Oliphint on the trinity

This is an interesting point that Scott Oliphint makes while discussing God's character as it relates to the trinity in Reason for Faith:

While there is no way for finite human beings completely to circumscribe the relationship of the one God to three persons, we may rest content, with the history of the orthodox Christian tradition, with the fact of God's triunity and it's evidence of God's utter incomprehensibility (Rom. 11:33-34). (227)

If a astute mind such as the one in Oliphint's skull struggles with circumscribing the doctrine of the trinity, than the rest of us need not get to upset about our shortcomings in grasping this belief. Ultimately, God's "incomprehensibility" should offer us comfort; he is the transcendent deity the Bible claims he is. He is an awesome God.

We certainly should pursue our understanding of God to the limits we can given our natural proclivities and the Biblical account. But when we come up to an impassable chasm of mystery, we can be, and should be, content.

Early church mission

From What Is the Mission of the Church? by Greg Gilbert and Kevin DeYoung:

The book of Acts is especially important because in it we can actually see the scope and nature of the earliest Christian mission. If you are looking for a picture of the early church giving itself to creation care, plans for societal renewal, and strategies to serve the community in Jesus' name, you won't find them in Acts. But if you're looking for preaching, teaching, and the centrality of the Word, this is your book. The story of Acts is the story of the earliest Christians' efforts to carry out the commission given them in Acts 1:8 (49).

Acts 1:8
    But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Butcher, baker, candlestick maker

If you are a teacher, if you are a politician, if you are a businessman, if you are in agriculture, if you are in construction, if you are in technology, if you are in  the arts, then you should not be saying, "I need to find my life's purpose in this work," but rather, "I need to bring God's purpose to this work." The missional Christian should see all things through the lens of the gospel, because the gospel's aim is "all things."

(Chandler, Matt, and Jared C. Wilson. The Explicit Gospel. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Print.149)

Book Review - The Hole in Our Holiness

In The Hole in Our Holiness, author Kevin DeYoung opens with a problem he has both experienced in his own life and noted in the Christian culture around us; there is a gap between our passion for the gospel and our practice of holiness. DeYoung diagnoses this discrepancy and thereby presents the reader with the direction of his book. DeYoung wants to inform the reader of the foundations of holiness as they are taught in the Bible and then encourage application in light of those truths. Pastor Kevin writes, and preaches for that matter, with thoughtful theological acumen and poignant pastoral insight and these distinguishing characteristics are conveyed in The Hole in Our Holiness, making it a very helpful book.

The Foundations of Holiness

DeYoung begins his book by sketching out some helpful foundations about holiness. He provides a theological definition of holiness as well as a Biblical account of this virtue. His discussion of what holiness is and what it is not makes for profitable distinctions. He proceeds to give a helpful defense of both the need and benefits of a healthy view of holiness.

The author finds a good balance to this sometimes burdensome topic by encouraging the reader with good reasons for pursuing holiness as well as offering the refreshing idea that godliness is both possible and very pleasing to God. Chapter Six is a transitional chapter which moves the reader from the more theoretical and theological early chapters to the remaining ones which are more practical. In this bridging section DeYoung explains what he believes holiness should look like and how it should be pursued: sanctification, or growth is holiness, is accomplished through Spirit-powered, Gospel-driven, Faith-fueled effort. And this effort begins with and is accomplished by our union with Christ.

The Fighting for Holiness

The final three chapters deliver some practically helpful thoughts on fighting the good fight of becoming Christ-like in our holiness. DeYoung deals with the pervasive and perpetually problematic sins that are sexual in nature. Without sounding ‘preachy’ or coming across as naive, this pastor of University Reformed Church in Lansing, Michigan addresses the issues surrounding sexual immorality. He is realistic but not relativistic as he works hard to show that he understands-personally-the difficulties but recognizes the Bible is clear on the issues.

The book nears conclusion with some advice on actions we can take to promote holiness through the time-tested and traditional disciplines of the Christian faith. Encouragement is presented in the last chapter with a compelling admonishment to gauge and monitor our holiness, to be quick to sincerely repent, and understand this is a process that must continue until our time on earth is up.

With conciseness and clarity, DeYoung explains and expounds what holiness is with a solid stream of Biblical evidence. His shepherding skills are evident as he applies these truths in a way that is accessible and applicable. This is an important book on the sometimes confusing concepts associated with Christian obedience or growth in holiness and is a helpful contribution to the Christian’s lifelong sanctification. I recommend it.

