Old Testament Intro. (OTI) - part 6: What do the Critics Say?

This will be the last post in a series of posts on the Old Testament Intro class I took at Westminster. Today, I'll give a summary on what modern scholars say about the OT, how we can respond, and why we shouldn't just ignore their views.

How do modern scholars view the OT? For most of them, the Bible is like any other human book and should be rejected as myth. In the 21st century, readers might find stories of a talking donkey (Numbers 22) or a talking snake (Genesis 3) a bit strange and out of date.

In the 19th century, parts of the culture invaded the Biblical studies department in many universities. The Enlightenment was in full-swing in Europe, and it exalted the human mind as the final standard and source of truth. Before the 19th century, most Christian seminaries and universities accepted God's word as truthful, authoritative, and final. With the Enlightenment, many scholars began to think that human beings could investigate the world without God. God was told to get out and stay out. This shouldn't be too surprising. In the Garden of Eden, mankind decided to play umpire between what God said and what Satan said. Rather than trusting God and His word, man decided to think and act apart from his Creator. Falling to the oldest trap in the book, Biblical scholars rejected God's word and began to view all religious (including Christianity) as man-made products of culture and experience. The Bible was rejected as a book of myths.

DEUTERONOMY: BRIDGE BETWEEN LAW AND PROPHETS

How did all of this happen? The book of Deuteronomy is a key battleground. You can think of Deuteronomy like purple states in the US Presidential Election. Certain states are consistently red (Republican) or blue (Democratic). However, some states are purple, and they are the key swing states. If a candidate can capture these, they will likely win the White House. Our understanding of Christ and God's redemptive history hinges on how we understand and interpret Deuteronomy.

Why is Deuteronomy so important? Deuteronomy is the lynchpin of the Old testament, and it's a critical link between the Law (1st 5 books of the OT) and the Prophets. Written by Moses, the Law is the foundation for the rest of the OT because it contains important things such as: God's redemption (Exodus), the moral law (10 Commandments), the sacrificial system, and God's covenant promises. The prophets consistently refer to the Law when the Israelites disobey God. The prophets are God's messengers who accuse Israel of breaking God's covenant and failing to return the love and loyalty that God had first shown to Israel.

Modern scholars have rejected Deuteronomy as a “pious fraud”. They reject Moses as the author of Deuteronomy, and have proposed alternate theories that tear the Law and the Prophets apart. They believe that somebody much later than Moses wrote Deuteronomy. They believe that the Law was written after the Prophets and wasn't originally part of Judaism. In short, they reject the Law and take the Prophets.

By rejecting the Law, these scholars redefine the OT by saying that God didn't give us the law and sacrificial system. God just wants you to be a good person. Their proof-text would be something like Micah 6:8: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Christianity doesn't deny the need to do these things, but we deny that we can do these apart from the person and work of Christ.

Are there any good arguments for rejecting Deuteronomy? There are some difficult questions, and we shouldn't bury our heads in the sand. Here are a few examples:
Numbers 12:3 describes Moses as the most humble man on earth. Hmmm, this doesn't seem to humble. Perhaps somebody else wrote the Law?
If Moses was the author, why did he refer to himself in the 3rd person? Deuteronomy 1:1 gives us a narrator's perspective.
If Moses was the author of Deuteronomy, how could he write about his own death in Deuteronomy 34?

However, we can address these questions without giving up our key assumptions. We can still view God's word as trustworthy and true, and that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit to teach us about Christ and His word. One scholar (E. J. Young) has said that we can make a case that Moses was essentially the author of the 1st 5 books of the OT, but the actual writing could have been done by others, just like Jesus is the author of the Sermon on the Mount, but He didn't actually write it down.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

What is at stake? Does it matter if Moses wrote the Law or if we even have the Law? We might be tempted to think this is all a bunch of pointy-headed stuff for people locked up in ivory towers. But, if the OT is the foundation for understanding the NT, then we have to wrestle with these issues.

Our God claims to work through history to redeem a people for Himself. The Exodus from Egypt is a pattern of God's work that comes to completion in our deliverance from sin. Moses is a go-between for God and God's people (Deut. 5:22, Ex. 20:18-21), another pattern that comes to completion in Christ, our perfect Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). The Law of God and the sacrifices are essential for us to understand Christ and His sacrifice, which rescues us from the law of sin and death. At stake is the heart of Christianity! Modern scholars can say, “Just follow the good example of Jesus and be a nice guy like Him” because they have thrown out the Law and redefined Christianity. Many of the more liberal denominations in America take this view today. They may call themselves Christians, but they have side-lined the word of Christ given to us in the Law and the Prophets.

Jude calls us to contend for the faith (Jude 3). As we study the OT scriptures, we are fighting for God and the gospel, the things that this culture and its scholars have rejected. Yet, fighting for the faith must be done in humility. We recognize that these truths are a gift of God and an act of His grace. Without the grace of God, we would not see Christ and the beauty of OT.

With this post, I'm wrapping up this series on the Old Testament Intro class. I hope it's been as fun and informative for you as it has been for me.

Old Testament Intro. (OTI) - part 5b: What OT Books are In/Out?

In the previous post, we looked at the relationship between salvation and scripture. When God saves, He speaks. He tells us what He does so we know how to respond with love, obedience, and worship. We see this pattern when God rescued his people out of slavery in Egypt and when He brought them into the Promised Land. We see this pattern continue until the coming of Christ, the ultimate act of salvation.

When we talk about the Old Testament (OT) canon, we should ask ourselves, “What was the OT recognized by Jesus and the people of God?” What did Jesus recognize as scripture and what was rejected? Was the Apocrypha (extra books in the Catholic OT) recognized?

JESUS AND THE PHARISEES

Remember that Jesus often clashed with the Jewish leaders. Though Jesus and the Pharisees disagreed on the meaning of scripture, both sides searched, quoted, and read the same scripture, though they came to different conclusions. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees because they refused to come to Him as Savior and Lord:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39)

When Jesus was defending himself against the accusation that He was breaking the Sabbath, Jesus cites a somewhat obscure passage (Psalm 82) and asserts that “scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Again, both the Jewish religious leaders and Jesus are using the same Hebrew OT as their Bible.

What was the Hebrew OT at that time? It is the OT that the Protestants have today. Neither Jesus nor the Jewish leaders recognized the Apocrypha. After the resurrection, when Jesus walks with 2 disciples on the Road to Emmaus, Jesus opens up God's word to show them that He fulfills all the OT prophecies for the coming Messiah. Jesus actually provides the 3 broad categories for scripture, and they don't include the Apocrypha.

"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:44-47).

Is there evidence that the Protestant OT is right? For evidence, we can look at the OT used by the different groups in Judaism during the time of Jesus. The groups included the Pharisees and Sadducees. But they also included a group called the Essenes (the ones who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls). The Essences quoted the Hebrew OT in their writings. The Essences never cited the books in the Apocrypha as God's word. They only recognized the books of the Hebrew OT. The same can be said about the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Samaritans. None of these groups ever recognized the extra books as scripture. And most of all, Jesus never recognized these extra books either.

JEROME'S HEBREW PRINCIPLE

In the 4th century, St. Jerome was asked by the Pope to make a new Latin translation of the Bible. His completed work was called the Latin Vulgate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Vulgate). When he worked on his translation, he had to determine which books to include and which ones to leave out.

For Jerome, the Hebrew Bible should be the OT for Christians. The books from the Apocrypha were put in the back of the Bible in a separate category. Jerome left them in because he thought they could be helpful. His decision to separate what was God's word and what wasn't is known as “Jerome's Hebrew Principle.” The Protestant Reformation followed Jerome, and their conclusion was this: Jesus' canon is our canon too. But, they went a step further by taking them out. This would eliminate any confusion on what was God's word. The reformers wanted to be absolutely clear that the Bible is true and must be obeyed, while nothing else, including the Apocrypha, has no such authority. Unfortunately, the Catholic church reversed Jerome's Hebrew Principle and added the Apocrypha into their Bible.

