un humilde petición

I have a request for the Latin-American community. Please, stop naming your sons Jesus. I know that naming a child after someone is a form of honor, kinda like naming your son Junior (or Bubba in these parts). It’s just that it makes things confusing and strange.

When spoken, it’s not a problem. I am cool with “heysoos.” It’s the written form that starts getting sticky. I guess it’s because I have such a high respect for the name that it is somewhat odd when I have to cc Jesus on an email about BRMBs.

It can be a considerable cause of confusion. “Were you talking about Jesus the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Holy Son of God, the Sacrificial Lamb, the omnipotent sustainer of all the universe, or where you talking about Jesus from accounting?”

So please, Spanish speaking Americans, stop naming your children Jesus, it is confusing us white folks.

1Peter 2:13-17

¹³Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. ¹⁶Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. ¹⁷Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

This is a hard passage to swallow. We want to obey God, but we don’t want to submit to authority. We would rather cloak our rebellion to authority in righteous indignation. After all, why should we obey the wicked pagans just because they happen to be in a position of civil authority? Besides, we are smarter than them anyway, right? I know what’s best for me, and I shouldn’t have to submit to the bone heads in Washington, or Austin for that matter, or the city council, or the DPS officer who patrols my morning commute, or my boss, or the church leaders…

Like it or not, though, submission to human institutions and authorities is a vital aspect of obedience to God’s will. This offends our fallen nature, and so we reinterpret and rewrite scripture to suit our sinful desires. For me, it usually goes something like this:

¹³Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men (as long as I agree with them): whether to the king, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those (other idiots) who do wrong and to commend those who do right (me). ¹⁵For it is God's will that by doing (what is right in my own eyes) good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. ¹⁶Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of (to be served by) God. ¹⁷Show proper respect to everyone (whom I like and deem not to be an idiot): Love the brotherhood of believers (as long as they are Dispensationist, Pro-life, Reformed, Southern Baptists who affirm the sanctity of marriage, premillennialist eschatology, progressive sanctification, cessationism, Calvinism, new earth creationism, substitutionary atonement, Christocentrism, natural hermeneutics, expository homiletics, and prefer acoustical guitars to organs) , fear (show mild reverence to) God, honor the king (if he is a Republican).

Scripture should change me, not vise versa.

Manly Biblical Mandates of Masculinity for Men

Scripture often uses imagery as a literary device to illustrate a concept. This effective technique employs common, physical forms to represent abstract idea. The Bible has many metaphors involving athletics, fighting, and soldiers. These concepts are all masculine in nature, and further prove that masculinity is an important aspect of Biblical Christianity.

1Corinthians 9:24
Ephesians 6:11
1Timothy 6:12
2Timothy 2:3-4
2Timothy 4:7
Hebrews 12:1

The "L" Word

Love is all too often misunderstood. The word conjures images of candle light dinners, moonlit walks on the beach, heart shaped boxed of chocolate, and sappy chic flic movies. We tend to associate love with romance and ooshy gooshy emotions.

The Bible describes love in a much different way. According to the infamous love chapter, love is patient, kind, not envious, humble, not rude, selfless, long tempered, not vengeful, joyful in truth, protective, trusting, hopeful and preserving (1Cor. 13:4-7).

The gist of it is that love is defines as being selfless, and esteeming others as more important than yourself in both word and deed.

Jesus said "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

I can think of nothing more manly than this.

Man Up

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Paul is exhorting the church in Corinth to boldly and courageously defend the faith. He commands to “act like men.”

So what does he mean by this. The context shows that men are to be diligent minutemen always on the alert, to stand steadfast in the faith, and to be spiritually strong.

The opposite of being manly is acting womanly. In Isaiah 19:16, Jeremiah 51:30 and Nahum 3:13, the enemies of God are insulted as being like women. God’s judgment on these nations causes them to “tremble and be in dread” because “their strength is exhausted.”

This is not, however, an insult to women. Women are delicate, sensitive, and nurturing. These are admirable and necessary attributes. Indeed this was God’s design and purpose for the weaker vessel. It is right for women to be feminine, and men to be masculine.

Try this. Go and tell your wife that as a mother she is like a Navy Seal. She probably won’t take too kindly to that comment. It is right and good for women to be feminine, and men to be masculine.

Therefore, we men must heed this call to man up and be watchful, steadfast, and strong.

for His glory,
DJ

Ecclesiastical Sissification

Over the past century or so, the evangelical church-at-large has grown increasingly effeminate. Church has become a soft, delicate, and dainty. The hard truths are softened, the rough edges are sanded down. Our sanctuaries are decorated with flowers and pastels. The hard hitting truths of Scripture are replaced with lessons on getting in touch with our emotions, or discussion on our hurts, feelings, and personal relationships. There are in my opinion two causes of the demise of ecclesiastical masculinity.

