Sanam Doctrinam

I think out of all the “points of Calvinism” I here most often that this is the one that folks struggle with. I know for my own part coming to grips with the Doctrines of Grace (The name I prefer over Calvinism) probably was a process of three years. And in my own life the doctrine of the atonement and it’s extent was the longest process in the whole bunch.

However, I see now how this should be one of the easiest. The truth is you can not begin with the extent of the atonement, you must begin with the need of the atonement and what it accomplishes, before you ever get to it’s extent.

As Christians our mantra about the atonement is that it is substitutionary, vicarious and penal. I would like to explore the meanings of these, and most importantly show the scriptural basis for these beliefs, and then in time show that every orthodox believer “limits” the atonement, just by these understandings alone.

In my mind there is no better nor concise a verse in regard to these words (substitution, vicarious and penal) than 2 Corinthians 5:21, which in the NASB reads, “He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” It is in this verse that we see a substitution. What was done on our behalf is what we deserved. We see a vicarious substitution. We see penal substitution. We deserved the punishment and wrath of God on the cross, that instead, Jesus endured. We deserved separation from God, that Christ experienced when he cried, “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani?”

If we see the atonement in it’s accomplishment as substitutionary, we have to see it as applicable in a saving sense only to the elect. Who is the “our” that Paul is referring to, if God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf? Has Christ taken on the sins of those who are being punished right now for their sins, let’s say Hitler? What then is Hitler being punished for right now, if not his own sins? If Christ’s substitution is on behalf of all men for all times, then why is and will God continue to pour out His wrath on the unregenerate?

Not only this but the outcome of 2 Corinthians 5:21 is that, “we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Using the same example of Hitler, if Christ has substituted the place of all mankind in the receiving of the just punishment, for the accomplishment of God’s righteousness in us, then why isn’t Hitler standing righteous before God as one who has been made so by the cross of Christ?

I hear the cries of foul already, “2 Corinthians 5:21 merely speaks of the potential of salvation for all men!” Again we have to go back to this idea of substitution. If Christ really substituted for all mankind, then why is anyone receiving punishment? If Christ bore the wrath of God for all men, then why are and will men receive the wrath of God?

Just some thoughts to consider. I will try to post more on this in future days.

In the Biblical Theology class that I am teaching at my church I have again been reminded of the importance of the covenants that are made between God and his people. These covenants often have an unconditional and a conditional component to them. Consider the covenant with David as recorded in 2 Samuel 7:

• v.9 – “I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.”
• v.12 – “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your athers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.”
• v.16 – “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.”

Sounds pretty unconditional doesn’t it? God is declaring to David through the prophet Nathan, “This is what will take place, it is as good as done.” Yet, only a few (maybe one) generations later we see things begin to unravel. Solomon’s eyes are diverted from the Lord to the pleasures of women and possessions (1 Kings 11). Jeroboam and Rehoboam bring division to the kingdom (1 Kings 12). Soon things are seemingly spiraling out of control.

What are the people of God to think as they witness what is happening? Has God abandoned them? Is he untrue to his promises? Did he forget what he had said to David? Were the actions of Solomon and his descendants unknown to God (Open Theism, etc.)? The answer lies in what I have termed the “covenantal if” (there is probably a better term out there, but this works for me). Any covenant that God makes with is people will be kept and fulfilled unconditionally, but due to man’s sinfulness that fulfillment never seems to happen immediately.

Look at Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the temple in 1 Kings 8:25-26 and it says (with my emphasis added):

“Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.’ Now therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David my father.”

The recipients of the covenant seem to understand their role in its fulfillment, and therefore its conditional nature. Solomon is not unaware of his duty, or the duty of his descendants in seeing the Lord’s promises to David come to pass. In fact, he realizes that if they are not obedient to the Lord, if they don’t pay close attention to thier way, then the covenant is in jeopardy. Isn’t this the primary role of God’s designated spokesperson (judge, prophet, or otherwise) to warn the nation when it is in danger of abandoning the covenant?

As New Testament believers we have the advantage of seeing these covenantal promises through the cross of Christ. So, as we read 2 Samuel 7 we see ultimate fulfillment in the Son of God – what was begun at Calvary will be fully realized in the New Creation. Christ fulfills unconditionally all of God’s covenants with his people. We participate in Christ’s fulfillment conditionally “if”, as Paul says, “we have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col 3:10).

May we always be aware of the “covenantal if” and appreciate the way in which it guards our life – preserving for us the salvation of our souls.

He who gives attention to the word will find good,
And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
Proverbs 16:20

It takes me a while to notice some things. I had been in our back yard hundreds of times before I made my discovery.

You need to know that my family and I live on the Colorado plains, in a town of about 800 people, near the mountains. Fort Collins, the city in which I minister, is flanked by the foothills of the Rockies. On most days, seeing the mountains from our small town is no problem. Our house, however, is nestled on a small lot, and is hemmed in on all sides by other houses. That keeps our would-be mountain vista out of sight. Or so I thought.

On one of my trips out the back door to carry out the trash I looked to the west while the sun was setting, and there, between two houses a street away I saw a strong contrast between the golden hues of the sky, and something dark. Then it occurred to me: It was the dip between two mountains peaks. That was the day I realized we could, in fact, see the mountains (or at least part of one) from our house.

It occurs to me that we can miss something in the midst of familiarity.