TAKEAWAY

What does this mean for us? We need to receive God's word as it is. Scripture warns us against adding or taking away from God's word:

"You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you" (Deu 4:2)

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." (Rev 22:18-19)

To change God's word by adding or removing things is nothing short of lying- those who do it claim that God has said something when He hasn't:

“Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.” (Proverbs 30: 6)

The issue of the OT canon isn't something we can just brush aside as a minor point of doctrine.

On the flip side, the OT canon is a source of comfort for Christians. It is our duty and delight to meditate on God's Word day and night, that we may be careful to obey everything written in it. And, we have freedom to take or leave any other human writings because they aren't God's Word. We have clarity on our final standard of truth for our faith, a standard that we can use to evaluate everything else in this world. We do this with humility towards God and others, yet with confidence. God has spoken, and His Word is trustworthy and true!

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Pro 30:5).

Old Testament Intro. (OTI) - part 5a: What OT Books are In/Out?

This is installment number 5 in a series of posts that have hit some of the highlights from the Old Testament Intro. class I took at Westminster. Today I'll start tackling an issue that has been debated quite a bit between Roman Catholics and Protestants. The issue is the Old Testament (OT) Canon. The OT canon is the official list of books that should be included in the Old Testament. In the table of contents in your Bible, the canon is the list of books you'll see. Anything that's not there is not part of God's word. Protestants have 39 books in the OT, while Catholics have added a few extras. These extras are called the Apocrypha, and they include books such as the Maccabees, the Book of Enoch, Additions to Daniel and the Psalms, etc...)

So, who has the right list? Should Protestants include the Apocrypha? But more importantly, why does this matter?

The OT is the foundation for our faith. The canon matters because it's God's word. Something written by a human author may have interesting or useful ideas, but we can take it or leave it without eternal consequences. However, rejecting the word of God is rejecting God's message of salvation:

• “You have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15).
• ”You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Pet 1:23)
  

We need some way to draw a line so we can say what is God's word and what isn't. John Frame put it well when he said this: “It is God's intention to speak personal words to us, words that have more authority than any other. These words govern our use of all other words and all other knowledge. They must be distinguished from all other words for us to know that these are God's words and not man's.”

We assume two important things when we talk about the canon:

1. God has spoken (See this post on the authority of God's word)
   
2. The Holy Spirit enables God's people to recognize God's word (1 Cor. 2:14, 1 Thess. 2:13).
   

Because God has spoken, His word is final. The authority of God's word doesn't depend on pastors, scholars, or even the church. We can be wrong! Pastors can't choose what they like and throw out what they don't like. Catholics believe that people (the church) have the final say in defining the canon. Protestants believe the reverse: no one (not even the church) is in a position to approve or disapprove God's word. There is a huge difference! Catholicism believes that God's word submits to the church. But Protestantism believes that the church submits to God's word.

This reminds us that God is the all-powerful Creator, and we are dependent creatures. When God speaks, we should humbly submit to Him and worship Him as our supreme ruler, even if we don't have all the answers. All too often, we expect God to answer to us, when we must answer to God. Humility before God means that we receive His word as truthful and trustworthy.

CANON AND REDEMPTIVE HISTORY

God's word has always come to God's people when God saves them. After God saved Israel from slavery in Egypt, Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible to record God's history and law: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me......” (Exodus 20:2-3)

At each point in redemptive history, God gives His people everything they need to know until the next act of salvation:

• "These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.” (Deut. 5:22)
• "Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it. “ (Deut. 12:32 )
  

The OT doesn't stop at Deuteronomy. God continued to work among His people. After God had saved Israel from her enemies and given them the land of Canaan, Joshua did something important: “Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God.” (Jos. 24:26)
Joshua added to the first 5 books of the Bible so that God's people would remember what God did and why He did it.

So, we begin to see a pattern in scripture. Whenever God saves His people, He also gives them His Word so they will understand and respond in the right way. When God saves, God speaks.

Notice something very important. When Joshua wrote new scripture, it was added to what was already written by Moses. The first 5 books weren't thrown away- God added new words to His old ones. Scripture builds on itself.

IN THESE LAST DAYS.....

Fast forward a few thousand years from the book of Joshua to the New Testament. When Jesus Christ came, God performed the ultimate act of salvation. Jesus Christ is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Fully God and fully man, Jesus is the only mediator who can bridge the gap between man and God, the one we were created to love, serve, and obey. In this greatest act of salvation, shouldn't we expect God to bring additional revelation? He does!

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb. 1:1-2)

In the past, God spoke through prophets like Moses and Joshua. In these last days, Jesus Christ speaks as God Himself. And since all scripture builds on itself, Jesus Christ isn't going to throw away the OT. He didn't come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them (Matt. 5:17).

If you're still reading, thanks for hanging in there. We have seen up to this point that when God saves His people, He speaks to them. And as He continues to work, He adds to His word. This process keeps moving forward until the ultimate act of salvation found in Jesus.

The history of God's salvation should lead us to humble worship. He is not only the all-powerful Creator, but in Jesus Christ, He is our loving Savior. God stooped down to save us and then speak to us so that we could know His salvation. The canon isn't some dry, boring topic for scholars to debate. The canon is what God has provided to His people so that we may know Him and worship Him. How kind and gracious of God to do that!

So, if we want to know what should be included in the OT, we should ask ourselves, “What was the OT that Jesus had?” What was recognized by God's Son and God's people as the official word of God? Did the Jesus's Bible contain the Apocrypha? To answer this question, stay tuned to my next post....

Hey Jude

This weekend, I heard a sermon at our church on Jude from CJ Mahaney. The sermon really opened up my eyes to something that I had been struggling with. For some reason, I couldn't shake the fact that I had failed so many times the past week, be it by not getting the grade that I wanted, or for getting repeatedly distracted while trying to work on assignments. Why couldn't I see the riches of God's grace on me? Why did it matter so much what other people said about me, or how I felt I had fallen short of what I should be?

In his sermon, CJ preached on Jude 1b, "To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ." It was the second point, "beloved in God the Father" that stirred my heart. We often have hard thoughts about God. We think that He is merely tolerating us but really is disappointed in us. We think that we are chosen, but without much enthusiasm, like the last kids to get chosen for a sports team. We need this assurance that we are much loved. Not only that we are much loved, but specifically that we are enthusiastically and with much affection loved by God because He IS love.

Because we don't believe that God would love someone who is completely unlovable, we look inside ourselves for some reason that God would want to love us. It's almost as if we had to repay God for His unconditional love by earning it back. It dawned on me that I was trying to pay God back for His love. I wouldn't just take it at face value but felt that I had to prove my worth. I always knew that I was justified, but for me that was only enough to bring me back to "0" in terms of my debt. My justification, lived out in my life, only meant that I wasn't subject to God's wrath, but it didn't mean that I was loved with the infinite affection and joy of a loving God.

CJ said that often people will say, "Why would God love me?" and he has to answer, "I haven't got a clue." If we look for a reason that God would love us that is inside of us, there is none. Be amazed at God's grace and not in a false hope in ourselves. We are only worthy of wrath. Let's not look within from our pride. Piper says, "Our biggest challenge is to feel love since we are so unworthy." We will always be unworthy but we will always be loved by God. Something that was mentioned in our prayer group was that if we only realized that God really loved us, we would be totally changed, and I would heartily agree. I thank God for showing me this truth, and for casting some much needed light into this hidden dark area in my life.

Old Testament Intro. (OTI) - part 4: Are OT Manuscripts Reliable?

If you've been reading along, you know that I've been posting articles about the Old Testament Intro class I took at Westminster. In previous posts, I've tried to answer the questions: “Why study the Old Testament?” and “Why study the geography and history of the OT?”

This post will be about manuscript reliability. The Bible translations we have today- be it NIV, ESV, NLT, etc... are based on manuscripts that were edited 1000s of years ago and then transmitted over time. None of us have the original copies written down by Moses, David, or Jeremiah. And there are known differences and changes that have crept up over time. For example, the Greek translation of the book of Jeremiah is about 15% shorter and has a different chapter sequence. So, it seems like the Greek version was originally based on a different Hebrew text and not the Hebrew text we have today.