First, is the acceptance and normalization of feminist ideology. Masculinity has become a four letter word, a character flaw that must be fixed.

The foremost culprit, however, is us men, and our disobedience to our Scriptural role. Since the Garden of Eden, men have abdicated their spiritual duties. The problem is that men are too timid, too lazy, too immature, too ignorant, or simply too carnal. It’s no wonder that the church has grown more feminine, there has not been enough manly influence to balance the equation.

A recent trend has emerged in an attempt to recover masculine identity in the church. Vile, corrupt, and filthy language from the pulpit, crude jokes, back woods retreats, men's fellowships at the saloon, cigar smoking, violent movies, and sporting events are all too common techniques. The problem is that these appeal to a worldly definition of manliness, not the Biblical and Christ-centered example.

So in celebration of Fathers Day, I am beginning a mini-series on Manly Biblical Mandates of Masculinity for Men.

Thank you, Lord Jesus

For various reasons, the last few days have been discouraging for me. However, God has lifted my spirit and renewed my faith through His mercy and goodness toward a dear friend. A church member was recently diagnosed with cancer and has been going through treatment for it. This man is a true paradigm of the greatest generation. He always has a colorful and memorable anecdote for every situation. I have truly enjoyed getting to know him over the last few years.

This morning as I was in the middle of my routine drudgery at the office, I received a text message asking for prayer. They were at the doc's office awaiting the test results. I said a short prayer, asking for healing and good results.

So I got back to my rat killin', not giving it another thought. A little while later, for whatever reason, I thought of him and began to pray again. I didn't even finish my opening "Dear Lord Jesus" when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. After I finished my quick prayer I read the most wonderful message. "No cancer. Give thanks to God. His mercies are new every morning"

Praise God.

-DJ

Bumper Sticker Theology

Let go and let God.

I have been given this advice several times, by several (well-intentioned) people, and in several different situations. I have often wondered what it really means, and what it truly advocates. What am I to let go of? What am I letting God do? While this pithy cliché is cleverly worded, is it truly a Biblical principle?

This expression was popularized by Charles Gallaudet Trumball, a strong advocate of Keswick, deeper-life theology. He advocated a radically passive view of sanctification by faith alone that practically eliminated the need for any sort of human effort. He taught that the reason the average Christian does not attain victory over sin is that he or she tries too hard.

In this view, spiritual maturity and holiness can be attained completely and instantaneously. The supposed key to this instant sanctification is to just get out of your own way and stop trying to live a godly life and trust God to change you without any effort on your part. The assumption is that you cannot try and trust at the same time. Our effort, struggle and diligence supposedly does nothing more than “frustrate the grace of God” and makes Christ’s power “futile.”

This view is a form of the erroneous doctrine of quietism. Quietism is a totally passive approach to sanctification. Quoting Phil Johnson, “It teaches that sanctification cannot occur until we give up striving for it. It is an attempt to become holy by abandoning all effort and simply trusting in God to remove the temptation to sin.”

Quietism requires a secondary leap of faith after salvation. You are saved when you believe, but then you are made perfect and holy after you really, really believe. This creates two separate classes of Christians, the merely saved and the true disciples. Also, this trusting without trying approach suggests that we should defer obedience until we get the right feeling. It leads to the hunt for some ecstatic experience or some miraculous event whereby sin is totally eradicated from our life. This quick-fix, no-effort-required mentality sets the stage for future failure and guilt when temptations and trials do come (and they certainly will). I have to admit that this idea is, at first, quite appealing. Oh if only I could be completely rid of the cancerous sin that plagues my flesh. But is this quick-fix, instant-holiness, termination-of-all indwelling-sin-though-passivity a Biblical promise?

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

This passage highlights the delicate balance in the process of sanctification. On the one side, it emphasizes human responsibility to work out our own salvation. On the other hand, God is sovereignly working in us to make us willing and able to do His good pleasure.

Maintaining this equilibrium is crucial. Stressing one aspect more than the other leads to certain error. An overemphasis on the human responsibility leads into the bondage of legalism. An overemphasis on God’s divine work leads to the errors of quietism

The Bible teaches that sanctification is a process in which the believer actively cooperates with God. Spiritual growth is accomplished by practicing obedience though faith in Christ. Through the regeneration of the Spirit, we are now dead to sin and alive to God (Rom. 6:11). Now therefore, we must not let sin reign in our mortal bodies (Rom. 6:12). This does involve “letting go”our pride, selfishness, and sinful will. But this surrender is a work of proactive faith, not passive conviction. We are commanded to do the will of God, not sit on the sidelines and wait for it to happen.

