In Defense of the Bride of Christ: Why We Should Value the Church

Below are my sermon notes from preaching on Sunday March 23, 2014.

In Defense of the Bride of Christ

March 23, 2014

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,

for he who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate

one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling

together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another;

and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Hebrews 10.23-25

Introduction:

·      Speaking today on the importance and value of the church...

·      Already heard…

o   Psalm 84: Our Call to Worship

§  1-2: “How lovely are your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts!  My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.”

§  10: “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand outside.  I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

o   Hebrews 10.25: “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some”

·      Not everybody appreciates the church as the gathered community…

o   Claim: “You don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.”

o   Claim: “You don’t need to go to church to worship God.”

o   Claim: “I worship God better in God’s nature by myself.”

·      Donald Miller: author of Blue Like Jazz

o   Blog post: “I Don’t Worship God by Singing.  I Connect With Him Elsewhere” (Feb. 3, 2014)[1]

§  “I’ve a confession.  I don’t connect with God by singing to Him.  Not at all.”

§  “It’s just that I don’t experience that intimacy in a traditional worship service.”

§  “I connect with God by working.  I literally feel an intimacy with God when I build my company.”

§  “So, do I attend church?  Not often, to be honest.”

§  “But I also believe the church is all around us, not to be confined by a specific tribe.”

§  “I’m fine with where I’ve landed and finally experiencing some forward momentum in my faith.  I worship God every day through my work.  It’s a blast.”

·      I want to respond to this mindset and provide a defense of the Bride of Christ.

Why is the church important?  Why is it valuable?  Why defend the church?

o   Eight (8) main points

o   Lots of Scripture: quote some; turn to some for us to read

o   Cumulative case being developed 

o   Notes are on: whiterosereview.blogspot.com

1.    Jesus said he would build his church.

a.    Matthew 16.18

“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

b.    Jesus assumes it is a big deal: Matthew 18.17

“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

2.    The gathered church is the Spirit-blessed model of the early followers of Jesus.

a.    Acts 2.41-47:  “Continually devoting themselves to…”

                                              i.     Apostles’ teaching

                                            ii.     Fellowship

                                          iii.     Breaking of bread: Lord’s Supper

                                           iv.     Prayer

                                             v.     Communal care: even with possessions

                                           vi.     Meals together

                                         vii.     Praising God

                                       viii.     Seeing God add to their number

b.    Donald Miller writes[2]:

                                              i.     “your church probably doesn’t look anything like the church in the book of Acts, so let’s not get self righteous.”

                                            ii.     “But again, your church likely doesn’t look like the church in Acts.”

c.     Donald Miller is just wrong on this!

d.    Jonathan Leeman responds[3]:

                                              i.     “But you keep saying no one’s church looks like the church in Acts?  Many churches I know do.  People gather to hear the teaching of the apostles.  And they scatter to enjoy fellowship and hospitality and care for one another’s needs.  They baptize as a way of declaring who belongs to ‘their number.’  And they exercise discipline when a professor lives falsely (okay, here I’m borrowing from the epistles, unless you count Peter’s responses to Ananias, Sephira, or Simon as disciple).”

3.    The Spirit-inspired structure of the church implies authority and submission in a community.

a.    Hebrews 13.17 (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5.12-13)

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.  Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

b.    Makings of church membership

                                              i.     Two groups

1.    Leaders

2.    “Souls” they keep watch over

c.     Mere individualism is inconsistent with this view of the community.

d.    For those who don’t think they need the church to be a Christian…

                                              i.     Question: How do you obey Hebrews 13.17?

e.    For us at here at our church...

                                              i.     Do we pray for our elders?

                                            ii.     Do we seek to bring them joy?

                                          iii.     Do you bring them grief?

                                           iv.     How are you obeying Hebrews 13.17?

4.    We get to learn how to love strange people.[4]

a.    “We are going to church today to learn how to love strange people.  Almost everybody only wants to spend time with people who they feel most comfortable around.  People generally want to hang out with people who have their same amount of money, have the same skin color, are their same age, like the same food, and watch the same TV shows.  Other kinds of people are strange to them.”              --Matthew Westerholm

b.    Ephesians 2.11-14

                                              i.     Jew/Gentile barrier broken down in the community of Jesus

                                            ii.     “For he himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall” (v. 14)

c.     Galatians 3.26-29

                                              i.     “baptized into Christ”  (v. 27)

                                            ii.     “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (v. 28)

                                          iii.     “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”  (v. 29)

d.    These “strange people” are different but oriented around a common confession that Jesus is Lord

                                              i.     Strange mix of people

                                            ii.     Theological center

e.    Donald Miller has it backwards!

