Category: Bible

Pastor Babij ended his Sunday sermon with the statement that the best defense against false teaching is corporate knowledge and love. That remark, in connection with our scripture reading from Ephesians 6:10-20 got me thinking this week about warfare and a particular parallel to the Christian life.

It’s popular in many action movies today to depict heroes who are essentially one-man armies. These military prodigies can charge into an enemy force and take down hordes of foes without suffering injury or even breaking a sweat. But real life combat is quite different.

Though individuals can and have indeed accomplished great feats on the battlefield, the truth is that those who fight alone are eventually overcome. Even the best soldier cannot protect against all directions at once, nor can he stave off exhaustion and despair forever. Furthermore, simple logic would suggest that a coordinated effort in battle, with each fighter playing a part according to his skill and equipment, is much more effective than every warrior engaging the enemy independently.

The early Christians likely appreciated the above truth since one of the greatest examples of effective, cooperative warfare was all around them at the time: the Roman legionaries.

Rome did not become master of the Mediterranean by employing untrained soldiers who each fought as he wanted. Quite the contrary: Roman soldiers were renowned for their discipline and coordination: they lined up for battle in tight formations, with their large rectangular shields forming a portable wall from behind which the soldiers could thrust out their deadly short-swords; the soldiers frequently drilled so that units could quickly reform their shield and weapon arrangement for specific battle situations, such as for dealing with arrow fire or cavalry charges; and the soldiers even employed a system of continually cycling in fresh troops to replace fighters at the frontline so that no soldier would become overcome by fatigue or fear.

The Roman war machine was truly awe-inspiring, yet its greatest strength came from the disciplined unity of its soldiers in battle. Consider how dangerous it would have been, then, for a Roman legionary to detach from his unit and begin to fight on his own! Not only would that soldier quickly get himself injured or killed, his unit would suffer from his being missing from the planned battle arrangement.

So it is for us Christians. The Bible often describes the Christian life as a kind of spiritual battle; Christians battle against temptation, error, and false teaching and battle for righteousness, truth, and lost souls (2 Cor 10:3-6; Eph 6:10-13; 1 Tim 6:11-12; Jude 1:3-4, 20-23). Yet while this spiritual warfare does feature an individual aspect, we need to understand this call to war as primarily a corporate one. If we are not intent on fighting side by side as Christians, we will become much less effective in the struggle and will soon find ourselves suffering many spiritual casualties.

After all, we do have a great captain to lead us, who really is a hero and a one-man army: the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 4:7-8; Rev 19:11-16). But he has commanded us to fight the good fight of faith together. So let’s get onboard with his battle plan! Let’s gather and train together, let’s overcome sin and discouragement together, and let’s contend for sound doctrine and lost souls together.

Colossians 2:1-5, For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.

Questions to Consider:
1. Is there ever a good reason to separate yourself from church fellowship and ministry (cf. Prov 18:1)?
2. When we discover our brethren deserting the spiritual battle line, what should we do (cf. James 5:19-20)?
3. Spiritually speaking, do you live your Christian life like a soldier in active service or like a distracted civilian (cf. 2 Tim 2:3-4)?

In Pastor Babij’s Sunday sermon, he mentioned that we Christians preach the amazing mystery of Christ in believers (Col 1:27). This reality means that true Christians are transformed to become increasingly holy since Jesus indwells them by the Spirit. Pastor Babij also mentioned the corresponding scriptural truth: if Christ has not changed you, then he is not in you, which means that you are not a true believer (cf. James 2:17; Rom 6:16; Mat 7:21-23).

These truths from the sermon made me think this week about a certain situation that I’ve encountered more than once in Christ’s church: when a Christian struggling with sin agonizes over whether he is saved or not.

The professing believer in such a situation often feels paralyzing confusion. On the one hand, the professing believer feels he must not be a true Christian because he keeps returning to the same sin habit, whether the sin is lust, anger, or something else. Not being a real Christian seems to be a logical explanation as to why there hasn’t been victory over sin. Furthermore, the solution for such a situation is clear: I need to get saved for real!

On the other hand, the professing believer often feels that he cannot trust that any new attempt to turn to Jesus is sincere. After all, the professing believer thought he was saved before but apparently wasn’t, so who’s to say that his latest expression of faith really has saved him? This question becomes exacerbated when the struggling soul has prayed and “gotten saved” multiple times but still hasn’t experienced victory over sin. Without Christ in him, the professing believer knows that he doesn’t have the power to overcome the sin (cf. Eph 3:16-21). Yet how does that professing believer know that Jesus really does indwell him and has given him strength to change?

Thus, the soul struggling with sin is stuck in the torturous place of not knowing whether he needs to become a Christian or simply strive to be obedient by Christ’s power. And how can one ever become sure of the right answer?