Preaching the person of Christ and not the blessings of Christ

Sinclair Ferguson:

... it needs to be stressed that in our preaching the work of Christ must never be abstracted from the person of Christ. We do not preach "the atonement" as such, or "salvation," redemption," or "justification" as such, but Jesus Christ and him crucified. The blessings were accomplished by Christ and are available only in Christ, never abstracted from him. We must learn to avoid the contemporary plague of preaching the benefits of the gospel without proclaiming Christ himself as the Benefactor in the gospel. We do not offer people abstract blessings (peace, forgiveness, new life) as commodities. Rather we preach and offer Christ crucified and risen, in whom these blessings become ours and not otherwise. We preach the person in the work, never the work in its blessings apart from the Savior himself. 

(Nicole, Roger R., Charles E. Hill, and Frank A. James. The Glory of the Atonement: Biblical, Historical & Practical Perspectives : Essays in Honor of Roger Nicole. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004. Print. 437)

What NT writers were NOT consumed with

This is a creative and engaging bit of writing by Jim Hamilton, author of God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment. In light of the increasingly vitriolic political scene that many countries are experiencing, this reminder of what the inspired authors of the New Testament were not consumed with should bring some clarity to all Christians concerning what matters most.

The Center of the Theology of the New Testament Letters

The writers of these twenty-one letters are radically united in the proclamation of bizarre ideas. To see this, let us engage in a bit of contrastive analysis, contemplating what these authors did not do and what their letters did not advocate.

Rome was not their kingdom, and they were not trying to make it home. They sought the city that is to come. Not one of these authors gave his life to address the systematic injustice of the Roman Empire by means of political reform. Not one of these authors went the way of Josephus and sought to cozy up to the emperor, though Paul seems to have had opportunities to seek such "influence" with high-ranking officials. Not one of these authors did or said anything about trying to stop Rome from fighting its wars. Not one of them championed the idea that the government should take money from the rich and redistribute it equally to the poor, nor did they leave the ministry to advocate a government of greater fiscal responsibility, lowered taxes, and increased national security. Not one of these authors taught that the way to change the world is by initiating a universal, government-funded education program. Not one of these authors was out to make as much money as he possibly could. Not one of these authors embraced one of the popular philosophies of the day, nor did they seek to synthesize the message of Jesus with the spirit of their age. None of them advocate higher moral standards in society at large (outside the church), nor did they lobby for universal health care or a revised definition of marriage that would legitimate same-sex unions. None of them seemed to have cared whether anyone reading their letters would be perceived by the broader culture as hip, savvy, chic, or cool. They had a different program.

These authors believed that the decisive event in the story of the world had taken place, God loved the world by sending his Son, condemned sin in the flesh of Jesus, pored out all his wrath on Jesus at the cross, and accomplished salvation through that ultimate display of justice. God raised Jesus from the dead, and Jesus commissioned his followers to make disciples by proclaiming the good news.

The gospel unchanged

We are never, ever, ever going to make Christianity so cool that everybody wants it. That's a fool's errand. It is chasing the wind. We can't repaint the faith. It doesn't need our help anyway.

Every effort to remake the Christian faith leads to wickedness. Every effort to adjust the gospel so it appears more appealing, more palatable, is foolishness. This is liberal theology's only play in the playbook. "Let's get rid of the atoning work of Jesus Christ because it's harsh. Let's get rid of hell because it is offensive. Let's save Christianity by changing Christianity." . . . 

The spiritual power in the gospel is denied when we augment or adjust the gospel into no gospel at all.

(Chandler, Matt, and Jared C. Wilson. The Explicit Gospel. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Print. 80-1, emphasis mine)

The Eternity of God

From Reasons for Faith by Scott Oliphint:

Historically, God's eternity has been seen as an aspect, or corollary, of his infinity. Since God's essence is not limited by anything external to himself, it follows that his essence is not limited by time. This is a basic truth in theology; God is essentially eternal

Recent discussions about God's eternity, however, seem to confuse and equivocate with respect to just what eternity is. In some discussions, eternity seems to be equated with a context or environment in which Gos operates as God. Eternity is seen primarily in terms of God's relationship to time.

