A Gospel Response to St. Petersburg's Gay Pride Festival

In God's providence, my Bible reading brought me to Romans 1-2 on the same day of St. Petersburg's 2008 Gay Pride Festival. If you ask most evangelical Christians what the Bible says about homosexuality you are likely to hear a reference to Romans 1:26-27.

²⁶Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

And while one of our presidential candidates referred to this (and the book of Romans) as an obscure passage in the Bible, it is actually at the beginning of one of the most well known letters written by the most well known authors in the Bible. However, in spite of this, I would say that we aren't as familiar with it as we should be. Because I do think it has something to say for those of us today who live in the United States, and specifically in St. Petersburg, FL—home of the largest pride festival in Florida. However, it might not be what we so readily think it is.

First, let's make some observations about the text above. It starts with the phrase, “Because of this...”, or, “For this reason” in some translations. That expression links it with what precedes it, and what precedes it is an explanation of why “the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness...”. Note the words, “all the godlessness and wickedness of men”. This text is certainly not merely about homosexuality; it is also about any form of idolatry, any form of suppressing the truth about God (i.e. teaching evolution), any form of sexual impurity (including lust, pornography, fornication, adultery... yes, heterosexual sins). Additionally, in verses 29-32 we find added to the list of reasons for God's wrath (and this is just a sample): greed, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, God-hating, arrogance, boasting, disobedience to parents...and even cultural approval of any of the aforementioned sins.

Another observation regarding verse 26-27 is that it could certainly appear that the homosexual relations described were not listed as reasons for God's wrath coming, but the effect of God's wrath coming on a culture that has forsaken the worship of God. It seems to be saying that because of our denial of what can be clearly seen even in creation (vs. 20), and our lack of worship of God (vs. 21), and ultimately our worship/idolatry of everything in creation except God our Creator (vs. 25), God gave them over to this homosexual behavior. So rather than thinking that homosexuality is the cause of God's wrath, or fearing God's wrath as a result of this homosexuality, I think Paul is saying that it is part of God's wrath for our personal and cultural denial of God and worship of nature. I believe this ought to strike mercy in the heart of any Christian toward the homosexual given that we know ourselves to be undeserving objects of God's mercy.

Secondly, the conclusion Paul draws from these statements is instructive.

¹You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. ²Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. ³So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? ⁴Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:1-4)

Sometimes those chapter markers just get in the way. Paul declares that those who pass judgment on another condemn themselves. How could this be? Because we are all guilty of the sins just listed in his litany of reasons for God's wrath. While we pass judgment on other sinners, do we think we will escape God's judgment? And then there is a statement that I think is very insightful for the believer.

⁴Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

When we judge others in these sins we show contempt or disregard the kindness, tolerance and patience of God. Today most people think of tolerance as if God is saying, “Well, I guess I'll put up with that, after all, I'm a really nice guy.” Or, tolerance in the sense that we must not view anything someone else does as actually being wrong; To think it is wrong is intolerance. But this is not what is meant at all. Here, it may best be translated as the ESV translates it, “forbearance”. It means a holding back or a self-restraint. God is holding back His wrath, giving opportunity for repentance. Why? Because God has made provision for our sin in Jesus Christ. And all of us would have suffered the wrath of God if this were not so. So we have no right but to hold out hope that God would lead others toward this same repentance; even participate in leading them to it in kindness.

A good example of this contrast between man's self-righteous, judgmental response verses God's forbearing kind response that leads to repentance can be seen in David's response to Nathan versus God's response to David. This comes just after David's great sin of taking Bathsheba, committing adultery, conspiring to murder her husband, and covering his sin.

