Al Mohler
Brian Habig
C.J. Mahaney
Carl Trueman
Darrin Patrick
Dave Harvey
David Platt
Eric Bancroft
Greg Gilbert
J.D. Greear
Jeff Purswell
John MacArthur
John Piper
Josh Harris
Kevin DeYoung
Ligon Duncan
Mack Stiles
Mark Dever
Matt Chandler
Michael Lawrence
Michael McKinley
Peter Williams
RC Sproul
Russell Moore
Simon Gathercole
Thabiti Anyabwile
Tony CarterApril, 2006
Inescapable Truth
One of the most marked aspects of God’s grace to me is the staff I get to work with. Here is Paul Curtis’ email to me this afternoon, reflecting on the wonderful time he had at Twin Lakes, and communicating his prayers for me as I work on Sunday’s sermon. (Paul is editor for 9Marks.)
"Brother [David] Wells on sermon application from the Twin Lakes conference: in your application you want to make the truth ‘inescapable’. I thought that was solid. Of course only the Holy Spirit applies the truth, but we want to make the claim of the truth on our lives so clear that our people see that it is a matter of obedience or disobedience, not preference. May God grant you this kind of application in this next sermon and may He cause the people of God to really ‘use’ the truth proclaimed. Oh that we would be different because of the sermon this Sunday!
Love you brother.
Paul."
"Inescapable" truth. Thanks Paul for sharing this with me. Thanks Matt for sending Paul. Thanks David for saying this. Thanks Lig for organizing the conference.
May we all live different lives because of the sermons we preach or hear this coming Lord’s Day!
O God, prevent us from escaping from the clear meaning of Your Word for us.
Checking In from Twin Lakes
C.J., what a great post! Dripping with helpfulness and insight. Thanks.
Al, no, it’s not clerical garb, which I don’t wear(!) [though I do don a plain, black, Geneva gown on Sunday morning - but that is utterly bereft of liturgical symbolism, and is merely the dress of a teacher of the Word, from Reformation times], it’s just an orange, short-sleeve shirt,buttoned to the top, and my accompanying conference name-tag. Had to wear orange – I was lecturing on "Is the Reformation Over?" Didn’t want to be unclear in my sympathies.
Mark, Twin Lakes was wonderful. Paul Curtis did a fine job representing 9Marks – and I loved the new 9Marks video. Excellent. Professor David F. Wells (of Gordon-Conwell) did a brilliant overview of "Above All Earthly Pow’rs." Professor Douglas F. Kelly (of RTS Charlotte) preached our opening sermon on "Christian Worship Overthrows Satan" – a glorious exposition of ordinary means of grace ministry and the confidence we have in God’s use of his appointed means. C.J., you will love this sermon! Pastor Mike Campbell of Redeemer Church here in Jackson preached on "Christ-centered Leadership" from John 13 (some of you may know that he preached with much blessing at Bethlehem Baptist Church at the DGM Pastor’s Conference this year) – it was simply glorious. Pastor Terry Johnson (of the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah – which, btw, has one of the most beautiful meeting houses in all of Christendom) gave a brilliant paper on the importance of reading the Scripture in public worship (a practice now almost lost in evangelicalism, except for a a few perfunctory verses that serve as the pastor’s jumping off point). R.C. Sproul preached a powerful message on the Eclipse of God. And Derek Thomas (of RTS, ref21, etc) singed our hairs with a bold word from Mark 10:17-31 and the Rich Young Ruler, asking if we are really faithfully following Jesus’ example in evangelism – or would we do anything to get the Rich Young Ruler into our churches. CDs and DVDs are available.
More on the Gospel soon. Counting the days until T4G.
The Gospel
Recently, someone on this blog asked two excellent questions:
What is the gospel?
What is the most serious threat to the gospel?
The following is my attempt to answer these important questions with the help of those much smarter than myself:
1) What is the gospel?
No question is more important, and biblical clarity in response to this question is critical. Sadly, confusion about the gospel is quite common among professing evangelicals today. I find Graeme Goldsworthy’s comment all too relevant: “The main message of the Bible about Jesus Christ can easily become mixed with all sorts of things that are related to it. We see this in the way people define or preach the gospel. But it is important to keep the gospel itself clearly distinct from our response to it or from the results of it in our lives and in the world.”