Yet there is a sword that can cut through this Gordian knot: the remedy for enslaving sin is always repentance and faith in Christ, whether a person is already saved or not.

You see, true Christians do not repent and believe once at the beginning and then move on with the rest of their lives; rather, their lives become characterized by a lifestyle of faith and repentance. This does not mean that a believer gets re-saved many times but that the gospel that saves is also the gospel that sanctifies. As sins sometimes plant footholds in our lives as believers, we must respond with the same radical change of mind and action as we did when we first believed (Eph 4:17-24; Rom 6:12-14). Furthermore, the resurrection power of the Spirit that we embrace in the gospel is the same power we embrace by faith every time we resolve to put a besetting sin to death (Rom 6:4-7).

Therefore, there is no need for paralysis by analysis when it comes to life-dominating sins: the call to all from Scripture is “repent and believe,” trusting that the Lord does indeed provide his power for all who look to him (Mark 1:15; Isa 45:22; Rev 3:19). This is not to say that, in Christ, overcoming sin suddenly becomes a piece of cake; no indeed, you will need to strive in an all-out fashion (1 Tim 1:18-19; 4:7-10; 6:11-12) and enlist the help of your brethren (Eph 4:15-16; 1 Thess 5:14; Heb 3:12-14) to find consistent victory. But those who are serious disciples of Jesus will indeed overcome, not to become perfect, but to walk in increasing holiness (Rev 21:7-8). Ultimately, as Pastor Babij preached, the proof of true repentance and faith is a transformed life.

For more on the subject of repentance, what it is and how you know it’s real, please see the sermon I preached called What Is Repentance?.

Colossians 1:21-23, And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Questions to Consider:
1. If a person will not strive to put off sin, what does he testify about himself?
2. How should a Christian respond to the feeling that he cannot escape a certain sin or that he lacks the power to change?
3. What areas of your life call for repentance and faith, even the putting off of sin and putting on of righteousness?

There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
Proverbs 14:12

One aspect of life that often trips up Christians is properly responding to feelings and emotions. In the Sunday sermon, Pastor Babij mentioned that feelings and emotions (I’m going to use those terms interchangeably) are one way that people move away from the hope of the gospel. That’s a dire outcome! Yet our feelings can be very strong. Therefore, how can we protect ourselves from letting our emotions take us away from God?

The Origin of Emotions

We might think that the answer is to just shut down our emotions and become logic-driven stoics, but such misunderstands the origin and originally intended role of emotions. Emotions are a gift from God and are part of our being made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27). God has emotions (e.g. Isa 62:5; Eph 4:30; Ex 32:10), and he made us to experience emotions such as joy, anger, fear, sorrow, and satisfaction for a good purpose.

Emotions help us appreciate the significance of God and various aspects of his universe. Without the feeling of happiness, how could we ever truly know the goodness of God or of his creation? Without the feeling of sorrow, how could we comprehend the terribleness of that which is broken and without God?

Practically speaking, emotions were designed to help us in making life decisions. Anger (the righteous kind) was meant for us to pursue justice on behalf of God and the oppressed (Pro 31:8-9; cf. Mark 3:1-6; John 2:13-22), while fear motivates us not to rebel against God or engage in any other activity which is dangerously foolish (Pro 9:10; Eccl 8:12-13). Thus, emotions were originally given to us for good.

The Corruption of Emotions

The problem with emotions, though, is that they have become impacted by sin and the corruption of our world. Now, we sometimes experience feelings that are inappropriate. For example, instead of sin inspiring in us revulsion or zeal, we feel delight. We also sometimes experience emotions that go beyond their proper bounds. For example, a good concern for one’s health becomes an enslaving fear of getting sick. Thus, emotions can encourage people to make choices that are sinful and self-destructive in their lives, which is the opposite of emotion’s original design.

Why have our emotions gotten so out of order? It is because our emotions are so frequently disconnected from reality. The reason we feel the way that we do is because of what we think and believe in our hearts (there is also sometimes a physical influence from our bodies but the primary driver is the inner man). This is why one person stuck in traffic can feel rage while another person in the same traffic feels content; though the circumstances are the same, what a person believes he needs or deserves informs his emotions one way or the other.

Thus, when we believe what is false about God, ourselves, and the world, our misinformed emotions lead us astray. And, unfortunately, due to our inheritance of sinful corruption from Adam, we are naturally inclined to believe what is false, preferring a warped and self-centered view to the reality revealed in God’s Bible.