Even though the scribes were very careful, they could not avoid making the occasional mistake. Often they were unintentional and due to human error. Physical damage by accident and decay would leave holes in the text or a scribe might leave something out or hear something incorrectly while the text was being dictated.

And yet, our faith hinges on what the Bible says. Without the Bible, we would have no knowledge of God, creation, or His redemptive work that reaches its climax in Christ.

This begs the question: Can we trust the Bible? Or, is the Bible a corrupted version of God's word- maybe only a faint witness to the original, which is now lost? A lot is at stake here. If the Bible is only partially trustworthy, then the foundation of our faith isn't completely reliable. If that's the case, we have no basis for claiming that Yahweh is the only true God and that Christ is the only way to Him. Thus, who can say that Christ is the only path to God when many other faiths proclaim many other ways?

Before we can answer this question, we need to set the boundaries of our discussion. As we examine the history and manuscripts to see if the Bible is trustworthy, we must remember our position of faith: God is active and in control of all things. Roman Catholic teaching says we should look for someone or something (church authority) to tell us the final answer. Skeptics say that we should look to human reason and our own understanding as the final standard. But, the final standard of truth is found in God Himself, and not some standard that is outside of Him. There are difficulties, and we may never find an intellectually satisfying answer to all of them. So, is our trust in our ability to reconstruct the text perfectly or in God?

CAUTIOUS CONSERVATISM

As Christians, we can take a path of cautious conservatism- God's word in its original form exists in the various manuscripts, but we may have to do some work to find it.

As mentioned earlier, a manuscript may have errors, but it is very unlikely for all manuscripts to have the same error. Bible scholars see how the different manuscripts compare/contrast. They decide which is the most reliable one as many of them usually agree while a few have differences. If most manuscripts say one thing, and only a few have a difference, scholars often go with the one with more copies. In other words, majority wins!

The work of researching the different manuscripts to get the original is called “Textual Criticism.” Scholars have been working on Textual Criticism for centuries, so its nothing new. Think of it as a kind of Bible CSI- investigative teams have to sift through the evidence to construct the original story.

The different options for the original text are placed in the footnotes or margins of the Bible if enough manuscripts have that difference. For example, in 2 Samuel 12:21, the ESV says this: "When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry." The context is that David's firstborn son Amnon had just raped his half-sister Tamar. David is upset, but that's about all that David does. There's no mention of any punishment for Amnon. The footnote for this verse says, "Dead Sea Scroll, Septuigent add "But he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn." Interesting. Two other manuscript families give us a little more insight into why David seemed unwilling to do anything after this incident.

So, should we be concerned that there are multiple options? Before we start to panic, realize that the Bible is the most well attested ancient document that exists. Thousands of manuscripts are available to piece together the original text. Only a very small part of the text is in question. And the vast majority of those variations make no difference in how we understand and apply scripture. This means that no major theological point depends on whether or not scholars "got it right." Therefore, passages like Jeremiah 31 that describe and foretell the coming of Christ and the New Covenant are rock-solid:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers.....For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

The prophecies about Christ, the new covenant, and the forgiveness of sins are unmistakably clear and reliable. Here are two quotes from scholars who have spent decades going through the OT in the ancient text:

“Textual criticism has established beyond reasonable doubt that no significant teaching of scripture is called into question” (Silva)

“Even if we adopted every single alternative reading, we'd largely have the same Bible” (Walke)

DEAD SEA SCROLLS

Textual criticism was given a huge boost in the 1940s with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Israel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_Scrolls). The scrolls are dated to around 400 BC and include references to every single book of the OT except for one (Esther). Prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest known copies of the OT were from the 10th century A.D. Before this find, it would be impossible to demonstrate that the OT prophecies about Christ as a suffering servant (e.g. Isaiah 53 or Psalm 22) were true, or if they were made up after the fact.

The Dead Sea Scrolls is a huge piece of evidence testifying to the trustworthiness of the OT. If we compare the Dead Sea scrolls with versions from the 10th century AD, they are virtually the same. This means that for over 1000 years, the OT was faithfully transmitted.

WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD

As mentioned earlier, we don't ultimately base our confidence on man's carefulness. Our confidence rests in God, who has spoken and graciously preserved His word for us today. This means that pastors, scholars, and all Christians can trust in God and His Word. Having some awareness of our manuscripts and their reliability helps us appreciate the roots of our faith. We don't need to fear when skeptics question the reliability of the Bible. Rather, we can be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have.

Old Testament Intro. (OTI) - part 3: What's the Payoff In Studying the OT Background?

In this series of blog posts, I've been sharing highlights from the Old Testament Intro. class at Westminster. The first post was a summary of questions that the course sought to answer, and the second tried to answer the question: “Why study the Old Testament?” The OT isn't a bunch of boring history. The struggles against idolatry, fear of man, love of money, living for the here-and-now are given to us in the OT and apply to us today.

Today, I'll expand these thoughts a little further. The OT gives us important insight into the NT so we can more fully understand Christ and His work. We have much more in common with the NT authors than the OT authors (e.g. the same gospel call, Great Commission, and the call to stay faithful until Christ returns). But, the OT audience was quite different (e. g. they had temples, priests, daily sacrifices, and tons of rules on what to eat, drink, and wear).

So, it seems like we'll have to do some more legwork to understand the time, people, and place of the OT. It's not so easy to take the OT and just run with it, like we can for the NT. If we want to appreciate the 70% of God's word that showcases the person and work of Christ, we must study the OT, including its geography and history. If we don't have some understanding of history and geography, we are bound to get lost.

WHY STUDY THE GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF THE OT?

God gave us His word throughout the course of human history. The OT didn't drop out of the sky. It was written in a particular time to a particular people. Slowly over time, God gave more of His revelation, which reached its fullness in Christ. God took thousands of years of human history to work from Adam to Moses, and then from David to Jesus (with many other folks in-between!).

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Gal. 4:4-5)

God tell us that Christ came when “the fullness of time had come.” Though it seemed like a long time to us, God wasn't late. This period of time is like the first 10 chapters of a book that lead up to the grand climax. Even if the best part of a book starts at chapter 10, nobody picks up a novel and starts at that point. If Christ is the grand climax of God's redemptive plan, then if we want to get the full story of His work, we need the background of what God was doing before Christ came.

Our modern age isn't the only age that ever existed. We have to think beyond ourselves and understand scripture as the original audience would have understood it. As a result, little details which might seem insignificant to us are actually quite significant and purposeful. The background, setting, and geography of the OT matters!

To give you a few examples:

• LAND
  
  We know that Israel was drawn to the gods that were worshiped by her neighbors. Why? Why was it better to worship Baal and not Yahweh (the LORD)? Baal is a storm god and a fertility god. The land of Israel, unlike Egypt, didn't have the flooding of the Nile to provide water for crops. The land of Israel is dependent on rainfall so that their crops are watered:
  
  “But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land that the LORD your God cares for. The eyes of the LORD your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.” (Deut 11:11-12).
  
  Knowing this, we now see that the choice of who to worship (Baal or Yahweh) is also test of faith. Would Israel trust God to provide rain? Or, would Israel worship the storm god to make sure their crops are watered? The implications for us are huge- where do we ultimately place our hope? Throughout history, God requires faith from His people. His work and His Word are to be trusted. God expects the same for those who draw near to Christ to be saved.
  