                                              i.     “Imagine the relationships people lose out on, the incredible life memories, the healing and community they aren’t involved in because they can’t engage or have community with people who do not agree with them theologically.  I’ve no interest.  People are either kind or mean.  I choose kind ones, I don’t care what they believe.  This is part of why I feel like my community is so healthy.”[5]

                                            ii.     Two issues to note:

1.    Are there no theological boundaries?: “I don’t care what they believe.”

2.    Donald Miller is the center: “I choose…”

a.    Jonathan Leeman responds:

“Your idea of community, to my ears, honestly sounds more American and Romantic (as in the –ism of the 19^th century) than biblical.  All authority remains with the individual to pick and choose, come and go, owing some of the obligations of love, perhaps, but always on one’s own terms, happy to stay as long as the experience ‘completes me’ and my sense of self.”[6]

3.    Individualistic mentality: treats the church like a prostitute!

5.    Jesus considers the gathered church with the utmost seriousness.

a.    1 Corinthians 11.17-34: Lord’s Table

                                              i.     17-22: Problems in the church

                                            ii.     23-26: Tradition passed on regarding the Lord’s Table

                                          iii.     27-34: Caution and danger in regards to the Table

1.    “Judge the body rightly” (v. 29)

a.    Look outward (to the body)

b.    Do I despise my brother and sisters?  Do I judge them by standards other than the gospel?

                                                                                                    i.     Economic

                                                                                                  ii.     Intellectual

                                                                                                iii.     Social

2.    “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.”  (v. 30)

b.    I do not have the right to despise those whom Jesus accepts!

                                              i.     What to do while waiting for your turn to go to receive the sacrament…consider the body of Christ!

6.    The church is the body of Christ Jesus.

a.    1 Corinthians 12: “Now concerning spiritual gifts…” (v. 1)

                                              i.     Verses 4-7

1.    Spiritual gifts given for the  “common good” (v. 7)

                                            ii.     Verses 12-14

1.    One body…

2.    Many members

                                          iii.     Verse 27: “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”

7.    The church is the wife of Jesus.

a.    Ephesians 5.22-33: focus on verses 25-29 -- What Christ does…

                                              i.     Loved the church

                                            ii.     Sanctifies and cleanses her

                                          iii.     Desire to present her in “all her glory”; holy and blameless

                                           iv.     Nourishes and cherishes the church!

                                             v.     We are members of his body (v. 30)

b.    A brief note on singing  --  Ephesians 5.18-19

                                              i.     Donald Miller: Post entitled: “I Don’t Worship God by Singing.  I connect with Him Elsewhere”[7]

“I don’t connect with God by singing to Him.  Not at all.”

                                            ii.     Admission of weakness: not a reason to not sing!

                                          iii.     Perhaps God connects with us through singing?!

1.    God sings over us: Zephaniah 3.17[8]

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you with his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”  (ESV)

                                           iv.     Singing in our culture

1.    Church sings

2.    Who else? 

8.    Jesus gave his blood for the church: Acts 20.28

     Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood.

a.    The value of the church is measured by the price God has paid for her!

b.    The church is valuable because God has shed his blood for her!

c.     Do we value what Jesus values?

d.    We cannot love Jesus without loving his church!

e.    I love the church…

                                              i.     Not because she is perfect…

                                            ii.     but because Jesus loves the church!

                                          iii.     I want to love what Jesus loves!

·      We get to sing now -- “The Church’s One Foundation”

·      Listen to some of the words…

⁽¹⁾The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord;

she is his new creation by water and the Word:

from heav’n he came and sought her to be his holy bride;

with his own blood he bought her and for her life he died.

…

⁽⁴⁾The church shall never perish!  Her dear Lord to defend,

to guide, sustain, and cherish, is with her to the end;

though there be those that hate her, and false sons in her pale,

against or foe or traitor she ever shall prevail.

---

[1] http://storylineblog.com/2014/02/03/i-dont-worship-god-by-singing-i-connect-with-him-elsewhere/

[2] http://storylineblog.com/2014/02/05/why-i-dont-go-to-church-very-often-a-follow-up-blog/

[3] http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2014/02/05/dear-donald-miller/

[4] Matthew Westerholm, “Why Do We Have To Go To Church Again?” http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgcworship/2014/03/06/why-do-we-have-to-go-to-church-again/

[5] http://storylineblog.com/2014/02/05/why-i-dont-go-to-church-very-often-a-follow-up-blog/

[6] Jonathan Leeman: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2014/02/05/dear-donald-miller/

[7] http://storylineblog.com/2014/02/03/i-dont-worship-god-by-singing-i-connect-with-him-elsewhere/

[8] Sam Storm’s book The Singing God: Discover the Joy of Being Enjoyed by God (Creation House, 1998) is a good gospel-centered meditation on this theme.