The Redemption of Emotions

But there is hope for recalibrating our emotions and rediscovering their originally beneficial purpose for our lives: that hope is repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. When we humble ourselves before the Lord, confess that we have thought and believed wrongly, and commit to trusting and following him according to his word, then our emotions can start to be informed by the truth. Instead of rejoicing in sin, we sorrow over sin, as we ought, and feel zeal to change (2 Cor 7:8-11). Instead of worrying inordinately about the future, we bring our concern back into its proper bounds because we know that we can trust God (Mt 6:31-34).

In fundamental repentance and faith, some of our emotional changes are immediate. However, others take more time, since whole habits of thinking and believing that were false have to be reshaped and retrained to what is true. This is why we need those disciplines of grace; by continually seeking the Lord through his word, through prayer, and through the fellowship and ministry of the saints, our minds are more fully formed into the mind of Christ himself (1 Cor 2:16; 2 Cor 3:18). And as we are renewed in the inner man, so will our emotions also be renewed.

Along the way, though, there will be times when we feel an emotion that goes against the Bible. We might feel afraid to preach the gospel, feel like a certain sin will provide necessary satisfaction, or feel the desire to isolate from others when experiencing trouble. We may even arrive at moments when we feel conflicting emotions at the same time: a desire to please Christ and do what’s right and a desire to please the sinful flesh that’s still part of us (cf. Gal 5:17). So what should we do?

In our moments of testing, we must by faith push past our fleshly, misinformed feelings to follow Jesus (Gal 5:16-24). Fundamental to faith is the belief that God is a rewarder to those who seek him (Heb 11:6). If you will choose to seek Christ over your own feelings, then not only will you find his reward, but you will also find that your misguided feelings soon change. As many Bible teachers have counseled: we should not wait around for our feelings to change before we obey God, rather by faith we obey and trust God to change our feelings as we keep seeking him.

Questions to Consider:
1. Sin often encourages emotions that themselves encourage further sin. Therefore, what is needed to break out of the downward spiral of sin?
2. Would God be pleased with people who fulfill his commands but do not feel joy or affection for him? Why or why not? Consider Deuteronomy 6:5 and Nehemiah 8:10.
3. What are you doing in your life to cultivate proper emotions for and before God?

Considering the need for Christians to evangelize strategically, as we discussed in the Sunday sermon, I thought it would be useful to follow up with a few simple questions and answers regarding some common evangelism methods. May the Lord fill us with joy and boldness as we seek to be faithful disciple-makers!

Q: Is it acceptable for a Christian just to live quietly and wait for people to come up to him and ask questions about the gospel?
A: Certainly we Christians should be living in such a set apart way that we do provoke questions (and even persecution, Mt 5:11-16; 1 Pt 3:15; 4:3-5). But we need to do more than just “stay and pray.” Remember, the Christian mission is different than Israel’s in the Old Testament; we are to “go and proclaim” to people of all nations the good news of Christ (Mt 28:18-20). Therefore, we should be actively trying to enter into gospel conversations, not just passively waiting.

Q: Does inviting unbelievers to church so that they will hear the gospel preached from the pulpit count as evangelism?
A: It is not wrong to bring unbelievers to church or for a Christian assembly to admit curious visitors. Paul does mention as a hypothetical possibility unbelievers entering a church worship service and being convicted by God’s word made clear (1 Cor 14:23-25; cf. James 2:1-9). However, the New Testament pattern of evangelism does not consist of believers inviting unbelievers to church services but of believers going out from the gathered assembly, making new disciples with the preached gospel, and then bringing in those new believers to be baptized and to join the church. After all, the church is called to be holy and even to confront those in its midst who continue to live in sin (Mt 18:15-20; 1 Cor 5:9-13; Acts 5:1-13).

Furthermore, any evangelistic strategy that is reliant on just one special person is never good. Many a church has built itself on the charismatic evangelism of just one gospel preacher, but as soon as that evangelist dies or leaves, the church’s evangelism fizzles out. The fact is that the Bible doesn’t call for only certain Christians to evangelize, but for all Christians to do so. If we all bring unbelievers to one or a few evangelists to give those unbelievers the gospel, then we ourselves will never grow into faithful evangelists.

If you want to invite an unbeliever to church or to a church’s ministry, that’s okay, but you should then commit to following up with that person to preach to him the gospel. And never discount the importance of a one-on-one gospel conversation! I’m always amazed at how many people can sit under the public proclamation of the gospel and still never really hear it. These persons get distracted with other thoughts during the preaching or they interpret the message in such a way that it must apply only to others. That’s why your personally following up with someone is key; then you’ll find out how much your visiting friend really has heard and understood from the pulpit.

Q: How do gospel tracts fit into evangelism? Am I truly preaching the gospel if I just hand out pamphlets explaining the gospel?
A: Tracts are a fine tool to use in evangelism; they are the gospel proclaimed and explained in written form. But the great question with Christian tracts is: how do you know whether the persons to whom you give tracts will read them?