  
  
• LOCATION
  
  In the Ancient Near East, Israel is in a strategic location. Israel is the “land between” (Jim Monson). Egypt is to the south, and the rest of the world powers are to the north. Those who want to go from one end to the other must pass through Israel. The surrounding nations want to control that land,while Israel fights to hold onto it. There are temptations for Israel to enter into alliances to secure the land. But, we know that God commands His people not to enter into alliances with the pagan nations:
  
  “When the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods.” (Deut. 7:2-4)
  
  Those who draw near to Christ face the same temptations to love the world and the things of this world. The OT continually warns us of Israel's temptations to compromise and become entangled, and the disastrous consequences that happen when small compromises lead to great sin against the LORD. God's people are always tested to see if they will be covenant-keepers or covenant-breakers (Heb. 10:26-30). I often have to stop and examine my own life. What motivates me? What do I trust? Do we rely on our education, money, or experience? Who or what is my trust?
  
  
• HISTORY
  
  One thing we keep hearing at Westminster that “scripture is a product of history.” The writers of scripture spoke to a particular audience in a particular place. For instance, we would never pick up the “Gettysburg Address” given by Abraham Lincoln and completely ignore Civil War history. In fact, Civil War history(what happened before, during, and after the Gettysburg address) gives the context we need to understand what Lincoln spoke.
  
  God's work in history gives us the context to understand what God spoke. God's redemptive acts (e.g. the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan, the history of the judges and kings etc....) is our context and setting. If we don't understand that historical context and setting, we won't understand what God is doing.
  
  The nice thing about studying this history is that God has already given us the cliff-notes version! The Bible is not a comprehensive textbook on human history. It is selective (though sufficient, reliable, and true). The Bible's selectivity becomes its strength. God has already edited things so that we have the most important events recorded for us.
  
  Obviously, much more can be said about history, but this is already getting quite long. Here's an example that might be helpful.
  
  For instance, knowing that the Egyptians worshiped the sun and the Nile river as gods helps you understand the nature of the 10 plagues. The plagues against Egypt included blocking out the sun and turning the Nile river to blood. God's power was directed against the false gods of Egypt. God tells Pharaoh and Egypt the purpose of the plagues: “That you may know that there is none like me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14).
  

RESOURCES

If you made it this far, I feel honored for your time! Don't feel overwhelmed. The study of scripture takes a lifetime, and even then, we will never exhaust the depths of our God. The faithful pursuit of God little-by-little over a long time is well worth it.

If you want to learn more, there are great resources out there! The best starting point to learn all of this is a good study Bible. There are tons that are available: NIV, Reformation, and MacArthur study Bibles. If you don't have one, I highly recommend the ESV study Bible. Like many others, this study Bible has an introduction to every book and gives background information on the author, setting, and history. It also gives a big picture on how a particular book relates with the rest of the Bible (e.g. what role does Deuteronomy play in the OT law and how does it relate to the NT?). Since it's not written for scholars, its quite readable, and yet has enough depth for those who are serve in teaching and preaching.

Old Testament Intro. (OTI) - part 2: Why study the OT?

In this series of posts, I'm sharing some of what I learned from the Old Testament Intro. class at Westminster. The previous post introduced some important questions the course tried to answer. Many of them were very fascinating (e.g. Where did the OT come from, and how trustworthy is it?)

Before you get some high hopes that the course completely answered every question that anyone might ask about the OT, I need to clarify some expectations. One of the main takeaways from the course is summed up in this quote by John Frame:

“The strength of our positions is that we can say, 'We don't know', but we know the One who does" (John Frame).

God is the author of scripture, and He has graciously chosen to reveal Himself to a sinful and fallen people. Like Job, we may want all of our questions answered before we feel satisfied. Job earnestly sought an audience with God so he could plead his case and find out why he had to endure such terrible suffering. But God doesn't give him answers. God simply raises more questions such as: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4). And, “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?” (Job 40:2). Basically, God was telling Job that He is God and Job is not.

And Job's response is one we can learn from: “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6).

Today, I'll try to discuss why a Christian should study the Old Testament.

WHY STUDY THE OT?

The Old Testament (OT) is essential in light of the New Testament (NT) because it helps us more fully understand the work of Christ. It is the frame of reference without which we cannot understand the work of Christ.

Christ said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matt. 5:17). If we want to understand why Christ came and how He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, we will need some understanding of the Law of Moses and the Prophets.

Christ said this to the Pharisees: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39).

When Jesus was ministering, there was no NT yet. So, when He argues with the Pharisees on how to interpret scripture, both parties are referring to only the OT. Jesus is clear: the Scriptures (or just the OT) is about Him!

Augustin said that the NT is in the OT concealed. How? Our professor Chris Fantuzzo said, “The OT is good news of Christ who will come, but NT is the good news of Christ who has come.”

Thus, both the OT and NT serve as witnesses to Christ and His resurrection. God's word centers on the person and work of Christ. If we are ignorant of the OT (which makes up 70% of the Bible), this means we are ignorant of 70% of what God has to say about our redemption!

What does this look like? The OT is filled with images and symbols that point us to Christ.

For example, we see the image of shepherd all over the place. Jacob and David were both shepherds. God refers to the leaders of Israel as shepherds in Ezekiel 34. Unfortunately, they were corrupt and self-serving. Psalm 23 gives us the image of the LORD as our shepherd. All these images are introduced to shine a spotlight on Jesus Christ, who is the good shepherd and the one who lays down His life for His sheep (John 10).

We could say the same about the image of the sacrificial lamb, which is the centerpiece of the Passover in Exodus 12.

“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." (Exodus 12:12-13)

Jesus Christ is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). If His blood covers you, then on the final Day of Judgment, God's judgment and anger against us because of our sin will be passed over (Revelation 20:11-15). No destruction will touch us, even though the rest of sinful humanity is cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity.

There are countless symbols and images (e.g. the tabernacle, temple, covenants, sacrifices, prophets, priests, kings, etc...). All were introduced in the OT, but come to fulfillment in the NT.

How is this possible?

There is one God which means there is one God of redemptive history. Though He used different people and ways to reveal Himself, in these last days, He speaks through Christ. The God who spoke in the OT is the same God who spoke in the NT: Both the OT and NT serve as a single, unified witness to Christ.

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb. 1:1)

We live in the last days- a very unique time in human history. Many looked forward to the coming Messiah, but we live at a time when the Messiah has already come.

"But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." (Matthew 13:16-18).

With this privileged position comes the responsibility of knowing the whole counsel of God- all the scriptures which are able to make us wise unto salvation.

Old Testament Intro. (OTI) - part 1

In the next couple of posts I'll be sharing some highlights from the “Old Testament Intro” class I took during at Westminster Theological Seminary. The class was very broad. The advantage is that we were exposed to lots of interesting topics. This included asking questions like these:

OT vs. NT: Why study the Old Testament? Isn't the New Testament more important than the Old?

HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY: The Old Testament didn't drop out of the sky from heaven in its current form. How did all its various parts (Law of Moses, Prophets, and Psalms) come together? Christians are students of scripture, not history or archeology. Why study the history and geography of the Old Testament?

MANUSCRIPT RELIABILITY: No one has any of the original manuscripts written by Moses, David, or any other author. Manuscripts we have today contain known transmission errors. How reliable are the manuscripts that we have? Is our Bible trustworthy?

CANON: The Old Testament canon (list of books) is different for Catholics and Protestants. The Catholic canon has several extra books. Who has the right one? Who decides whether a book of the Bible should be included or excluded in the canon? Does it really matter?

MYTH AND MODERN SCHOLARS: What do scholars today have to say about the Old Testament? Are the Old Testament stories (which include a talking snake and a talking donkey and the parting of the Red Sea) just a bunch of myths? Does the latest research in history and archeology confirm or deny the truthfulness of the Old Testament?

This is quite a list! And this is just a sampling of the topics. Because the course was so broad, it was hard to go in-depth into any one of these areas. This led to some challenges (including professors feeling overwhelmed and not wanting to teach this!)

To some, these topics might seem dry and boring. Some might argue that we should have a childlike faith and accept God's word as truthful without worrying too much about it. Besides, the Holy Spirit has to reveal God and His truth to a person before he will accept it. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14). I agree. Jesus did say, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." (Lk. 18:17). We must approach God and His Word with humility, for that is what God requires. He has exalted above all things His name and His word (Ps. 138:2).

