O Father, help me not be so blind to the needs of others and to be more vulnerable. May you use a wretch like me for you great purposes and save more wretches like me according to your good and perfect will.
Learning about theology and the bible comes easy to me; learning about relationships and feelings does not. Over the past year or so I have worked on developing friendships with people as opposed to isolating myself at home. However, it seems that as I am gaining friends, I am also getting hurt more often and I tend to retreat back to isolation. I am learning that to truly be in fellowship with others necessitates vulnerability, which means sometimes I get hurt. Just today, somebody said something that made me feel like they thought I put too much emphasis on certain things—like they thought I cause divisions. Whether or not they think that, is not that relevant, because we are responsible for thinking about how we say something. Regardless, I am not mad, just hurt that they might not care as much for me as I do for them (obviously this goes much deeper than just a statement). However, as I have been reflecting on this incident and hurt feelings in general; I realized that I should be especially thankful for hurt feelings. Sometimes, I wonder whether I truly do care about others. By God allowing me to experience hurt, he has shown me that I do truly care. I do not know if others see the love of Christ in me, but it is my hope and prayer that they do. After today, I am encouraged and challenged to let myself be more vulnerable, if that means others might come to know to gracious love of Christ. What is it that I should be hurt, when others might know the love of Christ as a result? Am I not called to be like him in every way—to even feel as he feels?
O Father, help me not be so blind to the needs of others and to be more vulnerable. May you use a wretch like me for you great purposes and save more wretches like me according to your good and perfect will.
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I did not grow up a cessationist. Rather I grew up in a small church that believed in the continuation of the gifts and supernatural works. Although, it was not common for people to speak in tongues, the pastor openly talked about his experiences, which best I could tell, fit the biblical description. I then went to a Pentecostal university for four years and now work at the university. If any of my friends are cessationist, I am not aware. Rather, most of my friends are open but cautious or openly Pentecostal. If, I may, state my response, a few months ago, to my second introduction to cessationism, before getting to the argument? "Tonight I watched the two Q&A sessions for the Strange Fire Conference held by John MacArthurs’ church, Grace Community. Strange Fire is the title of a new book that recently came out by MacArthur that argues the cessationist view. As I have listened to other videos these past few months, I have become vaguely aware of this debate and the arguments cessationists make. So, for the past month or so I have been quietly wrestling with this. I am always hesitant to say I believe something, if I have not given it adequate thought and study, which usually means countless hours. I have spent hundreds of hours studying, mediating on, and praying about the gender debate alone. I am confident my views on that are biblical. I am not confident my changing views on this issue are right, but fear that they are. As a Calvinist I already stand alone. How much more will I be reviled if I become a cessationist too? A reformed cessationist at a Pentecostal school is the last thing I ever thought I’d be. Oh, how my heart breaks to think cessationism is biblical—is true. I am at a Pentecostal school! If the cessationist view is correct then many of my friends are deceived. IHOP, Bethel, and Jesus Culture are three commonly mentioned ministries at my school. I know so many people who rave about them. Oh, what am I to do? What am I to do? I can’t even begin to comprehend all that this means—all of the implications. " Six months have passed since I wrote that; up until now I have been afraid to speak, but I am now ready to come out as a cessationist. First, a statement of what cessationism is not. It is NOT the belief that all things are not possible with God. It is NOT the belief that God does not perform supernatural healings or acts. It is NOT even the belief that God does not leave impressions on our hearts. It is the belief that sign gifts, healing, tongues, and prophecy, have ceased. The heart of the debate is centered at the definition of these gifts, not whether they continue. Therefore, I will attempt to define each gift and give some support for it. My argument will be brief and hopefully encourage you to learn more and dig deeper to see if what I say has any basis. 1. Prophecy: A person with this gift speaks the very words of God. Numbers 35:9-10 gives a great description of what a prophet does, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say to them…”’ Whenever a prophet speaks he speaks the very words of God. I just repeated myself because herein lies the first issue. If the word of God is sufficient and no new revelation is necessary, how then can prophecy continue? How can God’s new spoken revelation have less authority or be supplemental? If God spoke, his words are just as authoritative as the canon. I do not see anyway around this. (Of course, many charismatics do not believe in a closed cannon, so for them there is not an issue.) All of this brings us to a second issue. If someone is prophet how are we to know? Deuteronomy 18:21-22 tells us, “And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.” The OT calls for this prophet to die. The prophecies of a prophet must be infallible 100% of the time because this is how to test if the prophet is true or not. Another, way that God validated prophets was through signs and wonders. Deuteronomy 13:1 states, “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder…” Here it is implied that signs and wonders validate a man as a man of God.