Tullian Tchividjian's "Jesus + Nothing = Everything": Review

I have not read much by Tullian Tchividjian but every time I do read him something doesn't seem quite right.  There are phrases and thoughts that seem half-right but there is usually a nagging feeling that something is being missed.  I recently came across a review of Tchividjian's book Jesus + Nothing = Everything that helpfully articulated some of the weaknesses of Tchividjian's theology.  Mark Jones' analysis (found HERE) points to a number of weaknesses in Tchividjian's book from a Reformed perspective.  Here are a few selected segments from Jones' review:

In the first place, the rhetoric of the book warrants discussion. In Tullian’s view, “a lot of preaching these days has been unwittingly, unconsciously seduced by moralism” (49). He adds that “So many contemporary sermons strengthen this slavery to self. ‘Do more, try harder’ is the constant refrain.” In fact, “Many sermons today provide nothing more than a ‘to do’ list” … “It’s all law (what we must do) and no gospel (what Jesus has done)” (49). These are, of course, strong accusations and perhaps they are true, but they seem to me to be comments that are easily made, but not quite so easily proved. As a minister, I spend the vast majority of my Sundays in my own pulpit and would be unable to make such a comment even about the city of Vancouver, much less the North American context. This brings me to a further concern about the general tone of the book, namely, that if ministers are not preaching the type of theology prescribed in this book they are inevitably legalistic to some degree. Indeed, the threat of legalism surfaces again and again throughout the book, so much so that it is the one primary threat to true gospel-centered Christianity: “I believe it’s more theologically accurate to say that there is one primary enemy of the gospel – legalism – but it comes in two forms” (50). Of course, one could easily respond and say that “Antinomianism” is the only threat to the gospel because all sin – whether refusing to believe the gospel or murdering someone – is against God’s law. Why are preachers legalistic? Because “moralistic preaching is stimulated by a fear of the scandalous freedom that gospel grace promotes and promises” (50, emphasis mine). Tullian argues that preachers fear that focusing on grace will cause people to abuse it, so instead they feel the need to “throw some law in there, to help make sure Christian people walk the straight and narrow” (50, emphasis mine). So throwing in “some law” is a bad thing in preaching? What are we to make of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation or the Sermon on the Mount?

In reacting to perceived deficiencies in present-day preaching and theologizing, Tullian has placed himself in a position where it appears to be “either/or” instead of “both/and”. In his online interview with Ed Stetzer (part 2) he makes the argument, advanced by the Lutheran theologian, Gerhard O. Forde, “that sanctification is simply getting used to your justification–it’s receiving Christ’s words ‘It is finished’ into our rebellious regions of unbelief.” This theme recurs throughout the book. Thus “sanctification is the daily hard work of going back to the reality of our justification” (95). This seems to impact his exegesis of Philippians 2:12-13. Verse 12 tells us that “We’ve got work to do – but what exactly is it? Get better? Try harder? Pray more? Get more involved in church? Read the Bible longer? What precisely is Paul exhorting us to do?” According to Tullian, “God works his work in you, which is the work already accomplished by Christ. Our hard work, therefore, means coming to a greater understanding of his work” (96). I fail to see how Philippians 2:12-13 can be interpreted in that light, particularly since Paul exhorts believers to work out their salvation with “fear and trembling”. In Tullian’s manner of speaking, quietism (or, interior passivity) seems to be the chief characteristic of the Christian life whereby believers engage in mental appropriation of Christ’s finished work. But Reformed theology has never painted the Christian life in quite that way. Sanctification is not “simply” getting used to our justification. It certainly involves that, but the Scriptures are clear that there are other motives for holiness. Gratitude is not the only motivator; rather, for important ontological reasons, we must obey because of who we are and who God is (e.g., 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Peter 1:15, 17; 1 Jn. 3:3). Here is where Reformed theology has stressed the “both/and” to the Christian life when it comes to sanctification. John Owen’s exposition of Romans 8:13, for example, paints a very different picture of the sanctified life than the one found in Jesus + Nothing = Everything. Other examples of the “either/or” fallacy come up when he argues that “It is always the gospel of God’s free grace that should motivate our right doing; otherwise we are nothing better than Pharisees” (153). But this is wrong. The Antinomians argued that a man is under law, and not under grace, when he obeys the law as law, and obeys in light of not only its promises but also its threats. But the divines disagreed with this view (see WCF 19.6).