But, on the other hand, God calls us to be ready at all times to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that we have (1 Pet 3:15). Family members, co-workers, and others will ask us why we believe in God and in His Word. Are we ready to provide a reason for why we put our life into the hands of the God of the Bible (and not Allah, Buddha, or some other person)? Eternity is a long time to make a mistake here! Does our God reveal Himself in scripture? If so, can this scripture be trusted?

I can't promise that I'll fully answer all the questions posed above, but I'll try to take a serious look at some of the more interesting ones in upcoming posts.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15).

Picking a New Church in a New City (part 5)

During the last several weeks, we've written about the journey that eventually led Teresa and I to join Covenant Fellowship church. This will be the final post in this series. Our desire has been to share how God has impacted us as we sought a new church in a new city. Our desire has not been to glorify our church or to paint a picture of a perfect church. The church, its leadership, and all its members are made up of sinful people (including us!). But, by God's grace, God changes us in such a way that we now have the power to love Him and other people.

God brought us to Philadelphia so we could attend seminary. We've learned a lot in seminary through books, lectures, and assignments. Being in seminary has felt like drinking out of a firehouse and getting flooded with lots of great theology. But, no one learns to do ministry by only sitting in a classroom. You don't learn to play golf by watching videos, reading books, or hearing lectures. You learn by getting your feet on the ground and taking swings.

If you've been reading our posts on picking a new church in a new city, you may see that Teresa and I have been challenged and grown from our church, just as we have grown through seminary. This last post will focus on the culture of humility that the pastors have developed, which includes working together as a team.

HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: PARKING TEAM?

During a membership classes, one of the teachers shared about an early experience he had with the church many years ago. He was fresh out of college and had served as a leader in campus ministry. He came to one of the pastors and offered to serve in a teaching or preaching role. The pastor said that the church needed people to serve on the parking team or in childern's ministry.

But he replied, “I don't think you understand. I have gifts and experience in preaching and teaching. You could use a guy like me.” The pastor calmly repeated what he had said earlier. Somewhat discouraged, the teacher shared about his hesitation to join the parking team. He was expecting to be up-front in a high-profile speaking role. Instead, he was in the church parking lot directing traffic!

Yet, the teacher told us that what he learned on the parking team completely changed his perspective on what it means to serve. He saw that service was about meeting the needs of others in a posture of humility, rather than advancing his own agenda. He learned the reality of Mark 10:42-45:

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many

HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: PICKING A NEW SENIOR PASTOR

Another place where we've seen God work out humility in the lives of the leadership is in the area of ambition. We were encouraged by how our church chose their new senior pastor a few years ago when their previous senior pastor (Dave Harvey) changed his role from serving as the senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship church to serving other pastors at other churches in Sovereign Grace Ministries. Our current senior pastor Jared is in his early 30's, which is unusual; typically in churches, whoever has been around for the longest gets promoted to that role. However, during that transition, several of the pastors who had been around for 20+ years went to the senior pastor and said, "I think Jared (who had only gone to the pastor's college a few years earlier) is the one who has been gifted the best by God to lead our church as senior pastor." They recognized that the church would be best served if that role was filled by someone other than themselves, and were willing to give up their rights and ambitions so that the church would be built up.

HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: RAISING UP THE NEXT GENERATION

Another example we were encouraged with was how the more-experienced pastors mentor the less-experienced pastors. The ones with more experience are willing to give the younger ones their best sermon illustrations so that the younger men may be raised up in the church and thought well of, so that the church would benefit and grow in maturity. Even though no one would know that the illustration really came from the mentor pastor, they were willing to invest in the mentee pastor because they knew it would benefit the church. In our own lives, we recently wrote a script for a play for children's ministry, and our mentor Marty was more than willing to give us tips and feedback that really made the skit better, though no one would know about it.

Alex (who has only finished one year of seminary) has also been encouraged by how Marty (20+ years of experience as pastor) asks him for feedback on his childern's sermons. Wherever the Lord leads us to do serve, we want to have the humility to seek feedback and grow from all people at all levels of maturity in the body of Christ.

TEAMWORK MENTALITY

Another major thing we've really been amazed at is the idea of the body of Christ working together as a team for the good of the church. We've been encouraged at how this type of culture is seen not only in the pastoral team, but also in children's ministry, where we are currently serving. For every child that is enrolled in children's ministry, it is expected that one of their parents will serve in children's ministry. As a result, each Sunday, a whole army of parents and other volunteers comes together and shares the load of the ministry.

There are multiple rotations of multiple teams who cover a variety of different functions. There are coordinators for the different ages who make sure the lessons are carried out consistently from team to team. The coordinators also rotate every other week. That way, no one gets burned out and people get to be a part of ministry with their kids. Not one person does the lion's share of the work, and every person is dependent on the other team members in order to succeed. No matter what your experience level, there is a place where you can serve and be a vital part of the ministry, because every person is vital.

Alex and I were challenged at how that would translate into how we live our own lives. Are we willing to help another classmate with something they were struggling in so that they get a better grade? Can we realize that others' gifts and talents are a great fit for a coveted internship instead of our own? Do we recognize how God has created us all differently with strengths and weaknesses, and be content in that and not in fulfilling our own desires and aspirations of glory? On our own, we are helpless, but with God's help and the Spirit's work in our lives, I pray that He would continue to work in our lives more and more in this area.

RESOURCES

Finally, we've learned a lot from others who have thought long and hard about what the Bible teaches about the local church.

One book we highly recommend is “9 Marks of a Healthy Church” by Mark Dever. If you're curious about the content, my friend Geoff Prewett has written a very good summary and review of it here. This isn't a comprehensive list of 9 things that your church must have. According to Dever, it is a list of traits (taken from scripture) that have grown rare in the American church.

Teresa helped revamp the membership class at Austin Chinese Church when she was working as an administrative assistant. The course now uses a book called “What is a Healthy Church Member?” by Thabiti Anyabwile.

Alex also read a book called "The Shepherd Leader" by Tim Witmer, a professor at Westminster. It is an excellent scriptural and historical look at how God calls pastors to be shepherds (and not managers) and will hold them accountable for this. Witmer describes for pastors and elders what this shepherding responsibility looks like in the trenches of the local church.

Picking a New Church in a New City (part 4b)

In this series of posts, Teresa and I have tried to capture the process which God led us to become members of Covenant Fellowship church. Past topics included the preaching and worship at Covenant. The previous post introduced the topic of church membership: what are the responsibilities and privileges of joining a church. I ended with a description of the “Explore” class, which gave us lots of insight into the church.

Church membership, though, is much more than a class. There has to be some way for the pastors to know who is part of the church and who isn't. The purpose isn't to exclude people, but to have clarity on who is included. The leaders have to know who is part of the church if they are to be responsible for them on the Day of Judgment:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account” (Heb. 13:14).

SPIRITUAL CARE OF MEMBERS

Spiritual care and oversight looks different at different churches, and there isn't a one-size-fits-all. At Covenant Fellowship, each person who wants to be a member has to join a Community Group. This includes those in other Bible studies (i.e. campus ministry). A typical Community Group is 15-25 people and meets twice a month. It is a time of fellowship, encouragement, accountability, and prayer.

The community group also provides a way for the pastors to track attendance. This way, when someone begins to wander off, the leader or pastor can provide spiritual care. All too often, someone who is disillusioned with their church stops attending, but nobody notices until its too late. By then, they have either joined a different church, or worse, hardened their heart or turned their back on God. In America, countless people jump from one church to another or have completely left the church. What a sobering thought that many careless shepherds did little or nothing to care for wandering sheep and will be held accountable by God one day.

MEMBERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

Being part of a community group is the primary avenue for the members of Covenant Fellowship to love one another and show genuine love for our Lord (John 13:34-35). In addition, through the preaching and discipleship ministries, church members are urged to serve the body, serve those outside the church, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are two aspects of church membership that were new and somewhat surprising, though in a good way.