Though this sheds light on a biblical understanding of eternity, it is not the way a discussion of eternity should begin. The way to think about eternity is to articulate what it is first in relation to God and then in relation to time. First, eternity is an essential property of God quite apart from time. Eternity is God's unlimited essential duration. It is the affirmation that God, unlike time, has always been; he never began to exist, nor was his existence (eternally) caused, nor will it end, but it simply is, without past, present, or future (just as infinity simply is without spatial categories). Eternity, therefore, references something of the duration of god's "is-ness". It points us to the fact that God's necessary existence has always been, and has always been without temporal categories. (212-13)

I suppose such a discussion may be over-the-top and unhelpful for some. But this type of mind-stretching thinking is helpful to me. It reminds me of God's transcendence; we can barely find words to describe him let alone understand him. It also causes awe. God's greatness has many facets and investigating them all is a privilege of great benefit to us. I'm thankful for string minds like Oliphint's who can wrestle with these things and explain them to the rest of us.

Packer on the pervasiveness of the atonement

J. I. Packer, in his chapter entitled The Atonement in the Life of the Christian as it appears in The Glory of the Atonement, writes on the pervasive character of the atonement as it relates to Christians:

So the atonement-which we have already seen is for the believer the
foundation of faith,
the source of freedom,
the ground of justification,
the spur for sanctification,
the theme of witness,
the trigger for worship,
the warrant for hope
and the model for love-
is also the litmus test for reality: should we lose sight of the atonement, our Christianity would reduce to hollow externalism, a mere copy of the real thing. This is perhaps the first truth to establish in any systematic reflection on the Christian life. (line breaks mine)

The seed and serpent in Thessalonians

One of the things that I appreciate about Jim Hamilton's biblical theology God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment is the manner in which Hamilton ties together different strands that occur throughout the biblical narrative. He regularly retrieves ideas, themes, symbols, and images from the Old Testament and shows how they have been woven into the new Testament. In this excerpt he discusses the serpent/seed of woman motif that runs throughout the Bible:

As the seed of the serpent makes war on the seed of the woman (cf. 1 Thess. 2:14-16), the response of the seed of the woman testifies to the past, present, and future realities of the glory of God in salvation through judgment. The past reality is the triumph of God in Christ, on which the faith of the Thessalonians is based (1:3; 3:5-6). What God has done in Christ frees the Thessalonians to live by faith and enact the present reality of God's glory in salvation through judgment, which is evident in their love for one another and even in their persecutors (1:3; 2:12; 3:6; 4:2-8, 9-12, 13-18; 5:8, 12-28). This love exposes and overcomes the hatred and brutality and shameful conduct of Satan and his seed. The future reality of the glory of God in salvation through judgment is focused on the future visitation of God's wrath (1:10). The rebel seed of the serpent are filling up the full measure of their iniquity for that great day of God's wrath (2:16). Jesus will execute this wrath on "the day of the Lord" (5:2), when he will bring sudden destruction on his enemies who have troubled his people (5:3), simultaneously-at his coming-delivering those who believe the gospel and imitate his patient endurance in faithfulness to God (1:10; 2:19; 4:13, 16-17; 5:9, 23).

DeYoung on preaching in Acts

HT: Kevin DeYoung

Five Features of Preaching in the Book of Acts

In his book on Acts, Alan Thompson notes five characteristics of apostolic evangelistic preaching (90-99). These five features serve as good models for all types of preaching, both then and now.

1. God-centered. The sermons in Acts begin with God. They announce the good news of what God has promised, what God has done, and what God will do. The preaching is not centered around the felt-needs of the audience, but around the mighty acts of God in history. The emphasis is on God’s initiative and how we are accountable to him.

2. Audience-conscious. While the preaching begins with God, it is not ignorant of those to whom the sermon is delivered. We see throughout Acts evidence of audience adaptation and sensitivity to what the audience already knows or doesn’t know. The sermons do not unfold as canned messages with a series of doctrinal propositions. The preaching is deeply theological, but not at the expense of be careful to communicate that theology in a way that is understandable. The core content stays the same, but the starting point and type of final appeal may change.

3. Christ-focused. Though God is often portrayed at the main actor in history, the preaching in Acts is relentlessly focused on Christ. The sermons highlight the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. They also explain the theological significance of these events. Christ is proclaimed as the climax of redemptive history and the good news for today’s sinners.