So here is my attempt to heed the counsel of Dr. Goldsworthy and keep the gospel “clearly distinct.”
The following definition of the gospel, provided by Jeff Purswell , the Dean of our Pastors College, seeks to capture the substance of the gospel:
“The gospel is the good news of God’s saving activity in the person and work of Christ. This includes his incarnation in which he took to himself full (yet sinless) human nature; his sinless life which fulfilled the perfect law of God; his substitutionary death which paid the penalty for man’s sin and satisfied the righteous wrath of God; his resurrection demonstrating God’s satisfaction with his sacrifice; and his glorification and ascension to the right hand of the Father where he now reigns and intercedes for the church.
“Such news is specific: there is a defined ‘thatness‘ to the gospel which sets forth the content of both our saving faith and our proclamation. It is objective, and not to be confused with our response. It is sufficient: we can add nothing to what Christ has accomplished for us–it falls to us simply to believe this news, turning from our sins and receiving by faith all that God has done for us in Christ.”
I find this definition of the gospel faithful to the presentation of the four Gospelsthey present the person and work of Christ as the good news. In the Apostle Paul’s concise summation of the gospel, he focuses more particularly on Christ’s death and resurrection as the core of his proclamation:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures .” 1 Cor 15:3-4
Focusing more specifically still, the apostle encapsulates the work of Christ by focusing on the cross:
“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Cor. 2:2
So that is the gospel: God’s saving work in and through Christ. And the cross is the pinnacle of that work. Knox Chamblin helpfully notes this emphasis in Paul’s writing and ministry:
“His gospel is ‘the word of the cross’ (1 Cor. 1:17-18); nowhere is there a comparable reference to ‘the word of the resurrection.’ In I Corinthians 1:23-24 it is ‘Christ crucified’ who is identified as ‘the power of God and the wisdom of God,’ not as we might have expected (especially in the case of ‘power’), Christ resurrected . Both the cross and the resurrection are ‘of first importance’ in Paul’s gospel (I Cor. 15:3-4). Unless Christ has risen from the dead, the preaching of the cross (and of the resurrection) is a waste of time (15:14); but once the resurrection has occurred, the cross remains central.”
And the centrality of the cross isn’t temporary. The cross remains on center stage even when we receive a glimpse of eternity in the New Testament’s final book:
“One is taken aback by the emphasis upon the Cross in Revelation. Heaven does not ‘get over’ the cross, as if there are better things to think about; heaven is not only Christ-centered, but cross-centered, and quite blaring about it.” Jim Elliff
There is nothing more important than getting the gospel right. Years ago, John Stott made the following frightening observation of the evangelical church when he wrote, “All around us we see Christians relaxing their grasp on the gospel, fumbling it, and in danger of letting it drop from their hands altogether.” It is my prayer that God would use the Together for the Gospel conference to strengthen our grip upon the glorious gospel.
2) What is the most serious threat to the gospel?
For this question I think J.C. Ryle provides us with enduring discernment:
“You may spoil the gospel by substitution. You have only to withdraw from the eyes of the sinner the grand object which the Bible proposes to faith–Jesus Christ–and to substitute another object in His place and the mischief is done.
“You may spoil the gospel by addition. You have only to add to Christ, the grand object of faith, some other objects as equally worthy of honor, and the mischief is done.
“You may spoil the gospel by disproportion. You have only to attach an exaggerated importance to the secondary things of Christianity, and a diminished importance to the first things, and the mischief is done.
“Lastly, but not least, you may completely spoil the gospel by confused and contradictory directions Confused and disorderly statements about Christianity are almost as bad as no statement at all. Religion of this sort is not evangelical.”
3) Personal Application
It’s not difficult to identify distortions of the gospel. But as a pastor, one of my main concerns for genuine Christians is a more subtle one: either assuming the gospel or neglecting the gospel. I have found this to be the greatest threat to the gospel in my own life. Jerry Bridges echoes this concern when he writes, “The gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by it.”
So let us not only apply discernment to the church at large, but to our own hearts as well. Let us, in the words of Jerry Bridges, “Preach the gospel to ourselves daily.” Let us heed Charles Spurgeon’s exhortation: “Abide hard by the cross and search the mystery of his wounds.” Let us respond to John Stott’s invitation: “The Cross is a blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough for its sparks to fall on us.”