There are certain ways to use tracts more effectively. One way is to consider the cultural situation you are in and whether tracts might be particularly welcomed. For example, after the Soviet Union fell, Christians tracts were received like treasure among those previously cut off from religion by the Iron Curtain. Even today, there are people in certain places or situations who are quite grateful to receive gospel tracts and, therefore, much more likely to read them.

A second way to use tracts more effectively is to make sure you actually read the tracts you use before you hand them out. That way you know what kind of explanation you’re giving out and can further explain if people have questions. After all, if you’ve never taken the time to read the tract—and the recipient detects this—then why should he read it?

A final way to use tracts more effectively is to use them in conjunction with a personal conversation, even one in which you share the gospel verbally. If someone has already had a positive interaction with you, then that person will have more reason to read something you give to him. If you’ve preached the gospel before giving the tract, then the tract will be a great reinforcement or further explanation of what you spoke. If you didn’t preach the gospel previously to someone but did give a tract, then the tract becomes a convenient reason for following up. Provided you are able to see that person again, you can ask him if he read the tract, answer questions, and even preach the gospel on the basis of what was in the tract.

When talking about the effectiveness of the simple, preached word of the gospel to save souls, many people quote Isaiah 55:10-11, which says,

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

Isaiah says that God’s word will never come back void or empty when it goes forth, so that should encourage us in evangelizing with God’s word, right?

Well, yes, but perhaps not in the way we might first think.

The Three Words of God

It’s useful to remember that the Bible speaks of “the word of God” in three senses: there is God’s decreed word (his sovereign directives and pronouncements, e.g. Ps 33:6, 9), God’s incarnate word (Jesus Christ, e.g. Jn 1:14), and God’s inscripturated word (the Bible/gospel, e.g. 1 Thess 2:13). These three divine words are different yet related to one another and overlapping in many qualities. For example, each of these words come from God and are powerful and even life-giving (Gen 1:20-21; Jn 10:27-28; Phil 2:14-16). Also, as an example of relation, the incarnate word acts as God’s agent to fulfill the decreed word and is himself the source of the inscripturated word (Jn 1:1-3; 16:12-15).

But not everything that is true about one divine word is true of the others. For example, the inscripturated word is not what created the world; the world was created by God’s decreed word as fulfilled by the incarnate word (Gen 1:3; Heb 1:2). Or, as another example, only the incarnate word died on the cross for our sins, though, again, in fulfillment of the decreed word and as foretold and recorded in the inscripturated word (1 Cor 15:3).

Remembering the distinction in divine words is important so that we do not automatically apply to each of the three words whatever any particular Bible passage says about “the word of God.” If a Bible passage talks about God’s word, we want to ask which sense of the word of God is meant and, then, how whatever is said about that word relates to the other senses of the word of God, if it all.

The Word of God in Isaiah 55

If we pay close attention to the context of Isaiah 55:10-11, we can see that the sense of God’s word meant in those verses is the word of God’s decree. Starting back in Isaiah 40, God tells Israel what God himself will do in the future: God will come to redeem and restore the nation (Isa 40:1-11; 43:1-7; 49:14-26), he will judge Babylon (Isa 43:14-15; 47:1-15), he will raise up Cyrus to destroy kingdoms and bring Israel back from exile (Isa 41:1-4; 45:1-7), he will cleanse Israel from sin by a suffering servant (Isa 49:1-7; 52:13-53:12), and he will protect Israel in such a way that they never need fear again (Isa 54:11-17).

All of this is in direct contrast to the impotent idols, the false gods in whom Israel was so tempted to put trust. These idols, God notes, cannot declare what will happen in the future nor bring about any proposed good or evil (Isa 40:18-26; 41:21-29; 42:14-17; 44:6-20). The only true God not only declares what will happen in the future but also makes sure to bring to pass what he has pronounced (Isa 41: 25-29; 44:6-8; 24-28).

In Isaiah 55:1-7, God entreats Israel to respond in an appropriate way to everything God has just revealed he will do; Israel is to respond in repentance and faith. The people are to “seek Yahweh while he may be found” and “call upon him while he is near” (Isa 55:6); they are to forsake unrighteous ways and thoughts and return to the Lord to find forgiveness and pardon, which he promises they will surely receive (Isa 55:7).

Isaiah 55:8-13 then feature a series of supporting reasons encouraging the readers/listeners to turn to the Lord in this manner, with many sentences beginning with the word “for”: in verses 8-9, God entreats return on the basis of God’s ways and thoughts being so much higher than man’s; in verses 10-11, God entreats return on the basis of God’s word always accomplishing what God desires; and in verses 12-13, God entreats return on the basis of the restored joy and supernatural prosperity the repentant will one day experience in their own land.

