thought we would take Brennan & Bailey (our Chorkie [1/2 Chihuahua, 1/2 Yorkie = 100% maniac dog]). It was quite the thrill. We even had a neighbor run out of the house & take some pictures. Who would've thought it would be so beautiful 2 days after Christmas? Oh well, we will just accept is as a gift from God. 

Another Post on Humility

You may wonder why there are so many quotes, insights, & references to humility on this blog. Well, truth is, I (Ben) have become so much more aware of the extent of my pride that I must ask God for humility daily. With God's help, I must root out "the most hidden, secret & deceitful of all lusts," namely pride (Advice to Young Converts, Edwards). 

The other night I mentioned to Joy that God, through His word, has been teaching me a great deal about pride. It seems that the more He allows my eyes to be opened to pride in my life, the more discerning I am of it in other people's lives. I catch myself just prior to saying out loud, "That is pride in your heart & you need to deal with it." But, the gentle touch of God reminds me first of my own sin. And, therefore I keep myself from "casting the first (verbal) stone." Pride is so ugly. 

Plus, I have seen & continue to see the implications of having a proud heart before God. And, who am I to be proud before our God? And, for that matter, who are you before our Sovereign God? 

"Humility is honesty assessing ourselves in light of God's holiness & our sinfulness" (Humility, Mahaney). Mahaney further said, "Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status & position of God & refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him." 

Edwards wrote, "what a foolish, silly, miserable, blind, deceived poor worm am I, when pride works" (Memoir of Jonathan Edwards). He even viewed pride, spiritual pride, as the greatest cause of the premature ending of the Great Awakening (Mahaney). 

John Stott instructed: "In every step of our Christian growth & maturity, & throughout every aspect of our Christian obedience & service, our greatest foe is pride & our greatest ally is humility." 

A New Investment

What does a camera have to do with this blog? Well, I have recently made a decision to invest into a new video camera (a Sony HD A1U) & it arrived this week. I had already been struggling with the decision due to the cost of the equipment, but I am so excited & now more settled. I opened the package & thought, "Oh know, what do I do now?" 

Well, in case you are wondering, I have so many ideas about how to use it. And, I know for sure that it is going to make a difference for this blog as well. Let me share a few ideas:

• First, I am going to be able to use it for my consulting work & to help teach my book...you can check out a preview at http://aremarkablepractice.blogspot.com (this is a test blog site for some of our consulting projects). 
  
• Also, The Visible Group (www.thevisiblegroup.net) is going to be able to now do video promotions & professional commercials for our clients & friends. I can already see this making a difference in the way our church does announcements. This is great.
• Third, I am going to be able to film some on-location teachings when I take my next trip to Israel & the Middle East. Our next trip is supposed to include the Exodus route as well as the background to Jesus' world. Praise God!
• Last & what I am most excited about is that I am going to use it for this blog to help equip people to do the work of the ministry. One idea I have is that we can post video interviews of some of our favorite pastors & teachers sharing insights into disciplines & values such as scripture study, sermon/lesson prep., worship, marriage, parenting, community, etc. I am so stoked about this I can barely keep myself from calling all the people I want to interview. Who knows, I may already have you in mind. 

So...if you have some ideas about how to use this for God's glory, please let me know. Or, if you have some subjects that you would like further insight into, feel free to post a comment or send me an email.

Lecrae Interview by Tim Smith

In case you haven't seen this of Lecrae, I don't want you to miss it; it is phenomenal! I would encourage you to go to iTunes & download one of his albums; I recommend his latest, Rebel.

Pastor Tim Interviews Lecrae from Re:Sound on Vimeo.

Uncle Lewis on Charity

This morning I realized how gracious God is that I was so eager to reread Mere Christianity; it has been like a breath of fresh air (or kind of like that Vick's vapor rub that opens up your chest when you are congested).