So how can we get near enough? The following are books that will position you to experience the transforming sparks of the gospel:
The Cross of Christ by John Stott. A personal favorite. Stott says of the Savior, “It was by his death that he wished above all else to be remembered.” This book won’t let you forget.
The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges. The man who taught me how to preach the gospel to myself will teach you to do the same.
The Message of Salvation by Philip Ryken. This excellent book deserves a broad readership. My oldest daughter recently thanked me for recommending this book to her and told me how much she was benefiting from this book. You will benefit as well.
The Message of the New Testament by Mark Dever. My good friend reveals the storyline of the Bible in each and every book of the New Testament. A must read for pastors but highly recommended for all. My wife has really enjoyed reading Mark’s book.
The Cross and Christian Ministry by D.A. Carson. For pastors this is another must-read. I’m indebted to Dr. Carson for this book. It has defined effective pastoral ministry for me, and I pray it will do the same for you.
That ought to get you started. Each of these books will draw you near enough to the “blazing fire of the cross so that its sparks” will fall on you and kindle fresh love for the Savior in your soul.
Pastor Teaches Bible
You know the old line about "Dog Bites Man" is not news, but "Man Bites Dog" is news. I fear that "Pastor Teaches Bible" may be news today, at least more than it should be. How many of us as pastors really give time to teaching our congregation the Bible?
H. A. Tupper (1828-1902) was the brother-in-law of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary founder J. P. Boyce. (He married James’ sister Nancy.) Tupper was for almost 20 years the pastor of the Baptist church in Washington, Georgia (a beautiful town!). And then for the next 20 years was the second person to lead the Southern Baptist Convention’s Foreign Mission Board. Before his long pastorate in Washington, GA, Tupper pastored for a few years the Baptist church in Graniteville, South Carolina. While pastoring in Graniteville, Mr. Tupper not only preached each Sunday morning to his congregation, but in their evening service (which was really in the afternoon, as was common in the 19th century) preached consecutive expositional serieses through the epistles of the New Testament. And then, on Saturday night he would gather with all those who were interested to examine them about the text he had preached on the previous Sunday! There’s an idea for a pastor teaching the Bible!
In our congregation, we print the passages to be preached on ahead of time, in order to encourage the members to study them in their personal devotional times through the week, so as to prepare themselves for Sunday morning. We also encourage small groups to take as their study the previous Sunday’s passage, and then give themselves to applying it to the lives of those present. Just a couple more ideas on teaching the Bible.
Al, good to have you back. Lig, any update on Twin Lakes Fellowship?
Father Ligon?
Ok, so I have been out of town for a few days, but no one told me that Ligon was going "home to Rome" or following the new "Canterbury trail." Alas, who among us remains stalwart as a defender of Reformation truth? I am distressed in extremis to see Lig dressed in up-to-date trendy clerical garb in the photo from the Twin Lakes Fellowship [see here]. Isn’t that a fashionable clerical shirt Lig is wearing, with a dangling crucifix? Wait … no that’s a lanyard for a conference name tag — our new evagelical fashion accessory. OK, crisis over. Never mind.
Catching Up
I am finally back in Louisville for a few days after a flurry of travel. This has been the most difficult season of travel I have ever endured, but I am thankful for every opportunity.
Just a couple of weeks ago I delivered the Day-Higgenbotham lectures at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas and plenary addresses to the Evangelical Theological Society’s Southwest Region Annual Meeting. The theme was, "Reading the Bible in Postmodern Times — Lectures on The Sufficiency of Scripture." Preparing and delivering these lectures brought up a host of related issues and developments in today’s church. I hope we can talk about several of these in coming days.
Last week, I participated in an event at Columbia University on "Religion in the Public Square." I was the designated evangelical participant and it was a most interesting context. The discussion was moderated by Columbia’s president Lee Bollinger and held in the beautiful rotunda of the university’s Low Library. I look forward to processing all that took place there.
I flew directly from New York to Florida for seminary events and a couple of days of family time. Christopher and I went fishing. I caught one bass and one very angry turtle. The weather was incredible.