4. Response-oriented. The preaching in Acts is not response-driven. That is, we never see messages crafted or delivered in such a way as to manipulate a desired response. But the preaching always called for a response. This is often the difference between faithful teaching and anointed preaching. The apostles not only taught about God and Christ, they peppered their preaching with promises and warnings. Specifically, they called people to faith in Christ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

5. Boldness. The noun form of “boldness” is used five times in Acts and the verb form is used seven times (out of a total of nine in the NT). If there was one distinctive homiletical trademark of apostolic preaching it was boldness. In the context of much hostility, the apostles were often granted a unique freedom to preach Christ with exceptional clarity. In an age like ours with increasing opposition to Christianity and Christian claims, it is imperative that preachers reclaim this mantle of boldness. Preachers should not be obnoxious or obtuse, but we must question our approach to preaching if we are not willing “to be clear in the face of fear” (97).

Chandler and Wilson on being inoculated to Jesus

From The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler and Jared Wilson:

I meet a lot of people swimming neck deep in Christian culture who have been inoculated to Jesus Christ. They have just enough of him to not want all of him. When that happens, what you have are people who have been conformed to a pattern of religious behavior but not transformed by the Holy Spirit of God. This explains why we see a lot of people who know objective spiritual truths but in the end have failed to apply them in such a way that their lives demonstrate real change. They're hearing, but they're not hearing. (72)

Hamilton on Phiippians 1:27-30

From God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment by Jim Hamilton:

Paul wants the Philippians to strive for the gospel (1:27b) by adopting his perspective and doing what he is doing. If they will embrace this cruciform pattern, they will agree that "to live is Christ" (1:21a), and they will suffer for Christ (1:29b) and join Paul in the self-sacrificing  struggle for the souls of others (1:30). They will also agree that death is gain (1:21b), which will make them fearless before their opponents (1:28a). Living this way on the basis of the glory of God in the salvation through judgment he accomplished by Christ's death on the cross will enact salvation through judgment in their own experience: the Philippian Christians will become living demonstrations that God will destroy the wicked and save his people (1:28b). The life worthy of the gospel is based on and lives out God's glory in salvation through judgment. (486)

Oliphint on God's self-identifying name

From Reasons for Faith by Scott Oliphint:

When considering the essence of God, it would be difficult to overstate the significance of God's self-identifying name in Exodus 3:14: "I AM." As we noted earlier, it would be possible to pour philosophical content into the implications of the name that may stretch its real meaning. That should certainly be avoided. The simple point to see, however, is that such a name, given the context of its declaration and the interpretation given it by God himself, requires us to attribute to God absolute independence, sovereignty, and power. (199)

Frame on Jesus' personal words

From The Doctrine of the Word of God by John Frame:

Jesus' personal words are of utmost importance to the message of the NT. There is no trace of any development from a word-centered revelation in the OT to a nonverbal revelation in the NT. Quite the contrary. Jesus' personal words are crucial to his ministry. In the community of his disciples, his word is the supreme criterion of discipleship. Jesus teaches that calling him Lord is meaningless unless we do the will of his Father (Matt. 7:21-23). The will of his Father is to be found in the law of Moses (Matt. 5:17-20), and also in Jesus' own words (7:24-29). Those who hear Jesus' words and do them will be like the wise man who built his house on the rock. Those who do not hear and obey will be like the fool who built his house on sand. (61)

Preach the Gospel to yourself

HT: David Mathis

The Shelf Life on Preaching the Gospel to Yourself

The clock is ticking. If you’re faithfully “preaching the gospel” to your own soul, day in and day out, but distancing yourself from regular Bible intake, your freshness is fading. There’s an expiration date on this fruit once it’s off the vine.

Don’t think I’m down on preaching the gospel to ourselves. I love it. I commend it. It’s one of my main conscious sources for sanctification, an indispensable weapon for fighting the fight of faith. I’m eating this fruit daily. Warning you about the “shelf life” on gospel self-preaching is in hope of guarding and preserving this precious reality in the Christian life.

Gospel and Scripture — Together

The concern is that those of us convinced of our ongoing need for the gospel should take care that our so-called gospel centeredness not lead to laxity with the Scriptures. God has designed the two to be united. And what God has joined together, let no man separate.

Without relentless reorienting on the gospel, our study of the Scriptures quickly veers off course. And without keeping ourselves freshly filled with the Scriptures, our gospel self-preaching soon runs on empty.