We can see, then, from the verses surrounding Isaiah 55:10-11, that the context is not a discussion of the inscripturated word’s guaranteed effectiveness in evangelism. Rather, God entreats a saving gospel response from his people on the basis of the surety of his decreed word (which is now recorded in the inscripturated word of Isaiah). God has promised in this book of prophesy that Israel will be cleansed when they turn to God and will thereby find incredible, renewed blessing. These promises will indeed come to pass because, like the rain and snow sent from heaven, God does not send forth a word of promise or decree that fails. God’s pronouncements always bring to pass exactly what God intends and desires, for he is the almighty, sovereign God. With confidence, then, sinners should turn to God knowing that he will bring about what he has promised.

Isaiah 55:10-11 and Evangelism

So does the above mean that Isaiah 55:10-11 has nothing to do with the inscripturated word and, thereby, nothing to do with the gospel we preach in evangelism? On the contrary, one justified application of Isaiah 55:10-11 is that whatever God has promised (and recorded for us in the Bible) regarding our evangelism for his sake will indeed come to pass.

And what has God pronounced regarding our evangelism? That gospel preaching is what God will use to save souls (1 Cor 1:18, 24), that all of God’s chosen will be saved in God’s perfect timing (Jn 6:37), that no fortress within a person’s mind is strong enough to stand against God’s piercing word (2 Cor 10:3-5), that persecution and death will not stop the church or God’s gospel (Mt 16:18; 2 Tim 2:9), that God will be with us in every gospel encounter and empower us to faithfulness (Mt 28:20), that some will not understand the gospel and/or will react with hardening hatred and fear (2 Cor 2:15-16; Jn 3:19-20), and that all our gospel work and sacrifice will find its full reward on the day of Christ (Mt 25:21; 2 Tim 4:8).

Thus, the upshot of this article is not that Isaiah 55:10-11 doesn’t apply to evangelism but that the promise there applies to much more than evangelism. Whatever God promises will come to pass for his world and for his people, for just as the rain and snow do not come back to God without watering the ground and growing all manner of plants and fruit as he desires, so it is impossible that God’s word of decree should return to him without fully accomplishing his perfect will.

Questions to Consider:
1. Does it matter if you get the right application from a passage of Scripture but the wrong interpretation? Why or why not?
2. How should the fact that God’s promises and purposes in evangelism will not fail affect us in our evangelism?
3. How should you apply Isaiah 55:10-11 to other issues of the Christian life?

Since preaching this past Sunday’s sermon on evangelism, I’ve been thinking about a certain famous saying:

“Preach the gospel; if necessary, use words.”

The saying is attributed to Francis of Assisi, an influential Italian monk who lived from 1181-1226. On the surface, the saying suggests that one need not use actual words to evangelize others, that simply living a holy life of love is just as effective or even more effective than proclaiming the good news of Jesus with words.

But there are two main problems with the above saying. First, Francis likely never said it, as it does not appear in any of his writings. Francis’ closest remark to the saying comes from his rule for friars, in which, alongside an exhortation not to preach (with words) a gospel different than the one officially recognized by the church, Francis exhorts, “Nevertheless, let all the brothers preach by their works.” In other words, Francis teaches that a holy life ought to assist in the verbal proclamation of the gospel, which, as we’ll see below, is a plainly scriptural idea.

The second main problem with the famous saying is that it is logically impossible. You cannot preach or proclaim a message without words! People are not mind readers, nor are good works a kind of sign language that magically communicates salvation by grace through faith in Christ (Eph 2:8-9). The good news of salvation must actually be spoken for someone to hear and believe, for, as Romans 10:13-15 says:

For “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

Yet all this is not to downplay the importance of holiness in God’s messengers. The Puritan Richard Baxter once remarked that many gospel preachers unsay with their lives what they say with their mouths. This is the opposite of what Scripture commands. Christians, like Paul, are to provide no hindrance to the gospel (1 Cor 9:12) but instead to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect (Titus 2:10).

And not only is holy proclamation required, it is often supernaturally effective. Significant is the statement Peter makes to wives living with sinful and/or unbelieving husbands in 1 Peter 3:1-2.

In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.

Peter says that these ancient Christian wives, who undoubtedly have already made their faith in Christ known and have appealed to their husbands to repent and believe, can win over their husbands “without a word” by consistent godly behavior.

That is a very encouraging teaching! That remark gives hope to all those living with family members who have rejected the gospel; your holy life is pressing what you’ve preached back onto their hearts! And God is pleased to many times use this combination of faithful declaration and perseverant holy living to save souls. But when and whether God saves that person is up to him; you will still be found a faithful ambassador if you both preach and live faithfully.

So instead of the famous and wrongheaded saying attributed to Francis, let us resolve to live by a different motto: “Preach the gospel; both words and works are necessary.”