The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. ²The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, ³but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. ⁴"Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." ⁵David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! ⁶He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." ⁷Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. (2 Samuel 12:1-7)

There is a real note of irony here when David's response is contrasted to God's response. David's response to the man in the parable (which is ultimately himself), is one of anger and immediate demands for justice. No pity is shown. Yet, God's response to David (even in lack of pity) was one of kindness, forbearance and leading him to repentance through Nathan the prophet. In fact, God often used prophets to woo His people back to repentance. (Sadly in our day, those who think of prophetic ministry often associate it with blasting people for their sin.) David was disregarding the kindness and forbearance of God. Let's not do the same. As we think of this Gay Pride Festival this weekend, let's pray for those who participate; let's grieve over our own sins contributed in deserving God's wrath, and let's reach out in mercy to those who are caught up in such sin, hoping for the gift of faith and repentance to be given by the abundant mercy of God.

Why preach about heaven? (part 3)

In the previous two posts on this topic (part 1, part 2), we began exploring the question, “Why preach about heaven?” My answer is, “for the same reasons that Paul did.” First, I noted that our glorious hope in heaven produces a life of faith and love—the Christian life. Then, in part 2, I explored how Paul teaches us that our glorious hope in heaven sustains a life of faith and hope—the Christian life.

Now, in part 3 I desire to look at how our glorious hope in heaven defines a life of faith and hope—the Christian life. In order to do that, let's look again at Colossians:

Colossians 1:25-29 ²⁵I have become [the church's] servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— ²⁶the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. ²⁷To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. ²⁹To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

Paul describes our hope of glory in very specific terms. He doesn't spend time describing the wonders of heaven itself as far as the place goes...what it is like, etc. And though there are places in Scripture which make it clear that heaven is more magnificent a place than the fallen world we are in, that is not what Paul points to here. Paul describes the hope of glory as, “Christ in you”. I believe this is the same thing Paul spoke of to the Galatians when he said, “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you...” (Galatians 4:19). Again he speaks of this when he desires that we “become mature [same as perfect in Colossians 1:28; complete], attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” “Christ in you,” “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” or “Christ formed in you” all speak of the same thing. Paul's goal in all his ministry was quite clear: that we may present everyone perfect in Christ (Col. 1: 28).

What is our goal? To become just like Jesus. Christ redeemed us to make us like Himself. God sent His Son to save us in order that He might replicate His Son in us! Why? Because He loves His Son! And if that is the goal of Christian ministry (presenting us before God like His Son), then the life of faith and hope, the Christian life, is defined as an on-going pursuit of Christ being formed in us...becoming like Him!

When we preach heaven, we are preaching about that day when we will be just like Him; unhindered by the body of sin. And in the very preaching of that goal we remind ourselves of the glorious desire to be like him, and to put off sin. Our fleshly desires are not the goal; Christ is. His glory far outshines the glory of sin. And this defines how we are to live now while we are on the way to that glorious hope!

John the apostle would agree with this idea that our hope defines our living.

¹How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ²Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3)

The goal? The appearing of Christ when we shall be like Him. And of course we are only on the journey because “now we are the children of God” utterly by the grace revealed in the Gospel. But the journey is one of purifying ourselves (by His grace at work in us), just as He is pure. Christ is the glorious hope of the Christian life; Christ defines the Christian life. “Christ is all and is in all.” (Colossians 3:11) Our glorious hope in heaven, being presented complete in Christ, defines a life of faith and hope—Christ-likeness!

So this goal of being presented complete or perfect in Christ defined the major portion of what Paul preached: “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom...” Paul proclaimed Jesus because Jesus is the Gospel. Paul proclaimed Jesus, because Jesus is the glorious vision that calls us out of ourselves. Paul proclaimed Jesus, because Jesus is the ultimate goal of our inheritance in heaven. Proclaim Jesus and you can't help but bring heaven into the picture; it is where He is.

Why preach about heaven? Because the Gospel points us to that day and as we hold that day up it will produce the Christian life, it will sustain the Christian life, and it will define the Christian life—Christ in you the hope of glory!

Signs and Wonders Will Never Do What Only the Word of God Can

This morning I was reading in Deuteronomy and was struck by just how clearly certain truths of the Gospel were laid out and revealed early in redemptive history. (I realize that I haven't posted the 3^rd part of “Why Preach About Heaven?” I will get back to that next.) First, the absolute necessity of regeneration if any will be saved, and second, the way in which the Word of God is held up as the source of transforming grace that we need.