[1] Exodus 4:8-9 also demonstrates this, "'If they will not believe you,' God said, 'or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground."' The story of Jesus and the blind man in John 9:16-17 also affirms this, “Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?’ And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’” Other places throughout scripture affirm this premise over and over again. 2. Healing/Signs: This gift was given in order to validate the men of God, including the apostles, so that the Bride might know what God’s will was until the cannon was complete. Healing is one of the most confusing gifts because many fail to draw necessary distinctions. If a group of believers gathers together and prays for someone to be healed and the person is healed, no one in that group necessarily has the gift of healing. There are three distinctions I would like to draw. First, individuals that are given the gift are aware that they have it. Second, it is within their power to use it or not use. Look at Peter who said in Acts 3:6, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” He did not need to ask God’s permission, but rather exercised the gift that was given to him. Third, the types of healings that were performed were verifiable and extravagant. Those persons today who have a medical diagnosis that verifies they cannot walk or see; are not the ones being healed. Rather, it is those who can already walk a little or have no medical record of a problem. One a side note, if anyone truly has this gift why are they in tents and not in the hospitals where the truly sick are? 3. Tongues: The gift of tongues is speaking another language, not ecstatic utterances. It is a sign to the unbeliever for this reason; they heard the gospel each in their own language. Only recently have persons begun to interpret it as a prayer language too. Early church fathers such as Augustine and John Chrysostom believed it clearly to be another language. The following is a quote from Augustine’s Homily 6 on 1 John 3:19—4:3, "This then is the Spirit of God, which saith that Jesus is come in the flesh, which saith, not in tongue but in deeds, which saith, not by making a noise but by loving." He also states in his letter On Baptism, Against the Donatists, "In the earliest times, the Holy Spirit fell upon them that believed, and they spake with tongues which they had not learned, as the Spirit gave them utterance. These were signs adapted to the time. For it was fitting that there be this sign of the Holy Spirit in all tongues to show that the Gospel of God was to run through all tongues over the whole earth. That was done for a sign, and it passed away." John Chrysostom in Homily 35 on 1 Corinthians stated, “… and the gift was called the gift of tongues because he could all at once speak divers languages.” So, not only does the bible, especially the book of Acts, affirm this definition, but so does virtually all of church history. All of these gifts played a foundational role in the founding of the Church, but the foundation is only laid once. Therefore, there is no need for the continuation of the gifts because the scriptures are sufficient. What I have given is a very brief overview of the reasons I am a cessationist. There are many more subtleties within each argument that I could not address for sake of length. I hope I have provided a succinct yet, sufficiently biblical argument for cessationism, which will cause you to think more deeply about these things and decide for yourself what you believe. If you are convinced by these arguments then know you are not alone, you stand with Martin Luther,[2] John Calvin,[3] Charles Spurgeon,[4] and many more famous protestant preachers and theologians. This is a sensitive issue to be sure, but we cannot not afford to ignore it. We must study it carefully and decide for ourselves what we believe and why. As I stated in my first response to this, the implications are great, and so this is not just some theological concept with no practical application, but one with great implications on how we are to live as Christians. [1] In this particular passage God is giving an extreme case, saying even if you have every reason to believe the prophet, but he preaches another God, do not follow him. [2] Check Martin Luther’s Commentary on Galatians 4, specifically 4:6. Also, Luther’s Works, vol. 23, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan (St. Louis: Concordia 1959), 173-74. And, Luther’s Works, vol. 36, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan (St. Louis: Concordia 1959), 144. [3] See John Calvin, A Harmony of the Gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Calvin’s commentaries, trans. A.W. Morrison (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1972), III 254. (Comment on Mark 16:17). [4] Check out Spurgeons’ sermons “The Paraclete,” “Final Perseverance,” “Receiving the Holy Ghost,” and “The Ascension of Christ.” For more resources on the cessationist argument check out the videos of the Strange Fire conference on youtube and John MacArthur's blog on Grace To You for exegesis of scriptures related to cessation. You can also read a more clearly stated argument for cessationsim here on Tim Challies blog.