Gospel Perspective in Scripture Reading

John 5 shows the folly of fixing on the Scriptures while ignoring the God of grace. Jesus crossed paths with a troop who liked to think of themselves as soaked in the Scriptures, but they were getting them all wrong, taking them in through the wrong grid. What an epic tragedy: They had God himself in the flesh, standing in their very midst, and they missed him because their Bible reading was going awry with self at the center.

Jesus says to them, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39–40). The lesson for us is to never disconnect our searching of the Scriptures from a conscious awareness and pursuit of Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and Treasure. The gospel of Jesus is the core, culmination, and meaning of the Scriptures. No matter how passionate the study, regular Bible intake that is not in accord with the truth of the gospel becomes zeal without knowledge.

Displace the gospel from the center, and studiousness with the Scriptures soon becomes a massive self-salvation project.

Bible Intake and Preaching to Yourself

But there’s another side to the coin, and it’s the one that’s our focus here. God does not intend for the message of the gospel to get cut loose from the Scriptures either. Regular Bible intake — whether it’s reviewing memorized Scripture, Bible-infused conversations with fellow believers, or receiving the public preaching of God’s Word — serves to shape and strengthen and sustain the daily preaching of the gospel to ourselves. The Scriptures, rightly understood with Jesus at the center, nourish our hearts, and sharpen our minds, to be able to rehearse the truth of the gospel with texture and edge and definition, with freshness and power.

The message of the gospel is not meant to be something we “get,” carve into canned lines, and tell ourselves over and over for a lifetime as some sort of magic to fight sin. God means for us to be regularly pushed and formed, hurt and healed, challenged and encouraged by passages we’ve never heard before, haven’t given enough attention to, or haven’t considered in a while. He means for us to understand even our best known verses at new depth, and know the power of his grace more deeply, through new applications, as we encounter situations in life we’ve never faced before.

Keeping Your Gospel Fresh

This is why he gives us teachers, fellow believers, and access to his objective, “external word,” as Luther called it, amazingly preserved in a Book for millennia, to continue shaping and upholding the church today. He means for us regularly to hear other Christians articulate the truths most precious, and to be pressed time and again with God’s own inerrant speaking in human language in the biblical canon.

So, yes, keep the gospel central in sanctification. Eat daily from the fruit of preaching the gospel to yourself. And keep your stock fresh with regular picking from the cornucopia of Bible intake in its varied forms.

---

David Mathis is a seminar speaker at our National Conference on the topic "Mission and Disciple-Making." Visit the event page to learn more or register.

A week away

I will be gone for the next week or so. I have scheduled posts so that, if all goes as planned, there will be fresh content for each day I'm away. On Friday, I'll be crossing of one of the items on my bucket list: hearing John Piper preach live and in person. Nicole and I will be at the seminar described below.

Free Seminar on "The Pleasures of God" on August 24–25

by Josh Etter
June 19, 2012

On August 24-25 at Bethlehem Baptist Church (North Campus) in Minneapolis, Pastor John will be giving a free, two-day seminar on the theme of The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God’s Delight in Being God. The seminar is open to all — we'd love for you to join us.

The Pleasures of God Seminar from Desiring God on Vimeo.

Schedule

Bethlehem Baptist Church (North Campus)
5151 Program Avenue
Mounds View, MN 55112

Day 1
Friday, August 24
7:00 - 9:00pm (two sessions, + Q&A)

Day 2
Saturday, August 25
9:00am - 12:00pm (three sessions)

And if you'd like to stick around after the seminar on Saturday, Pastor John will be preaching at 5:30 PM that evening at Bethlehem's downtown campus.

Register
Registration is available online only. There are just 1,000 tickets available, so register quickly. Members of Bethlehem Baptist Church are also required to register.
Register Now
You will receive an email confirmation immediately after registering that will include your tickets to the seminar. If you do not receive a confirmation, it could indicate that your registration did not process correctly. In this case, please send us an email.

Live-Stream
If you're unable to attend in person, the entire seminar will be live-streamed for free at http://www.desiringGod.org/Live.

Theology Breakfast #4

Theology Breakfast 4 was a good one! Pastor Nathaniel Wright presented from part 2 of Jonathan Edwards' classic Religious Affections. Nathaniel delivered a concise talk that generated significant discussion which was, in my estimation, very helpful. Below are are condensed notes from what he presented.