Questions to Consider:
1. Considering what we discussed on Sunday, is it possible to live a “holy life of love” without preaching the gospel with words?
2. If you only do good works before others but never declare the gospel of Christ, how might others misinterpret your good works?
3. If you do not currently have a holy life to back up your gospel declaration, what do you need to do?

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

The above quotation comes from Bilbo Baggins, a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. On the surface, Bilbo’s statement would seem to suggest, due to the uncertainty and danger of what might happen beyond your door, that it’s better to just keep the door closed and live quietly at home.

But Bilbo’s own life story argues for quite the opposite. Though he had never wanted to get involved in any adventures, he found himself swept up into a thrilling and momentous quest to recover a lost dwarven kingdom from a greedy dragon (the storyline of The Hobbit). The quest was indeed uncertain and dangerous, and many times Bilbo regretted coming along. But when it was all over, Bilbo had discovered new friends, valuable treasures, and unforgettable experiences. He was more than glad that he had gone on an adventure and soon longed to go on another.

Therefore, far from forbidding daring quests, Bilbo’s words above to his young cousin Frodo are meant to encourage taking wise risks. Once you open yourself up to the possibility of doing something courageous and momentous, there’s no telling in what amazing place you might end up.

Now, while none of us are soon going to have a bunch of burly dwarves knocking on our door asking us if we want to reclaim a mountain, we Christians are regularly presented with the chance to do something that is similarly risky and rewarding: acting on behalf of the Lord Christ.

In such moments of opportunity, we are tempted to just play-it-safe and keep the door closed. But if we will step out in faith—engaging someone in a meaningful conversation, showing generous hospitality, or practicing self-denying service—well, “there’s no knowing where we might be swept off to.”

Furthermore, we have something in our godly risk-taking that is more powerful and precious than even Bilbo’s magic ring: the Lord himself is with us.

Psalm 118:6, The LORD is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?

Exodus 3:11-12a, But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Certainly I will be with you.”

Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

No wonder, then, that God will hold us accountable for our courage or cowardice (cf. Rev 21:7-8)! Because if the God of the universe, Yahweh of Hosts himself, is on our side, what business do we have not going out of our doors for his sake?

Questions to Consider:
1. Have you ever taken a risk for God that turned out well? What lesson did you learn?
2. Have you ever taken a risk for God that did not turn out well (at least immediately)? What lesson did you learn?
3. What is one specific way that you can “go out of your door” for Christ this week?

This past Sunday, among other notable happenings, we finished our Sunday school series on early church history. While I very much enjoyed going through that study, there is one person in early church history that I never got to mention in our class, a person who inadvertently has become so popular that he is celebrated around the world every Christmas season. While we may know this man today as “Santa Claus” or “Saint Nick,” his original name was Nicholas of Myra.

Nicholas of Myra (c. 270-343) was a bishop (or lead pastor/elder) of the church in Myra, a city on the southern coast of Asia Minor. We know very little about this ancient pastor today except that he served as bishop of Myra during the last, severe persecution of Christians under Diocletian and Galerius (303-313). Nicholas likely also attended the Council of Nicaea, as his name appears on one of the surviving lists of attendees, though no contemporary writer mentions anything further about him. More expansive accounts about the life and ministry of Nicholas do not appear until a few centuries after his death, and their reliability is suspect.

A strong theme of the later accounts of Nicholas, however, is his generosity. One story about him that may be based in truth—since there are no parallels in the stories of other saints—has to do with how Nicholas once saved three young women from ruined lives. A certain wealthy Christian man had suddenly become impoverished and had no money left to provide for the dowries of his three daughters. Without any marriage prospects and no other ability to support themselves, these daughters were considered likely to end up as prostitutes.

Nicholas heard of the dire situation and, either out of modesty or out of a desire to spare the family the public embarrassment of accepting charity, resolved to aid the family secretly. During the night, Nicholas threw a purse of gold coins through the family’s home window, providing enough money so that the first daughter could be married. After her wedding, Nicholas secretly dropped off another bag of money so that the second daughter could also be married. When Nicholas tried to do the same for the third daughter, the father caught Nicholas in the act and insisted on expressing gratitude. Nicholas accepted the thanks but ordered the father not to reveal Nicholas’ secret gift-giving. The father complied (at least initially; we do know about the story today!), and all three daughters ended up safely married.

Alongside this main story about generosity, Nicholas was also said often to put coins secretly in the shoes of those who left them out for him in the night. But other stories about Nicholas and his deeds are much more fanciful. For example, Nicholas supposedly once calmed a raging sea with a word, saving the lives of many sailors. Nicholas also supposedly once raised from the dead three infants, who had been callously butchered during a famine to sell as meat. Still another story reports that, at the Council of Nicaea, Nicholas became so angry with the heretical Arians that he slapped one of them in the middle of assembly—or even punched Arius himself in the face! Though temporarily defrocked and imprisoned for such un-bishop-like behavior, Nicholas was allegedly restored to his position after the council since Arius and his followers became condemned.