Here are a few snippets that stood out to me that helped affirm some of my thoughts:

• "The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he 'likes' them: the Christian, trying to treat every one kindly, finds himself liking more & more people as he goes on--including people he could not even have imagined himself liking at the beginning."
• *"Good & evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you & I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible."

*For some reason this quote really stood out to me...possibly because of the war imagery. It really reinforces our need for daily spiritual disciplines or as Paul says...'training in godliness.' We are often disillusioned when we think that our big decisions are more important than the thousands of little ones we make daily. It seems our character is formed by the seemingly small decisions.

• "But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come & go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; &, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him."

What a wonderful assurance it is that He would take whatever measure needed to determine that 'we shall be cured of those sins.' Thank God that He is far superior to me--the contrast is startling.

The Great Sin: Pride

The discussion this morning in our men's group centered around our fight against pride, as C.S. Lewis stated, "The Great Sin." The sin of pride is apparent in my life in numerous ways, most of which are quite devastating as it manages to "eat up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense" (Mere Christianity, 106). It has been pride which has often hindered me from experiencing deep friendship with others, intimacy with my wife, & forgiveness that I so desperately needed. 

May I share with you a few quotes from Lewis that have helped define pride in my life:

• "Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man...it is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest." 
• "Pride always means enmity--it is enmity. And not only enmity between man & man, but enmity to God."
• "In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurable superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that--and therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison--you do not know God at all." 
• On the religious proud..."They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them & thinks them far better than ordinary people." 
• "He wants you to know Him: wants to give you Himself. And He & you are two things of such a kind that if you really get into any kind of touch with Him you will, in fact, be humble--delightfully humble, feeling the infinite relief of having for once got rid of all the silly nonsense about your own dignity which has made you restless & unhappy all your life. He is trying to make you humble in order to make this moment possible: trying to take off a lot of silly, ugly, fancy-dress in which we have all got ourselves up & are strutting about like the little idiots we are."
• "Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call 'humble' nowadays...Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all." 

As I reflect, I must conclude that one of the greatest gifts that God may grant me would be that of self-forgetfulness. For my consistent habit is that of self-concern & inward focus. Yet, I occasionally catch a glimpse of God & find that He is much more worth being enamored by. And, for that matter, everyone is grateful for my being with God. 

May we be so consumed with Him that our thoughts of self seem to diminish. 

Galatians, pt. 1: Paul "sweeps the leg" on performance-based salvation

If there is a book in Scripture that seems to address some of the fatal errors that I see manifesting themselves in our religious culture, it may be Paul's letters to the Galatians. Now, I am fully aware that this is an opinion based upon my current culture, but it just seems to be fitting. A majority of my personal Bible study time is currently being spent in this book. I would like to share some things (e.g. word studies/structure/background/etc.) that I am learning & would like to hear your insights as well. 

"Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God & Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen."  

Galatians 1:1-6 

Background

Paul was writing a group of churches in the a region known as Galatia. We are not sure when the letter was written--whether it was his first letter or written some time later (there are discrepancies between the two views). 

But, we are certain that he is writing to maintain the centrality of grace in salvation & to address a group of people who had infiltrated the church--the Judaizers. A reference to the book of Acts clarifies that "some men came down from Judea & began teaching the brethren, 'Unless you are circumcised according the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved' (Acts 15:1)." In essence, the churches in Galatia were experiencing substantial growth yet there were dissenters who were making there presence known by presenting "a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you & want to distort the gospel of Christ" (1:6-7). Verse 7 says that the Judaizers were disturbing you (tarassontes [Gk]: to shake back & forth--used of political agitators who cause confusion & turmoil) & want to distort the gospel (metastrepsai [Gk]: to pervert or change from one thing to another--a political term with revolutionary action in view with the intention of complete change). These people were saying in short, "trust Christ & follow the Torah laws, rules & regulations for salvation." Questions arose such as: Do Gentile Christians need to be circumcised to be saved? Yet, Acts 15 records that the elders & apostles came together & looked into the matter. As a result, Peter stood up & said to them:

"...Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." Acts 15:6-11

Why the gospel is not legalism.