One aspect of God’s will for each of us is our sanctification. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3). Abstinence from sin is certainly not a passive act, it is a dynamic action. Sometimes the not doing is more difficult than the doing.

Scripture also commands us to flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness (2 Tim. 2:22). We are not instructed to kick back and wait on righteousness to come to us. We are to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).

Fleeing temptation is an act of obedience that results in spiritual growth and being further set apart from sin. Never are we promised that God will abolish all temptations in our lives. Instead, He promises to never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, and in that temptation He will always provide an emergency escape rout ( Cor. 10:13).

In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul explained that we as Christians have been saved for the purpose of good works. Thankfully, God has sovereignly prepared them beforehand, but it is our responsibility to walk in them (Eph. 2:10). Again, we can clearly see the tension between human responsibility and divine sovereignty. It is not a case of either/or but of and/both.

My intention is not to imply that our active obedience and good works can be accomplished apart from faith in Christ. Indeed, we are enabled to follow Christ in obedience only because of His strength. Obedience purely from our own strength and for our own credit is legalism. Only through acknowledging our own weakness can we be strong in Christ (2 Cor. 12:10).

It is imperative for our spiritual growth and sanctification that we maintain the equilibrium between responsibility of active obedience and pursuit of righteousness, and reliance on God’s power, strength, and regeneration.

for His glory.
DJ

The two tenets of atheism

I once read that there are two foundational beliefs held modern atheism:

1. God does not exist.

2. I hate Him for it.

Is God Dead?

Fredrick Nietzsche is considered by some to be the father of modern atheism. He was also a pioneer in the postmodern philosophical movement. His most well known quote comes from his book “The Gay Science” published in 1882.

“God is dead. God remains dead. We have killed him.”

This has been the atheist mantra for over a hundred years. Nietzsche never believed in a literal deity, instead this was his way of saying that religion and spirituality are no longer a viable source of wisdom in this modern, enlightened age. The supposed death of god is a rejection of all absolute values themselves. This loss of a universal moral law inevitably leads to nihilism.

Nihilism is the philosophical belief that life is completely void of meaning, purpose, and intrinsic value. Nihilism also asserts that morality does not inherently exist, but that it is abstractly conceived. In other words, it denies the moral argument of general revelation. It supposes that all of the moral principles, which are strikingly similar throughout all of ancient and modern history, are a fabrication of mankind.

Nietzsche was especially hostile toward Christianity. He viewed the Christian faith as the true cause of human bondage, oppression, and suffering. He saw himself as a philosophical messiah, setting the people free from the evils of religious thought. This is apparent in the following quote:

“When one gives up the Christian faith, one pulls the right to Christian morality out from under one's feet. This morality is by no means self-evident... By breaking one main concept out of Christianity, the faith in God, one breaks the whole: nothing necessary remains in one's hands.”



Nietzsche was wrong. God is not dead. He is very much alive, and he is in complete control of the cosmos. His moral law and His truth defined in His Word are eternal and absolute. The church has not ceased, and will continue to persevere until Christ’s return. Not even the gates of hades can overpower the church (Matt. 16:18).

The existence of God is clearly evident through His general revelation in creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1). God has made Himself known to all mankind.

Romans 1:19-20
Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

The pride of life hardens the heart and darkens the mind. Nietzsche, the fool who said in his hear that there is no God, made the mistake of elevating the human mind above God. He deified man by His assertion that earthly wisdom and knowledge has killed the notion of God.

Over a century later, the church is alive and well. God is not alive, but Nietzsche on the other hand is dead. In 1889 at the age of 44, Nietzsche had a complete mental breakdown. He wrote several letters to his close friends and colleagues that were incoherent and full of Christian allusions. One of these “madness letters” stated the following:

"I have had Caiaphas put in fetters. Also, last year I was crucified by the German doctors in a very drawn-out manner. Wilhelm, Bismarck, and all anti-Semites abolished."

Nietzsche was admitted to an insane asylum and was later cared for by his mother and sister. He spent the last eleven years of his life gripped by madness.

God is the sovereign creator and sustainer of the universe. Nietzsche was a madman.

for His glory,
DJ

Quote of the day

No God,
No Peace.

Know God,
Know Peace.