"Indeed nothing makes a man more unpopular in the controversies of the present day than an insistence upon definition of terms." Here are some comments on the sufficiency of scripture.
My friends, do not believe the many false gospels that are preached within many churches today. Jesus did not come to bring peace on earth (Mt. 10:34). He did not come to give you material or spiritual blessings. He did not come to make you feel good. He did not even come to bring physical healing to you. Jesus came to die for the sins of man and to give those who believe in him eternal life. The true gospel is one of repentance and sins, not feelings and wealth. Now, in order to fully appreciate the gospel of Jesus Christ we must first recognize who we are. Without a proper understanding of who we are, we will never recognize our need for Jesus or appreciate his sacrifice on the cross--we will not understand the gospel. The following is a list of some of the words that describe us apart from Christ.
Despite all of this many still believe that there is yet some good in us. After all we were made in the image and likeness of God right? However, being made in the image and likeness of God does not settle the question regarding our ability to do good. The scriptures must settle it. Let us consider the following verses.
Apart from Christ our minds are set on the things of the flesh and we cannot please God. Whatever "good work" is not good enough and is like a "filthy rag". So then, we are evil sinners who cannot do any good apart from Christ in us. Now, that we understand how wretched we are and incapable of earning our salvation, even desiring it, we can truly appreciate the sacrifice of Christ. The true gospel is "that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us," (Rm. 5:8). The Father sent "his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit," (Rm. 8:3-4). "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life," (Jn. 3:16). All credit for our salvation and new life belongs to God. For, "no one can come to [Christ] unless the Father who sent [Christ] draws him," (Jn. 6:44). The only reason we love him is because he first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19). So let us not boast in anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus which paid our penalty for sins. "For by grace [we] have been saved through faith, and that not of [ourselves], it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast, " (Eph. 2:8-9). Finally, let us remember the true gospel when we go out to make disciples and teach all the Jesus commanded. Let us not neglect to warn people of the judgment that awaits them. Let us not be so focused on the present need that we forget the eternal one. Feeding the homeless is not good enough; we must also give them the bread of life, who is Christ Jesus. I hear statements, such as, “The Western Church can sometimes seem to be too focused on building projects and not as focused on more pressing issues like poverty or the orphaned,” with much frequency today. If you walked onto a Christian college and asked, “What’s wrong with the church?” or “What should the church do more of?” this is probably the kind of answer you would get. Might I be so bold as to ask you, “What is wrong with it?” At first glance it seems perfectly fine and many might shout in agreement. However, I would wager that if you thought about the implications of this statement and others like it you too would vehemently disagree with it. You would disagree with it, not because of anything that it states, but what is not stated. This is a statement about the mission of the church and one that is fundamentally misguided. What is the mission of the church; to feed the homeless or to go and make disciples? I do not believe that the two are mutually exclusive, but I do believe one takes precedent over the other. The one with eternal implications is the one that should concern us most. The salvation of souls, not bodies should be our motivation for helping the least of these. Scripture tells us “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing,” (I Cor. 13:3). Giving to the poor is not necessarily equivalent to loving the poor. Why? Because we are to love like Christ and “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” (Rom 5:8). In I John 3:16 we read, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” Finally, we can’t forget John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Here we see that love is undoubtedly connected to eternal life and so must our love for others be. Charles Spurgeon said, “What we want is to win souls,” and “Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you're not saved yourself, be sure of that!” Thus my objection to the statement above is that it implies caring for orphans is more pressing than the salvation of souls. You might object and say I have misunderstood. However, I would disagree. Many young Christians today are simply confused. They have been led astray by those who preach another gospel and do not recognize how inconsistent their beliefs have become. Satan wants us to be distracted from the cross, from freedom from sin, and eternal life, and he has done so by getting many of us so focused on social justice that we forget the cross of Christ. Once again, social justice is a good thing and most certainly the will of God. However, it is also the will of God that none should perish but that they should