LAWSUITS AMONG BELIEVERS

The first was a commitment that no member of the church would ever sue another member. This is based on 1 Corinthians 6:

“When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to the law before the unrighteous instead of he saints?....So, if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I saw this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? (1 Cor. 6:1-6)

Paul rebuked the Corinthian church because Christians were suing other Christians and tarnishing their witness for Christ. I've read this passage before, but I never thought that members of a church could make a commitment to one another not to sue but agree to an alternative ahead of time.

CHURCH DISCIPLINE

The other expectation was an agreement to submit to church discipline. This runs completely counter to our culture, which tells us to “Question authority.” Why would anyone submit themselves to yet another form of authority? Aren't bosses and the government intrusive enough?

But, if we dig a little deeper into scripture, church discipline is both necessary and good. A loving father doesn't let his children do whatever they want. My pastor at home has said, “Love does not mean let.” Just as fathers discipline their children, our Heavenly Father disciplines His children, that they might share in His holiness and be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. In the same way, when a church member falls into sin, the most loving thing a pastor can do is to bring him to repentance and faith. Not doing anything would be very unloving.

In most cases, church discipline is done positively, through the preaching of God's word, as the implanting of the word is able to save our souls (James 1:21). And fellow brothers and sisters have the responsibility to sharpen one another, as iron sharpens iron. But, in certain cases a pastor may need to confront someone who is living in sin (e.g. adultery). And in extreme cases where a church member continues in sin, he would need to be removed from church membership. Someone who openly lives in rebellion against God but still calls himself a “Christian” brings disgrace upon Christ and the church. Yet, discipline is for the good of the sinning church member, the purity of the church, and ultimately the glory of God.

PS -

Covenant Fellowship is part of a family of churches called “Sovereign Grace Ministries” (SGM). It's not a denomination, but there are similarities. The past few weeks have brought news of accusations of pride and poor leadership among the leaders of SGM (see here). The news is a sobering reminder that churches are imperfect as they are made up of imperfect people.

My goal in these posts is not to glorify Covenant Fellowship or SGM but to highlight what we have found encouraging and Biblical. The news reminds me that I myself am a sinner constantly and daily in need of the grace of God. The church is not for perfect people or good people, but for sick and sinful people. Our sickness reveals the glory of our Savior, who died so that sinful people could be forgiven and made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).

Picking a New Church in a New City (part 4a)

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).

In his final meeting with the pastors of Ephesus, Paul reminds them that the Holy Spirit has set them apart to care for the church of God, which God obtained with His own blood. We were ransomed from sin and eternal punishment not with perishable things such as silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:18-19), something of infinite value!

Pastors are entrusted with something of infinite value in God's eyes. Not surprisingly, the writer of Hebrews encourages all believers to obey their leaders because leaders are accountable to God:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account” (Heb. 13:14).

What does this mean for the local church? What are the implications for church leaders?

We cannot think about spiritual care and responsibility apart from church membership. Church membership is often viewed as outdated. People move every few years and don't like being tied down to a particular place or employer.

It's not unusual to hear that someone goes to the worship service of one church but goes to a small group at another church. Or, someone may go to one church because of its fellowship, worship, etc... but go to another church (or a para-church ministry) for outreach or Bible study.

There's certainly nothing wrong with supplementing our knowledge or building relationships beyond the walls of the church. But, complications arise because those involved in multiple places have multiple spiritual leaders. How does a pastor provide spiritual care for people when it is unclear who is the spiritual authority? Which pastor or staff worker is responsible for their souls? Are leaders restricted to their spheres of influence (e.g. worship, small group, Bible study, etc...)?

The confusion for leaders extends to the church body. Who is allowed to vote or make decisions? Who is allowed to teach Sunday School or serve on the worship team? Basically, who will represent Christ within the church and outside its walls?

In this post and the next one, I'll walk through the process for how the pastors at our church bring in new members in order to provide spiritual care and oversight for them. This will include commitments and responsibilities for new members as well.

MEMBERSHIP CLASS

When Teresa and I were looking for a new church in a new city, we were planning to attend a membership class to learn about the church's beliefs and leaders.

Before we joined Covenant Fellowship, we attended a 10-week class called “Explore.” It was a class for us to explore whether we would commit ourselves to the church. A pastor taught for the first 30 minutes, and the second 30-minutes was a small-group discussion led by a pastor.

Initially, 10 weeks seemed like a big commitment. Who has time for that? We liked the free food (coffee, yogurt, bagels, donuts, fruit, and more!). We also liked the approach. The pastors weren't trying to build their empire by increasing numbers. Their primary concern was that we would join a Bible-believing church where God's word is preached and practiced. They even offered to recommend other good churches in the area.

We started going to “Explore” to get our feet wet. As the class progressed, we learned a lot. We understood Covenant Fellowship's view of

• SCRIPTURE - Is scripture one voice among many or do all other voices take a back seat to it?
• THE GOSPEL- Is the gospel primarily about making the world a better place or reconciling sinners to a holy God?
• SPIRITUAL GIFTS – Which gifts are practiced today?
• CHURCH LEADERSHIP – Who are the leaders, what are their qualifications, is there accountability, etc...
• CHURCH GOVERNMENT – Are decisions made by all members or only the pastors?
• CHURCH MEMBERSHIP – What are the responsibilities for church members?

There were other topics, but these are some highlights. The 10-week class served everyone well. There was plenty of time to understand the church and for the pastors to learn about the people wanting to join.

Any disagreements between a potential new member and the pastors could be discussed openly. Some topics are non-negotiable (e.g. the gospel of Jesus Christ). A person wouldn't be allowed to join if they had incorrect understanding of the gospel. So, church membership is also the way to make sure all incoming members are actually Christians who know and embrace the gospel, not just those who are religious or spiritual.

The class showed us that Covenant Fellowship takes church membership seriously- the pastors invest significant amount of time and energy into “Explore” (and so do all the participants!).

Church membership, though is more than attending a class. In the next post, I'll go through the responsibilities of membership. Rather than scare us away with requirements not expected at most other churches, it was encouraging to see scripture's teaching on the church taken very seriously.

Picking a New Church in a New City (part 3)

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word.” (2 Tim. 4:1-2)

Nearing the end of his life and ministry, the Apostle Paul passes his baton to his protege Timothy. The first thing he commands his disciple to do is “preach the word.” Why is preaching so important? Many people outside the church think of preaching as dry, boring, and out of date. Yet, Christians are people who have knowledge of God because God has first spoken and revealed Himself to us. Apart from the light of revelation, we would be blind men groping around in the dark, with no knowledge of God or His saving power.

Paul makes this very clear in Romans 10. There is no belief in Christ without hearing about Christ:

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Rom. 10:14)

Preaching is central to our faith. The preacher's role is to speak what God has already spoken, that God's people might feast on the bread of life. This quote from Donald Coggan is quite good:

“Here is the miracle of the divine economy, that between the forgiveness of God and the sin of man stands- the preacher!... That between the truth of God and the quest of man stands- the preacher! It is his task to link human sin to forgiveness, human need to divine omnipotence, human search to divine revelation” (Coggan)

CHRIST-CENTERED PREACHING

When Teresa and I were picking a new church in a new city, one non-negotiable criteria was the preaching. Specifically, we were looking for Christ-centered preaching that would turn our gaze away from our sin, ourselves, and our circumstances and onto Jesus Christ.

A common objection to Christ-centered preaching is that not all of the scriptures can be interpreted that way. How about the Old Testament? The Mosiac Law? The Prophets?

Yet, Jesus tells the Pharisees (who only had the Old Testament) how to interpret scripture correctly:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 6:39).

So Jesus tells His opponents that all the scriptures clearly point to Him This means that whenever we pick up an Old Testament passage, God is revealing Christ in some fashion.

For example, the Old Testament priests foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ, the perfect and final High Priest. The earthly priests under the Mosiac law were “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things (Heb 8:5). A copy and a shadow implies the presence of the real deal who is from heaven, Jesus Christ.