In Deuteronomy 29, Moses says something that almost jars our thinking.

Deuteronomy 29:2-4 ²Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. ³With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. ⁴But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.

Miracles, signs and wonders demonstrated for the eye to see will never produce regeneration. In fact, the Israelites Moses was speaking to had seen it all (it doesn't get much better than dividing the Red Sea), but they were still utterly dependent upon the LORD to give them spiritual understanding, spiritual sight and hearing.

Jesus spoke of this inability to see to Nicodemus one day:

John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Spiritual seeing and and hearing comes only when the Lord gives us a new inner man, a new heart, or mind and will.¹ This is when we are made alive, born-again, or regenerated. We are given God's spirit to live within us. “You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'” (John 3:7)

Ezekiel refers to this:

Ezekiel 11:19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

This is something which God does; it is an act of God's sovereign grace. This act is referred to in the next chapter of Deuteronomy as circumcision of the heart; something God promises to do for them after the prophesied exile (which happened centuries later).

Deuteronomy 30:6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

The Lord would have to produce the revival that was needed. Miraculous signs and wonders, while certainly are welcome and can be wonderful, can never produce the needed revival. It is funny how in our day miracles, signs and wonders are almost equated with revival, when in fact it can be, as in the case described here in Deuteronomy that they have nothing to do with each other.

But we are told where real revival comes from right here in Deuteronomy. The original audience of Moses' words may have been tempted to say, “We need more miraculous signs if we are really going to obey you Lord.” But the Lord tells them they are to obey “with all your heart and with all your soul.” Where can this kind of obedience must come from?

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 ¹¹Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. ¹²It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" ¹³Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" ¹⁴No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

The very words of the covenant themselves will carry with them the power we need to obey it. The very Word we have been given carries God's empowering grace to obey it. We don't need to reach into heaven in order to have empowering revival to transform lives. We don't need to travel the world to receive it. No, it is right here in the Word itself. Pursue Christ in the Word; be revived and empowered right here in the Word of God.

Paul quotes these verses from Deuteronomy as describing “the righteousness that is by faith” (Romans 10:6). And he tells us there that what we are looking for when looking for this empowering to obey, this reviving, if you will, is Christ. And Christ is the Gospel; believe the Gospel and you will be saved.

Signs and wonders will never do what only the Gospel can. If you are looking for revival look no further than the Gospel.

What about you? Have you associated miracles and revival in a way that causes you to look with our eyes on the horizon rather than on God's word when in need? Let me encourage you to look not up into heaven, or over the sea, but into God's Word in pursuit of Christ.

1The word here is inner in contrast to outer man. Heart is a good translation, but this is not distinction between mind and heart, but rather to say, the unseen part of you...your spiritual person rather than your physical person.

Why preach about heaven? (part 2)

In the previous post, we began exploring the question, “Why preach about heaven?” My answer is, “for the same reasons that Paul did.” First, I noted that a glorious hope in heaven produces a life of faith and love, or, to say it another way, the Christian life grows out of a glorious hope in heaven.

Now, in this post I want to explore how Paul teaches us that a glorious hope in heaven will sustain a life of faith and hope—the Christian life. We see this first in Paul's prayer for the Colossians.

¹¹May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:11-14)

While it is clear here that the power for our endurance and patience with joy in the midst of trial is God's Spirit Who strengthens us will all power according to His glorious might, it is also clear that the reason for that endurance and patience with joy is that the Father has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Just as the Savior, for the joy set before Him endured the cross despising its shame, so we for the joy of heaven set before us will find reason for enduring. The destination makes the journey worth it. This is one of the wonderful truths vivified in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. (This month (June 2008) you can download the audio version of the book for free from Christianaudio.com, I highly recommend it.) Christian, in the story, sets out for the celestial city. However, he finds that the journey is fraught with danger and difficulty. He must remember the destination, and from what he is fleeing. We too must remember our destination, and from what we are fleeing.