These later stories about Nicholas are almost certainly not true, but they did make him an increasingly popular saint in the medieval period, even a favorite. Nicholas became the patron saint of the unmarried, sailors, children, and even the entire country of Greece! The day of his death (December 6) also became a day for secret gift-giving for Christians across Europe, especially among the Dutch. They referred to Saint Nicholas as “Sinterklass” and brought the traditions about him to the New World. Sinterklass would later unite with other traditions about a winter-time gift giver to become the Santa Claus we know today.

Though Nicholas’ saint day (December 6) is still celebrated by many in Europe as a day for secret gift-giving, the date has now become superseded by Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This shift was encouraged by Protestants in the Reformation period who wanted to distance themselves from the veneration of saints, including Saint Nicholas. Not only did Protestants promote gift-giving on a different date, but they also posited a different gift-giver: the “Christkindl” (the Christ-child). Apparently, this name later mutated into English as “Kris Kringle.”

So, as we celebrate Christmas this year and perhaps even enjoy a Christmas movie or two that includes Santa, let’s remember who the real Saint Nicholas was: not a supernatural gift-giver keeping a list of naughty and nice children, but a simple fourth-century pastor who preached Christ, endured persecution, and practiced self-sacrificing generosity.

Matthew 5:16, Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Questions to Consider:
1. What would the real Saint Nicholas think of all the fanfare about him today?
2. Can Christians rightly incorporate Santa Claus into their Christmas celebration? If so, how?
3. Remembering Christ, how can you be self-sacrificially generous to others this Christmas season?

As we approach Christmas day, I thought it would be useful to consider again why we celebrate the birth of our savior on December 25th. Why this day and not some other day? And was Jesus really born on this day in December?

A Christianized Pagan Festival?

If you’ve ever looked into this topic at all, you’ve probably encountered the claim that the Christmas Dec. 25 celebration has pagan origins; early Christians simply took a pagan festival on Dec. 25 and Christianized it.

It is true that there were two ancient Roman holidays that took place around our Christmas time. One was the Saturnalia celebration from Dec. 17 to Dec. 23, a very popular festival dedicated to the god Saturn that included feasting, gambling, role reversal, gift giving, and general revelry. Our festivities obviously include some of that today. But Saturnalia is a little too early in the calendar to be the direct origin of our Dec. 25 celebration.

The other holiday was the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, or the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, observed on Dec. 25. Sol was the sun god of the Roman pantheon, and Sol Invictus was a popular aspect of that god in the fourth century AD. It’s unclear in history what commemoration looked like on Dec. 25 for the Romans, but certainly it would have been a day for making offering and honoring the sun.

So now, did early Christians simply take the birthday of Sol Invictus and dress it Christian? Many people assume so. Some have pointed to a letter from the bishop of Rome in the fourth century AD in which he declared Dec. 25 to be the day for celebrating Christ’s birth. People speculate that this bishop or pope did so to create a Christian alternative to the pagan holiday either to attract new converts to Christianity or to help prevent old converts from slipping back into paganism.

However, the letter has turned out to be fake; there’s actually no hard evidence from the early centuries that Christians consciously tried to Christianize any Roman holiday on Dec. 25.

A Paganized Christian Festival?

Actually, some argue that the reverse of the above was taking place: Roman emperors were consciously trying to paganize a Christian Dec. 25 celebration!

You see, already in the early 200s AD, certain Christian theologians had published their conclusions regarding the date of Christ’s birth. Hippolytus of Rome, Sextus Julius Africanus, and Cyprian of Carthage all made the same argument: since God must have made the world at the beginning of spring, Mar. 25 to be exact, Jesus must have been conceived on that date as well and then born nine months later, which would be Dec. 25. There are, perhaps, some questionable assumptions in this argument, but we must understand that many early theologians were really into symbolism and believed that God was, too.

Whatever their reasoning, their published conclusion of Christ’s birth on Dec. 25 is important because it comes long before the Birthday of Sol Invictus was celebrated. Emperor Aurelian made Sol Invictus an official cult of Rome in AD 274, but the first hard evidence we have of a festival to the sun being celebrated on Dec. 25 isn’t until AD 354, long after Christianity had spread through the empire and even become officially tolerated!

So was the inauguration of the Birthday of Sol Invictus in fact a move by Roman emperors to stifle and coopt the early celebration of Jesus’ birth by an increasingly prevalent Christian population? It’s a possibility worth considering.