Sermons on the Old Testament put this principle of Christ-centered preaching to the test. Too often we are called to follow some kind of example without being given the power or ability to do it. A preacher may call us to “go be a David (and slay the Goliaths in your life)” or “go be a Daniel (and be brave if you're thrown in the lion's den)”. There's some truth in that. However, the Bible was not written primarily as a “how-to” book for improving your morals or condition in life. The Bible was written to reveal our need for a Savior from sin and God's righteous anger. If this is the case, then the story of David and Goliath teaches us that we need a David in our life to rescue us (think Jesus Christ) rather than teaches us to be better (stronger, braver, etc...)

The difference is subtle, but important. Is Jesus primarily a good moral example to follow? Or is Jesus primarily a Savior we need and Lord we submit to? Of course, He is a good moral example, but before He is that, He is much more than that. A Christ-centered sermon shouldn't leave you inspired at your own potential. It should leave you inspired at the person and work of Christ.

CHRIST-CENTERED PREACHING AT COVENANT FELLOWSHIP

Our church Covenant Fellowship is currently doing a sermon series on Leviticus. The messages have enlarged and challenged my understanding of sin and the presence of sin in my life. A scary thought is that we may sin unintentionally and not even realize it:

“if anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD's commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them....” (Leviticus 4:2).

If you read on, you'll see that even unintentional sins require a sacrifice before God. Innocence because of ignorance simply doesn't exist! Unintentionally breaking God's commands is serious sin before God. But sin isn't just avoiding evil. In the message, our pastor also reminded us that failing to do what God requires is also sin. For example, God commands us to give thanks, to love one another, to meditate upon His Word, etc... Failure to do what God requires (because of forgetfulness, laziness, or any other reason) is also sin. This means that not complaining may fall short of God's glory if I fail to give thanks!

An expanded view of sin can lead to despair or great zeal to fulfill the law by our own flesh (e.g. like the Pharisees). Or, we can come with a humble and contrite heart to a Savior who laid down His life for the forgiveness of all of our sins and for the filling of the Holy Spirit who enables us to put sin to death (Rom. 8:13, Gal. 5:16).

God has used the preaching at Covenant Fellowship to remind us of our weak and sinful state and the glories of Christ, who is more than enough for our pressing need.

PREACHING AND WORSHIP

The Spirit-Filled worship was one factor that led us to choose Covenant Fellowship (see this post for details). Teresa also wrote a blog entry which mentioned how God used the worship at Covenant to expand her vision of God's glory. Good preaching leads to good worship. The Christ-Centered preaching that has fed our souls has also driven the Spirit-Filled worship.

I'll end with this quote from John Stott that explains this quite well:

"Our worship is poor because our knowledge of God is poor, and our knowledge of God is poor because our preaching is poor. But when the Word of God is expounded in its fullness, and the congregation begins to glimpse the glory of the living God, they bow down in solemn awe and joyful wonder before His throne. It is preaching which accomplishes this, the proclamation of the Word of God in the power of the Spirit of God. That is why preaching is unique and irreplaceable." (John Stott)

Sin and Grace

This is part II in my struggle with insomnia during the Fall semester of 2010. Our second major paper was to examine the role of our own sin and God's grace in our lives. Not all of us did the same topic as our suffering and refuge paper, but it happened to work out that way for me. Through His perfect timing, God used our Dynamics of Biblical Change class to show me that the original cause of my insomnia was my fear of man and pride. Below are some glimpses of my life during that time.

About the first week of November my insomnia began to happen during nights that I didn’t have a Greek test the next day. I became increasingly nervous about bedtime, and was very anxious about whether I would even fall asleep each night. At first, I was the one who tried to cure myself of my own insomnia. I tried to make my body tired so that my chances of sleeping would increase, but the insomnia continued. I even bought some sleeping pills but they wore off and were no match for my insomnia. :P

God had patience with me and was the one who ultimately delivered me by opening my eyes to my own sin and bringing me to repentance over it.

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Thursday night Dynamics class (11/4/10)

I had cried out to God for deliverance from the symptoms of anxiety and sleeplessness, but it wasn't until Dynamics class that week that God began to deliver me. Through that class, God showed me that I cried out not for His sake, but to bring comfort to myself. I wanted the pain to go away, but I didn't desire heart change. I wanted relief from my symptoms, but didn’t understand my heart.

The Lusts of the Flesh

When Dr. Powlison was describing the desires of the heart, he described the lusts of the flesh in Romans 13:

• Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

The lusts of the flesh, he explained, are more than just sexual sins and coveting. They overflow to good things in life as well. It wasn't bad that I wanted to do well or that I wanted sleep, but I wanted to do well too much. I was fighting for sleep because my desire had become my master. My performance became a monster that was infecting more and more parts of my life. I found myself constantly stressed and my insomnia was becoming more frequent. The worse it got, the more I tried to gain control, which made my anxiety even worse.

The Real Cause

Through that Dynamics lecture, the Holy Spirit showed me and convicted me that I was worshipping myself. It finally clicked that that I had lost the proper perspective of who God was. God had become very small and helpless to me. He was only a helper to me when I was in trouble, and he could only bring relief to my symptoms. I realized that I had stopped worshipping Him and that I had started worshipping my own abilities and talents. My pride had mastered me.

“Any fear or anxiety is ultimately a worship of ourselves”- This phrase really spoke a lot of me. It had never crossed my mind that I could become a slave to serving myself and my own self esteem. In trying to do so, I had become a wreck, and nothing was good enough. I had forgotten that all of this was for God’s glory, and to deepen my relationship with Him. Instead, God had become long forgotten and I had worshipped my feelings and my grades. Of course, I didn’t want to serve and worship myself. No one says to himself, “I have decided to worship myself today”. Sin creeps its way into our hearts unnoticed. I was completely blind to the fact that I was even doing so in the first place.

Real Deliverance

My response was sorrow and repentance over my idolatry. At the same time, God brought a sense of relief and joy because my eyes were finally opened to my sin. When God convicted me of my sin, it became an “a-ha!” moment, and was truly liberating. I experienced the joys that came with repentance; the process is not only a turning away from your sins, but a freeing from sin that comes when you begin to see your own actions through God’s eyes.

That class period was a turning point for me in my deliverance from insomnia. I wanted to cry for almost the whole three hours of class that night, but they weren’t tears of sadness. They were tears of joy, finally knowing what my problem was, and gladness that God had helped me to see who I was worshipping. I was so grateful that God had provided this deliverance from bondage to my sin by opening my eyes, speaking to me by the Holy Spirit, and giving me a true repentant heart once I saw clearly. God brought me through that time, carried me and gave me strength during my suffering, and finally delivered me in His perfect timing through His power. He changed my perspective and where I put my trust. I could now truly relinquish control. I believed in this solution. When God provides deliverance it is really deliverance. It is not just a solution that I think I can will myself to believe, but genuine liberating heart change.

That night, I slept soundly. God had turned the switch from “blind” to “see” and my heart was truly changed.

Put to the test (11/7/10)

Three days after that, on Sunday morning, we were driving to church and the idea crept into my mind that we had a Greek test the next day (Monday). We had been studying for it all weekend, and I had had peace about it. Suddenly, though, it was again the day before the big test and the same situation was looking me in the face. I slowly felt my body tensing up. “Oh no! Is this happening again?” I thought. “What about all that I’ve learned?” I was strangely quiet in the car, and Alex asked me if I was sleepy. What I didn’t tell him at the time was that I was nervous about not being able to sleep. I knew the right answer, but in that moment, I didn’t know it as clearly anymore. I resolved that the only thing I could do was ask God to help me, and I prayed some in the car quietly to myself before we arrived at church.

Tears of Joy

We arrived at church 10 minutes late, and the worship band was starting a new song. As soon as I heard the song, I knew that it was for me. I wanted so much to worship God with all my heart but lacked the strength to do so. God gave me this song so that I would have words to worship Him in the midst of my struggle. The words of the song expressed perfectly the cry of my heart and I started crying, both physically and in my heart crying out to God to save me once again."Yes, Lord! This is exactly what I want to be saying to you right now!"