That was the case with today’s verse for me. I don’t think I ever paid attention to it. It contains some magnificent truth. Let’s take a look at it.

Like many proverbs, today’s is an example of synonymous parallelism. Hebrew poetry doesn’t rhyme, so as a poetic device, Hebrew poets would sometimes restate a similar thought in different words in a two-line couplet.

The proverb begins by telling us that if we pay attention to the word, we will find good. The first question that arises, of course, is what is meant by “the Word.” When this phrase is mentioned without qualification, there is only one word in view. “The word” to the Hebrew ear would have turned the hearer’s attention directly to God’s Word, just as someone speaking of “the Name,” for them would have clearly referenced the name of God. The reference is to the instruction we have received in written form from God. At the time Solomon penned the words of Proverbs, “the Word” would have referred to the books of Moses. For our purposes, however, the Word refers to the whole of Scripture with which we have been entrusted.

“Give attention!” Sounds like something a drill instructor would say, but that is at the heart of this verse. Proverbs 16:20 tells us that our attention is to be fixed on God’s Word. As this becomes a reality in our lives, along with the accompanying obedience it entails, the result is that we will find good. Like treasure seekers on a quest who finally reach their goal, we will come upon good things for ourselves.

We might be tempted to think of God’s Word as an impediment to the life we’d like to live We think we really could have a good life if only we weren’t trapped under God’s instructions for living. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality of the situation is that God’s Word gives us instruction on how to have the best possible life. The best life possible is lived in harmony with our Creator’s will.

The second half of the couplet is similar, although the elements are reversed. The second half tells us that we will be blessed if we trust in the Lord. Being blessed in Scripture conveys the idea of inner tranquility and satisfaction. It’s a sense of deep-down “rightness.” Such will be our situation if we trust in the Lord.

It’s worth pointing out that trusting in the Lord is not a floating faith of some kind. No, trust in the Lord is always anchored in objective reality. To trust in the Lord is to trust in what He’s revealed about Himself in His Word.

Proverbs 16:20 is a powerful testimony from God to the centrality of His Word in our lives. Its simple truth is that as we give God’s Word the priority in our lives it deserves, our lives grow to be the best they can be. Does that mean if we build our lives around what God has said, our time on earth will be trouble-free? Far from it. In fact, sometimes, giving attention to the Word will cause us more difficulty from our perspective. But in the end, we’ll have the reassuring knowledge that down deep, things are right, as they should be. And we will have found the genuine good.

Proverbs 16:20 sparkles with truth. It’s a shame I so often passed it by without noticing.

Because of all the spam we have been recieving in the comments section, I have installed an image verification as a part of leaving a comment. All you have to do is type the word or characters you see to the right before submitting your comment. Sorry for the added step, but it is necessary.

Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
Proverbs 16:18

Pride is the most basic sin. Pride says, “My way is better than Yours, God.” Pride makes us the self-proclaimed captains of our own destiny, the ones who chart our course.

Not only is pride the most basic sin, but it was Satan’s original sin. He considered the service of God beneath Him, and chose to rebel against his Creator. We aren’t given a great deal of information about this in Scripture, but the fact that he rebelled tells us that he preferred his own way superior to God’s.

Pride is dangerous. Few things are as odious to others as our pride. When we are filled with pride we cannot help but look down upon others and consider them in some way inferior to ourselves.

Having said all this about pride, we turn to today’s proverb and discover the bitter result of pride. We discover our pride results in our demise.

That statement may raise some issues in our minds. For example, we might identify prideful people who seem to have met with nothing but success. When we think of these folks, we need to realize that their demise is not our on schedule.

Why does pride result in destruction? To put it in spatial terms, when we are prideful, we have farther to fall. When we are proud, we choose to put ourselves above others in our own estimation. Consequently, when the human inevitability of failure comes, our destruction is more pronounced from our point of view.

What is the antidote for pride? Returning to our spatial description of pride, we might say that when we’re genuinely humble, we have a much shorter distance to fall. Humility puts life in the proper perspective. When we consider ourselves better than others, it’s easy for us to begin thinking we know better than God. Then we’re in real danger. When we begin to think that we know a better course for ourselves than God does, than that which He’s revealed in His Word, the result is we make choices that violate the “operating instructions” as it were, for our lives. Just as we might discover a new electronic gadget breaking when we don’t use it according to instructions, our lives can break when we set ourselves up against God. His hand of discipline may have to do its work to reinstall a humble perspective in our lives. We would do well to choose humility over pride, and so not have to endure this corrective action.

Pride and humility are a matter of perspective. Which one we evince hinges upon how we view ourselves. Do we think of ourselves as a servant to God and others, or one who’s just a bit better than the rest of the folks and perhaps with a bit better way of doing things than that which God has specified? Our answer to that question will determine whether honor or stumbling will result.

An anecdote from the great Puritan preacher and author of the Christian classic Pilgrim’s Progress is instructive, and particularly so for anyone engaged in public ministry.

John Bunyan had preached an exceptional sermon. As he left the pulpit one of his members said, “John, that was a great sermon.” Bunyan replied, “I know it, the devil told me that before I left the pulpit.”

That’s a great attitude. Making the conscious choice to take humility over pride will protect us from much heartache. If we allow pride to take hold of our hearts, we’re only setting ourselves up for a fall. In humility let the Captain take the wheel of your life.