“Signs of Nothing”

from part 2 of A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections

by Jonathan Edwards

 Now let us look at this man who has had such a lasting influence, and who seems to be becoming again almost a dominating influence in religious thought in America. I confess freely that this is one of the most difficult tasks I have ever attempted. The theme is almost impossible, and very largely for the reason that I have already given, namely the influence of Edwards upon me. I am afraid, and I say it with much regret, that I have to put him ahead even of Daniel Rowland and George Whitefield. Indeed I am tempted, perhaps foolishly, to compare the Puritans to the Alps, Luther and Calvin to the Himalayas, and Jonathan Edwards to Mount Everest! He has always seemed to me to be the man most like the apostle Paul. Of course, Whitefield was a great and mighty preacher as was Daniel Rowland but so was Edwards. Neither of them had the mind, neither of them had the intellect, neither of them had the grasp of theology that Edwards had; neither of them was the philosopher he was. He stands out, it seems to me, quite on his own amongst men ... There are so many approaches to this great summit; but not only so, the atmosphere is so spiritually rarefied, and there is this blazing whiteness of the holiness of the man himself, and his great emphasis upon the holiness and the glory of God; and above all the weakness of the little climber as he faces this great peak pointing up to heaven. All I can hope to do is to give some glimpses of this man and his life, and what he did, with the ultimate end and object of persuading every one to buy these two volumes of his works, and to read them

                                                                                                Martin Lloyd-Jones

SHOWING WHAT ARE NO CERTAIN SIGNS THAT RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS ARE GRACIOUS, OR THAT THEY ARE NOT.

I. That religious affections are very great, or raised very high, is no sign

II. That they have great effects on the body, is no sign

III. That they cause those who have them to be fluent, fervent, and abundant, in talking of the things of religion, is no sign

IV. That persons did not excite them of their own contrivance and by their own strength, is no sign

V. That they come with texts of Scripture, remarkably brought to the mind, is no sign

VI. That there is an appearance of love in them, is no sign

VII. Persons having religious affections of many kinds, accompanying one another, is no sign  

VIII. That comforts and joys seem to follow awakenings and convictions of conscience, in a certain order, is no sign  

IX. That they dispose persons to spend much time in religion, and to be zealously engaged in the external duties of worship, is no sign

X. That they much dispose persons with their mouths to praise and glorify God, is no sign

XI. That they make persons that have them exceeding confident that what they experience is divine, and that they are in a good estate, is no sign

XII. That the outward manifestations of them, and the relation persons give of them, are very affecting and pleasing to the godly, is no sign

SHOWING WHAT ARE DISTINGUISHING SIGNS OF TRULY GRACIOUS AND HOLY AFFECTIONS.

XII. They have their exercise and fruit in Christian practice

1. Christian practice and holy life is a sign of sincerity to others

2. Christian practice is the chief evidence to ourselves, much to be preferred to the method of the first convictions, enlightenings, comforts, or any immanent discoveries or exercises of grace whatsoever.

What are the Practical Implications?

• Necessity for the gospel to be a part of regular church life.
• Signs/Gifts should not be elevated or sought at the expense of Holy Practices.
• Help to Christian Counseling/ Accountability.
• Promotes a healthy Fear of God (Phil 2:12)

Frame and Poythress

Well, I have allowed the blog to sit on the 1500th post for a couple of days. This was not intentional, unless you consider procrastination intentional. Post #1501 will not be groundbreaking or paradigm-shifting. I'll just make you aware of a wonderful resource for your edification and sanctification.

The Works of John Frame and Vern Poythress is a site which contents are exactly what they suggest. The site has a collection of resources from Frame and Poythress which includes-or will include-articles, ebooks, audio files, and course materials. This is a great gift to the body of Christ!

I have read two of Frames book: The Doctrine of God and The Doctrine of the Word of God. Both were excellent and the former title in particular had a huge impact that continues to this day. I thoroughly enjoy how Frame writes and I find what he writes to be significant. I have not read any of Poythress' books, but I have read numerous articles by him that have also been well-worth the time invested.

If you search "John Frame" on this blog you will see my interaction with the aforementioned titles.

Take a look at this site and enjoy!

Akin on Same-Sex Marriage; Does Jesus Teach About It?

Is it true Jesus never addressed same-sex marriage?