come to repentance. D. A. Carson says it best, “It will not do to argue, though some have tried, that whereas they may be weak on the cross, they are closer to what the New Testament says about ethics.” Might we decide with Paul “to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified,” (I Cor. 2:2). Might our focus and motivation be the cross of Christ—the gospel. Read more about this topic in this post. "Wherefore all theology, when separated from Christ, is not only vain and confused, but is also mad, deceitful, and spurious; for, though the philosophers sometimes utter excellent sayings, yet they have nothing but what is short-lived, and even mixed up with wicked and erroneous sentiments." --John Calvin John 8 is a chapter I keep coming back over and over again as I push on in this Christian life. It has played a foundational role in my understanding of truth, God’s word, and what it means to be a disciple. John 8:31-32 are the verses I have gone back to the most, for they state, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The first thing these verses give us is a description of a true disciple. As I was thinking about these verses and looked them up once more I realized I got the order backwards, abiding in the word comes first. This order signifies that abiding in his word is a characteristic of a true disciple. Those who do not abide in his word are not his disciples. Often times Christians downplay the significance of daily meditation on his word and try to convince themselves that doing good deeds are enough. However, Christ makes it clear that a true disciple abides in his word—stays in his word. I do not think this means someone is not a true disciple if they do not always read the word, but it does caution us to consider whether or not we value the word as Jesus does. At this point some might say, but the word is Christ, in order to sidestep the issue. They would be right in one sense, however, in this context the word Jesus is referring to is not himself but the scriptures. Earlier in John 7:38 Jesus states, “Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said…” Here he clearly connects correct belief in himself to the scriptures. Additionally, he uses, “my word.” If Christ were referring to himself he would surely tell them to abide in him just as he does later in John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” Later in John 8:51 he states, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” In John 8 Jesus makes the claim to be from God and implies he is God. Thus when he states in John 8:47, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not God,” he is referring to his own words, which are now a part of scripture. Through abiding in his word we will know the truth. What an incredible statement! Today many often doubt whether we can know truth, but Christ has cleared us of any doubt. We will know the truth about God so that we might glorify him because this is his will. What is important here is where the truth comes from. It comes from his word, which naturally comes from God. I would suggest that this is a strong reason to not seek extra-biblical revelation. I could list many verses (Psalm 119 is a great place to start), which testify to the power and life giving function of his word that lead me to believe that his word alone is sufficient. Now to the more practical part—freedom. Knowing the truth is vitally important to our freedom from sin. Jesus explains this in verse 34 as he responds to the Jews who do not believe they are slaves by stating, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” This is something I think we often fail to realize. When we struggle with sin we tend to try everything, except abiding in his word because his word seems to us to just be some words on a page. Yet, Christ says this is the mark of a true disciple and the way to freedom from sin. In this freedom we find peace, joy, and all the rest of the fruits of the Spirit. All of which is linked to holiness and sanctification. A true disciple is one who seeks to be holy as Christ is holy through abiding in his word. We see this even more clearly in Ephesians 5:25-27 which states, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” As well as in Jesus' prayer for the Church in John 17:17, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." My prayer is to see people set free. This is the reason I am so passionate about my convictions. Truth sets us free and oh, how I long to see people free. Might we never again dismiss the power of God’s word nor neglect the study of it. May we not dismiss theology, which seeks to understand what God has revealed himself to be through studying the word. May we never be satisfied with not knowing, but push on to know Christ more each day. And may God be glorified through it all. Soli Deo Gloria!
* I primarily commented on John 8:31-59.
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What I write AboutMy posts are all about the Christian walk in some way or another. I do my best to make what I post worth reading, thus there are many more things that I write about but do not post. Some of my posts are my reflections on scripture or a quote, other posts are simply my testimony, and others still are letters of encouragement. I hope that you will be encouraged or challenged in your walk with Christ as a result. God Bless you, my friend.
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