Let's face it--we too naturally gravitate towards the same problem that the Galatians encountered. There are tendencies in the church to creep in that add to the gospel of grace & undercut the foundation of salvation. For some reason, we want to perform in order to please God. Maybe this is because we have been told that in order for God to be happy with you--you must...pray a certain prayer, attend church, abstain from drink, etc. But, my friends, it is simply no different than what the Judaizers were doing in Galatia. Granted, we are not having discussions concerning circumcision, but we are adding to the gospel with our own religious mandates or even obedience to God. (We get the idea in Galatians 1:11 that Paul is asserting that the historical roots of the Christian church does not extend back to the community of the Torah covenant, but had an independent foundation confirmed by the Jerusalem church, thereby proving the legitimacy of Gentile salvation outside the covenant law. [Rogers & Rogers]) We simply cannot be convinced of the gospel--that we had (& have) nothing to do with our acceptance before God & that we are completely dependent upon Jesus. Galatians 1:4 says that the Lord Jesus Christ "gave himself for our sins." God in the person of Jesus literally delivered Himself up so that he might "rescue us" from the power of sin. God's pleasure in you is not based upon your performance before God but is based upon Jesus--His life, death, & resurrection. 

A Big Deal

Many may read this & not really understand why this is such a big deal. Well, I believe all of us war against our performance based, legalistic mentality. Yet, when compared to Jesus, who can perform at such a high level? Who can stand before God clean? Who can stand before God pure? Who among us can cast the first stone? And who can say that sin has not left them dreadfully empty-handed before God? 

My friends, the gospel is a big deal! It is our only hope before the Sovereign God. And without God awakening our souls & revealing His Son to us, we shall live without hope before God. 

Until tomorrow! 

Clive Staples Lewis on Temperance

Biblical teachers, authors & preachers must quote C.S. Lewis more than any other modern writer. It is rare that a month goes by that I do not hear or read a quote by Clive Staples (maybe it is because he has the first name 'Clive' & middle name 'Staples'). I am in the process of rereading the classics of Lewis: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Abolition of Man, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, Miracles: A Grief Observed, & The Weight of Glory. Hopefully soon I will take on The Chronicles of Narnia again. So...here & there, I may scatter in some thoughts, quotes, reflections, & such on the blog of my readings. 

On a recent trip to Lexington, I had about an hour or so of extra reading time before I had to teach. It occurred to me that much of what Lewis said wouldn't go over too well in many of our churches (I had this same feeling a few months ago reading Spurgeon's view that 'the doctrine of justification...as preached by an Arminian, is nothing but the doctrine of salvation by works'). But, to make my point I would like to share a few excerpts on Temperance from Mere Christianity. 

"Temperance is, unfortunately, one of those words that has changed its meaning. It now usually mean teetotalism...Temperance referred not specially to drink (alcohol), but to all pleasures; & it meant not abstaining, but going the right length & no further. It is a mistake to think that Christians ought all to be teetotallers...Of course it may be the duty of a particular Christian, or of any Christian, at a particular time to abstain from strong drink, either because he is the sort of man who cannot drink at all without drinking too much, or because he is with people who are inclined to drunkenness & must not encourage them by drinking himself. But the whole point is that he is abstaining, for a good reason, from something which he does not condemn & which likes to see other people enjoying. One of the marks of a certain type of bad man is that he cannot give up a thing himself without wanting every one else to give it up.  That is not the Christian way. An individual Christian may see fit to give up all sorts of things for special reasons--marriage, or meat, or beer, or the cinema; but the moment he starts saying the things are bad in themselves, or looking down his nose at other people who do use them, he has taken the wrong turning." 

As Lewis concluded, "There is a difference between doing some particular just or temperate action & being a just or temperate man." 

"God is not deceived by externals." I am challenged to become a person of a certain quality of character rather than one whose externals merely seem temperate. Because let's face it--we can be people of moral excellence & still be opposed by God. God wants our hearts!

Insights from "The Advent of Humility"

If you haven't read Tim Keller's article, "The Advent of Humility," featured in this month's issue of Christianity Today, I would compel you to do so. I would like to share a few insights & quotes that I took away from the article. It was deeply challenging & revealed much pride in my heart that I often choose to overlook.

• "Humility is so shy. If you begin talking about it, it leaves." --Tim Keller
  
  
• "Humility is a byproduct of belief in the gospel of Christ. In the gospel, we have a confidence not based in our performance but in the love of God in Christ (Rom. 3:22-24)." --Keller
  
  
• "Religion & morality inhibit humility." --Keller
  
  
• "Christian humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less." --C.S. Lewis
  
  
• "Moralism is the default mode of the human heart." --Martin Luther
  
  
• "If we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good--above all, that we are better than someone else--I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the Devil." --"The Great Sin" in Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
  
  
• "So let us preach grace till humility just starts to grow in us." --Keller

Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God & Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

Know the Word Archive

I am presently incorporating more scripture memory & meditation into my life as a personal spiritual discipline. The following "Know the Word" Archive is courtesy of The Church of Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL. Please join with me as we hide the Word of God in our hearts. As I have been challenged in our men's accountability group, we must Preach the Word to ourselves.

Weekly
Memory Verse, Memory Passage

• Acts 4:34-35, Matthew 25:35-40
• 1 Corinthians 11:26, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
• Acts 5:5, Acts 5:1-6
• Habakkuk 2:14, Acts 12:1-7
• Psalm 46:10, Acts 4:23-31
• Acts 5:14, Acts 5:12-16
• Matthew 9:36, Matthew 9:35-38
• Genesis 3:15, Genesis 3:1-6
• 1 Peter 1:18-19, Ruth 1:16-17
• Nehemiah 6:16, Nehemiah 1:8-11
• John 1:14, Philippians 2:5-8
• Hebrews 7:23-24, Philippians 2:5-8
• Galatians 3:13, Philippians 2:9-11
• Isaiah 42:8, Philippians 2:9-11
• Mark 8:25, Mark 87:22-25
• Matthew 4:19, Matthew 4:18-22
• John 17:20, John 17:20-23
• 1 Corinthians 11:1, 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1
• Isaiah 55:11, Isaiah 55:8-11
• John 17:17, John 17:15-17
• Matthew 28:19, Matthew 28:16-20
• Luke 6:40, 1 Corinthians 12:21-27
• Philippians 1:3, Philippians 1:9-11
• Philippians 1:27a, Philippians 1:27-30
• Philippians 2:4, Philippians 2:1-4
• Philippians 3:7, Philippians 3:7-11
• 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
• Philippians 3:14, Philippians 3:12-14
• Galatians 4:4-5, Galatians 4:4-7
• Ephesians 5:19-20, Nehemiah 12:40-43
• Revelation 19:6, Revelation 19:6-10
• John 4:23, John 4:21-24
• Psalm 119:105, Psalm 19:7-10
  

A Christian Perspective of "safety."

I leaned over to Joy last night in bed & said, "Why do you think that you hear so many people praying to God for safety?" They say, 'Lord, keep them safe on their trip home...Lord, help us to be safe...etc.' It is not that I don't want to be safe, but if that is what drives my decisions then I might always choose safety even at the expense of the gospel. This concerns me. I've wondered what a Christian perspective of safety would look like.

This past summer I accepted an engagement to lead a college-aged discipleship weekend for a neighboring church. Much of what I taught about was the 'Kingdom of God.' I am so thankful for some of the fruit that resulted from the weekend & how many students began to find contrast between their form of spirituality verses the gospel.

During our last session, a college student, who had recently returned from a missional summer in the Grand Canyon, raised his hand to ask a question. He was responding to a statement that I made saying, Your life can serve as an object lesson of God's love toward people (of course, I am fighting the desire to give you the context of that statement because of all of the misunderstandings of God as love. But, just go with the story; it isn't the main point. Whew! I feel better.). He posed, "Ben, what do we do when we are trying to live a life of obedience to Christ & our parents are more concerned about our personal safety than the gospel?"

At this point, I turned to my wife who happened to be with me, & gave her a big honkin' grin. As a side note, I don't smoke (never have for that matter) but I imagine I had the same feeling as a smoker getting his "fix" when the student asked that question. I caught myself off guard when I shouted, "yes, what a great question!" What a great place to be at when you must wrestle with when your love for Christ & the proclamation of the gospel may interfere with your personal safety.

Yet, I was caught off guard when his mother, who happened to be the college pastor's wife, spoke up, "Ben, I am concerned that he is going a little too far when he picks up people off the side of the road & when he goes downtown to periodically do life with the homeless. I don't think he is being safe."

I was very cautious in my response. I said, "I imagine it must be very difficult to fear for your son's safety, but I must wonder where you got the idea that God is more concerned with our safety & being comfortable than with the gospel. I don't get the idea that Paul & many other biblical examples would say that they were out of harm's way. Yet, they were consumed by the gospel & that should mean more than personal safety, even when our mothers are fearful."

We ought not be reckless, but sometimes the gospel costs people their lives. And, it is our best day when we gain Christ. For me personally, I am having a dramatic paradigm shift in my mentality as God is moving me from a more man-centered view of life to a more God-centered view of life. They seem at opposites. I don't want to reach life's end & say, "Boy, I sure had a safe life. Man...nothing ever touched me." Rather, I would dare say, "I gave it all for the glory of Christ...what seemed like such a risk is pale in comparison to knowing & gaining Christ."

As it was said of Aslan in Chronicles of Narnia, "He is not safe, but He is good!"

In Christ's refuge.

A Fatal Error

I recently came across the following quote from Luther:

"As sinners, we are prone to pursue a relationship with God in 1 of 2 ways. The 1st is religion/spirituality & the 2nd is the gospel. The two are antithetical in every way."

It seems that Luther had his hand on the pulse of the culture where I live.

I spent some time with dear friends last night in the small group that meets in our home on Sunday nights. I couldn't help but read this quote as it pertained to our discussion. We commented & even lamented over the fact that many Christians in our community are pursuing God by religious practice & a form of spirituality. Yet, many do not understand how their religion contradicts the gospel. Rather than using action as a support for the gospel, often times, religion replaces the gospel. So, I find that much of what is practiced is man-centered rather than God-centered. We have turned the gospel into a list of do's & don'ts, choosing rather to be moral than to know Christ. Therefore, sin is seen only in light of morality rather than in light of total depravity.

Tripp stated, "Sin is much, much more than the violation of a set of rules. Sin is more profound than rebellion against a moral code. Sin is about something deeper than behaving inappropriately. It's deeper than bad actions & wrong words...the desire to be God rather than to serve God lies are the bottom of every sin that anyone has ever committed...sin is rooted in my unwillingness to find joy in living my life under the authority of, & for the glory of, Another" (81).

My dear friends, our only hope is the gospel. There is no other leg to stand on.

Voice this to the Lord today:
"Take my life & let it be...everything, all of me...here I am use me for Your glory.
In everything I say & do, let my life honor You...here I am living for Your glory." -Tim Hughes

Charles Benjamin

Pardon me for my brief hiatus. Last week our family went to Alabama to share in the birth of our nephew (Charles Benjamin, born to Joy's sister, Hope & her husband, Ben); Charlie was born Monday, November 24 in Montgomery. Congrats Hope & Ben (& Anna Beth).