Posted on Aug 9, 2012 | by Daniel Akin

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) -- Today it is popular among those promoting same-sex marriage to say that Jesus never addressed the issue, that He was silent on the subject.

Those who affirm the historical and traditional understanding of marriage between a man and woman often are admonished to go and read the Bible more carefully. If we do so, we are told, we will see that Jesus never addressed the issue. So, the question that I want to raise is, "Is this assertion correct?" Is it indeed the fact that Jesus never addresses the issue of same-sex marriage?

When one goes to the Gospels to see exactly what Jesus did say, one will discover that He addressed very clearly both the issues of sex and marriage. He addresses both their use and misuse. And, as He speaks to both subjects, He makes it plain that issues of the heart are of critical importance.

First, what did Jesus say about sex? Jesus believed that sex is a good gift from a great God. He also believed that sex was a good gift to be enjoyed within a monogamous, heterosexual covenant of marriage. On this He is crystal clear. In Mark 7 Jesus addresses the fact that all sin is ultimately an issue of the heart. Jesus was never after behavioral modification. Jesus was always after heart transformation. Change the heart and you truly change the person.

Thus, when He lists a catalog of sins in Mark 7:21-22, He makes it clear that all of these sins are ultimately matters of the heart. It is the idols of the heart that Jesus is out to eradicate. Among those sins of the heart that often give way to sinful actions He would include both sexual immorality and adultery (Mark 7:21). The phrase "sexual immorality," in a biblical context, would speak of any sexual behavior outside the covenant of marriage between a man and woman. Therefore, Jesus viewed pre-marital sex, adultery and homosexual behavior as sinful. And, He knew that the cure for each is a transformation of the heart made possible by the good news of the Gospel. The Gospel changes us so that now we are enabled to do not what we want, but what God wants. Here we find real freedom and joy.

Second, what about the issue of marriage? Is it truly the case that Jesus never spoke to the issue in terms of gender? The answer is a simple no. He gives His perspective on this when He addresses the issue in Matthew 19:4-6. There, speaking to the institution of marriage, Jesus is clear when He says, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." That Jesus was committed to heterosexual marriage could not be more evident. A man is to leave his parents and be joined to a woman who becomes his wife. This is heterosexual marriage. That He also was committed to the permanence and fidelity of marriage is clear as well.

So, how might we sum up the issue? First, Jesus came to deliver all people from all sin. Such sin, He was convinced, originated in and was ultimately a matter of the heart. Second, Jesus made it clear that sex is a good gift from a great God, and this good gift is to be enjoyed within heterosexual covenantal marriage. It is simply undeniable that Jesus assumed heterosexual marriage as God's design and plan. Third, Jesus sees all sexual activity outside this covenant as sinful. Fourth, it is a very dangerous and illegitimate interpretive strategy to bracket the words of Jesus and read into them the meaning you would like to find. We must not isolate Jesus from His affirmation of the Old Testament as the Word of God nor divorce Him from His first century Jewish context. Fifth, and this is really good news, Jesus loves both the heterosexual sinner and the homosexual sinner and promises free forgiveness and complete deliverance to each and everyone who comes to Him.

John 8 tells the story of a woman caught in adultery. The religious legalists want to stone her, but Jesus intervenes and prevents her murder. He then looks upon the woman and, with grace and tenderness, tells her that He does not condemn her. Then He says to her, "go and sin no more." In Matthew 11:28 Jesus speaks to every one of us weighed down under the terrible weight and burden of sin. Listen to these tender words of the Savior, "Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." This is the hope that is found in Jesus. This is the hope found in the Gospel. Whether one is guilty of heterosexual or homosexual sin, one will find grace, forgiveness and freedom at the foot of the cross where the ground is always level.

When I came to fully trust Jesus as my Lord and Savior at the age of 20, I determined that I wanted to think like Jesus and live like Jesus for the rest of my life. When it comes to sex I want to think like Jesus. When it comes to marriage I want to think like Jesus. That means I will affirm covenantal heterosexual marriage. It also means loving each and every person regardless of their lifestyle choices. It means, as His representative, proclaiming His Gospel and extending the transforming grace of the Gospel to others that takes us where we are, but wonderfully and amazingly, does not leave us there. That is a hope and a promise that followers of Jesus gladly extend to everyone, because we have been recipients of that same amazing grace.

Daniel Akin is president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. This column also was posted at www.betweenthetimes.com/, a Southeastern Seminary website. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp)