Is the Safety On?

A friend of mine showed me his firearm recently. My first question was, “Is the safety on?” Why this question? I had a respect for the weapon. Not too many of us would grab a loaded gun and toss it around and handle it flippantly. Why not? We would be scared of shooting someone, especially ourselves. In the same manner, we would not pick up a soldier’s sword and proceed to flip it through the air swinging aimlessly this way and that. Most of us could not even pick it up with one hand much less wave it around. Yet when it comes to the Sword of the Spirit, we toss it around, playing with it blindfolded as if it were a plastic toy unable to do any damage. Have we forgotten Hebrews 4:12:
For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (emphasis mine)
The ironic part is that this is done mostly by those of us who profess to understand the weapon that it is. We get into doctrinal and theological debates with one another, proudly tossing back and forth passages from Holy Scripture like juggling clowns in the circus. The only difference is that the clowns are using plastic batons. But that is just the beginning of the discussion. As the debate proceeds we move from the harmless juggling of plastic batons to the throwing of darts. We spout out Bible verses confidently not only missing the mark, but often not even hitting the board. This might not be too bad if it were the Dart of the Spirit.
So what is the answer? Humility. Humility recognizes there is only one Master Swordsman. His name is Jesus. If our name is not Jesus Christ, we ought to approach the Sword a little more cautiously. Do not presume to know how to handle the instrument flawlessly. Do not take the weapon out of its context. Spouting out verses in a heated debate suggests a lack of respect and reverence for the Word.
Most of us would not appreciate a surgeon who says, “Toss me the scalpel.” Most surgeons use a pen to first mark the exact spot of the incision. They proceed with a still and steady hand, understanding that the slightest bump or shake could mean the difference between life and death. If only the Word were but a scalpel. It’s not. Praise God! It is living and active! He used it to perform life and death surgery on our heart!
Let us remember the power of the weapon we hold in our hands. Let us not presume to have mastered its use. Let us approach it with humility and respect. It is too heavy for but one man to both hold and direct its path. Every time we open our mouths to speak its context, let us tread slowly lest we hurt ourselves or those around us. Let us do our best to present ourselves to God as “one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Remember what your parents taught you, never run with sharp objects in your hands. You may fall and get hurt!
In His Grace.

Together for the Gospel

Check out Together for the Gospel. This is a conference to be held in April. There are a few of us going. They have an interesting blog going on their web site.

Reformed? So What?!

Total depravity.
Unconditional election.
Limited atonement.
Irresistible grace.
Perseverance/Preservation of the saints.
All true yet all meaningless as simple words on paper or spoken from a pulpit. Give me a $50 gas card and I'll be grateful. But if I don't have a car to put the gas in, it is pointless. The same is true for sound doctrine. Receiving sound doctrine is vitally important. Receiving the correct blood is also important but if the heart is not beating, it’s a waste of blood. If the sound doctrine is not lived out, it has no purpose. Sound doctrine in a dead life is dead doctrine.
There are a lot of us in reformed circles who have fallen prey to this travesty. We know what we believe but we don’t believe what we know. It has not caused change in our life making us conformed more to the image of Jesus Christ. If I really believe a parachute will save my life from the jump I’m about to make, I will do more than just hold it and show it off on the way down; I am going to strap it on my back as tight as I can stand it. And so the question is, do I live like God is sovereign? Do I live like my very life depends on the grace of God? Is my excitement in the content of the Truth of God or in the idea that I can explain it? Unfortunately for many, our excitement is in the idea that we actually know the truth more than the next guy. We actually hold the correct key that opens the mansion. The problem will be when we are not allowed up to the door. What will keep us from approaching? Our pride. Correct doctrine does not leave room for pride. A pastor’s teaching may sound right on and be absolutely correct interpretation but if it is taught with pride, it is false doctrine. If we really believe what we say we believe, then we ought to be the most humble people who ever walked the face of the earth!
A new favorite passage of mine is 1 Peter 3:15.

… always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you…

Anyone who is reformed should love this verse! This is why we study so hard and practice defending our doctrine in the mirror.

Again, the problem is that we do what I have just done. We leave off what comes before and after it. The beginning of verse 15 says, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in you hearts…”
The end says, “yet with gentleness and reverence.”
The greater context tells us the point of the passage. We are not being exhorted to be closet Christians and when someone knocks on the door to crack it open and whisper, “There’s a Christian in here.” This passage is not suggesting or even implying any form of passive Christianity. Nor is it suggesting or implying a “proud that I know more than you” Christianity. What this passage is DEMANDING is a life that is out-rightly, blatantly, unashamedly being lived for Christ and his glory. A life that is being offered as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God as a reasonable act of worship. A life lived righteously in the face of the world that tells us to live for ourselves. And when the world confronts us, which it will if we are living this way, we will be forced to give a defense for turning our back on the world’s system. I don’t care if you can explain predestination if you don’t live like you are.

Don’t love doctrine more than you love people.

As you come to doctrinal conclusions and make them your own, if you are right, it’s not because you figured it out!

Person 1:
Do you love Jesus?
Yes.
Do you live Jesus?
Yes.
Are you reformed?
What’s that mean?
Let’s talk.


Person 2:
Do you love Jesus?
Duh.
Do you live Jesus?
I can tell you who He is.
Do you live Jesus?
I can tell you why He came to earth?
Do you live Jesus?
I can tell you who He died for.
Do you live Jesus?
Not really because I’m depraved. That’s the T in TULIP. Totally depra…
Do you live Jesus?
No but I’m reformed.
Reformed? So what?!!