Later Jones' writes:

I recognize that the book is not a formal theological treatise, but when dealing with such sensitive topics it seems to me that one needs to be careful with the rhetoric that is used, especially when certain Reformed truths are denied. One area where I think a good theological distinction would have helped, if not changed his view, is Tullian’s belief that “We seem to inherently assume that our performance is what will finally determine whether our relationship with God is good or bad: so much good behavior from us generates so much affection from God; or so much bad behavior from us generates so much anger from God” (98). The distinction between amor benevolentiæ and amor complacentiæ, used by almost all of the Reformed orthodox, explains how God loves us unconditionally in Christ, apart from works, and conditionally in Christ, in light of our obedience or lack thereof (see Jn. 14:21). In other words, God loves us, despite our unworthiness with the love of benevolence; but he also loves us because of our close communion and obedience with him with the love of complacency. He delights in certain graces (e.g., acts of faith). Tullian speaks of God’s love of benevolence to his creatures as if that were the only love and so our growth in grace has no bearing on God’s love for us. The love of benevolence is certainly primary or antecedent to the love of complacency (and inviolable), but our obedience or disobedience will result in a different type of complacent love between God and the saint. The English Antinomian, John Saltmarsh, denied this distinction and affirmed, in similar manner to Tullian, that God’s love for us does not change in relation to our good behavior.

This distinction between amor benevolentiae and amor complacentiae is something the modern writer, D. A. Carson had attempted to get at in his work The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God when, in the course of outlining five distinctive aspects of God's love, he distinguishes between:

1.  God’s particular, effective, selecting love toward his elect.

2.  God’s love is sometimes said to be directed toward his own people in a provisional or conditional way—conditioned, that is, on obedience. 

Tchividjian's failure to recognize this distinction and let it play a role in his presentations is a shortcoming.  This shortcoming also affects the way he understands the text of Scripture.  I have noted this in his treatment of the Sermon on the Mount:  Tullian Tchividjian on the Sermon on the Mount.

NOTE:  Be sure to read Paul Helm's review of Mark Jones' new book on Antinomianism which handles some of the issues above.  Another good resource is Wayne Grudem's essay "Pleasing God by our Obedience: A Neglected New Testament Teaching" in which he amasses the New Testament evidence for how Christians can please God by our obedience to him.

Craig Keener on Miracles

Craig Keener is the author of an important two volume work entitled Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts.

Dr. Keener recently gave a lecture on contemporary miracles that is full of amazing stories of God's miraculous power.

NOTE: See my post The Reformed Tradition and the Miraculous: Some Reflections.  I mention some of Keener's work in this essay.

Christus Victor, Stryper, and Martin Luther

I've been lecturing on the atonement of Christ for my high school theology class.  Today we went over the Christus Victor view of the atonement.  As a prelude to the discussion--and for some fun!--I had them listen to a bit of Stryper's "To Hell With the Devil."

I wasn't able, however, to get to one of my favorite Martin Luther quotations:

But if that is not enough for you,

you Devil,

I have also shit and pissed;

wipe your mouth on that

and take a hearty bite.*

* Heiko A. Oberman Luther: Man Between God and the Devil (Yale University Press, 1989), 107.

Powerful Prayer Promises

Below are a few quotations on prayer gleaned from J. P. Moreland and Klaus Issler's book In Search of a Confident Faith (IVP, 2008).  They are referencing Scriptures like the following which all stress amazing prayer promises: Matthew 7.7-11; Mark 11.22-24; Luke 18.1, 7-8; John 14.12-14.

·      

Truth be told, these promises about faith and prayer are as shocking for us today as they were for those in Jesus’ time.  The reality of every prayer answered as described in these verses doesn’t match our experience.  And we’ve never met anyone for whom it does.  Since it doesn’t resonate with our experience, we may be tempted to explain it away.  But we must be cautious to avoid picking and choosing which of Jesus’ teaching we’ll rely on and which ones we won’t simply because it seems far beyond what we could ever experience.  (p. 100)

As with most great moral teachers, Jesus is providing a vision, painting a picture of what a life fully lived in his kingdom looks like.  Thus, we should read these statements as invitations to a journey of growth toward these ideals.  They should not be read as impossible burdens Jesus is putting on our backs!  Accordingly, the proper response is not: This is impossible.  I could never get to this point.  Rather it is: I hunger to enter more fully into this, and I will seek and learn toward that end.  Thus, each believer has the opportunity in the here and now to grow into a manner of living in which more answers prayer are received than are currently occurring.  (p. 101)

R. T. France comments on Jesus’ command to keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking (Matthew 7:7-8):

But for all that necessary caution (not everything we would like to have is granted), there is an openness about vv. 7-8 which invites not merely a resigned acceptance of what the Father gives, but a willingness to explore the extent of his generosity, secure in the knowledge that only what is “good” will be given, so that mistakes in prayer through human short-sightedness will not rebound on those praying. (p. 114)

Ephesians 2.20 and Cessationism

Ephesians 2.20 has become one of the "go to" texts for cessationism.  Here are a few links examining this key text showing that it is not as forceful in supporting their position as cessationists think.

Primer on Eph 2:20 by Steve Hays

Parsing Theological Metaphors by Steve Hays

Ephesians 2:20--The Cessationists "Go-To" Text by Sam Storms