A Special Day for the World’s Light

There is a third and more likely possibility than both of the above: Christians and pagans both chose Dec. 25 as a celebration date independently from one another but for the same reason.

What is that reason? Well, in the Roman or Julian calendar (we today in the West use the Gregorian tweak of the Julian calendar) Dec. 25 is the winter solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice is the day in which the darkness reaches its peak and from which time the amount of daylight gradually increases each day.

We can understand why the pagans would celebrate the birthday of the sun on such a day; it’s a day all about the sun coming and beginning to grow in power. But we can also understand why Christians would celebrate the birthday of a different son on such a day.

For what do the Scriptures declare again and again about this son’s arrival? That with him is the coming of light, true light—light more powerful and life-giving than the light of our star.

Isaiah 9:2, The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.

Malachi 4:2, But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.

John 1:9, There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

John 8:12, Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

So then, whether Jesus really was born on Dec. 25 or not, Christians have long considered the date a symbolically appropriate one for celebrating the arrival of our savior. Of course, there is nothing in the Bible that says that we have to celebrate Christ’s birth on this day, but Christmas nonetheless represents a useful tradition available to us for worshipping our Savior and testifying to the world about the arrival of its true light.

Questions to Consider:
1. Has the true light shined on you in a saving way this Christmas?
2. How might you incorporate knowledge of Christmas’ origin in your family’s celebrations this year?
3. How might you strategically use this Christmas season to testify to others about Christ?

As part of explaining John 1:29-34 in the Sunday sermon, I mentioned “textual criticism.” What exactly is textual criticism, and should its use undermine or bolster our confidence in the Bible we have today?

To answer most directly, textual criticism is the process of using the surviving copies of an original text no longer in existence to recover the original wording of that text. Sometimes also called “lower criticism,” textual criticism is not to be confused with what is called “historical criticism” or “higher criticism.” When it comes to the Bible, historical criticism basically uses man’s wisdom to reject what the Bible says about itself to assert the “real” history or origin of each Bible book. Thus, historical criticism is basically useless for the Bible-believing Christian. Textual criticism, on the other hand, is quite useful, even essential. Textual criticism uses manuscript comparison to discern what was and is the original biblical text.

Textual criticism is necessary since we Christians no longer have the original, inspired writings or autographs of the Bible. The original Bible books/letters have been lost (cf. 2 Ki 22:8), destroyed (cf. Jer 36:23), or have simply deteriorated. What we have today are many copies of the Bible and many copies of copies of the Bible hand-written during the ancient and medieval eras.

But how accurately can we reconstruct the Bible with these copies? Have our Bibles simply turned into a tragic game of telephone, with the original writings hopelessly distorted over time?

Not at all! Because what is remarkable from studying the copies, even those written in different centuries, is that the copies are so consistent with each other! Though there are indeed differences between the surviving manuscripts, the differences are easily resolved or are not significant to the meaning of the biblical text.

Let me illustrate the situation of biblical textual criticism with a simplified example. Let’s say we have the following three sentences, which are all copies of an original sentence now lost. From studying these copied sentences, can you discern what the original sentence would have been?

Copy A: Justin took his frends to the sunny beach.
Copy B: Justine took his friends to the beach.
Copy C: Justin took his friends too the shore.

By seeing how the copies deviate from one another but also how they remain consistent with each other, we can quickly discern that the original sentence probably was: “Justin took his friends to the beach.” Yet notice that the same basic sense of the original is retained in each copy, despite their differences! And notice, too, the straightforward nature of their differences.

The situation above is just like we see with the biblical manuscripts. Most of the variants we see in our surviving Bible copies are insignificant and easily identified: spelling errors, variants that don’t make sense, or variants that don’t substantially change the text’s meaning. Less than 1% of Bible manuscript variants make sense and do change the text’s meaning, but these variants never appear in passages that affect any core teachings of the Bible.

The science of textual criticism really took off during the Renaissance period, around 1350-1550 AD, when ancient manuscripts became more available to people in Western Europe and when the printing press made copying those manuscripts much easier. Today, by comparing surviving manuscripts and by paying attention to which manuscripts came earliest and are most reliable, we can be more confident than ever that we have the same text that was originally given by the apostles and prophets.

In the end, Christians don’t need to be afraid of textual criticism, for in it God’s faithfulness to preserve his word is actually seen afresh:

Isaiah 40:7-8,
The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.

Questions to Consider:
1. Some people like to challenge Christians by claiming that many errors have accumulated in the Bible across the centuries. How should Christians respond?
2. Would it be much better for Christians if we still had the original autographs of each Bible book today instead of just copies? Why or why not?
3. How should you respond to the fact that God has provided a reliable copy of his supernatural word to you today in your own language?