A few verses later, Paul restates some of these things in teaching form rather than in his prayer: We have not only been qualified to share in the inheritance (vs. 12); we have also been delivered from the domain (control, power, sphere) of darkness. How? Through the forgiveness of our sins in Christ Jesus.

²¹Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²²But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—²³if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

We were alienated from God and were His enemies. God reconciled us through Christ's death on the cross, in order that we would be presented holy in His sight. If we continue in the faith. We must continue in the faith. This will require endurance and patience. Yet notice how he describes this endurance, “established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” In order to continue in the faith, established and firm, we must hold on to the hope which the Gospel holds out to us.

If the Gospel held out to us is all about earth, and not about heaven, there is no real hope held out to us. Hence we would be unable to hold on to it. However, the biblical Gospel holds out an eternal inheritance as our hope. Take it; hold on to it, an allow it to fill you with joy as you endure dangers and difficulties in the walk of faith. And trust in the power of God by His Spirit to empower it.

Not only does our glorious hope in heaven produce the Christian life, is also sustains the Christian life. In the next post on this topic, I want to explore how our hope in heaven is the real motivation for Christian ministry.

Jerry

To be continued...

Why preach about heaven? (part 1)

It would seem, in many circles, that heaven is out of vogue. In fact, if one preaches about heaven a lot he might well be accused of preaching a “pie in the sky” message, or be warned that if we are so heavenly-minded, we will be of no earthly good. We could analyze why this is—everything from the materialism of our culture by which our own thinking is affected far more than we know, to the prosperity we enjoy that makes it difficult to not want to stay here—but rather than that we ought to ask the question, “Should we preach heaven?” or, if we are the congregation, “Should our pastors be focusing our attention on heaven?” and, if so, “Why?”

My answer to the first two questions is a resounding, “Yes!” Now, as for why, I would say, “For the same reasons that Paul did.” And to expand on that, let's turn to his epistle to the Colossians.

When discussing heavenly-mindedness, one usually thinks of Colossians 3:1-4:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

However, these verses are not the first or most significant mention of heaven in this letter. They are merely another clear and specific reference to the place and role of hope in the life of the church. Chapter one is loaded with references to heaven and what it reveals about the importance of preaching heaven is valuable.

A glorious hope in heaven produces a life of faith and love.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— ⁵the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel ⁶that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. (Colossians 1:3-6)

The Colossians had demonstrated their faith in Christ in such a way that Paul and his team had heard about the effect of their faith from others. It was the kind of faith that was producing the Christian life. It was also producing love for the saints. This tells me that there are activities which faith produces in our lives, in addition to love. It changes how we make decisions; it alters what is important to us; it makes us generous people. And both faith and love were springing forth in their lives from the hope that was stored up in them. Hope they had heard about in the word of truth, the Gospel.

First, this tells me that the Gospel we preach ought to have a focus on heaven more than on earth. In other words, the Gospel is about your best life then, not your best life now. The Gospel Paul preached spoke much about heaven and therefore informed people of the hope that is stored up for them in heaven.

Second, we see that the Gospel explains God's grace. When the Colossians heard the Gospel they understood God's grace in all its truth. Not everyone who hears the Gospel understands God's grace in all its truth, for it requires supernatural help to do so. However, no one will understand God's grace from the Gospel unless the gospel actually explains God's grace. Paul's Gospel described the grace of God. Paul was regularly preaching and exploring the cross of Christ as the central demonstration of the grace of God.

Third, the Christian life springs from the hope produced by the Gospel. Initially, as I saw this description, I thought of a diving board: Hope is the diving board, the Gospel of grace is the fulcrum, or base on which the board is supported and pivots. As we walk in view of this Gospel hope, we spring forth lives of faith and love. Good picture, but not the right picture for this verse.

The picture of springing forth in this context is that of a plant shooting forth from a seed, and busting through the soil. The Gospel of God's grace plants seeds of hope in our souls, hope because our sins are forgiven and God is our Father, and heaven is a sure hope. And that hope, when it germinates in the soul, springs forth lives that are lived in faith and hope. So, a glorious hope in heaven produces a life of faith and love.

Jerry

To be continued...