I will answer C.J.’s question right away. In the meantime, congrats C.J. on the victory of the University of Maryland’s women’s basketball team. Mark, thanks for the word about Henry VIII (several worthy new books on Henry, the Tudors, and the church out recently, by the way). Interesting that you should be watching A Man for All Seasons as you framed these thoughts. The movie (based on the play of the same title by Robert Bolt) is a truly magnificent film. It deals with one man’s crisis of conscience against the background of political corruption in all its venality. it is a rgeta movie to watch with friends in order to discuss these issues. Missing from the story, of course, is More’s persecution of William Tyndale, whose right of conscience More was quick to deny. Still, this is a reminder that even a film or book like this can raise really big questions in a helpful way. Back soon.
Pitying Henry VIII
As an historian, I think about people who are no longer living here on this earth. I particularly enjoy, avoid and interact with historical movies. One of my favorite and most irritating (that’s too slight a word, but it’s not quite enraging) is A Man for All Seasons. I love the picture of Sir Thomas More’s conscience. I love his line to his son-in-law-to-be about England being planted thick with laws. His words to his daughter about having to mean what he says. I could go on and on. I disagreed with his understanding of the papacy, but admire his integrity. I am irritated/grieved (I need a better word) about the lack of representation about how he hounded William Tyndale. So all people know about him popularly now is through this movie. But I am digressing from my point.
Once when watching the movie, I was struck by how pitiful the position of Henry VIII was. It’s the scene when he visits More at Chelsea, and all the people accompanying him wait to see how he responds to something before they know how to respond. And I realized how absolutely absent honesty can be from a person with such great power.
CONTEMPORARY APPLICATION TO US: Avoid the Henry VIII syndrome. Do not simply surround yourself with people who will never challenge or correct you. People want to please pastors (I know not everyone does, but a lot do). Therefore, unless we would be like Henry VIII, we must cultivate a humility, a correctability (corrigibility) that will encourage others to speak truly to us. Creating an atmosphere of encouragement (where people feel loved), criticism and feedback (by yourself and others), and serious engagement with each other will help this. Too many leaders end up in the pitiful position of having no one around them to give them honest feedback, advice, correction, instruction, because we in our self-protective pride don’t seek it out, and even punish it when it is given. So much more I could say on this, but this is just a blog. I’m sure you understand what I’m saying.
This came home to me yesterday in a lunch with Matt Schmucker, when he mentioned to me something that I had said I wasn’t going to do, and I said I wasn’t going to do it simply because it was boring. There were at least a couple of problems with this. 1. I should have done it. 2. Others were listening. I was modeling badness for them! Thank God, I’m not quite Henry VIII-ized yet! At least not as long as my good friend Matt is around!
Pity Henry VIII. Don’t imitate him in your church.
Merciful Providence
Well, C.J., I’m still delinquent on answering your questions, but I’ve not given up hope yet. However, the Twin Lakes Fellowship gathers here tomorrow through Thursday, so who knows when I’ll get the answers posted. Meanwhile, what about Florida? I’m stunned. I would have guessed UCLA after what they did to LSU. The game was so in control Noah was winking at the cheerleaders the last eight minutes. Wow.
Mark, David Wells says hello, and was asking about Connie and the family. I gave him a quick update (and, per your instructions, on your behalf, invited him to preach soon at CHBC!). He seemed amused at the ecumenicity of a Presbyterian, asking a Congregationalist to preach at a Baptist Church at the behest of a Southern Baptist pastor!
By the way, Mark. Your post on the Apparent Piety of Numerical Goals was simply brilliant. Thanks.
On an entirely different note, a heartbreaking pastoral situation here has had me thinking about God’s kind, though sometimes inscrutable, providence (especially as I have watched a hurting family demonstrate Gospel trust in a sovereign God in the most difficult of circumstances). Calvin reminds us:
"It is essentially necessary, if we would fortify our minds against temptation, to have suitably exalted views of the power and mercy of God, since nothing will more effectually preserve us in a straight and undeviating course, than a firm persuasion that all events are in the hand of God, and that he is as merciful as he is mighty. The man who disciplines himself to the contemplation of these two attributes, which ought never to be dissociated in our minds from the idea of God, is certain to stand erect and immovable under the fiercest assaults of temptation; while, on the other hand, by losing sight of the all-sufficiency of God, (which we are too apt to do,) we lay ourselves open to be overwhelmed in the first encounter."