I will glory in my Redeemer

Whose priceless blood has ransomed me

Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails

And hung Him on that judgment tree

I will glory in my Redeemer

Who crushed the power of sin and death

My only Savior before the Holy Judge

The Lamb Who is my righteousness

The Lamb Who is my righteousness

I will glory in my Redeemer

My life He bought, my love He owns

I have no longings for another

I’m satisfied in Him alone

I will glory in my Redeemer

His faithfulness my standing place

Though foes are mighty and rush upon me

My feet are firm, held by His grace

My feet are firm, held by His grace

Nothing in my own knowledge would save me, not even my remembrance of all of the lessons that He had taught me. Only God could deliver me from this. He knew that I needed to sing this song, and He brought us to church at just the right time so that I would worship Him with it. As soon as I began to worship Christ and sing the Gospel through this song, there was such joy because my soul was fed with the truth of who God was as my Savior. He turned my sights from looking at myself and my circumstances to looking at Him.

God reminded me that I am held firm by His grace, and though trials may seem to possess such power, He is mighty to save. He delivered me (from myself!) once again, not of my own knowledge or strength, but through His provision and grace. I received comfort from God that was real and lasting. I didn’t have to tell myself not to stress. God gave me peace which transcended all understanding.

Epilogue

I know that these trials will continue to come because there is still sin in my life that I have not dealt with. My life is certainly not anxiety-free, and I do still get nervous about tests and grades. However, my reaction to trials has been changed by this whole experience. I’ve learned that God goes through my trials with me. He is my ever-present help in times of need. He is mighty to save His children and will deliver me. He has a purpose to suffering, and He, as the creator of the universe, is the one true being in all the earth that is worthy of worship. He has patience with me in my sin and is my deliverer.

Even though this suffering is tough while it is happening, God always ordains it for a purpose. He will continue to be faithful, though I will still struggle to trust Him, but He will deliver me in His time. Paul says, in Philippians, that “He who began a good work will bring it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”. Our salvation and God’s work in our lives is His work, and He will finish it. Praise God that I got about six hours of sleep that Sunday after church.

However, although there are times where I do still get anxious, I know that progress will continue to be little steps of faith of crying out to Him and learning to trust Him. I am very much looking forward to that day where all these sufferings will end and there will be a day where we sin no more. All things will be made right. Praise be to God that that will indeed happen one day and in Christ there is true hope and deliverance!

Picking a New Church in a New City (part 2)

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:4-5).

UNITED TO THE BODY

The church is the body of Christ. Thus, to be a Christian is to be united with other Christians under the Lordship of Christ.

So, when Teresa and I were choosing a new church in a new city, we were choosing to unite ourselves with a particular group of Christians. In America, we are currently blessed with the luxury of choices. Though not all churches are good, there are many good ones that preach and practice what the Bible gives us.

If you've been reading along, Teresa and I are describing our journey in becoming members of Covenant Fellowship Church. The previous entry was about our desire to commit ourselves to a single church for the entire duration of our time in seminary. This also meant doing our mentored ministry at this church.

SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP

One factor that led us to Covenant Fellowship was the Spirit-filled worship. One worship leader said that the goal of worship is to let the word of Christ fill our minds and hearts. We should be moved to praise, adoration, and thanksgiving by the reality of Christ and what He has done.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16)

Since worship should affect the entire person, we should worship with our emotions. However, some songs seem to appeal only to our emotions and say very little (or nothing) about God. For instance, if you can take a worship song and sing it to another human being, then it is probably missing some specific details about what makes our God so great and glorious. Though we can worship God with any song, our hearts long for deeper and more intimate knowledge of God.

Christ tells us that worship is done in "Spirit and truth" (John 4:24). Worship should be filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God. We don't serve a God who is unreachable or vague. He is near us, His Spirit dwells in every believer, and He has made His power and glory clear to us.

We have found the worship at Covenant Fellowship to be Spirit-filled. The music has helped Teresa and I set our sights upon the crucified and risen Savior, the only hope that we have in this life and the life to come. The worship team is intentional about linking the blessings and promises of God to Christ and His work on the cross.

God reminds us every week of the sacrifice of Christ, which makes it possible for us to approach a holy God. Just as the Israelites had to slaughter animals before they could present themselves before God at the tabernacle, we have access to God only because He provided a sacrifice in Christ. If you go to church every week, you know that it can be easy to start taking the sacrifice of Christ for granted. We begin to assume that we can approach God at anytime on any terms. We can begin to assume that God owes us certain things, like life, health, or financial security.

When we go to church, we ought to be reminded that we owe God praise and thanksgiving. He doesn't owe us anything. God reminded Job of this reality: “Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine” (Job. 41:10)

It has been humbling and refreshing to sing phrases like:

• "Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied" (From “In Christ Alone”)
• "Because a sinless Savior died, My sinful soul is counted free" (From "Before the Throne of God Above")
  

There isn't much in lyrics like these that make me feel good, worthy, or confident. The worship music reminds me of my sin and God's wrath. And those things move me to praise God for Christ, who died to save sinners like me. I have come away renewed and awed by how good God is, how worthy Christ is, and what confidence I have in Christ to approach a holy God. I feel that my soul is fed and filled as I'm reminding myself of the gospel- the reality of God's grace, love, and forgiveness in Christ.

What a joy and privilege to be joined with other people who see their sinfulness and the great love of our Savior. What a privilege to celebrate the one hope we have because of the one faith in the one Lord and be united to His one body!

Picking a New Church in a New City (part 1)

When we moved to Philadelphia a year ago, Teresa and I had to pick a new church. Neither of us have had to do that in the last ten years, but it's probably not a bad thing.

When Christ died for the sins of God's people and rose on the 3rd day, He created the church of God. If we want to know the value of the church in God's eyes, we only need to look to the price He paid for it. Acts 20:28 says that the church of God was something Jesus “obtained with his own blood.” The infinite blood of Christ was used to secure the redemption of the church! Therefore, we ought to esteem the church as God esteems her. God doesn't take church membership lightly, and neither should we. At the get-go, we wanted to find a church where we could fully commit ourselves for the next few years while we're in seminary.

MENTORED MINISTRY

One factor that we had to consider was where we would be mentored. Westminster has a Mentored Ministry requirement. This means I have to do 400 hours of service (either paid or unpaid) under the supervision of a pastor. This could be done all at once (e.g. a summer internship or a mission trip) and it doesn't have to be done in your home church. For instance, we knew someone who attended one church Sunday morning but then served as a paid pastor at another church during the afternoon.

If possible, Teresa and I wanted to be members of a church where we could also do our Mentored Ministry. We felt the Lord leading us to go “all-in” with one church. This would be the church where we would worship God, hear God's Word preached, love our fellow brothers and sisters, serve others, and also be mentored.

FULL COMMITMENT

Spurgeon said, “The day we find the perfect church, it becomes imperfect the moment we join it.” Nobody claims to look for the perfect church, but when the rubber meets the road, things can be quite different. It's not uncommon to hear of seminary students who change churches every year or two and never become fully committed.

This can be all too common among churches in America. At our church back in Texas, we knew people who transferred to different churches for different reasons. Sometimes there are good reasons to leave a church. Yet in other cases, folks headed for the exits rather than staying committed to the body when things got tough.

If possible, Teresa and I wanted to commit ourselves to one church for the entire duration of our time in seminary. We wanted to pick a church for the long-haul. We didn't want to try out a church for a season and then switch to a different one. This required doing as much legwork up-front: researching options, reading about beliefs and ministries, talking to people, and listening to sermons on-line. Of course, despite all our advance in modern technology, we would still need to visit churches in person.

At the end of a 4-month process (which included a 10-week membership class), we committed ourselves as members of Covenant Fellowship Church located in a Philadelphia suburb. In the upcoming blog posts, I'll go into more detail on how God led us to Covenant Fellowship.